“Why do you keep blinking at me so?” He was disdainful. “Do not think your guiles will work on me.”
Katherine stood, wondering if the man was quite sane. “Do I know you, sir?”
“You certainly do not, nor do I desire an introduction. It is sufficient that I know you. I am well acquainted with your unsavoury past and your scheme to ensnare my friend, Foxleigh.”
“You know Foxleigh?” Katherine was puzzled. If this man had been invited to the wedding, why had Foxleigh not introduced her to him? And why was he speaking to her in this insulting way? “Then you are aware that I am his betrothed. I do not know under what misinformation you feel authorized to speak to me in this manner, but I must ask you to leave me to my meditations and importune me no further.”
“Your meditations.” The long sarcastic drawl ended in a huff of disgust. “It never ceases to amaze me how the worst specimens of humanity will always try to clothe themselves in ill-fitting piety. But I will not be dismissed. I am here to stop this wedding from taking place, and if you have any sense, you will grasp onto this five hundred pounds and run for your life.” He extended a single bank note. “I will not let you make yourself a duchess by exploiting my friend’s befuddled state. And make no mistake, I can prevent this match from happening. You had best cut your losses and take this payment. It is the only advantage that is now to be realized from all your connivances.”
“You offer insults to me and Foxleigh both. If you believe my heart can be purchased, you are very mistaken. I am of humble means, it is true, but I do not deserve this high-handed assault upon my character. Again I ask that you leave me in peace.”
The man’s chuckle was cold and merciless. “I cannot say that I am displeased at your refusal. It will save me five hundred pounds. But if you will not take the carrot, then you shall have the stick. I hope you are amenable to spending a great deal of time in your pious mediations, for the second you set a foot outside of this church you will be apprehended by the law.”
“The law?” It was as though she had walked into some strange nightmare. “I have done nothing wrong.” It was not precisely true, but she had, in any case, not done anything illegal.
“Oh indeed? I could overlook your being one of the most profligate and manipulative trollops ever to pass herself off in the ton. Making a ridiculous nuisance of yourself is one thing, but trying to hold up my friend is quite another. Do not attempt to dissemble for me, you shameless tart. I know all about your highway robbery plot.”
Katherine’s jaw dropped open. Was this some imp sent from hell to torment her on her wedding day? Otherwise, how could he possibly know about the highway robbery, when she had never actually committed the act? She shuddered and shrank away from him. God was punishing her.
Chapter 18
Lords A-leaping to Conclusions
Foxleigh’s stomach soured as it ruminated on dark premonitions. He had quitted Katherine’s chambers with the information that she had already been conveyed to the church. His carriage seemed to crawl along the street. He wished the driver would make the horses go faster.
Perhaps he was panicking for nothing. Marie might have realized her game was up and left the area. If she knew what was good for her, she would already be en route for the continent.
Nonetheless, he bolted out of the vehicle almost before it had come to a halt in front of the church, summoning the two stout men he had brought with him—not the liveliest looking fellows, but he had been in too much of a hurry for niceness. “Make haste and follow me!”
As he approached the front steps, his skin prickled. Something was wrong. Why were there so many men loitering about the area. Tough looking men, too. He slowed to examine them. Several of them seemed to look him over from the corners of their eyes, but no one openly acknowledged him.
Foxleigh hurtled up the stairs and into the cool gloom of the anteroom. Pausing a moment to let his eyes adjust, he had the strange sensation that there was someone watching him, but though he looked about, all was shadow. He passed a hand over his face. “Calm yourself, old boy.”
As he made his way into the sanctuary, he was unable to appreciate the dazzling beauty of hundreds of candles or the other decorations laid out for the ceremony, rather hurrying toward the front where Katherine stood, facing a tall man with his back turned. Thank God she was here.
But the look on her face was ghastly. Who was this man, some henchman of Marie’s? Fists clenched, he ran the remaining steps down the aisle, past the snoozing form of Mrs. Broden.
As he neared them, he recognized the riotous clash of colours in the man’s attire. “Rutherford?”
He let out a sigh of relief as the man turned around and his identity was confirmed. It was indeed the Duke of Bartholmer, Rutherford to his friends.
Foxleigh slapped him on the shoulder with genuine thankfulness for the meeting. “Good to see you, old friend! I am so glad you received the invitation in time!”
He darted to Katherine’s side before Rutherford could reply. She was so white. Wedding nerves? It was only then that he saw the stormy look on his friend’s features.
He looked from his bride to his comrade in confusion, the one looking deadly serious, the other looking as though she had seen a ghost. “What is going on here? My darling, are you quite well?”
“I know you will not like what I have to say.” Rutherford locked eyes with Foxleigh in stern determination. “You will think me officious, but you will thank me for it later, believe me. I have received word from your man of business about a plot against you, so I could not rest until I saw you safe. The attack on your carriage that injured you was no simple happenstance. It was all planned.” He cast a dark glance at Katherine, who gasped and shook her head as if emerging from a fugue state. “I see I have only barely arrived in time to prevent a catastrophe.”
“You are too good, Rutherford. But I have just had the whole story from Sumner, myself. I did not know that he had told you about it, however.”
Rutherford looked puzzled, and his eyes flicked from Katherine to Foxleigh. “Sumner enlisted my assistance with apprehending her. As you know I often act as a local magistrate and Blackwood has its own dungeon. But if you know all the facts, how on earth can you still be considering marrying this criminal?”
Foxleigh squinted at his friend. “I am not marrying Marie Dubois, you great simpleton! I am marrying this gorgeous angel. He reached to take Katherine’s arm as she swayed slightly. “Katherine, won’t you sit down. True you look unwell.” He settled her into the pew. “I assure you she cannot harm us, my darling. I have taken precautions.” He gestured toward his two men who stood watching at a respectful distance.
Foxleigh turned back to Rutherford, whose face looked stricken and had turned so beet red that it matched his hideous pantaloons.
“Good Lord, are you unwell, too?” A quiver of apprehension washed over Foxleigh. “Wait! You two have not been poisoned, have you?”
He was about to run off to fetch a doctor, but Rutherford held up his hand. “Stay. It is no poisoning. But I fear I may have made an unpardonable error. Did I hear you call this young lady Katherine?”
“Yes.” Foxleigh looked at both of them. “I am a great blockhead for not introducing you. Forgive the informality, but may I present Katherine Blake, my fiancée. Katherine, this is my good friend Rutherford, the Duke of Bartholmer.”
Rutherford pressed a hand to his temple and swallowed. “Oh my Lord. Miss Blake, I beg your forgiveness for how I spoke to you before. I was unpardonably rude and unjust, for I mistook you for Marie Dubois, whom I know only by reputation, and by the recent report that she was behind the robbery of your future husband. I am such an oaf. You must despise me.”
“Wait. What the blazes did you say to my fiancée?” Foxleigh suddenly realized he had been utterly in the dark.
Katherine’s face was regaining its colour. “He did say some horrid, shocking things, and forbade me to marry you—indeed he offered me five hundred pou
nds to leave before the wedding, and threatened me with arrest if I did not accept it.” She burst out laughing.
Foxleigh shook his head. “What is wrong with everyone? Rutherford, is this true?”
“It is.” He held up his hands. “But before you plant me the facer I deserve, please believe that it was entirely a case of mistaken identity. You could have avoided this fiasco if, in your hastily scrawled invitation to the wedding, you had not sounded like a man whose mind was in utter disarray, and if you had bothered to mention the name of the woman you were planning to wed. You told me you were going to marry the lady who had rescued you, and when I learned a short time later that rescuing you after the assault had been precisely the Dubois woman’s plan, what else was I to surmise? I thought the scheming snake was taking advantage of your blow to the head to make herself a duchess. Naturally I was going to stop the wedding at all costs.”
Foxleigh rolled his eyes to the heavens. How could his wedding day become any greater of a debacle? Katherine’s laughter dissolved into several inelegant snorts.
She grasped her sides. “Oh, Rutherford—I hope I may call you Rutherford. I admit, I feel quite at liberty now that you have called me a profligate and manipulative trollop. You gave me quite a shock, but I must thank you for making me laugh better than I have in years.”
“I am glad my bride can see the humour in your crass insults.” Foxleigh frowned at his friend. “If she can forgive you, I might be persuaded not to un-invite you from the wedding and have you expelled from the sanctuary.”
Rutherford looked truly repentant. “I would be honoured if you would call me Rutherford, Miss Blake, and treat me like a friend, though I deserve no such kindness after my behavior. Can you ever forgive me?”
Katherine was full of complacent smiles. “With all my heart. Indeed you are more than forgiven. What you said was abominably rude, but now that I know you intended the insult for Mrs. Dubois, I find myself liking you a prodigious great deal. About that woman, I believe we are in total agreement.”
Rutherford heaved a relieved sigh. “You are too good, Miss Blake. Thank you for your forbearance, and for having a sense of humour.” He tossed his head at Foxleigh. “It is the only thing saving me from a thrashing by this fellow. I cannot wait to introduce you to my wife. You two shall get along famously, I would wager my best hound on it, if I still had him.”
Foxleigh found that he was at least as relieved as Rutherford. It was good to have the misunderstanding resolved, and an auspicious omen. With such a first experience behind them, his friend was certain to make every effort to befriend Katherine and make her comfortable among his other acquaintance. Foxleigh wished her to be as at ease with them as he was.
Despite appearances, this was an excellent start to their future together. “Very well, you are saved, old friend. My lovely fiancée has now rescued us both.”
“Capital! And I hope you are both planning to join our merry party at Blackwood, for the invitation certainly extends to your bride. I look forward to introducing you to everyone there, Miss Blake. You will be a very welcome addition.”
“I believe I should like that.” Katherine’s eyes locked with Foxleigh’s, and his heart flooded with love and joy. This would be the best Christmas of his life.
Rutherford was all eagerness. “Well, shall I not go see if I can find the priest, so we can get you two married? I assume we are not awaiting any other guests?”
“If we can wake up Mrs. Broden, we shall have our witnesses. I see no reason to delay.” Foxleigh looked at Katherine. “If you are ready, my darling.”
“I am very ready.” Her grey eyes sparkled in the candlelight.
This beautiful, marvelous woman was finally going to be his. His gaze raked over her form. The wedding dress fit her beautifully. He could not wait to remove it.
Chapter 19
Lady Scoundrel
Katherine trembled next to Foxleigh and tried not to think of how good he smelled.
Her nerves had been sorely tested by Rutherford’s accusations and insults, but she had decided to chalk that all up to penance.
It was strange, but it made her feel better to have been so treated. She had prayed. She had been tested. She had been redeemed. She now felt she could forgive herself for having thought about being a robber, and move on to her happy future with Fox. Though she supposed she should tell him about it at some point.
The priest cleared his throat. “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…” He droned on and Katherine, despite her nerves being all ajangle, could not attend. Religious ceremonies were never very exciting.
When he got to the part where he asked if anyone could show any reason why they should not be wed, her spine straightened unconsciously. There was certainly not any reason at all, but they had faced so much adversity already, she found herself expecting it at every turn.
A voice spoke far behind her. “I have a just cause against this wedding.”
Katherine gritted her teeth. The voice was unmistakable—Marie, again. How could this be happening?
The whole party turned as one person, even the mostly deaf Mrs. Broden.
Katherine felt the warmth of Foxleigh’s arm snaking around her shoulder.
The priest spoke first. “Very well. And upon what grounds do you object to this union?”
Marie’s eyes bored into Katherine’s with a look of hatred that was incomprehensible. Katherine had done nothing to Marie, quite the contrary. It was remarkable how a person with such a black soul could twist things around so that their would-be victim became a wrongdoer simply by evading an intended evil.
“That woman,” she pointed at Katherine, “is not who she pretends to be. She has been living as one Mrs. Sheldon for years, and now she claims to be Miss Blake. How are we to know who is getting married here, or if she is even still free?”
The priest pursed his lips and asked Katherine, “Is this true?”
Katherine shook her head. Was all her happiness to be destroyed over such a little thing? “I am Miss Blake. I have lived alone as a poor woman here in the countryside, and I pretended to be the widow Mrs. Sheldon so that I might have some shred of protection against ill-intentioned men. I have not misrepresented myself to the Duke of Foxleigh.”
The priest turned to Foxleigh. “And is this the woman you believed her to be, your grace?”
“Certainly she is. And I recognized her from old, for I knew her when she was still a girl, living with her now departed parents in London. I knew her father and mother, and can personally bear witness to her true identity. I understand why she posed as a bereaved widow, but I have never been deceived as to who she really is.” Foxleigh grasped her more firmly, and she became aware of how violently she was trembling.
His arm felt so good. Marie might break up this wedding, but she could not separate them. Katherine would live with Foxleigh in sin, if it came to that. But it would not—whatever Marie hurled in their way could only delay matters. It would not be difficult to prove her identity. She would not let this relentless tick of a person worry her any longer. She and Fox loved each other, and Marie had no card to play that could trump that.
“I am satisfied.” The priest smiled at Katherine and cleared his throat to continue.
“But how do we even know that she is not already married?” Marie’s voice was a shriek.
When they all turned to look at the desperate woman a second time, Katherine saw Rutherford make a signal to a group of men in the back, who were quietly surrounding Marie.
Then he spoke. “You have the assurances of two peers of the realm that Miss Blake is who she claims, and that she is unattached. Against this testimony are baseless speculations from a woman who stands accused of three murders and a very grievous assault and robbery on the very man whose wedding she now interrupts.”
If she had not already forgiven Rutherford before, Katherine would have done so now, many times. She beamed at him, blessing his soul in her heart.
Wild-
eyed at the discovery of her crimes, Marie turned to flee and ran straight into the arms of the waiting men. She demanded they unhand her, too busy hurling insults to claim sanctuary as they led her from the church.
“And good riddance,” hissed Foxleigh when she was at last out the door.
“Well then.” Rutherford smiled encouragingly at the priest. “I believe that objection has been thoroughly arrested.”
The holy man nodded, mopped his forehead and continued the rite.
Katherine’s heart was pounding when he pronounced them married. Foxleigh kissed her long and hard, perhaps beyond what was seemly while they were still before the priest. But when they came up for air, the cleric only smiled indulgently, and Mrs. Broden and Rutherford wished them joy.
She shivered with anticipation as Foxleigh leaned in and his whisper tickled her ear. “You are so marvelous and strong. Any other woman would have fainted away at what you have endured today. I love you so, my duchess!”
“And I love you, my foxy duke. But I truly hope you have stocked some strong wine in the wedding carriage.”
His eyes sparkled with mischief. “Wine and an ample supply of blankets and pillows. I intend on unwrapping my Christmas present early.”
Her insides warmed at the thought.
She squeaked with joy as Dog joined them for their promenade under the holly archway. He was clad in a specially crafted collar and neck cloth, fixed with a silver pin of the Foxleigh coat of arms. “Oh Dog, only look how handsome you are!”
Foxleigh patted Dog. “You should see the fine carriage I had fitted up for your poultry. Even selected a fleur-de-lis pattern for the carriage blankets. Now all your animals shall become insufferably full of themselves.”
She turned to her husband, laughing. “You got them a carriage? You are a madman.”
“Well, I knew you would not settle anywhere without them, but I draw the line at conveying chickens in my own vehicle.”
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