by Emily Ward
She let out a heavy sigh. “I can’t tell you.”
“I’m afraid we’ll have to send word to your father. Someone will have to come and get you to take you home.”
“No!” She shouted. “You can’t take me home!” Her hands were shaking violently.
“What’s going on? What aren’t you telling me?” He looked a little overwhelmed by the sudden change.
“You can’t send me home.”
“Can you tell me more?” He frowned, concerned about her. That panic in her eyes bothered.
“I can’t tell you, but you can’t send me home. If you send me home, I’m going to die.”
“Die?”
She nodded. “Yes. I’ll die. Or worse.”
He reached out and squeezed her hand. “Tell me. Maybe I can help you.”
“You can’t help me. Marrying your brother was going to help me. That had to happen.”
“What’s going to happen now that you can’t?”
“I don’t know. I really don’t.” The tears were starting to stream down her face. “But it’s not going to be good. Nothing good will come of this.”
“I’m already feeling that way, myself. Can you tell me what happened? Why you’re so insistent on this? Give a clue as to what’s going on in your life?” He kept her hand in his and reached up with his other one to start wiping away her tears. “I want to help you.”
“The only way to help me is for me to get married to your brother. Which I can’t do now.”
“Why is that what would protect you?”
She shook her head. “I can’t tell you. I can’t tell anyone.”
“I can help you if you’ll tell me what the problem is.”
“You’ve got plenty of problems on your own.” Her hands were trembling. Tears were streaming down her face. “You can’t send me home. Please. Don’t send me back.”
“You can tell me.” He kept her hand. “Just tell me what’s happening with you.”
She drew in a shaky breath as she made the decision to speak the truth of the way that her life had turned out. “My father has debts. That’s why we had to leave London.”
“There had been some rumors about that.” Liam nodded, not that surprised about what he was hearing. He hadn’t wanted to believe it, but it sounded like it was. “How bad are the debts?”
She sighed; her breath was shaking in her chest. But she didn’t answer right away.
He squeezed her hand again. “Talk to me about it. I need to know. Maybe I can help.”
She screwed up her courage so that she could tell the truth of her life now. The pain was so clear on her face that it broke his heart as she spoke about the reasons she had to marry his brother. “Serious debts, too dangerous men.” She explained slowly like she couldn’t believe the words that were coming out of her own mouth.
“How dangerous?”
“Murderers. Bandits. Killers. Criminals.” She started to list them off. “Unpleasant.”
“Is that all you can say about them, unpleasant?”
“I could rant for hours about it, but it would likely waste a lot of time that we don’t have.”
Liam nodded, asking another important question instead. “How much does he owe them?”
“I don’t know exactly.” She shook her head.
“Give me an idea.”
“Enough to make them think that they can legitimize themselves by marrying his daughter.”
“They’re trying to marry you? Would your father really do that?” He frowned.
She shook her head. “That’s why he sent me here.”
“To marry my brother?”
“Yes.”
“To make sure you couldn’t marry someone that bad, he rushed you into this.”
“He’s trying to protect me. So that they can’t hold me to his debts.”
He frowned. “That’s unpleasant, to say the least.”
“That’s probably the nicest thing you can say about this.”
“There’s got to be something that we can do about this.”
She nodded, chewing on her bottom lip. If the situation wasn’t so dire, he could have seen her bite her lip for an eternity. It made her look sweet and innocent. “He sent me here before they could force his hand. He knows that they’re going to extort the money out of him anyway.”
“Could they have had something to do with what’s going on here?” Liam wasn’t a fool. It was a question that needed to be asked.
Another knock sounded on the door and a maid showed her way in, carrying a tray with some tea on it. “I’ll be out of your way in just a moment.” The older woman smiled at the pair as she set the tray down on the table.
“Don’t bother pouring it, I can take care of that.” Liam pulled himself together enough to wave her away.
The woman nodded and showed her way out of the room.
Liam turned back to Clara. “I thought some tea would do you some good.”
She smiled thinly. “I think that you could use some tea.”
“I don’t think I could handle tea right now.”
She nodded slowly. “The tea will have to get cold; I believe. My stomach is in knots.”
“It’s been a stressful day.”
“That seems to be quite the understatement.” She sighed.
“I wish I could solve all of these problems. You deserve better than all of this.”
“I need to search for another husband. Someone who isn’t going to make me the bride of a criminal, complicit in my husband’s crimes.”
“Why does he want to marry you?”
“I don’t know. My father believes it’s due to my family’s title. That it legitimizes his activities.” She rubbed her face, a loss of control and poise. She was terrified.
“You’re also beautiful.”
She let a weak laugh escape her lips. Her hands were still shaking and her face was pale. “His lust has always been evident.”
Liam frowned. “I won’t let that happen to you.”
“There’s nothing you can do.”
The idea came to him almost immediately. “There’s something I can do. You’ll be safely married before the day is done.”
“To who?”
“To me.” He took her hand. Liam knew that he had to comfort this woman, but he didn’t know if anything that he was doing was working. Still, it was better than doing nothing, which seemed to be the only other option.
“What do you mean?”
He held her hand and dropped down to one knee. “I know that I was not your first choice. That perhaps you have different plans. I understand that you do not feel that we are a good match, but none of that matters. You deserve a better life than the wife of a criminal.”
“You don’t even know how much danger that puts you in? I think he’s the one that killed your family. I can’t let that happen.”
“Please. Let me help you. I can protect you. Shield you. We can be married today. Quietly. And by the time word gets out we can be well on our way to a honeymoon somewhere far away. No one ever has to know.”
“That won’t protect you forever.” Her hands were shaking. “We never thought he was this dangerous.”
“Who is he?”
“Septimus Payne.” She shivered.
He sighed heavily. “I know that name. You can’t be anywhere near him.”
“If even half of the rumors are true-“ She paused, thinking about how bad it could be.
“He may be untouchable.”
“He is untouchable. This is why we can’t do anything but make sure I’m married to someone else.”
“He wants a title. An official title.”
“And I inherited from my father. Or at least my husband does.”
He pushed his hair back from his face. There was something about that name. Something that caused a shiver to form deep in his spine. Uncontrollable. “We’ll get you out of this. You won’t marry him.”
“I won’t let you die from this.”
“I’m not going to die.”
“You can’t be sure about that.” She shook her head. “Septimus is a known killer. They just haven’t been able to prove it. He has powerful allies.”
“I understand that, but it doesn’t matter. I need to make sure that you’re safe. I’ll send for the priest that is preparing services for my father and brother.”
“Can you do this?”
He glanced down at the floor. “It seems that I can, actually. My family is all gone. I’ve got no one left.”
That seemed to take her by surprise. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“Why are you even worrying about me?”
“Because someone has to do that.” He explained slowly.
She nodded, chewing on her bottom lip as she considered his words. “You don’t have to be this nice to me.”
“I know I don’t have to be.”
She thought about it for a moment before a thought seemed to come to her suddenly. “He was probably hoping to have you killed too.”
“I understand that.”
“And he won’t stop just because you do this.”
“I’ll handle that when I have to.” He shook his head. “Let me do this. Let me shield you. Let me do something to help.”
She bit her lip. He could tell that she was nervous, but he knew that she wanted to say yes.
“Let me do this for you. Provide you a little hope.”
“It won’t help anything. He did this. I know he did.”
“We can’t prove that yet.”
“I know that.” She sighed.
Chapter Six
Liam had sent a maid up to help her with the dress. It was one that she had brought with her to marry Reginald, but it wasn’t being used for that purpose. Now she was going to be Liam’s wife. The woman that he took to bed every night.
It was barely believable. Her hands were shaking, but she wasn’t sure if it was out of fear or joy. She was happy with the idea of marrying this man. She had dreamed of this since she was a girl. She wanted to spend more time with him. To touch him. But the time to celebrate would be later. First, she had to get to the church safely.
It was painful to think about the fact that mere moments after the ceremony they would attend the funeral of her fiancé and his father.
But Liam was willing to protect her.
He was willing to help.
He had been so earnest with the offer that he made.
And as she stared at herself in the mirror. Seeing the gown that she was wearing. It all came crashing down to reality. This was happening. Soon she would be the wife of the Duke Fortescue.
She was shaking as she let herself be led out of the room and to the church. There wasn’t much in the way of decoration, and only a couple of witnesses and the priest.
He was already at the altar, dressed like the nobleman he was, with all the grandeur of his new role in life.
Her breath caught in her throat as he turned to smile at her.
The rest of the world disappeared as she walked up to the front of the church.
He was smiling at her.
And she loved the look of that smile as she was escorted up.
The ceremony was a blur. She couldn’t have quoted her vows if she had the desire to. None of that mattered. What mattered was the gentle hand that held hers. The touch of his skin against hers. It made her shiver.
But the priest spoke on and on, talking about the love between a man and a woman and how two people come together for a lifetime.
She knew what was being said, so losing bits of the words didn’t matter.
She knew that the man she stood before the altar with loved her. And the truth was that she loved him. Even if it was difficult to admit to herself it was painfully evident. There was a lot going through her mind. It felt impossible to know something like this. Not like this.
It couldn’t be true. She couldn’t be in love with Liam. A man that had been her friend when they were young. The man that she had shared that first innocent kiss before she had to leave London.
“Clara?” His voice was quiet as it stretched across to her from the void that she was in.
She snapped to attention. “I apologize.”
“It’s fine.” He had a wide smile on his face.
“You seem to be happy.” She gathered herself together as he stared into her eyes, lifting her chin up.
The kiss left her weak in the knees. The rest of the ceremony may fade into the ether, but that kiss would last in memory for eternity. His lips pressed against her and suddenly she was the girl that had followed him around when they were young dreaming of the day, she would be his wife.
Except it was true. Now she was his wife. He had sat up for his brother’s promise to her. And determined to protect her from someone who would hurt them. It was like a miracle. She loved him for that. For everything that he was doing.
And she fell hard as they walked out of the chapel. They would have only a few hours of peace before the funeral. “Would you like to go to your new rooms?”
She nodded mutely.
He led her up the stairs. There were so many guards there now, on duty near the rooms of all the inhabitants. “Don’t worry so much.” He patted her hand.”
“She had been here my whole life. It’s so strange that I did this without her.”
“I understand.”
“I know you do. You lost so much too.”
“Is your father going to be in any danger from this?”
“That’s possible.” She frowned heavily.
“I’ll have a messenger sent inviting him here.”
“I’m not sure he would come.”
“He loves you.” Liam was confident.
She smiled softly. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For reminding me that I’m still loved.” She grinned at him, taking his hand with hers.
It made him want to jump for joy. “I would do anything to help you out.”
She chewed on her lip. “Why?”
“Because that’s what I would do for my wife.” He explained smiling softly. But she could see the strain behind that smile. He was struggling to keep his charming smile. There was pain behind his eyes. “And you’re my wife.”
“It’s hard to believe, isn’t it?”
“A little overwhelming, but I’m happy about it.”
She felt a heavy heart as he paused at the door of her room. “Thank you for walking me to my room.”
“Of course. Tell the guards if you need anything. And make sure to stay safe.”
She nodded, thinking about what to say next. She knew what she wanted to say to him. “Would you like to come in?”
“I would love to spend more time with you.”
She led him into the room.
He followed her and wrapped his arms around her as soon as the door closed.
It took her by surprise, but it wasn’t unwelcome. It didn’t seem like he was searching for anything except for some comfort. She embraced him warmly, leading him over to sit with her on the bed. “Are you going to be alright?” It was her turn to be concerned.
“I’ll be fine. I promise. I’m here for you.”
“I should be just as here for you as you are for me. And you just lost your family.”
“There’s still some risk here. I need to defend you.” His hand was on her back. A protective gesture.
“Do you need to go?”
“Not until the services start.” He offered a soft smile. “We have everything sorted out and I can spend some time with my new wife.”
“Did you even think that you would end up with a wife today?”
“Never in a thousand years.” He shook his head. “But I don’t regret it.”
“You don’t regret it yet.” She sighed.
He pulled her closer so she could rest her head on his shoulder. “You look like you could use a short rest. Why don’t you change and lay down?”
She tur
ned to him for a moment. “I think I just want to be held for a short while.”
“I can arrange that.” His arms were strong as he pulled her onto his lap.
She leaned against his chest as his hands wrapped around her waist, pulling her as close as she could be. A smile started to toy on her lips. “This is rather nice.”
“I completely agree, milady.” He rested his head on the top of her head, enveloping her further into his arms.
She had a regret that there were so many layers of cloth between them. She turned towards him, watching his face before she laid a soft kiss on his lips.
It must have taken him by surprise, but he was grateful for it because after a moment his hands started to run up and down her back.
She tugged on his shirt, starting to push the cloth out of her way, and working on the buttons.
He took her lead immediately, his hands wandering down to the hem of her dress before it slipped underneath the fabric, pushing everything out of the way.
His other hand was quickly working on the lacings of her dress, trying to work it off of her body. “I didn’t think you’d want me today.” His voice was soft.
“I’m you’re wife now. We should consummate that.”
“Why did they make this damn dress so hard to get off of you.” He grunted in frustration as he ripped the lacing down her back.
She couldn’t help but smile as he started to toss layers of fabric off to the side and lay her on the bed then fall between her legs.
His tongue worked wonders on her womanhood, slipping in and out before twirling around every bit of her most intimate areas.
She was writhing within seconds, moaning as her head fell back and her eyes closed. While he worked his magic on her she could hear the shuffle of fabric. She knew that he was starting to pull his clothes off.
And that just caused her wetness to flow more onto his face. Which made his tongue work more frantically as it lapped up everything her body freely gave to him.
As his mouth worked wildly around the sensitive flesh she felt the desire rise up inside of her, a heat starting to fill her core. She wanted more of him and reached down to run her fingers through his dark hair, pulling him in more as she grew louder.
Soon she was screaming her way over the edge of desire. Her hands gripped his hair, keeping him close to her nethers.