by Wendy Vella
“He does not want to marry me, Livvy, but will do so out of honor.”
“Did he tell you that, Thea?” Livvy leant forward as she spoke.
“Not in so many words, yet I believed that was how he felt when last I saw him.”
“Wait!” Bella burst into the room. “I could not come any sooner as I had errands to run, but I am here now.” She hurried across the room to kiss her eldest sister then took a quick peek at her sleeping nephew.
Thea watched, perplexed, as her friend then hurried to her side. Bending, she hugged Thea, and then sat on the arm of her chair.
“In case you are wondering why I have not been around to see you, then let me tell you it is because your odious elder brother would not let me into the house the day following your sudden engagement.” Bella then said, “I tried, believe me, even returning home to make Luke accompany me, but Joseph would not let either of us enter the house.”
“I did not realize—”
“You thought I had abandoned you, didn’t you?” Bella put and arm around Thea’s shoulders. “Luke went to see Will this morning and told him what had happened, and he said that he would come here and make sure I was allowed to visit you.”
She had, in fact, thought herself alone with an angry brother and an equally angry betrothed. But now, now she had Will, Livvy and Bella, and suddenly she could feel the old Thea inside her.
“Luke has gone to see, Oliver,” Bella said, and just the mention of his name made something flutter inside Thea, “as he has locked himself away in his house, refusing to speak with anyone but his family.”
“It’s all such a mess,” Thea said. “And now two lives will be changed forever and I fear Oliver will never forgive me.”
“Forgive you?” Bella questioned. “But surely it is not your fault alone that Joseph and a few members of society found you kissing?”
“No, we were both at fault. However, Oliver does not like noblewomen overly, and I think marrying one was not something he ever planned or indeed wanted. In fact, the night we were found he was, in a way, saying goodbye.”
“Actually, Thea, I think it is more that he does not believe himself good enough to marry you,” Bella said gently. “Ace has done many things, some of them bad, and I think he believes himself unworthy of you.”
“Yes, I agree with, Bella,” Livvy said. “He is a man with a past both dark and light, Thea, and it will be hard to convince him that he is a suitable husband for you.”
“But he is going to be my husband,” Thea said.
“Yes, but he does not think he should be, and that is the point here,” Bella added. “I married a man without a title, Thea, and Oliver Dillinger appears to me just like Luke, and it will take some work on your part to make him realize you are happy to be married to him.”
“How do you know I am happy to marry him?” Thea looked at her friend. She was not even sure she could lay claim to the word happiness, with so much anger and uncertainty still rolling around inside her.
“I watched the way you looked at Oliver Dillinger every time you saw him,” Bella added.
Thea thought about that while tea was ordered. It was true that she’d been aware of Oliver Dillinger from the first glance she’d had of him.
“And now we will organize your dress and other items you will need to make your husband happy,” Livvy added with a smile. “Penny will be here shortly to assist us.”
“What other things?” Thea wrinkled her nose as Bella and Livvy laughed.
“Oh, my darling, listen well now, and soon you will have your big husband eating out of your hand.”
Thea hoped Bella was right, because she wanted to be happy with Oliver, very much. In fact she wanted him to love her as much as she was starting to believe she loved him.
Chapter Eleven
“Hello, Luke.”
Ace heard Daniel greet his friend but he did not lift his head in acknowledgement. He just kept punching the bag he had hung from his roof.
“You’ve been avoiding me, Dillinger.”
“Go away, Fletcher.” Ace punched the bag hard enough to make the beam that supported its weight groan.
“You’re a grown man, Dillinger. Perhaps now is the time to act like one.”
Ace heard his brother whistle softly but he stayed out of the conversation. Wise man.
“A wise man once told me that some people believe that a title defines a man, makes him better than those without one, but that he didn’t believe that. Do you remember who spoke those words to me, Ace?” Luke said, taking off his jacket and handing it to Daniel. “‘A man is defined by his actions,’ you said, and yet here you are, angry because you believe you are not worthy of Lady Althea Ryder.”
“Go away, Fletcher!” Ace felt his anger boil over. “She’s a duke’s daughter, for pity’s sake and I am a bare-knuckle fighter who worked in a brothel!”
“Was a bare-knuckled fighter, and I hadn’t known about the brothel, but would love to hear that story sometime,” Luke said, circling him slowly with his fists raised.
“I’ve done things,” Ace rasped. “Vicious, mean things just to survive and Thea should not be wed to a man like me. She is a lady.”
“And yet she is to wed you,” Luke said calmly, still circling him.
“I will leave, go to France and never return and she can marry another.” God, just the thought made his chest hurt. He wanted no man touching her but him.
“You would leave us again…your family?”
These words were from Daniel. Softly spoken and filled with pain.
“I—”
“He will not be leaving,” Luke said with a mean glint in his eye.
Ace lunged at him, swinging wildly, but Luke stepped aside and landed a blow on his chin. He turned and ran again. Everything he had learned had left his head, he simply wanted to kill someone and Luke was the closest.
“Oh, now, this is too easy,” Luke taunted him. “The great Ace. No one will believe I am about to take you down.”
“And when you’re finished, I’m stepping in.”
Ace turned as the voice reached him, and saw the face of William Ryder before Luke planted a fist in his jaw, making him see stars. Shaking his head to clear it, he looked at the man standing inside the doorway.
When last they had seen each other, the anger on this man’s face had matched his brothers, when just an hour before he had asked Ace to call him Will.
“Good afternoon, my lord.”
“Will, Daniel, I believe when last we met I asked you to use my first name and as we are about to become brothers, I think there is even more need for you to do so now.”
Ace felt pleased that at least Daniel would receive this man’s respect even if he did not.
“I have come to say that if you hurt my sister I will take her from you no matter the scandal or consequences,” he said. “She deserves to be loved, Dillinger, by more than her family, and while you are not the man I would have chosen for her, what’s done is done. Therefore, I will be watching over her even though she is to be your wife.”
“I know I am not worthy of her,” Ace added.
“I never said that, so I would thank you for not putting words into my mouth,” William Ryder said. “My sister could marry a footman for all I cared, because unlike my elder brother, I wanted only a man who can see Thea for what she is. Kind, intelligent, but most of all she has a need for adventure, a strong spirit that will not tolerate sitting in a room stitching or doing water colors,” he added. “She has a great capacity to love, but also to feel pain, and I wanted only a man who understood her. If I believed you were that man, I would be happy at this moment, but I am not, because my wife told me that you have been cold and distant to Thea since your betrothal. As you are to wed her two days hence, that does not inspire me with confidence.
“My brother is a good man.”
Ace closed his eyes as Daniel spoke. His brother was attempting to defend him when he did not deserve such loyalty.
“I will never hurt her,” Ace found himself saying.
“Not physically, no,” he added. “But I believe you could hurt her badly in many other ways.”
“My past…” Ace tried to find the words. “It has not—”
“Dillinger, I have shot two men and drowned another when he attempted to remove Luke’s head from his body. Do not speak to me of pasts, as mine is no doubt as dark as yours.”
“I doubt that, my lord.”
“It matters not.” He slashed a hand through the air. “My sister is all that matters, and I wanted to let you know that you may be marrying her but you get the rest of us with her, and you will be seeing a great deal of us. Do you understand.”
Ace said nothing, just looked at him with thoughts spinning around inside his head.
“Has the man who tried to shoot you been located?” Will then asked Ace.
“None of my contacts have heard anything, not even a murmur,” Ace said, frustrated. Before he only had himself and his family to protect, but now he would have a wife also, and the thought of anything happening to Thea was not something he could contemplate. “I will ensure her safety, Lord Ryder, in that you may feel reassured,” he added.
“Ted will come with her, Ace. He knows her better than anyone and would do anything to keep her safe,” Lord Ryder said.
“Yes, I have already spoken to him and he is happy to do so.”
The four men fell silent as William Ryder looked at him. Ace did not lower his eyes, instead keeping them steady.
“I respect you, Dillinger. See that you do nothing to change that.”
“Just so we are clear, Lord Ryder,” Ace said as the man turned to leave. “I won’t be a puppet to you and your brother. I may not wish to marry your sister, but I understand my responsibilities toward her now I have compromised her.”
“Just so we’re clear, Dillinger,” Will said throwing his words back at him. “If you harm her in any way I will track you down and shoot you.”
“I would expect you to,” Ace added. “But remember that I am not of your kind, nor have I ever tried to be. Therefore, I don’t necessarily live by the same set of rules. I will care for your sister and ensure she has everything she needs, but If you and your brother insist that I wed her, then we will live as I choose.”
“I’m probably not the brother you should say these words to.” There was a small smile now on Will’s lips. “And while you say you don’t live by our rules, I say you do. In fact, more so than I.”
“Your brother may be a duke, Lord Ryder, but that means very little to me. Therefore, I will not hesitate to tell him my thoughts on this matter if need be.” Ace needed to make sure that Thea’s family understood the consequences of enforcing this match.
“Now that is a conversation I do not want to miss.” Will held up a hand as Ace opened his mouth to speak. “I see no reason for interference if my sister is happy, Dillinger, therefore I suggest you make sure she is.”
“I don’t need your threats to ensure that, my lord.”
“I’m glad we understand each other, then. I shall wait outside for you, Luke. See that you don’t blacken his eyes as the wedding is in two days, and I have no wish for my sister to be even more upset than she currently is,” William Ryder said to his best friend, and then he was gone.
“Now that is a man I would not like to cross,” Daniel said.
“He’s the best of men,” Luke said quietly as he pulled on his jacket. “A man I would give my life for without a thought,” he added, patting Ace on the shoulder. “Your future brother-in-law is a man you want on your side, Ace. I would remember that were I you.”
Luke shut the door softly behind him.
Ace went to the wall and slid down it and his brother did the same beside him.
“I can see why she is the way she is now,” Daniel said.
“What?”
“Lady Althea, she was nice that day father carried her into the house. She never looked down her nose or expected us to wait on her like servants, and at the theatre, she tried to make me feel comfortable. I believe she gets that from her brothers…well, at least that one. He is not a man to judge either, it seems.”
“She was injured, Daniel. She was hardly aware of her surroundings that day in the park.”
“No, it wasn’t like that. She was comfortable with us. Even when I got on the floor and gave Liam a ride, she just smiled and let mother put that vile paste on her jaw.”
“I’m not worthy of her, brother. Trust me when I say that.”
“And yet in two days you are to wed her, so perhaps you had better try.”
…
Ace was not sure what money had changed hands or promises made for him to marry Lady Althea Ryder in St George’s church in Hanover Square, one week after his betrothal. He had once made his living with his fists and shared his life with whores, but here he stood within these exalted walls, with Daniel at his side. The duke had procured a special license because Ace did not have the connections to do so—and that had annoyed the hell out of him, because he never liked to rely on anyone for anything.
Luke had told Ace there were plenty of untitled people married here which was supposed to make him feel better, but didn’t. His wedding to Thea would be news for a while, his friend had assured him, and then some other fool would do something and he and they would be forgotten. Ace knew that was not quite true. He was a man who just stepping into a room created a stir, and not always in a good way. Therefore, his hasty marriage to the Duke’s sister was going to be on the lips of many for some time to come.
Behind him were seated both his and Thea’s families, but no other guests were attending as most were out of town for the winter and would hear of this hasty wedding before the first drop of wine was poured at their Christmas day meals.
His mother had wept when he’d told her and said that she thought Lady Althea a lovely lady, and his father had simply hugged him hard and said that he was worthy of her, which of course was untrue, but no one was quite as blind as a loving parent.
He looked around the walls, aware that if this wedding had taken place during the season then the seats above would also be filled, whether they were invited or not. Tilting his head back, he looked at the windows, the stained glass filtering the gray light of the London day through them and creating shadows on the tiled floor at his feet.
Dear God, he was to marry her today.
“Did you know that John Nash, the architect, was married here, Ace?” Daniel said.
“No, but thank you for that useful piece of information,” he muttered.
“Just trying to take your mind off the upcoming event,” his brother whispered.
“Yes, because there is every chance you can do that whilst I am standing at the altar about to be married.”
Ace had still heard nothing from his contacts regarding the man who had shot at him that day, and that worried him. He knew many people from his old life and most had their ear to the ground, yet in this matter, everyone was remaining silent. He had ensured that Ted, and his footmen and drivers, knew what was happening and to stay alert. He’d also employed another man to drive Thea if she left the house without him, which he would ensure she did not do. In fact, if he could keep her inside most of the day he would be able to breathe easier.
Daniel looked behind him and Ace knew Thea had arrived at the church. Resisting the urge to spin on his heel, he turned slowly to watch Bella lead the party with the Duke of Rossetter bringing Thea down the aisle behind her.
It was not a long walk, but it seemed to take an age for her to reach him. The Duke stood at her side, his grip tight on his sister as if loathe to part with her, but then she patted his hand and he reluctantly released her. He stepped back, and it was then that she turned and looked up at him, her gray eyes wide as they
held his
God, she was beautiful.
She wore cream, the hem of her dress embroidered with tiny rose buds and her veil was short, reaching her shoulder blades. She was perfection to Ace’s eyes. Every inch was exquisite, down to the toes of her satin slippers.
He didn’t want to blink in case she looked away from him. He wanted to touch her, tell her all would be all right, but even that small space between them seemed such a great distance after everything they had been through.
She’d tried to talk to him before the wedding, but he had been consumed with worry and he’d been cold and uncommunicative, and her eyes had told him he’d hurt her.
“Dearly beloved, we are gathered together here in the sight of God, and in the face of this congregation,” Reverend Dewberry began.
Ace held his breath as the words, ‘let him now speak, or else hereafter for ever hold his peace,’ were spoken, and hailed himself a fool for it. She deserved another—not he, a man who had killed with his bare hands.
She had three names—Althea Lydia Elizabeth Ryder—which he repeated to the Reverend, as she did his two, Oliver Mathew Dillinger.
They both said ‘I do,’ in clear voices, and then he held her hand in his and placed the ring Daniel gave him onto her finger, feeling it tremble as he did so. At least he had picked the ring, and the other, a diamond cluster that he had in his pocket, to give her later. This he would accept no interference on.
Ace heard the words, ‘I pronounce that they be man and wife,’ and inhaled deeply. She was his bride now. No matter what the future held, she was his to protect and care for. His responsibility until she or he drew their last breath.
What would he say to this woman across the table while they ate their meals? How did he, a man with his past, even begin to know how to care for such a woman? She had known only the best, and he could offer her that, the trimmings she was accustomed too, but he was no gentleman no matter how much he had trained to be one. In marrying her, he was taking her from what she had always known. Many doors were now shut for Lady Althea Dillinger.
“You may kiss the bride.”