by Cheryl Holt
“Has he threatened to pummel you if you can’t persuade me?”
“Not specifically, but I understood the warning beneath his words.”
In case Nathan and Sebastian were listening, she called toward the door, “I won’t wed you simply because Nathan is insisting!”
“I told him you were much too angry to consider it, but are you really? Didn’t I mention that you’re an awful liar? We should discover if you’re being truthful or not.”
He stepped away, then he clasped her hand and dropped to one knee. There was only one reason a man knelt in that position, and she was startled.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“What do you think I’m doing?”
“If I had to guess, I’d say you’re about to propose, but I could swear I just advised you that I won’t consent merely because Nathan is demanding it.”
He scoffed with what sounded like disgust. “You haven’t known me very long, but have I ever seemed like the sort of person who would proceed if I didn’t absolutely wish to?”
“No. You’re dreadfully stubborn, and I hate that about you.”
“You don’t hate anything about me.”
“I might!” she furiously stated. It disturbed her to have him prostrate before her, and she grabbed his arm and attempted to lift him to his feet. “Get up. You’re embarrassing me.”
“I won’t stand until I receive the answer I seek.”
“I haven’t heard a question,” she said.
“I realize that, so here it is: Rebecca Carter Blake, will you marry me?”
“No.” The rebuff slipped out; she couldn’t swallow it down.
He sighed with exasperation—as if it was the idiotic reply he’d expected. “I’ll ignore that response and try again.”
“It won’t do you any good.”
“Are you sure about that?”
She gazed into his delicious blue eyes, the eyes that had always riveted her, and muttered, “No, I’m not sure.”
“You figure I’m simply eager to please your brother.”
“Aren’t you?”
“Yes and no. Nathan has been my friend for over a decade, and I would never deliberately distress him, but even though we’re close, he could never force me into it.”
“Are you claiming you want to marry me? Are you claiming this is your idea?”
“Strange as it must seem, yes, this is my idea. I came to Selby because—when you fled Carter Crossing—you gave me the fright of my life.”
“I couldn’t possibly have.”
“You did! I’ve been pestering the servants and the hotel staff at the inn in Frinton, searching for someone who could provide the slightest clue as to where you went. Preston Melville suggested I talk to Nathan, and I rushed here immediately.”
“You were planning to marry me all along? Is that what you’re hoping I’ll believe?”
“Well, I wasn’t positive I’d stumble on you, but now that I have, it’s made my task incredibly easy. I don’t have to chase all over England, hunting for you. I can just get to the point.”
“Which is?”
“You have to wed me, Rebecca. You have to.” She opened her mouth to offer another ridiculous complaint, and he cut her off. “I understand you have reservations about me. I’m bossy and domineering, and I have to have my own way.”
“Yes, and it drives me mad.”
“But let’s disregard my failings for a minute.”
“You don’t have that many,” she grumbled.
“I’m glad you admit it.”
“What I meant was that you don’t have many faults, but the few you do have are big, egregious, and annoying.”
“Yes, they are, but I’m rich, and you’re poor, and that fact should place me in the running as the perfect spouse for you.”
“I recently learned that I have a dowry.” She stuck her nose up in the air, feeling extremely pompous at being able to mention it. “I don’t necessarily have to settle for you.”
He frowned. “How could you have a dowry?”
“My father put money aside when I was a baby, and it’s been sitting in a trust. I’m not insisting I’d ever like to wed, but if I decide to bite the bullet, I could use it to lure a husband.”
He appeared a tad jealous. “You are not dangling a dowry in front of any candidates. I won’t permit you to behave so foolishly.”
“Why shouldn’t I proceed? I’m not such a bad catch these days. I’m no longer a poverty-stricken cousin living on a small estate at the end of the earth. I’m half-sister to the Earl of Selby, so I could have suitors lined up at the door—if I was interested.”
He scowled ferociously, gripped her waist, and shook her. “Listen to me! You are not encouraging any suitors!”
She rolled her eyes. “See? We can’t converse on any topic without you bossing me.”
“Well, when you spit out a deranged notion like that, what can you expect?”
She stared down at him, and a huge wave of emotion coursed through her. She was overwhelmed—by him, by events—and she couldn’t bear to have him begging her to be his wife. She’d once craved it more than anything, and she probably still craved it, but she was terrified of what such an arrangement would be like.
He was brash and magnificent, and she was ordinary and reserved. He was like a comet streaking across the sky, lighting up her world. She was satisfied simply to have watched him fly by. Where would she fit in any scenario that included him?
“You don’t want to wed me, Raven,” she said.
“You don’t think so?” He scowled even more fiercely. “Now you’re just being silly.”
He rose to his feet, and he towered over her in the manner she relished. He dipped down and kissed her, and she couldn’t resist joining in. She pulled him even nearer and hugged him as tightly as she could. The embrace went on and on until she began to worry they might simply burst into flames.
He drew away and rested his forehead on hers as he murmured, “I love you, Rebecca.”
Her initial instinct was to deny his statement, but it ignited such a thrilling surge of pleasure that she couldn’t. She responded with, “I love you too.”
“If you don’t tell me you’ll have me, if you won’t allow me to stay by your side forever, how will I survive without you?”
He gazed down at her, seeming—for the only time since she’d met him—a bit lost and adrift. What would he do without her? He was so solitary and alone. Might it be possible that he desperately needed her? At the prospect, her rage melted away.
“I have to take pity on you,” she said. “If I reject you, you’ll spend your life as a grouchy, unlikable bachelor—and it will be my fault for spurning you.”
“I don’t want to be grouchy and unlikable. I want to be the man I am when I’m with you. You look at me and assume I could be better than I really am. I want to be that better man for you. Won’t you let me try?”
“Oh, Raven…”
Her defensive walls were quickly crumbling, but then again, they hadn’t ever been very sturdy. The whole reason she’d danced around the sofa for so long was because she grew befuddled when he was too close. She knew it, and he knew it too.
“My sister can’t abide you,” she said, the main problem rearing its ugly head.
“I’m betting I can charm her—if I work at it. She’ll start to like me. I guarantee it.”
Rebecca chuckled miserably. “On the other hand, my brother and brother-in-law think you walk on water.”
He smirked. “I’ve tried. I can’t.”
“If I refuse you, I’m afraid they’d beat you bloody just for sport.”
“They’re not tough enough.”
They stared silently, a thousand comments swirling. She yearned to offer a profound remark, but couldn’t imagine what it should be.
She finally settled on, “What now?”
“Now you answer my question,
then we wed and live happily ever after.”
“You say that as if it will be easy.”
“It will be so easy. Every minute with me will be filled with contentment and joy. I swear it!”
“You couldn’t gallivant off to Africa. I won’t have a husband who’s never home.”
“I’m done with all of it. I will be so firmly glued to your side that you’ll be sick of me.”
“You can study the horizon, but you can’t ever ride off to see what’s over the next hill.”
“If my wanderlust ever flares, I’ll climb the promontory above Oakley—with you—and we’ll count the passing ships. We’ll entertain ourselves by inventing stories about their destinations and that will calm me. You will calm me.”
He dropped to one knee again and clasped her hand. “My dearest, Rebecca, will you do me the honor of becoming my bride?”
She hesitated for an eternity, savoring the opportunity to have him wait, to have him squirming, then she smiled and said, “Yes, Raven Shawcross. I will marry you and become your bride. I will make you happy each and every day that we’re together. I promise.”
“I never had any doubt.”
She pulled him to his feet, and he kissed her again, then asked, “Shall we inform everyone?”
“I should find Sarah first and get her accustomed to the idea. This news just might kill her.”
“I’m planning to charm her, remember? Once she realizes how hideously I’m spoiling you, she’ll wind up glad you snagged me when you had the chance.”
“Here’s hoping.”
“It will be perfect now,” he said. “You’ll always be mine.”
“And you will always be mine.”
He grinned. “Perfect from this point on.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
A footman had escorted Raven to a bedchamber, and he was alone in the ostentatious room and staring out the window at the park. He was frozen in his spot and feeling a tad stunned. Events of the past two hours had left him completely drained.
He’d found Rebecca with no problem at all. His proposal had been accepted, and they would proceed the next day with a Special License. Rebecca was searching for her sister, to apprise her of their decision, while he had enjoyed a celebratory drink in the library with Nathan and Sebastian.
Since both men had recently donned a leg shackle, they’d displayed no sympathy whatsoever over Raven’s change of circumstance. In fact, they’d appeared gleeful to have had him ensnared by the matrimonial noose.
He was thrilled to find Nathan and Sebastian reconciled, thrilled to find their friendship once again firmly in place. It seemed as if the prior terrible year hadn’t transpired. With their forgiving each other, some of Raven’s own guilt and remorse had floated off his shoulders.
He’d yearned to ask Nathan if he was forgiven too for his mistakes in Africa, but he hadn’t inquired. Obviously, if he hadn’t been pardoned, Nathan wouldn’t have permitted Raven to wed his sibling.
In Raven’s view, the ending was perfect. Nathan and Sebastian would be his brothers-in-law, and he couldn’t have engineered a better conclusion if he’d worked it out with his usual meticulous plotting.
His head was spinning, and he couldn’t relax, couldn’t calm down. He’d pleaded fatigue and had trudged out. As he’d staggered away, Nathan and Sebastian had snickered, insisting his mood would gradually improve—after his new condition settled in and he realized it wouldn’t kill him to be a husband.
Footsteps echoed in the hall, and he peered over as Noah Sinclair strutted in. Alex was with him. In all the chaos, Raven had forgotten that he had to speak with Alex right away.
“Mr. Shawcross!” Noah said. “We heard you had arrived, but we wanted to check for ourselves.”
“Yes, I’m here, you little fiend.”
Noah was twelve, but acted like he was forty. He was the spitting image of his father, Sir Sidney, and he possessed the exalted man’s same confidence and bravado. Raven suspected he’d lead nations as his life unfolded over the decades.
“Is it true you’re marrying Miss Rebecca?” Noah asked. “All the servants are gossiping.”
“Yes, it’s true.”
“What is Sarah’s opinion of the idea?”
“None of your business.” He smiled at Alex. “Hello, Alex. It’s nice to see you again.”
“Hello, sir.”
Noah was determined to monopolize the conversation. “Alex and I have become fast friends, and we’ve planned a grand future for ourselves.”
“What have you envisioned?”
“We’ll be joining the army,” Noah explained, “then, after we’ve gained some experience, we’ll mount an expedition to Africa.”
“I’ll be his second in command,” Alex added.
“That’s a fine notion.”
Raven could already picture the two of them slashing their way down a jungle path. With Noah directing their route, any destiny could await them. Raven had the fortune to assist them in making it happen, so Alex would never have to gamble, cheat, or steal in order to buy a stake in the ventures he chose.
“Alex will be my Shawcross,” Noah said, “like you and Sebastian during your journeys.”
Raven smirked. “He’ll be good at that.”
He studied Alex keenly, reflecting again—as he had when they’d first met at Carter Crossing—that he looked just like Lucas had as a boy. But of course he was incredibly similar. Lucas was his uncle.
“Could I talk to Alex?” Raven asked. “Alone?”
Noah frowned. “Is it your intent to browbeat him over some issue? If so, I can’t allow it.”
“I won’t browbeat him, you obnoxious oaf. Now get.”
Noah and Alex exchanged a glance that indicated how powerfully their relationship had blossomed.
“I’ll be out in the hall,” Noah told Alex. “Call if you need me.”
“I won’t need you,” Alex replied. “Mr. Shawcross and I are fast friends too.”
Raven chuckled, liking the sound of that.
Noah cast a glower at Raven, warning him to behave, then he marched out and closed the door. Raven sighed, thinking he’d have to figure out how to handle the brash miscreant. It appeared they were about to be family.
“Is Rebecca all right?” Alex inquired once it was quiet.
“She’s terrific,” Raven said.
“You’re marrying her? You weren’t fibbing?”
“No, I wasn’t fibbing.” He’d never been particularly verbose, and he wasn’t sure how to commence their discussion. There was a small table in front of the hearth, a chair on either side. He gestured to it. “Will you sit with me for a minute?”
Alex scowled. “I’m not in trouble, am I?”
“No. I merely have to tell you some important news.”
They went over and plopped down, but Raven was tongue-tied and couldn’t begin. He was gaping in a manner that had Alex squirming in his seat.
He was stunned by their strong bloodlines. Alex had dark hair and blue eyes, so he was definitely a Stone/Shawcross. As far as Raven could surmise, there wasn’t a hint of the Carters in his features. He couldn’t locate Clayton anywhere.
“You claimed I’m not in trouble,” Alex said, “but it certainly feels as if I am.”
“I’m sorry. I can’t stop looking at you.”
“Why is that?”
“When I was still at Carter Crossing, I learned a huge secret about you.”
Alex’s shoulders slumped. “Is it about the money I stole? If it is, I won’t apologize.”
“You stole some money?”
“Oh. You didn’t know about it? Then I guess I didn’t pinch anything from anybody.”
At the comment, Raven was startled. It was precisely the sort of remark Lucas would utter when his mischief was exposed. Not only did Alex physically resemble Raven’s younger brother, but apparently, he possessed some of Lucas’s shady tendencies too.<
br />
“Whose money was it?” Raven asked.
Alex dithered, then admitted, “My father Clayton’s and Mrs. Carter’s too. She’s my grandmother, but I’m not supposed to mention it. I took little bits—in case they ever kicked me out. They always threatened they might, and I thought I ought to be prepared.”
“That was shrewd planning.”
“I’m glad I had it too. Mrs. Carter evicted Rebecca without any notice, and I used it to pay our expenses so she wasn’t imperiled.”
“You departed with her—even though you didn’t have to. Why?”
“I couldn’t let her blunder about on her own. She’s awful at taking care of herself.”
“I agree,” Raven said, “so you and I will have to take care of her from now on. Is it a deal?”
“Yes, it’s a deal.”
Raven reached out, and they shook hands.
“What was the secret?” Alex asked. “If it wasn’t the money, what was it?”
“I realize Clayton was your father, but were you ever provided any facts about your mother?”
“Just that she was a doxy who tried to trick him into marriage, and he got lucky when she died birthing me—because he didn’t have to wed her.”
Raven’s temper flared. “Who told you that?”
Alex pondered, then shrugged. “It’s what everyone at the estate said about her.”
“Well, Alex, here is a piece of information that I’m betting will shock you and—I hope—delight you.”
Raven had to swallow several times before he could impart the details. The moment was so emotional, much more than he’d understood it would be. If he’d burst into tears, he wouldn’t have been surprised.
“What is it?” Alex asked. “Is it horrid? Please spit it out.”
“It’s not horrid, Alex. Your mother’s name was Lydia.”
“I know that.”
“She was my sister.”
“Why didn’t I know that?”
“We had no idea you existed. We were wrongly apprised that you perished along with her when you were a baby.”
Alex was ten, but he was smart as a whip. He stared at Raven, his mind working it out. Without too much mulling, he deduced what Raven had been too befuddled to clarify.