Gentleman's Guide 02 - His Contrary Bride) (36 page)

*

A month later, fully recovered, Sabrina and
Marius returned to London.

“Uncle kept ranting about a legacy,” Sabrina
remarked while she and Marius told Ramsey what had happened in
Hopewell.

“Mr. Jacobs mentioned something of the same
when we met, but I didn’t ask for an explanation, being more
concerned with when our uncle would return.”
“I’ll have a note sent around asking that he call on us when he has
time.” Marius rose from the settee and walked to his desk where he
penned a message to be delivered.

An hour later, Mr. Jacobs arrived at their
home, while Ramsey was still present.

Marius ushered them into the parlor and
Sabrina poured the man a cup of tea.

The man took a hasty sip then set the cup on
the table and withdrew papers from a satchel. “You already know how
the land inherited from Lady Sabrina’s mother is to be passed so I
will not go over it again.”

He cleared his throat. “I believe it is the
Chesterfield legacy that has brought you the recent trouble.
Because of this legacy, each of you must promise not to share what
I tell you with anyone, other than Lady Chesterfield of
course.”

They nodded, waiting.

“The secrecy is to protect future daughters,
though I doubted any of your ancestors would have ever dreamed of
one of their own bringing danger.”

“Please explain,” Sabrina encouraged,
becoming anxious with the cryptic words.

“The legacy was established during the reign
of Queen Elizabeth. For generations the Chesterfield line produced
ten daughters for every son and they feared the title would become
extinct and the lands and wealth reverted back to the crown. Once a
queen was on the throne who certainly understood the plight of not
having a male heir, they petitioned their cause. Since then, the
one to inherit all the land and wealth would be the eldest of the
eldest of the eldest, if they survived.”

There was a moment of silence before Ramsey
spoke. “Sabrina is the eldest, of the eldest, of the eldest.”

Mr. Jacobs nodded. “The title goes to the
male next in line, which is you, Lord Chesterfield. Your uncle knew
that his time was limited as far as control over the estates.”

Mr. Jacobs focused on Marius. “Your wife
received her mother’s land as a dowry. She won’t receive the
Chesterfield property until a child is born. Until that time, Lord
Chesterfield has control of the estates and the title.”

He leaned forward took a drink from his cup
of tea then withdrew his handkerchief and patted his brow. “If Lady
Sabrina has only daughters and Lord Ramsey has a son, then his son
will inherit the title and Lady Sabrina’s eldest daughter the
estates. This will continue until a male is born of Lady Sabrina’s
line unless no children are born, then Lord Chesterfield and his
children will become the heirs.”

The solicitor turned to Sabrina. “Your uncle
never managed his finances well. He knew the moment you delivered a
child he would have only a title, seat in Parliament, and any funds
you decided to provide for him.”

“That is why he kept me at the academy and
lied to Ramsey. It was more than my mother’s estate.”

The solicitor nodded.

“Why the secrecy?” Marius finally asked.

“To protect the daughter. Even then, men
would have offered marriage to gain the wealth, knowing his own son
would eventually have the title. So to protect them from insincere
men, the grooms never learn of their fortune until a month after
the vows.”

The solicitor turned his eyes back to
Marius. “There is also a safety clause. Though I don’t believe you
would ever harm your wife, her ancestors were still worried about
other husbands.”

“Go on.” Marius leaned forward.

“If for any reason your wife should die,
before her time, under suspicious circumstances and after leaving
an heir, the husband will be suspected of murdering her to gain
complete control of the wealth unless it can be proven otherwise.
If that is the case, all control of property and estates will be
taken from the husband and the heir will be given to the next in
line to raise and protect.”

“It appears they thought of everything,”
Marius whistled.

“I mean no offense sir, but there has been a
history, though centuries old, of those exact circumstances
occurring.”

“None taken.” He smiled.

Sabrina sat forward for clarification. “If I
had a daughter, then a son, my daughter would inherit everything
but the title and my son, only the title?”

“That is correct. There have been a few
occasions where that has happened, but it occurred more with
cousins as with you and Lord Chesterfield. If your first child is a
male, then all goes to him and he takes control of the title at the
age one and twenty.”

December 29
^th

The last of the guests had left and Marius
was finally alone with Sabrina. Without waiting for the carriages
to pull away, Marius turned intent on taking his wife up the stairs
to their bedroom. Sabrina didn’t budge from her spot. “There is
something I wish to give you. Could you wait in the parlor for
me?”

Marius was intrigued, and even though he
desperately wanted to make love to her, he agreed to wait and
walked into the designated room while Sabrina went upstairs for his
gift.

After pouring himself another brandy, he
relaxed into one of the various chairs situated around the
fireplace after having to move a pillow. Smiling, he picked up the
pillow. No, his friends would never know why there were throw
pillows everywhere. It was their own secret. Sabrina had come a
long way in accepting her passionate side but she had difficulty
beginning the initiation. Thus the pillows began to appear in the
various rooms where Sabrina wished to make love, for which Marius
gladly complied. She didn’t always need the pillow to muffle her
cries, his own mouth served the purpose often enough. The pillows
were simply her way of expressing her desire.

“You look pleased husband.” Sabrina paused
in doorway.

Marius stood and turned to greet her. “I am
very happy, Sabrina. How could I not be?”

Sabrina stepped into the room, closing the
door behind her. Marius grew hopeful when he heard the lock click.
His wife had also removed her dress and was wearing a silk dressing
gown.

She grabbed his hand and pulled him into the
center of the room. “My last Christmas gift for you this year.” She
handed him a large box that had been hidden behind her back.

Marius sank to his knees and began tearing
the wrapping. More paper filled the large box and he had to dig
until he found the gift. Before he ever saw the item, he knew it
was another pillow, though he couldn’t imagine a place they hadn’t
made love. Before he looked at the pillow, he glanced up at his
wife with a grin. The vision practically drew his breath away. She
had removed her robe and was wearing a new creation, obviously
created by Bridget, the seamstress in Hopedale, given how
provocative the piece of silk was. It clung to every inch of her
body, including the very slight bulge in her abdomen, where their
first child had begun to grow.

“Look at the pillow.”

Marius did as she asked. The entire pillow
was embroidered with mistletoe. He couldn’t believe she was willing
to risk being caught in a doorway.

“Do you remember last Christmas?” She
asked.

“Clearly.”

“Then I was perfectly content to simply kiss
you all night.”

“I can’t help but wonder if you had read my
mind then.” He came to his feet, pillow forgotten as he pulled her
into his arms.

“How so?”

“I can remember thinking, while I plucked
the berries; I hoped this Christmas I would get what I everything
wanted.”

“What would that be, pray tell?”

“Do you really need to ask?” He was intent
on maneuvering her to the closest mistletoe.

“All you have to do is look up.”

Slowly, he did. Above him, hanging from the
lights was a spray of mistletoe. Grinning at his wife’s
inventiveness, Marius pulled her close again before capturing her
mouth.

About Jane

Jane Charles has lived in the Midwest her
entire life. As a child she would more likely be found outside with
a baseball than a book in her hand. In fact, Jane hated reading
until she was sixteen. Out of boredom on a long road trip she
borrowed her older sister’s historical romance and fell in love
with reading. She long ago lost count of how many fiction novels
she has read over the years and her love for them never died. Along
with romance she has a passion for history and the two soon
combined when she penned her first historical romance. What turned
into a hobby became a passion, which has been fully supported by
her husband, three children and three cats.

Jane can be contacted at:
[email protected]

http://www.JaneACharles.blogspot.com
or http://www.LadyScribes.blogspot.com

His Impetuous Debutante Lady Phoebe Johansen embarks upon her first season
with two goals in mind – to remain unwed and scandal free in
London. It isn’t that she is against marriage and if her
situation were different, she would welcome the opportunity for
love and children. It is just not practical. Unfortunately,
her older brother is smothering any chances she has of actually
enjoying the season out of fear her impetuous nature will land her
in predicaments more ruinous than the physical mishaps she had
suffered at home.

Taylor Qualls, the Earl of Sandlin, is
forced once again to face his own obligations this
season. He has a year and a half to find a suitable
bride and produce the heir as dictated in his grandfather’s
will. Nobody needs to tell him that Lady Phoebe is the last
woman on earth he should marry. After all, given his own
track record with wives and Lady Phoebe’s penchant for mishaps, she
wouldn’t survive a month as his bride.

His Not So Sensible Miss

Emily Frasier has lived as the ward of Duke
Ellings since her father died when she was fifteen. She also knows
that soon it will be time to leave his household and make her way
on her own. When she discovers a cottage while visiting her aunt
and uncle she knows this is where she wants to live and become a
teacher, as her father once was.

Dillon Chambers must find a wife this season
in order to please his mother. If she didn’t have control over
something more precious than his freedom and life, he would not
have made the promise to marry a lady with high connections at the
end of the season. When he comes across Emily at his cottage and
learns she is the ward of a duke, he feels his luck has finally
changed. He could please his mother and settle with a lady he would
actually want to have as his wife.

When the truth becomes known in London that
Emily is only a professor’s daughter, Dillon knows his parents will
never approve. Will he risk everything to have her? Will Emily do
the sensible thing or risk her reputation and heart so that Dillon
doesn’t destroy all he holds dear?

To Walk in the Sun

Hiding from a dangerous man, Tess Crawford
thought The Wiggons’ School for Elegant Young Ladies would be the
perfect place to disappear. Or it would be if the local villagers
weren’t on edge because of the vampire in their midst, at least
they think he’s a vampire. The fascination with the reclusive
viscount disrupts the girls’ studies and Tess fights an unending
battle to convince her students that monsters do not exist.

Vincent Latimer, Viscount Atwood, is
not
a vampire, no matter what the
villagers believe. He wishes the book,
Wake Not the Dead,
had never been written. There is a very good reason he visits his
wife’s grave at night, and it has nothing to do with trying to
raise her from the dead.

When a storm thrusts Tess into Vincent’s
path and destroys the school, both of their pasts collide.