Read Her Devilish Marquess Online
Authors: Ruth Ann Nordin
Tags: #sex, #historical romance, #regency, #regency romance, #scandal, #bride, #arranged marriage, #virgin hero, #wallflower heroine
Her Devilish Marquess
Marriage by Arrangement: Book 2
Her
Devilish
Marquess
Ruth Ann Nordin
Wedded Bliss Romances, LLC
Her Devilish Marquess - Smashwords
Edition
Published by Ruth Ann Nordin at
Smashwords
Copyright © 2016 by Ruth Ann Nordin
All rights reserved. No part of this book may
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters,
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actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely
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Coming Soon
in the Marriage by
Arrangement Series
Other Regencies Written by
Ruth Ann Nordin
All Books Written by Ruth Ann
Nordin
Dedication: To Bonnie J. Schuster for sticking
with me through the years. Thank you for your encouragement along
the way!
Chapter One
July 1817
D
r.
Derek Westward stared at his older brother who was in bed. If only
his brother would have let him tend to him. Derek knew he could
have prevented the infection from getting worse. But the cut had
given way to an infection, and the doctor his brother believed to
be much more capable of healing him didn’t live up to his
expectations.
Derek sat in the chair next to his brother’s
bed and watched as the once vibrant gentleman slowly slipped from
this world into the next. He’d seen too many people die to know his
brother wouldn’t survive the week.
His brother grimaced.
“
Ronald, will you at least
let me give you something for the pain?” Derek asked.
His brother glanced at him then snorted. “I
wouldn’t take anything from you.” He gritted his teeth, clutching
the blanket covering him. “The only reason I asked you to see me is
because you’ll inherit the title once I’m gone. This visit is borne
of necessity.”
It wasn’t like Derek looked forward to
visiting with him either, but at least he managed to hold his
tongue. His brother was dying, after all. The least he could do was
be pleasant.
“
Unfortunately,” Ronald
began, “it is up to you to take care of the estate. I urge you to
hand over the financial matters to the steward. He is good with
money and won’t let it go to waste like you would. I also need you
to marry a reputable lady. I don’t have any hope you’ll amount to
anything, but the very least you can do is give your son a good
mother. Then there might be a chance he’ll live an honorable and
decent life.”
Ronald closed his eyes for a moment and
groaned. Derek got up and retrieved a bottle from his medical bag.
He was ready to pour the medicine in a spoon when his brother threw
the bottle out of his hand. The medicine spilled onto the rug.
Derek hurried to grab the bottle, saving what little he could. The
medicine wasn’t cheap, and he had patients who might need it.
“
I told you,” Ronald said,
“I won’t take anything from you. Everything you touch is
tainted.”
Derek let out a long sigh, put the lid back
on the bottle, and set it back into the leather bag. “All right, be
in pain. If that’s the way you want to spend the next day or two,
then so be it.”
“
Listen to me,” his brother
replied, ignoring Derek’s comment. “If you manage to only do one
thing right with your life, you need to marry. Finding a wife
should be your first order of business. If you wait like I did, you
might not live long enough to have a son. You have a responsibility
to the estate. You have failed in every other area of your life.
Don’t fail in this one.”
“
Am I to assume you believe
your life is a failure because you have no heir?” Derek snapped
before he had time to stop himself. Good heavens, but his brother
could push him past his limit.
“
Yes,” his brother said,
surprising him. “I spent so much time acquiring money that I forgot
what really mattered. Here I am, about to die, and all I have to
show for my life is a lot of money. What’s worse is that you,” he
grimaced, “will be the one who’ll run the estate. This isn’t how it
should have been. And you better take note of that. None of us know
how long we have. Get that wife and have a son.”
His brother grimaced again and clutched the
blanket to his chest.
Derek leaned over him. “I’ll make you a
deal, Ronald. If you take my medicine so you can enjoy the last
moments in this life without pain, I’ll make finding a wife my
first deed when I inherit your title. Deal?”
Though still in pain, Ronald managed a
nod.
With a shake of his head, Derek poured
another dose into the spoon. Why did his brother have to be
stubborn to a fault? Why did it have to take him making Ronald a
deal on his deathbed for him to accept his help?
“
Here,” Derek said, doing
everything he could to hide his frustration.
His brother wouldn’t be alive for long, and
the last thing he wanted was to live with the guilt of doing
anything unpleasant before his death.
Thankfully, his brother took the medicine
this time. Relieved, Derek put the medicine and spoon back in his
bag. “It’ll start to work in ten minutes.”
“
Even if it’s poison, I
don’t care at this point,” his brother replied. “As long as you
marry and get an heir to pass on the title to, anything you do will
be worth it.”
Reminding himself this was the last time
he’d see his brother while he lived, Derek gave his brother a hug.
Just as he’d expected, Ronald stiffened.
“
We didn’t always get
along,” Derek began.
“
Because you consistently
made fun of the Ton,” his brother was quick to interrupt
him.
“
But,” he continued,
undeterred by his brother’s foul mood, “we did get along as
children. Those are the moments I choose to remember when I think
of you, and they’ll continue to be the ones I’ll recall after
you’re gone.”
His brother shook his head. “You had such
potential, but you consistently wasted it.”
“
I am a good physician.
You’ll find out soon enough when the pain goes away.” He picked up
his bag and gave one last look at his brother, figuring he wouldn’t
see him again until it was time to bury him. “The medicine wasn’t
poison, but it will make you sleepy.”
“
In that case, let me see
Lord Steinbeck before I fall asleep,” Ronald said.
Derek left the bedchamber and hurried down
the steps. When he reached the bottom, he told the butler Ronald
was ready to receive another visitor. The butler nodded and went to
the drawing room to invite Lord Steinbeck up the stairs.
The footman opened the front door, and Derek
thanked him, knowing full well the footman would soon be under his
employ. Once he became the Marquess of Dodsworth, this would be his
new residence. And he wasn’t the least bit excited about it.
***
“
Danette, please give
marriage another chance.”
Miss Danette Everson let out a frustrated
sigh before she set her teacup on the saucer and turned her gaze to
her friend. “Regan, I’ve already been through two failed
engagements. What makes you think another one will do me any
good?”
Regan’s smile widened. “That’s the beauty of
going with the Duchess of Ashbourne. There will be no engagement.
You’ll go straight to the marriage. By the time the gentleman
promises himself to you, it’ll all be done, and you don’t have to
worry about him running off with someone else.”
Danette groaned. “Just because the duchess
picked the right gentleman for you, it doesn’t guarantee she’ll
pick the right one for me.”
“
Of course, she will.
Besides, it’s not just the duchess. She has two other ladies
helping her. Together, they ask questions and pair up couples based
on their compatibility. If you’re compatible with someone on paper,
it stands to reason you’ll be good together in person.”
Of all things, Danette wouldn’t have thought
her friend was so naïve. “No one can know who is perfect for
someone simply by asking questions.”
“
Sure, they can. You knew
how important it was for me to have a good father for my son. If
the duchess and her friends hadn’t known Malcolm liked children, we
would never have been matched.”
Danette smirked at her friend. “I give you
credit for trying, Regan, but they picked Malcolm because his
sister happened to be one of the ladies in the group of
matchmakers. And she knew you wanted him.”
“
It most certainly did.
However, his sister also knew we’d be good together, and she was
right. We are. I’ve heard they’ve done well with the other
marriages they’ve arranged. You ought to give them a chance.” Then,
with eyes wide, Regan clasped her hands together and put them under
her chin. “Please?”