Her Sudden Groom (27 page)

“
Alex, not that it’s your business, but I am not having my courses. And if I were, unlike Olivia, the whole house would not know about it. Black moods, tantrums, and screaming are not my way.” She brought her head back to rest against his chest. “I’m sorry I snapped at you. It wasn’t very well done of me. But yes, I am upset with Marcus. However, there’s nothing you can do to fix it, and I’d rather not speak of it.”

“
All right, we won’t speak of him any longer. But I do wish to ask you something about our wedding. You said you wouldn’t like a London wedding, but what about a long engagement?”

Her fingers once again set out to explore his chest. “No. There’s not really a reason to have a long engagement if there’s to be hardly a wedding.”

His thoughts exactly. “Would later this week be acceptable? I’ll leave tomorrow to get the special license.”

“
I’d like that very much.”

He dropped a kiss on the crown of her head. “We’re here.”

The carriage came to a stop and Alex helped her down. He escorted her up the steps, inside, and to the bottom of the grand staircase.

“
It’ll take me a few days to get that license.” He cupped her chin with his hands. “I should be back no later than week’s end. Will that be enough time for you to be ready?”

She nodded and smiled a smile so bright he almost hated to extinguish it with a kiss. Almost.

He lowered his mouth to hers and covered her lips. Her arms wrapped around his neck, holding him closer, his fingers digging into the back of her thick hair. His impulse was to deepen their kiss, then, remembering where they were, he pulled away.

Flashing her a smile, he whispered, “I had better speak to your guardian about the wedding.”

Walking away from her was the hardest thing he’d ever done. At some point in the past days, an imaginary string had developed that connected her body and his heart, and whenever he turned away from her, the pull on that string became nearly impossible to resist.

“
Marcus,” he called, entering the man’s private sanctuary.

Marcus was sitting in his chair, head bent, hair wild, and looking absolutely defeated. He must have heard tale about what happened today. Alex didn’t plan to bring up his actions from earlier. If Marcus asked him why he had treated Lady Olivia that way, he’d explain any of the details she might have left off. If not, he wasn’t volunteering anything.

“
I understand your day was better than mine.” Marcus gave a weak smile. He put his quill down and propped his feet up on the desk.

“
You understand correctly,” Alex said. “We’d like to get married later this week if that’s acceptable with you.”

“
Is it acceptable with Caroline?” Marcus scraped the edge of one boot across the other.

Alex nodded. “She said it was.”

“
You’re not pushing her, are you?” Marcus plucked his quill off his desk and twirled it between his fingers. “I know you don’t wish to marry Olivia, but I don’t want Caroline cheated due to your haste.”

“
I’ve already offered her a long engagement and a London wedding. She declined. She said she didn’t have any guests to invite.”

Marcus groaned and made a face. “I’ll speak to her about it later. Just be prepared, if she does want a fancy wedding, she’ll have it.”

“
Very well. I don’t expect she’ll change her mind though.”

“
You seem awfully certain,” Marcus said with a snort, leaning back in his chair in a way that lifted the front two legs off the floor.

“
That’s because I am. I’m also certain that she’d like you to walk her down the aisle.”

Marcus anxiously tapped his quill against the side of his scarred face. “I don’t know, Alex. I’m not one for social events. You know that. I’ve only left Ridge Water maybe half a dozen times in the past twelve years.”

“
There won’t be that many people there.” Alex crossed his arms. “I’d say fourteen at most, including you.”

Dropping his quill to his desk, Marcus grunted. “Do you honestly think she’d want me to come? I’ll steal all her attention.”

“
Nonsense,” Alex replied easily, flashing Marcus a grin. “I’ll be doing that. Everyone will be in a state of shock because I’m actually getting married.”

Marcus shook his head and took his feet off his desk, bringing all four chair legs safely back to the ground. “You know what I meant.”

“
I do.” Only a complete fool couldn’t have guessed what he was talking about. “I don’t think that will happen.” He uncrossed his arms and idly picked at this hangnail. “Even if that does happen, I think Caroline would consider it a small price to pay to have you there.”

Marcus shut his eyes and swallowed so hard his Adam’s apple could have been seen bobbing from across the room. “Are you sure she’d want that?”

“
To have her only male relation walk her down the aisle? Absolutely. Whether you know it or not, she adores you, Marcus, and I think it would hurt her far worse if you don’t come than if you do and ‘steal her attention’.”

“
I’ll be there,” he said softly.

Alex gained his feet. He’d wanted to talk to Marcus about the events of the nitrous oxide party, but Marcus didn’t look in the mood to rehash the past. However, there was something he would bring up. He owed it to Caroline to help make things right between her and Marcus before she left his house and started a life with Alex. Actually, both Caroline and Marcus deserved that.

Shifting from foot to foot, he tried to decide just how to word what he needed to say. Finally, he swallowed his pride and blurted, “I think you should know Caroline is not suffering the complaint you seem to think she is. She’s been crying because you hurt her feelings.” The words were out so fast he wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved he’d gotten it over with, or to feel a complete idiot to have just said it like that.

Marcus blinked at him three or four times. “I’m not sure I want to know how you discovered the first statement you told me,” he said carefully. “But I do appreciate your discovering the truth of the second and telling me.” He rested his hand on his cheek and swiveled left and right in his chair. “I suppose I should go speak to her,” he said at last, looking to Alex for what Alex assumed was confirmation.

“
Probably,” Alex agreed quietly, slipping out the door.

***

Marcus scrubbed his face with cold hands, running his fingertips over every repulsive groove and scar that marred his once handsome face. He brought his face out of his hands. Would his life have turned out this way if he’d not acted thoughtlessly and been hurt?

He laughed bitterly. He knew the answer to that. His life would have been no different (except perhaps worse) than it was now. Louise wouldn’t have helped him with Olivia and Caroline. She’d have been too busy worrying about pleasing herself. Either way, he’d have had to go about it alone, and, as it was, he was making a horrible hash of things every step of the way.

Not that Caroline was difficult, of course. She’d always been extremely easy to get along with. They’d become quite close since she’d come to live with them. In fact, they got along better than he ever had with Olivia. Not to say he didn’t love Olivia—he did. She was his sister, after all. And being his sister meant he’d love her unconditionally. Even if she drove him—and everyone else in England—insane. But the same was true for Caroline. He loved her just as much.

The problem with Caroline was she was so opposite Olivia that instead of touting her connection and being unhappy when things didn’t go to her satisfaction, Caroline accepted everything good and bad with a smile. At nearly one-and-twenty she had never discovered her own value. Who could blame her, though? Olivia and his mother had taken every opportunity they could to remind Caroline of what she’d come from and what she would have been without Father’s intervention. He sighed. His father hadn’t been much better, really. He may have saved her that night, but he’d never been able to stand up to his wife and make her treat Caroline as an equal to Olivia.

When Father died last year, Marcus vowed to do whatever it took to see that Caroline had a bright and happy future. Sadly, he hadn’t known how to go about it. But then one day about three months ago he stumbled upon that nearly unbelievable betrothal contract his father and Lord Watson signed. After his shock faded, it had occurred to him how he should go about giving Caroline, and coincidentally Alex, a “happily-ever-after” as it were. He’d seen the sloppily signed addendum on the back and sent word to Barnes to remind Lord Watson. He doubted Alex had even heard of the agreement before. If he had, Marcus was sure Alex wouldn’t have waited so long to begin his search for a wife.

His hope had been that Alex would come around and he and Caroline would see they were well matched. Marcus congratulated himself. With only a little shove in the right direction, that was exactly what happened.

Too bad Olivia had caught wind of the agreement. He didn’t know who had told her, but someone had, and it seemed she was planning on marrying Alex more and more as each day passed. He scowled. What was he going to do about her?

In a way, she deserved to marry Alex. That was the agreement, after all. But the match would be disastrous. She’d drive the poor man to do himself in. He’d been tempted to do that very thing several times over the past decade due to Olivia’s atrocious personality. Perhaps he’d try to secure her another match. Or, if luck were on his side, she’d agree to go to the convent in Ireland like he’d been urging her to do for the past five years.

No matter. He’d worry about that another day. For now, he needed to seek out Caroline and find out what he’d done. Since she’d come here all those years ago, they’d never had a row. He wasn’t even aware she’d ever been upset with him before. This was all new to him.

Grimacing in pain as he climbed the stairs, he ran his hand along the smooth banister and tried in vain to think up what he’d say when he reached Caroline’s room.

However, for all his thinking, he hadn’t formed a single sentence by the time he reached her door and knocked.

Caroline called for him to come in, probably thinking he was a maid.

He cracked the door a sliver. “Caroline, it’s Marcus. Are you decent?”

“
Yes. Come in.”

Shoving the door open all the way, Marcus took his time crossing the threshold. He left the door open and looked around her room, snarling. Nothing about Caroline had changed. She still insisted on lighting every candle at her disposal when she was in her room at night. Not that he cared about the expense. The cost of all those beeswax candles was immaterial. But the sensation of his heart sinking to his stomach was a direct result of knowing she was still living with her past nightmares.

“
I spoke to Alex,” he said, falling into the most uncomfortable chair he’d ever rested his arse upon.

Caroline put her book down beside her and readjusted her coverlet. “I don’t require a large wedding, Marcus.”

“
I know that.” He shifted in the chair to find a more comfortable position. He wasn’t sure if the chair was really
that
uncomfortable or if it was because he was a cripple. Knowing Caroline though, he’d bet the chair was truly that awful. She never asked for anything and was usually reluctant in accepting anything he’d ever offered her. “Would you like one though?” He sucked in a deep breath and hoped she’d say no. A dozen or so people he could handle for an hour. A large group, on the other hand, he wasn’t sure if he could manage. He sighed. If that’s what Caroline wanted, he’d find a way to get past his discomfort and go.

“
I don’t need a London wedding or anything of the like. I’ve already told Alex we could marry as soon as he was ready. He said he would leave tomorrow to see the archbishop about a special license.”

“
If you want a long engagement and a London wedding, you can have it,” he offered again, giving her another opportunity to have what he assumed all young girls dreamt of.

She blinked. “That’s all right. I don’t need one.”

Idly rubbing his throbbing leg, he sighed. “What’s wrong, Caroline? What have I done?”

“
Nothing,” she said quickly, not meeting his eyes.

He didn’t believe her for a second. Tired of sitting in that awful, about-to-be-firewood chair, he stood up and walked to her open wardrobe. It may be rude to dig through other people’s things, especially when they were in the room, but it had been a long time since he’d been confused for a gentleman.