His to Keep (Regency Scoundrels Book 2) (6 page)

“Act Two is about to begin my lovely little shrew.” Whistling a jaunty tune, he walked through the upstairs headed for his own apartments. He had to make sure that he looked like the dashing debonair man of Gemma’s dreams for tonight. It was time for him to reach inside and bring out the well-dressed scoundrel that he was whenever he was in Great Britain.  

Chapter Five

Gemma turned away from her sketchbook and looked over toward her open window.

She could hear music. Pushing her chair back, she stood up and stretched languidly. She’d heard the dressing gong about twenty minutes ago. Dinner would be served shortly but she wasn’t about to dine with the others, she had full confidence that a maid would bring her meal to her.

Elizabeth had to be playing the pianoforte in the music room, probably as a nice little prelude to dinner. Grimacing at the large most unladylike growl that her stomach let out, she walked to the window seat, sat down and lost herself in Elizabeth’s composition. When the harp joined the pianoforte, she dropped the sketch pencil she still held in her hand.

There was no one else in attendance at the castle that could play the harp adequately, save for Elizabeth and she. Unless her mother and sisters had arrived back from London early, which she doubted, since her mother had been set on attending Lady Astor’s famous masquerade ball. There was supposed to be a revival of her famous Midsummer Night’s Dream theme.

The question that plagued the hell out of her was who in the world could be playing the pianoforte? Mallory knew how, though he detested it with a passion.

“Archie,” The word slipped out of her mouth before she could even realize she’d said his name. Why had he been able to work his way under her skin so thoroughly and in such a short amount of time?

If she was completely honest with herself, he was the finest looking man she’d ever set eyes upon. His dark blue eyes sparkled like the finest sapphires, and their warmth permeated straight through her skin whenever he looked at her. His black hair gave him an air of mystery. It was a different shade from Elizabeth’s black hair, and when the light hit his in just the right spot, you could almost see red highlights. She swallowed. Fanning herself furiously with her hand, she stood up on wobbly legs, and walked over to her wardrobe. She summoned her maid and waited.

Once her maid had arrived, she slipped out of the comfortable morning gown she’d changed into after taking off her dusty riding clothes. With her maid’s help, they searched the two wardrobes in her chamber for something that would make her stand out next to Elizabeth.

Sometimes, she envied Elizabeth for her unique beauty. With her haunting look, she always gave the impression of being a faerie princess. “Ah, ha! This is it, Carson. This should do nicely. This should work to my benefit.” She reached for the sapphire colored silk gown. It had a plunging neckline, accented by the high waistline. With a few strands of pearls and the sapphire jewels her mother had given her last month, she’d definitely stand out in the room. She had considered wearing her emerald evening gown, but she knew that Elizabeth had just had an emerald gown made by her dressmaker, and she would more than likely be wearing it tonight.

With Carson’s assistance, she slipped into the sapphire coloured gown, and sat while her hair was dressed. Her personal maid, Esther Carson had only been employed for a short amount of time. Before Mallory’s marriage to Elizabeth, they had made do with a skeleton staff during their state of penury, and she had gotten quite proficient at dressing hair, as had the rest of her sisters. They had also grown quite adapt at sewing. Taking their needlepoint skills and putting them to use not only for embroidery, but also for making and repairing their frocks. Some would say they had lowered themselves too much, but they had little choice. There hadn’t been any funds for buying new frocks, and looking at her two full wardrobes made her painfully aware of how desperate they had once been. Mallory had saved their family—but he hadn’t been alone, without Elizabeth, they still would have been quite destitute. Well, as destitute as their class could be while still trying to keep up appearances.

“Will that be all, my lady?” Carson asked meekly. The woman was around her age, and had the sort of personality that could probably be scared by her own shadow.

“Aye, Carson. That’s all. Thank you, you may go.” Carson quietly left, leaving Gemma alone with her own melancholy thoughts. Loud rapping at her door made her sigh. It was a manly knock. Elizabeth didn’t knock with that much gusto. 

She doubted it was Mallory. The musical tune had faded away a few minutes ago. A stab of panic set in. Archie. He was awfully smitten with her. He looked quite keen on sweeping her off her feet. Problem was, she wanted him to do just that. Part of her couldn’t wait to be kissed by him again. The taste of his first kiss still lingered. Would he come to her bedchamber door? Would he be that bold? He wouldn’t dare—would he? Oh, yes, yes, he would.

Sighing, she stood up, carefully making sure that nothing was out of place. She looked into the mirror, and pressed her hand softly to her hair. Esther really did know what she was doing when it came to dressing hair. Looking distastefully at the door, she squared her shoulders and marched to it. She might as well face what was on the other side with a fake smile on her face.

She unlocked the door, and gradually pulled it open.

“Now you listen, here, Arch…” She stopped mid-word when her eyes rested on a smiling Elizabeth. Wonder of wonders, she stood garbed in her new emerald colored gown. 

“You look rather flushed, Gemma. Are you feeling ill? Should I send for the doctor?”

“I’m fine, really, Elizabeth. I think I’m just a bit hot. The weather has been quite strange today, one minute, a cool breeze is blowing, the next moment, it feels so stifling,” she murmured, fanning herself uneasily. 

“Yes, indeed.” Elizabeth’s brown eyes flickered with uncertainty. “I came up here to ask you to reconsider attending the evening festivities, but I see I didn’t have to go to that trouble. You’re already dressed, and oh, my, you do look lovely. Come along with me, we shall walk arm and arm downstairs. I have planned out our night after we dine. We shall be playing cards, and I might even be able to talk Mallory into striking up a game of chess with Archie to get you a few hours of peace. The man seems quite determined to woo and win you, Gemma. I can’t blame him though—you really are quite a beauty. Once we reach Brighton, he shall make it his business to court you. If we lived in another time, I think that my husband would have already ordered you to do your duty and take Mr. Campbell as your husband, and I can’t say I blame him, given your alternative.”

“Mr. Campbell is only doing it because Mallory has put him up to it. That blasted brother of mine wants to run everyone’s lives! Sometimes I think it was easier for all of us when he was off on one of his bloody seafaring adventures. Lord Duxford isn’t the villain that everyone paints him out to be.”

Elizabeth stepped past her into the room. 

“You know, your brother isn’t acting out of hatred,” she said softly. “He is acting out of his love for you and for his whole family. He really does want you to find happiness. As for his bloody seafaring adventures, your brother was doing what he could out on the High Seas to bring back enough money to keep this family going through all of your hard times. The money he brought back, he couldn’t have made on an officer’s salary in the Royal Navy, and you know it. You and your mother might want to delude yourselves into believing that he was only a privateer, but you must know deep in your heart what his true identity was. I sometimes think that Mallory feels confined on land. The sea calls to him, you know. That’s why I’m planning a trip back to America as soon as my darling Susan is old enough to take the trip. She seems so frail sometimes, I worry for her, and so does Mallory.”

“I know.” Suddenly, Gemma felt like a worthless little toad. “I know that you and Mallory have been under a lot of strain, but Susan will be fine, she will get over this delicate stage, Ann went through it when she was that age, and by my mother’s tales, I did too. Look at me now, I am as strong as a horse.”

A soft look of love entered Elizabeth’s eyes. “Yes, you are. Thank you for reassuring me, Gemma. I just wanted you to know that no matter how annoyed you might become with Mallory, and trust me, I have wanted to throttle him more than once since we first became reacquainted at Chesapeake Bay almost two years ago today, but when it comes right down to it, he wears his heart on his sleeve, and I love him so much that I don’t think I could breathe if anything ever happened to him. Can he still make me want to scream in frustration at times? Yes. I still love him though and I shall love him for the rest of our lives. That’s what being a couple means, it means we fight, and when things are difficult we love each other even more.”

“Why are you of all people, giving me this inspiring talk?” Gemma grumbled. 

Elizabeth moved to grasp her hand. “I am giving it to you, because you have a spirit that demands freedom just like I do. But if you marry Duxford, he will clip your wings, and he will break you down until you lose sight of yourself. You cannot allow that to happen. You are not a daft woman. Don’t act like one, I beg of you.” 

“What makes you an expert? You have almost as much experience with men as I do. I know that Mallory is the only man you’ve ever loved, and it goes without saying that he is the only man that you’ve ever welcomed into your bed.”

“This is true. I’m ruined with Mallory. He lavishes me with everything that I could ever want and when it comes right down to it I could do with none of those things as long as I had his love. Yet, I am an expert. I have seen a man almost like Duxford destroy a good woman’s life. Although to be fair to my father, I do not think he is even as bad as Duxford. A woman, that when I think about it, was probably much like you. My mother wasn’t exactly my mirror image, she had the St. Martin beauty. Even though we are only distantly related, some of the same traits and looks spilled over into my mother. She was an angel—but marriage to my father made her into a living shadow of what she’d once been, and eventually, it was her complete undoing. My father claims innocence, but no matter what he says to the contrary, I know he drove my mother to desperation and his actions led to her death and I will live with that until my dying day. My father still maintains his innocence, telling me that he is all bark and no bite, and that as wretched as he could be with my mama, that he did love her in his own way. He said that it was she who had betrayed him. I don’t know what to believe, but I do know that my mother was terribly unhappy, and rued the day that she ever married my father. I won’t allow you to follow in her footsteps.” Elizabeth released her hand and walked to the door. “Now, come with me, Gemma.”

“Pray, give me five minutes, Elizabeth.”

“You shall have them,” Elizabeth said softly. “Take heart, Gemma. Your future will happen whether you like it or not, and with so many people campaigning against Lord Duxford, I do not think he shall ever have your hand in marriage.”

“I wouldn’t bet on that,” Gemma muttered beneath her breath.

“Oh, you shall find, my dear, that when it comes to gambling, I never lose.” She winked at her and with that, she quietly shut the door behind her, leaving Gemma with a slowly breaking heart. 

Chapter Six

“Did you have any luck with Gemma?” Mallory asked.

Archie looked for any sign of Gemma behind Elizabeth.

“Actually, I have a fair feeling that she shall be arriving shortly in the grand style that she so favors. She certainly does like to make an unforgettable entrance.”

“Excellent. We shall have a merry game of chase tonight.” Archie smiled thinking of all of the ways he would work on breaking past Gemma’s icy exterior.

His mother would tell him that she was a spoiled chit not worth the time or energy he was using to woo her into his arms, but he couldn’t help himself. He loved to rescue damsels, and though she wasn’t exactly in distress, she still needed to be rescued.

His breath caught in his throat when he wandered out of the music room to see a vision in sapphire floating down the marble staircase. The dress was inlaid with some sort of material that made it sparkle beneath the large chandeliers that filled the Great Hall. Her glorious blonde hair had been swept up into an elaborate hairdo. Fortunately, she only had some ribbon in her hair. He had seen some ladies adorn their hair with live animals and he didn’t particularly care for that look. Quite simply put, she was stunning.

Her eyes met and held his. He winked at her, and she let out a sigh that was a little too loud, and looked away. Color touched her cheeks, and he was glad to see that he had such an effect on her. He caught the barest glimmer of her slim ankles clad in fine silk stockings, and her slippers had been dyed to match her dress, and they had some sort of pattern embroidered on them. Her feet were small in comparison to the rest of her body. But then, her hands were small for a woman as well.

“I should have known you would be here, waiting for me like a wolf stalking its prey. You look--d-a-s-h-i-n-g.” She forced the compliment out of her mouth as if it pained her to do so. “No doubt Mallory loaned you an outfit of his.”

“No, actually, these duds belong to me.”

The look of complete shock that came across her face, made him smile. “Ah, I see, you’ve saved up your wages that Mallory has paid you and you bought yourself some suitable clothing. Though, I must confess, I recognize that look…you must go to the same fine tailor my brother uses. Are you a dandy, sir?”

“Not like some, but aye, I do like my clothes. Oh, yes, only the best for me when it comes to clothing. I am not a beau-nasty like your Lord Duxford though.”

She remained silent. He wondered if he’d struck her speechless. If he had, he expected that was an achievement few had accomplished.

He offered her his arm. “Allow me to escort you into the music room. I hear the evening meal will be in about fifteen minutes.”

“It won’t come soon enough.” She eyed his arm warily. “I do think I can walk into the music room on my own, thank you.” She stepped forward. He blocked her path.

“I must insist, my lady.”

She pursed her lips. “I do not care for your commanding tone,” she gave him a withering stare, before continuing, “furthermore, I do not appreciate your uppity tone, you need to learn your place.”

He controlled his temper at her snippy words. “I do think, Lady Gemma, that you are quite the little shrew. Mayhap, I should tame you.”

“I think, sirrah, that you should go and take a merry dance in hell,” she snapped, her fair complexion mottling with anger.

“That sort of language does not befit a woman of your high station. After all, we must learn to act in the station that we have been born into. We must uphold social propriety. As for my place, I think my place for the foreseeable future is right by your side.”

She glanced down at the signet ring he wore, and her eyes widened slightly. The ruby in it had finally caught the light.

Archie did look dashing. She hadn’t been stretching the truth when she had given him that compliment. By far, he was the most handsome man she’d ever laid eyes on. Though she did doubt his claims that he owned everything he wore. Mallory must have had a hand in it.  He was notorious for trying to help those that were less fortunate better themselves. Moreover, the fact that he’d decided to groom Archie to be her bridegroom made her suspicious. If she put him next to Duxford, he would outshine her fiancée in two seconds flat.

Her heart fell. How could she think such thoughts? Her loyalty didn’t lie with Archie, it belonged to Duxford. So, she had to put all thoughts of Archie out of her head. She had to remain cool and detached from him—there was just no other way.

“Pray take my arm, it would save a lot of trouble between you and Mallory.”

“Mallory and I have numerous disagreements to our credit. It will not matter either way, if we have yet a few more arguments. If we didn’t have at least one row a day Mallory would think I was ill,” she explained, catching the slightly beseeching look in his gorgeous eyes. 

She eyed his arm warily. If she took it, it would serve as a sign of submission to Mallory. But if she didn’t take it he’d probably goad her more than if she did.

Decisions, decisions.

Against her better judgment, she took his arm. She couldn’t believe how right it felt. Shaking her head, she allowed him to guide her into the music room. Mallory and Elizabeth sat closely together on the sofa. They were almost cuddling. She wouldn’t have been surprised if they’d been locked in a clinch and had parted just before they came into the room. She snorted. She could see that Mallory was trying to give her a sign by telling her that he was going to covet Elizabeth’s attention for the entire night, leaving her without anyone to talk to.

Archie led her over to the sofa that sat opposite Mallory and Elizabeth. She would have rather taken up charge on one of the King Louis styled chairs, but yet again, Archie was trying to plan her every movement out for her.

“We shall have to hold a grand ball to mark the start of the Season, Gemma. By that time you and Archie shall be married, you and he can dance the waltz together to announce your commitment to each other.” Mallory smiled, glancing lovingly at Elizabeth.

Gemma’s eyes narrowed. She would not be swept into Mallory’s pesky little games. No matter what she had to keep her temper at bay.

“Oh, yes, that would be lovely,” Elizabeth sighed.

“Well, brother mine, I could always scandalously dance the fandango with Archie, and set the tongues wagging,” she said, watching for the fire start dancing in her brother’s eyes. Many still viewed the fandango to be a risqué dance even though their king had on occasion danced it, having first danced it when he was still the Prince Regent.

“Alas, I’m much better with a simple country dance. The fandango has always eluded me,” Elizabeth said softly. 

“You are even better giving a vocal performance, my love, those Italian Operatic pieces you are so talented at quite simply take my breath away,” Mallory breathed, giving her a look of completely devoted admiration.

“Ah, if only I had gone to London. I could be having such a grand time there,” Gemma lamented.

“Yes, and then you could listen to that claque that surrounds your Duxford’s sister. I swear I don’t know what she has that has given her such a little following of rabid supporters. It makes me sick to my stomach. That woman is as stupid as a badger and has the temperament to match!” Mallory snorted in obvious disgust. “She wasn’t blessed with the brains of a bird.” 

“Mallory, you are just trying to goad my temper. I will not have it. I’m determined to act like a perfect little lady tonight.”

“You have to act like it?” Archie chuckled. “From what I have witnessed so far, you rarely behave like a lady of your class.”

“I agree with Gemma. I do so wish for a peaceful evening,” Elizabeth murmured.

“Your wish is my command.” Mallory squeezed her hand.

Gemma sighed, pursing her lips. “Yes, indeed, dear brother. You are an ever-faithful servant of your wife. It is quite a refreshing change in you, since you were so self-centered before you married.” She resisted the urge to smile, and inched away from Archie placing as much distance between them as she possibly could.

“Your Grace, the evening meal is ready to be served.”

They all looked up at the butler’s announcement.

“Well, then, I must say I am ready to tuck in to some of Mrs. Grant’s heavenly concoctions,” Gemma said, sighing.

Elizabeth looked startled. “I didn’t know you weren’t aware about tonight’s change of plans concerning the meal. I managed to convince Mrs. Grant to take the evening off Seamus has prepared our meal.”

“Seamus?” Her heart fell. How in the world could a ship’s cook prepare a lavish dinner for them? Her stomach sunk, and she was filled with a determination not to enjoy any of Seamus’s culinary delights. “You can’t be serious. You let that excuse for a cook into the kitchen?”

“Mrs. Grant was hesitant at first, but I tempted her with a fattening of her wages, and taking the night off proved to be quite rewarding to her. She said she hadn’t had a night off in ages, and that she had some knitting to catch up on.”

“I’m sure she did. She’s no doubt down in the village getting all of the gossip concerning the latest exploits of the ton in the area, while filling up on her fair share of sherry. That woman knows how to drink more sherry than Lady Carleton.” Gemma snorted. Gemma winced against her acidic tone. She was starting to sound more and more like Duxford’s sister, and she wasn’t entirely certain that she liked that change in her personality.

“No doubt, you give them quite the fodder for that gossip, Lady Gemma,” Archie said, grinning foolishly.   

“I don’t care for that at all. Why don’t you try to look good while staying quiet?” she snapped, wincing at her overly harsh tone. Good lord, she really did sound like Philippa.  

“Oh, I could do that but pray tell where would that leave me when it came to having my share of fun?” The delighted grin Archie wore made her stomach clench.

She stood up. “I shan’t dignify that with a rebuttal. We should go and see what the Irish has created for us tonight. I just hope I’m able to force it down this throat of mine.”

“Well, Gemma, take heart, you’ve never had an issue with forcing down food before, if indeed, it started to become a challenge for you now, I would most certainly have cause for concern. We’d have to send for the doctor, for you’d definitely be on your death bed,” Mallory chuckled, delighting in his witty tease. She didn’t care, he could jest all he wanted about her appreciation for food.

“Mallory, I do believe the old saying, absence makes the heart grow fonder was true in your case. I just wish you’d get a hankering for the sea then, at least I’d have some peace of mind,” Gemma returned, smiling serenely at him all the while. 

“Oh, don’t worry, dearest, I’d find a way of annoying you even from the High Seas.” His eyes twinkled. 

Charles scampered into the room with Gemma’s Maltese dog trailing behind him. “Traitor.” She smiled as Skye trotted over to her. With her pure white coat and twinkling dark eyes, she couldn’t stay irritated with her for long. With a happy bark, Skye jumped up into her lap. Skye immediately snuggled right against her chest, making a contented sighing noise.

“I see, you too, have a faithful hound,” Archie said. 

“Her sister is around here somewhere, no doubt keeping guard at the nursery door, she’s taken quite a liking to Susan, so much so, that she believes she must protect her from all invaders, big or small.”

“And, she’s been doing a bang up job at it,” Elizabeth agreed. “I never thought that such a little dog could have such a big heart and spirit. She rules the nursery.”

“Seamus told me to tell you that his dinner wouldn’t wait for no one.” Charles was gasping to catch his breath, no doubt caused by running the distance from the kitchens to the music room.

Gemma gasped. “Mallory, you really do need to do something about the manners of this household. All sense of propriety seems to have gone straight out the window.”

“Begging your pardon, Aunt Gemma. I’ll try to word it more to your liking the next time.” Charles looked like a little imp.  Sighing, she bit back the remark that sat on the tip of her tongue. She had to control her temper from lashing out at Charles. He was a little boy and before he’d come to live with them, he’d had a miserable life with his pathetic excuse of a mother. Still, she didn’t take too kindly to him calling her
‘aunt’
. She wasn’t his aunt. She was Susan’s aunt, and that was it. But whenever he gave her his cheeky grin, her heart all but melted, and she couldn’t stay cross with him for long.

“Why don’t you go and see if Mrs. Grant has any of those custard tarts you like so much, tucked away in the kitchen somewhere. I’m sure you can root out her hiding place.” Gemma moved forward and ruffled his hair. “And while you’re at it, see if Seamus has a nice little treat for Skye.” She gently handed him Skye, and in a flash, he was back off toward the kitchen.

“You are a natural when it comes to children, Lady Gemma. You should have a nursery full when we get married.”

Mallory laughed. Elizabeth made a weird choking noise in the back of her throat.

“Mr. Campbell, you are too arrogant for your own good,” Elizabeth chastised. 

“The good kind of arrogance is a fine trait in a character such as mine. My own dear mama says it makes my moral fiber all the better for the simple addition of it. She says I have an equal amount of arrogance to counteract my humbleness.”