Tenacious Trents 01 - A Misguided Lord (33 page)

Clay chuckled. The ladies loved his
brother, regardless of their age. One day Jordan would fall and it
would be hard. Clay wanted to be around when it
happened.

He glanced back across the room.
Tobias, Ethan, Benjamin and Jamie set side by side on the settee.
Stair steps, though not in as close to age as he and his brothers.
Clay remembered being the age of Tobias, the oldest brother,
protective of the others. He could only pray he was a better father
figure than his own father had been.

His throat tightened. What if he made
the same mistakes? What if he made their life miserable? What if he
ruined the lives of his own children, if he and Elle were blessed
with any? A cold sweat broke out on his brow. He wasn’t ready for
this. What was he doing?

John put his arm around Clay’s
shoulder and pulled him away from the group. “I know that
look.”

“
What?” Clay pulled at his
constricting cravat.

“
Fear.” John laughed. “I am
sure I looked the same.”

“
She deserves much
better.”

“
I am sure she does,” John
agreed. “As does Elizabeth. But, we are the gentlemen they want so
what are we to do?”

He was right. Elle loved him and
wanted him. With her he was a better man.

Clay glanced at the clock on the wall.
How long would they be?

Giggling could be heard from the
stairs. Leigh and Madeline walked into the room, silly grins on
their face. Next came Lady Acker. She paused and looked around.
“Drake, Eleanor waits for your escort.” Acker left the
room.

“
Vicar Trent.” She nodded
toward Matt. “Please take your place. Bentley, you too.”

Matt picked up his Prayer Book and
stood in front of the empty fireplace with Clay to his left. Which
brother should stand as his witness? He did not want to choose one
over the other. He refused to do so.

John pushed Jordan forward. “I’ve done
this and I think you could use some experience standing at the
altar, so to speak.”

Jordan glared back but took his place
beside Clay.

Lady Acker stood to Matt’s right and
would serve as Eleanor’s witness.

Clay turned toward the door and
waited. When Elle entered on Acker’s arm the breath left his body.
In a matter of moments her hair had been arranged so that ringlets
fell about her shoulders. She wore a pale yellow ball gown, the one
she had been wearing when he first noticed her. The fine silk
hugged her breasts and fell to the ground, masking the curves he
knew so well. Soon, very soon, she would be his.

Certainly it was time for the children
to go to bed. The sun had set and Clay was anxious to retire. He
and Elle had been married four hours already. They said their vows,
enjoyed a celebration dinner and then she set about getting her
family settled. This was not how he anticipated his wedding night.
He wanted to retire an hour ago, but the boys wondered why he
wanted to sleep so early.

Elle met his eyes and lifted an
eyebrow in question. Minx. She knew he couldn’t tell them the
truth. Nor would he embarrass her by dragging her away in front of
his family, though he visualized tossing her over his shoulder and
disappearing at least a dozen times in the last hour.

He glanced over at the children
playing on the lawn. Jamie yawned. Thank goodness. Soon they would
all be put to bed. Elle must have been of the same mind because
soon she started gathering the children together. “We’ve all had a
long day. Upstairs with the lot of you.”

It would still be another hour before
she was his. Clay poured another drink. It was going to be
bloodiest long hour of his life.

“
I have news,” John said
quietly.

Clay glanced around. They were alone.
“Go on.”

“
Adele is no longer in
Paris, or France, and neither is Julia.”

“
Where are
they?”

“
Possibly England, or
Scotland.”

Clay’s eyes bore into John’s. “They
can’t come home.”

“
I know. I am still
looking.”

Clay gave a quick nod as Eleanor
appeared at the door. Her eyes sought his. She didn’t enter the
room, but winked and left again. He set his glass down. Tonight he
would forget about Adele, Julia and everything in his past.
Instead, he would focus on his future, and the person who figured
most prominently was calling him to bed.

More titles from Jane
Charles

A Gentleman’s Guide to Once
Upon a Time Series

His Impetuous Debutante

His Contrary Bride

His (Not so) Sensible Miss

The Wiggons’ School for
Elegant Young Ladies Series

To Walk in the Sun

To Love a Governess
Series

Sacked – Regency Short

Handfasted – Regency
Novella

Ruined – Regency Short

The Betting Season
– an Anthology

Landing a Laird

Coming Soon –
A Season to Remember
–
an Anthology

Devil in Her Dreams

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

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JaneACharles