The Earl's Stolen Bride (Marriage by Deceit Book 4) (12 page)

Orlando waved her over to the bed then patted the spot next to him.  “I kept your side warm.” He wiggled his eyebrows and grinned.  “Take off your dress, and we’ll pick up where we left off before your mother came by.”

With a heavy sigh, she went over to the bed and sat next to him.  “I’m sorry, Orlando, but I can’t.  Not right now.  I have to see Dr. Harvey’s wife.” She leaned into him.  “I won’t be long, though.  It’ll only be for an hour.”

“You don’t want to go,” he said, his voice soft.

Surprised he’d read her mind so well, she asked, “Is it that obvious?”

“Yes.  You’re no longer smiling.” He caressed her cheek.  “I don’t like it when you’re glum.”

“I don’t enjoy these visits.  They’re people she wants to see.  I’d rather be here with you.”

He studied her for a moment as his fingers brushed the back of her neck in a soothing manner.  “Does your mother see you every day?”

“She didn’t while Lord Hawkins was alive, but it seems she’s over all the time now that he’s dead.” She hesitated to add anything else, but she couldn’t imagine keeping anything from him.  “It seems ever since he died, the most prominent members of the Ton want to see me.  In order to see them, she needs to be with me.”

“Did it ever occur to you she’s using you?”

“Of course, it has.  I’m not so naïve I don’t know what my mother’s doing.”

“I don’t like this, Chloe.  She’s making you do things you don’t want to do, and that’s not fair.”

“It’s not easy to tell her no.  She has a way of saying things that makes me wish I hadn’t.” When he frowned, she rested her head on his shoulder.  “I know how she is, and I know I should say no.  It’s just…just…” She didn’t even know how to explain it, and she suspected no matter how much she tried, he wouldn’t understand.  Not fully anyway.

After a moment, he enveloped her in his arms and kissed the top of her head.  “If we could be open about our marriage, then I could be with you when you say no.  Then she’d have a harder time compelling you to do what she wants.”

“I suppose you think I’m weak.”

“I think you want to please people, so you feel guilty if you say no.  It’s because you have a big heart.  Unfortunately, some people have no trouble taking advantage of you.”

“You know me so well it’s frightening.”

“I don’t know if I know you all that well.  I still have much to learn.  It just doesn’t take a lot of guessing to see what’s going on with you and your mother.”

Probably not.  But she hated the fact that she seemed so weak, especially to him.  She should be able to stand on her own two feet and say no to her mother.  She was a married lady, after all.

Orlando kissed her again, this time on the lips, and gave her a reassuring smile.  “Soon we’ll be by ourselves in the country.  Then you don’t have to worry about her.”

“You’re remarkably understanding about this.”

He took her hand and kissed it.  “I’m just glad we’ll be together all winter.”

“I am, too.” She kissed him, allowing herself the pleasure of getting lost in their own world for few more minutes before she went back downstairs.

Chapter Fourteen

“So you’re Lord Hawkins’ widow,” Mrs. Harvey greeted Chloe as Chloe followed her mother and Alexander into the lady’s drawing room.  Mrs. Harvey curtsied then turned to her mother and Alexander, offering them a curtsy as well.  “I’ve wanted to have you over sooner,” she told Chloe, “but I had to go to France with my sister earlier this Season.  They have the most exquisite dresses there.”

“Do they?” Chloe’s mother asked.

“I’m wearing one now,” Mrs. Harvey said then spun around.  “What do you think?”

“It is divine.”

Chloe glanced at Alexander, amused when her brother rolled his eyes.  The poor boy.  What he must think of spending the afternoon with a bunch of ladies.

Mrs. Harvey came over to Chloe and clasped her hands.  “My husband and Lord Hawkins were such good friends.  Lord Hawkins made us a lot of money.  It’s because of his ships we were able to afford everything we have.  We owe Lord Hawkins so much.  That’s why I wanted to see you when your mother’s correspondence came.”

Chloe tried to think of a proper response. If Chloe had had any attachment to Lord Hawkins, the moment wouldn’t have been so awkward, but it was hard to fully appreciate the lady’s words since he’d been a stranger to her.

“I’m afraid my daughter is speechless,” her mother spoke up.

Thankful her mother intervened, Chloe nodded and, for good measure, dabbed her eyes.  “Yes, I am.”

“It’s nice he was loved so well,” Mrs. Harvey replied.

Chloe lowered her gaze.  She couldn’t maintain eye contact with the lady, not when she was lying to her.

“And this is Alexander.” Mrs. Harvey turned to Chloe’s brother.  “I hear you were near death when my husband began caring for you.”

“Yes, Mrs. Harvey,” he replied.

“But you’re doing better now.”

“Yes.” Chloe’s mother gave him a slight nod, indicating he should say more, and he added, “All because of Dr. Harvey.”

Mrs. Harvey laughed.  “That’s what I like to hear.  My husband is London’s finest physician.” She let out a sigh then continued, “Well, my lad, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you.  My husband commends you often.  You do as you’re told and don’t complain.  If more people followed your example, they’d probably fare better than they have.”

Alexander beamed at her.  “Thank you, Mrs. Harvey.”

Chloe’s lips curled up.  Now she understood why Alexander was doing so well under Dr. Harvey’s care.  If the physician was anything like his wife, then he was encouraging and supportive, two things Alexander needed most, being the sensitive soul he was.

“Sit,” Mrs. Harvey told them, gesturing to her chairs and settee.  “We’ll have some tea and a treat for the boy.”

“A treat?” he asked, his eyes wide with interest.

She winked.  “I hope you like chocolate.”

“Oh, I do.”

Chloe chuckled.  Mrs. Harvey was a surprisingly nice lady, and for once, Chloe didn’t mind the fact that her mother dragged her somewhere she didn’t want to be.

***

Two days later before dawn, Orlando went back to his townhouse.  Chloe knew it would be difficult to spend the day without him, having gotten so used to him being around so often, but she didn’t realize just how difficult it would be.  She spent the morning pacing around her bedchamber.  Three times, she tried to take a nap on the daybed, thinking it would help pass the time until Orlando returned in a couple days.

But her excitement over seeing him again prevented her from slipping into a blissful sleep. She tried to pretend he was holding her in his arms.  Though she’d slept fine when he’d been there, imagining him beside her wasn’t good enough.  No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t sleep.

So she finally gave up and decided to leave the house before her mother stopped by for another visit.  She put on a black dress she hadn’t worn yet then she asked the coachman to take her to Helena’s.

If she hadn’t been so preoccupied with thoughts of Orlando, she would have gone earlier.  But so much had happened, and it’d happened so fast she had trouble remembering to do a lot of things.

On her way to Helena’s, she pulled the neatly folded parchment out of her reticule and opened it so she could read Orlando’s poem.  He’d told her he had no poetic ability when he gave it to her, but she thought it was the best thing she’d ever read, besides the missives.  Even now, her heart fluttered as she read his words:

Enraptured by your grace from afar,

I could only meet you in my dreams

Until the day you became my wife;

Since that time, I have only loved you more,

Each new dawn bringing more joy than the last

Chloe, my dear, you bring meaning to my life.

She smiled and thought of that day he asked her to go to Gretna Green with him.  Truly, it was the best decision she’d ever made, and she was ever thankful she hadn’t delayed their marriage for another year.

The carriage came to a stop, and she folded the poem, careful as she did so.  She slipped it back into her reticule just as the footman opened the door.  She took his hand and let him help her down.

On her way up the steps to the front door, it opened and Helena waved her in.  “I thought I saw your carriage pull up.”

“Yes, I thought I’d come for a visit, but I didn’t give you any warning.”

“You picked an ideal time.  My next client won’t be here for another hour.”

Chloe stepped through the doorway then followed her friend into the hall.  “I’m sorry I haven’t been by in a few days.”

“I figured you had something important to do.”

Helena’s sly grin alerted Chloe that Helena knew full well she’d been spending time with Orlando.  Face warm, Chloe said, “Yes, I did.”

After Helena told the butler to bring them tea and crumpets, she shut the doors and turned to her.  “You look happy.”

“Do I?” She went over to the small mirror on the wall, and sure enough, she looked like a lady in love, not one mourning the passing of her first husband.  “I didn’t realize it was so apparent.  Do you think people know I’m married?”

“No. It’s no secret you didn’t know your husband all that well.  You’re not the first widow who’s glad to be free.”

“I hope they assume that.  I’m not supposed to be married so soon.”

“Ironic, isn’t it?  A gentleman is expected to marry right away, especially if he has children, but a lady is expected to wait.  It’s not at all fair when you think of it.”

“You’re right.  It’s not.”

Helena went over to her and hugged her.  “But I’m happy for you, Chloe.  Your face glows with your newfound love.”

“This is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

“I know, and I’m glad.  You deserve it.”

The butler came into the room to set the tea and crumpets on the table, and they waited until he was gone before they continued talking.

“How are you and Camden doing?” Chloe asked.

“Very well.  I admit, I didn’t think we would be, given the way he kissed me at Lord Roderick’s ball, but things have gone much better than I dared hope.”

Chloe thanked her friend as she accepted her cup of tea.  “It’ll be nice when I can let others know about my marriage.  Then you and Camden can come visit Orlando and me, or we can visit you two.  We could have a dinner party.”

“A dinner party would be nice,” Helena agreed.

Chloe took a sip of her tea, noting the trace of peppermint in it.  “This is good.”

“I’m glad you like it.  I thought I’d try something different for a change.  Would you like a crumpet?” she asked as she picked one up.

“No thank you.  The tea is enough.”

In fact, the tea was all she needed.  Since Orlando went back to his townhouse, she hadn’t had much of an appetite.  The tea, however, helped settle the slight discomfort in her stomach.  And, of course, it helped that she was talking with Helena instead of listening to her mother.

“It’s nice to be here,” Chloe told her friend.  “My mother has been over to see me every day since I came back to London.  Well, she hasn’t been by to see me today.” With a smile, she added, “Yet.”

Helena swallowed the crumpet she’d been eating and leaned toward her, her eyes twinkling.  “If you ever need a place to hide, you can come here, though I’m surprised you’re not hiding at your husband’s townhouse.”

Chloe’s face warmed.  “I would if my mother didn’t have so many people coming over to see me or if she didn’t come over so she could take me to see them.  I assumed when I became a widow I would get bored since widows aren’t supposed to do much, but the opposite has proven true.” She paused and smiled at her friend.  “Enough about me.  How is your business doing since you married?  Do you still find time to help young ladies secure betrothals?”

“I do.  I love helping them, and Camden fully supports me.”

“That’s wonderful.”

“It is.  I don’t think many gentlemen would allow their wives such liberties.  It’s nice he doesn’t feel threatened by the fact that more people know who I am than who he is.  My first husband never would have allowed it.”

After a moment of silence, Chloe took another sip of the soothing liquid then set the cup down.

“Is that all you’re drinking?” Helena asked.

She shrugged.  “I’m not all that thirsty.” And besides, if she drank too much, it might upset her stomach again.  Better to just have a couple sips and be done with it.

“Are you feeling all right?”

“I feel fine.  Well, a little tired, but it’s hard to sleep when Orlando’s not with me.  Not that I get much sleep when he’s around either.” Chloe chuckled.  “I must be boring you with all this talk about Orlando.”

“No, you’re not boring me at all.”

“Even so, we should talk more about you.  You said you have a client coming by soon.  What do you think about her?”

“To be honest, I’m surprised she insisted on finding someone so late in the Season.  Most young ladies and gentlemen have already secured betrothals or have decided to wait until next year to try again.”

“So she wants to marry this year?”

“Yes, but I can’t really say more than that.  I try to keep the reasons my clients wish to marry a secret unless they decide to tell everyone, and this particular lady has chosen not to disclose her wishes to anyone but me.”

“I understand.  There’s no need to tell me then.”

“I do, however, have something to tell you.”

Interest piqued, Chloe leaned forward.  “This sounds good.”

“It is.  The other day Camden told me it was a shame there is no place people can go to have marriages arranged for them.  His thinking was that it’d be nice if someone had a place to go to where they could be paired up with someone who shared similar interests.”

“That would save people a lot of trouble if they had to get married in a hurry.”

“That’s what I thought.  So then I wondered how I might be able to do something like this.  And I think I know how I can do it.  If I write out a list of questions, people can answer them.  I’ll take their responses and pair them up.”

“Do they have to marry the person you select?”

“No.  It’s possible they might sound good together in their answers but not be compatible when they meet.  In that case, I would pick another client for them.  I’d also continue offering my services for those who’d rather meet people at balls.  But at least this way, those who don’t feel confident in social situations have another way to make a possible love match.”

“I love the idea, Helena!  I think you’ll have a lot of interest in it.”

“I think so, too, which makes me think I might not be able to do it all myself.  I’ll need some help.” She looked at Chloe expectantly

Chloe’s eyes widened, and she pointed to herself.  “Me?  You want me to help you?”

“Only if you’re comfortable with the idea.  I’m only one pair of eyes.  It’d be nice if I had someone else look over the answers to get a second opinion on whether I’m choosing the couples wisely or not.”

“I don’t know how much I can do since I’m still in mourning.”

“I won’t be doing this until next Season.  It’s too late to do anything new this year.  But if you’re interested in doing it then, I’d be delighted.  You’ll get paid, of course.”

Chloe drummed her fingers as she considered the possibility.  It would be a fun diversion, but would Orlando be all right with it?  She thought over everything she’d learned about him.  She couldn’t imagine him telling her not to do it.  From what she’d gathered about him, he might even encourage her.

But then, there was her mother.  Oh dear.  She must not forget about her mother.  “Helena, does Lady Cadwalader approve of what you do?”

Helena’s eyebrows furrowed.  “Why should it matter what Lady Cadwalader thinks?”

“It doesn’t, really, but my mother is sensitive to what Lady Cadwalader, and others like her, have to say.” Her shoulders slumped.  “I suppose that means I shouldn’t do it.”

“I have no idea if Lady Cadwalader approves of what I do or not.  She’s never said anything to me, and I’ve never asked her.”