A Desperate Wager (4 page)

“Lady Sarah, an invitation has arrived for you!”

“
For me?” Sarah pushed the breakfast tray and held out her hand to the maid who had brought the silver salver into her bedchamber. She always breakfasted in bed. Her father claimed it was easier for everyone and she had never argued the point. What did it matter where she broke her fast?

She lifted the card from the salver, marvelling at the strong slanting handwriting denoting her name and address. She flipped it over. It was from Nathaniel. She was cordially invited to a dinner party that evening at Kirkbourne House in honour of
his
engagement.

“
Did my father receive one too?”

“
Yes, m’lady.”

“
Fine.” Under the formal invitation he had written the time she should be ready to be escorted in his carriage to his house. He was sending a carriage round? Did he not think that her father was capable of organising his own carriage? The man may be ill but he was not incapable. “Thank you Tilly. Can you come back in ten minutes to help me?”

“
Of course, m’lady.” Tilly curtseyed and left the room leaving Sarah to consider her husband-to-be.

It had been a week since his proposal. A week
with no contact from him whatsoever apart from the day he sent a French modiste to her house to fit her out for a whole new wardrobe and to decide on her wedding dress.

Madame Bellerose had been patient and kind and suggested a few slight adaptions that would make her gowns more practical. An extra tuck at the side and under the arm to give her more movement when being lifted
, and a little padding on her stays to stop her crutches chafing. The woman had looked critically at her leg braces, muttering about the need to find something that would not mark the skin so. Sarah wished she would. Sometimes the leather straps left such deep welts that she had to remain abed and allow them to heal.

Of course it had been flattering to have been treated like a proper lady, measured and given her choice of fabrics. She had looked though fashion
plates, making suggestions as Madame Bellerose agreed or disagreed, explaining that one style would show off too much décolletage and the other not enough.

“
Eet eez best that you leave somezing to your husband’s imagination, n’est pas?”

She had blushed furiously and Madame Bellerose had chuckled heartily.

Of course, she had been extremely annoyed at Nathaniel for not consulting her. And honestly, he had no manners and no sensitivity. Anyone would think her own clothes ugly and old-fashioned. They may have been a little plain and not quite the fashion of this particular season, but her gowns were serviceable, which was all she really required.

And here he was again, organising their engagement dinner and not even consulting her. Did he think her feeble-minded as well as unable to walk? Well tonight she would show him, in her new dusky rose dress that Madame Bellerose had assured her would complement her bright red hair beautifully. She looked at the pearl hair pins she had laid out the night before. They had been her mama’s and she seldom had any occasion to wear them. But tonight she would ask Tilly to give her a sophisticated coiffure.

She would show, His Grace, the Duke of Kirkbourne that she could be like any other young lady of the ton, and he could be proud of her.

Oh hell, who am I kidding? I will still be ungainly Freckles, dragging my useless feet behind me while everyone looks on, pretending they are not watching, in the sure knowledge that Kirkbourne was tricked into marrying me.

Nate arrived at Brackingham House and the door opened immediately.

“
Lady…” But she was standing, mere feet from him, her pink tongue stuck out in concentration as she dragged an unwilling foot to lay flat against the floor.

“
Damned thing. Some days it is better than others,” she growled.

“
I shall carry you,” he pronounced, striding over and placing his hand on her back. He was not expecting her to elbow him in the stomach and hold up her crutch to ward him off. He jumped back, lifting his hands in surrender, crashing against a sideboard, and grateful not to have damaged any of the figurines on it.

“
I can do it myself,” she said through gritted teeth, her eyes dark and sparking with anger. “If I want help, I shall ask for it.” She lowered her crutch and continued her slow progress to the door.

Nate stood watching in stunned silence. He had glanced in the direction of the butler to see the elderly gentleman professionally stoic while his lips twitched in merriment. He took a deep breath and tried again.

“I apologise. I should have asked.”

“
Yes, you should. And while we are discussing what you should and should not do, you should not send modistes here without consulting me, and you should not arrange my damned engagement dinner without consulting me. I am not an imbecile, Nathaniel. My legs may not work but my mind is perfectly fine.”

“
That you being hen-pecked already, Kirkbourne?” The voice from the stairs, her father’s, was loud and clear. He was looking dapper in a black evening coat and black breeches. He did not seem to be coughing either, which was a blessed relief. “Come, Sarah darling. Let Kirkbourne or one of the servants carry you to the carriage, for pity’s sake, or we shall be here all evening.” Her father then moved by the little gathering and out onto the pavement in front of the house. Sarah sagged visibly. The fire she had shown moments before had been extinguished by the careless words of the earl.

“
Lady Sarah!” His words were quiet, unsure whether to give her a moment or to push her father’s point. “Would you like… mind…um…”

She shook her head and lifted her bright gaze to his.
“Would you be so kind as to carry me to the carriage, Your Grace?”

Her father had hurt her with his dismissal of her desire to do things for herself.

“I can wait,” he answered gruffly.

“
You do not want to keep your guests waiting.”

“
Our guests.”

She nodded her acknowledgement of his concession.

“The cold air is not good for my father’s cough. I think speed may be more important than my loss of dignity.”

“
Being carried is not a loss of dignity. It shows strength that you are willing to accept help.”

She snorted but held onto his arm as she passed her crutches to the butler. Then her gloved hand snaked around his neck. It was at that moment he noticed her hair. It was intricately styled with small pearls placed strategically through it and
curls framing her pretty face.

As he lifted her into his arms he felt a pang of longing. Was it just because he had a woman in his arms and that evoked memories of lovemaking or was it Sarah, in particular, who was having this effect
? He was a man after all, and she was dashed pretty underneath the barbed tongue, the frightful need for independence and her questionable morals regarding finding herself a suitor.

He drew up beside the carriage
, and she turned her head.

“
Oh, you have a barouche too.”

“
No. I bought a barouche. It seemed silly to have a high vehicle that would be troublesome for you. I got the lowest one they had and I sold the phaeton.”

“
I see. That was very thoughtful. Thank you.”

“
Common sense.” He placed her gently in the carriage, facing forward and opposite her father, accepted the crutches from the butler, handing them in to her then moving around the carriage to jump in the other side. He did not want her thinking he had been sentimental. It had been a practical decision.

“
It was thoughtful of you to have a common sense approach to my infirmity,” she persisted. He scowled at her.

“
Do not think a change of coach in any way means I am happy about being tricked into marriage.” He looked between Sarah and the earl, expecting a response. Sarah lifted an eyebrow, and the earl began to cough into his handkerchief. Damn.

“
It is not your fault. It is the cool air,” she said. She must know he was now blaming himself. “Do you not see how desperate he must have been?” she hissed. He gazed at the gardens in the centre of Grosvenor Square rather than at Sarah or her father. Of course the man had to be desperate, but why had he dragged Nate into it? Why not some fat, balding old earl desperate for an heir?

But he knew Sarah was better than that and deserved someone who would care for her, not just see her as a means to an end. Did
Brackingham really think he deserved his daughter? Whatever Nate’s own impressions of the young woman, surely Brackingham loved Sarah. Perhaps the earl thought Nate was not a bad man. He would not mistreat her. Unfortunately the jury was still out on whether he should take a mistress when married.

His conscience said no. He believed in fidelity in the marriage bed. But he had no idea what were Sarah’s capabilities in that area. How much could she feel? Would he be able to give her satisfaction? He was sure she would be able to give it to him
, but if she could derive no real pleasure from their lovemaking it would be completely unfulfilling for both of them. And he was already chomping at the bit over the circumstances of this match. The last thing he wanted was to spend the rest of his life feeling cheated.

The houses of South
Audley Street now filtered into his senses as the horses slowed. He had been a terrible host, leaving Sarah to look out the carriage while her father had sporadic little coughing fits that he tried in vain to stifle.

“
Freckles!” He heard the shout just as he stood and saw Eversley approaching the carriage.

“
Piggie,” she cried in delight.

“
Would you like some help into the house? Kirkbourne invited us.” He waved a hand towards Lady Rebecca, Eversley’s sister, and the Earl and Countess of Chapelbrooke, Eversley’s parents.

“
That would be very much appreciated,” she said as he opened the door and reached in to lift her out. Nobody seemed to notice her crutches as the earl descended from the carriage with the help of Bellamy. Grumbling to himself, Nate jumped down from the carriage onto the road and was nearly mown down by a horse drawing a hackney.

“
Watch it, guv’nor,” shouted the driver, managing to swerve the horse and the carriage slightly without incident.

“
I do apologise,” he called.

“
Bleedin’ toffs,” he heard, just before the man made it out of earshot.

He hurried onto the pavement in time to see
Eversley carrying Sarah into
his
house. It may be all very chaste, but he was not happy that his next door neighbour was manhandling his wife-to-be. Once inside, the viscount stopped and turned to Nate. Sarah was laughing at something the man had said.

“
You can put me down now,” she said pointedly at the younger man, who blushed and placed her on her feet, his hands around her waist until she had hold of the crutches Nate held out to her. “Thank you,” she said, first to Eversley and then to Nate. He nodded stiffly, not liking that his neighbour could make his betrothed laugh and
he
seemed just to annoy her.

The butler hurried over and led
Eversley up to the drawing room as Sarah began to undo the buttons of her smart pink pelisse.

“
Would you like me to help, or get a maid?” he asked quickly as her crutch became tangled in the fabric.

“
I just…” she started, her frustrated grunt turning into a cry of annoyance as the crutch clattered onto the black and white tiled floor.

“
It is all right.” His hands were around her waist, steadying her, pulling her against him for balance as she removed one arm from the garment. As hand and fabric parted company, her arm flew up, whacking him in the cheek.

“
Oh, Your Grace!” she cried. “I am so sorry.”

The slap stung for a moment but it was not particularly sore. He had suffered much worse at Jackson’s Boxing Saloon.

“Shh! It is fine,” he said, leaning into her hand as she caressed the part of his cheek she had struck. She was flush against him, her belly rubbing against his hip, his knee brushing her skirts—so close he could part her legs with his, rub his thigh against…

“
Nathaniel?”

He shook his head. Could she feel his arousal? He was most certainly aware of it. At least he was not fully aroused yet but to him, the hardening was evident. He moved away a few inches as she placed her free hand on his shoulder while his remained around her waist.

He looked down at her—cheeks pink, eyes sparkling and breasts moving up and down with her slightly ragged breaths. No wonder she was having an effect on him. She was stunning. And she found him attractive. That was something, at least.

“
Would you take my crutch, please?” she asked. He took it with his free hand, and her pelisse began to slide off her shoulders. He caught it in the same hand which held the crutch, pulling her back against him. She was so warm, so pliant, so feminine. She raised her head, lips parted slightly.

“
Is it wrong that I want to kiss you, Freckles?”

“
Wrong is such a harsh word. Perhaps inappropriate, given the location and the number of people in your drawing room.”

“
You
are
attractive,” he said. Attractive? What kind of a word was that to compliment a lady? She smiled warmly.

“
And there are still a number of guests in your drawing room, sir.” A cough behind him alerted Nate to Williams, the butler.

“
Williams, can you pick up Lady Sarah’s crutch?”

“
Yes, sir.” The small, almost bald man hurried over to the crutch and picked it up.

“
We need to go to the dining room now and I appreciate it may take you longer. Would you like to walk or would you like me to carry you?”

“
It will be so much quicker and less embarrassing for everyone if you just take me,” she said matter-of-factly. “If you do not mind, Your Grace,” she finished in a quiet, almost reverential tone.

“
All right. Williams, take the lady’s pelisse and her other crutch. And join us in the dining room with just her crutches, then you can go and invite the other guests in to dinner.”

“
Yes, Your Grace.”

The butler followed them into the
empty dining room, leaving the crutches against the wall. Nate placed her on the seat nearest to him.

“
Nathaniel?”

“
Yes.”

“
I apologise for being rude and ungrateful earlier. You were only trying to help.”

“
Helping without taking your wishes into account is merely a hindrance.”

“
I would just prefer to be asked if I require help. But I still should not have treated you the way I did.”

“
Think no more on it, Freckles. I am not so easily offended.”

And then, as much to his own astonishment as to hers, he bent down and placed a delicate kiss on her lips. Her green eyes were wide in surprise. Then she lifted a delicate hand to her lips as if trying to hold the kiss there. Devil take it. She had some kind of hold on him already
, and it wasn’t all to do with the way his body responded to her.