After The Storm (10 page)

She dropped her hands and sighed heavily as she stood
up and paced. She had not thought about Mac when she agreed to this
insane marriage with the earl. She had not thought—she had only
gone with her lamentable instincts.

Mac would be so shocked.

She sat down at her father’s desk, took up the quill,
and dipped it in the inkwell. She had no choice but to write him at
once, but what she wrote wasn’t all the truth. She did not explain
that it was a marriage of convenience. No doubt if he read that he
would come charging into the church to stop the proceedings. She
merely said she had met the earl and agreed to be his wife and that
they would be headed to Danfield after the ceremony.

She knew an odd sense of relief that she was writing
her news to Mac instead of facing him with the words.

* * *

“What do you mean, Gwen, that I cannot marry Jenny
Ashley?” The earl frowned darkly at his sister. What new fustian
was this? “What are you saying?” He realized that his sister had
referred to her as Jenny Ashley, not Jennifer Ashley, and he arched
a look at her. “
Do you know Jenny?
”

“Of course I know her. Oh, Jason, what have you done?
I sent you to Devon to offer for that little bouncing fair-haired
chit, believing, as you must admit, that you have always had a
penchant for yellow-haired creatures! Oh pray, Jason, however did
you come across Jenny? Never mind that, you must find a way to cry
off. Of all the most vexing situations!”

“Cry off? Are you mad?” replied her brother, actually
shocked. “Why on earth, Gwen, should I do such an ungentlemanly
thing?”

“Jason, you do not understand,” his sister wailed and
wrung her hands.

“I certainly do not, and I think, my mad twin, that
you must now take a chair and explain what the devil you are
talking about,”—he waved his hand in the air—“for it sounds like
pure hysteria.”

Gwen ignored his command and remained standing. She
pulled out a lace handkerchief from her sleeve and began tearing it
between her fingers. “Jason, you have no idea, and it is such a
long, odd tale that I am not sure you will understand it when I
have recounted it to you. Could you not just believe me if I tell
you that Jenny is not for you? My dearest twin, she will never, do
you hear me
, never
be a biddable wife!”

The earl felt a twinge of irritation, and his
response was brisk when it came. “What notion have you of me? A
biddable wife? Why would you think I would want such a woman?
Biddable indeed! Now, if you will, what is this incomprehensible
narrative of yours?”

Gwen stared at him for a long moment before
collapsing onto the Oriental chair nestled behind its matching
desk. “You must remember that George and I fell in with the
ton
and took up residence in Brussels last spring. After
all, you were stationed there with Wellington, and I—”

“Yes, yes, I remember. Now get on with it,” he cut in
impatiently.

“Well, you needn’t be so testy, Jason.” His sister
sniffed before proceeding. “It was in Brussels that I met Jenny,
though there is a difference in our age, and she was not yet
married though engaged to some boy on Wellington’s staff.” She
waved her hand in the air. “You may have even met him …?”

“I don’t remember him, though of course I now know of
him,” her brother said with a frown. “But come on, Gwen, get to
this story of yours.”

“Yes, well, it is not that I don’t approve of Jenny,
quite the opposite really, and she is a beauty, far superior in
every way to many, but—”

“Yes, I understand there is a but. What is this
‘but’?”

“She was the liveliest, most mischievous, wonderful
young woman of my acquaintance. She broke rules, but not in an
awful way, very … charming, and still, you simply cannot marry
her.”

“I am about to wring your neck,” her brother advised
her.

“La, Jason … you see, the Battle of
Waterloo … on the eve of Richmond’s ball … we missed it
you see, for George insisted we return to London because of Robin,
and I did agree with him …” She saw her brother’s face and
hastily returned to the subject. “I see you grow impatient again,
well, you must not, for I am thinking of you when I say you cannot
marry her.”

At this, he got to his feet and said darkly, “I find
in spite of my brotherly love that I very much have an undeniable
urge to choke the life out of you.”

She laughed and then grew serious. “Jason, I know you
must make a marriage of convenience. I know otherwise you will lose
the estate to that awful woman’s son, while you are the eldest, and
that makes no sense, and—”

“GWEN!” He took a step away from her at that and
began pacing before he rounded on her. “Allow me to stop you right
there. I have always been fond of Brad. He is my half-brother and
deserves a healthy competence. Our father’s will did us both an
injustice, but let us not speak of that now. Why do you not wish me
to marry Jenny?”

“You say you will provide for Brad, but, Jason, that
young popinjay would not do the same for you.”

“I disagree with you, Gwen. You have allowed your
opinion of our stepmother to cloud your judgment in his regard.” He
shook his head. “Even so, if you were right, still would I live by
my own code of honor, my own rules. Now tell me, or I shall walk
out of here and put this all down to some sort of sisterly nonsense
and forget all about it.”

“Simply this—I know Jenny well enough to know she
will not survive a marriage of convenience. It is not in her style.
She will wither when she watches you go off with your little birds
of frailty, and besides that, she was devastated when she lost her
beau and may never be able to love you well enough to be a good
wife!” His sister shook her head. “This won’t work, Jason. Please
believe me. And you shouldn’t do this to her.”

“I am giving her what she wants—
an out
. She
doesn’t want to be courted. She wants this, and, Gwen, I will not
cause her any pain. She will not wither, because for one thing she
is
not
in love with me and has forbidden me her bed.”

“What?” Gwen’s hand went to her cheek. “This is even
worse. You need an heir, Jason.” She got up, paced, and then sank
back down.

“Can you not leave matters to me? Allow me first to
obtain my rightful inheritance and attend to the rest in my own
good time.”

“But you are fond of children,” Gwen wailed.

“I am, and I fully intend that my bride will be the
mother of those children,” he said in a clipped voice.

“You are thinking you will seduce Jenny, but if she
is not in love with you, you don’t stand a chance. This is even
worse than I feared,” his sister gasped. “Seduction just won’t work
this time.”

“Eh? Seduction? What is this? Who is Jason seducing
now?” A jolly voice from the doorway brought their attention around
to a tall, rather substantial gentleman with ginger-colored hair
falling carelessly about his rugged, smiling face.

His wife went to him and hugged him with great
affection. “George, my love.” She flirted with her eyes, and he
pinched her chin.

“’Pon my soul!” exclaimed the earl, looking at his
mountain of a brother-in-law with a grin. “You do fill a doorway,
George!”

“What the devil do you mean speaking about seduction
to my wife?” George went forward and clasped the earl’s
outstretched hand.

The earl laughed. “Necessary, ol’ fellow, upon my
honor, it was. The only way I could think to keep her quiet.”

“Ah, yes, I understand,” returned George on a
chuckle.

“George!” objected his wife with a shake of her
shoulders.

“Wish me happy, George. I am about to be married next
week,” the earl said, watching for his reaction.

“I wish you all the joys that the right kind of
marriage can bring you, Jason,” George responded as his dark bushy
brows drew together.

The earl turned to his sister with a sudden frown.
“You say you know Jenny, yet she never mentioned you. She must know
you are my sister?”

“No, how could she? I am Lady Henley, and though I
must have mentioned you in passing, she would not have really
remembered.” She frowned again and asked, “Have you sent off a note
to our beloved stepmother informing her of the marriage?”

He gazed at her and sighed heavily. “No, I suppose I
shall have to do so.”

“She will be pleased, don’t you think?” Derision
distorted her mouth.

He chuckled. “She will get over it.”

“Jason, you will be careful, please, when you go to
Danfield?” she said compellingly.

“Gwen, you aren’t going to bring up all those old
suspicions again?” He saw that she would not give it up and put up
a hand. “Very well, you may be easy. I shall keep my blue eyes open
at all times.”

George coughed into his hand and said, “Then you are
sure this is what you want?”

“Very sure, more than you can know. So then,” the
earl said with a grin, “I think it is time the two of you raised
some glasses to me and wished me well!”

* * *

The news of Jenny’s engagement swept the countryside
as fast and almost as stupendously as had the news of the Battle of
Waterloo a year ago.

Gifts and letters of congratulations started to take
over the Ashley study. Domestic tranquility became a thing of the
past, as Jenny and Aunt Beth rushed to and fro from the
dressmaker’s. They were bombarded with visitors, some genuinely
happy for Jenny, others merely curious to know more about the
sudden engagement and hasty wedding.

On the third day after the event, Lavina swirled down
upon them and nearly burst with satisfaction at finding Jenny alone
in the rose arbor.

“You sly little miss!” crowed Lavvy, baiting her
friend. “I just can’t believe it, and yet I must, for I see that it
is true, for you are blushing, Jenny! Isn’t that just like you.
Isn’t it just like you to go and do the most outrageous thing, and
then blush beet-red when faced with it.” Lavvy laughed and hugged
her close.

“Oh, Lavvy, it is not exactly as you are thinking,”
cried Jenny, genuinely distressed.

“And what am I thinking?” asked her friend, tilting
her fair head of well dressed curls.

“Sure now, Lavvy m’darlin’, and how would I be
knowin’ what it ’tis going round that scatterbrain of yours,”
trilled Jenny, giving her tease for tease.

Lavvy laughed out loud and then sighed. “Now, there
is my old Jenny! ’Tis good to have you back, and I think that it is
the earl who has brought you back to us—that is what
I
think
.”

Jenny shook her head. “Because you are looking for a
wonderful story, but I don’t have one to give you.”

“Really? Well, what I want to know is everything.
I’ll decide for myself if it is wonderful or not,” Lavvy answered
her.

“I agreed to marry the earl. It helps him out of his
uncomfortable situation, and it does the same for me. Oh, Lavvy, I
couldn’t face a London season, and Papa was about to launch me
whether I wanted it or not.”

“Yes, but, Jenny … don’t tell me you don’t care
for him.” Lavvy eyed her knowingly. “I am very certain that you
do.”

“Well, I don’t really know him.” Jenny answered
hesitatingly. She didn’t really want to confide much more to her
flighty friend.

“But you of all people, you who were madly in love,
don’t ask me to believe you are willingly making a marriage of
convenience,” Lavvy scoffed.

“Well, ’tis what I am doing, and I am very pleased
with the arrangements,” Jenny answered.

“La, who do you think you are fooling? I know you,
Jenny, and I had the opportunity to watch you and the earl. When
the two of you looked at one another I saw, no, I felt, sparks in
the air. This is a case of love at first sight if ever I have
witnessed one. This is completely different than anything you have
ever known, but—” She wagged a finger. “—you and he just don’t
realize it yet.”

“Stop, Lavvy. You are just being a romantic,” Jenny
said on a faltering note.

“What I want to know is how did poor Mac take
it?”

“Why poor Mac?”

“Jenny, you are a complete dunce. Mac is in love with
you and I assumed was just waiting for you to end your grieving.”
Lavvy clucked at her. “No doubt he was expecting to be the one to
walk you down the aisle.”

“No, Lavvy, don’t be silly. He has always stood a
friend, nothing more,” Jenny said with a dark frown. “Mac has no
need to marry for any reason other than to satisfy his heart, and I
am certain I have heard him mention a lady or two in the past that
he likes very well.”

“Ha, you know nothing. You never did. You were
comfortable with your Johnny and never looked past that,” Lavvy
said knowingly.

“This is not funny, Lavvy, and how can you utter such
things when I don’t think you have really ever spent anytime with
Mac and me together?”

“That is true, but I have had occasion to speak with
Mac, several, and when he says your name, a light comes into his
eyes. There is no mistaking it,” Lavvy returned.

“Stop it—he is a friend, nothing more.” Jenny almost
stomped her foot at her friend.

“Well, I suppose I could be wrong, but I don’t think
so.” Lavvy pouted.

Jenny laughed. “You are a silly chit, looking for a
romance where none exists. Mac, by the way, enjoys older women. I
noticed it when we were all in Brussels. Most of his flirts are
ladies he can’t be trapped into marriage with. He has often told me
that he wouldn’t be happy as a married man, likes to be on the
go.”

“Very well, then,” said Lavvy, screwing up her lips.
“I shall concede until I can prove otherwise and say ‘see’ and pat
myself on the back.”

“Odious girl.” Jenny laughed.

“Oh, Jenny, your smile is back. The prospect of this
marriage seems to be working wonders.” Lavvy squeezed her hand.