Beyond Rubies (Daughters of Sin Book 4) (26 page)

Kitty put her head on one side as she took in what he was saying.

“Of course, we could have a proper ceremony with all the pomp and circumstance if you wanted to wait another two or three years. I am offering you that, too, my sweet.” He squeezed her hands. “I, personally, would prefer to marry you right this moment.”

Kitty raised her hand to trace the configuration of jewels that now graced her throat. Gazing into his face, she whispered, “You just tell me what to do and how it shall proceed, and I will be very happy to comply. Oh, Nash!” Again, she hurled herself into his arms. “I can’t believe it! You have made me the happiest woman in the entire kingdom.”

“I
s it not a little early to be going out in public, my dear?” Debenham raised one eyebrow as he fixed his gaze upon Araminta’s waistline. “It has been only two weeks since William’s birth. Apparently, too early to resume intimate relations, yet not too early to rejoin the hectic social whirl.”

Araminta glanced up from attaching her earrings and offered a beguiling smile as a defense against the thickening of his tone, which never augured well. “Soon you will be amply rewarded for your patience, darling husband.” She smoothed her hair and contoured her lithe body with her hands. “You were not so anxious to court my interest when my body thickened, as it surely will again if you cannot show a little restraint,” she teased. It was hard not to sing to the treetops as she reveled in the freedom of her newfound curves. Debenham would claim her, inevitably, but as long as she ingested the Queen Anne’s Lace seeds immediately he’d claimed his conjugal rights, she could be assured, Mrs. Mobbs had told her, that she would not conceive. Mrs. Mobbs had apparently been dishing out Queen Anne’s Lace seeds to young women for decades, and declared it almost one hundred percent effective, when used correctly.

Debenham skimmed the top of her dressing table, then leaned against it as he watched her pluck at her gown.

“William will need a sibling. No need to look so horrified. I’m well aware you are not maternal by nature, and I don’t mean immediately.” He sent her a critical look. “I believe I visit our son a good deal more frequently than you do. Have you even been up to the nursery today?”

Araminta avoided looking at him while she pulled on her gloves, and tried to remember the last time she had looked in on the boy. “Millicent tells me he’s thriving.” She offered her husband a bright smile, then took several leisurely steps toward him, pressing her body against him and skimming her hand up the length of his arm. She felt safe being so flirtatious, knowing the carriage had already been called around. “Haven’t I been a clever wife, presenting you with an heir then getting my figure back so quickly? Aren’t you going to reward me?”

She wished she hadn’t spoken in such an unguarded fashion for immediately he said, “If Jane cannot be relied upon to have your ruby necklace sent back, I shall take you off to The Grange myself to fetch it. I’ve had some cursed luck lately, as I told you and I need it for security.”

All the happiness drained out of Araminta, but she was buoyed by the fact she really did need to see Teddy again. He’d know what to do. Goodness, but she hoped he’d be at Almack’s this evening.

“You don’t really intend selling my beautiful wedding present?” Her outrage was not feigned. “Debenham, I thought you were funning me, truly I did. Surely it is mine. You gave it to me.” It occurred to her this might be a good moment for tears, but she hardly wished to venture out with a blotched face and besides, Debenham was notoriously unresponsive to such emotion.

“What is yours is mine, legally. However, I’ll buy you something lovely when next you deserve it and if I’m feeling particularly charitable and plump in the pocket.”

Without warning, he twisted her in his arms and crushed her to him, kissing her hard on the lips while he contoured her curves with his hands, ending with a squeeze of her breasts. “God, you are a vixen without a heart, but I’ll have you crying for more when I’m finally allowed to have my way with you.”

Araminta sighed internally as she anticipated the sweaty pleasuring with which she’d have to involve herself. In the early days, she’d enjoyed herself, but the only time Debenham hadn’t been a completely selfish lover was the night he seduced her at Miss Hosking’s betrothal ball. What a fiasco that time in her life had been, when she’d felt overjoyed at being saved from marriage to plain and unprepossessing Mr. Woking, which is all he had been then. But Debenham had tricked her. He’d blackmailed, seduced, and tricked her, and she now had a lifetime to look forward to burdened by his careless cruelty, his cold contempt, and his gambling and womanizing. The only bright side about
that
was that thus occupied, he left her alone.

“You’ll ruin my hair!” she cried, outraged when he started to run his fingers through her coiffure. Araminta flew to the mirror and tried to rectify the damage while Debenham chuckled.

“You know, Araminta; you really are at your most entertaining when you are fired up. All right, I’ll leave you to sort yourself out, but don’t be late. Dobson is here to tell us the carriage is waiting, I believe.”

Araminta’s spirits took an upturn, when, at the ball, she spied Lord Ludbridge among the throng. As she hadn’t seen him since before William’s birth, he was quick to marvel at her stunning looks. “Is it right and healthy that you are here?” he asked with a consideration for her well-being that made Araminta want to cry.

She tapped his shoulder playfully with her fan. “You are the kindest and most honorable gentleman I know, Lord Ludbridge. Debenham simply thought it was wrong to court scandal by returning to public life so soon, and was quite violent in the way he crushed me to him as we were about to step out.” She shuddered and dropped her voice making him bend his head to hear her. “Debenham can be a brute, and I fear returning to what we married women must endure when we are wed to insensitive men.”

The shocked widening of his eyes made her feel quite gleeful inside. “Why, Lord Ludbridge, I fear I’ve embarrassed you,” she gasped. “I must seem quite shameless, not to mention, jaded, when I speak of the realities of what you know nothing about.”

Awkwardly, he shuffled his feet and cleared his voice, but daringly he gripped her wrist as he moved her into the shadows where they were shaded from view by a plinth bearing a voluminous plant. “I wouldn’t say that is an entirely correct way of putting things.” He drew in a labored breath as he raised his eyes to the ceiling. “Dear God, Araminta, if only I could have saved you from this horror in which you find yourself.”

Araminta sent him a searching look at the same time as she softly, secretly, stroked the inside of his wrist. “But you can, Lord Ludbridge. You’re going to persuade your brother to give you that letter and you’re get my ruby necklace back for me so that Debenham doesn’t beat me most cruelly.”

She saw the rise and plummet of his Adam’s apple before he shook his head. “I sought out the woman who you mentioned was last in possession of it. I offered her a respectable sum, but she said it had been sold already.”

“Sold? I suppose that doesn’t surprise me. But to whom, Teddy? You surely asked her that so you could then track down this buyer.” She gripped his wrist even tighter and stepped a little closer, turning slightly as she brought his hand, as if incidentally, upon her right breast. “Teddy, if there is one service you can render to keep me safe, this is it.” She drew in a deep breath which made her bosom rise, taking his hand with it. Unable to drag his gaze—or his hand—away, he stared as though mesmerized.

Araminta’s voice became more urgent and a little strangled. “Please, Teddy, you must find my ruby necklace. I don’t have the money to repay you right at the moment, but I promise that I will reward you...however I am able...” She stared meaningfully at him to ensure he understood her, before dropping her voice to a whisper. “Otherwise, I don’t know what Debenham will do to me.”

Teddy dipped his head to put his lips close to her ear, his voice a passionate growl. “I would never presume to take such advantage when I want only to help you, my angel.”

“It wouldn’t be taking advantage, Teddy, you must surely know that!” Placing her gloved hand to her eyes, she whispered, “Darling Teddy, I know it is so wrong of me to say it, but...” She took her hand away to reveal her eyes blazing with passion— certainly, she was sure the expression she strove for could not be mistaken for anything else— “...you cannot know how I have longed to feel your arms about me. The night you asked me to marry you, I was the happiest girl in all of England. No, this
planet
, Teddy. This universe. And then with Papa in danger of losing all his money, and me being pressured into this marriage with Debenham—”

“You were to marry his nephew,” he corrected her.

“Yes, yes, but remember I told you that he was only pretending so as to help me.” Her brain raced to remember what, in fact, she had told Teddy, and was pleased she could embellish her story when she added, “And Papa was pressuring me to marry Mr. Woking, or rather Lord Myles, since he was certain that both of the doddery relatives who stood in the way of him were on their last legs, meaning he’d be inheriting more than Lord Debenham and that, of course, made him the catch of the season. Of course, all that turned out to be true, but I held out, and held out, explaining that you
would
come back, but you sent no word, Teddy. I was distraught!”

“My darling Araminta, I wrote every day, but my letters must not have got to you in a timely fashion. Oh God, that I have ruined the love that we could have known.”

“But we can still know that love, Teddy.” Her voice was breathy and tender now. “If I get my ruby necklace back, then I will be physically safe from Debenham whose roving eye means I am so often left to my own devices.” Briefly, she touched his cheek. “You, Teddy, are all I’ve ever wanted. Please! Once, you let your scruples get in the way of us finding love.” Her voice trailed off. “Don’t let them stand in the way a second time.”

K
itty stretched her arms and rolled over in the bed, patting the empty space left by Nash, before sighing with pleasure as she opened her eyes to a repeat of the light tapping on her bedchamber door.

“Mornin’, miss.” Her maid brought in a tray bearing a pot of hot chocolate and dainty teacup and saucer, and set it on the table beside her. “There’s someone downstairs ter see yer, miss. Bin ‘ere a while only I said yer was asleep.”

“You let him wait downstairs?” Kitty knew Nash wouldn’t like an admirer gaining entry to the house, but the maid disabused her of this with a quick, “It’s a young female person wot says she’s a friend o’ yers.”

“A friend? Goodness!” Kitty couldn’t imagine who would fit into that category, and excitedly she wondered if it could be her sister. But Lissa wouldn’t call herself a friend.

“Says ‘er name is Dorcas, an’ she’d wait as long as needed ‘til yer was woken, miss.”

“Dorcas!” Kitty leaped out of bed and threw her shawl about her shoulders. “Tell her to come straight up. And bring another cup and saucer, Minnie. Dorcas!” she cried, even more excitedly when her old friend appeared in the doorway. “What are you doing here? Do tell me you’re here to stay!”

Dorcas lowered her eyes, obviously nervous at the enthusiasm of her greeting. “I wills if yer’ll ‘ave me,” she said softly. “Me bein’ wot I am.”

“What are you talking about?” Kitty put her arm about her friend’s shoulders and led her to a chair. “You’re a far purer soul than I am. You were tricked into a life of sin. I chose it willingly.”

Dorcas gave a little sob. “Yer look so pure an’ beautiful wiv that golden ’air. People don’t see yer as a sinner like they do me. It’s true, though. I don’t reckon I coulda come if yer’d been a proper married lady. Yer could no’ be thinkin’ o’ ‘irin’ me if yer were that.”

“But I am to be, Dorcas!” Kitty clapped her hands together and did a twirl. “Lord Nash asked me a week ago to be his wife. Can you believe it? I certainly couldn’t, but it’s true.”

“Lawks, miss, yer don’t mean it! An’ there was I thinkin’ yer was in love with Lord Silverton.”

“Lord Silverton?” Kitty frowned, while an uncomfortable lurch of her heart belied her response at Kitty’s surprise. “Why would you imagine that?”

“Cos he’s the one wot always ‘elps yer an’ tried ter ‘elp me. Yer talk ‘bout ‘im with a special kind o’ voice wot made me think yer were in love wiv ’im.”

“He’s my friend, Dorcas.” Kitty forced a laugh as she poured the hot chocolate. “I’m certainly not in love with him.”

“But yer like ‘im well enough that yer’ll come wiv me to ís ‘ouse to say thank yer ter ‘im fer tryin’ all them times ter get me away from Mrs. Montgomery’s?”

Kitty raised her eyebrows in surprise. “I will if you want me to.”

Dorcas nodded. “I want ter say thank yer, Miss Kitty. I do, that.”

“Then we shall call on him sometime in the coming week, and I can tell him also about my wedding.”

“Won’t ‘e already ‘ave heard? Ain’t ‘e invited?”

“It’s just a quiet wedding. Just Lord Nash, me and a couple of witnesses.”

Dorcas narrowed her eyes. “Reckon that don’t sound right fer a viscount ter be marryin’ in such a fashion. Mighty havey-cavey ter me, Miss, if yer don’t mind me sayin’ so.”

“It’s not a pretend wedding if that’s what you think,” Kitty said sharply, handing her a cup. “In fact, his sister will be one of the witnesses, and Nash said to me quite plainly that he hoped I wouldn’t think it a sham, either. You see, his parents will not be happy, and his grandfather’s ailing and he doesn’t want to distress the old man and hasten him to his grave. So the idea is that we’ll get married, and as soon as the right time comes, we’ll announce it to the world.”

“I don’t want yer ter be tricked like I were, miss.”

“I don’t either, Kitty. But I have made inquiries.” Kitty sat down in a chair opposite Dorcas. “All I’ve ever wanted is to be properly married. I’m madly in love with Lord Nash, and now my dreams are about to come true.”

“Wot if Lord Silverton asked yer ter be ‘is wife.”