Marriage to a Mister (A Daughters of Regency #1) (14 page)

Julian looked to Julia. "I have to think of your wellbeing, along with Fleur's."

"I don't care. I don't care if I never marry. I won't be made the reason, no, the sacrifice upon which Fleur throws her life away. Fleur, say something, please."

Fleur stood back and laughter bubbled up within her until it exploded into great guffaws.
 

Julian stepped forward, gripping her by the shoulders, worried she may have an episode. "Fleur, are you well?"

"I am to be Mrs. Evan Woolf?" She continued to laugh until she broke free of her father's grasp and walked halfway around the room before leaning upon the harp to help control her laughter. "Fleur Woolf! It's hilarious, isn't it, Julia? Absolutely absurd!"

Julia stepped towards her sister. "Fleur, please, what on earth is the matter with you? This is serious."

"Serious? Coming from you? Do you know the meaning of the word?" Fleur sobered when she saw the flash of hurt in Julia's eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry. I don't know what's come over me, Julia."

"I do, you have gone positively mad. The news has unhinged you. Papa, don't you see how foolish this is? She cannot marry him."

Julian placed his hand upon Julia's cheek trying to soothe her before turning to his eldest. "Fleur, you know the consequences of refusing Evan's hand. However, you know I will stand beside you no matter what course you take. After all, I am the Duke of Norfield and therefore impervious to scandal or gossip." He winked at Fleur, and she laughed once more. "But I would advise you to agree to the match. What say you? Will you have him?"

"Yes!" Fleur ran to her father, smiling, and threw her arms around him. "Yes, Papa, I will marry him. There is so much to do before tomorrow. I'll need to unpack my... " Fleur babbled as she walked out of the room while Julia and Julian stared at one another, surprised at the vehemence with which Fleur agreed to the plan.

"I must say I'm a little relieved," Julian said.

"Relieved? I am completely astonished, what has gotten into her? It's like she
wants
to marry him."

Julian smiled at his younger daughter. "I think we both know whom she would prefer to marry, don't we, Julia?"

Her lips thinned. "I can't imagine why."

"You will, one day," he said, and when she gave him a look, he laughed.

"I wish everyone would stop saying that, good Lord!" Julia shook her head then reached up to kiss his cheek. "I'll go check on her. She walked out of here as if on a cloud and she probably has undone all of Lucy's packing looking for a suitable dress for tomorrow. Will we see you at dinner, Papa?"

"No, I have business at the House of Lords, so I will return late. I'll see you bright and early. Tell Fleur the wedding will be here, and then after, we will be off to Kent."

Julian watched Julia nod and practically run out of the music room to find her sister. He really would never understand his daughters, but he loved them fiercely, and he felt as if past wrongs had finally been set right. Maybe they had not come around it in the best of ways, but they had come full circle, and that was the most important thing of all.

***

Fleur rushed to her room, flung open the door, and barely reached back to close it before she ran and threw herself down onto her bed, head buried in her pillow.

She lay on the bed and felt relief, unabashed and unrestrained relief. Until the moment her father told her the best option was to marry Evan, she didn't know how scared and nervous she was about marrying Edward. He was a fine man, yes, but he was Edward.

Evan
, she thought and smiled.

Her euphoria came crashing down when she remembered how angry he was the evening before. She sat up slightly, propped on her hands, and she frowned. Evan hated her, did he not? Last night he was so horrid to her, and then in the anteroom with the families and the Brockhursts there, he didn't look at her, not once.
 

She laid her head down on her pillow once more and closed her eyes. If he hated her so, why would he agree to the marriage?

She knew Evan, she knew he would attack and bite if he felt threatened, but she also knew he regretted the action almost instantly. They were the best of friends once, and she was sure that they could come to some sort of understanding if only he would talk to her.
 

She didn't know if he would ever forgive her for that night at his parents' home, and she didn't know if they could have romantic love, but she knew they could be friends and care for one another, and she vowed to start there.

***

Evan sat in his carriage the next morning wondering how he would explain the latest developments to Nathan. It was early still, much too early for a social call, but he needed his best man and witness. It was his wedding day after all.

 
The night before, he decided he would ask Nathan to stand up with him as asking his brother under these circumstances would be awkward at best. After he spoke to Fleur's father, he went with Edward, Felix, and Dom to procure a special license, not an easy feat, but he was able to do so using Edward's name and influence. Just one more thing that indebted him towards his brother.

He had left on better terms than he could have hoped for with the duke. He knew he was brash and quick to anger, but so was her father. It was a wonder they didn't come to blows, and it was not lost on him that perhaps they were more alike than he had ever realized.

From tomorrow onward they were to be family, and he didn't want to hurt Fleur through spurning her father. After the way he treated her at the ball, he had wanted to make a real effort, and that was just when he thought she was to be his sister-in-law. Now she was to be his wife.

His wife
.

If he wasn't already sitting down, he may have swooned from the shock of it. The would live together, breakfast together, spend their nights together. Beget children together.

Evan rubbed his cheeks as he felt his face heat and he shook his head at his own foolishness. There was no reason to get ahead of himself, but he couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe they could be happy together. Maybe he could keep his temper in check and offer her a real home of her own. Someplace she could be truly comfortable, the life she wished for and talked about when they were children.

Their families were close, which was ideal, and they would be able to holiday together. When they removed to his country estate, she wouldn't be far from his mother. That would make settling in easy for her.

She would not hold a title, though as a duke's daughter she would always be a lady by name, she would be Mrs. Woolf now. Evan schooled his features and coughed when he found himself smiling like an idiot. How absurd he was behaving, almost if he was - dare he think it - happy?

By God, but he was. He was a simpering, bubbling lovesick fool, and he was happy. He sat up straighter in the carriage and cleared his throat when a thought crossed his mind.
 

What if Fleur didn't truly want this?

He pushed the thought away. He could not know, not until he spoke to her.

 
Evan covered his mouth, rubbing his face and chin as the carriage stopped at his Nathan's townhouse. He gathered his wits about him and opened the door before jumping down and nearly knocking the waiting footmen over.
 

"I beg your pardon, sir," the footman said as he bowed and made way.

Evan nodded at the young man and ascended the steps with quick jaunty leaps before landing three bellowing knocks on the front door. As he waited, Evan wondered what Nathan would say. He would probably call him mad. Indeed, the whole thing was mad.

As the door opened to reveal Nathan's butler, Evan started to feel nervous.

"Ah, Mr. Woolf. I'm sorry but Mr. Carter is–"

"I know it's shamefully early, Hobbs, but I really must speak to Mr. Carter, it's of great importance."

Hobbs looked him over and nodded before leaving, and Evan couldn't remember a time he'd met such an unfussy but reliable servant. Always to the point, was Hobbs. If only he could find help of his own like that, maybe he wouldn't mind the invasion of his privacy.

Evan was broken from his thoughts when Hobbs returned and led him into the library where he knew Nathan preferred to take his meals since he lived alone. When he arrived he saw his friend sitting at a small table, devouring a sausage.

Evan sat down across from him and spoke. "We've to be somewhere within the hour so finish your breakfast."
 

Nathan swallowed a mouthful of hot coffee and looked quizzically over to him. "Be somewhere? We're to away to Kent within the hour, where could we possibly need to be?"

"Slight change in plans," Evan said as he swiped a sausage from Nathan's plate, wondering why his friend was not asking him about Fleur.
 

Nathan didn't even bat an eye, so used was he to his friend's bad manners. "What's going on? Are we to delay? Did something else happen with your brother and Lady Fleur?"

Evan sat back in his chair. Could it be that Nathan didn't know? "So you've not heard? Where have you been since yesterday, in a cave? It's the talk of the whole town."

"Heard what? You were able to settle the gossip, weren't you?" Nathan lowered his fork and stared at Evan in worry. "I didn't go out yesterday at all but spent all day writing letters to my solicitor and giving instructions to the staff. What's happened?"

"A lot has happened. Lady Fleur will no longer be marrying Edward."

Nathan choked on his coffee and Evan took pity on him when tears started to appear in his friend's eyes. He leaned forward to give him a firm slap on the back.

"T-thank you," said Nathan, clearing his throat. "But what do you mean? They know the consequences if they do not."

"Precisely. I never said she wouldn't marry, I just said she wouldn't be marrying Edward."

"But that makes absolutely no sense. She was certainly compromised from the situation, the only other person for her to marry would, well, it would be you." Nathan snorted with laughter then took another bite of sausage. He chewed greedily, his eyes locked with Evan's serious ones. His jaw stopped working and then dropped as bits of food fell from his mouth onto his plate.

Nathan swore. "How on earth did this happen?" he asked as he stood, wiping food from his mouth, and Evan, feeling at a disadvantage, stood as well.

"Felix happened. He led the everyone to believe that Lady Fleur and I were betrothed when it became apparent that gossip was more vicious than we first realized. If Edward's name had been brought into it, things would have just deteriorated. So it was decided I will marry the lady this morning, and then we shall leave for Kent."

Nathan stood staring at Evan like he'd lost his head. "Come again?"

"I'm not repeating all that again, Nathan, it's becoming monotonous."

"It's just ... how do you expect me to react? I'm stunned!"
 

"Yes, I can sympathize," Evan said dryly. "But the fact remains that we must be at the Duke of Norfield's home in about an hour, so we best make haste. I'd rather arrive too early than be late seeing as how I've just struck a civil temper with her father. Imagine if he thought I was going to leave her at the altar?"

Nathan grimaced. "I don't envy you there, he can be quite frightening. But Evan, does her cousin know?"

Evan's eye twitched and he would never admit to it, but he may have paled just slightly. "How would he know? He's on his ship only God knows where."

"Well, don't worry, if he calls you out I am sure we can find someone to be your second." Nathan said while laughing.
 

"Why would he call me out? I'm marrying her, not crying off."

"Hmm, I don't think it will matter to Osborne, as he's always been fiendishly protective of Lady Fleur and Lady Julia. I'd wager they are the only people he cares for in all of England. It is well known he even hates the duke, which is odd, seeing as he is the heir to the dukedom."

"Well he has no reason to have it out with me. I'm doing my duty. Besides, I'm counting on him being away for quite some time. By the time he returns we will have been married several months."

"Aha! So you are afraid of him."

Evan stomped towards the door. "I'm not afraid."

"You ... are ... sooooo," Nathan sing-songed as he threw his napkins on the table and followed Evan out.
 

"Nathan, I will not have this childish discussion with you. Now, are you coming to stand up with me or not?"

"Yes, yes, good grief. Let us go, we would not want to keep the lucky lady waiting, would we? Let me just instruct my driver to meet me at your home and I can travel straight from there."

Evan rolled his eyes upwards but followed his friend with a smirk. Even the mention of Fleur's devil cousin hadn't soured his good mood.

DEARLY BELOVED

Fleur sat in the music room, her back ramrod straight, slight pain blooming behind her eyes as her attention swayed back and forth between a frantic maid and her sister.

"And the flowers, my lady, are they to your liking?" asked the maid.

"Yes, Mary, they are beautiful, thank you –"

"I can't believe you're going to go through with this ... this farce of a marriage to that ... that ...," muttered Julia, quickly walking across the room.

"Are you certain, Miss? I had to take the flowers from the morning room, they are a bit sad and wilted, but it is all I could do on such short notice."

Fleur tried to smile. "You have done a miracle with this room on such short notice, everything will be perfect —"

"He is deceitful, that is what he is. He planned this, I just know he did. I will strangle him ..." said Julia, quickly making her way back across the room.

"And the chairs, should we move them back a bit more, or closer, should they be closer —"

"I'm sure the chairs are fine, Mary –"

"I cannot stand the thought that you will be living all alone with him only God knows where and we won't ever see you. He is sure to keep us from you."

Fleur rubbed her temples and closed her eyes. "Mary, on second thought, I think the mantle could use a few more flowers after all. There are several in the upstairs bedrooms, would you fetch some?"