Never Miss a Chance (22 page)

For a moment, it appeared like Miss Rennard would give chase
anyway.  But Arthur put his arm around her waist and escorted her back to the
manor.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

They all made their way back to the house, only to find the
other ladies waiting for them in the side garden.  Aunt Prue and Mariah had
been beside themselves with worry.   Lady Riverton and Charlotte were most
pleased to see that the Duke of Lynwood had survived unharmed and still
unmarried.

“Riverton,” said Stalford, once they’d met up again with the
ladies.  “I suppose this is as good a time as any to ask for your sister’s hand
in marriage.”

“My sister?” said a surprised Riverton, as he turned to
Lizzie.  “I thought you and Lady Elizabeth were to be married.”

“No,” said the earl, seemingly insulted by the very notion. 
“It appears I have fallen most inelegantly in love with your sister.”

“Really, my lord!” said Charlotte.  “I thought I told you
that any proposal must be accompanied by a certain amount of courting.  For the
record, I prefer diamonds and cannot countenance any stone small enough to be
swallowed without choking.”

“Charlotte,” said her surprised mama, “while I’m completely
delighted by the thought of your being a countess, didn’t you set your sights a
little….higher?”  With this, Lady Riverton waved her hand in the general
direction of the Duke of Lynwood, who looked like he’d rather jump in the river
and give chase to the Marleys than be the subject of this conversation.

“But I’m afraid I’ve not made myself clear,” said Stalford. 
“The sister I’m referring to is Edith.”

“You want to marry Edith?” asked a dumbstruck Charlotte.

“That Edith?” asked Lady Riverton, pointing at her elder
daughter as if the lawn were suddenly peopled with Ediths.

“Yes, this Edith,” said Stalford, as he looked at the lady
in question.  “If she’ll have me.”

Edith turned to Stalford.  “I suppose I shall consent to be
your bride, provided you can endeavor to be less of a moron on a somewhat
regular basis,” she said, smiling.  “And for the record, I also like diamonds. 
Big ones.”  On that last point she was deadly serious.

“But, Stalford,” said Riverton once again.  “You’re
betrothed to Lizzie.”

“No Marcus,” said Lizzie as she took his hand.  “I tried to
be a good enough person to give you up, but find myself falling short.  There’s
never been anyone other than you.  There never will be.  I’m so dreadfully
sorry they’re punishing you in Lords, but I shall try my hardest to be a good
and at least somewhat proper wife.”

“What are you talking about?  Who’s punishing me in Lords?”

Lizzie turned to the earl.  “Stalford told me I was hurting
your chances for advancement, that you’d never be successful with me bringing
you down.”

“That’s preposterous,” said Lynwood, taking one menacing
step toward Stalford.  It was enough to make the earl edge closer to Edith,
who’d acquitted herself quite admirably in the fight with Miss Marley.  “Marcus
is highly respected.  And between the two of us, we’d certainly punish anyone
who tried to sully your name.”

“I don’t give a damn about rising in Lords,” said Riverton
as he pulled Lizzie into his arms.  “All I care about is you.  Be mine, dear
Lizzie.  You already own my heart.”  Then he brought his lips down on hers for
a kiss to seal his words.

“Good God, I’m about to cast up my accounts,” said Edith.

“So, Stalford,” said Arthur as he walked up to the man. 
“Was this why you wanted me to bring Lizzie to the house party?  So you could
trick her into marrying you?”

“Arthur,” said Lizzie, reluctantly breaking her kiss with
Riverton.  “What are you talking about?”

“I cannot tell you how sorry I am,” said her brother.  “But
I lost a great deal of blunt to him on an evening I cannot remember.  And to
relieve part of the debt, I promised to bring you here.”

“You did what?” said Lynwood.

“I’m truly sorry,” replied Arthur to Lynwood and Lizzie.  “And
I deserve whatever punishment you deem appropriate.  I already owe Stalford ten
thousand pounds.  I shall be paying for my mistakes for a good long time.  But
the shame will last even longer.”

“Here’s the thing old boy,” said Stalford, truly in the
spirit of the day.  “You weren’t quite yourself that night.  You weren’t even
at the tables.  I drugged you, then made the whole story up.”

Arthur’s response was a straight left to Stalford’s jaw. 
The earl was knocked to the ground. 

Edith was outraged.

“Why would you tell him that?” she asked the prone
Stalford.  “He was going to pay you ten thousand pounds!  I should hit you
myself!”

Then she turned around and hit Arthur, knocking him to the
ground.

“Enough!” said the Duke of Lynwood, loud enough to get
everyone’s attention.  “Lady Edith, I must ask for an end to this violence,
although your hitting my scapegrace of a brother did offer a good deal of satisfaction. 
Elizabeth, am I to understand you are now betrothed once again to Riverton?”

She was about to say yes, when Lady Nicholls cleared her
throat.  “I’m afraid, your grace, that your sister cannot be engaged to the
Marquis of Riverton, because my daughter has been set to marry him these many
years.”

“With all due respect, Lady Nicholls, that is not true,”
said Riverton.  He wasn’t sure how Lady Nicholls could so wholly misunderstand
the situation, then was chilled to see the calculating smile on her daughter’s
face.

“Perhaps you do not see this in the appropriate light,”
replied Lady Nicholls.  “Is that Bow Street person still in attendance?”

Stapleton, his senses on alert, stepped forward.  “Madam?”

Lady Nicholls gave a sickly sweet smile, then continued.  “I
hesitate to mention such an unsavory subject, especially in the presence of my
dear Melissa and Lady Charlotte, but it has come to my attention that there is
a….shall we say…most unnatural attachment between Lynwood’s aunt and her
companion.  A
most
unnatural attachment.  I daresay it’s even criminal.”

Lizzie immediately went to Aunt Prue and Mariah, who were both
pale.  Miss Rennard joined them, as did Arthur and Hal.  Even Edith pushed
Stalford in their direction, then stood alongside.

Stapleton studied the situation in front of him.  “I see. 
And what do you propose I do about it?”

“Well,” said Lady Nicholls, “the law on this subject is
really quite clear.  But I believe we could be counted on to look the other way
about the deviants in our midst if my dear sweet Melissa were to get married.”

Stapleton considered the matter further.  “You’re saying you
won’t swear out a complaint if Miss Simons marries Lord Riverton.”

“Or she could marry the Duke of Lynwood.  One of those
creatures is related to him, after all.  To think of the scandal that would
rain down on the House of Lynwood if word got out.  Disgraceful.”  She turned
to her daughter.  “Which would you prefer, my dear?  Do you want to be a
duchess or a marchioness?”

Melissa looked at the two noblemen as if choosing a very
expensive bonnet.  “I daresay I shall be the envy of the
ton
with
whomever I take.  Perhaps I shall let them fight for the honor of marrying me. 
That would be fun indeed.”

“You’ll marry either of them over my dead body,” said Aunt
Prue.  “Take me to gaol, Inspector.  I’d rather be hanged than let those women
hurt either Lynwood or Riverton.  I’m truly sorry, my boy,” she told Lynwood
with tears in her eyes.

“Enough, Aunt!” said Lynwood.  “You cannot be sorry for who
you are.  You will not apologize for an offense not committed.”

“Oh she’s committed a crime,” said Lady Nicholls.  “Against
God and in the eyes of man.”

“But not in mine,” said Lynwood.

Lady Nicholls turned to Stapleton.  “You there!  Arrest those
women.  Or do I have to call your superiors and get you fired?”

Mansfield, who’d been hovering nearby, stepped directly in
front of Aunt Prue and Mariah and put up his fists to defend them if necessary.

Stapleton considered the scene before him and looked at
first Riverton, then Lynwood – both of whom were passive but tense.  “I have no
other choice but to arrest these women.”

Lady Nicholls and Melissa smiled.

Stapleton approached them.  “Lady Nicholls, Miss Melissa
Simons, I arrest you in the name of the King.  The charge is blackmail.  My
lord Riverton, I shall require two maids to act as chaperones on the ride back
to London.”

“Whatever you need, Inspector.”  Riverton turned to
Mansfield, who was already on his way to summon the servants.

Stapleton turned to Lynwood.  “Your grace, I am
commandeering your carriage for the transportation of prisoners.”

“I shall have it readied straight away,” said Lynwood, who
was trying hard to keep the smile from his face.

“Inspector,” said Lizzie.  “I don’t want them in the Lynwood
carriage.  We just had the seats re-covered.  Isn’t there a Riverton coach you
can take?”

“Yes,” said Edith.  “Take the one that’s five years old with
the broken spring.  It’s dreadful.”

Lizzie turned to Edith.  “Why hasn’t your brother replaced
it?”

“He’s terribly stingy,” said Edith.  “Says we can share the
one that’s three years old, but I want my own.  You will talk to him about it,
won’t you?”

“Whatever you say, Edith,” said Lizzie.  “Whatever you say.”

*                    *                    *

Dinner turned out to be a short affair, in part because it’d
been so very awkward.  Lady Nicholls and Melissa ate in their rooms.  They
weren’t under arrest.  Once they’d realized Inspector Stapleton truly intended
to take them back to London and throw them in gaol, they tried to laugh off the
entire thing as a most delightful joke.  Stapleton warned them that while he
wouldn’t be arresting them at the current time, he wouldn’t take kindly to any
malicious statements the two might make about anyone who’d been at the house
party.  Lynwood also impressed upon the two ladies that any attempts to have
Stapleton fired would be met with the full wrath of both himself and Riverton. 
The ladies finally knew when to give up.

Aunt Prue and Mariah had originally opted to have dinner in
their rooms, but the Kellington family had descended upon them
en masse
and insisted they join everyone else.  Lady Riverton and Aunt Prue spent the
meal talking about the weather, with occasional input from Mariah.

Charlotte spent most of the dinner flirting with Lynwood and
talking about how terribly common countesses were.  Edith and Stalford had eyes
only for each other, and were doing something under the table with their feet
that Lizzie didn’t quite understand.

Hal enjoyed watching his oldest brother being tortured by
Charlotte, while inwardly planning his next wager with his friends when he
returned home.  Arthur listened as Miss Rennard and Stapleton discussed the
best strategy for apprehending the Marleys. 

And Lizzie just basked in that knowledge that she and Marcus
were back together again and headed toward their future.

*                    *                    *

As Arthur walked Miss Rennard to her bed chamber after
dinner, he was confused by what had happened over the past few days.  At first,
he’d been attracted to her for the obvious reason:  she was a beautiful young
woman.  But the more he got to know her, the more interested he’d become in who
she was and not just what she looked like.  He’d never been so frightened in
his life as when he’d seen her approach the cottage to seek his release.  He
still couldn’t believe she’d compromised her mission to save a man she barely
knew.          

It scared the hell out of him.  And made him feel very good,
indeed.

“I’m coming with you,” he said as they arrived at her door. 
“Tomorrow.  We’ll set out after breakfast and track them down – if they
survived the river.”

“That is a very kind offer, Lord Arthur,” she said.

“It’s just Arthur.”

“Arthur.”  She smiled as she said it.  “But the Home Office
has very strict rules against involving civilians.”

“I’m not really a civilian and I thought we’d grown rather
close,” said Arthur, as he leaned in to her.  “After all, I’ve touched your
undergarments.”

“Fondled them, no doubt.”

“No, I was waiting to do that until you were in them.  What
do you say?  Will you take me with you?  We’ll leave after breakfast.”

Miss Rennard looked into his eyes.  She studied his face. 
Then she nodded.  “Tomorrow.  After breakfast.”

He smiled, then was going to lean down and kiss her, but she
slipped through her bed chamber door, which she immediately bolted shut.

He grinned as he walked back to his room.  He couldn’t wait
for his adventure with the delectable Miss Tara Rennard.

*                    *                    *

It had been a long and trying few days.  Riverton was in his
bed chamber but couldn’t sleep.  He couldn’t get Lizzie off his mind.  And his
thoughts were affecting other parts of him, as well.   How he wished they were
already married.  Riverton wanted the ceremony to be done with as soon as
possible so Lizzie could finally be where she belonged:  by his side and in his
bed.

There was a knock at the door.  Silently, he padded to it,
hoping against hope it was Lizzie.

Sometimes wishes did come true. 

She stood there in her virginal white night rail with a
matching wrapper.  Her hair was unbound, her feet were bare.  “May I come in?”
she whispered.

Denied his very breath and cursed with a dry mouth, he
merely nodded.  She swept past him and walked into the room to explore her
surroundings.  Eyes wide, hands out to touch the velvet bedspread, the silk
hangings.

“So, this shall be our room,” she said.  “Or have you
changed your mind and decided I should have my own bed chamber after all?”

“Never,” he said.  “You are stuck here with me until we are
both old and gray.  There may come a time when we can’t climb stairs as well. 
At that point, we shall have a bed chamber on the ground floor.  But even then,
only one room.  You and me together.  Forever.”