Regency Romance Collection From Christina Courtenay (2 page)

The point was, however, that he did
not have the time to be fussy. As long as she fulfilled the criteria his grandfather had dictated, that was all that mattered. After all, it wasn’t as though James intended to spend a great deal of time in her company. Once she was with child, he could leave her in the country while he went back to his usual pursuits.

He decided that, all things considered, perhaps Miss Ravenscroft would do very nicely indeed.

CHAPTER TWO

Amelia hurried back inside, anxious
lest her aunt had missed her. She was required to see to her cousin Maria’s every need, but fortunately that young lady was dancing when Amelia returned. Lady Marsh was enjoying a cosy
t
ête-a-tête
with a particular crony of hers, discussing all the latest
on-dits
. No one had noted Amelia’s absence.

The next hour passed excruc
iatingly slowly, despite the lavish supper that was served after the supper dance. Since Amelia had not been partnered for this dance, there was no one to lead her in and she was forced to eat with her aunt and that lady’s friends. This didn’t bother her much, for she was far too nervous to want any food.

What on earth ha
s got into me?
she wondered. How could she have been so brazen as to propose marriage to a complete stranger? She knew nothing about him. Despite the fact that he was a high-ranking nobleman, he could be a cruel and vicious man and she could be letting herself in for a horrifying future. What was the scandal he had spoken of? Had he perhaps killed someone?

She brought her thoughts firmly under control
and tried to think rationally.
Surely he wouldn’t be a free man if he was a murderer?
It was more likely that the scandal had to do with either a woman, a duel or gambling, and none of those things troubled her unduly except perhaps the last one. She would have to make sure he wasn’t a gambler like her late father, or she would be left destitute once more.

Time dragged on and Amelia began to doubt that
Lord Demarr would really meet her on the terrace again. Had it just been a ruse to rid himself of what he probably considered a demented female? She didn’t know whether he had truly believed her or had only pretended.

At last the time
came, and she excused herself to her aunt. Once out on the terrace, she stood for a moment to allow her eyes to adjust to the darkness. Then she saw a slight movement over by the bench. The viscount was there before her.

‘
I’m sorry, I couldn’t get away any earlier,’ she apologised, slightly breathless with nerves.

‘
That is quite all right, I have only just arrived myself.’

He was silent for the longest time, and Amelia was beginning to think that he was trying to find a way of letting her down gently when he finally spoke.
‘Well, I can’t find any faults with your story,’ he said. ‘It seems everyone knows that your aunt is using you in return for your daily bread, even mistreating you according to some. Our hostess, Mrs Cruikshank, was especially forthcoming on the subject.’

‘
She and my aunt are not the best of friends. Truly, my situation is not as bad as all that, it was only when Bernard—’

‘Ah, yes, your cousin.
I have to tell you that he corroborated your story himself.’

‘What?
You asked him?’ Amelia was aghast at the thought.

‘
No, no, I’m not such a sapskull as all that.’ The viscount gave her a quick grin which did strange things to her insides. ‘I asked my friend David, who apparently knows your cousin slightly, to joke with him about the blonde beauty he has living under his mother’s roof. Believe it or not, the man actually had the nerve to hint that you were his mistress. He implied that you had thrown yourself at him ever since you arrived in the hope that he would marry you.’

Amelia nearly choked with r
age. ‘How dare he?’ She stood up to go and confront the lying toad on the spot.

‘
Never mind.’ His lordship put a soothing hand on her arm. ‘He has unwittingly aided you in escaping his clutches. Let us put our heads together to frustrate him in his schemes.’

Before Amelia could react to this statement, Lord Demarr went down on one knee in front of her.
‘Will you do me the honour of becoming my wife, Miss Ravenscroft?’

‘
Y-yes, of course.’ Amelia stammered with embarrassment, although why, she had no idea. After all, she was the one who had started all this.
No time to turn coy now.

‘
Good,’ said the viscount matter-of-factly, sitting down beside her once more. ‘Then all we have to decide is where and when to be married. Have you any suggestions?’

Amelia thought for a moment.
‘I know this may sound very melodramatic,’ she said hesitantly, ‘but could we perhaps go to Gretna Green? I am only nineteen and my cousin is my legal guardian I believe. I shouldn’t think he would willingly give his consent to this match.’

‘
Good point. Very well, then, Gretna Green it is. We can always pretend we fell in love at first sight, then no one will question our going to Scotland to be married. The sooner, the better, as far as I am concerned. I shall make the arrangements and let you know when all is ready. How can I contact you without anyone being the wiser?’

‘
Leave a message with Bootle, Lady Marsh’s butler. He has been very kind to me and is completely trustworthy. Please do not put anything in writing though.’

‘Agreed.’
He stood up, as if all was sorted to his satisfaction. ‘Oh, I almost forgot. Do you like children?’

Amelia found herself blushing for a third
time and turned her head away. ‘Yes, I like them very much. If you are afraid I will not do my duty and produce an heir, I can assure you I’ll do my best …’

‘
No, I wasn’t worried about that, but I forgot to tell you that I already have two daughters, so you will be a step-mother. Can you cope with that?’

‘You’ve been married before?’
Amelia didn’t know why this had not occurred to her and she felt foolish for having assumed him a bachelor.

‘Yes, but I’m a widower now.’

‘Oh, I see. Yes, well, I don’t think your children will be a problem. How old are they?’

‘
Six and four. They spend most of their time with the nanny, so they shouldn’t trouble you unduly.’

‘
Right. I look forward to meeting them. Erm, can I ask you a question?’

‘Of course.’

‘Do you gamble much?’

He smiled reassuringly.
‘Never more than my finances can take, so please don’t worry on that account. As my wife, you will never want for anything ever again, I promise you.’

Amelia suppressed a sigh of relief.
‘Thank you.’ Whatever other faults he had, she felt sure she could handle them.

‘
One other thing – please try not to bring too much luggage.’ Lord Demarr glanced at her gown and shuddered. ‘If you don’t mind, I will buy you an entire new wardrobe.’

A
melia almost laughed out loud. What woman would mind being bought new clothes?

A
ll she said was, ‘As you wish.’

CHAPTER T
HREE

The following day was one of the longest in Amelia’s life, or so she thought. She tried to preserve her calm as she went about her daily duties, but she was in such a state of nervous anxiety that she was unusually pale and had to plead a headache when pressed as to the cause. Fortunately her aunt and cousin were both suffering from the effects of a very late night and were not inclined to question her further.

As for Bernard, he had spent the remainder of the night gambling and drinking
and consequently spent most of the day in bed with a sore head.

‘
His temper’s not improved by the fact that he lost heavily,’ Bootle murmured to Amelia with a shake of his head. Instead of being able to go back to London with his winnings, Bernard now faced the prospect of having to kick his heels in his mother’s house indefinitely.

When he finally emerged from his room towards late afternoon, however, the strange looks and smirks that came Amelia’s way made her feel distinctly uneasy
. As she could not guess what evil plan he was hatching, she could but wait and see.

Amelia sighed.
After his last visit to Bath, she had come up with a plan which she hoped would put him off his pursuit of her. By adding layers of padding and numerous extra petticoats under her gowns, she had transformed her normally trim figure into something that resembled a small barrel. She had adapted several of Lady Marsh’s old gowns to fit, and as that lady favoured dull hues, this also helped to make Amelia’s skin appear sallow. She had heard Bernard say that he abhorred fat females, but although he had made disparaging remarks about her altered shape upon his return, sadly it had not put him off completely.

She shook her head
. There was no time to ponder this problem now, and with luck she would soon be married to Lord Demarr and thus safe from Bernard’s lecherous advances. Amelia headed for the kitchen, to continue her work. There was always a lot to do, and she was therefore not best pleased when, a while later, she was asked to accompany her aunt to the Pump Room.

‘
Dear Maria is feeling a trifle delicate, so she will have to stay at home and rest,’ Lady Marsh informed her. ‘What with having to keep so many suitors at bay last night, it is not to be wondered at if she is tired, poor girl.’

Amelia hadn’t noticed anyone showing any particular interest in her pl
ain cousin, but didn’t say so. As long as Lady Marsh believed it, she would be in a good mood and easier to deal with. Amelia went to fetch her bonnet and pelisse.

Bootle procured a chair for her ladyship, while Amelia was left to walk beside it.
‘It is such a lovely spring day, after all, just right for some fresh air and exercise,’ Lady Marsh declared. Amelia didn’t protest. She walked along happily, revelling in the sights and sounds all around her. She thought Bath quite the most beautiful city she had ever seen, with its buildings of golden sandstone so neatly fitted onto the hillsides. As they crossed Pulteney Bridge, she marvelled anew at its architecture and the beauty of the river flowing beneath it.

The moment
they entered the Pump Room, Lady Marsh spied some of her cronies and was soon ensconced with them, exchanging gossip about the previous night’s ball. Amelia procured her a glass of the famous restorative water, then found herself dismissed. Since she didn’t know anyone, she wandered over to one of the tall windows overlooking the Roman pool, which had impressed her greatly the first time she saw it. It was fed by an ancient underground spring and looked as if it could have been built recently, rather than nearly a thousand years ago. The Romans had obviously been amazing engineers and had created a bathing place of great beauty. The view did not disappoint her this time either. As it was such a cool day, there was steam rising from the warm water to hang just above the surface in little clouds. This lent the whole an aura of mystery that was quite breathtaking.

Her reverie was interrupted by a familiar voice.

‘Please do not look at me, Miss Ravenscroft, then no one will know that we are having a conversation.’

Amelia nodded almost imperceptibly and waite
d for Lord Demarr to continue. She gazed at the pool as if enraptured, but was in fact struggling to compose herself as the sound of his voice had made her jump.

‘
Good girl,’ he said approvingly. ‘I was going to send you word, but as you are here anyway, I may as well tell you now. There has been a slight hitch in our plans. I have been unable to extricate myself from an engagement this evening without causing suspicions, so we will have to leave tomorrow night, if you are agreeable?’ Again Amelia nodded slightly. ‘Good. All the preparations are in hand and, provided you can escape from the house undetected, there should be no reason for anyone to suspect we have eloped.’

‘
Thank you,’ Amelia breathed quietly. ‘I was afraid you would have changed your mind this morning.’ She chanced a glance in his direction, but this proved to be a mistake as her heart began to behave in a highly irregular manner when she saw him smile slightly.

‘
No, my dear, once I decide on something I never go back on my word. I will be there tomorrow night, never doubt it.’

‘
I’m glad.’

‘
I had best be off. I will get word to your butler when all is ready. Until then,
au revoir
.’

The next time Amelia glanced over to wh
ere he had stood, he was gone. She wondered if she was making the biggest mistake of her life, but surely nothing could be worse than staying in the same house as Bernard? She shuddered at the mere thought, and promptly returned to her aunt.

Much to Amelia’s relief, Bernard took himself off soon after dinner, presumably to try and recoup his losses of the previous evening. She excused herself shortly after the tea tray had been removed and crawled gratefully into bed, falling asleep almost as soon as her head touched the pillow.

She was awakened just
after midnight by someone placing a hand over her mouth, and her eyes flew open trying to see the intruder. She didn’t really have to look, however. As the odour of unwashed male and alcohol fumes reached her, she knew it couldn’t be anyone other than Bernard. She saw him grinning at her in the faint moonlight in a very self-congratulatory way.

‘
Good evening, my dear cousin,’ he whispered. ‘I just thought I’d look in on you to see how you were sleeping.’

Amelia glanced at the door to see whether she had forgotten to lock it before she went to bed,
although she didn’t think so. He saw where she was looking and his grin broadened.

‘
No, you didn’t forget to lock it, my sweet. I took the liberty of having a duplicate key made this afternoon and it worked.’ Triumphant, almost like a child who has gotten away with a naughty prank, he chuckled. A spoilt, selfish child was what he was, Amelia thought savagely, used to getting his own way. But not this time, she was determined on that.

She bit down hard on the hand that was still covering her mouth and h
e yelped and snatched it away. She spat out the taste of him and tried to roll away, but he was quicker and caught her arms, pinioning them to her sides.

‘You little hellcat!’
he exclaimed. ‘I’ll soon tame you.’

He proceeded to try to do just that, coming down heavily on top of h
er while he tried to kiss her. Amelia twisted and turned and bucked to heave him off, but when this did not succeed she tried to think of some other way. During their struggle, she managed to free one arm and groped around on her night table for something to hit him with. Nothing came to hand and she began to panic.

I
nspiration struck as she remembered something she had overheard one of the maids saying with a giggle to another. ‘Kick ‘im where it hurts the most,’ she had said and pointed towards the groin area. Amelia decided it was worth a try. She stopped struggling abruptly so that it would appear she had given up the fight. Bernard was pleased.

‘
Ah, I knew you would like it once you decided to give up your silly objections. That’s better, sweet cousin, I’ve waited so long for … aaaaggghhh!’

Amelia’s knee had connected with his nether regions with as much force as she could muster and Bernar
d reacted most satisfactorily. Cursing foully, he clutched his afflicted parts and rolled off her, and in a flash Amelia was up and hunting for something else with which to disable him further. Her fingers closed over the handle to the ewer on her washstand and without thinking, she lifted it up and brought it down on top of his head with a resounding crash. Bernard crumpled in a heap on the floor.

Amelia
sank down on the side of her bed, her hands shaking. She jumped as the door was flung open, but it was only Bootle, bringing a candle which threw some welcome light over the scene. She drew a sigh of relief. ‘Oh, thank God it’s you!’

Bootle looked ready for a fight, but stopped
short at the sight of Bernard. He allowed himself a small smile of satisfaction, before resuming his normally impassive expression. ‘Ah, well done, Miss. I see you didn’t need my assistance after all.’

‘Oh, but I do.
You must help me to carry him to his room.’

‘It will be my pleasure.’

Before they had so much as lifted Bernard, however, Lady Marsh came rushing into the little room. She pushed Bootle rudely out of the way and let out a wail of distress at the sight of her son lying lifeless on the floor. She turned and slapped Amelia hard on the cheek.

‘
You ungrateful girl! Is this how you repay me for my kindness in taking you in when you were destitute? You should be ashamed of yourself. Bootle, remove Sir Bernard to his room, then go for the doctor at once. And as for you, you shall remain in this room until such time as I am ready to deal with you.’

She swept out majestically,
leaving Bootle to struggle on his own with the dead weight of Bernard. ‘I’ll help you,’ Amelia whispered, once Lady Marsh was out of earshot, and together they managed to carry her cousin to his bed. Before leaving him there, Amelia took the precaution of searching his pockets and found the duplicate key, which she gave to Bootle for safe-keeping.

She
returned to her room, not worried in the least about either Bernard’s condition or her aunt’s threats. She was glad to have escaped the encounter with her virtue intact and shuddered as she thought of what might have happened. Automatically, she straightened the room, then returned to bed, but it was a long while before she managed to go to sleep again. She was more shaken by the attack than she cared to admit.