The Birthday Scandal (41 page)

An instant later, Gavin reached over the back of the settee, intending to grab the man’s collar and drag him off Emily. But his fingers closed on air as Lancaster rolled away, howling as he curled up on the carpet in a fetal position with his hands clutched over his private parts.

Gavin braced both hands on the settee and looked down at Emily just as she lowered her knee and began to smooth her skirt.

“Thank you for the lesson, Gavin. It came in quite handy just now.” Though her words were calm, her voice shook a little.

Gavin said dryly, “I’m happy to provide a distraction so you could make your move.”

In the firelight, he could see that her dress was askew and tendrils of hair straggled around her face. He thought she had never been more beautiful than in this moment of defending herself.

“Are you all right?” Despite his best efforts, his voice cracked.

She stood up, shaking out her dress, and made a face. “A little rumpled, as you can see. Nothing more.”

Relief flooded him, followed a bare instant later by a tidal wave of anger. “Why the hell didn’t you believe me? I
told
you he was plotting something!”

Over the whimpers still coming from the hearthrug, Gavin heard voices and footsteps in the hall. Chiswick, no doubt—and here was Emily all mussed and manhandled. Even though her attacker hadn’t succeeded and was now mewling on the floor, Lancaster had still managed to compromise her—and in the eyes of society, the only remedy was marriage.

Gavin hadn’t even realized he’d been in a sort of fog—for days, he suspected—until the mist suddenly cleared. His future unrolled before him, as pristine and lovely as the view from his bedroom window of the sweeping hills and lakes and fields and rivers of Weybridge.

Gavin reached over the settee, seized Emily’s wrists, and dragged her around and into his arms. He smothered her protest with a long, deep, hungry kiss—an embrace more passionate than anything he’d allowed himself in the two nights they’d spent together.

And a good thing, too, or he would never have let her out of his bed.

From the corner of his eye, Gavin saw two men appear in the doorway, but he didn’t care. The only thing that mattered was the woman in his arms. No. The important point was
saving
the woman in his arms. No matter what it took—even if she was likely to turn him into mincemeat later.

He went on kissing her until he was reasonably certain that her voice was out of commission, and he was very careful to keep her pressed so tightly against him that she couldn’t move her knee.

Behind him, one of the men cleared his throat, and Gavin slowly released Emily’s mouth and turned his head.

He didn’t have to pretend to be dazed; his head was swimming with lust. But he was genuinely startled, because the man next to the Earl of Chiswick was the Duke of Weybridge—and he was standing.

“You’re
walking
, Your Grace?” Gavin congratulated himself. Considering the circumstances, his voice sounded pretty normal.

“When Chiswick told me you seemed to think Emily was in danger, riding around in a chair was a waste of valuable time.” The duke folded his arms across his chest, and his index finger tapped out a rhythm on his elbow. “I hope you can explain yourself, Athstone.”

“I don’t believe I actually said she was in danger,” Gavin said. “And she wasn’t.”

Chiswick moved closer and peered over the settee. “Why is Lancaster sniveling on the hearthrug?”

“That was a misunderstanding.” Gavin looked the earl straight in the eye. “He overheard us and thought Emily was…reluctant. When he interrupted, I may have overreacted.”

“Remind me not to get into a
misunderstanding
with you, Athstone,” Chiswick murmured. “At least not until we’ve reviewed the rules of the boxing ring.”

“Yes, sir. I need hardly add that the reason for the enthusiastic embrace was that Emily has just made me the happiest of men.”

Emily, who seemed not to have been breathing, gasped and began to squirm.

Gavin held her a little more tightly. “I apologize for not asking for your daughter’s hand ahead of time, my lord, but I’m sure you understand that we were—uh—carried away by the moment. Shall we talk in the morning about arrangements for the wedding? Emily, you might just nod to your father now—assure him that everything is all right.” He paused. “Emily?”

The duke grunted. “And what about
my
permission, Athstone? I seem to recall you were to consult me about your choice of a wife.”

“Yes, sir. I regret that I cannot do as you asked. No doubt you are correct in believing that Emily will make my life hell—”

Emily gulped. “You said
what
? Uncle Josiah, how could you—”

Gavin raised his voice to drown her out. “But it is my life. So—with all due respect, Your Grace and your lord-ship—since Emily and I are now betrothed, would both of you please just
go away
?”

Everything had happened so quickly that Emily’s head was spinning. Had she really nodded her agreement to marry Gavin? She must have done something of the sort, or surely her father and uncle would not have left her there with him. It wasn’t that she minded being held, but he was clutching her so tightly, with his body wrapped almost around her, that she could barely breathe. She wriggled a little.

“Emily,” Gavin said quietly. “If you promise not to put me on the floor next to Lancaster, I’ll let you go now.”

Breathlessly, Lancaster said, “Much as I’d like to see that, I’d rather get out of range.” He climbed slowly to his feet. “My congratulations, Athstone, for reeling in Lady Emily’s dowry. That kind of money is the only reason a man would put up with such a shrew. Glad I was able to help by telling you all about it.” He left the room, still hunched over.

Emily said, “I promise.”

Very slowly, Gavin eased his hold. As soon as she could move, Emily jerked her knee up, hard and fast—and missed, for suddenly he was holding her at arms’ length. “That was naughty of you, my dear.”

“I’m not your dear, and Lancaster’s not on the floor anymore, so you wouldn’t have been next to him. Why do you think I’d tell you the truth, when you just lied your head off to me?”

“I understand you’re angry, but—”

“Angry? I am so far beyond angry…” She stopped, swallowing hard. She
had
nodded to her father, agreeing to the betrothal; she remembered it now—because, for just a few minutes while Gavin held her, kissed her, and schemed to protect her, she had hoped that he meant it. That he cared for her.

You fool. You fell in love with him.

Her voice was quiet. “You said once there was nothing about me that you admired.”

“No,
you
said it. And even if it had been true at the time, I found, on closer acquaintance, that—”

“Oh, yes, on closer acquaintance you found something to admire—the same thing Lancaster wanted. So he told you all about my dowry. You may as well admit it, Gavin.”

“You’d take that cad’s word for anything?”

“It’s not a matter of taking his word. The whole thing is obvious, now that I think about it. You’ve done to me exactly what Lancaster was planning to do—force me into marriage for the sake of my dowry. No wonder you came bursting in here to
save
me! You had to act quickly, or he’d have beaten you to the prize.”

“That was a rescue, Emily—not a competition.”

“You’d like me to think that, wouldn’t you? I couldn’t have been more wrong about you. Tell me—how large a bribe did it take to interest you? Has my father increased the amount even more?”

“I’d be the last to know.”

“I don’t believe you. Not now.” She stared up at him. “Gavin, I trusted you! I thought you wouldn’t be attracted by my dowry because you have no need of it. But that’s not true, is it?”

He leaned against the back of the settee, folded his arms across his chest, and pasted a patient expression on his face.

Fury raced through Emily’s veins. How dare he be so calm? Just because he thought he’d won…Well, she’d make certain he knew he wasn’t fooling her. “You may be the heir of the Duke of Weybridge, but that fact doesn’t give you anything but a courtesy title. You’ll be dependent on Uncle Josiah for handouts and an allowance. You
do
need my money to support you. So you caught me in a bad spot, and you forced me into this—the same way Lancaster intended to do. ”

She ran out of breath. She was almost afraid to look at him, for he’d been too quiet. Surely he should have argued, defended himself.

“Yes,” he said quietly. “I did force you.”

Emily’s heart sagged.

“Though I have to say, if I’d been the one who had you under me on that settee, you wouldn’t have been reluctant.”

Damn him, he was right—and that made her feel even worse. How could she know all this and still want him?

“As I see it, Emily, because of your own actions you have no choice but to marry someone.”

The last little shred of hope that he might truly have wanted this—wanted
her
—curled up and died deep inside her. “Wait a minute.
My
actions?”

“You were fool enough to go off alone with Lancaster.”

“I only went because he told me—” Memory flashed over her. “Oh, no! Lucien’s in trouble. He’s taken Chloe off somewhere, and if our father finds them—”

“There’s nothing we can do about Lucien. Even if Lancaster was telling the truth, which I doubt, Chiswick won’t murder his heir. Whatever else your father may be, he’s hardly impulsive.” He reached out a hand to her. “One way or another, you must give up this mad dream of independence, Emily. I want you to marry me.”

Stubbornly, she shook her head.

“Very well.” Gavin pushed himself upright. “Since Lancaster is your choice—”

“He’s not my choice! I don’t want—”

“—To marry anyone. I know. By the way, feel free to consult your father and your Uncle Josiah about whether they agree with you, or with me, about the need for you to marry.”

Emily felt a flush climb her cheeks.

“If you’d prefer Lancaster to me, I’ll find him. I’ll even be happy to explain to him that strictly speaking, you’re still a virgin. Though I must admit when he laughs at me for being such a fool, I may be sorely tempted to finish the job you—”

“Gavin!”

“Sorry, I got distracted there for a moment. I was merely making the point that he won’t quibble over marrying you.”

A little hiccup of a sob escaped her, and she shook her head in despair.

“You don’t want Lancaster?”

“Of course not. But I don’t want to marry you, either—and you don’t want to marry me.” Just saying the words made her throat feel raw.

“You’re wrong there, for I do want to marry you. I fell in love with you that first afternoon when you snipped at me over your title.”

He sounded almost matter-of-fact. Surely, she thought, he should be flattering her, making up to her—not reminding her of embarrassing moments.

“Emily, I’m so deeply in love with you that I want to make you a duchess someday—and for a man who has never quite taken to the idea of being a duke, that’s a considerable change.”

She stole a look at him. He was smiling, and there was a softness in his eyes she’d never seen before. She couldn’t get her breath.

“There’s something else you should know,” he said quietly. “It’s true that the duke’s solicitors found me laboring in a farm field.”

“I heard Uncle Josiah say something about that,” she muttered.

“I was helping to bring in a crop for a friend who had been injured and couldn’t do it himself. But that’s not what I do—what I used to do—for a living. I wasn’t a farmhand, and I don’t need your dowry.”

She looked at him doubtfully.

“Even if your Uncle Josiah leaves every penny of his private fortune to charity, we can get along. I sold all the real estate, because I knew it would be too hard to take care of it from the far side of the Atlantic Ocean in case I ended up staying here. That’s why it took so many months for me to show up in England.”

Her breath stuck in her throat. “You owned…”

“Mostly houses. A few business properties—not the businesses in them, only the buildings. But that was a sideline. I spent most of my time running the shipping lines. I still own my share, and I plan to keep it, but I turned the day-to-day management over to my partner when I decided to come to England. Just in case—”

“In case you ended up staying.” She shook her head in disbelief. “You really thought you might not want all this?”

“I almost didn’t come at all—except my curiosity wouldn’t let me stay away. A castle, a title…who could resist taking a look? Now I know making that trip was the best decision of my life. Not because of the castle or the title. Because of you.” He reached out to brush a curl back from her face.

Emily noticed that his hand was unsteady.

“I should warn you, though, that I’m not as well off as your uncle.”

“Nobody is,” Emily said quietly.

“If you want a castle of your own—well, that might be more than I can afford. But the fact is I’d be happy with you in a cottage in Barton Bristow.”

Emily sniffed and fumbled for a handkerchief. “It’s a very small cottage. I’m afraid you wouldn’t ft.”