The Duke's Bride (14 page)

Jane could only take so much. She dared to glare at
the king.

“Well,” the king said, standing up. “Never mind about
all that. The duke here must head off to France. A matter of the Crown, don’t
you know? So, my sweet, what is your answer?”

“Tell him, yes,” Roderick murmured, leaning toward her.
“We can fine tune the details later.”

Jane’s heart sank. She realized Roderick would insist
on everything being his way, no matter what she said. She had allowed him to
have his way in many things before, but she was older now, and wiser. She had a
baby to think about.

Not only that, Roderick did not seem inclined to let
her continue seeing Mrs. Hobbs, even if he eventually grasped the truth about
her pregnancy.

“Well, well, little lady, what’s the answer for our
lovebirds?” The king laughed as if this was all a big jest. But to Jane, this was
not amusing.

Roderick put his hand to her back. “Sweetheart, all
you have to say is yes. We can be married in an hour if the king wishes it so.”

Jane stared at the two men, feeling cornered. Now, she
knew what the fox felt like during the hunt.

“I think not,” was all she said before she rose, curtsied,
and swept from the room.

She did not miss Roderick’s dropped jaw or the king’s shocked
expression. But this was her life and her baby’s too. She would not be pushed
into something just because the king and Roderick deemed it necessary. Oh,
there was no doubt she would marry Roderick. However, she wanted a little more
from a proposal. Commanding her to marry him was not the way to sway her! Or
any woman for that matter!

R
oderick stood with mouth agape. He and the king
watched in stunned silence as the door clicked close. What the devil had just
happened?

The king scowled and lifted his troubled face to Roderick’s.
“You have a problem, Elbourne. Fix it. Don’t need this kind of news right now.
Ain’t good for the Crown. You are a duke, curse it all. Tell her she must marry
you.”

Roderick’s lips thinned. He thought he had done that,
but to his shock, she had refused to go along with anything he said.  

“I think I can handle this problem myself,” he said to
the agitated monarch. “However, more fingers in the pie will cause more problems.”

“Don’t think so,” the king replied, clearly disturbed.
“Lady ran from the room as if the hounds of hell were after her. Denied you. You
shall have to be firm with her. Tell her she must marry you or she will be
ruined. That should do the trick. Females are flighty creatures, don’t you
know? Need a strong hand.”

Roderick would have laughed at the situation if it
were not so dire.

“I hate to inform you,” Roderick said in a clipped
tone. “But one does not tell Jane to do anything. She may appear sweet, and she
is, but beneath that candied exterior exists a woman with a backbone of iron.” A
backbone that was getting stronger everyday, he thought with a frown.

Roderick hated to admit it, but his sweet Jane was
changing. She had been bold before, but this last act took the cake. The
blue-eyed siren was moving quickly up the ranks from lieutenant to general, and
frankly, it scared him to death.

“A lady who can think for herself, eh?” The king shook
his head. “Well, I’ve done all I could. Heard the news. Came as fast as those
horses of mine would move. Owed you.”

Roderick’s gaze sharpened as he regarded the king. Not
for the first time did Roderick wonder how this license thing had come about. A
niggling suspicion picked at the back of his brain. “May I ask how you
discovered the information about my license and it’s so called error?”

The king pulled at his cuffs and cleared his throat. “Listen
here, if I divulged all my sources, I would no longer be called a monarch.”

Roderick stood silent, waiting. Something was
definitely afoot.

However, the king changed tactics by chuckling and
peering up at him. “But eh, you have a way with the ladies. Had a way before this
so-called false marriage of yours took place. Do what you have to do, my boy.
You are an Englishman, are you not?”

Roderick’s black brows rose and he crossed his arms
over his chest. “I believe there is something else to this entire mess. Are you
going to tell me?”

The king blatantly ignored the question and strode
toward the door, his cape floating in his wake. “I shall be staying in Bath for
a few days. Take the waters and what not. This gout of mine is acting up again,
don’t you know? If there is a wedding, so be it. If not, we shall have to talk about
all of this back in London.”

The man rubbed his temples. “Curse me, this talk of
marriage gives me the megrims. Need to get back to Brighton as soon as I can. But
before I go, mayhap I will take a turn at the Upper Assembly Rooms. Give the
people a show, eh?”

Roderick watched in amazement as the king readied for
his departure.

His entire world had been turned upside down and the
man was talking about a headache?

Before the king reached the door, he spun around,
frowning. “Ah, you do think you will be able to find that Devereaux chap?”

Roderick scowled when he thought about leaving Jane.
“I believe that is our mission.”

“The man has declared a death sentence for me,” the
king said worriedly. “Curse the lot of them. Men like him should be hanged from
the nearest tree. By Jove, never laid a hand on the fellow. Why should he be
setting his sights on me? The war is over, and we won, and that’s that.”

Roderick grimaced, thinking about Devereaux and the
danger to his family. “We did kill the man’s father during the war. I would
think that might be his motive.”

“Well,” the king huffed. “I ain’t the one who killed
him. It was you and Stonebridge that done the deed. Messy situation if ever I
saw one. Quite a fix we are in. Quite a fix.”

Roderick’s eyes glittered with fury. This was his
king, but he could not just stand there and stay silent on the matter. “Are you
saying we should have let Devereaux live? He was an assassin, killing our men,
invading our very own homes. The man tortured the general before we could save
him. And I can tell you, it wasn’t pretty.” Roderick all but growled out the
words.

Scowling, the king sliced his hand through the air.
“Enough. Don’t want to hear the gory details. Just take care of the matter.
Want to sleep at night. These megrims don’t help matters any. Well, by Jove,
perhaps a few drops of laudanum will do the job.”

Roderick stared back in complete silence. What else
was there to say to the man? Questions still hammered at his brain. Yet it was
obvious the king was not about to answer any of them. Nevertheless, he and
Jared were putting their lives on the line. His mouth thinned as he thought about
how his family would react if either of them were killed.

“If it’s any consolation,” Roderick added, his gray
eyes glittering with purpose, “that man wants to kill Lord Stonebridge and me
too.”

The king narrowed his gaze, catching the mockery in
Roderick’s words. “Well, we can’t have that, can we? That would start an uproar
in England if a duke were slain in his very own bed. Having enough problems with
Parliament. People are crying over everything, including the expense for my coronation
next year. Cannot please a blessed soul these days.”

Roderick stuffed his hands in his pockets and stared
at the man. He didn’t want to touch that subject with a ten-foot pole. The coronation
wasn’t his business at the moment. The possible killing of his monarch was.

“Well, well, a nasty business, all of this.” The king
fanned his face. “Think I need to get back to the house. Staying with Lord Garette.
Know him?”

Roderick stiffened. He thought Clayton had mentioned
something about the man leaving Bath. “Indeed, I do know him. If—”

Roderick and the king looked up in surprise when the
door whipped opened. Roderick’s first thought was, who would dare enter the
room when the king was in residence? Then, in an instant, he realized it could
only be Jane returning to say yes. His heart gave a sudden leap. It would be
one less thing to worry about while he was gone.

But he was wrong. It was not Jane. It was Agatha.
Confound it! What the devil had he done to deserve this?

The lady stood before them, her eyes blazing. She
waved her parasol in the air like a royal scepter, and even the king staggered
back, pulling at his cravat.

Agatha’s glare seem to pierce the man’s soul.

Roderick watched the exchange with a calculating eye.
How very interesting. Agatha had something on the king, and the man was shaking
in his boots.

“Good day, Your Majesty,” Agatha greeted stiffly, adding
a quick curtsy. But there was more in that exchange than a greeting. Roderick
could feel the tension as if it hit him on his head.

“Miss Appleby,” the king replied stiffly. And before
Roderick could intervene, the king departed, shouting to his servants to ready
the carriage.

Agatha slammed the door closed. Her sizzling gaze
stabbed Roderick like a red-hot poker. Thunderation, he thought. He was dashed glad
the parasol wasn’t flaming.

Trying to show he was not affected in the least, he
walked over to the rosewood sideboard and grabbed a snifter of brandy. “Would
you like one?” he asked, looking over his shoulder.

“What I would like,” she hissed, “is to take you over
my knee!”

The notion took hold in his mind, and he burst out
laughing. “I shall keep that in mind when I cross you again.”

“You, my dear man, fail to see the hot water you are
in.”

He took a swallow of the amber liquid and peered over
his glass. “Never mind me. What powers do you hold over him, madam?”

“Him?” she asked skeptically.

“The king, Agatha. You know exactly what I am talking
about.”

The older lady snapped her parasol against the
Aubusson rug. “Forget him. Are you going to make an honest woman out of my Jane?
Or will I have to shoot you in you own house?”

He clanked the snifter against the sideboard. “I
tried. She denied me.”

“What kind of Englishman are you? Go after her.”

“I hate to tell you this, my dear woman, but between
you and the king, I have yet to have a chance to speak to my wife alone for
more than a few minutes.”

The lady advanced on him, the parasol swinging by her
side. “She is no longer your wife you addlepated nincompoop.”

He stepped between her and the sofa. “Do not dare to
come within ten feet of me with that deuced parasol, Agatha. For I vow I will
break it in two.”

To his surprise, Agatha’s face crumpled. “You hurt
her, Roderick. I don’t know if I will ever forgive you for that. She had a hard
life when she lost her parents, and she tried to keep those babies of yours. But
you will not budge an inch.”

Her broken voice touched Roderick’s heart. What could
he say?

“I am begging you,” she replied, tears filling her
eyes. “Find some compromise or you will lose her. You will lose everything you
ever had together.”

Roderick strode forward, took the lady gently in hand,
and escorted her to the sofa. She seemed quite frail now. “I will not lose her,”
he said softly. “Jane loves me. She has to marry me. There is no other choice.”

Agatha blew her nose into a handkerchief and peered
over the white cloth. “Is that so?”

He smiled and towered over her, trying to make light
of the situation. “Yes, that is so. What could she do without me? Her life
would be nothing. She has to marry me after everything we have been through. I
understand she had to take a stand in front of the king. But truly, Agatha, do
you think Jane could do anything but marry me? There is no compromise on this.”

He let out a heavy sigh and sank onto a nearby wing
chair. “What a day.”

Frowning, Agatha stuffed the handkerchief into her
skirt pocket. “I will be on her side if anything happens. Just wanted you to
know.”

Roderick laughed. “Everyone in this house is on her
side in this. But she will comply. We will be wed tomorrow and that will be
that. Afterwards, I shall journey to France with Jared.” His voice turned
serious. “And you dashed well know the reason for that.”

Agatha grasped her parasol in both hands. “Devereaux’s
son must be found. I will keep Jane safe at Hemmingly. Have no worries. I will
see to everything.”

Roderick leaned forward, rubbing a hand behind his
neck. “We have had our differences, Agatha. But it would make me feel much
better knowing Jane is safe at your country home. Jared and I will be sending
more men to help you.”

Agatha swallowed. “As to that marriage license—”

She was cut off when the door clicked open, turning
both their heads.

Roderick rose in one fluid motion as Jane marched into
the room. Even though her blue eyes blazed with anger, he still thought she
looked lovely with her flushed cheeks and rounded figure.

“Do you know?” she announced. “One can hear almost
everything outside that door?”

Agatha’s cheeks turned pink. “We were only discussing
your future, my dear.”

Jane’s face softened as she turned to the older lady.
“I know. But do you mind if I speak with my hus— I mean, Roderick, alone?”

Agatha rose. “Don’t’ mind at all, dear.” She kissed
Jane on the cheek and hurried fro the room.

Jane look at Roderick’s smiling face. He seemed so
confident, so powerful so self-assured. She hoped her son or daughter took on
some of that character, but she also hoped her child carried a bit more humility
too. Because right now, Roderick made her so mad, she wanted to scream. How
could he think she would marry him again with his pompous attitude?

“Now, Jane,” he said, taking her hands. “I know this
is all a shock to you. But don’t worry. The king and I have it all in hand.”

“You must be deaf because I denied your proposal only
minutes ago.”

His lips twitched in amusement. “I know you did that
for the king’s benefit. You wanted to display a keen mind and strong character,
and devil take it, you did it magnificently! By Jove, I applaud you for it.”

She jerked her hands from his. “You applaud me, do
you? Well, what do you think? Should we marry again?”

“Of course. I thought I made my position on the matter
perfectly clear.”

She struggled against the emotions swirling in her
head. Roderick was her life. Her heart. Her soul. Yet she realized if she did
not stand up for herself, she would regret it.

“I see,” she said. “It seems to me that you have
decided you will make all the major decisions, including the decision about
having children, or at least trying to have children?”