The Lady and the Earl (35 page)

“But I have
work
to do.  I will get in trouble if I disappear now,” she replied nervously.

He laughed.  “No you won’t. 
I’ll make certain of it. 
Now, come upstairs with me.”  He stood and pulled her behind him. 

They spent the entire morning and afternoon together in his bedchambers.  He
needed
to make her believe he loved her in order for his plan to work, and what better way to do that than by making love to her over and over? 

“You’re quite a woman, Maggie,” he said to her afterward.  They lay next to each other on his large bed, her beautiful, dark hair flowing over her shoulders and down her back.  She was on her stomach watching him with so much love in her
eyes.  He
almost regretted having to use her. 

He leaned up on his elbow to look at her.  “You understand me like no one else ever has.  If only there was a way for us to be together,” he said as he brushed a strand of hair from her
face. 
“If only you had been born in her place instead.”
  He sighed sadly. 

“Why does it matter, Lucas? 
P
ut her in the past.  You have me,” she
said
, smiling tenderly at him.

“I wish I could, but we need her, Maggie,” Lucas said
,
kissing his naïve angel.

“Why?  Why do we need her?”

“Because, Maggie, I…
,
” he hesitated in order to add drama to what he was about to say.  “I
a
m bankrupt, Maggie,” Lucas finished, trying to sound ashamed.  It was a lie, but everything about him was a lie.  “Nobody knows, though, except you now, and I would like to keep it that way,” he paused before letting out a sigh.  “It feels good to tell someone.”  He smiled at her as tho
ugh
he’d
just unburdened
a giant weight.

“Oh, Lucas.
  I am so sorry,”
came
the sympathetic reply. 

His mind’s eye smiled. 
So far everything is going as planned
.
 
“It’s not your fault my father was a fool and made poor investments.  Anyway, the point is we need Allana because of her dowry.  It is the only way for us to live together comfortably.  I can
not
bear
the thought of not having anything to offer you.”  She melted under those words.  This was too easy.

“But how are you going to marry her if she is still planning on marrying the Earl?” Maggie asked innocently.

“She may be planning on marrying the Earl, but her heart still belongs to me,” Lucas began. 
Now to plant the seed.
  “Maggie, my love,
I
a
m going to tell you something the Tananguard household is trying to keep
a
secret.” 

She looked at him curiously. 

“The
night
of the horse accident, Allana was on her way here.” 

Maggie gasped in shock. 

“Yes, I know.  It is shocking, but it’s true.  She was running away, Maggie, running to me because her father and brother are forcing her to marry.  The marriage is
not
her choi
ce.  She doesn’t love him.  She i
s still in love with me.  She wrote to me weeks ago, telling me she feared the Earl would ask for her hand in marriage, asking me to come home as soon as possi
ble.  Unfortunately, I arrived
too late. 
The
engagement was already official
.  So I sent a message
,
telling her to meet me in the garden late
in the
night.  We were going to run away and elope.  Our plans were foiled, though.  Connor found her missing and came after her.  Connor and I fought, hence the bruises and cuts on my face.  Allana couldn’t bear it, and in her upset state, she pushed her horse to run through the south hills.  Those hills are dangerous even in the day, let alone at night. 
And that is
the true
story of her accident
.  T
hat i
s what they are trying to hide.  If Cunningham found out she was running away to be with me, he m
ay
call off the wedding,” Lucas finished. 

“So she still loves you?” Maggie asked sadly.

“Yes, and that means I still have a chance to make her mine, even if she does marry the Earl.  It will just take more time,” Lucas replied.

“Make her yours?” Maggie asked, growing rigid and pushing away from him.

“For her dowry, my love.
  Nothing more,” Lucas insisted.
  He
had
to watch his tongue
!

“Of course.”
  Her tone was hurt and cold. 

“Maggie, my love, I want you to know she will never mean anything to me.  Her title and land are all I want because those are what
we
need.  You are where my heart truly lies,” he lied.  “If I could, I would marry you, but you know it
i
s not possible.
  My aunt would never allow it.  Not in the financial crisis I am in.
”

“But why?
  Why can’t we just be happy together?  I do
not
need money or land.  I just
need you,” she said with all of her heart. 

Again he almost regretted the lies he
needed
to tell her, but just almost. 
He’d
done this kind of thing too often over the past ten years to really care much about Maggie’s feelings.

“I cannot do it.  I
’
ve already told you, I can
not
stand the idea of not being able to offer you something,” he said to her passionately. 

She looked away sadly. 

“But we can still be together.  Once we have what we need, I will send her to London to live, and you and I can live here together
…y
ou as my mistress.”  That
truly
wasn’t a bad idea, but it would have to be Maggie he sent to London. 

“But Lucas.
  I just don’t know how I feel about that,” she replied softly.

“I know, love, but it
i
s the only way for us to be together,” he said as he caressed her face.

“I
…I suppose you a
re right.”  She looked so crushed. 

Lucas kissed her softly to ease her pain and soften her for
the
next
part of his
plan
.   

“There is one more thing I need you to do in order for this to work,” Lucas began.  She looked at him in puzzlement.  “Take a position at
Westbrook
.”

“What?  Why
?” she
asked frantically.

He smiled apologetically at her, “I need someone there, and you’re the only person I trust.”

“But how do you know the Earl will take me
o
n?”

“It ha
s already been arranged.  You start
next week
.” 

She looked at him in dismay. 

“Please, Maggie.  It
i
s the only way for us to finally be together.”

“How will this help us be together
?” she
asked defensively.  She was sitting now.  The shock of this news had brought her out of her relaxed position, causing her to practically burst off of the bed.

“I need you to spread the truth of Allana’s feelings for me.  The Earl has to hear she
does not
love him in order for him to let her go.  He has to know she comes to me for comfort, and
he especially has to know
it was me she was running to the night she was hurt.  If he realizes this, he may not even marry her.  But if he still marries her, there is still the hope he will do the unthinkable,” Lucas said with conviction.

“You mean divorce?” Maggie whispered as if the word itself was cursed and forbidden.  “But won’t that strip her of her dowry?”

“Not necessarily,
not if he gets an annulment.
  S
o we hav
e to try.  Do you understand?”
Lucas asked.

“Yes, I suppose so,” she replied.

“Then you’ll go?” 

She stared silently at the floor, not answering.

“Maggie, please.”  

She sighed reluctantly. 
“Very well.”
 

“It will be worth it in the end, my love.  I promise.”  It would be worth it for him in the end, but he doubted it would be much different for Maggie.  “Now listen closely.  I have some important instructions for you.”  He pulled her to him and began whispering in her ear.

“Really
?” she
asked. 
“Where?”

“I canno
t show you now.  There are too many people about
the manor
.  Come back tonight, and we will spend more time together before you have to leave.  Then I will show you
everything,” he finished. 

She nodded in agreement. 

Everything was falling into place as he had planned.  Now he just needed to get back to London and spread these same rumors among his peers.  Either way,
Lord
Declan
Cunningham, the Earl of
Westbrook
, would hear of his
intended’s
infidelity
.  He would push
her away and into the arms of a forgiving Lucas. 

Lucas smiled wickedly as he imagined Allana crawling back to him, begging him to love her.  Yes, everything was turning out just as he
desired
. 

The next day Lucas left for London.

Declan
was tired. 
He’d
been trapped in meetings for two weeks and was growing weary of all the arguing. 
They were going in circles. 
Connor had been right.  The meetings had been called because of the threat of an uprising from the
commoners
.
  The commoners were fighting for their rights
:
the right to vote, the need for better living conditions, and the right to be treated fairly.  Parliament had been called to
discuss what acts needed to be taken
toward them
. 
But the
members of Parliament
were fighting each other
.  Some wanted change, others were content to simply do nothing, and many simply w
ished
to squash the rebellion and continue as before.
  The arguing had gone back and forth, gradually working against the commoners. 
It was baffling.  T
hese were their people
.  Keep them healthy and content
,
and keep production healthy. 
How could Parliament refuse
to at least try to compromise
? 
Declan
shook his head in disgust.  It was all too maddening to listen
any longer
.  He closed out the voices and thought of Allana. 

He hoped she was healing well.  There had been no messengers sent for him.  Nothing to tell him her condition had worsened, so he gathered all was well—or at least as well as could be expected considering what had happened to her.  He
hadn’t
wanted to leave her when he
’d
learned of it, but what could he do for her when they would
n’t
let him even see her
?
  It was probably better that he
’d
left.  She could heal properly without him, and she would
n’t
feel embarrassed with him seeing her in such a weakened condition. 
Stubborn, prideful
woman
.
 

He sighed within.  His heart ached for her.  It
had taken many inner arguments,
and
he could ignore
his feelings
no
longer.  He was in love with her. 
T
hese past two weeks without her h
ad been hell for him.  It had been such bliss in her presence
.  He should
n’t
have left!  But he
’d
had to, and now
he was in London, attending
these ridiculous meetings where nothing was being
accomplished.
  At least his
other
business had been attended to.