The Rogue and I (15 page)

Everyone murmured there appreciation for the beautiful bride.

Edward stood with his back ramrod straight in his scarlet uniform.

Harriet frowned for a moment. That was a bit odd, wasn’t it? He wasn’t even going to turn to catch a glimpse of the bride?

Well, perhaps he was terribly nervous. He was giving up his youthful days forever, after all.

The music came to a gentle stop and as Emmaline’s father gave the bride to Edward, Harriet took her place.

She snuck a glance at the best men.

Garret was grinning and he gave her a wink.

Harriet’s cheek burned. Somehow, she felt like that girl again that had fallen into the pond.

She smiled back at him, a thrill of anticipation running through her. After all, in just a few minutes time, she and he would surprise everyone with their announcement.

In fact, she was so deep in contemplation about this that she failed to notice the long pause in the ceremony. . . Until she heard the congregation begin to fidget.

Emmaline lifted her chin and whispered. “Edward, you must speak.”

Oh, they were to the “I dos”, of course. Poor fellow had lost his nerve. Well, Edward had never been made of the stern stuff of Garret’s sinew. His boyishness was just showing itself. Harriet smiled. Any moment he would remember to say the necessary words.

Only. . . Only. . .

The pause continued.

Harry shifted on her feet, arched a brow, and considering kicking her soon-to-be male cousin-in-law. He was mucking it all up.

At last, Edward drew in a breath. “Emmaline?”

Wait, this wasn’t right. Harry threw Garret a glance. To her surprise, Garret looked equally stunned.

James however looked carved of stone. Cold, angry, unyielding.

Suddenly, Harriet felt sick. This was all wrong. Something was about to go horribly, horribly wrong. And there wasn’t a blasted thing she could do to stop it.

“Yes, Edward?” Emmaline asked with a wavering smile.

“What man was in your chamber last night?”

A shocked gasp went up around them.

Emmaline was silent then she shook her head slowly. “What?”

Edward narrowed his eyes, no kindness on his usually jovial face. “What man was in your chamber?”

“No man!” she exclaimed suddenly.

“You’re lying,” Edward gritted.

Emmaline let out a sob that glanced around her as if she were waiting for this all to be some terrible joke.

Harriet followed her sweet cousin’s gaze. Everyone was staring. In fact, it had become so quiet that they would have heard the rustlings of the church mouse if it were in residence.

Harriet stepped forward. “My cousin is not a liar, sir. You have forgotten yourself. Surely, you are unwell.”

Garret stepped forward and gently touched Edward’s arm. “Who has told you such a thing? Emmaline would never—“

“I saw it myself,” the duke said.

Harriet winced. James. Wonderful, kind James. He too? If James was declaring her cousin to have entertained a man in her chamber, Emmaline was ruined. A duke’s word could not be questioned.

“Your grace?” Emmaline said firmly, though she was shaking. “I was with no man. Last night I was at my mother’s grave.”

“Who accompanied you? Miss Manning?”

Harriet’s heart sank. She couldn’t even lie for her cousin because Garret knew the truth.

But before she could say a word, Emmaline said, “I was alone.”

“Then not only are you a whore,” the duke said softly, “you’re a liar.”

The duke strode toward the door. “Come Edward, I will not allow this marriage. Not to such a treacherous and sinful young woman.”

Harriet’s uncle let out a bellow. “Your grace, this must all be a misunderstanding!”

“No. No misunderstanding,” the duke countered coldly. “Edward, John, and I saw what we saw. Nothing, not even your vast amounts of money, can prettify that.”

James strode out of the church.

Edward lingered for a moment, his face white, but then he turned on his booted heel and started to follow his brother.

Emmaline grabbed his hand. “Please, Edward! You can’t! I love you.”

He shook off her hand and spat out, “Then you shouldn’t have climbed into another man’s arms when I told you to wait.”

Harriet couldn’t mistake the tears in Edward’s eyes.

Still, Harriet stepped forward hauled her hand back and slapped Edward. “You, sir, don’t deserve my cousin. Now, get out.”

Edward winced but he didn’t crumble. Instead, he rushed away, his boots thudding on the stone floor.

Emmaline let out another sob, completely oblivious to the sudden commotion of the small gathering of people who’d come to the wedding.

Harry felt panic rising in her throat. This couldn’t be happening. Nor could she allow her cousin to be further humiliated by collapsing so publicly.

She glanced around. Desperate for anyone.

Only Garret remained. Even her uncle was dazed, sitting on the step just before the altar, holding his head in his hands.

Garret blinked. Stunned.

“Aren’t you heading off with them?” Harriet challenged, ready to have her heart crushed again.

Garret shook his head. “No, Harry. You can’t be rid of me yet.”

She sucked in a relieved breath. “Then help me get her out of here.”

Garret nodded and immediately took Emmaline’s arm.

Instead of drooping as she might easily have done, Emmaline shook off the arm and charged down the aisle, head held high.

Garret followed her closely as if afraid she might suddenly realize how bad her situation was and pass out from the shock.

Tears stung Harry’s eyes as she realized that she had been afraid that he was about to leave her again.

As soon as they were out of the church, she raced up beside Garret.

“You don’t believe your brothers?” she asked carefully.

“I would believe Edward and James, but John is involved in this and that one. . . I don’t know. And honestly, Emmaline’s own reaction seemed too honest.”

Harry nodded. Grateful he’d seen reason.

They all stumbled back to the house.

But instead of going to her room, Emmaline headed to her father's study, grabbed the bottle of brandy and flung herself into a green velvet chair.

She pulled the crystal stopper and guzzled.

“I don’t think that terribly wise,” Garret said gently.

Emmaline let out a horrible, dry laugh. “I’ve been wise and good all my life, except one moment of attempted adventure. Being wise has got me nothing. I think I shall try foolishness.”

Harry frowned. “What adventure? You’ve never had any adventures.”

Emmaline scowled. “It’s none of your bloody business.”

Harry widened her eyes. My, my. She’d never known such bluntness was part of her cousin. Frankly, at this moment she was glad to see it.

Still pale-faced with tears slipping down her cheeks, Emmaline lifted the brandy bottle.

Garret stared at her a long moment then headed out into the hall.

Harry rushed over to her cousin and knelt before her. “Dearest, I am so sorry.”

“Don’t be. You tried and tried to tell me.”

“Tell you what?” Harriet asked.

Emmaline gesticulated wildly with the bottle. “That men were devils, untrustworthy of a woman’s heart.”

“Did I do that?”

Emmaline nodded then swigged again. “Why did I ever try to be good?”

Harry bit the inside of her cheek with no ready reply. Society condemned women who weren’t
good
. She’d only narrowly avoided horrific scandal herself and, well, she’d still been relatively good since, her saucy tongue the one thing society sniffed at. And they allowed it since she seemed to have no desire to catch a husband.

How shocked they all would be when they heard about her and Garret. “Emmaline,” she began.

Garret burst back in, two bottles of champagne in hand and Uncle George treading a few steps behind as if the world had fallen upon his shoulders.

Garret rolled his eyes towards the man who seemed to have aged thirty years in moments. “I found him in the hall.” Garret leaned towards Harry and whispered. “Crying.”

Harry felt another wave of hate for Garret’s family and she rushed to her uncle and hugged him. “Are you unwell?”

Uncle George, big burly man that he was, blew his nose on his beautiful lace cuff. “I don’t understand it. My Emmaline would never do such a thing.” He lifted his eyes and said with absolute conviction, “Never.”

And as if coming out of a fog, Uncle George strode over to Emmaline, hauled her out of the chair and hugged her against his barrel chest.

A wave of love swept over Harriet for her uncle. He was such a good man. Many fathers would not have responded so kindly to a duke publicly insinuating that their daughter was a whore.

Most fathers would have cast their child out over such a thing or begged the duke’s forgiveness on bended knee.

Emmaline began to sob against her father’s chest. “I—I d—don’t understand.”

Uncle George patted her back with heavy taps of his large hand.

“They’re all bastards,” Uncle George soothed. “Not a one of them worthy of you.”

Garret narrowed his eyes. “There’s definitely one bastard and I wonder. . .”

Emmaline tilted her head back and looked at Garret. “Why are you here?”

“Well. . . Um. . .” He snuck a glance at Harry.

Emmaline scoffed. “She doesn’t love you.”

Harry tensed.

Garret cocked his head to the side. “I beg your pardon.”

“You don’t love her,” Emmaline said flatly to him. “Don’t pretend you do. You damned Harts don’t know how to love.”

Harriet stared at her cousin, her throat tightening. “What are you saying?”

“You two?” Emmaline let out a dry sound of derision. “You’re not actually thinking of being together, are you?”

Emmaline glanced from one to the other then let out another dark laugh. It was such a strange sound coming from the usually sweet girl.

Emmaline gaped then burst out, “Dear God, you are!”

Harriet fidgeted, the ground under her slippered feet beginning to feel like sand. “Emmaline what do you know?”

Emmaline snorted.

Snorted
.

A feeling of dread pooled in Harriet’s stomach. Her cousin was swiftly departing the saintly road of manners.

“Only that the only reason you two can stand the sight of each other is all because of an elaborate game,” Emmaline said.

Harriet swallowed. “Be plain, Emmaline. This is no time for unkind words. Enough have already been spoken.”

“Not enough, in my opinion,” she replied tightly. “The duke was bored so he and Edward convinced Garret that you desperately pined for him. They arranged to be overheard in the garden.”

Garret paled and a muscle in his jaw twitched. “How do you know this?”

“Because,” Emmaline said slowly as if the fellow were a total fool. “Edward enlisted me to do the same to. . . Harriet.”

Emmaline’s censure faded as she turned her attention to her cousin.

“You knew I was there,” Harriet whispered. She couldn’t speak louder. Her blasted throat wouldn’t allow it.

This was surely impossible. Wasn’t it? Had her cousin really been that cruel to make such a fool of her?

Emmaline looked down, her hands fidgeting in her ivory silk skirts. “Yes, Harry. I knew you were behind the screen that night.”

Harriet thought of the rats comment and how absolutely stupid she must have seemed. Had she wanted to believe that Garret loved her so much then? Yes. She had.

Garret stared at her, silent, eyes unflinching. “Then it’s not true.”

She swallowed back the lump in her throat. A few honest words would clear this up, wouldn’t they? If he would just say he loved her still.

“Do you love me?” she asked back quietly.

His gaze hardened. “That’s not an answer.”

Good God, were they both so damned afraid to take a leap? Of course. They’d tortured each other for years. Of course they were both terrified. So, she’d have to do it. She could be brave. She could say it. . .

“Of course she doesn’t love you,” Emmaline snapped. “She never has anything nice to say about you. And why would she? After what you did!”

Garret whipped toward Emmaline. “After what
I
did?”

Harriet shook her head wildly. She didn’t want to go back. She didn’t want to remember all the hurts. All the pain she and Garret had put each other through. If they started now, listing how they had hurt each other, they’d never come to common ground. “He’s not a villain, Emmaline.”

“Yes, he is. He abandoned you. He—“

“I didn’t show up because she accepted money from my father.”

Emmaline stopped. “What?”

Harriet felt the room spin. She could still remember the moment when the old duke had touched her arm and persuaded her that all would be well. That her father wouldn’t be totally ruined. That her mother would be protected and not die in a damp, moldy room, coughing her lungs out of her chest.

“Harry?” Emmaline said softly. “What does he mean?”

“I did take the money. Your father said everything would be fine. That he would. . .”

“That he would what, Harry?” Garret said bluntly. “That everything would be fine if you left me alone?”

“No!” Harriet brought her hands to her face. It had never occurred to her that his father could be such a villain. Had he truly been that cruel?

Her heart began to pound in her chest. “Garret, what did your father tell you?”

“You took the money Harriet. You admit it. Why talk about him?”

“Because he told me he wished to give my family a small present now that we would be family. He didn’t want to be embarrassed by us. I took it because my mother was sick and my father was half-mad with self-recrimination. He told me it was to be our secret. That you wouldn’t approve. That you wanted to be a self-made man.”

“You took his bribe.”

“Bribe?” she repeated, her voice rising. “He didn’t ask me to do anything. He seemed concerned. About you. About us. About my family.”

“He paid you to leave me alone.”

“No, he didn’t!”

Garret let out a harsh breath. “Yes, Harry. He did.”

“I don’t understand,” she protested. “You didn’t know about the money. And I wasn’t going to leave you for it. I never would have left you for it.”