With His Ring (Brides of Bath Book 2) (10 page)

"Nor have I seen you. You cannot have been
here long."

She seductively lowered her lashes. "This is
my fourth week here."

"I can see I've been away far too long."

She shuffled the deck and put it into the
faro box, turning up the top cards.

Faro wasn't Gregory's favorite game. In
fact, it held little interest for him. He was far more interested
in the vingt-un being played at the next table, where Appleton sat.
Then why had Gregory come here?
For Sheila
. What a fool he
was being. All to prove to his friends his forthcoming marriage
would change nothing.

Now he would have to play up to Sheila.
Because he had been blessed with good looks and large fortune, his
friends thought there was no woman in the kingdom immune to his
charms. A heavy burden, indeed.

His friends would be proven right once
again. First, Sheila allowed him to win. Then, she took his sport
away when she asked him to see her home when all the patrons left.
He smiled a bitter smile as he realized that within a few hours he
would see her magnificent body unclothed.

Then, completely unsummoned, he wondered
what Glee's slender body would look like unclothed. He slapped his
counter on the queen of spades.

* * *

As the last of Mrs. Starr's patrons was
taking his leave, Gregory and his chums gathered in the foyer to
collect their hats and coats.

"Excuse me, gentlemen, for not leaving with
you, but Miss Sheila has asked me to accompany her home," Gregory
said.

Appleton turned to Elvin. "I'll have to owe
you. Mrs. Starr was very inhospitable to me tonight."

Melvin grinned and spoke with slurred words.
"But I must say her liquor was quite good."

"And plentiful," his twin added.

For all he knew, Gregory could be slurring
his words, too, for he had consumed a great deal of brandy. He
watched as his friends left, then a moment later Sheila—wearing a
fox trimmed cloak—joined him, tucking her gloved hand into his bent
arm.

Her lodgings were only a ten-minute walk
away. When they arrived at the door to her lodgings, she turned to
him. Light from the street lantern fell on her face. "Should you
like to come up?" She moved closer to him until he felt her most
intimate parts rub against him.

A smile on his face, he put arms around
her.

She lifted her face to his for a kiss.

Though brandy made him randy, he could not
bring himself to kiss her. The last woman he kissed had been Glee.
This doxy's kisses would violate the sweet innocence left by Glee's
tender lips.

Actually, he didn't want to bed Sheila. He
too vividly remembered the
illness
he had contracted at
Oxford. There was also the fact that he was growing weary of buxom
women. He fancied his next mistress would be petite. Like Glee.
Damn
! Why did he continue to think of her? Hadn't she done
enough to make his life miserable?

"I'm afraid I've had too much to drink," he
said apologetically. "If I went up to your place I'd likely fall
asleep and miss my assignation with my affianced tomorrow morning."
He inwardly rejoiced. There were advantages to being affianced,
after all. Sheila held the promise of becoming besotted like so
many of the others, a prospect he did not relish in the least. One
purple-hued lovelorn woman was quite enough for him right now.

Her face fell, as did her voice. "Next time,
perhaps."

He bid good-night, knowing there would be no
next time.

When he arrived at his lodgings, the sun was
rising over the River Avon. He had to meet Glee at nine o'clock.
Bloody hell, he thought as he fell into slumber, forgetting to
leave a note for his valet to wake him before nine o'clock.

* * *

Standing waiting for the attendant to fetch
her second glass of water, Glee tapped her foot impatiently. Her
betrothed was not the only one absent from this morning's social
hub at the Pump Room. Timothy Appleton was not here, nor were the
twins. Her heart drummed. Neither was Carlotta Ennis. Was Blanks
with Carlotta? Had he spent the night with her? Good God, would he
sleep with Carlotta after they were married?

Glee had thought she couldn't wait until
they were married and she could be with him always. It now occurred
to her that might not be the case.

Diana came to stand beside her. "Don't be so
morose, pet. Blanks and his friends likely stayed out excessively
late last night. You know how it is with young bachelors. He's
merely sleeping. I daresay, he'll show up at the hotel this
afternoon—all apologetic."

Glee took her glass. "A pity I won't be
there. I desire to return to Hornsby Manor at once."

Diana raised her brows in concern. "What of
the things you wish to order for your new house?"

"I can just as easily select those once I'm
married."
If I marry
, she thought with disappointment.
Blanks may want to cry off now that he was back in Bath with his
friends.

And back with Carlotta.

Diana put a gentle hand on Glee's forearm.
"Don't be angry with him. He's only enjoying his last days as a
bachelor."

Glee harrumphed, knowing he would continue
as a bachelor even after they wed.
If they wed
. "I shan't be
angry with Blanks. I only desire to return to the manor house in
order to prepare my trousseau."

"But I thought there were several more
things you wished to purchase for it in Bath."

Glee moved to leave the Pump Room. "I can
purchase those now, before we leave."

* * *

Before returning to the hotel, Glee
purchased a half dozen delicate night shifts. Once in her chambers,
she sat down to compose a letter to Blanks.

My Dear Blanks,

I hope you are not disappointed to learn I
have returned to Hornsby Manor to prepare for our wedding. My
mission in Bath was accomplished far sooner than I had
expected.

I'm sorry to have missed you at the Pump
Room this morning but am looking forward to our wedding day, when I
will see you again at the chapel in Duncaster for the ceremony
which will make us man and wife.

It is to be hoped you enjoy your waning days
of bachelorhood, though you and I both know those days do not have
to come to an end with our marriage.

With love,

Glee

Signing the letter had taken a great deal of
thought. She thought of signing simply
love
, but did not
wish to scare him off. The same went for
yours
. She finally
deemed
with love
appropriate. It was something the sister of
his friend would sign—which, after all, was exactly what he
expected her to be. Nothing more. Also, it conveyed affection
without the possessiveness of
your fiancé
or
all my
love
.

Satisfied, she sealed the letter and gave it
to a page to deliver to Blanks's lodgings.

* * *

It was well into afternoon when Gregory
awoke, cursing himself for having missed the morning meeting with
Glee at the Pump Room. No sooner was he awake than Stanley brought
him the note from Glee. Cursing as he read, he wadded it up and
threw it into the smoldering fire.

"Hurry, Stanley, my clothes!"

His valet quickly gathered up his master's
clothing, but by the time he returned, Gregory had fallen back into
his pillows. "Never mind. She's likely gone by now."

Stanley murmured his apologies.

"'Tis just as well," Gregory said. He bloody
well planned to do as Glee bid and thoroughly enjoy his remaining
days of bachelorhood. With no Carlotta. No Sheila. He didn't need
any women. He'd get his bloody fill of them—or one of them—soon
enough.

He might even pop over to London, go to
Jackson's salon. For some reason, he wanted to pound something.

"What day is it, Stanley?"

"'Tis Thursday, sir."

"No. I mean what is the date?"

"It's the twenty-seventh day of
February."

Blanks did the mental calculations. "Only
nineteen more days of freedom."

Chapter 9

It was a dreary day, much like it had been
the day Glee's irrational act had forced Blanks to become betrothed
to her. Under stone gray skies she walked to the folly and sat upon
its marble bench to ponder her predicament. She had left Bath more
than two weeks ago and had not heard a word from Blanks since
then.

She chided herself for not staying there,
but she had instinctively known Blanks needed total freedom the
last weeks of his bachelorhood. As she gazed around the barren
stone edifice where Blanks' fate had been sealed, she came to
realize he was not going to marry her after all.

And it served her right. She had gone ahead
and thrust him into a marriage he wanted no part of. All of this
she had orchestrated, knowing full well that being married was
something he found onerous.

That as a spurned bride she would be the
laughing stock of Bath caused her no concern whatsoever. That much,
she deserved. What really hurt was worrying about Blanks and the
eternal emptiness which he would now be unable to escape. His
perpetual quest for pleasure was merely a substitute for a
meaningful, loving relationship. Her own shattered dreams and the
unfulfilled love she had planned to lavish on Blanks caused her
considerable pain. She physically ached from the void losing Blanks
would create, a bleakness reaching deep into her soul.

Even her sister's return from the Continent
to be present at her wedding had failed to bring Glee out of the
doldrums. She had flinched when Felicity told her, "I've always
known you were in love with Blanks."

Had Blanks, too, known Glee had
misrepresented her intentions? Was she as transparent as glass?

Her sister's presence made Glee's suffering
even more acute. For Felicity had the undying love of her husband
and the promise of the child she now carried in her womb.

And Glee would have nothing.

As Glee sat there in the folly, the skies
overhead had turned darker. Since she had no desire to be stranded
there alone, she picked herself up from the bench and dusted off
her skirts to return to the manor house before the rains came.

She was almost back to the house when she
saw Blanks walking toward her.

"I was worried you'd be caught in the
storm," he said as she came abreast of him.

A smile widened across her face. "I cannot
tell you how very good it is to see you. I had begun to fear you
were going to leave me stranded at the altar."

His smile reached his dark flashing eyes. "I
couldn't do that to you."

No lover's murmurs could have been more
welcome. "Despite your great aversion to marrying me," she said
with a laugh. She looked up at him as he fell into step beside her,
and she slipped her arm through his, sighing. "I promise you,
Blanks, you'll not regret our marriage. We'll make a good team. A
fun pair." She could not tell him her life's mission was to immerse
him with her love.

"If I had to get shackled, I'm glad it's to
you," he said with a laugh.

Glee was quite sure she floated all the way
to the front door of the manor house.

* * *

Throughout dinner that night Glee continued
to feel as if she were buoyed by clouds. She could not remember
ever being so happy. Her gaze swept around the table, where
everyone present was someone she loved. George and Diana. Felicity
and Thomas. And Blanks. The only thing marring her complete
happiness was the knowledge Blanks did not love her as George loved
Diana or as Thomas loved Felicity, but that was all right. Blanks
had said he would rather marry her than anyone else. That was
enough for now.

She would win his lover's love one day. One
day he would be happy that he married her.

After dinner, Blanks asked her to accompany
him to the conservatory. They strolled down the length of the dimly
lit west wing and came to the glass-enclosed room. No servant had
thought to light a candle in the room.

"The moonlight will suffice," Blanks said in
a low voice, taking her by the hand.

Glee's insides quivered in anticipation. Was
he wishing to kiss her? Oh, but she would like that excessively.
She followed him into the conservatory. Blanks was right. Moonlight
bathed the room. She looked up into his face.

"I have a wedding present for you," he said
in a husky whisper.

Her heart fell. 'Twas not to be a kiss,
after all.

From his pocket, he pulled out a silken box
that was the size of book. He opened it to reveal magnificent
emeralds. There was a dazzling necklace and an emerald ring
clustered with oblong diamonds.

"'Twas my mother's and her mother's before
her," he whispered, offering it to her.

Glee was overwhelmed as much by the
tenderness in his voice as by the generosity of the gift. Without
thinking, her arms flung around his neck. "They're beautiful!"

He patted her on the back—a gesture she was
certain he had never done with Carlotta.

She removed her arms from him. "I shall wear
them with great pride."

A smile flashed across his face. "I want you
to wear the necklace at our wedding. There, I'll place the ring on
your finger."

"I'll never take it off," she whispered. She
really was going to marry him, her heart's desire. She was deeply
touched. She took the box. "Do you remember your mother?"

He shook his head almost angrily. "She died
in childbed when I was less than a year old. The babe died with
her." His eyes went cold, and the ever-present smile vanished from
his face. "I'm afraid I've always held my father rather responsible
for killing her."

Surely his wife's body hadn't healed from
giving birth to Blanks when the man impregnated her again. What a
brute! Glee gave Blanks a puzzled look. "But. . .your brother is so
close to you in age. . ."