An Unsuitable Match (23 page)

Arm in arm, the two Langham women descended the grand staircase.

With dignity and grace.

She owed it to her mother to not repeat the hysterical scene of her death. The pressure of Lady Alice's grip on her arm firmed with every step.

Control; I must maintain control.

At the bottom of the stairs, she looked to the left and saw her father's steward holding an armful of wet towels. Facing him stood a cloaked figure, rubbing another towel through his hair. His thick black hair.

Her heart missed a beat.

The rider slipped the fastenings of his rain-sodden cloak and handed it to a nearby footman. Her father's steward motioned toward the stairs and as he turned the rider murmured, ‘Thank you.'

In the blink of an eye, Clarice pulled free of her grandmother's hold, picked up her skirts and dashed down the stairs.

‘David!' she cried and threw herself into his arms.

Dignity and grace be damned.

David closed his eyes and let the sheer relief of having found Clarice wash over him. Wet, cold and utterly exhausted, he held his prize tightly in his embrace.

The rest of the world did not exist.

Only her. Only Clarice.

‘Mr Radley. I should have realised it would take a mad Scotsman to venture out on such a hellish night as this,' Lady Alice remarked as she reached the bottom of the stairs unaided.

A deep chuckle resonated through his chest. With Clarice still clinging tightly to his body, he bowed as best he could.

‘‘Tis but a summer shower and a gentle breeze. Why, my mother and sisters would surely have had the servants pack them a picnic for such pleasant weather,' he replied.

Lady Alice clapped her hands together in appreciation. ‘You forget, young man, that I was born in Edinburgh, and even my father would have given a second thought to being out on the road tonight. Welcome to Langham Hall.'

She attempted to gently prise Clarice away from him.

‘Now, my dear, that's enough; remember there are servants present.'

Clarice nodded, but her hand remained within David's grasp. He smiled. She could not have let go even if she wanted to.

‘Forgive me, Lady Alice, but I find myself unable to release your granddaughter,' he replied.

The dowager scowled, but the look in her eyes betrayed her.

‘Yes, well; let us not dally in the front hallway; if you would come upstairs we can receive you properly.'

He followed them upstairs and into the warmth of the drawing room.

‘Where is he?' David demanded as soon as the door was closed behind them. The absence of Thaxter Fox had not gone unnoticed.

‘In his room, unconscious,' Lady Alice replied.

‘She, I mean we drugged him,' Clarice said. As she turned toward the firelight, David saw the bruise and swelling on the side of her face.

A rage he had never thought possible flared through him and he released her hand. Fists clenched, he stood struggling to bring his anger under control. An overwhelming desire to smash his fist through Thaxter Fox's face coursed through his brain.

Clarice touched his arm and he flinched.

‘It's all right, David, I managed to fight him off. Other than a few scratches and bruises I am intact,' she said.

His head felt light with relief. The fear that he would arrive too late to save her had kept him pushing his horses to the limit on the desperate race from London. With Clarice ruined, there would have been little choice but for her to agree to marry Thaxter Fox.

While he would still have been prepared to marry her, David knew that one word from Thaxter and her reputation would be in ruins. Her fall from grace would be immediate and irredeemable.

‘How did you get here so fast? We only sent the letter to London yesterday,' Clarice said.

‘I haven't seen any letter,' David replied.

‘But how did you know Mr Fox was here?' Clarice and Lady Alice replied in unison.

He stepped closer to the fireplace, seeking to warm his frozen bones. Lady Alice took a seat and pretended to ignore the fact that her granddaughter had wrapped her arms around David's waist.

‘Actually, Lady Susan Kirk is the reason why I am here. From what my sister Lucy told me, she had a serious attack of guilt. It was Susan who warned us of Thaxter's plan to ruin Clarice.'

‘Susan,
really
?' Clarice hissed at his side.

‘Yes, it was Susan who revealed that scoundrel's dirty plan,' confirmed David. ‘From my understanding, Mr Fox had made certain intimations to your friend that led her to believe he planned to make her an offer of marriage. Of course, as soon as she knew why he had left town to follow you to Norfolk, she knew she had been taken for a fool.'

‘He is after my dowry,' Clarice replied.

‘Since there are now rumours that Susan's dowry may have disappeared, Mr Fox clearly decided you were the surer bet. If Susan hadn't swallowed her pride and revealed Fox's dastardly plan to Lucy, I wouldn't be standing here right now. When the dust from all this has settled, you may wish to find it in your heart to forgive her,' he replied.

Clarice squeezed him tighter.

‘Let go, Clarice; we need to talk.'

She sighed but did as he asked.

He rubbed his hands together in front of the fire, relieved when the pins and needles in his fingers signalled the return of sensation in his hands. Having spent much of his life in Scotland, he was well experienced in riding a horse through the peril of a tempest. Tonight, however, his skills as a horseman had been tested to their limit.

After arriving in the village earlier, he had abandoned his driver and carriage, deciding to risk the journey in the fading light on horseback. The innkeeper had pleaded for him to wait out the storm, but as soon as David knew Thaxter Fox was in residence at Langham Hall, the hounds of hell could not have kept him from travelling on.

‘You say Fox is unconscious, that you have drugged him?' he said turning to Lady Alice.

‘Yes. I slipped a little something into his brandy before dinner and also into his port. He should sleep like a lamb until at least morning,' she replied.

David raised an eyebrow, silently grateful that she was on his side. ‘And what did you plan to do with him once he wakes?'

Lady Alice smiled and jangled the ring of keys she pulled out from under the cushion beside her.

‘The men who brought him up from London have not been paid. I offered them their outstanding wages, plus a little extra, to take him back to town tomorrow morning. They didn't seem to need much more of an excuse to leave the sunny climes of Norfolk,' she replied.

He nodded. ‘Good.'

‘Grandmother and I were going to leave here early tomorrow and travel to Sharnbrook,' Clarice added.

The hope that flared in his heart warmed him more than the heat of the well-stoked fire. Clarice had been coming to find him. He looked to her and the blush of red on her cheek confirmed his suspicions.

She reached into the top of her gown and, pulling on the chain around her neck, withdrew the pendant.

‘I had made my decision before Mr Fox got here.' She gave a brief glance toward Lady Alice. ‘I'm not afraid any more. I will speak the truth to Papa and where that leaves us shall be his choice. All I know is that I have decided upon my future and it lies with you, David.'

He stood for a moment, silently savouring her words, all the while wishing they were alone so he could kiss her senseless.

David held a hand out to Lady Alice. ‘I should like to check on your guest if you don't mind, your ladyship. I am dog-tired after my long journey, but I shall sleep more soundly if I am certain our friend is incapable of disturbing the peace before he is sent on his way tomorrow.'

Lady Alice stood and headed for the door. ‘Follow me,' she said.

With Clarice's hand held firmly in his, David followed the dowager down the long hallway. Toward the end was a door, similar in aspect to all the other doors that lined the hallway, except that two large chairs had been placed in front of it. In each of the chairs, covered by a warm blanket, slumbered a solidly built estate worker.

‘I thought you said the door was locked,' David remarked.

‘It is, but I was taking no chances. I made the error of underestimating our Mr Fox when first I met him. I won't make that mistake again,' Lady Alice replied.

By his side, he heard Clarice stifle a laugh. Something had changed in her during their brief time apart. She had rediscovered her spirit. Her spark.

The men in the chairs stirred. One opened an eye, and seeing Lady Alice, shot to his feet. She waved a hand and bade him sit down.

‘Our guest has been quiet?' David asked.

The man gave a respectful bow. ‘Yes, sir, silent as the grave.'

‘Good man, get some sleep,' he replied.

He turned and was nearly at the top of the stairs when a sudden compulsion took hold of him.

‘The keys, please, Lady Alice,' he said and held out his hand.

Sleep would evade him if he didn't set eyes upon his nemesis.

He marched back down the hallway, leaving Clarice and her grandmother to wait for his return. Slipping the key into the lock, he opened the door and entered the room.

The only light in the room was from the embers of the dying fire, but the shape of the fully dressed Thaxter Fox lying prone across the bed was unmistakable. Flat on his back, mouth open, he snored as he slept. The drool that had seeped from his mouth and onto the collar of his shirt would have been comical if it had been anyone else. If the circumstances had been different. Stepping closer, David loomed over his sleeping enemy. The ugly wound on his face was satisfactory evidence of Clarice's self-defence. She had fought off this rogue and won a future for them.

‘She is mine, and the next time you so much as look at her I will thrash you to within an inch of your bloody life,' he said, his voice clear and even.

He marched from the room and locked the door behind him. He would deal with Thaxter Fox in the morning.

Lady Alice remained in the drawing room long enough to pour them all a small celebratory drink. She raised a glass to Clarice and David and quickly downed the wine.

‘I just need to go and check on Cook, I shouldn't be too long,' she said as she slipped out of the room, closing the door behind her.

Clarice chuckled and turned to David. ‘I would be surprised if she has ever set foot in the downstairs kitchen.'

Barely had the words left her mouth when David pulled her into his arms, bent his head and kissed her.

The first kiss they'd shared in the summerhouse had been tender and meant to woo, but this was an entirely different encounter.

He didn't wait for her to soften to his enticing lips; rather, his tongue filled her mouth in a clear statement of claim. Her body responded with a surge of desire. She put a hand to his head and boldly grabbed hold of his hair, pulling him down to her.

He groaned and she exalted once more in the knowledge that she had a powerful effect on him. He began to trail kisses across her bruised cheek.

‘I will kill any man who tries to touch you,' he breathed into her ear.

‘Only you, there will only ever be you,' she whispered.

Seizing the initiative, she tilted her head and caught his mouth once more. She had only been kissed twice in her life, but she was a quick learner. Nipping at his bottom lip with her teeth, she challenged him to give himself up to her.

A deep sensual growl was her reward.

He pulled her hard against his body, and she felt the hardness of his arousal. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she prayed her grandmother would take a very long time before she returned.

They continued to meld their lips together, each giving and demanding more. When eventually they stepped back from one another, breathing hard as they sucked in air, Clarice held a hand to her swollen lips. Now she finally understood why Alex and Millie had fought so hard to be together. Looking at David, she knew without a doubt that he was her world.

‘I love you and I want to marry you,' she said.

The memory of watching him accept her words would remain long in her heart. He closed his eyes and slowly nodded.

‘I will do everything within my power to make you happy,' he replied.

In the days since she had made her decision, Clarice had thought long and hard about how they could be together. With her father opposed to the union, the answer was simple.

‘Come away with me to Scotland. We can be married as soon as we are across the border,' she said. There was always the chance that circumstances might have changed David's mind.

He took hold of her hand. ‘The day I make you my wife will be the happiest day of my life, but we cannot elope.'

She scowled. Disappointed, but not surprised.

‘If I steal you away to Scotland, then we begin our marriage with a scandal. Your father will no doubt attempt to have it annulled, and due to my lack of legitimacy he may very well succeed. So my answer is no. We shall marry in front of family and friends in London, and the Bishop of London shall give us his blessing.'

‘Not wishing to start our first argument, but how exactly do you plan to get my father to agree to our marriage?' she replied.

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her on the top of her long, fair hair.

‘I was already intending to leave London to fetch you before I got word of Fox's plans. The way to ensure that your father agrees to our union is the good old-fashioned way. I'm going to kidnap you,' he replied and laughed deeply.

After a nightcap, which Lady Alice assured David was not tainted by sleeping draught, he retired to the room which had been hurriedly made up for him. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he found himself grinning like a fool.

The look on Clarice's face when he informed her she was about to be kidnapped was utterly priceless. When he explained it to Lady Alice only a few minutes later, she'd simply raised an eyebrow and then nodded in agreement. His intended had stood wide-eyed and stared at the both of them.

Now, as his head hit the soft pillow and the first wave of sleep washed over him, David smiled. Clarice had made her choice, and she had chosen him.

‘Foolish girl, how could you possibly think I was going to be that tractable? I won't rest until Langham gives me his full and happy approval to marry you,' he whispered into the darkness as he slipped beneath the ocean of sleep.