The Fallen Woman (A Regency Romance) (7 page)

“And if I have a daughter?” Leona dryly questioned.

“You’ll still be a viscountess, and a respectable widow! It’s much better than having the baby and letting everyone know what really went on, isn’t it?” Her father waved a hand at Leona’s midsection. “When Lord Randall dies, you’ll be free to marry the man of your choice. The fact that he’s dying
is
beneficial to us, don’t you see? I’m not asking you to shackle yourself to him forever! It’s only temporary, ‘til he’s in his grave!”

Leona didn’t look amused. “I’m amazed at your cruelty, father. I haven’t even met the man, but I feel sorry for him! Poor Lord Randall! You’ve made it sound as though his death will be a blessing! I would never delight in someone else’s misfortunes.”

Mr. Lennox cradled his portly stomach in his hands; it jiggled as he chuckled. “Leona, Leona…it’s too late to pretend to be a saint! I’m telling you the circumstances as plainly as possible. You should thank me for it! Now, there’s one more thing I have to tell you. Are you listening?”

His daughter nodded solemnly.

“Lord Randall explicitly expressed that he wanted to be the one to tell you about his health. I told him I’d honor his request, but when it came down to it, I couldn’t keep such a big secret to myself. Do not tell him I let it slip.”

“After everything else, one more lie is hardly worth worrying about.” As Leona rose from her chair, she was feeling worse than she’d ever felt in her life. She hated the deceit. She hated
herself.
But if there was any way to improve her situation, marrying Lord Randall was her best chance. Leona tried to think she was doing him a favor. At least he would have a wife by his side when his time was up. “Alright, Father. I’m ready to meet him.”

“Remember everything I’ve told you! Be as natural as possible!” her father coached her as they headed off to the sitting room. “Whatever you do, don’t say anything that might put him off!”

“I
won’t
!” Leona insisted. As her father pulled open the door to the sitting room, there was a haze over her eyes. For a moment, she thought she might faint.

She saw him. When she entered with her father, Lord Randall rose to his feet and turned to meet them.

“Hello,” Lord Randall greeted them, managing a wisp of a smile.

Leona didn’t respond right away. She was too busy forming a first impression of her fiancé. There was nothing about him that put her in mind of a dying man. He looked relatively healthy, aside from the cane he used to prop himself up. Lord Randall wasn’t an unattractive man, though he wasn’t what she would call handsome. He had a strong jaw and lines around his mouth, which she found strangely appealing. His nose was oddly shaped, and his skin was a bit sallow, but Leona liked his face well enough. She was expecting someone worse.

After a moment of silence, Leona finally regained her senses and bobbed a curtsy. “Hello, my lord.”

He came forward and took her hand, raising it to his lips. “It’s a pleasure to see you again, Miss Lennox. I don’t suppose you remember meeting me? You were just fifteen at the time, and now… you’re even more beautiful than I remember. Your portrait doesn’t begin to do you justice.”

“Thank you for the kind words, my lord,” Leona responded. When he released her hand, she retreated to the nearby sofa and sat. Everything was so overwhelming.
This was the man she was going to marry! The man she was supposed to trick!
Why did he have to be so kind and cordial? Leona thought she could feel his eyes on her, watching her, judging her. If he was a good judge of character, would he be able to tell what a horrible person she was?

“If you have any questions for me, I would be more than happy to answer them,” Lord Randall insisted.

Leona exchanged glances with her father. “No, my lord. There is nothing.”

Mr. Lennox spoke up, saving them from an awkward silence. “I’m interested to know more about Randall Hall. Aren’t you interested, Leona? After all, it will be your home in a few days’ time.”

Tristan watched Leona for several seconds, waiting for her to show some sign of interest. But she gave no indication at all, not even the merest nod. “I won’t embellish it,” Tristan began. “It is a secluded estate in Berkshire, not particularly large, but the scenery is nice. The interior is, more than likely… a bit rundown at the moment. Everything should be in order by the time we get there; however, as I sent my servants ahead to prepare for our arrival.”

“Servants? Do you have a large staff, my lord?” Mr. Lennox asked.

Tristan kept his eyes on Leona as he spoke, hoping there would be some glimmer of interest on her face. Her indifference was disappointing. “Well… not really. I have a valet, a butler, two maids… one that doubles as a cook. But they’re capable of running a household, I assure you.”

“Mary,” Leona suddenly spoke up. “My maid… Mary. I would like to keep her with me.”

She didn’t spare her fiancé a glance as she spoke. If she hated him already, they weren’t off to a very good start. Tristan wasn’t so deluded as to think she was thrilled about marrying him, but he’d expected her to be a bit less… distant. “Of course. Mary comes too,” Tristan allowed.

When a second silence descended on the room, only Leona’s father was brave enough to end it. “Well, it’s a brilliant match, if I do say so myself. I see a happy future for both of you.” His comment drew dubious looks from the engaged couple. “I’d like to get everything done as quickly as possible. Could you see yourself married by next week, my lord?”

“I have no objection,” Tristan answered. “But if the lady objects, I--”

Mr. Lennox spoke on his daughter’s behalf. “Oh, Leona’s happy about it. She thinks the engagement’s a grand idea. She has no objections.”

“Really? Well, to be honest, I’d like to hear it from her.” Tristan’s gaze was locked on Leona. He was anticipating some sort of emotion from her, but her face was completely unreadable. He couldn’t tell if she was miserable, or just apathetic. “Miss Lennox, do you have any qualms about becoming my wife? I think it is a young lady’s right to choose her husband. Your father has expressed to me that this arrangement is as much your decision as it is his. Is that true?”

Mr. Lennox snorted. “Do you doubt me, Lord Randall?”

“I don’t doubt you, Mr. Lennox. But I want to hear it from your daughter’s lips. I would hate to think our nuptials would make her unhappy.”

“I’m not unhappy.” She lowered her eyes to her stomach, reminding herself why she had to go through with this. She had no other choice. “I have no objections whatsoever.”

That was the first of many lies.

Chapter Nine

Their wedding was arranged so quickly, Leona hardly had time to blink. In an hour’s time, she would be married to a man to whom she had barely spoken a word.

Her bridal gown belonged to her mother. It didn’t matter what dress she was wearing. She could’ve been wearing the most beautiful dress in England, and it wouldn’t have done anything to quell her overwhelming feeling of dread.

Her mother’s dress.
She almost felt guilty for wearing it. Leona wondered what her mother would think about everything that had gone on in the last two months. Would she have lost her mother’s respect? Would she have lost her mother’s love? Would her mother have cast her aside to some strange man in hopes of saving her daughter’s reputation?

Leona had no way of knowing.

On the way to her mother’s funeral, Leona had a similar feeling of dread in her stomach. Now she was heading to her own wedding, and the feeling was even worse. At least her mother was heading to a better place. Leona didn’t know what direction her own life was taking. Would it be for better or for worse? Lord Randall didn’t seem particularly awful, and she could escape her father’s abusive tongue. On the other hand, she would forever lose the life she loved, and the friends she always adored. Her girlhood days with Silly Westcock were at an end.

It was Leona’s own doing. If she hadn’t been a fool with Lord Wintergreen, she could have avoided these repercussions. Leona knew it was her own mistake that landed her in such a hopeless situation.

In less than an hour’s time, she would be Lady Randall.

“Oh well…” she sighed to herself, “I suppose it could be worse.”

Mary, who was sitting beside Leona, gave her mistress’ shoulder a squeeze. “There, there. Maybe it won’t be so bad, miss.”

Too bad she didn’t share Mary’s optimism.

When the carriage slowed, Leona peered out the window. They were approaching a small country church: a quaint, unassuming stone edifice. Was Lord Randall already inside? As she alighted from the carriage, Leona nearly stumbled. Her legs felt wobbly, like those of a deer taking its first steps. She thought she might retch. Was it because she was nervous, or was a telltale sign of her condition sneaking up on her? If she was going to retch, Leona hoped she would not do it in front of Lord Randall. It would not be a very happy way to start their marriage, would it?

Mr. Lennox sneaked up on his daughter, grabbed her elbow, and started pulling her toward the church. “Come on, then. No time to waste. The viscount’s already here. We’re late, you know? It took Summerson too long to hitch up the horses, and now we’re late!”

“Father,” Leona tried tugging her arm away from him. “Do you mind not squeezing me so hard? I don’t want my new husband to see bruises on my arm the first night we’re together.”

Her father sneered. “Must you talk about that? I don’t want to think of you with that man.”

Leona couldn’t help it—she had to roll her eyes. “
You
were the one who insisted I should lure him into my bed as soon as possible, were you not? I don’t see why you would shy away from the topic now, Father.”

His grip on her arm softened. It had nothing to do with her plea; however, and everything to do with the fact that the viscount was now in view. He was standing at the end of a long aisle, shoulder-to-shoulder with an old vicar and another man, unfamiliar and handsome. The pews were empty. Completely empty.

“Is that it?” Leona whispered to her father. “He waits for me, I arrive, we get married… and that’s it? What a fine ceremony this will be!”

“Try to be pleasant,” Mr. Lennox admonished his daughter. “The man is
dying,
remember? Don’t make this a day he’ll regret for the rest of his short life.”

Leona continued to hiss at her father as he led her down the aisle. “I plan to be as pleasant as I can be, considering the circumstances.”

“The circumstances could be far worse, considering the state you’re in.”

“Thank you, Father, for repeatedly reminding me of my giant blunder on my wedding day.”
When they reached the aisle’s end, Mr. Lennox was more than happy to hand his daughter off to Lord Randall. And Leona, truth be told, was just as happy to be rid of her father. If it was the last time she saw him, she didn’t think she would mind. Her new life was laid out before her, and she had no choice but to live it.

As the vicar proceeded to join them in holy matrimony, Leona felt detached from her body. She felt like a disembodied soul, observing a person who looked like herself doing something beyond her control. She couldn’t even bring herself to look in Lord Randall’s direction. She wondered how he felt about having her as a wife. Did it make him happy, or was he hoping for something different?

If he knew the truth about her, he would
definitely
wish for something different. Leona felt a knot of guilt coiling in her abdomen, tugging her stomach like a tight-fitting corset. Lord Randall’s new wife wasn’t the sort of woman he thought she was. If he knew the truth, she knew he would never have her.

Leona would never have to worry about Lord Randall changing his mind. The vicar uttered the final words, Lord Randall kissed her hand, and it was done. She was suddenly a viscountess, the wife of a man she barely knew.

She prayed she wouldn’t retch on her husband’s fancy coat.

Chapter Ten

Leona didn’t retch, but she was always closer to retching than she wanted to be. She held her breath several times, hoping the sensation of nausea would dissipate. The rocking of the carriage and the midsummer heat did nothing to quell her upset stomach.

“My lord,” Leona shyly addressed the man sitting across from her. She looked up at him, briefly meeting his gaze. She only gave him quick glances, because the sight of him made her uneasy. Her
thoughts
made her uneasy. Every time Leona looked at him, she thought about sharing his bed. That sort of thought would make anyone uneasy, would it not? “How long ‘til we reach Randall Hall?”

“The longest part of the journey is over. We should be there within the hour,” he politely informed her. “Miss Lennox?”

“Yes?”

“Now that I am your husband, I would like it if you dispensed with formalities. I’d like it if you would call me Tristan.”

“Tristan,” she repeated softly. “Okay, I shall call you that from now on. And… you should call me Leona. After all, my name isn’t Miss Lennox anymore. I lost that name when I became your wife!”

Tristan chuckled. It was a fake chuckle, thick with apprehension. When realized he was apprehensive, Leona was a bit relieved. At least she wasn’t the only one who thought this was an awkward situation. “Oh, yes. Yes, of course. I forgot. How foolish of me. Yes. You’re no longer Miss Lennox, are you?”
Leona shook her head, secretly amused by the way he was babbling.