The Mischievous Bride (3 page)

Her heart pinched every time he took one of those ladies into his arms. She had been going to balls for over a year, and he had only danced with her once. That was last month. After that, he had made a point of ignoring her. It was so humiliating. She was fooling herself, thinking he would chase after her.

“Played cards with Marcus at the club. Even boxed with the man. He might come in here, thinking, well, you know....” Hughmont looked at her ankles again and gulped.

Milli shrugged and licked her fingers, flipping another page of her book, trying not to show how affected she was at the mention of that man’s name.

She angled her slippers on the ladder rung and pretended to look at more books on the shelf beside her. “Marcus has too many women following him around that ballroom. They will never let him out of sight. Besides, he is too stuffy to leave and do anything out of the ordinary.”

She flung her hand in the air. “Proper gentleman,” she said with a snooty air. “Never does anything outrageous. Not a stitch of silliness in the man. Boring as a church mouse. He’s not at all like you.”

She dropped her gaze and batted her huge gray eyes at him.

Hughmont pulled at his cravat again, his eyes roaming her face. “I have been thinking Miss Millicent...”

Milli shifted her gaze back to her book and turned another page. “You know, sometimes Romeo is rather stupid. He reminds me of someone I know.”

Lord Marcus for one, she thought. That man aggravated her like no other. He thought her nothing but a child. And she loved him. But what did that matter?

“Miss Millicent?”

She sighed, hanging onto her book and clutching the ladder, anything to make her forget Lord Marcus and his stuffy, gentleman ways. “Very well, if you insist, a few good swings, and then we can go.”

Hughmont’s snort of amusement sent Milli’s nerves tingling with adventure.

“You are incorrigible,” he said, shaking his head. “Very well, you little tease. A few good swings!”

Milli closed her eyes and grasped the ladder like a child holding onto her favorite pony. “I’m ready!” The ladder swung to the right, then to the left, then to the right. Milli’s shrieks of glee only made Hughmont swing her faster.

The two young people never heard the harsh growl of displeasure that exploded behind the curtains near the window seat.

Chapter Three

M
arcus shot up from the window seat where he had been taking a few minutes to himself, staring at the full moon. He had just about enough! The female was going to kill herself!

“Oh, John, that’s too much!” Milli squealed. 

Marcus grimaced. John?

He glared at the twosome, playing like toddlers. Milli’s flirting was testing the very edges of his self-control. Thunderation, the mischievous female was turning Hughmont into a driveling idiot.

He didn’t need this problem too. The ladies at the ball, and their matchmaking mamas had already been sending him to Bedlam. He was almost thirty-years-old, and he didn’t intend to get married for years. Roderick was the duke and had a beautiful wife. No doubt, they would have a passel of children, including an heir and a spare.

If an heir were not on the horizon in five or ten years, Marcus would find himself a wife at that time. But there was no hurry. And to tell the truth, after his unfaithful fiancée Lady Madeleine eight years ago, he didn’t want to fall in love ever again.

He scowled when the sweet scent of lavender drifted to his nostrils. Millicent Shelby looked and smelled like a delicate flower. Ha, the female may appear delicate, but her disposition was hard as iron!

Hughmont and Milli had turned the library into a madhouse. Books were strewn about the tables. Milli was laughing hysterically. Her gown was flying above her knees. And Hughmont was staring at her legs like a boy drooling outside a candy store.

Marcus’s silver gaze narrowed on the man. Violin music drifted into the room, blending with Milli’s giggles and Hughmont’s cheerfulness. Marcus had heard every deuced word between the two of them.

Proper gentleman...Never does anything outrageous. Not a stitch of silliness in the man. Boring as a church mouse. He’s not at all like you…

Marcus clenched his hands by his sides, trying not to come to blows with the young lord.

He glowered at the couple. If Milli only knew how beguiling she was. Chestnut curls bounced against her snow white skin. Huge gray eyes twinkled in her face like a playful puppy. And that delectable pink gown made her look like some fluffy concoction good enough to eat.

He bit back a curse. Her bodice was too deuced low! Every single man and even some married men had their eyes attached to the little female ever since she had waltzed down the stairs for the ball.

The little girl had finally grown up, and today, she looked like an enchanting elf princess. Her petite form, her almond shaped eyes, her lilting laugh, her entrancing dialogue with the opposite sex, almost had him succumbing to her little spectacle.

Confound her. As the years passed, he had seen her change from a girl to a woman. After she had turned eighteen, he had purposely kept his distance, avoiding her at all costs. But in a lapse of judgment, he had given in and danced with her last month. Bad decision. The attractive female had felt soft and slight, fitting perfectly in his arms.

He had felt like a criminal. She was still too young. And although many gentlemen in the
ton
married younger females than her, Marcus wasn’t going to rob the cradle. Besides, she was Elizabeth’s baby sister. A part of the family in a way.

He had tried to stay away from her the last few years, knowing she still loved him. But it was a childish love. However, the last few months, she seemed to have matured in a way that bothered him to no end. She was also an heiress and prime pickings for any fortune hunter.

Marcus pressed his lips together in a hard line as her laughter filled the room. Hell’s teeth! Her cheerful mood was as dangerous as a siren’s call. And it seemed Hughmont, the poor devil, had fallen under her spell.

His gaze roamed her body. There was something about Millicent Shelby that made him feel alive again. Something that made him yearn for the love he had lost. But devil take it, she was his brother’s ward and only eighteen, a mere babe in the woods.

His heart gave a jolt when he saw her slip. She was keeping her eyes closed like a little girl on a swing, enjoying every second of her adventure. But enough was enough! She had almost broken her pretty neck!

Marcus’s eyes narrowed as he crossed the room and approached the unsuspecting Hughmont. With a forceful finger, Marcus tapped the man on his shoulder.

Hughmont  jumped and turned. His grin instantly disappeared to be replaced by a dropped jaw. Marcus gave him a dark look, shaking his head not to say a word.

“Oh, John. One more time! Please!”

Marcus looked up. Milli still had her eyes closed. Her hair had fallen out of its pins and was about her shoulders in a devil-may-care-look. Her pert little smile was infectious. Her soft white skin was tantalizing. She was a pretty little package. Her giggles sound like a twelve-year-old, but she looked more appetizing than an entire cake at Christmas. And thunderation, Hughmont wasn’t stupid.

Marcus lifted a dangerous brow, like that of a father knowing exactly what Hughmont was thinking.

Hughmont froze, looking like he had swallowed an entire side of beef.

Frankly, Marcus couldn’t blame him. The female in question could make a man run circles around her.

With a flick of his hand, Marcus indicated the door for Hughmont to leave.

“John, I’m waiting. If I open my eyes, it will ruin the experience.”

Marcus glowered at the man.

Hughmont seemed to be rethinking his exit. He took one more glance at Milli, as if he were in love with the lady.

Marcus felt his anger rising. “Out,” he mouthed silently, thumbing the young man toward the exit.

Hughmont glared back. But he turned and departed without a word, closing the door with a slight tap. Music floated into the room, covering the sound.

Smart man, Marcus thought. But the hard gleam in Hughmont’s eyes told Marcus this wasn’t over.

“Oh, John, one more swing, please.”

Marcus shifted his gaze to Milli. Her gown had caught on the ladder, revealing two very enticing legs. Slim little things that sent his pulse pounding. Besides that, the closer he walked, the more the scent of lavender weaved through his brain.

Years ago, she would douse herself in a bottle of the fragrance, sending people running for cover. Now, it was just enough of a luring scent to tease the senses.

He clenched his hands. Thunderation! No wonder Hughmont hadn’t wanted to leave. He could not believe she still had her eyes closed either. Of all the stupid things!

“Get down here, now!”

Milli’s eyes popped open in surprise. “What in the world—”

“Do you understand English? I said come down here now.”

The tiny female lifted her chin. “I do not take orders from you. You are not my . . . my papa!” Her gray eyes glittered with rage.

Marcus crossed his arms over his chest. She was correct. But her father was dead. There was no one but his family to keep the wolves from sniffing at her door.

Hell’s bells! She was a delicious sight. Curls fell from her pins. One sleeve was slipping off her shoulder. And those two pools of mesmerizing gray made a man want to do anything she said. Almost any man. But not Marcus.

“Milli, I don’t want to have to come up there.”

She blinked, her gaze dancing with amusement. “Now, would that not be a sight? Stuffy Lord Marcus climbs up a ladder to rescue the damsel in distress.”

He threw two fisted hands to his hips. “I am not playing games with you. Get down here or I will—”

She batted her eyes like some coquettish little miss. “Oh, pray, dear sir, what will you do? Oh, I know. You will turn yourself into a dragon and blow fire on the wooden ladder to drop me to the ground.”

Marcus tried not to laugh. He hardened his face, wondering how long he would last. This captivating, mischievous lady needed someone to keep an eye on her. Stephen had become her guardian after William Shelby’s passing two years ago, and his younger brother had his hands full. Although Stephen loved Milli like a sister, he had no idea how to rein her in.

“I’m warning you, young lady. I want you climbing down that ladder without me having to come up and get you.”

He could see the windmills turning in her mind.

She tilted her head to the side. “Can you catch me?”

His eyes widened in alarm. “Devil take it! I forbid you to jump!”

She seemed to be thinking it over. “You look strong enough. Hmmm. But I daresay I don’t know if you are as strong as Lord Hughmont. In the theater group last month, he carried me—”

“Carried you?” he all but shouted. “Do I take it to understand Stephen allows you to attend those type of meetings? Meetings with the opposite sex where there are exchanges like we see at Drury Lane?”

Her light chuckle pierced his heart. Confound the girl. Tiny Milli was no longer the small child he had meet years ago when Stephen was engaged to Elizabeth. She was a woman with womanly wiles.

He hardened his heart. He could not give in to this impish female. She had too many men groveling at her feet, and he would not be one of them. Lady Madeleine had made a fool of him long ago, and nothing could make him do that again.

He watched in fury as she closed her eyes. “You know,” she said, “you are acting like a real bore.”

“I am not a bore. Besides, I have been told by the duchess that I am to bring you to the supper ball tonight.”

Her lids flew upwards. “You? Jane asked you to bring me to supper? I thought I was going with Lord Knightengale.”

Lord Knightengale was his friend, but looking at Milli now, all flushed and filled with excitement, Marcus knew that he would be the one taking her to supper. Knightengale enjoyed women as much as Marcus, and Milli was not going to be one of those women!

He would tell Jane that things had changed. There was no need to tell Milli he had decided last minute to take her to supper. The girl might think he had grown a special attachment to her. And then, she would walk all over him, knowing he would do anything for her. He had to keep his distance from the beguiling female. She was spoiled as it was already.

“The bell will ring for supper soon. Are you coming or not?”

She seemed to be thinking about it.

Thunder and Zeus, she was an enticing little thing. For the first hour or two of the ball, he had noticed the gentlemen trying to find a few minutes alone with her.

When the matchmaking mamas had given him a minute to himself, he had thrown a look in Milli’s direction. She always seemed to be surrounded by a crowd of gentlemen, including Knightengale and Hughmont. It irked him to no end.

He told himself, it was only a brotherly affection and protectiveness that he felt. That was all. It could not, would not, be something else!

“Millicent,” he said, his voice firm.

She shrugged. “Oh, very well, if  you insist. I can tell by that fatherly tone of yours that you are not going to take no for an answer.” Her eyes swam with delight, and he knew something was up. Before he could check her move, she laughed. “Here’s the book.”

The next moment a thick leather bound book sailed through the air, heading straight for his head. He jerked to the side and flicked out his arm, catching it. He glanced at the volume of Shakespeare in his hand and scowled.

“You think Roderick will enjoy knowing that you treat his books with such shabby disregard?”

She frowned. “I hope you won’t tell him. I knew you had quick reflexes.”

Irritation at her carefree attitude simmered to the surface. “Millicent, I’ve had just about enough from you!”

“Oh, very well, I’ll come down. We don’t want your handsome face distorting into some ogre-like expression. It looks rather out of sorts at the moment.”

That was an understatement, he thought as he tried to calm his emotions. No other person on earth could frustrate him as much as this tiny female. Not even his brothers could agitate him so.