A Scandalous Charade (39 page)

She gasped in surprise. The image was of her, though she was much younger. It had once belonged to her father. Though she never knew why the man wanted it, as he never showed her any outward affection.

“I came across that on my way to Gosling this afternoon. From those highwaymen, or whoever they are, who have been scouring the countryside looking for you. Your uncle’s men.”

She had known that, of course, but was still convinced that she could safely hide until Edmund returned from India. “You didn’t tell them where I was?”

He entwined his long fingers with hers, and the action made her feel so safe with him, as if she belonged by his side. “I demanded to know why they had a miniature of my wife.”

“You didn’t!” Oh, dear God. It was over then, they would have followed him. Uncle Albert’s people were probably at the front gates of Gosling Park this very moment. Her knees started to buckle, but Luke caught her with his steady hands. “Why?” she asked shakily.

He kissed her forehead and held her against him, enveloping her in the cocoon of his arms. “Because you can’t keep hiding from them. I’ll see that you never have to again. Together we can end all of this. Your uncle wants to see you dead. He wants to take your money and probably Edmund’s life. When you marry me, your money will be mine and Lord Albert won’t have any claim to it. You’ll be safe, and we’ll protect Edmund together.”

“You’ve come to rescue me?” She shook her head, unprepared for any show of gallantry.

He winked at her. “Don’t worry, Juliet. I’m still the same self-serving bastard you fell in love with. Tell me you still love me. Tell me I haven’t ruined everything.”

This was a Luke she didn’t recognize, and the fight they’d had before he left Gosling Park echoed in her mind. “Is this all because of what I said that day?”

Luke shook his head and his soft green eyes bored into hers with a deep intensity. “This is all because I love you, Juliet. Marry me. Make me a better man.”

“Oh, Luke,” she sighed. It was too hard to believe it was real.

He took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. “Let me take care of you, princess. Let me protect you. I don’t want to live in my world if you’re not a part of it.”

Juliet had to clear the lump from her throat. “You are as opposed to marriage as I am, Lucas Beckford. This is ridiculous.”

He grinned then, a heart-stopping number that nearly melted her resolve. The man she loved had just proposed marriage. It was most every woman’s dream, but it hadn’t ever been hers. And this was Luke. She’d be foolish to trust him, no matter how badly her heart wanted to. Of course he wanted to help now, but he just wasn’t the sort of man to stay around. She knew that better than anyone else. And what would happen to her heart the next time he left? She shook her head determinedly.

“Juliet,” he pressed on softly, “I’ve been miserable without you.”

She’d been miserable without him too. Her soul ached when he was gone. “But marriage? Can you truly see yourself married to me? For the rest of your life? Because I can tell you, Lucas, that as your wife, I would never take kindly to you up and abandoning me. I would hunt you down, and—”

“Shh.” He placed his forefinger over her lips, then he just stood there staring at her. Juliet’s heart sank. Then Luke slid his arm around her waist and pulled her against him again. “I would expect no less. But I’m never leaving you again. And if I had the time, princess, I’d show just how ready I am to wake up with you every morning. But like I said, Mr. Lovelace is waiting for us in the green salon.”

He stared at her with a sincere intensity that she’d never seen from him before. But still Juliet had a difficult time believing that he was truly serious. “Luke?

With a peck on the cheek and a squeeze of her bottom, Luke grinned rakishly. “You’re not frightened are you?” Then his expression turned serious. “I promise not to steal your freedom, princess. And I’m not marrying you for your money. Well, I suppose I am in a way, but only to protect you from the perils of it. I do love you.”

Juliet gulped as she looked up at him. Never in a hundred years would she have thought that Lucas Beckford would come to her rescue, like a knight in shining—well, tarnished—armor. Did she dare take a chance on him?

Did she dare not take it?

Her body answered for her when Luke brushed his lips against hers and she melted into him. Somewhere in the depth of her soul this felt right—unorthodox, and completely unexpected—but right.

“I must warn you,” he began after catching his breath, “Mr. Lovelace isn’t the only one waiting for us in the green salon.”

Her heart thudding in her ears, she swallowed and nodded her head. Certainly not her uncle’s men. “Who is with him?”

“I’m afraid everyone. Caroline wouldn’t let me leave London without her, and Staveley and the children refused to be left behind. Then Robert stopped me as I entered Gosling. I’m certain he’s rounded up Lydia and the children by now. Your family’s not here, princess, but I can offer you mine—unfortunately, in droves.”

In a few moments they’d be her family too. Juliet’s heart leapt at the thought.

~30 ~

Luke wasn’t lying. His entire family was there. And so was someone else that she hadn’t expected to ever see again—but to whom she owed her life and would forever be in his debt. “Hugh!”

Mr. and Mrs. St. Claire? Juliet looked back into the crowd and spotted Susan Clarke, smiling as wide as she had ever seen her. “Susan, is that you?” she asked her friend.

Susan stepped forward and kissed Juliet’s cheek. “Thank heavens you’re all right. Hugh and I have been beside ourselves with worry.”

Juliet gaped at her friend, disbelievingly. “You’ve married Hugh?”

Susan shyly bit her lip. “You were right all along, you know. I could never have been happy with someone who cared more about my money than they did me.”

“Wise words,” Luke agreed as he slid his arm around Juliet’s waist. “To that end, princess, I believe we’ve kept Mr. Lovelace waiting long enough.”

After Juliet assured Hugh that though Luke may be a scoundrel, he was her scoundrel and she loved him, her cousin agreed to give her away. Though the ceremony was short, when the vicar shut his bible, there wasn’t a dry eye in the salon. In front of their family, Luke swept Juliet into his arms and kissed her for all the world to see.

“I knew she was Lady Juliet,” Penny whispered and Juliet giggled through Luke’s kiss.

Her husband looked down at her with love twinkling in his eyes. “You know, princess, women don’t usually laugh when I kiss them.”

It seemed like a lifetime ago that he’d said those words to her in her atrocious pink parlor in Upper Brook Street, and Juliet laughed harder—just like she’d done that day when he’d first called on her. Then he scooped her up in his arms and carried her through the castle up to her small governess’ quarters.

“You know,” she told him as he started to undo her prudish gown, “Robert said we could have any room at Gosling. We don’t have to stay in here anymore.”

It was their first night as man and wife. A little luxury would have been nice, especially after months in this cramped room. But Luke smirked as he let her dress drop to the ground, pooling at her feet. “Ah, but this room has memories.” Then he went about making new memories to go along with the old ones.

***

The next morning Luke awoke to find his wife curled up against him, her hand resting over his heart. He could wake up this very way for the rest of his days.

 His wife. The words made him smile.

He’d been in love with Juliet for so long it seemed silly that just professing that love in front of a vicar and his family would have changed anything between them. But it had. He belonged to Juliet now, just as much as she belonged to him. And he had never felt so at peace.

He heard a knock at the door, which brought him out of his thoughts. Who the devil would disturb them the morning after their wedding? If he ignored them, maybe the knocker would go away.

They didn’t. They got louder. And Luke was going to kill whoever they were, especially when Juliet made little sounds like she was about to wake. He wrapped a sheet around himself and pulled the door open, prepared to eviscerate whoever stood there. And, honestly, he shouldn’t have been surprised to see his sister standing before him with a smug look on her face.

“It’s about time you got up, darling,” Caroline remarked.

“Go away,” he snarled.

But his sister simply laughed. “I’ve forgotten how cranky you are in the morning. Now listen, Lydia has had the rose colored bedroom prepared for you and Juliet. Do please use it, darling, as Gosling’s real governess has need of these quarters. And in said rose colored bedroom, I’ve several new gowns that have been pressed and are awaiting Juliet’s approval. I kept her measurements from when we ordered those awful serviceable things she’s been wearing.”

He didn’t think she’d even stopped to take a breath yet.  “Caroline—”

“Anyway,” she continued as if she hadn’t even heard him, “go to your new room, let Juliet pick out something pretty to wear, and then come down to the breakfast room. Everyone is there waiting for you.”

Luke paused a minute, to make sure she was done speaking. Then he shook his head. “Is a little bit of privacy too much to ask?”

She smiled sweetly at him. “Apparently so. Rose colored bedroom, new clothes, breakfast room. We’re all waiting.”

Luke shut the door in her face and turned back around to find Juliet sitting up, her chestnut curls tumbling over her shoulder and her big, brown eyes watching him. “Was that Caroline?”

“Unfortunately—” Luke caressed her soft cheek with his hand— “I’m not ready to relinquish you to the world yet, my beautiful wife.”

A blush settled on her cheeks and she shyly bit her bottom lip. “But they’re waiting for us.”

“Hmm,” he agreed as he stripped the counterpane off her. She was gorgeous, lying there naked before him, and he grinned wolfishly. “They’ll just have to keep waiting.”

By the time they finally entered the breakfast room, everyone else appeared to have finished their meal. Robert met Luke’s eyes with raised brows. Then with a sly grin, his brother began clapping and the rest of the table joined in. For the second time that day Juliet’s cheeks were delightfully flushed. For a brief moment, Luke considered whisking his wife back to their new bedroom.

“My dear,” Robert began, “my brother stole you away from us so quickly last night that we didn’t get the chance to welcome you to the family.”

“I welcomed her,” Luke responded unrepentantly, as he held out a chair for Juliet at the far end of the table. When she sat, he squeezed her shoulders and then took the spot next to her, never removing his eyes from his wife.     

Caroline cleared her throat. “Be that as it may, darling, we have much to discuss.”

“Oh, and what is the topic of the day?” Luke asked, as a footman served him a cup of coffee.

“Where we go from here,” Robert answered. “St. Claire says his father is in Dorset, and he is certain that he’ll be arriving sometime today.”

“Yes,” Hugh added, “and I spotted one of his men outside Gosling Park’s walls last night when Susan and I arrived.”

“Let him come,” Luke replied airily. “Juliet is my wife. He can’t touch her now.”

“This is a serious situation, Luke,” Robert said, his voice heavy with meaning. “You can’t play around like you have in the past.”

“He and Aunt Jane leave very soon, in fact. So,” his sister gushed, “Olivia is coming to stay with Staveley and me for the foreseeable future.” Robert grumbled something that Luke couldn’t hear, but apparently his sister did because she shot their older brother an incredulous look. “Well of course Livvie wants to stay with me. You, Robert, are my brother and I adore you—but you are a bit stodgy and boring.  A girl Livvie’s age should be in London, with someone exciting. Someone like me.”

“Aunt Jane must be out of her mind,” Robert mumbled.

Caroline chose to ignore that comment and focused on Luke. “But the good news for you, darling, is that Aunt Jane can send elephant tusks back by the crateful.”

Juliet stiffened in her seat, so Luke squeezed her hand to reassure that she was safe. Then he stood up and winked at her. “It’ll be all right, princess. After everything, I’m not about to lose you.”