His Reluctant Lady (10 page)

“
Not as much as my friend
Lord Edon does. You and Lord Edon are pretty close, aren’t you? I
noticed the
Tittletattle
used to feature him on a regular basis. I didn’t
think about it until after the
Tittletattle
was circulating through
White’s today, but it’s strange how he wasn’t featured after he got
married.”

“
Yes, well, his
father-in-law insisted he be worthy of Lady Catherine.”

“
Ah, that explains it,” he
replied. “Have you and Lord Edon been lovers?”

“
Good heavens, no. I have no
desire to be with any gentleman that way.”

“
But you’re a widow. Surely,
you spent time in bed with your husband.”

“
Yes, and that was enough to
know my bed is no place for a gentleman.”

“
So you didn’t enjoy
it?”

Her countenance hardened as she lowered
her gaze. “I hated it.”

“
Why? What did your husband
do?” he softly asked.

“
Does it matter?”

“
Immensely, since I’m to be
your next husband.”

“
If you wished to spare me
any grief, you’ll find your pleasure with a mistress instead of
me.”

With a sigh, he cupped the side of her
face with one of his hands and tilted her head so she was looking
at him. “I don’t know the details of what he did or didn’t do, but
I assure you that you’ll find pleasure with me.”

He kissed her, his lips
gentle, sending a promise she knew he couldn’t keep. It wasn’t
called a wife’s
duty
for nothing. And now she’d have to endure it with a gentleman
who probably wouldn’t have a fatal accident.

He brushed her cheek then stepped back.
“I’ll take my leave.” Reaching behind her back, he took her hand in
his and kissed it. “Now that we’re engaged, I want you to call me
Christopher. What should I call you?”

“
Agatha.”

“
Good because that sounds
much better than Gerard.”

Despite the grim situation, a slight
smile crossed her lips.

“
It’s nice to know the lady
has a sense of humor.” He kissed her hand again. “Until we see each
other again, my dear Agatha.”

After he left, she released a shaky
breath and headed over to her desk. She thought of pulling out her
story to continue working on it, but she’d never be able to focus
on it. She went over to the window and saw Christopher walking down
the street. He looked immensely satisfied and she had to admit he
was very clever. In the future, she wouldn’t make the mistake of
underestimating him again.

***

On the evening Agatha was due to attend
Lord Clement’s party, her stomach twisted into a bunch of knots.
Despite the breeze drifting in through the carriage windows, she
was unbearably warm. Knowing she’d have to face Christopher, who’d
undoubtedly announce their engagement, didn’t make things any
better. She was about to become a married lady for a second time,
and she wasn’t looking forward to it one bit. But what choice did
she have? Lose her reputation to a scandal or lose her freedom to a
gentleman?

Her carriage stopped in front of
Sophie’s townhouse, and she waited for the footman to bring her
sister to the carriage before she put a pleasant smile on her face.
“How are you this evening, Sophie?”

“
All right.”

“
You don’t sound
excited.”

Sophie shrugged as she examined her
gloves. “There’s not much to get excited about.”

“
I assure you this dinner
party will be exciting.” At least it would be once Christopher made
his announcement. She studied her sister, wondering if she should
tell her. If she did, maybe Sophie wouldn’t feel so bad about
marrying a gentleman she found no real interest in. “As it turns
out, I,” she swallowed the bitter lump in her throat, “accepted
Mister Robinson’s proposal.” That was harder to say than she
thought it’d be.

Her sister gasped and leaned toward
her. “You didn’t?”

With a slight grimace she hoped her
sister didn’t see, she said, “I did.”

“
But why? I thought you
detested him.”

“
I don’t detest him. I’m
just not fond of him.”

“
So why are you marrying
him?”

She sighed, knowing full well she
couldn’t tell her sister the truth. “I thought I’d practice what I
preach. Marriage isn’t exciting but it can be practical. Every
gentleman needs an heir, or at least a son to pass on his name. He
can’t exactly do that with a mistress.”

“
But what about the wife?
What benefit does she get from it?”

“
Well, if she has no money,
then ideally she gets that. A titled gentleman will offer her a
title as well.”

“
But Mister Robinson doesn’t
have as much money as us or a title. What benefit do you get from
marrying him when you could marry another gentleman?”

Agatha thought over the
question. The truth was, there was no benefit in it for her. Not
really. Christopher was likely to forbid her from writing for
the
Tittletattle
and if he found out about her stories, he’d likely put a stop
to those as well. But if she didn’t have her reputation, then what
good was she? Finally, she said, “I get to be close to my sister.
You’ll marry Lord Clement and since he’s Mister Robinson’s
guardian, we’ll see each other often.”

“
You’re marrying him because
you want me to marry Lord Clement?”

“
Lord Clement is an
excellent gentleman.”

“
Then why don’t you marry
him? I’d rather marry his ward. At least his ward is
interesting.”

“
I can’t make that switch,”
Agatha said, even though she’d love to at this point. “I gave my
word to Mister Robinson. Now, I must follow through.” No matter how
painful that would be.

Sophie groaned. “This isn’t fair. Must
I marry Lord Clement if he asks for my hand?”

The carriage came to a stop and Agatha
straightened in the seat. “Yes. You asked for my help and I’m
giving it. Now, that’s enough talk about this. We both have our
burdens to bear, but at least yours won’t be as heavy as
mine.”

The footman opened the door and Agatha
peered up at Lord Clement’s townhouse. It was as impressive as she
remembered. Her sister would do very well with him. She glanced at
her and motioned for her to smile. After her sister did, she
stepped out of the carriage.

Chapter Nine

“
I have an important
announcement to make,” Christopher said as Agatha and Sophie
entered the drawing room.

Agatha hesitated to step further into
the room. Lord and Lady Roderick, Ethan and his wife, and Lord
Clement looked over at Christopher who rose to his feet and walked
over to her. She shifted uncomfortably from one foot to another.
Did he really have to do this right now?

Christopher stood proudly beside her
and, with a smile that couldn’t be wider, said, “Agatha has
accepted my proposal. Soon, she will be my wife.”

Lord Clement visibly relaxed. “I
thought he was going to tell us he got into some kind of
trouble.”

“
Come now, cousin,”
Christopher replied. “I do some things right.”

“
And you’re getting married
to a reputable young lady. That’s even better. Congratulations,
Christopher.” Turning his attention to Agatha, he added, “I’d ask
what mischief my ward conjured up to accomplish such a feat, but
I’m probably better off not knowing. At any rate, please call me
Perry.”

“
Very well, Perry,” Agatha
replied, hoping she sounded pleasant enough in front of everyone.
She wondered if Christopher announced the engagement so she
couldn’t back out of it? Knowing him, he probably would do
something underhanded like that.

“
Please sit.” Perry motioned
to the remaining chairs in the room.

Sophie glanced around the room and sat
between Perry and Lady Roderick, leaving a settee as the only place
to sit.

Agatha went over to it, Christopher
settling next to her. She glanced at Ethan who stared at her as if
he couldn’t believe his ears. She offered him a shrug. What could
she say? Unless she found a moment alone to confide in him, she
couldn’t explain why she decided to marry Christopher.

“
If Christopher gives you
any trouble, just have him clean out the stalls,” Lord Roderick
said. “Or better yet, the chamber pots.”

Christopher’s face grew red from
embarrassment. “Must you always bring that up?”

Lord Roderick chuckled. “Well, it was
the only way to get you to behave.”

Lady Roderick tapped her husband on the
arm. “Do you really think it’s appropriate to say that with
everyone here?”

“
Thank you, my lady,”
Christopher told her. “Once again, my lord, your wife proves to be
your sole redeeming quality.”

Agatha glanced at Ethan but realized he
couldn’t explain what their conversation was about. Not that it
mattered. She didn’t care why Christopher had to clean out stalls
or chamber pots, though considering what kind of person he was, she
supposed he’d do just about anything.

“
All right,” Perry
interrupted. “Let’s keep things pleasant, shall we?”

“
You’re right, Perry,” Lady
Roderick replied then smiled at Sophie and Agatha. “If we are to
become better acquainted, it’s only fair we refer to each other by
our first names. I’m Claire and this is my husband,
Nate.”

Though Christopher had already said her
name, Agatha felt the need to say something in response. “I’m
Agatha and that’s Sophie.”

Ethan cleared his throat and gestured
to his wife. “And this is Catherine. I don’t believe you’ve met
her, Sophie.”

“
No, I haven’t had the
pleasure,” Sophie replied, offering Catherine a smile.

A long moment of silence passed between
the couples before Christopher spoke up. “Agatha and I will be
married within a month.”

She tried not to grimace. That soon?
For some reason, she thought he might want to be engaged for a
while, if for no other reason than to practice how to handle
lovemaking by seeking the services of a lady of ill
repute.

“
You don’t waste any time
when you set your mind to something, do you?” Perry
asked.

“
Why should I wait?”
Christopher asked, winking at Agatha. “My life will only improve
once Agatha is my bride.”

“
A good lady can do wonders
for a gentleman,” his guardian replied.

Agatha wondered if Perry was thinking
of Sophie when he said that. The two made a handsome couple. Yes,
she knew how to match up the right people. Pleased with herself,
she took comfort in knowing she had secured her sister’s
future.

The butler came into the drawing room
and announced dinner was ready. Relieved, Agatha jumped up from the
settee. Soon enough, the evening would be over.

***

After the meal, Agatha
joined the ladies in the drawing room. She kept thinking of the way
she was wasting time at a dinner party when she should be at home
writing her story. There was no chance of submitting it to a
publisher as long as it remained unfinished. She wondered if
Christopher would be one of those gentlemen who spent their time
away from home. If so, then she shouldn’t have trouble writing, but
if he insisted on being as attentive as he’d been so far, then she
was going to be in a real bind. She didn’t dare tell him she wrote
gothic horror. It was bad enough he knew she wrote for the
Tittletattle
.

“
Agatha?” Breaking out of
her thoughts, she turned her attention to Claire who was looking at
her, seeming concerned. “Are you feeling all right?”

“
She’s probably still in
shock she’s marrying Christopher,” Sophie teased.

“
He’s not as bad as my
husband makes him out to be,” Claire said. “True, he has a
mischievous streak in him, but deep down, he’s a good
gentleman.”

“
How well do you know him?”
Catherine asked, straightening in her chair in interest.

Claire shrugged. “I don’t know him all
that well. It’s just that when I was first married, he was one of
the few people who tried to help me.”

“
Help you do
what?”

By now, everyone was watching Claire in
interest.

She cleared her throat. “If I tell you,
then it stays in this room. I don’t need my husband finding out I
told everyone about it.”

Sophie’s eyes lit up in excitement.
“This must be good!”

“
Sophie, show some
restraint,” Agatha admonished.

Sophie groaned. “This is the most
interesting thing that’s happened tonight.”

“
I don’t mind saying what
happened,” Claire said. “As long as it stays in this
room?”

Agatha knew better than to
let another bit of gossip that involved Christopher into the
Tittletattle
, so she had
no problem agreeing with the others that she’d remain quiet.
Besides, a part of her was curious about Christopher and what
possible mischief he’d been up to with Claire.