The Complicated Earl (30 page)

             
Isabelle did not say anything to Mr Beckett about releasing Tom, it would not achieve anything. She wanted to leave Bath now anyway, she would probably return to Hampshire with Mary and James. For the first time in her life she would be glad to withdraw from the hustle and bustle of City life.

Chapter 22

              Isabelle had returned to her bed as dusk fell. She had eaten from a tray, not feeling quite ready to go downstairs. It was not her ordeal that prevented her, more that she did not want to start the discussions on what was going to happen to her in the future, now she had released Tom. She hoped James and Mary would understand, but her sense of loss made her reluctant to start the conversation quite yet.

             
A sharp knock interrupted her musings and on her acknowledgement of the knock, she was stunned when Tom walked in the room and closed the door firmly behind him, turning the key.

“What is this nonsense I hear that you have been telling your brother?” He demanded walking over to the dressing room, closing and locking that door.

              “It is only what I told you.” Isabelle replied, still surprised to see him. “Tom, what on earth are you doing?”

             
“I am making sure that there will be no interruptions, no diversions, nothing until I have brought you to your senses! I took your words to be the ramblings of a drugged woman.”

             
Isabelle stiffened. “I knew perfectly well what I was saying and I would appreciate that you took me at my word, you know my reasoning to be sound.”

             
“I know your reasoning to be nothing of the sort after today,” Tom snapped. “Of all the fuddle-brained ideas you have had Isabelle, this has to be the worst.”

             
“I beg your pardon?” Isabelle snapped. “I was doing the honourable thing, releasing you from a marriage you must no longer want because of what Mr Ollerton did with your mother. I do not want you reminded of that every time you look at me.”

             
“Why on earth would I do that, do you think me so damaged?” Tom asked incredulously.

             
“Well, it kept you from marrying because of it, so some damage was done,” Isabelle pointed out reasonably.

             
“I think it did in the beginning, that and seeing how shallow everyone in the
ton
could be.” Tom conceded. “But then this baggage of a girl burst into my life and challenged, instead of fawned, ridiculed instead of pandered and made me stand up and take notice.”

             
“And you took great pains to push her away,” Isabelle could not resist adding.

             
“Yes, I was a complete fool, but then I realised what I had done, that I had pushed away the delight of my life and had to announce that I had compromised her to get her to agree to marry me, for she has long been the most important person to me.”

             
“Oh?” This was such a turnaround of events that Isabelle could not think coherently.

             
“Oh? Yes, and then she announces that she releases me from my obligations! The foolish girl is determined to be as awkward as I was idiotic,” Tom paused.

             
“I thought you had gone, there has been no sign of you all day,” Isabelle said a little defensively.

             
“I had seen that you were well and was reeling from your announcement. I went to bathe and to think how I could resolve this once and for all,” He said approaching the bed.

             
The gleam in his eyes, gave Isabelle pause. She did not feel frightened, but she moved across the bed, away from Tom. “And what did you decide?”

             
“I decided that I would have to do the one thing that would tie you to me forever,” Tom said, reaching for her hand and pulling her off the bed and into his arms.

             
“What’s that?” Isabelle asked, her heart racing.

             
“I would have to compromise you before our wedding of course,” Tom growled, before kissing her.

             
Isabelle pulled away, “My family already thinks you have compromised me,” she said weakly, the effects of his kiss going straight to her knees.

             
“Yes, but I haven’t really compromised you beyond kisses, so I’ve decided that I need to make you mine completely. I want your heart and soul Isabelle because you have mine. I don’t want to be faced by a situation of having to consider a world in which you aren’t mine, as I did when I saw Ollerton pointing the gun at you. Do you know what thought kept running through my mind?”

             
“No, what?” Isabelle was feeling overwhelmed at his words.

             
“I kept thinking that I had to reach you to tell you that I loved you. If any harm had come to you,” Tom broke off and rested his head against hers. “If anything had happened to you, you would have died not knowing how much I loved you, how much I need you and that I want to spend my life with you, not because I have compromised you, but because you are the only woman in this world who I want to wake up to every morning and go to sleep every night with after making wild passionate love for as long as I breathe.”

             
Isabelle reached up and cupped his cheek with her hand. “I didn’t know, I didn’t realise.”

             
“I know you didn’t and I suppose I didn’t realise for a long time. When I thought you were going to marry that clergyman in Hampshire, I suddenly realised what a fool I had been, but I acted in the worse possible way. I had to get you to marry me and thankfully you agreed, but I cannot start our married life without you knowing just how much you mean to me. I expect nothing in return.”

             
Isabelle laughed. “We are a pair aren’t we?” she chuckled. “Tom, I have loved you for so long, I have forgotten what it feels like not to be in love with you. You are the only man I could ever marry. There is no need to compromise me, I will marry you.”

             
“Ah, but maybe I should compromise you just to be certain,” Tom whispered, nibbling her ear. “I don’t want you changing your mind again.” He dropped kisses along her neck, smiling when she moaned.

             
“Well if you insist,” she murmured. “Perhaps is would be better to be safe than sorry.”

             
Tom let out a deep chuckle and pushed Isabelle back onto the bed. “I insist,” he said between kisses and proceeded to give the love of his life the most pleasure she had ever felt before.

Epilogue

              Tom ran up the stairs. He had returned home earlier than expected and had been told the family were still above stairs. He could hear laughter coming from his wife’s bedroom and was pulled in that direction. They had settled in Kent immediately after the wedding, they had both been eager to leave Bath and start married life together undisturbed by anyone else.

             
That happy event had taken place over six years ago, they spent little time in London, although Sophie came down to visit regularly with her growing family and James and Mary visited often. Isabelle and Frank had never quite healed the rift and although he wondered sometimes if he should have tried to persuade Isabelle more, she was strong-minded and although very loving, could not really forget the hurtful words her brother had said.

             
Tom arrived outside the door, he could hear laughter in the room beyond and it reminded him of that fateful day so long ago. He paused and listened, the laughter had floated down the stairs and had drawn him upstairs, just as his mother’s laughter had done. That action had sent him on a journey that had almost cost him the woman and life he loved. Thankfully the ghost of that day was well and truly buried. He pushed open the door and walked in.

             
He was greeted with exclamations of surprise. The twins, Hugh and Thomas, were running around the bed, waving swords and immediately turned on their father the moment they saw him. Young James sat on the bed clapping with glee as his father picked up his younger brothers and threw them onto the end of the bed, relieving them of their swords as he did so. Baby Sophie gurgled happily in her mother’s arms, oblivious to the commotion around her, while Isabelle laughed at the chaos.

             
“My Lord, your timing is welcomed, we were about to be taken prisoner, by these two pirates,” Isabelle explained, as Tom kept the boys in check by tickling them every time they moved.

             
“Pirates eh? In my house? I shall have to set the dogs on them,” Tom growled at the boys. These words ensured more squeals as the boys looked around for their father’s pedigree hunting dogs, who had decided on the birth of the children that it was far more fun playing with young boys than running through the bushes, chasing birds. Tom had despaired because of the amount of money he had spent on the dogs, but Isabelle had laughed and scolded him.

             
The twins jumped off the bed and ran out of the room to find the dogs. James was picked up and tickled and cuddled until he indicated that his brothers company was more preferable to his father’s. The squeals and shouts sounded far more interesting. Tom handed his fickle son to the nursemaid, who followed the direction of the noise. Tom turned to his daughter.

             
“Now my beauty, you still prefer your Papa, do you not?” he bent to kiss her nose. The baby laughed and grabbed at his face.

             
“She will not prefer you when you are chasing suitors off the land,” Isabelle replied with a smile.

             
“As long as she picks someone who is worthy of her, I will chase no-one,” Tom replied, gazing at his daughter.

             
“God help her, she is destined to be a spinster!” Isabelle groaned. Sophie’s nursemaid entered the room and Tom handed over his daughter. He came and joined Isabelle reclining on the bed, kissing her before taking her into his arms.

             
Isabelle snuggled into his chest, never liking being any distance away from him. “Was it a successful trip?”

             
“Yes.” Tom had been away from home for two days. “You were right about this room.”

             
Isabelle smiled and snuggled deeper, remembering how Tom had not wanted her to take this room as her bedchamber. It had held too many bad memories for him, he had asked her to pick any other room, or to reconfigure the bedrooms to her liking. Isabelle had refused, she had liked the position of the room, but the real reason had been that she had not wanted the ghost of Tom’s mother to hang over their marriage. She had been determined that the follies of that woman were not going to impact on her married life like they had on her courtship, so had insisted that this was the room for her.

             
It had soon become their room, Tom hardly using his own bedchamber for more than dressing and bathing in and the ghosts had seemed to disappear. He had not mentioned his mother’s infidelities in an age and Isabelle wondered what had stirred them up.

             
“What makes you say that?”

             
“I was reminded of my mother when I stood outside the door and heard the laughter today,” he explained.

             
Isabelle lifted her head from his chest and looked into his eyes. “Surely you did not....?”

             
Tom laughed. “With the squeals and shouts that accompanied the laughter, goodness no!” Tom was certain of Isabelle’s adoration, he had no doubts she would ever be unfaithful.

             
“I’m glad to hear that!” Isabelle responded tartly.

             
Tom kissed his fiery wife, thankful he had not married a doormat. “No, I meant that I was reminded because the difference was so marked. I was never welcome in my mother’s bedchamber because of what she was doing, but she was cold as a mother too. My father was rarely welcomed into the room. The difference is that my children are all sure of a warm welcome in whatever room they venture, oh I know they are sent to the nursery, as is right and proper, but they will grow knowing they are loved and it is thanks to you.”

             
“It is thanks to us both,” Isabelle insisted. She had limited experience of how a father should or should not behave, but Tom was an excellent one, he was loving, but firm when needed. Even though they were young, the children respected him and responded to him so well.

             
“If I’d have thought that this house could feel as happy as it does now, I would have married years earlier,” Tom teased.

             
“Even your purse could not have stood the amount of children that would have produced,” Isabelle said with a twinkle in her eye.

             
“Talking of which, isn’t it about time Sophie had a sister? Or if not I think we had better practice for when it is time,” Tom said nibbling Isabelle’s neck.

             
“Oh Tom,” came the willing moan.