The Redemption of a Dissolute Earl (11 page)

Charlotte tensed beside him, her hand
gripping his. “I’m not too late, am I?”

Brightson shook his head. “I should say not.
Pardon me, Miss Milne, but if you remember, your father never goes
to bed until he’s positive His Grace is asleep.”

Charlotte’s eyes became two slits of fiery
green. “Then I should think the duke would be considerate enough to
retire early, given my father’s condition and knowing how he will
fail to succumb to sleep until
His Grace’s
head hits the
pillow.”

Drew studied Brightson. The man looked
positively lost. His brow was furrowed, his head titled in
question. At the rate Charlotte’s temper was rising, she’d be
screaming in a moment, and Drew had no desire to chance his father
being woken. Tomorrow was soon enough to tell his sire to go to
hell.

“We’ll just show ourselves to Mr. Milne’s
quarters.” Drew pressed his hand behind Charlotte’s back to guide
her towards the servants’ stairs.

“Milne isn’t in his quarters, sir. He’s with
the duke in the study.”

Charlotte whirled around to face Brightson.
“Do you mean to tell me my father is up out of bed in his
condition?”

The footman’s frown deepened until three
crevices formed between his eyebrows. “The duke demanded his
presence, so your father complied.”

Charlotte was halfway down the hall to the
study before Drew caught up with her. She jumped when he touched
her lightly on the back. Her gaze cut to him, but her step did not
falter. The slapping of her slippers against the marble tile echoed
in the long corridor. “I’m going to take my father away from this
place and see he never has to work another day in his life. I won’t
stay here a single minute under the same roof with your uncaring
family.”

Drew pressed his lips together. He knew
better than to argue the point with her when she was so hurt, so
angry. Hell, he didn’t blame her. How could his grandfather be so
selfish as to demand a man on death’s door drag himself out of bed
to attend whatever need Grandfather thought could not wait?

Drew frowned. It was unlike the old goat to
be uncaring.
Harsh, yes
.
Demanding, absolutely
.
Especially to his own blood, but Drew had witnessed firsthand how
Grandfather had always treated his servants with respect, dignity,
and a measure of caring, as if he were responsible for his staff
members’ well-being.

Why then did he not treat the one servant
Drew was sure he respected the most with the same regard? Was it
because he somehow blamed Milne for Drew’s disappearance for the
last year? Drew would have to set his grandfather straight.

He raised his hand to knock on Grandfather’s
study door, but Char had other ideas. She slung the door open and
charged right into the room, and Drew was not about to try and stop
the woman—whose trust he had just won back—from doing exactly as
she pleased.

Charlotte was prepared for battle and to
give the Duke of Danby a set-down the likes of which she doubted he
had ever endured. She was not, however, prepared for the sight of
her father lounged in a leather chair, cheeks rosy, eyes glowing, a
glass of―from the amber color―whiskey clutched in his hand and the
Duke of Danby doubled over in laughter in the chair beside her
father.

“Father!” Charlotte gasped, too shocked to
form any other words.

“Grandfather,” Drew said sharply beside
her.

The duke shot up faster than she had ever
seen him move, his whiskey splashing over the side of his glass and
onto his Hessians.

Her father jumped out of his chair, set his
own glass down, and whipped out a handkerchief, which he promptly
used to clean off the duke’s shoes. “No harm, Your Grace,” her
father assured the duke.

The duke waved a hand for her father to
stand. “Milne, I’ve told you before, there’s no need for such
extreme mothering.”

The tips of her father’s ears reddened.
“Charlotte.” He came towards her and embraced her in a hug. Her
arms circled his waist, and she held on tightly, afraid she was
dreaming and her father was truly not the picture of perfect health
that she was seeing. “Father,” she murmured against his chest. “I
thought you were terribly ill.”

Her father gave her a reassuring hug then
pulled back from her. “As you can see, I’m perfectly healthy.”

“Yes, I see,” Charlotte mumbled, turning to
eye the duke. “Your Grace, your letter said—”

“That your father was ill,” the duke
finished and rose from his chair. Charlotte had to look up to see
his face. Even at his ripened age, the duke was still an imposing
figure.

“I do apologize for the worry my letter must
have caused you, Miss Milne, but it was the only way your father
and I could think to get you home.”

“What?” she and Drew spoke in unison.

The duke motioned to Drew. “Come here,
Hardwick,” the duke commanded, calling Drew by his more formal
title. “I want to make sure you’ve truly changed, as your cousin
seems to think, before I allow you to marry Miss Milne. Assuming
you’ve already had the good sense to ask for her hand once
again.”

“My cousin?” Drew muttered. “
Which
cousin
?”

Lord Edgeworth moved out of the shadow of
the doorway and into the glowing light of the study. “That’d be
me.”

Charlotte looked from her father to the
duke. “I don’t understand.”

“I’ll second that sentiment,” Drew said,
putting his arm around her and drawing her close.

The duke smiled. “I can see you’ve changed,
grandson. Last time I saw you, you would have jumped to do my
bidding. I’m pleased to see you’ve finally become the man I
suspected you could be.”

“Thank you,” Drew said, squeezing
Charlotte’s waist.

“And you, Miss Milne, I saw you several
times at the theatre, and now up close I can see even clearer that
you’re strong enough to be part of this family and to stand up to
Hardwick’s boorish father.”

Charlotte gaped at the duke for a moment
before her head cleared enough to actually speak. “You mean you
want
me to marry Drew?”

The duke came to her and took one of her
hands. “My dear, I want nothing more. Had I been here and not
abroad when my son made such a mess of your lives, I would have put
a stop to the fool’s meddling. As it was, you were both gone and
all the damage done by the time I returned. It took me awhile to
locate you both. And I couldn’t have done it without Edgeworth’s
help. You both owe him a great debt.”

Charlotte smiled at Lord Edgeworth. “It
seems I truly did misjudge you.”

“Don’t fret, Charlotte. May I call you
Charlotte, since we’ll soon be related?”

She quickly nodded, pleased that it didn’t
seem to bother Drew’s cousin or grandfather in the least that they
would soon be related to a butler’s daughter.

“I’ve been misjudged before, and I suspect
I’ll be misjudged again.”

Drew stepped towards his cousin. “Have you
been spying on Charlotte and me this entire year and sending
reports back to Grandfather?”

“See what I mean?” Lord Edgeworth asked
nudging Charlotte. “I’m being misjudged again. Spying is such a
nasty
word, Drew. When I finally located you, and in turn
your illustrious soon-to-be wife, I superbly watched over you
and
kept an eye on her while biding my time until you got
your head out of the bottle. I should have known we’d have to
concoct a plan to come fetch you. Lucky for you I came when I
did.”

Drew snorted. “I’m not sure I would call
your self-declared guardianship role superb. Charlotte almost
married another man.”

Lord Edgeworth shrugged. “Entirely your
fault. I cannot be everywhere at once. I do have my own life, sad
as it may be, to live. Appearances to keep and so forth. Some
things
did
slip by me.”

“Say,” Drew growled at Lord Edgeworth. “Did
you know Charlotte had not married Salisbury?”

“Of course,” Lord Edgeworth replied.

Drew’s eyes narrowed. “I should punch you
for allowing me to believe she had married Salisbury.”

“You should thank me. You too,
Charlotte.”

“Me?”

Lord Edgeworth nodded. “I doubt Drew will
ever fail you again after having truly believed he lost you because
of his own foolhardiness.”

“That’s true,” Drew said simply. “Thank you,
I suppose. But it’s funny that you of all people saw fit to teach
me a lesson on love and loss.”

“Not so funny as you’d think,” Lord
Edgeworth murmured.

Charlotte glanced sharply at Lord Edgeworth.
There it was again―that hint of something more beneath the man’s
indifferent or rather rakish attitude. He cared about something
greatly, and she suspected that something was a woman.

“Someone ought to inform Miss Marchinson
that Salisbury is not married after all,” Drew said.

“I told her when we saw her home.”

“Seems you thought of everything.”

Lord Edgeworth winked at Charlotte. “I’m a
good dog. All I did was take commands from grandfather and
Milne.”

Charlotte sincerely doubted that was all
Lord Edgeworth did, but she let his self-effacing comment pass and
instead turned an accusing eye toward Lord Edgeworth, then her
father and lastly the duke. “You three worried me sick.” She faced
her father, with her hands on her hips. “Could you have thought of
something less dramatic to bring me to heel besides telling me you
were
dying
?”

“We did try to think of something else…” Her
father trailed off looking sheepish.

“But nothing came to mind,” the duke
inserted and pressed a piece of paper into Drew’s hand.

“What’s this?” Drew opened the paper, a slow
smile spreading across his face. “Grandfather, you’re brilliant,
but who will marry us?”

Charlotte took the paper Drew handed her,
her breath catching at the special marriage license the duke had
somehow procured. It was really going to happen. Soon she would be
Drew’s wife.

“Henry!” the duke bellowed.

Charlotte jumped at the unusual outburst
from the usually reserved man. A loud clomping grew near, and Vicar
Whitton came rushing into the room, bible in hand, hair disheveled
and shirttail hanging out.

The duke waved an impatient hand. “Hurry,
man. They’re both here, and I’m ready for bed. Marry them at
once.”

“Now?” Charlotte gasped, her hands going to
her disheveled hair then down to tidy the rumpled material of her
gown. “We can’t. I mean to say…” Charlotte looked at Drew. “I look
a fright.”

Drew took her hands and turned his back to
the gathered group of men. “You’re the most beautiful creature I’ve
ever beheld, but if it pleases you to wait, then I’ll wait until
you have picked the perfect dress, the perfect flowers, the perfect
night. Though—” his mouth came to her ear— “if we’re married
tonight, I can good and truly break my promise not to touch you.
I’ll break it slowly. Over and over and over again.
All night
long
.
Wherever
you desire my hands.”

Heat flooded every part of Charlotte’s body.
She turned to gaze at her father. “We’ll marry tonight, if it
pleases you?”

He came to her and kissed her cheek. “If
it’s what you want and it will make you happy, nothing will please
me more.”

“It is and it will and I love you.” She
kissed her father’s soft cheek then turned to Drew. “I’m ready.”
She smiled brightly, her heart beating a rapid tattoo. This was not
the wedding she had imagined―it was better. She had never thought
to have the blessing of Drew’s grandfather and cousin.

“Can you give me a few minutes?” Drew
surprised her by asking.

He had to be joking. “A minute for…?”

“I need to see my father first.”

Fear of repeating the past settled around
her like an unwelcome blanket on a hot summer night, but she would
not show Drew her fear. She did not want him to think that she did
not believe in him. Instead she said quietly, “He’ll never
approve.”

Drew pulled her toward the door, and once
there he took her hands in his and turned her toward him. She could
practically feel the duke, Lord Edgeworth, and her father straining
to hear. “You misunderstand, Char. I don’t seek his approval. I
don’t need it. I want him to apologize to you.”

She had assumed it was not possible to be
any happier than she was at the moment she had realized Drew really
meant he loved her and would marry her no matter what, but she had
been wrong. Her heart ached with the new happiness infusing it. “I
love you, Drew,” she whispered and kissed him lightly on the
cheek.

“I’m counting on that, my dear. I suspect I
will infuriate you many times in our life.”

“I suspect I’ll do the same, but we’ll
muddle through.”

“I couldn’t ask for anything more. I’ll be
back in a moment,” Drew called as he strode out the door.