The Bridal Contract (Darrington family Book 3) (7 page)

“Oh?” Her heartbeat rushed hard through her veins. She followed him to the settee then handed Daniela the doll before seating herself. Oliver rested beside her, entirely too close. His leg nearly touched hers. “I’m anxious to hear.”

“First, have you saved your sister from her fate yet?” His expression suggested she couldn’t have achieved such a goal by herself.

She quelled the urge to make a face. Of course she couldn’t save her sister. Drat the man for knowing her too well. “No. I did meet with Lord Everly this morning, but beyond Charles suddenly procuring an indecent amount of funds within a few weeks, he’s unwilling to release Helen from my brother’s promise.” Saying it out loud made the predicament all too real. Her stomach churned. She blinked away the tears stinging her eyes. “I can’t help but think I’ve failed her.”

“Then what I have to say will put you to rights again.” Oliver’s grin widened. “I’m aware this will come as a shock, but as we’re both in mutual need and time is of the essence, this is the best solution.”

“Yes, and?” Why wouldn’t he just get to it? Awareness raced over her skin. The heat of his body seeped into hers. It would have been pleasant had she not been in such a brown study.

“Miss Hawthorne, will you marry me?” Amusement danced in his blue eyes.

“I… I beg your pardon?” Flutters filled her belly and her pulse grew erratic. She stared at him, feeling very much the simpleton. “Did I hear you correctly?” He must be mad to propose. She forced down a swallow. “Are you quite well?” She’d had only one other proposal, and that had come from Peter on the night she’d given herself to him before he left to fight for England. His proposal hadn’t made her head swim or made tingles to play her spine. His proposal had been nice, and gentle and comfortable, almost expected since they’d courted for years before that.

“Hear me out.” Oliver turned to her and his knee crashed into hers. A jolt of sensation sprang up her leg and embedded itself between her thighs. “It’s maddening when you look at it on the surface. However, I can secure the coin you’ll need to free your sister.”

Her jaw hung open. She closed it with a snap as her eyebrows rose. “What…?” She trailed off, scarcely knowing what question to ask from the many clouding her brain. “What do you gain from the bargain?” It was a good inquiry as any.

“Honestly?”

She nodded. “If this will be a strictly business arrangement, for I think that would be the best policy.” Though how crass it was to throw an engagement into a business proposition.

“My mother is good at one thing: bedeviling her children into marriage. She’ll stop at nothing until we’re all wed and have begun propagating the species. Probably won’t quit nagging even then until we’ve produced a handful of brats. One or two won’t be enough for her.” A trace of bitterness infused the words. “So, what I gain is the temporary reprieve from my mother’s machinations. For all intents and purposes, you and I will enter into an engagement.”

“I see. Will we need to do the pretty and act as a happy couple?” Could one pretend well enough to fool someone as intelligent as Mrs. Darrington? Eloisa had heard the woman was as determined as anyone in setting up her legacy.

“If the occasion calls for it.” Oliver shook his head at Daniela when she would have pulled her skirt up. “A handhold here, a stately peck on the cheek there. Making use of an endearment or two around various family members or anyone else.”

Eloisa chewed her bottom lip. “When will you present the funds to Lord Everly?”

“At the end of the contracted period.” Despite the humor in his eyes, his expression drifted into hard lines. “After all, we don’t know each other well, and how do I know you won’t leave Brighton after the money changes hands, leaving me without your end of the bargain fulfilled?

Ah, now there was the cool attitude of the viscount she’d wondered at. A thrill went down her spine. “Very shrewd. How long will the contract last?”

“Thirty days should be enough time to trick my mother. Plus, we’ll need to distract Lord Everly somehow. Mayhap we can secure all of this before then, I have no idea. No doubt there will be events you and I will need to attend to show we’re in earnest.” His grin returned and banished the serious expression of before. “Plus, it’s enough time to let Lord Everly assume he’s got Helen in hand. The payoff will be a nice little coup and make him sputter.”

She studied him for long moments. It would solve her immediate problems, this was true. Helen would be free. Charles would have no debt—at least to Everly. Oliver would keep his meddling mother at bay. “And afterward? What do we do then?”

“I suppose we’ll go back to being neighbors until such time that my ship’s repairs are completed and I sail again.” He shrugged and the gesture pulled his coat of slate blue tight over shoulders that had been worked and built from presumably years on the ship or in the military. “You’ll resume life doing whatever it is you do.”

“I work at the local lending library. As it is, I’ve been absent from that position due to Helen’s issue.” She frowned. Truly, was it as maddening as it sounded to agree to an engagement to a man who knew absolutely nothing about her?

“Then, this sham of an engagement can only bring good things. It will serve to let both of us meet our immediate goals.”

Yes, but what of the future? Already, if she were given to technicalities, if someone with authority came into the parlor and saw them alone together, her reputation would be compromised. For once she thanked God for Charles and his wastrel ways and her already comprised virtue. They wouldn’t need to observe Society rules as strictly as if she had a reputation to guard or a family who wasn’t already on the fringes of said Society.

“So, Miss Hawthorne,” he continued and took one of her hands. “Will you accept an engagement for the explicit term of our bridal contract?”

Would an engagement, even under such a sham as this one, break her promise to Peter? Surely not since the ultimate outcome would have her not wedding the viscount. It was merely a favor, which would benefit both her and Oliver. She then imagined how happy Helen would be, and she nodded. “Yes, I believe I will.”

“Excellent!” He sprang from the settee. “I’ll have my man of business draw up the paperwork then deliver it here for your brother’s signature.” He eyeballed her. “Charles will consent to sign off on the agreement, won’t he?”

“I shall bully him into it as it will solve his problem as well as Helen’s.” Oliver needn’t have a worry about that.

“Very good.” He moved with a sense of urgency as he closed the distance between him and Daniela, scooped her up then twirled her about the room. “Eloisa will be our constant companion for a short while, poppet. Won’t that be entertaining?”

Eloisa’s heart lurched. Had he truly bonded with the girl? “Do you mean to carry her with you then?”

He set the girl on her feet. “How about we call for a butler to escort you to the kitchens and see if you can find a sweet?”

“Yes, please.”

“I’ll do it. We’re rather short of staff,” Eloisa interjected.

“Very well, but do hurry back.” With a swat to Daniela’s bottom, he sent the child off with Eloisa.

Never had she made the trip from the parlor to the kitchens and back so quickly. By the time Eloisa returned, she was a trifle breathless. “Sorry for the delay.”

“Think nothing of it.” Oliver glanced at her with a faint smile. “While you were gone, I thought over my immediate future. Having a child underfoot onboard a ship would provide any number of complications.”

How… disappointing. “I see.” She’d assumed Oliver would do the right thing, but then again, she didn’t know him that well either. Her mind’s eye jumped to a life of fancy and sails. If she imagined hard enough, she could almost feel the warm, ocean breezes on her cheeks. Then just as quickly, she dashed the images away. He wasn’t Peter and she most certainly wouldn’t be spending her life, or any sort of leisure time, with him.

“Don’t come the crab, now.” His teasing voice jarred her from the glory of travel. “We have an engagement to plan, er, the contract terms at least,” he said, his tone cajoling.

“How very formal.” She frowned. Something was missing. Yes, she’d agreed to a business arrangement, yet shouldn’t there be more pomp and circumstance? This was the second engagement she’d agreed to without even a congratulatory flute of champagne or anything to mark the occasion. Though the thrill in her romantic heart-of-hearts was strong at the intrigue of it all, she couldn’t shake the uninspired feeling.

“You do still want to go through with it, right?” A hint of alarm threaded through the question.

“Yes, but…” How to explain without seeming silly?

“Yes?” He arched an eyebrow.

Eloisa sighed. There really was nothing for it. “Yes, I’ll go through with it, but I rather thought there might be more fuss than simply putting my signature on a line and being indebted to a man for thirty days.”

“More, how?”

Damn and blast.
Perhaps this once she could give into temptation, lock Peter’s promise away into a little box far at the back of her mind, and indulge if only for a second. She squirmed on the settee as her cheeks warmed.
What a nodcock I’ve become.
“Well, romance, for one. Yes, I understand this is an engagement in name only with nothing involved except money and posturing, but it is a letdown just the same.”

Oliver came close to her and offered a hand. When she accepted his assistance and rose to her feet, he didn’t release her fingers. “What else do you desire from me?” he asked in a quiet voice brimming with emotion she couldn’t define.

Oh, he was undeniably handsome, but she’d promised Peter she’d never replace him. As she focused her gaze on his sensual lips, her stomach fluttered. Surely, she couldn’t ask the viscount to kiss her. How droll. Besides, she was quite happy with the memory of her first, and only, love, wasn’t she? She looked away lest he spy her confusion. “It doesn’t matter. I’m just being silly.” With a sharp tug, she pulled her hand from his and retreated to the opposite side of the room. At least with space between them, she could breathe and think clearly.

“Don’t doubt yourself. Those initial thoughts are always the truest. It does matter.” He followed her but didn’t stop until he’d trapped her against the wall. A cabinet full of ivory animal statues halted her escape on the left and he leaned an arm on the wall beside her head on the right. “Of course there are other things to consider in a case like this. Why not consider yourself for once? I suspect you spend too much time taking care of everyone else’s needs to think of your own.”

She sucked in a breath as his Darrington-blue eyes bore into hers. Why did they appear so intense, so insistent? “I…” What was it they were discussing? Eloisa slipped her hands behind her back to prevent the temptation of running her fingers along those whiskers at his jaw. “I would like to see this bargain sealed with a kiss.”

“A kiss?” He drew back slightly. “That’s it?”

“Well, yes.” She tilted her head and peeked into his face. “You see, it’s such a lovely gesture and I very much enjoy kissing. I haven’t had a beau in a long time, and even though I’m still in love with my dead fiancé and feel absolutely nothing for you, I think having one kiss from you would—”

“Oh, for pity’s sake,” he muttered seconds before he laid a hand to her waist and covered her lips with his.

Eloisa had the distinct impression of tumbling during the all-too-brief meeting of mouths. There wasn’t any passion behind it. She never brought her hands around from their position behind her and he didn’t press his body into hers, but the heat he imparted, the tingles that shot down her spine, the shivers of awareness that raced along her skin couldn’t be denied.

Perhaps she felt a tiny bit of
something
for him after all. That
something
grew into a worry that knotted her stomach.
I’ve failed Peter.

All too soon he pulled away and merely stared at her with confusion on his face. “Well, then. I suppose the contract is sealed.” His voice held a hint of breathless wonder.

“Yes, I suppose is it. Thank you for the celebration, small as it was.” She forced a swallow into her suddenly dry throat then patted her hair. It wouldn’t do to appear disheveled upon meeting the rest of her family. “I should go tell Helen and Charles the joyous news.” Without waiting for his agreement, she slipped around him and fled the parlor.

This can never happen again. I’ll be pulled apart from guilt.

Chapter Six

It had been a week since Oliver had offered his proposal. As promised, the Darrington man-of-business had drawn up the contract and had delivered it to Oliver’s townhome with an arched eyebrow, even more so when Eloisa’s brother had signed his name. Oliver had then sent the man away with the promise not to break the news to his mother, for he’d do that soon anyway. Charles had left right after.

Dear God. What would his mother say once he told her of his engagement or his alleged daughter? A chill moved down his spine. It had the potential to be terrifying, yet it had to be done to smooth over gossip and to free himself from his matchmaker mother.

Which was how he came to be in the closed Darrington carriage with Eloisa on the bench across from him, headed to the capitol city. Finally, he’d sent off a response to his mother that said, yes, he’d be delighted to come up to London for the dinner party she’d decided to throw upon finding out he’d returned to England. He hadn’t mentioned Eloisa’s appearance in his life or their agreement. That he’d save for the perfect moment.

Nothing could have been better, except he had the sense that something wasn’t quite right. Could it be because he didn’t have Daniela with him? It was the first time since she’d been dumped on his doorstep he hadn’t spent the day with her. His chest tightened. As impossible as it appeared, he missed the touch of her little hand or the pain in his backside when he accidentally sat upon one of her errant toys. Hmm, no, it couldn’t be just that.

He moved his gaze to his temporary fiancée. The dark purple gown she wore made her ivory skin seem paler. The black lace around the bodice only added to the mourning effect and didn’t suit her at all. Not a trace of freckling marred the surface of her décolletage, and he was again reminded she probably hated the sunshine. She wore her vibrant, blonde-brown hair piled high on her head with a few straggling curls escaping to frame her face. A lace and flower confection rested at a jaunty angle on her head, which was currently turned in profile to him as she gazed at the passing countryside, but it was her lips, pulled down in a frown, that caught his attention and fired his thoughts.

She’d said the day of the kiss she was still in love with her dead fiancé. That had been a rather surprising turn of events, but not unwelcome. As long as her affections were otherwise engaged, he needn’t worry she’d become attached to him. There’d be no dramatic partings once the contract term was over. How old was she? Surely not much younger than his thirty-one years. He really should rectify his ignorance of his neighbor. Oliver shifted into a more comfortable position on his bench as his thoughts careened to the kiss they’d shared, and he was forced to shift again when his groin tightened.
Devil take it!
Though she hadn’t embraced him, and neither had he done the same to her, that meeting of lips had echoed to his soul. No doubt he’d imagined the reaction. Of course, that had to be it, for hadn’t she said she felt nothing for him? The petite wonder couldn’t have snared him. It was simply impossible. He swept his gaze to her lap where she clasped her gloved hands tightly. Why was she nervous? It wasn’t as if the engagement was real.

He moved his gaze upward in time to catch her doubt-filled expression. What was she thinking, and more importantly, why did he care? It wasn’t as if he’d be with her forever. Yes, she possessed a pretty face, but she wasn’t the type of woman he’d fall for. Once more, he sternly told himself the only female he needed in his life was the sea.

Throughout his perusal, she remained silent and staring outside. Another hour of traveling in silence could not be endured. He cleared his throat. Perhaps it would be a good idea to find out a few preliminary things about his
faux
intended if this farce would have some ring of truth to it.

“What did your sister say upon hearing the news of your engagement?”

Eloisa turned from the window and the sundrenched, late afternoon countryside to look at him. “Helen was beyond ecstatic, of course. Anything to prevent her becoming the next Lady Everly is welcome.” The smile she gave him was stilted at best.

Not a very auspicious start. “What did your brother have to say for himself?”

“I think he was more embarrassed than anything else. Grateful, probably. Relieved, possibly, but by and large, he hated that you came in and dug him out of the hole he’d fallen into.” She shrugged. “That’s the way of life, I suppose. I don’t know how I’d feel in his position.”

“I didn’t mean to cause friction in your family. I simply thought I provided an end to a means.”

“Think nothing of it.” She finally met his gaze. “I’m glad you offered. There would have been no way out, otherwise. Sure, Helen could have fled Brighton, perhaps England, but to what end? What would she do out there on her own?”

“You wouldn’t have gone with her?” He liked conversing with Eloisa. Her slightly accented English was lyrical and pleasing to his ear and she provided a matter-of-fact way of conveying information. “I cannot imagine you’d leave her to the wolves.”

“No, I wouldn’t. Had I accompanied her, I would have only encouraged her so far. The rest of the way she’d need to go herself, for how else would she learn? Except, no doubt Charles will try the same thing again if enough coin comes into his possession.”

“Have you ever given thought to the fact that perhaps fixing everyone’s problems around you isn’t your responsibility?” Is that why she seemed so interested in what became of Daniela?

“Oh, I’ve thought of that numerous times, yet it must be in my nature, for I cannot help myself. I simply want peace in my life and I cannot have that if everyone around me is in chaos.” Eloisa turned her attention once more to the passing scenery. “Enough about my dismal family. I’m content enough to be away from them for an evening. Tell me about you.”

“Well, you know that I captain a schooner, yes?” When she nodded, he continued, “It’s the dearest ship I’ve ever had the pleasure of sailing.”

She leaned forward and touched his knee briefly. Tingling awareness traveled up his limb. “I beg your pardon, and please don’t think I’m impertinent or rude, but how did you come by such a ship to begin with? After all, you’re a second son who’s spent the last several years of your life either in the military or sailing far enough away from the conflicts in the world that travel is easier. You cannot possibly have enough coin to own a ship.”

“I don’t find you rude at all.” In fact, he appreciated her direct approach. No misunderstanding would be had on her watch if a conversation went deeper. “During my stint in the military, I had the opportunity to meet men from every walk of life. Once, I saved a young man who’d had an arm blown off from cannon fire. Dragged him back to safety and the field doc was able to patch him up enough to get him back to England.”

“How ghastly.” A shudder wracked her delicate shoulders.

“Yes.” Belatedly, he considered whether telling such a tale was too graphic for her gentle senses, but then shoved the worry from his mind. It was a true story. “About a year later, I was still in Spain, but a missive found its way to me from that young man’s uncle—who happened to be the Duke of Wellington. Not exactly his blood uncle, you understand, but somehow related, though perhaps a couple times removed from some obscure relative’s side. In any event, as a thank you for keeping the boy safe, he granted me a fair enough sum of money that I could purchase my ship once I left Spain. She was well-used and near broken down, but she was all mine.”

“You did all the work and repairs yourself?”

“A good portion. I’d met a few seafaring men who had nowhere else to go but still wished for adventure. A couple of the fellows I served with who’d grown disenchanted with England’s might on the battlefield came with me.” He couldn’t help the grin of pride. “We got her seaworthy in no time. The
Scandalous Lady
has been more of a friend to me than my crew at times.”

“How fortuitous for you.” A quick giggle escaped his companion. “That is the name of your ship?”

“Yes.”

“Why did you choose that name?”

“Because there’s nothing more exciting or dangerous than a scandalous lady on the seas.” A hint of warmth crept up the back of his neck. “Life on the water isn’t as constrained or proper as it is on land.”

“Lucky you for having found freedom.” A trace of envy resounded in her voice.

Oliver narrowed his eyes. What was this? Did his neighbor desire adventure? “Are you not satisfied in the life you’ve chosen?”

“Some days I am.” She faced him and her green gaze bore into his. “Some days, not so much. I yearn for a different way of doing things. Long to see what’s beyond England’s shores.”

“Then why haven’t you taken action and done just that?” Could it be that his pretty neighbor desired something beyond the mundane?

“Oh, I couldn’t possibly leave England.” She heaved a sigh that seemed to come from her toes. “After all my talk about leaving my sister to her own devices, I cannot go away. My brother needs guidance.” She twisted her hands in her lap. “My position at the lending library would also be in jeopardy, and I do enjoy it there.”

He sat back against the squabs.
Of course.
A thread of disappointment wrapped around his heart. Didn’t he expect her to be just like every other woman? “Well, someone must mind the libraries of the world lest the rest of us run out of properly categorized books to read, though all the reading about of adventures doesn’t compare to the actual living of them.”

“Don’t poke fun of me. It’s not nice,” she implored with a smile in her voice. “I used to want to travel. Once I met Peter and he told me of all the vileness in the world beyond England’s protection, I changed my mind.”

“Oh? England’s holdings are vast, my dear, as they must be in an effort to stop Napoleon’s tyranny. Nearly everyone is an ally.” He shot a questioning glance at her, knowing he’d won the upper hand in the conversation, but he wanted to hear of the other man in her life. “What did this paragon of a man say?” It was outside of enough that he’d used sarcasm to belittle her dead fiancé, but then, he wasn’t the most suave of men in the best of circumstances. He didn’t want to be. That was his brother’s responsibility.

“Don’t be ugly, Oliver,” she said in a voice that sounded straight out of a schoolroom and once more put inappropriate imaginings in his head. Would she be strict and demanding in the bedroom? “My Peter told me there will come a time when England won’t hold the upper hand any longer. They’re still licking their wounds received from the colony debacle in America and the sea battles with the same. When that happens, everyone will be intent on tearing England down, piece by piece.”

“That is a dire warning but one not set to come to pass any time soon. You’ve only to look about the world or read the headlines to know England is still very much in control.” He couldn’t help the smug arrogance in his voice. England falling in superiority? Not bloody likely.

“Such was my argument as well.” Then an unladylike snort escaped her. “However, I’d look a complete nodcock if I told Peter that. He had a fragile viewpoint.” She sighed. “There are many different kinds of evil in this world, most perpetuated and started by men within the Empire. This isn’t why I’ve hesitated with travel beyond Italy and only in my family’s company.”

“Ah, and what is this glorious secret then? Is it because your Motherland is a safer option or that your family holds magical powers of protection.” God, what a prick he sounded like.