The Earl Claims a Bride (6 page)

As he continued to stare at her a petite, older lady and tall gentleman suddenly flanked her and the three of them stepped down into the ballroom. He watched her alabaster-colored skirt swirl around her long legs until she was swallowed by the crowd.

He chuckled to himself. Harrison didn’t believe in love at first sight. He wasn’t even sure he believed in love. But he did believe in want at first sight. Just as had happened with Maddie years ago, his mind, his body, and his soul told him he wanted that young lady to be his.

When Harrison turned to set his champagne glass on the table behind him so he could follow her, someone clapped him on the shoulder. He turned to see his good friend Bray, the Duke of Drakestone.

“Why the devil didn’t you send word you were back in Town?”

Harrison couldn’t very well tell him the truth—that he had ruined every shirt he owned with soot and had to visit the tailor before he could be seen in public.

“Why bother to send over a note when I knew I’d see you tonight? I expected to see your lovely duchess by your side, though.”

Bray and Harrison had been friends since their first year at Eton. The two of them, along with fellow student Adam Greyhawke, had managed to get into one madcap escapade after another all the way through Oxford, their teens, and on into their twenties. In fact, their raucous behavior hadn’t stopped until four years ago when Adam married and Harrison left to tour the world.

“And she will be. My mother whisked her away to meet someone the moment we walked into the ballroom. I was on my way to pay respects to the dowagers and widows when I saw you standing over here without your usual swarm of young ladies vying for your attention.”

“Oh, so your ritual of having the first dance of the evening with one of them is not going to change now that you are happily married and no longer the most eligible bachelor in London.”

“No reason it should.”

Harrison gave him a doubtful look. “I have a feeling it was Louisa who insisted you continue the tradition.”

“It was.” Bray grinned and then said, “When it comes to whatever Louisa wants, I don’t usually mind. I wasn’t sure you were coming to Town for the Season. How are things at Thornwick?”

“Better,” he said, knowing Bray wouldn’t press him for details he didn’t want to share. “The rebuilding started last week.”

“Good to hear. You plan to stay in London for the Season?”

“I’m not sure I have a choice right now.”

Bray seemed to study on that comment before saying, “That sounds ominous, my friend. What’s happened to cause this?”

“How well do you know the Prince?”

Bray shifted his stance. “Not very. Why?”

“It’s too involved to get into tonight.” Harrison took a drink from his champagne. His gaze automatically scanned the ballroom, looking for the golden-brown-haired angel he’d seen. Someone had already led her onto the dance floor.

Not surprising that she had already caught attention. She was easily a diamond of the first water and the belle of the ball tonight.

“Are you going to talk to me or stare at the dance floor?”

“You always see too much.”

“There’ve been many times in the past when you were glad I did.”

Harrison grinned. “You need not remind me of my foolish youth.”

“Are you looking for anyone in particular, or have you already found her?”

Harrison smiled and ignored Bray’s probing question. He knew his friend was fishing for what had caught his attention, and Harrison wasn’t ready to divulge anything.

“Let’s meet at the Heirs’ Club this week,” Bray said. “Now that you’re in London you need to officially apply for membership.”

“After all these years.” Harrison’s thoughts drifted back to the many times he’d walked through the door of that club and acted as if he owned it. “When we were younger I would have signed over my yearly allowance to a footpad to be a member. I didn’t want to be a member this way.”

“Understandable considering the circumstances. No one wants to gain entrance the way you did. Still, no need for you to continue to participate as my guest when you can have all the privileges of a member.”

Harrison thought back over the many times he and Adam had played cards, billiards, and dice when they could get away with it in the Heirs’ Club. It was the most exclusive of all the private gentlemen’s clubs in London because in order to be a member you had to either have a title or be an heir to a title. No others need apply.

Bray was the only son of the Duke of Drakestone, so when he came of age he was reluctantly accepted for membership. Some of the older, stuffier members had tried to keep him out, fearing Bray and his unruly friends would disturb their quiet and orderly establishment. And Bray, Harrison, and Adam had from time to time. Or at least more times than Harrison could count anyway.

“What do you think the board members will say about now having two of the three
scoundrels
in the Heirs’ Club?” Harrison asked.

“I have a feeling they will be saying,
Damnation! What the hell are we going to do with the two of them?
”

“And they’ll complain about it for years.”

“But we won’t care.”

“Not a damned whit.”

Harrison and Bray laughed, remembering that it was at the Heirs’ Club they’d planned an ill-advised journey to Dover where they’d jumped from one of the highest cliffs into the dangerous rocky waters below. Fate had smiled on them and somehow saved them all from certain death.

“Speaking of Adam,” Harrison said, “have you heard from him recently?”

The laughter faded from Bray’s features and he shook his head. “How about you?”

“Not a word since we visited him last year,” Harrison answered.

“I wrote him about your brother and family. The fire. I had hoped he’d be in touch with you.”

“I can understand why he hasn’t,” Harrison said, remembering how he felt when he heard about the deaths of his brother, Maddie, and their children. He didn’t even want to imagine what it must have been like for Adam to have lost his wife and babe during childbirth.

“Maybe we should go see him again,” Bray said. “What do you think?”

“That it’s a good idea. He seemed to be all right with our visit last spring, didn’t he?”

Bray nodded. “Let’s make plans to do that at the club, too. I’ll ask for a time from the review panel and send you a note.”

“Good.”

“Time for my duty on the dance floor with one of the dowagers or widows. Then I’m going to find my bride and dance with her. I’ll see you later in the evening.”

Harrison finished off his champagne and watched Bray disappear into the crowd. The music started again and in the distance Harrison saw the swirl of colorful skirts, the clap of joyful hands. He breathed a sigh of relief he wasn’t on the dance floor in the midst of the revelry.

He swung around and placed his empty champagne glass on the table and was reaching for another from the server when he heard from behind him, “Good evening, my lord.”

Harrison stiffened slightly. He recognized Mr. Hopscotch’s voice. Undoubtedly, the man was there to present Miss Rule to him. Harrison hesitated a moment and then slowly turned to look at the Prince’s man. Then his gaze immediately flew to the lovely golden-brown-haired young lady at his side. Harrison’s heart started beating faster, a surge of heat settled low in his loins, and for the second time that night his stomach did a slow roll.

“Lord Thornwick, if I may have a few moments of your time, I would like to present Lady Railbridge, her granddaughter Miss Angelina Rule, and her father Mr. Archard Rule.”

Miss Rule was the angel he’d been admiring a few minutes earlier. Fate was either smiling on him or playing a cruel joke on him.

Only time would tell which, but for now, he would consider this a sweet surprise.

Chapter 5

O you gods! Why do you make us love your goodly gifts, and snatch them straight away?

Pericles
3.1.22—24

Harrison only half listened to the formal introductions. His concentration was on Miss Rule. His gaze swept slowly up and down her face. Now that he was close to her he could see her delicate bone structure. Her skin was the color of pale ivory and her complexion flawless. Her lips were full, beautifully shaped, and made for kissing. Soft, sweet kisses that satisfied a man all the way to his soul. Her shiny golden-brown tresses had been loosely gathered to the top of her head, and wispy curls framed her face. There was no hump on her back, and no wart on her lovely nose, but with the darkest blue eyes he’d ever seen, she was giving him the evil eye.

That intrigued Harrison.

Miss Rule didn’t appear any happier than Harrison was about the situation confronting them. By the glare in those lovely blue orbs, he’d say that contrary to what he’d been thinking, she hadn’t been waiting around just to snare an unsuspecting earl in a parson’s mousetrap—not him specifically anyway. That made him feel a whole lot better about his current circumstances.

She was making it clear to him right from the beginning that she didn’t like being told who to marry any more than he did. He liked the fact that she was showing her fighting spirit.

Long ago, Harrison had learned to size people up quickly. One glimpse of the grandmother told him Lady Railbridge wasn’t happy about the possibility of her granddaughter marrying him, either. That was no surprise and fine with him. He never minded the odds being stacked against him. That just made life all the more interesting. Besides, right now he wasn’t trying to win favor with either of them. But it was good to know the grandmother’s feelings all the same.

And Miss Rule’s father—well, he looked as if he thought he was the bird sitting on the best limb of the tree. And perhaps right now he was. That made it easy to know who was behind the Prince’s machinations to have Harrison marry Miss Rule.

Though Harrison couldn’t help but let his thoughts wander back to who Miss Rule had been searching for in the crowd. Definitely not him. It was her debut night, so who had already caught the young lady’s attention?

After pleasantries were exchanged, Mr. Hopscotch excused himself and left Harrison to continue a conversation with Mr. Rule about the mechanics of the latest steam engine while Miss Rule and her grandmother chatted quietly. More than once Harrison felt Miss Rule’s gaze on him, and a couple of times he was sure she knew he glanced at her, too.

A dance was announced so Harrison turned to Miss Rule and said, “Would you like to dance? With your father’s permission, of course.”

“Yes, yes, she’d be delighted,” her father answered quickly. “Please go ahead, as one is about to begin. Enjoy yourselves.”

Harrison nodded and said, “Excuse us.” He lightly placed the palm of his hand at the small of her back and gently ushered her forward.

At his contact, her back stiffened slightly. Touching her before they reached the dance floor and the music began was forbidden. But breaking the rules had always been so much easier for Harrison than following them.

“I really don’t want to dance, my lord,” Miss Rule said as they threaded their way through the crowd.

“Then you are a lady after my own heart. Neither do I, but you surprise me. I thought all ladies enjoyed dancing.”

She cut her eyes around to him. “It’s never been my favorite pastime, but my grandmother insisted I couldn’t catch a husband if I didn’t know how to twirl in ladylike fashion about the dance floor. However, what I meant just now was that I don’t want to dance with you. Neither you nor my father gave me opportunity to decline.”

They stopped at the edge of the dance floor and she tilted her chin up and faced him. Her nose was even with his chin, the perfect height for him.

“So you are suggesting I wait for an answer from you next time and ignore your father’s urging.”

Her brow furrowed slightly as if suddenly she wasn’t sure. Then she exhaled softly and answered, “Yes, that’s what I’m saying.”

“Simple enough. I can do that,” he agreed easily. “Should I walk you back to your father and grandmother so we can start over?”

Her eyes searched his with a look that told him she wasn’t expecting him to be so accommodating, and he really hadn’t intended to be. But he was glad he’d surprised her.

He noticed a slight shake of her head, and she said, “No, of course not, but I’m curious about something.”

“Concerning me?”

“Yes. I know why I am being forced to marry you, my lord, but I have no idea why you would want to do this.”

He tried to stop the smile from spreading across his face but had no luck as he said, “So you don’t think your beauty and obvious intelligence are reasons enough for someone to want to marry you?”

“No, of course, I
^____
I wasn’t searching for a compliment, my lord,” she said with a flush tinting her cheeks.

He inclined his head. “I never thought you were. I was merely stating the facts as I see them.”

Her focus stayed locked on him. “I was told you needed a suitable wife but I don’t know why.”

That was the Prince’s thought, not his.

He held her gaze. “Are you under the impression I wanted marriage to you?”

“I was led to believe that, yes, but why not just choose your own bride?” she questioned.

Why indeed.

“Maybe I didn’t have a choice?”

It was her turn to mock his comment with a rueful smile. “I would find that difficult to believe, Lord Thornwick,” she countered. “Who could force you to marry? You are an earl. A young, handsome earl.”

He casually folded his arms across his chest and shifted his stance. “Now you are the one handing out the compliments.”

“As you said, I was merely stating the facts. I don’t believe even the King could make you marry someone if you didn’t want to.”

Not the King, but the Prince.

Obviously Miss Rule didn’t know about the Prince’s pressure on Harrison concerning the threat of Newgate. Perhaps he should keep it that way. The fewer people who knew it was Miss Rule or prison for him, the better.