Scandalous Lords and Courtship Read online

  “Thank heavens for that,” she retorted. “Otherwise, I would be disappointed.”

  “Then you are one of those women who expect love,” he said.

  “Ha!” She burst out. “Thankfully, I do not suffer that malady.”

  An odd pain stabbed at his heart. “Then you won’t mind if I carry on as I always have.”

  “As will I.” She arched a brow. “You did say that you admired a woman who knew what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to pursue it.”

  “You will not pursue your pleasure until I have an heir.”

  “That is not a point stipulated in the marriage contract.”

  He knew she was angry, knew the argument had gotten out of hand, but he couldn’t stop himself from saying. “Test me on this, my dear, and you will find your lovers meeting me at a dawn appointment.” With that, he quit the room.

  * * *

  Anne gave thanks when she entered the breakfast room the following morning to find Kennedy absent. Her mother and sister were having coffee, and she slipped into the chair opposite her mother.

  “Good morning, Mama. Louisa. How did you sleep?”

  “Very well,” her mother replied.

  Anne kept her eyes on her cup as she poured coffee.

  “I slept with Mama,” Louisa said. “This house has noises that ours doesn’t.”

  Anne smiled. “I think it’s more accurate to say that Dover Hall has noises, while his lordship’s townhouse is too quiet.”

  “His lordship?” her mother said.

  Anne sighed inwardly. Leave it to her mother to notice the smallest slip. “It will take some time for me to grow accustomed to calling him by his Christian name,” Anne said.

  “Hmm,” her mother intoned as she raised her cup.

  Anne took a hearty drink of her coffee and didn’t respond to her mother.

  “We have decided to stay for two more days,” her mother said.

  Anne looked up. “Why?”

  “It sounds as if you are disappointed we are staying,” Louisa said.

  Anne shook her head. “Not at all. I was just surprised, is all.” She wasn’t certain if that was the truth, however. She felt oddly self-conscious with her mother and sister here.

  “We received a personal invitation from Kennedy’s father to attend the ball tonight,” her mother said.

  “That was very kind of him,” Anne replied, but she wondered if her husband would feel the same.

  “I have only the one dress I brought with me,” Louisa said.

  Anne heard the hope in her sister’s voice. At fourteen, Louisa wouldn’t typically attend parties. But this party was held in honor of her sister’s wedding. Of course, she would accompany them. Her presence would be a good excuse for Anne to leave early.

  “There is no time to have anything sewn,” Anne said.

  Louisa nodded, but the enthusiasm in her eyes dimmed, and guilt stabbed when Louisa said, “Of course. The dress I have will do quite well.”

  Here she was newly married to a wealthy viscount and worried about spending money on dresses for her sister. Dared she spend his money?

  Anne rose and went to the door and pulled the bell pull. She sat back down, and a moment later the maid entered.

  “What is your name?” Anne asked.

  The girl glanced nervously around the room. “Emma, my lady,” she said, and curtsied.

  Anne smiled reassuringly. “Emma, can you please tell the housekeeper that I would like to see her?”

  The girl’s eyes widened and she bobbed a curtsy, and said, “Aye, my lady.” She whirled and hurried from the room.

  Anne’s mother gave her a curious look, but said nothing. Anne filled her plate with eggs and ham and began to eat.

  A few minutes later, a short, thin woman of about fifty-five years entered. “You asked to see me, my lady?”

  Anne smiled. “May I ask your name, ma’am?”

  The woman looked startled, but said, “Mrs. Hampshire.”

  “It is a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Hampshire. This is my mother, Lady Kinsley, and my sister, Lady Louisa.”

  Mrs. Hampshire curtsied, then looked at Anne expectantly.

  “Mrs. Hampshire, do ye by chance know a dress shop where my sister can purchase a dress for the ball we are to attend tonight?”

  “Why, yes, my lady, I know of several very nice dress shops downtown.”

  Anne beamed. “When you have a moment, if you could please write down the addresses, I would appreciate that.”

  Of course, my lady. Is there anything else?”

  “Aye, now that you mention it. Can you tell me what would be the best time to go to one of the dress shops?”

  “Not before one o’clock, my lady. You might begin at Mrs. Gerard’s shop. She is known for opening earlier than many of the other shops and I have heard ladies say that they like her work.”

  “That is perfect, thank you very much, Mrs. Hampshire,” Anne said. “Who do I speak to about having the carriage ready at one o’clock?”

  “That would be the butler, Mr. Bingham,” she said. “I can direct him to have the carriage ready for ye, ma’am.”

  “Thank you very much, Mrs. Hampshire.”

  The housekeeper curtsied, and Anne said, “Mrs. Hampshire, there is no need to be so formal. You will wear yourself out.”

  Mrs. Hampshire smiled. “Thank you, my lady. If there is nothing else…”

  “You have been most helpful, thank you. That will be all,” Anne said.

  The housekeeper left, and Anne looked at Louisa. “Do you think you can be ready at one o’clock to go shopping?”

  Louisa jumped up from her seat, raced around the table, and threw herself into Anne’s arms.

  Tears pricked her eyes.

  This is why I married a stranger.

  Chapter Five

  Kennedy stopped at the office door and knocked.

  “Enter,” the man inside called.

  Kennedy open the door and entered. A large man who sat behind the desk looked up and smiled. “You’re early.” He rose and shook Kennedy’s hand when he reached the desk.

  “This is important, John.”

  John nodded toward the chair opposite his desk. Kennedy sat down while John resumed his seat.

  “It’s been nine days, Kennedy. A lifetime for you, I know. But a mere pittance for me.”

  Kennedy’s chest constricted. “No clues as to her whereabouts, then, I take it?”

  John’s brows rose. “I didnae say that.”

  Kennedy sat forward in his chair. “You have something?”

  John rested his arms on his desk and clasped his hands. “Your sister and her maid, Sarah, left your father’s estate at eight p.m., the evening before you contacted me.”

  “What? You mean my father had only just sent her away? Had I been home instead of out at a damned ball, I would’ve gone to see him much earlier and perhaps—”

  “Perhaps nothing,” John cut in. “Whether an hour or day, unless your carriage crossed hers on the street, you simply couldn’t have known.”

  John was right, of course. But it was still too bitter a pill to swallow. She’d been gone no more than an hour when Jacqueline came to his home. He refocused on John. “Is there anything else, anything at all? How did you discover this?”

  John leaned back in his chair and flashed a wide smile. “No matter how hard you nobles try, you can never really hide anything from servants. Have you ever considered the possibility that by making your servants invisible to the world, you yourself stop seeing them?”

  “Enough of the philosophical rantings,” Kennedy said. “You are well aware that I don’t hold with treating my servants as if they aren’t human. So, you questioned the servants. What else did you learn?”

  “It looks as though your father was telling the truth when he said Rose is no longer in Scotland. She took three large trunks, the sorts of trunks that one might take on a ship.”

  “France,” Kennedy whispered.

&nbs
p; “Let’s hope so. If it were the Colonies…” his voice trailed off.

  Kennedy shook his head. “We know no one in America. Despite my father’s bravado, he clings to life like a man hanging from a cliff by his fingernails. Somewhere in the recesses of his diseased mind, he believes he will cheat death for a time. If I do produce an heir in the next nine months, and Rose does not return home safely, he knows I will kill him.”

  “Have you friends, associations, of any sort in France?” John asked.

  Kennedy nodded. “Aye, many, even some distant relatives. But he knows better than to send my sister to any of them. However, he would make certain there was someone nearby who could help with any problems. He would also want to know if any problems arose.”

  John gave a slow nod. “My thoughts exactly. Which is why I have a man watching Chesterfield at all times.

  Kennedy left John with this office, certain he’d hired the right man to help find his sister. It was John’s logic—along with the fact he had barred the door when Kennedy had decided to begin the search for Rose himself. John was one of the few men he knew big enough to stop him. He was also one of the few men Kennedy knew who made sense when he argued a case. He’d been right, of course. Kennedy’s first order of business was marrying a woman and getting her with child. In all likelihood, once he succeeded, his father really would bring Rose home. Kennedy still wasn’t certain he would bring her home before a child was born, despite Kennedy’s demands. However, once Anne was pregnant, Kennedy could join the search for his sister.

  Kennedy returned home that afternoon to find his wife, her mother and sister out. When he questioned the staff, he learned they had gone dress shopping. For a woman in such need of money, she certainly didn’t mind spending it on frivolous things at the first opportunity.

  He headed to his office and threw himself into work, hoping to forget his inability to help his sister. He hadn’t even bedded his wife yet. He winced at memory of last night’s argument. He’d been completely in the wrong. Once his anger abated, he recognized the wide-eyed shock on her face when she’d caught sight of his erection. That look belonged to a woman who’d never seen a man’s arousal.

  He hadn’t meant to insult her, but he meant what he said. The antiquated idea that a man could seek pleasure whenever and wherever he chose, while a woman was obligated to remain chaste, was ridiculous. Jacqueline hadn’t been a virgin, and he hadn’t cared. But Anne wasn’t Jacqueline. She clearly considered any attack on her chastity an attack on her honor.

  A commotion in the hallway jarred Kennedy from his work on the labor contracts he reviewed. He glanced at the clock. Four P.M. He had been working for over two hours. The voices in the hallway grew louder, and he recognized Louisa‘s laugh. Warmth rippled through him. Rose had often complained that she wanted a little sister. Louisa may not be exactly what she had in mind, but the two girls would get along famously.

  The voices grew closer and he braced himself when the door burst open and Louisa rushed in with a dress box under her arm. She spotted him and broke into a bright smile. Anne and her mother entered the room. Anne’s cheeks were flushed and her eyes were bright with laughter. She was breathtaking.

  Kennedy rose and walked around his desk toward them.

  “Kennedy, I am so glad you are home,” Louisa cried.

  He laughed. “Then I am glad, as well.”

  “Kennedy,” the viscountess said as she removed her gloves.

  “My lady.” He gave a slight bow, then addressed his wife, “Anne.”

  “Good afternoon, my lord,” she replied.

  He saw none of the anger from the night before and prayed that she’d forgiven him.

  Louisa hurried to the divan near the window and dropped the box she carried onto the cushion. “You must see this dress I have just purchased for the ball tonight.”

  Kennedy halted next to Anne. “The ball tonight?”

  “Aye,” Louisa said. “Mama has agreed to allow me to come.” She tore the top off the box, but Kennedy was no longer looking at her.

  “We are no’ attending the ball tonight,” he told Anne.

  She frowned. “But your father and stepmother are hosting the party in honor of our marriage. We must attend.”

  He gave a harsh laugh. “Nae, we do not have to attend.”

  “We are not attending the ball?” Louisa asked.

  Kennedy glanced at her. She stood, holding a pink velvet evening gown up against her body.

  “My lord,” Anne said, “is it not better to stay on good terms with your father?”

  He snapped his gaze onto her. “I am on as good terms with him as is possible,” he said in a level voice.

  “Oh dear,” Louisa said. “You are angry that we charged my dress and shoes to you, aren’t you?”

  He looked at the girl in surprise. “You charged the dress to me?” The moment the words left his mouth, he realized his mistake.

  Tears appeared in the girl’s eyes and she plopped down on the divan. The viscountess hurried to her daughter and sat beside her.

  “Ye need not worry, my lord, I will pay for the dress,” Anne said in a tight voice. She started toward her sister.

  Kennedy grasped her arm. “Wait.”

  He released her and took the three steps to the couch and squatted eye level with Louisa. She wasn’t crying—yet—but the sadness in her eyes tore at his heart. He placed a finger beneath her chin and gently tilted her head upward so that she has forced to meet his gaze.

  “I don’t at all mind paying for your dress,” he said. “I simply hadn’t planned on going to the party, so you caught me off guard.” He smiled. “You know that ladies oftentimes catch gentlemen off guard.”

  Her expression cleared. “I have noticed that. I have a friend Robert. We’ve known each other since we were four. Of late, however, he sometimes says the strangest things. It’s very silly and I’ve asked him if he has some sort of brain disease. That only seemed to upset him, though, and he gets tongue-tied. Is that what you mean?”

  He laughed. “Well, I suspect that Robert’s malady has more to do with the fact that you are a very pretty young lady, rather than a brother who wasn’t planning to go to a party. But you have the general idea.”

  “If you do not want to go to the party tonight, that is quite all right. I do not mind returning the dress and the shoes and…” she gave him a sheepish smile, “the gloves.”

  He stood. “Not at all. Anne is correct. We should stay on good terms with my father. We shall all go.”

  Louisa leapt to her feet and threw her arms around him. “I wasn’t at all happy about Anne marrying some stranger. But now I’m very glad she married you.”

  Kennedy felt his wife’s eyes bore into the back of his head. He wasn’t at all sure she was happy she had married him.

  * * *

  Anne entered the ballroom of her father-in-law’s mansion on Kennedy’s arm and took a deep breath as they paused in the doorway. Her mother and sister halted beside them. Dancers slid across the dancefloor in a rousing country dance and guests filled the rest of the space in the massive room.

  “Oh my,” Louisa breathed. “I have never seen a ballroom this large.”

  “Remember, you are to remain with me or Anne,” their mother said.

  “What of Kennedy?” Louisa smiled at him. “Surely, it is safe for me to stay with him if you and Anne are busy.”

  “I am sure Kennedy will be very busy,” she replied.

  He smiled down at her. “Louisa is welcome to remain with me, if she likes.”

  Louisa smiled back, adoration beaming in her eyes, and Anne realized Louisa had taken her words to heart and had embraced Kennedy as her new brother. Her heart tugged. It hadn’t occurred to her that Louisa might benefit from the addition of a man into their family.

  Their mother angled her head toward Kennedy. “As you wish, Kennedy.” Uncharacteristic amusement shown in her eyes. “You may regret that invitation.”

  “There are so
many people. Where do we begin?” Louisa asked.

  “If ye like, I can introduce you to some ladies who might share some of your interests,” Kennedy said.

  Anne wondered how he might know what their interests were, but she nodded and thanked him.

  The next hour was spent with Kennedy making introductions. Her head buzzed with names and music and the din of voices, but Anne had to admit that a couple of the ladies did appear quite interesting. Lady Hanna knew a great deal about agriculture, and the next lady they met, Miss Watson, clearly had a head for astronomy.

  “I am surprised you associate with bluestockings,” Anne said, when Miss Watson was whisked to the dance floor by a handsome gentleman.

  Kennedy met her gaze. “I believe I told you that I respect a woman who knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to pursue it.” He lifted a brow. “Did you think I was lying?”

  She narrowed her eyes. “I thought you were pursuing something that you wanted at that moment.”

  He laughed, then introduced them to two more ladies who talked of nothing but sewing, parties and dresses.

  “Is that more to your liking, my lady? he asked when they finally left the ladies.

  “It wasn’t to my liking,” Louisa said. “Forgive me for saying so, Kennedy, but they were excessively dull.”

  “Louisa,” their mother hissed in a low voice when two ladies glanced their way.

  “Don’t reprimand her for speaking the truth,” Kennedy said. “I happen to agree.” He looked at Louisa. “Still, I am surprised. I know you like dresses and parties, so why did you find them dull?”

  “Of course, I like dresses and parties,” she said as if talking to a child. “They are great fun. But I wouldn’t go on about them and talk of nothing else. Have they no other interests?”

  Kennedy chuckled. “Not that I know of.”

  Louisa made a face. “Must we be friends with them?”

  “For heaven’s sake, Louisa,” her mother said. “Keep your voice down.”

  Louisa hung her head. “Of course, Mama.”

  Kennedy leaned close to Louisa and whispered, “Never fear, you need not be friends with anyone you don’t like.”