To Win His Wayward Wife
Scandalous Sisters, Book 3
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Not to be outdone by her sisters' marriage-producing scandals, quiet and withdrawn Madison Banks quickly finds herself walking down the aisle to a man who has secretly loved her for years.
Her groom, however, has no idea how to show his new bride that he truly loves her and following a bungled wedding night, finds himself in a position to either win his wife once and for all, or lose her forever. Will he prove himself worthy of her? Will she accept his love? Or will jealousy and past insecurities tear the pair apart?       |
Chapter One
August 1813
London, England
“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…”
Madison Banks knew it was her brother-in-law, Paul Grimes, who was speaking. She heard his voice and tried to listen to his words, but she couldn’t seem to force herself to focus on them. Instead, her focus was directed solely on her groom.
He was tall, handsome, titled and wealthy. Every girl’s dream come true. Except hers. To be honest, he gave her the chills. And not the good kind, either. No, these chills were the kind that sent people into hiding. He sent her into hiding. Not to say he was mean to her, because that would actually be a lie. He had been extremely nice to her at one point—which was part of the reason she now found herself standing up in front of hundreds of people pledging her life to him.
It all started eight short weeks ago, when her parents had just left for America to make arrangements to have their household moved to England, her father’s homeland. Her sister, Brooke Black, Lady Townson, along with her husband Andrew, Lord Townson, stepped in to act as her chaperone and guardian while her parents were away.
At first, things had gone well; very well, in fact. Brooke played her chaperone’s role in regular Brooke fashion. In short, she wasn’t a very good one. She often allowed Madison to go on unchaperoned carriage rides in the park and would leave the room for half-hour intervals to check on her newborn while Madison was left unattended with a gentleman. Madison hadn’t complained about such things. She rather enjoyed that Brooke gave her the freedom Mama hadn’t allowed.
However, it wasn’t Brooke’s lack of chaperoning skills that led to Madison’s demise. That was completely her own doing.
A month ago, she’d been at a ball surrounded by countless gentlemen fawning over her bright blonde hair, clear blue eyes and porcelain skin; all the while, she was thinking what a lot of simpletons they all were. Couldn’t anyone notice anything deeper about her than her outward appearance, she wondered. She knew she’d acted shy and withdrawn the previous Season, but she’d been dancing waltzes and going to numerous social events for the past few months and all anyone could notice was her looks.
No one cared about the charitable works she did for others. Nor did anyone see her personal talents. No; all anyone saw was her striking beauty, and they were all so struck dumb by it, they couldn’t function properly in her presence.
Annoyed with the inane comments of the imbeciles around her, she decided it would be best to dance and endure the company of only one dullard instead of a dozen. The orchestra started playing the opening strains of a waltz and Madison caught sight of her brothers-in-law walking across the ballroom. Curious, her eyes shifted to search the direction they were walking, and that’s when she thought her world was about to collapse around her.
Directly across the ballroom from Andrew and Paul, stood Robbie Swift, the no-good, filthy cad who ruined her life. No, wait, that wasn’t entirely true. Her family may blame him for ruining her life, but they knew just as well as Madison did that she was just as responsible.
Robbie was a local banker’s son from Brooklyn, New York. He was tall, handsome and undeniably charming. He had all the makings of a young girl’s fairy tale husband.
He was only two years older than Madison, and when she and Brooke were young girls, the three of them would play together (when they could manage to ditch their youngest sister, Liberty, that is). As they entered their teenage years, Robbie was no longer a playmate but just another acquaintance. He attended her father’s church and played the flirt to all three of the Banks sisters. Unfortunately—or fortunately, depending on who you ask—Madison was the only member of the Banks family who could abide him.
Brooke could hardly tolerate him as a playmate when they were younger, and her feelings for him didn’t change as they grew older. Only because of Madison’s never ceasing protests, did Brooke finally quit trying to fling rocks at him with a makeshift slingshot.
Liberty wasn’t much better at hiding her dislike for Robbie. However, instead of hurling rocks at him or pouring large quantities of salt into his tea as Brooke had, she’d drone on and on about how much she didn’t enjoy his presence and wished he’d either marry Madison or go find another girl to annoy.
Mama and Papa were the only ones who attempted to hide their dislike for him. They’d casually have conversations with her, dropping hints about other eligible gentleman or suggesting she take a break from the courtship with Robbie to see what would happen.
But no, Madison didn’t want their advice. She wanted Robbie. She had to have him no matter what. For a brief time, she considered taking her parents advice and focusing on another gentleman, but when she’d heard he’d made some unflattering remarks about her, she strengthened her resolve and started to pursue Robbie like a cat chasing a mouse.
The problem was she, being the cat, had been declawed, not that such a thing was possible, mind you, except metaphorically, of course. She could chase him into a corner and almost have him in her clutches, then he’d scurry away and she’d be on the chase again. This cat and mouse game, where she chased him and he escaped her grasp at the last minute, went on for five years. Yes, that’s right, five years! Now some would say, a courtship is usually about five months. Or some might even be five weeks. And then, of course, there are the ones that are rather odd at five days. But five years? That’s unheard of. And yet, that’s how long the cat chased the mouse. Actually, cat and mouse is a bad analogy. A better analogy would be a puppeteer and puppet. In this analogy, Madison would undeniably be termed the puppet.
For five years, she danced to his tune in hopes of becoming Mrs. Robert Swift. And in the end, that honor went to a weak ninny named Laura Small.
Laura was a spoiled southern girl who had never so much as seen needle and thread in a person’s hand as they weaved it in and out of cloth. She’d grown up in southern Georgia on a booming cotton plantation. She flounced her way into New York spending money as if it grew on a cotton plant. She used her sugary-sweet southern voice to get the men to do her bidding with nothing more than a few compliments and a sickening grin. Within a week, she was the belle of all the balls. Within another week, she was Mrs. Robert Swift.
While Madison and Robbie had an unusually long courtship of five years that led nowhere, Laura and Robbie had an unusually short courtship of five days that led to the altar. Talk about the injustice of the world!
Only a month after the blessed event of two heartless, coldblooded creatures becoming one, Madison’s family decided it was time to visit Papa’s family in England.
Their intention was only to stay a few months, but when her older sister, Brooke, married an earl and announced a few months later she was in the family way, her parents decided to stay a bit longer. Then had come the unexpected marriage of her younger sister, Liberty, to a country vicar named Paul Grimes. When it turned out that two of their three daughters were happily married in England, Mama and Papa decided it would be best if they took up residence in England as well, which was why they were absent from the ball.
She’d been in England over a year now and had attended more balls than she cared to count. Not that she didn’t like to dance, she did. The problem was she didn’t want to marry. Robbie’s betrayal had cut deep, deeper than she thought possible. So brutal was his treatment of her, she didn’t think she could ever trust a man again.
She’d lived her life constantly lost in a daydream for nearly a year, before allowing herself to open up and enjoy life again. She’d erected walls around her heart and vowed she’d never be so careless as to trust another with it again.
So naturally, when she saw that miserable scoundrel who had the nerve to call himself a man, she started to panic. Hundreds of questions swirled around in her head, but they all came down to: what did he want now? She knew he hadn’t come here for anyone else. He only knew one other person in England besides her family, and that person was a commoner. Robbie wasn’t here for Liberty or Brooke, she was certain of that, which meant he was here for her.
Knowing he’d probably spotted her already, she fought to keep her calm as she weighed her options. She could dance the night away with any number of gentlemen who were currently swarming around her like bees to a hive and ignore him in hopes he’d leave. She could make her way to seek refuge with her sisters and wait for their husbands to toss him out like she knew they were about to do. Or, she could slip out of the ballroom and run to her bedchamber, remaining there for the remainder of the night.
Glancing at the herd of sheep dressed as gentlemen who surrounded her, she ruled out option number one. Shifting her gaze to where Brooke and Liberty were, she saw she’d have no choice but to walk directly in front of him as she walked to the staircase that led to Brooke’s look-out. That only left retiring for the evening. That wouldn’t be a bad option, she supposed. She’d just have to make her way to the side doors and walk through the gardens to get into the main part of the house.
Plan in place, she excused herself from her adoring pack and started to walk in the direction of the gardens. With each step she took, she felt her blood pumping faster through her veins. She could feel his razor sharp blue eyes staring at her as she made her way to the edge of the ballroom. Reminding herself to breathe and stay calm, she forced a smile to her lips as she passed a handful of curious guests. She heard footsteps behind her and almost froze. He was following her. Had Andrew and Paul not been able to rid this place of his unpleasant presence?
Willing herself once again to calm down, she reached out her shaking, clammy hand to open the door. Her palm so sweaty she could barely hold onto the knob as she gave it a twist. Swallowing the lump of panic that had formed in her throat, she tried again. Relief temporarily flooded her when the door swung on its hinges and she was able to slip outside.
Though the gardens were dimly lit, Madison had been in them enough that she could navigate them with a blindfold. All but running, she scurried down the steps, around the shrubs, through the bushes and over a concrete bench in an effort to get to the door. She grasped the brass knob to open the door just as she heard her name being called.
Her hands froze. Her heart froze. Her blood froze. It was his voice. The voice that used to whisper in her ears words of love and affection. The one that made promises of a future filled with love, happiness and children. The voice she’d tried for so long to forget.
“Madison,” he called, turning her skin to gooseflesh.
Ignoring him, she tried to open the door. There were no lights around the door, if she could just slip in and lock the door behind her, he wouldn’t be able to find her. But that was the problem, she couldn’t slip in. The knob wouldn’t turn. It was locked.
“Blast,” she exclaimed quietly through clenched teeth. She remembered she’d once swiped a key to the front door and kept in her reticule. She just hoped it would work for this door.
“Oh, Madison darling, where are you?” Robbie drawled, causing her fingers to tremble as she dug for her key. “I know you’re out here.”
She wanted to yell. She wanted to scream in frustration. She wanted to get this blasted door open. Her fingers closed around the key and she held it tightly as she pulled it from her reticule.
“You know you want me,” he said, his voice sounding closer than before.
Her fingers shook as she tried to jam the key into the keyhole. Every time she came close to getting the tip in, her shivering hand would miss and she’d scratch the knob with the end of the key.
“You know, those two bodyguards you’ve got in there should have known better than to just escort me out,” he said with a chuckle. “They have no idea of our feelings for each other, eh? Oh well, who could fault them for thinking I’m too much a gentleman to jump a fence to get to the woman I love. That’s right, Madison, I said love. I love you. Now come out of hiding, so we can talk.”
Madison’s hands briefly stilled from their mission of trying to get the key into the lock. She closed her eyes and shook her head. Love. Did the man really think after all this time, he could prance back into her life to say he loved her, and everything would be all dandy between them? If that was his great plan at winning her back, he was completely addled.
“Now come on, pet,” he drawled again, making her blood curdle. “Get your luscious derriere out here, so we can talk.”
His words shocked her and the key she’d been holding slipped to the ground to make a light ringing clink on the flagstones. All the blood seemed to rush from her head and she began to panic again. What if he’d heard the key hit the ground and came closer? Numbly, she tried to bend down to pick it up. Halfway to the ground, she saw a shadow that caused her to freeze in place.
Too dark to make out the face of the man next to her, she stared in silent shock as a giant hand reached down and picked up the brass key. The man stood up and slipped the key into the lock with extraordinary ease, before putting his hands on her waist and helping nudge her into the dark house.
No lamps were lit inside and the pair stood in complete darkness.
“Thank you,” she said at last.
“You’re welcome,” a vaguely familiar voice returned behind her.
They stood together in silence for another moment, while Madison waited for her heart to slow down to normal. But the longer she waited, the more she realized it wasn’t slowing down. Robbie was still outside yelling for her and becoming crasser each time he spoke.
“Oh, why is he here?” she muttered to herself. “Why can’t he just leave me alone?” She brought her hands up and covered her face. She felt like she was going to faint. Just as she could feel herself about to crumple to the floor, two strong hands came up and pulled her backward to rest against his hard body.
“It’s all right,” the stranger murmured in her ear. “I told Townson I saw the scoundrel jump the rock wall. He’ll take care of him in a minute.”
“Thank you,” Madison said softly. Robbie was right when he pegged Andrew as too good a gentleman to guess Robbie would come back. Andrew was the sort that stayed calm and always gave people the benefit of the doubt—at first. Then, if they betrayed his trust, they normally regretted it.
She’d heard tell from more than one source that he’d been involved in a number of fisticuffs. His most notorious partner being the Duke of Gateway, the man who’d tried to pay him last spring to ruin her sister Brooke. Those two had apparently had their share of scrapes over the past fifteen years and had each broken the other’s nose at one point. She had no doubt that, with Andrew being built like a tree the way he was and Robbie being no bigger than a twig, Andrew could easily break him. “I hope he doesn’t kill him,” she remarked when she heard Andrew’s angry voice.
“He won’t,” the voice behind her said. “Do you love him?”
“Who? Andrew?” she asked, automatically ruling out the chance he could be asking about Robbie. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I? He’s always been kind to me.” Not to mention, he was her brother-in-law.
“What of Mr. Swift?”
Madison closed her eyes. “No.”
“Then why don’t you want him hurt?”
“I didn’t say that,” she corrected. “I said I hoped Andrew doesn’t kill him. In case you didn’t see him, Robbie is as big as a quill. All Andrew has to do is hit him once and he’ll snap in half.”
The man chuckled. “You think they’re unevenly matched, do you?”
“Of course,” she burst out with a nervous giggle. “I’m not a coldblooded monster or anything, but I wouldn’t be opposed to seeing Robbie roughed up a little. At the same time, I don’t want his blood on Andrew’s hands. Anyone who’s ever seen Andrew knows it wouldn’t take any effort on his part to hurt Robbie.”
“Do you think Mr. Swift is a weakling who cannot defend himself?”
“Yes,” she answered bluntly. “I mean no offense to him in that regard, but the truth is I’ve seen the man felled by a pebble my sister shot at him from a makeshift slingshot.”
“Was this a reenactment of David and Goliath put on for your father’s church?” the man asked, his chest rumbling with a chuckle.
“No.” She shook her head and tried not to giggle at the memory. “Robbie tried to flip Brooke’s skirt up one Sunday after church, and after she kicked his hand away, he got angry and tripped her. That’s when she ran inside and took off who knows what piece of her clothing and used it to hurl a rock no bigger than her pinky nail at his head. He fell to the ground like he was a lead weight.”
The stranger laughed quietly and his hands squeezed her a little tighter. “That must have been quite a sight.”
“Oh, it was. But his wailing wasn’t. He moaned and groaned in pain for nearly five unbearably miserable minutes before he realized nobody was paying him any mind. Except me, of course. I was the only one stupid enough to fall for his theatrics.”
“You’re not stupid,” his calm voice said behind her.
Silence fell over them once again, as they listened to heated exchanges and what Madison would swear were sounds of an impending fight outside.
A sudden unmistakable crack followed by the loud thump of a body hitting the ground nearly made Madison jump out of her skin. “Perhaps I should go out there before something else happens,” she said hastily, trying to turn around.
His hands tightened. “No,” he said softly in her ear. “You’re not needed out there.”
“Excuse me?” she asked in disbelief. “Who are you to tell me where I am or where I’m not needed?”
He didn’t answer.
Who was this man anyway? Who was he to tell her what to do? Did he not realize how much worse it would all be if she didn’t stop Andrew before it was too late? “I really think I need to get out there,” she said again, trying to break his grasp. “Robbie isn’t like Andrew’s other opponents have been. He’s not able to hold his own in a fight.”
“So you want to rescue the man who loves you?” he said bitterly.
“No,” she burst out. “I’ve no romantic notions about Robbie. I just don’t want to see him dead, that’s all.”
“Because then Townson would go to prison or be exiled. Is that it?” He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back against his hard body.
“Yes,” she said sharply, trying to free his fingers from the hold they had on her. “I care far more for Andrew than I do for Robbie. I have to stop their fight. Please?”
His hands loosened a fraction, but stayed in position. “I don’t hear either of them anymore,” he said after a minute.
She heard them though. She could pick out Robbie’s pathetic whimpers anywhere. They were distant, but she could hear them all the same. “I think Andrew’s loading him into a carriage.”
“Yes,” the man agreed. “Mine.”
“Yours? Why?”
He didn’t answer her. Instead, he released his hold, and from somewhere Madison couldn’t place, the mysterious gentleman lit a short candle and reached around her to hand it to her. “I promised Townson to keep you out of the way,” he explained. “You may go wherever it was you were headed. Just don’t follow me.”
“Why?” she asked, attempting to turn around to face him.
“No.” He gripped her waist again, intent to keep her from turning to face him.
“Who are you?” she asked, truly curious. She’d just spend the last five or ten minutes in the dark with this man and she had no idea who he was. She’d somewhat recognized his voice, but she couldn’t place it. Not that that meant much. She’d met so many men since she’d come to England, it was nearly impossible to keep them all straight when she could see their faces. Their voices were even more difficult for her to place. As odd as it was, she thought a lot of them sounded alike with their English accents and it was hard to tell them apart, especially in the dark.
“Don’t worry about that. Just go.”
She didn’t budge. Curiosity may have been rumored to have killed the cat, but she was no weak, declawed cat anymore; she wanted to know who this man who had been holding her in the dark was. “No,” she said defiantly. “I’m not leaving until I know your identity.”
“Who do you think I am?” His voice was so close she could feel his breath fan her ear and blow her hair, making her shiver.
“I don’t know,” she said honestly. “I’m not good with voices. But I know for certain you’re not Lord Wray, Lord Drury, or Mr. Chapman. I’d know those three voices anywhere with how much I have to hear them wax and spout ridiculous poetry about my blue eyes looking like endless skies. I know you’ve spoken to me before though. I just don’t know where.”
“You don’t need to remember where. You just need to go. Now.”
“Not until I have your name.” She looked down at the candle stub she was holding. It hadn’t been very large to start with and now it looked no larger than an acorn. She really needed to get walking if she wanted to have enough light to guide her to a lighted hall. “Please, tell me. My candle is about to burn out. I need to start walking, but I won’t leave until I have your name.”
“That’s unwise,” he stated. “You need to go before someone finds us. Townson or your sister will be looking for you soon and it would be best they don’t find us like this.”
Madison fought the urge to snort. “You clearly don’t know my sister.” If Brooke found them alone in the dark, she’d turn her eyes and pretend it never happened. If Madison asked her to, that is. First, Brooke would probably try to talk her into letting the rumor slip, if the match was to Madison’s advantage.
“I know her husband well enough,” the man countered. “He wouldn’t be happy about this.”
“He’d handle it however Brooke told him to.” Andrew wasn’t one for gossip in the first place, and he loved his wife and her family well enough that she was certain he wouldn’t call this man out or start rumors about them, especially if he was the one who asked him to keep her out of his fight with Robbie.
“That’s because she leads him around by his prick,” the man said, his voice full of disdain.
If the statement had been made about anyone else, she would have dissolved with laughter on the spot. But she knew better than anyone that Andrew truly loved his wife and Brooke undoubtedly returned his love in equal measures. “That was a nasty thing to say. I demand you apologize.”
He grumbled something she couldn’t understand, then mumbled, “Sorry, I forgot for a second that I was in the presence of a lady. I’ll choose my words more carefully in the future.”
“That’s not what I meant, and you know it,” she shot back hotly. “Apologize for your unflattering remark about my sister and her husband.”
He scoffed. “Fine, I apologize. From now on I’ll say, ‘Of course he will, he’s the most besotted man in England.’ Does that meet with your approval?”
“You’re rather rude, did you know?” she asked sarcastically. Of course he knew he was rude. He probably prided himself on it.
“Thank you. You may not believe this, but you just complimented me.”
“It wasn’t meant as such,” she retorted. “Now, tell me who you are, so I can go before my candle burns out. The flame is already burning the tips of my fingers because it’s so close to where I’m holding it on the bottom.”
“Then you'd better start walking,” he said, giving her a gentle shove forward.
Thinking she was going to outwit him, she quickly whipped back around to get a peek at his face. But in her haste, she made an error in judgment. She forgot to block the candle flame when she spun, and the quick spinning motion put out the flame right before she was able to get a glimpse of him.
“Good work,” he said sarcastically.
She ground her teeth. This man was absolutely intolerable. Why on earth had Andrew asked him to keep her occupied while he took care of Robbie?
Either he must be a mind reader or she’d spoken her thoughts aloud, because the infuriating man said, “Because I was—”
The rest of his words were abruptly cut off, when the door behind him suddenly swung open and revealed a very displeased Andrew. “What are you doing?” he hissed at her companion.
“Exactly what you told me to do. I kept her away from him,” the mystery man said calmly. His back was to the gardens and the only light streaming into the room was behind him, making it possible for her to see his form, but not his face.
Andrew being directly underneath a lamp was fully visible and Madison was sure she’d never seen him so angry. “Well, you’ve done your job. Now let her go. Madison, come with me. I’ll take you to Brooke and she can see you to your room, if you’d like.”
Madison went to sidestep the mysterious man, discreetly trying to glance up to see who she’d been with. Almost out of the doorway, she froze when another voice, one that she and every member of the Banks family knew well, entered the scene. “Well, what do we have here?” Lady Algen said waspishly.
Madison noticed she wasn’t the only one who stiffened at the comment. Lady Algen, who was London’s—no, England’s—no, the continent’s—most vicious gossip hungry harpy, stood with her hands on her hips, grinning like a jackal. This did not look good. Turning her eyes from Andrew to the back of the man she hadn’t been able to glimpse on her way out the door, she knew trouble was about to ensue and all three of them were powerless to stop it.
“What irony,” Lady Algen declared, licking her lips. “I was present at the ruination of your sister with this man,” she gestured to Andrew, “I believe I also brought to light your other sister’s scandalous ways.” She shook her head and clucked her tongue. “I just had no idea it would come to this. Miss Banks, I honestly thought you were better than this.”
“That’s enough,” Andrew said. His voice was so hard, both Madison and Lady Algen froze in terror. “Nothing is going on here. Go back and enjoy the ball while I return Madison to her sister.”
Lady Algen snorted. “I don’t think so. I shall escort her to her sister. Your wife will be in need of a shoulder to cry on when she finds out her husband has been trysting with her sister in the corners of her own gardens, during a ball she’s hosting no less.”
Madison gasped. Lady Algen thought she and Andrew were trysting? Did that mean she hadn’t seen the man in the doorway? She peeked over to the open door and he was no longer standing there. The hall was so dark, she couldn’t see if he was even in there or not. Blast the man.
“My wife will not require a shoulder to cry on,” Andrew said smoothly. “There is nothing going on between Madison and myself that my wife is not aware of.”
“So she approves of your activities, then?”
“There are no ‘activities’, real or imagined, between us,” Andrew said defensively.
“So are you denying that the two of you were trysting in the dark?” Lady Algen asked.
“Come along, Madison,” Andrew said, ignoring Lady Algen and offering his arm to Madison.
Wearily, she took his arm and barely made one step when Brooke came running up. “Thank goodness,” she said excitedly as she ran to embrace Madison. “Don’t worry, everything’s fine now.”
“Is that so?” Lady Algen asked archly. “Are you aware that your husband and sister have been keeping each other company tonight?”
“No, they haven’t,” Brooke said fiercely, putting her hands on her hips. “My husband was disposing of some rubbish, so to speak and Madison was with—”
“Me,” growled an angry voice that belonged to the unidentified man coming out of the doorway, grabbing Madison’s attention and making her gasp. “Townson asked Madison and me to wait over here until he came to collect us to formally announce our engagement.”
“Your engagement?” Lady Algen gasped, her eyes darting back and forth between the four of them.
“Yes, our engagement,” he confirmed. “Now, shall we all go back into the ballroom and allow Townson to make the announcement? Come, sweet,” he finished, offering his arm to Madison.
Madison stood numb. Closing her eyes, she silently prayed the ground would suddenly open and swallow her whole while an angel came down from heaven and wiped clean the memory of anyone that knew her. This was bad. This was beyond bad. This was catastrophic proportions bad. This was attempting to swim across the ocean back home to New York bad.
Catching sight of Lady Algen’s skeptical stare, she swallowed the uncomfortable lump in her throat and linked arms with the man she was about to become formally betrothed to. If she had been anyone else watching the scene, or even if it had been anyone else she had just become engaged to, she would have laughed at the twin looks of horror both Andrew and Brooke sported.
“Well, I never,” Lady Algen said, shaking her head. “I didn’t believe she’d go through with it.”
Madison’s escort stopped and turned to face Lady Algen. “Madam, you’d be wise to hold your tongue,” he counseled in a low, sharp tone. “The only thing you witnessed here tonight was a formal engagement announcement. Nothing else. If I hear even a hint of a rumor circulating suggesting anything else, you and anyone associated with you, will be finding out just how exciting the wilds of Australia really are.” He paused for a minute to let her brain work out his words. “Don’t think I don’t know of your involvement in the incident that took place at my house more than six years ago.”
Lady Algen took in a sharp intake of air and ran off as if she were being chased by a lion.
Turning back to face Madison, her nearly betrothed sent her a devious smile. “You just had to see my face, didn’t you,” he drawled tauntingly. “And now, you’ll get to see it every day for the rest of your life.”
Madison and Brooke gasped in unison at his cruel remark. Andrew, however, was not one to stand idle and watch while someone was taunted. Instead, he grabbed the man’s arm, spun him around and delivered a swift, hard punch to the other man’s midsection, making him gasp at the sudden loss of air, but showing no other signs of distress.
“Take that as a warning,” Andrew said evenly. “Come, ladies, let’s go announce this confounded engagement before Lady Algen does.”
That was it. That was how Madison now found herself, four weeks, two over-chaperoned carriage rides, and six obligatory waltzes later, looking into the cold blue eyes of her bridegroom.
And all she could think was in a way he was right, if she hadn’t been so blasted interested in discovering his identity, she wouldn’t be here taking vows to look at his unyielding, handsome face for the rest of her life.
Curiosity may not have killed the cat, but it sure didn’t do her any favors.
London, England
“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today…”
Madison Banks knew it was her brother-in-law, Paul Grimes, who was speaking. She heard his voice and tried to listen to his words, but she couldn’t seem to force herself to focus on them. Instead, her focus was directed solely on her groom.
He was tall, handsome, titled and wealthy. Every girl’s dream come true. Except hers. To be honest, he gave her the chills. And not the good kind, either. No, these chills were the kind that sent people into hiding. He sent her into hiding. Not to say he was mean to her, because that would actually be a lie. He had been extremely nice to her at one point—which was part of the reason she now found herself standing up in front of hundreds of people pledging her life to him.
It all started eight short weeks ago, when her parents had just left for America to make arrangements to have their household moved to England, her father’s homeland. Her sister, Brooke Black, Lady Townson, along with her husband Andrew, Lord Townson, stepped in to act as her chaperone and guardian while her parents were away.
At first, things had gone well; very well, in fact. Brooke played her chaperone’s role in regular Brooke fashion. In short, she wasn’t a very good one. She often allowed Madison to go on unchaperoned carriage rides in the park and would leave the room for half-hour intervals to check on her newborn while Madison was left unattended with a gentleman. Madison hadn’t complained about such things. She rather enjoyed that Brooke gave her the freedom Mama hadn’t allowed.
However, it wasn’t Brooke’s lack of chaperoning skills that led to Madison’s demise. That was completely her own doing.
A month ago, she’d been at a ball surrounded by countless gentlemen fawning over her bright blonde hair, clear blue eyes and porcelain skin; all the while, she was thinking what a lot of simpletons they all were. Couldn’t anyone notice anything deeper about her than her outward appearance, she wondered. She knew she’d acted shy and withdrawn the previous Season, but she’d been dancing waltzes and going to numerous social events for the past few months and all anyone could notice was her looks.
No one cared about the charitable works she did for others. Nor did anyone see her personal talents. No; all anyone saw was her striking beauty, and they were all so struck dumb by it, they couldn’t function properly in her presence.
Annoyed with the inane comments of the imbeciles around her, she decided it would be best to dance and endure the company of only one dullard instead of a dozen. The orchestra started playing the opening strains of a waltz and Madison caught sight of her brothers-in-law walking across the ballroom. Curious, her eyes shifted to search the direction they were walking, and that’s when she thought her world was about to collapse around her.
Directly across the ballroom from Andrew and Paul, stood Robbie Swift, the no-good, filthy cad who ruined her life. No, wait, that wasn’t entirely true. Her family may blame him for ruining her life, but they knew just as well as Madison did that she was just as responsible.
Robbie was a local banker’s son from Brooklyn, New York. He was tall, handsome and undeniably charming. He had all the makings of a young girl’s fairy tale husband.
He was only two years older than Madison, and when she and Brooke were young girls, the three of them would play together (when they could manage to ditch their youngest sister, Liberty, that is). As they entered their teenage years, Robbie was no longer a playmate but just another acquaintance. He attended her father’s church and played the flirt to all three of the Banks sisters. Unfortunately—or fortunately, depending on who you ask—Madison was the only member of the Banks family who could abide him.
Brooke could hardly tolerate him as a playmate when they were younger, and her feelings for him didn’t change as they grew older. Only because of Madison’s never ceasing protests, did Brooke finally quit trying to fling rocks at him with a makeshift slingshot.
Liberty wasn’t much better at hiding her dislike for Robbie. However, instead of hurling rocks at him or pouring large quantities of salt into his tea as Brooke had, she’d drone on and on about how much she didn’t enjoy his presence and wished he’d either marry Madison or go find another girl to annoy.
Mama and Papa were the only ones who attempted to hide their dislike for him. They’d casually have conversations with her, dropping hints about other eligible gentleman or suggesting she take a break from the courtship with Robbie to see what would happen.
But no, Madison didn’t want their advice. She wanted Robbie. She had to have him no matter what. For a brief time, she considered taking her parents advice and focusing on another gentleman, but when she’d heard he’d made some unflattering remarks about her, she strengthened her resolve and started to pursue Robbie like a cat chasing a mouse.
The problem was she, being the cat, had been declawed, not that such a thing was possible, mind you, except metaphorically, of course. She could chase him into a corner and almost have him in her clutches, then he’d scurry away and she’d be on the chase again. This cat and mouse game, where she chased him and he escaped her grasp at the last minute, went on for five years. Yes, that’s right, five years! Now some would say, a courtship is usually about five months. Or some might even be five weeks. And then, of course, there are the ones that are rather odd at five days. But five years? That’s unheard of. And yet, that’s how long the cat chased the mouse. Actually, cat and mouse is a bad analogy. A better analogy would be a puppeteer and puppet. In this analogy, Madison would undeniably be termed the puppet.
For five years, she danced to his tune in hopes of becoming Mrs. Robert Swift. And in the end, that honor went to a weak ninny named Laura Small.
Laura was a spoiled southern girl who had never so much as seen needle and thread in a person’s hand as they weaved it in and out of cloth. She’d grown up in southern Georgia on a booming cotton plantation. She flounced her way into New York spending money as if it grew on a cotton plant. She used her sugary-sweet southern voice to get the men to do her bidding with nothing more than a few compliments and a sickening grin. Within a week, she was the belle of all the balls. Within another week, she was Mrs. Robert Swift.
While Madison and Robbie had an unusually long courtship of five years that led nowhere, Laura and Robbie had an unusually short courtship of five days that led to the altar. Talk about the injustice of the world!
Only a month after the blessed event of two heartless, coldblooded creatures becoming one, Madison’s family decided it was time to visit Papa’s family in England.
Their intention was only to stay a few months, but when her older sister, Brooke, married an earl and announced a few months later she was in the family way, her parents decided to stay a bit longer. Then had come the unexpected marriage of her younger sister, Liberty, to a country vicar named Paul Grimes. When it turned out that two of their three daughters were happily married in England, Mama and Papa decided it would be best if they took up residence in England as well, which was why they were absent from the ball.
She’d been in England over a year now and had attended more balls than she cared to count. Not that she didn’t like to dance, she did. The problem was she didn’t want to marry. Robbie’s betrayal had cut deep, deeper than she thought possible. So brutal was his treatment of her, she didn’t think she could ever trust a man again.
She’d lived her life constantly lost in a daydream for nearly a year, before allowing herself to open up and enjoy life again. She’d erected walls around her heart and vowed she’d never be so careless as to trust another with it again.
So naturally, when she saw that miserable scoundrel who had the nerve to call himself a man, she started to panic. Hundreds of questions swirled around in her head, but they all came down to: what did he want now? She knew he hadn’t come here for anyone else. He only knew one other person in England besides her family, and that person was a commoner. Robbie wasn’t here for Liberty or Brooke, she was certain of that, which meant he was here for her.
Knowing he’d probably spotted her already, she fought to keep her calm as she weighed her options. She could dance the night away with any number of gentlemen who were currently swarming around her like bees to a hive and ignore him in hopes he’d leave. She could make her way to seek refuge with her sisters and wait for their husbands to toss him out like she knew they were about to do. Or, she could slip out of the ballroom and run to her bedchamber, remaining there for the remainder of the night.
Glancing at the herd of sheep dressed as gentlemen who surrounded her, she ruled out option number one. Shifting her gaze to where Brooke and Liberty were, she saw she’d have no choice but to walk directly in front of him as she walked to the staircase that led to Brooke’s look-out. That only left retiring for the evening. That wouldn’t be a bad option, she supposed. She’d just have to make her way to the side doors and walk through the gardens to get into the main part of the house.
Plan in place, she excused herself from her adoring pack and started to walk in the direction of the gardens. With each step she took, she felt her blood pumping faster through her veins. She could feel his razor sharp blue eyes staring at her as she made her way to the edge of the ballroom. Reminding herself to breathe and stay calm, she forced a smile to her lips as she passed a handful of curious guests. She heard footsteps behind her and almost froze. He was following her. Had Andrew and Paul not been able to rid this place of his unpleasant presence?
Willing herself once again to calm down, she reached out her shaking, clammy hand to open the door. Her palm so sweaty she could barely hold onto the knob as she gave it a twist. Swallowing the lump of panic that had formed in her throat, she tried again. Relief temporarily flooded her when the door swung on its hinges and she was able to slip outside.
Though the gardens were dimly lit, Madison had been in them enough that she could navigate them with a blindfold. All but running, she scurried down the steps, around the shrubs, through the bushes and over a concrete bench in an effort to get to the door. She grasped the brass knob to open the door just as she heard her name being called.
Her hands froze. Her heart froze. Her blood froze. It was his voice. The voice that used to whisper in her ears words of love and affection. The one that made promises of a future filled with love, happiness and children. The voice she’d tried for so long to forget.
“Madison,” he called, turning her skin to gooseflesh.
Ignoring him, she tried to open the door. There were no lights around the door, if she could just slip in and lock the door behind her, he wouldn’t be able to find her. But that was the problem, she couldn’t slip in. The knob wouldn’t turn. It was locked.
“Blast,” she exclaimed quietly through clenched teeth. She remembered she’d once swiped a key to the front door and kept in her reticule. She just hoped it would work for this door.
“Oh, Madison darling, where are you?” Robbie drawled, causing her fingers to tremble as she dug for her key. “I know you’re out here.”
She wanted to yell. She wanted to scream in frustration. She wanted to get this blasted door open. Her fingers closed around the key and she held it tightly as she pulled it from her reticule.
“You know you want me,” he said, his voice sounding closer than before.
Her fingers shook as she tried to jam the key into the keyhole. Every time she came close to getting the tip in, her shivering hand would miss and she’d scratch the knob with the end of the key.
“You know, those two bodyguards you’ve got in there should have known better than to just escort me out,” he said with a chuckle. “They have no idea of our feelings for each other, eh? Oh well, who could fault them for thinking I’m too much a gentleman to jump a fence to get to the woman I love. That’s right, Madison, I said love. I love you. Now come out of hiding, so we can talk.”
Madison’s hands briefly stilled from their mission of trying to get the key into the lock. She closed her eyes and shook her head. Love. Did the man really think after all this time, he could prance back into her life to say he loved her, and everything would be all dandy between them? If that was his great plan at winning her back, he was completely addled.
“Now come on, pet,” he drawled again, making her blood curdle. “Get your luscious derriere out here, so we can talk.”
His words shocked her and the key she’d been holding slipped to the ground to make a light ringing clink on the flagstones. All the blood seemed to rush from her head and she began to panic again. What if he’d heard the key hit the ground and came closer? Numbly, she tried to bend down to pick it up. Halfway to the ground, she saw a shadow that caused her to freeze in place.
Too dark to make out the face of the man next to her, she stared in silent shock as a giant hand reached down and picked up the brass key. The man stood up and slipped the key into the lock with extraordinary ease, before putting his hands on her waist and helping nudge her into the dark house.
No lamps were lit inside and the pair stood in complete darkness.
“Thank you,” she said at last.
“You’re welcome,” a vaguely familiar voice returned behind her.
They stood together in silence for another moment, while Madison waited for her heart to slow down to normal. But the longer she waited, the more she realized it wasn’t slowing down. Robbie was still outside yelling for her and becoming crasser each time he spoke.
“Oh, why is he here?” she muttered to herself. “Why can’t he just leave me alone?” She brought her hands up and covered her face. She felt like she was going to faint. Just as she could feel herself about to crumple to the floor, two strong hands came up and pulled her backward to rest against his hard body.
“It’s all right,” the stranger murmured in her ear. “I told Townson I saw the scoundrel jump the rock wall. He’ll take care of him in a minute.”
“Thank you,” Madison said softly. Robbie was right when he pegged Andrew as too good a gentleman to guess Robbie would come back. Andrew was the sort that stayed calm and always gave people the benefit of the doubt—at first. Then, if they betrayed his trust, they normally regretted it.
She’d heard tell from more than one source that he’d been involved in a number of fisticuffs. His most notorious partner being the Duke of Gateway, the man who’d tried to pay him last spring to ruin her sister Brooke. Those two had apparently had their share of scrapes over the past fifteen years and had each broken the other’s nose at one point. She had no doubt that, with Andrew being built like a tree the way he was and Robbie being no bigger than a twig, Andrew could easily break him. “I hope he doesn’t kill him,” she remarked when she heard Andrew’s angry voice.
“He won’t,” the voice behind her said. “Do you love him?”
“Who? Andrew?” she asked, automatically ruling out the chance he could be asking about Robbie. “Of course. Why wouldn’t I? He’s always been kind to me.” Not to mention, he was her brother-in-law.
“What of Mr. Swift?”
Madison closed her eyes. “No.”
“Then why don’t you want him hurt?”
“I didn’t say that,” she corrected. “I said I hoped Andrew doesn’t kill him. In case you didn’t see him, Robbie is as big as a quill. All Andrew has to do is hit him once and he’ll snap in half.”
The man chuckled. “You think they’re unevenly matched, do you?”
“Of course,” she burst out with a nervous giggle. “I’m not a coldblooded monster or anything, but I wouldn’t be opposed to seeing Robbie roughed up a little. At the same time, I don’t want his blood on Andrew’s hands. Anyone who’s ever seen Andrew knows it wouldn’t take any effort on his part to hurt Robbie.”
“Do you think Mr. Swift is a weakling who cannot defend himself?”
“Yes,” she answered bluntly. “I mean no offense to him in that regard, but the truth is I’ve seen the man felled by a pebble my sister shot at him from a makeshift slingshot.”
“Was this a reenactment of David and Goliath put on for your father’s church?” the man asked, his chest rumbling with a chuckle.
“No.” She shook her head and tried not to giggle at the memory. “Robbie tried to flip Brooke’s skirt up one Sunday after church, and after she kicked his hand away, he got angry and tripped her. That’s when she ran inside and took off who knows what piece of her clothing and used it to hurl a rock no bigger than her pinky nail at his head. He fell to the ground like he was a lead weight.”
The stranger laughed quietly and his hands squeezed her a little tighter. “That must have been quite a sight.”
“Oh, it was. But his wailing wasn’t. He moaned and groaned in pain for nearly five unbearably miserable minutes before he realized nobody was paying him any mind. Except me, of course. I was the only one stupid enough to fall for his theatrics.”
“You’re not stupid,” his calm voice said behind her.
Silence fell over them once again, as they listened to heated exchanges and what Madison would swear were sounds of an impending fight outside.
A sudden unmistakable crack followed by the loud thump of a body hitting the ground nearly made Madison jump out of her skin. “Perhaps I should go out there before something else happens,” she said hastily, trying to turn around.
His hands tightened. “No,” he said softly in her ear. “You’re not needed out there.”
“Excuse me?” she asked in disbelief. “Who are you to tell me where I am or where I’m not needed?”
He didn’t answer.
Who was this man anyway? Who was he to tell her what to do? Did he not realize how much worse it would all be if she didn’t stop Andrew before it was too late? “I really think I need to get out there,” she said again, trying to break his grasp. “Robbie isn’t like Andrew’s other opponents have been. He’s not able to hold his own in a fight.”
“So you want to rescue the man who loves you?” he said bitterly.
“No,” she burst out. “I’ve no romantic notions about Robbie. I just don’t want to see him dead, that’s all.”
“Because then Townson would go to prison or be exiled. Is that it?” He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back against his hard body.
“Yes,” she said sharply, trying to free his fingers from the hold they had on her. “I care far more for Andrew than I do for Robbie. I have to stop their fight. Please?”
His hands loosened a fraction, but stayed in position. “I don’t hear either of them anymore,” he said after a minute.
She heard them though. She could pick out Robbie’s pathetic whimpers anywhere. They were distant, but she could hear them all the same. “I think Andrew’s loading him into a carriage.”
“Yes,” the man agreed. “Mine.”
“Yours? Why?”
He didn’t answer her. Instead, he released his hold, and from somewhere Madison couldn’t place, the mysterious gentleman lit a short candle and reached around her to hand it to her. “I promised Townson to keep you out of the way,” he explained. “You may go wherever it was you were headed. Just don’t follow me.”
“Why?” she asked, attempting to turn around to face him.
“No.” He gripped her waist again, intent to keep her from turning to face him.
“Who are you?” she asked, truly curious. She’d just spend the last five or ten minutes in the dark with this man and she had no idea who he was. She’d somewhat recognized his voice, but she couldn’t place it. Not that that meant much. She’d met so many men since she’d come to England, it was nearly impossible to keep them all straight when she could see their faces. Their voices were even more difficult for her to place. As odd as it was, she thought a lot of them sounded alike with their English accents and it was hard to tell them apart, especially in the dark.
“Don’t worry about that. Just go.”
She didn’t budge. Curiosity may have been rumored to have killed the cat, but she was no weak, declawed cat anymore; she wanted to know who this man who had been holding her in the dark was. “No,” she said defiantly. “I’m not leaving until I know your identity.”
“Who do you think I am?” His voice was so close she could feel his breath fan her ear and blow her hair, making her shiver.
“I don’t know,” she said honestly. “I’m not good with voices. But I know for certain you’re not Lord Wray, Lord Drury, or Mr. Chapman. I’d know those three voices anywhere with how much I have to hear them wax and spout ridiculous poetry about my blue eyes looking like endless skies. I know you’ve spoken to me before though. I just don’t know where.”
“You don’t need to remember where. You just need to go. Now.”
“Not until I have your name.” She looked down at the candle stub she was holding. It hadn’t been very large to start with and now it looked no larger than an acorn. She really needed to get walking if she wanted to have enough light to guide her to a lighted hall. “Please, tell me. My candle is about to burn out. I need to start walking, but I won’t leave until I have your name.”
“That’s unwise,” he stated. “You need to go before someone finds us. Townson or your sister will be looking for you soon and it would be best they don’t find us like this.”
Madison fought the urge to snort. “You clearly don’t know my sister.” If Brooke found them alone in the dark, she’d turn her eyes and pretend it never happened. If Madison asked her to, that is. First, Brooke would probably try to talk her into letting the rumor slip, if the match was to Madison’s advantage.
“I know her husband well enough,” the man countered. “He wouldn’t be happy about this.”
“He’d handle it however Brooke told him to.” Andrew wasn’t one for gossip in the first place, and he loved his wife and her family well enough that she was certain he wouldn’t call this man out or start rumors about them, especially if he was the one who asked him to keep her out of his fight with Robbie.
“That’s because she leads him around by his prick,” the man said, his voice full of disdain.
If the statement had been made about anyone else, she would have dissolved with laughter on the spot. But she knew better than anyone that Andrew truly loved his wife and Brooke undoubtedly returned his love in equal measures. “That was a nasty thing to say. I demand you apologize.”
He grumbled something she couldn’t understand, then mumbled, “Sorry, I forgot for a second that I was in the presence of a lady. I’ll choose my words more carefully in the future.”
“That’s not what I meant, and you know it,” she shot back hotly. “Apologize for your unflattering remark about my sister and her husband.”
He scoffed. “Fine, I apologize. From now on I’ll say, ‘Of course he will, he’s the most besotted man in England.’ Does that meet with your approval?”
“You’re rather rude, did you know?” she asked sarcastically. Of course he knew he was rude. He probably prided himself on it.
“Thank you. You may not believe this, but you just complimented me.”
“It wasn’t meant as such,” she retorted. “Now, tell me who you are, so I can go before my candle burns out. The flame is already burning the tips of my fingers because it’s so close to where I’m holding it on the bottom.”
“Then you'd better start walking,” he said, giving her a gentle shove forward.
Thinking she was going to outwit him, she quickly whipped back around to get a peek at his face. But in her haste, she made an error in judgment. She forgot to block the candle flame when she spun, and the quick spinning motion put out the flame right before she was able to get a glimpse of him.
“Good work,” he said sarcastically.
She ground her teeth. This man was absolutely intolerable. Why on earth had Andrew asked him to keep her occupied while he took care of Robbie?
Either he must be a mind reader or she’d spoken her thoughts aloud, because the infuriating man said, “Because I was—”
The rest of his words were abruptly cut off, when the door behind him suddenly swung open and revealed a very displeased Andrew. “What are you doing?” he hissed at her companion.
“Exactly what you told me to do. I kept her away from him,” the mystery man said calmly. His back was to the gardens and the only light streaming into the room was behind him, making it possible for her to see his form, but not his face.
Andrew being directly underneath a lamp was fully visible and Madison was sure she’d never seen him so angry. “Well, you’ve done your job. Now let her go. Madison, come with me. I’ll take you to Brooke and she can see you to your room, if you’d like.”
Madison went to sidestep the mysterious man, discreetly trying to glance up to see who she’d been with. Almost out of the doorway, she froze when another voice, one that she and every member of the Banks family knew well, entered the scene. “Well, what do we have here?” Lady Algen said waspishly.
Madison noticed she wasn’t the only one who stiffened at the comment. Lady Algen, who was London’s—no, England’s—no, the continent’s—most vicious gossip hungry harpy, stood with her hands on her hips, grinning like a jackal. This did not look good. Turning her eyes from Andrew to the back of the man she hadn’t been able to glimpse on her way out the door, she knew trouble was about to ensue and all three of them were powerless to stop it.
“What irony,” Lady Algen declared, licking her lips. “I was present at the ruination of your sister with this man,” she gestured to Andrew, “I believe I also brought to light your other sister’s scandalous ways.” She shook her head and clucked her tongue. “I just had no idea it would come to this. Miss Banks, I honestly thought you were better than this.”
“That’s enough,” Andrew said. His voice was so hard, both Madison and Lady Algen froze in terror. “Nothing is going on here. Go back and enjoy the ball while I return Madison to her sister.”
Lady Algen snorted. “I don’t think so. I shall escort her to her sister. Your wife will be in need of a shoulder to cry on when she finds out her husband has been trysting with her sister in the corners of her own gardens, during a ball she’s hosting no less.”
Madison gasped. Lady Algen thought she and Andrew were trysting? Did that mean she hadn’t seen the man in the doorway? She peeked over to the open door and he was no longer standing there. The hall was so dark, she couldn’t see if he was even in there or not. Blast the man.
“My wife will not require a shoulder to cry on,” Andrew said smoothly. “There is nothing going on between Madison and myself that my wife is not aware of.”
“So she approves of your activities, then?”
“There are no ‘activities’, real or imagined, between us,” Andrew said defensively.
“So are you denying that the two of you were trysting in the dark?” Lady Algen asked.
“Come along, Madison,” Andrew said, ignoring Lady Algen and offering his arm to Madison.
Wearily, she took his arm and barely made one step when Brooke came running up. “Thank goodness,” she said excitedly as she ran to embrace Madison. “Don’t worry, everything’s fine now.”
“Is that so?” Lady Algen asked archly. “Are you aware that your husband and sister have been keeping each other company tonight?”
“No, they haven’t,” Brooke said fiercely, putting her hands on her hips. “My husband was disposing of some rubbish, so to speak and Madison was with—”
“Me,” growled an angry voice that belonged to the unidentified man coming out of the doorway, grabbing Madison’s attention and making her gasp. “Townson asked Madison and me to wait over here until he came to collect us to formally announce our engagement.”
“Your engagement?” Lady Algen gasped, her eyes darting back and forth between the four of them.
“Yes, our engagement,” he confirmed. “Now, shall we all go back into the ballroom and allow Townson to make the announcement? Come, sweet,” he finished, offering his arm to Madison.
Madison stood numb. Closing her eyes, she silently prayed the ground would suddenly open and swallow her whole while an angel came down from heaven and wiped clean the memory of anyone that knew her. This was bad. This was beyond bad. This was catastrophic proportions bad. This was attempting to swim across the ocean back home to New York bad.
Catching sight of Lady Algen’s skeptical stare, she swallowed the uncomfortable lump in her throat and linked arms with the man she was about to become formally betrothed to. If she had been anyone else watching the scene, or even if it had been anyone else she had just become engaged to, she would have laughed at the twin looks of horror both Andrew and Brooke sported.
“Well, I never,” Lady Algen said, shaking her head. “I didn’t believe she’d go through with it.”
Madison’s escort stopped and turned to face Lady Algen. “Madam, you’d be wise to hold your tongue,” he counseled in a low, sharp tone. “The only thing you witnessed here tonight was a formal engagement announcement. Nothing else. If I hear even a hint of a rumor circulating suggesting anything else, you and anyone associated with you, will be finding out just how exciting the wilds of Australia really are.” He paused for a minute to let her brain work out his words. “Don’t think I don’t know of your involvement in the incident that took place at my house more than six years ago.”
Lady Algen took in a sharp intake of air and ran off as if she were being chased by a lion.
Turning back to face Madison, her nearly betrothed sent her a devious smile. “You just had to see my face, didn’t you,” he drawled tauntingly. “And now, you’ll get to see it every day for the rest of your life.”
Madison and Brooke gasped in unison at his cruel remark. Andrew, however, was not one to stand idle and watch while someone was taunted. Instead, he grabbed the man’s arm, spun him around and delivered a swift, hard punch to the other man’s midsection, making him gasp at the sudden loss of air, but showing no other signs of distress.
“Take that as a warning,” Andrew said evenly. “Come, ladies, let’s go announce this confounded engagement before Lady Algen does.”
That was it. That was how Madison now found herself, four weeks, two over-chaperoned carriage rides, and six obligatory waltzes later, looking into the cold blue eyes of her bridegroom.
And all she could think was in a way he was right, if she hadn’t been so blasted interested in discovering his identity, she wouldn’t be here taking vows to look at his unyielding, handsome face for the rest of her life.
Curiosity may not have killed the cat, but it sure didn’t do her any favors.