Loving the Marquess Page 8

  Chapter Seven

  It had been two days since Louisa had gone to Overlea Manor to ask for the marquess’s help. The very last thing she’d expected to come from that meeting was a proposal of marriage. She’d been desperate but had somehow managed to control her nerves. Now, however, the task proved nearly impossible. Catherine, on the other hand, was brimming with anticipation.

  She aimed a shaky smile at her sister before stepping down from the carriage Nicholas’s grandmother had sent to collect them. The butler ushered her inside right away, bidding her to wait in the drawing room while he notified the dowager marchioness of her arrival.

  They had to wait some minutes before Nicholas’s grandmother swept into the room. She was shorter than Louisa and her slim figure and snow-white hair should have given her an air of frailty. Instead, however, the older woman possessed an unmistakable air of authority that made Louisa feel completely out of her depth.

  She and Catherine stood to greet her.

  “I apologize for keeping you waiting,” Lady Overlea said after she had rung for tea. “I was in the conservatory tending to the roses and Sommers did not know where to find me.”

  Catherine’s interest was immediately piqued, and she was almost glowing with excitement when she spoke. “I love to garden as well. I have read about conservatories, but have never actually seen one.”

  “We must not impose,” Louisa said, afraid Nicholas’s grandmother would be annoyed at Catherine’s exuberance.

  “It is no imposition,” the older woman said. “I am quite proud of the Overlea conservatory and would like nothing more than to give you a tour. Unfortunately, we will not have time today. Perhaps on your next visit.”

  “I will look forward to it,” Catherine said. “I saw some of your gardens on the way in and would like to have a closer look. I can see that you have some plants I have never seen before.”

  “You have discovered my secret love,” Lady Overlea said, her smile warm and open. “I think you will enjoy exploring the plants in the conservatory. Many have come from much warmer climates and must be brought indoors before the winter.”

  Catherine’s own smile widened and Louisa began to relax. She froze, however, when Lady Overlea turned her attention back to her. The weight of the older woman’s perusal was almost a palpable thing.

  “I was so very sorry to hear about your father’s death, Miss Evans.”

  A lump rose in her throat at the other woman’s words, especially since it was obvious she meant them.

  “Thank you, my lady,” she said. “And since we are soon to be family, you must call me Louisa and my sister Catherine.”

  Nicholas’s grandmother waited several moments before asking, “How did my grandson come to propose marriage to you? I was not aware that he had even met you.” A frown creased her brow.

  Louisa’s mind went blank and she strove to collect her scattered thoughts. It hadn’t occurred to her that Nicholas wouldn’t have told his grandmother how they’d met. He must have been trying to spare her from worrying about his health. She would have to come as near to the truth as possible without revealing the details of her other grandson’s proposition.

  “In truth, we have known each other only a short while. He rode by our house earlier this week while returning from London and stopped by our cottage. He expressed his condolences on our father’s death.” She ignored the curious look Catherine aimed at her and continued. “I was surprised, myself, when he proposed marriage to me two days ago.”

  Lady Overlea nodded as though the explanation made perfect sense and smiled, amusement lighting her features. “That would be like Nicholas, unable to pass by a beautiful young woman without stopping to talk to her.”

  Louisa blushed at the compliment.

  The dowager marchioness’s mood changed, becoming somber. “I have a confession to make. I am afraid I didn’t leave my grandson with much choice. It was time for him to marry and I forced the issue.”

  Her revelation surprised Louisa. She couldn’t imagine Nicholas being forced to do anything against his will.

  “I will be blunt with you. My grandson probably didn’t tell you, but the Overlea line is in danger. If Nicholas does not produce an heir the title will go to his cousin. Do not mistake me, I love all my grandchildren, but the notion of Edward as the next Marquess of Overlea…” She closed her eyes briefly. “Well, let us just say that it is important Nicholas produce a son to secure the inheritance.”

  Louisa could almost feel the weight of that responsibility being transferred squarely onto her shoulders.

  “I cannot guarantee the marquess a son, but I will do my duty,” she said, unable to hold back her blush.

  Lady Overlea reached over and patted Louisa on the arm. “That is all we can ask. Now,” she said, rising to her feet. “We have a wedding to plan and a wardrobe to secure. I have already sent word to London and the modiste will be here tomorrow. Please come with me. We have not a moment to spare.”

  * * * * *

  Nicholas’s first action on reaching his London townhouse was to send word to Richard Harding, the Earl of Kerrick, that he was in town again. When he arrived later that afternoon, Nicholas led the way to his study.

  “It’s a little early for drinking, is it not?” Kerrick asked when Nicholas walked over to the sideboard and poured two brandies.

  “It was an interesting visit,” Nicholas said as he handed his friend one of the drinks.

  “It was certainly a short one, even for you. I hope you straightened out all that nonsense about getting married. What did your grandmother have to say for herself?”

  Nicholas waited until Kerrick had raised the glass to his lips before replying.

  “Congratulate me,” Nicholas said. “I am to be wed.”

  He smiled when his friend choked on the drink. Lord knew there was little enough to find amusing about the whole situation.

  “Damn,” Kerrick said when he’d regained his composure. “That wasn’t funny.”

  “I wasn’t making a jest.”

  Kerrick stared at him in horror. “Bloody hell.”

  “Yes, well, hopefully it won’t be quite that bad.”

  Kerrick shook his head in amazement. “I can’t believe the old lady outmaneuvered you. Your aunt must be over the moon.”

  Nicholas scowled. “I am not marrying my cousin.”

  “Good,” Kerrick said. “I have to say I was never crazy about that side of your family. Edward is a vile creature, and Mary is much too meek and nondescript for you.”

  Nicholas could not agree more wholeheartedly.

  “To say they were displeased when I told them would be a vast understatement.” A small smile of satisfaction touched his lips as he remembered the scene.

  Kerrick laughed. “Leave it to you to turn the announcement into a production.”

  “Yes, it was very amusing.”

  He didn’t bother to tell his friend about Edward’s proposition to Louisa. That matter was dealt with and his cousin would be a fool not to heed his warning in future.

  “So tell me, who is the fortunate woman? One of the many who have been dangling after you since your brother passed away?”

  “No,” Nicholas said. “It is a neighbor in Kent.”

  “Really?” Kerrick’s brows rose as he speculated on the importance of that revelation. “Have you been keeping secrets from me?”

  “I wish it were something that interesting,” Nicholas replied. “You won’t know the family.”

  He downed the remainder of his brandy. He’d had some time now to consider this discussion with Kerrick, but had been unable to think of a way to ease into it.

  His friend picked up on his change in mood immediately.

  “Why are you here, Nicholas? It doesn’t bode well for your upcoming marriage if you feel the need to escape her presence right after your betrothal.”

  Kerrick was aiming for levity, but Nicholas was in no mood for jests.

  “I have returned to t
own for a special license. The ceremony will take place at the end of the month.”

  Kerrick whistled. “Is she with child?”

  Nicholas winced at those words. “No, thank God.”

  He paced to his desk, then turned to lean against it.

  “You may want to sit down.”

  Kerrick raised a brow but did just that.

  “I need a favor.”

  “You have it,” Kerrick replied without reservation.

  “You haven’t heard what I am asking of you.”

  “It matters not. Whatever you need—short of murder, and even then it would depend on who you wanted me to kill—you have it.”

  Nicholas smiled. He knew he could depend on Kerrick to do just about anything he asked, but what he was asking of him now… Nicholas knew that in the end he would agree, but he also knew Kerrick would try to talk him out of his plans.

  “I had an episode on the way home,” he said.

  “How bad?”

  “Bad. I passed out. When I awoke, I couldn’t remember where I was or why I was on my way to see Grandmother.”

  Kerrick remained silent for a moment, taking in the importance of this piece of news. Nicholas was glad he didn’t offer trite words of sympathy. With this latest episode he could no longer deny that he had inherited the condition that had led to the deaths of both his father and his brother.

  “Were you on the road at the time?”

  Nicholas nodded. “Fortunately, I saw a cottage as my light-headedness worsened and was able to seek shelter before losing consciousness.”

  “You might have lain on the road for hours.”

  “Yes, that would have been most inconvenient. And you’ll appreciate the poetry of the situation. I ended up on the doorstep of the woman I’m about to marry.”

  “I’m having a very difficult time picturing you falling prostrate at the feet of a woman, then turning around and asking her to marry you.” Kerrick shook his head at the image. His demeanor became somber, though, as he continued. “I know you don’t want me to speak of it, but surely you can find someone who can help you with this illness.”

  Nicholas shook his head. This was a subject he hated to think about.

  “Both my father and my brother consulted all the leading physicians and no one knows what this illness is. Apparently they’ve never seen anything like it. The only thing they do know, and even that was a guess after my brother fell ill, is that the condition is inherited.”

  “What do you need me to do?” Kerrick asked after a moment of silence.

  “Before I continue, I need you to promise you’ll hear me out.”

  “You’re beginning to make me nervous. Just tell me what you need.”

  Nicholas nodded and pushed away from the desk. He walked around it, pulled out his chair, and sank into it heavily. “Overlea needs an heir.”

  “I presume that is why you are marrying.”

  “In part. My recent bout of illness, however, did make me realize one thing. I cannot risk having a child of my own.”

  Kerrick was clearly confused by his words.

  “If you are not intending to father children, why are you marrying? You already have an heir.”

  “No,” he said, his tone emphatic. “Edward cannot inherit.”

  Kerrick leaned forward. “You’re not making sense. I can see why you don’t want Manning to become the next marquess, but the only way to avoid that is to have a male child of your own.”

  Nicholas shook his head.

  “Not quite. It is my wife who will produce the heir. Everyone need only assume that the child is mine.”

  Kerrick sat back, stunned. “You would do that?”

  “I have no other choice.”

  “Yes, Nicholas, you do. You are speaking nonsense. You actually want your wife to pass off someone else’s child as your own? When it is not even certain that you would pass on your illness to your children?”

  Nicholas laughed, the sound bitter. “That is not a chance I am willing to take. And the father wouldn’t be just anyone. It would be someone of my choosing. Someone with impeccable bloodlines himself.”

  Nicholas knew the moment Kerrick understood what he was saying. His expression changed from confusion to incredulity, then anger. He stood abruptly, moved to the desk and leaned over it, his face mere inches from Nicholas’s own.

  “You are insane. Does your wife-to-be know you plan to whore her out to some other man? To me?”

  The words were calculated to make him cringe and they hit their mark. He’d been careful not to think about what Louisa Evans’s reaction would be. Unlike Kerrick, however, she would have no choice in the matter after she signed the marriage contract and promised to provide him with an heir.

  “Have a care what you say.”

  “The hell I will,” Kerrick said, pushing himself away from the desk.

  Nicholas had been expecting the disbelief. He’d even known Kerrick would be angry. What he hadn’t expected was the flash of disgust he’d seen on his friend’s face. He said nothing as Kerrick paced across the room. For a moment Nicholas thought he was going to storm out the door, but instead he turned abruptly and stalked back to the desk.

  “I won’t do it,” he said, his mouth a grim line.

  Nicholas had expected his refusal, but he was certain he could make Kerrick see reason.

  “Then I will find someone else.”

  Kerrick’s jaw tightened. “Who?”

  Nicholas shrugged, pretending a casual indifference he was far from feeling.

  “I am sure there are any number of men who would gladly do the deed. I would have preferred it to be someone I knew could be counted on to keep his mouth shut, but…” He shrugged again as he allowed his voice to trail off.

  “Don’t do this, Nicholas. Think of the scandal if word were to get out”

  “It matters not. You know there will be rumors anyway after Louisa and I marry so quickly, but her position as marchioness will serve as a nice buffer against those rumors.” He braced his arms on the desk and leaned forward. “My heir will survive those rumors. He would hardly be the first by-blow to assume a title. Overlea, however, would not survive Edward as the marquess. He would drive the estate into the ground. And you’ve heard the rumors that are swirling around town about him. From what I’ve recently learned, I daresay most of them are true.”

  Kerrick sank into his chair again and buried his head in his hands. It was almost a full minute before he looked up.

  “Have you so little regard for this woman you are to marry? From what you’ve told me, she may have saved your life. You probably wouldn’t have survived a night out on the road, not in the condition you were in.”

  “She won’t be happy. In fact, I expect her to be furious, but she is a practical woman. She will do what needs to be done. And when I die she will give thanks every day that she will never have to watch her own child and grandchildren succumb to the same illness. Grandmother has already lost a son and a grandson to that illness. Soon, she’ll have lost two of her four grandchildren. Louisa Evans will not have to suffer that same fate. Better she should think me a bastard now than suffer what my grandmother has.”

  Kerrick had stilled during his speech. Without conscious thought, Nicholas had risen at some point. He had never before spoken so passionately about what was to come. He had always avoided the subject of his eventual death.

  He turned and stalked to the window, trying to get his emotions back under control.

  Neither spoke for what seemed a very long time, the two men locked in a silent battle of wills, neither willing to admit they might be in the wrong. In the end, Kerrick approached Nicholas and laid a hand on his shoulder.

  “I can make no promises,” he said, “but I will return with you to Kent.”

  Nicholas closed his eyes in relief. Everything was going to work out as he’d hoped.

  Chapter Eight

  The morning of the wedding dawned and Louisa was surprised at the calmnes
s that had settled over her. She’d been overwhelmed at first by all the wedding details, but just as he’d promised, Nicholas’s grandmother had taken care of everything.

  Lady Overlea had already arranged to have most of the Evans family’s personal belongings moved to Overlea Manor. John had been sullen and silent during the last weeks but he hadn’t protested, and for that Louisa was grateful. That night her brother and sister would be sleeping in their new rooms at Overlea manor. She knew Catherine, at least, was very excited by the prospect.

  She, on the other hand, would be spending the night here with her new husband. Before leaving, Nicholas had informed his grandmother that he wanted privacy after tonight’s ball, and since some of the guests would be spending the night at the manor house before departing on the morrow, it was decided they would get that privacy only by retiring to the Evans cottage. A group of servants were there now, preparing the house for her honeymoon night with her new husband.

  She shied away from thoughts of the upcoming wedding night. She had expected to see Overlea at some point during the last week, but he’d sent word that he was delayed in town. A part of her had half expected to learn he’d changed his mind and that there would be no wedding. She’d been relieved, therefore, when he’d sent her a second note apologizing for his delay but promising to arrive last night.

  She stood now in front of her mirror as the housemaid Lady Overlea had sent over flitted about her, adjusting the folds of her wedding gown and adding a pearl necklace and ear bobs. Louisa could only stare in wonder at her reflection, barely able to recognize the elegant woman in the mirror. Since the wedding was to be a small family affair, they’d chosen a simple white dress. Louisa had worried that with her fair skin and hair she’d look pale and colorless, but the silk fabric had a subtle rose undertone that brought out a hint of color in her cheeks and complemented her gray eyes. A few tendrils of her normally straight hair had been cut and now curled becomingly around her face, and flowers she didn’t recognized had been woven into her hair. Louisa knew Lady Overlea and Catherine had enjoyed picking them out from the flowers that grew in the conservatory at Overlea Manor.