Chapter Fourteen
Grace rubbed her temples. She’d awakened with a terrible headache, and after two cups of chocolate in the breakfast room, which she preferred over coffee, the pounding had subsided to a low throb. She dreaded the thought of the day and expected the scandal sheets to be emblazoned with her disgrace.
How much time did she have before the gossip spread?
“Are you all right, Grace?” Adam asked.
She looked up from her plate of uneaten eggs and toast and forced a smile. Her brother was looking at her with concern. Reaching out, she touched his hand. “I’m fine, darling. I’m just tired this morning.”
“You had a bad dream? You should have wakened me, and we could have shared a cup of warm milk.”
She squeezed his hand. “Yes, next time.”
They were interrupted by the aging butler, Stevens. “There’s a gentleman caller for you, miss,” he announced. Stevens extended her a silver salver with a card. As she reached for the embossed velum, the butler spoke. “It’s the Earl of Castleton.”
Ian had said he’d send word about the outcome of his conversation with is mother. Grace had expected a missive, or a letter, not a personal visit. God, what news did he have?
Her stomach tilted and she felt lightheaded.
“What’s wrong?” Adam asked, looking at her curiously.
“Nothing, darling.” She gave him a reassuring smile, then turned to the butler. “Please see the earl to the drawing room.”
She found Ian looking out the drawing room window. In the afternoon sunlight, he was even more handsome than last night. He was dressed in a meticulously tailored coat of olive green kerseymere, buff-colored trousers, and shiny black hessians. His dark hair gleamed in the sunlight. His tailors must have worked tirelessly—he appeared to be a gentleman of fashion. She was struck at how different he appeared in his finery.
He turned at the rustle of her skirts. “Grace,” he said.
She stepped into the room and shut the door. “What happened last night? I fear I cannot wait a second more to learn the truth.”
Rather than speak, he motioned toward the sofa. “Please sit, and I will explain.”
She walked to the sofa, her nerves stretched taut, and settled on the cushions. He joined her, his long legs crossing at the ankles.
His dark eyes searched her face. “How are you faring this morning?”
“If it’s any consolation, I woke with a pounding headache. I suppose I deserve it. I’m a ruined woman.”
“No, you are not.”
She looked at him incredulously. “Don’t tell me you managed to convince your mother to remain silent. I might believe that, but not of Lady Taddlesworth. Never of her.”
“My mother wrote this morning. Lady Taddlesworth has agreed to hold her tongue for now.”
The way he spoke, with confidence, only served to arouse her curiosity. “I don’t understand. You said Lady Taddlesworth agreed not to speak of it for now. How long will she remain silent? Am I to live in fear of her exposing my shame? And what of your mother, the countess? I don’t know if I can look her in the eye ever again.”
She turned away and blinked back tears. She couldn’t cry in front of him. She refused to succumb to such weakness. It was bad enough she’d retched outside of his home the prior evening.
He took her arm. Surprised at the contact, she glanced down to see his large hand slide down to hold her much smaller one.
“I have a solution to both our problems. Is your father home?” he asked.
Her gaze rose to his. “My father?
“Yes, the baron. Is he home?”
“He’s still abed. Why?”
Just as the question left her mouth, she felt a shock run through her. The only reason Ian would want to speak with her father was for his debts or his daughter, and she didn’t think it was because of his debts.
Ian couldn’t mean…could he?
He slipped to his knee and reached in his waistcoat to pull out a small box. He opened the lid to reveal a stunning sapphire ring surrounded by diamonds nestled in black velvet. “It belonged to my grandmother. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
She stared at the exquisite piece of jewelry, then raised her startled gaze to his. “What?”
“I’m proposing marriage.”
“Are you crazed?”
A corner of his lips twitched. “That’s not the response I had hoped for.”
“But you don’t wish to marry, and I don’t wish to marry you. From what I recall, you said you’d never wed.”
“Yes, well, last night changed things, didn’t it?”
That was an understatement. “But…but…I don’t know what to say.”
“Say yes. I’m a wealthy man, Grace. As my wife, you will have everything you will ever desire. You shall never have to worry about your father’s debts or your brother’s needs.”
It was tempting. She’d worried about finances for so long she couldn’t fathom not having to stall with the creditors or worry about how they would pay for Adam’s schooling at Eton and then Oxford and most importantly, her father’s gaming debts. Yes, it was tempting. He’d mentioned everything.
Everything but love.
Still, she didn’t love him, either. She was attracted to him. Highly attracted. And after last night’s incident, her choices were severely limited. If either Ian’s mother or Lady Taddlesworth whispered one rumor, her reputation would be destroyed. No decent gentleman would have her.
In a perfect world, she would have a sizeable dowry, her father would be responsible, not a reckless gambler, she wouldn’t have to conduct clandestine work for a widowed milliner, and she would never have to worry about creditors. Instead, she would have her pick of young, eligible bachelors. But that was no longer Grace’s world. It hadn’t been in a long, long time.
Ian’s offer may be surprising, but it had its benefits. He was wealthy, and he appeared to be generous with his money. His kisses melted her bones, and she had no doubt that he was an experienced lover. He was sinfully handsome, and he possessed a keen intelligence to manage a business as successful as the Raven Club.
There was a healthy dose of concerns as well. He possessed an abundance of arrogance, stubbornness, and selfishness and would not be easy to manage. Most disconcerting, he was the owner of the notorious Raven Club. He made his fortune from the gambling addictions of weak men and women. She knew firsthand how gamblers ruined the lives of those closest to them. She despised that and did not think she could compromise her morals and beliefs.
The question was whether the security of marriage was worth the risks.
She looked at him beneath lowered lashes. “You mentioned my father’s debts. He will surely incur more.”
“The baron can visit the Raven Club nightly without fear of having to repay his debts.”
“No! You said you would help him, not feed his need to recklessly gamble.”
“What will you have me do?”
“I…I cannot marry a man who owns a gambling club. It has destroyed my family.”
He hesitated for a heartbeat, holding her gaze before finally answering. “And if I tell you that I’m willing to sell the establishment?”
“Why would you do that?”
“I’m now the Earl of Castleton. I need to care for my estates, my siblings, and take my seat in the House of Lords.”
She stared at him in surprise as hope lit her chest. If he was willing to sell the Raven Club, then things would be different. Perhaps fate was smiling down on her.
“I realize I should speak with the baron and request your hand,” he said, “but I wanted to talk with you first and state my intentions.”
She looked into his dark eyes. “I…I—”
He brushed his lips across her fingers and caused a tingling up her arm. “Say yes, Grace. Have pity and consent. My knee is starting to ache.”
She glanced at the ring, then into his eyes. Perhaps it was time for her to gamble, to make a life-changing wager of own.
“Yes,” she said. “I’ll marry you.”
…
“You did what?”
Grace cringed at the hurt in Prudence’s voice. She was sitting next to her friend on a settee in the Wetherby’s elegant drawing room.
“I’m sorry. I would have told you sooner, but it just happened.”
Prudence continued to look at her in shock. “You’re engaged? To whom?”
“The Earl of Castleton. We are to wed by special license this week,” Grace said.
The drawing room door opened and a maid entered carrying a tea tray. Both women waited for the servant to leave before resuming their conversation.
“You’re jesting with me,” Prudence said.
“No.”
“How did this happen?”
“I told you I met the earl in Hyde Park. He aided my brother. He has since visited my home and expressed interest. My father approved the match.” She felt horrible lying to Prudence.
At first, the baron had been confused by Ian’s request for her hand. He’d woken bleary eyed and when Ian had entered his study and introduced himself as the Earl of Castleton, the baron hadn’t initially recognized him as the owner of his favorite gaming club. Recognition had been slow to dawn, but when it finally had, the baron had given his blessing in a heartbeat.
After Ian had left, Grace had escaped to her bedchamber and sat alone with her thoughts. She couldn’t believe she was betrothed to Ian Swift, the Earl of Castleton. A nagging thought had bothered her as she had tried to sleep that night. Why had Ian proposed?
He’d been adamant that he’d never wanted to marry. What had changed his mind? Yes, they’d been caught in a compromising position by the countess and Lady Taddlesworth. If a word were whispered, Grace would be ruined. Ian’s reputation was already shrouded in mystery. He’d eventually recover. Society would turn a blind eye to the scandals of a wealthy earl.
She knew he wanted to do right by his sisters, but even that wasn’t enough to explain Ian’s complete change of beliefs. Ellie and Olivia wouldn’t be tainted by Grace’s misdeeds.
And why sell the Raven Club?
Had he truly embraced his new position as the earl and the head of the household?
Grace’s attention was drawn back to Prudence. “The earl needs a wife. I’m a third-year debutante, almost on the shelf. The truth is my dowry is gone.”
“Gone?”
Grace swallowed hard. “The baron has gambled it all away.”
Prudence’s face crumbled, and she reached out and squeezed her hand. “Oh, Grace.”
The words came easier now. “My work for the milliner is not sufficient to keep the creditors at bay. Not only has the baron gambled away my dowry, but he’s in significant debt. You were right when you said Lord Castleton owns the notorious gaming club, the Raven Club. The baron is in debt to his club and others. He’s wagered and lost my mother’s inheritance as well. I live in constant fear that creditors will descend upon our home and take the furniture.”
“I’m so sorry, Grace.” Prudence poured tea, added two lumps of sugar the way Grace preferred it, and handed it to her. “Please drink. Tea will calm you.”
Grace felt her throat well up at her friend’s kindness. “I have nothing to offer a husband.”
“That’s not true,” Prudence said. “You’re witty, intelligent, and beautiful.”
“Men don’t care about the first two items, and most don’t even require beauty. A dowry is what truly matters.”
Prudence poured her own tea. “As much as I hate to admit it, I do believe it’s true. But I thought you wanted to marry for love.”
Desperate for Prudence to believe her, Grace brought up the one thing that she couldn’t deny. “Have you seen Castleton?”
Prudence shook her head. “Not yet. He hasn’t made any social appearances.”
Grace sipped her tea. “He will soon. He’s ruggedly handsome.”
“You find him attractive?”
“I do.”
Prudence set her cup and saucer down and looked at Grace with renewed interest. “Tell me.”
“He is dark and dangerous, just enough to lure a lady to behave improperly.” This was also not a lie. Last night had proved just how sinfully attractive he was to her. She could justify her actions by blaming the wine she’d drunk, but deep down she knew it wasn’t true. The wine may have loosened her inhibitions, but she had voiced what she’d truly wanted.
For Ian to kiss her.
Prudence sat forward on the settee. “Has he kissed you?”
“He has.”
“And?” Prudence’s eyes were wide as saucers.
“And he makes my heart pound.” Understatement. He made all of her tingle and throb.
“Oh my.” Prudence pressed a hand to her chest. “I’m beginning to get a clear image of your fiancé and why you agreed to a quick engagement. I fear I may have been too hasty in my judgment. When can I meet him?”