The Wary Widow

Jerrica Knight Catania

This book is a work of fiction.

Names, characters, locations and events are either a product of the

author’s imagination, fictitious or used fictitiously.

Any resemblance to any event, locale or person,

living or dead, is purely coincidental.

The Wary Widow

Copyright 2011 by Jerrica Knight-Catania

All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or part in any format.

Cover design by Jerrica Knight-Catania

1820, London

Lord Andrew Wetherby stalked into Eastleigh House, determined to leave again as soon as was humanly possible. He clenched his fists as the nauseating smell of French perfume and gardenias invaded his nose. God, how he hated these things. His twin brother, Michael, identical in every way except the cut of his hair, stood at his side, looking just as determined to get the hell out of there.

“Good Lord, do they bathe in the stuff?” Michael asked, clearly trying to hold his breath against the scent of the elderly woman passing by.

Andrew cleared his throat. “One would think. Now remember our plan. You find Benjamin and the Lionesses while I dance with Lady Elizabeth.”

“Yes, I know the plan,” Michael assured him. “And then we’ll say goodnight to the family and be on our way. Believe me, the only thing on my mind right now is getting out of here.”

Andrew smiled at Michael and then took his leave to find his betrothed, Lady Elizabeth Crawley. The eldest daughter of the Earl of Devon, Elizabeth was a paragon of beauty and grace. Andrew admired her for her stunning looks, as did most gentlemen in London, including his brother. Much to Michael’s chagrin, Andrew had beaten him in the race for her hand.

Right now she was weaving in and out of a Scottish reel, looking as if she had invented the dance herself. Andrew leaned against the nearest column at the edge of the ballroom and waited until the dance was finished.

The waltz was next, after which he would say hello to his elder brother, Benjamin, and his sister-in-law, Phoebe. Then he and Michael would set off for a night of gaming, and who knew what else.

“Excuse me.” A small voice took him from his reverie.

He turned to his right to see a waif of a girl—well, woman, really—sitting on the bench next to him. Her hair was a fiery red, which was quite out of fashion, but her large brown eyes more than made up for that fact.

“May I help you?” he asked, not meaning to sound so arrogant.

The girl pursed her lips in annoyance. “You’re standing on my dress, sir.”

It took a moment for Andrew to process what she’d said. He’d been too focused on her luscious pink lips to comprehend immediately. “Oh!” he exclaimed, jumping off her gown as if it were on fire. “My sincerest apologies, Miss...”

“Hawthorne.”

“My sincerest apologies, Miss Hawthorne,” he said with a smile, trying to put the odd girl at ease.

“And you are?”

Andrew swept her a bow. “Lord Andrew Wetherby, at your service.”

***

Chloe swallowed hard as all the color drained from her cheeks. Oh, bugger!

She stood and took a step toward him. “Lord Andrew, did you say?” she repeated, feeling like a ninny for having done so. He had very clearly stated his name, even if he had been a bit overdramatic about it.

He gave her a wry smile and Chloe felt the heat rush back to her cheeks. “I did,” he finally answered.

“Oh, well, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, my lord. I daresay we’ll be seeing a great deal of one another in the future.”
Lord Andrew looked at her, clearly perplexed, which made him look quite adorable. She much preferred that to the arrogant eyebrow lift he’d already demonstrated seven times in the course of their short conversation.

“I am Lady Elizabeth’s cousin,” she continued. “I’ve just arrived from Essex to play chaperone to her for the Season.”

“Chaperone?” Lord Andrew predictably lifted his eyebrow again—the left one—and Chloe couldn’t help but be annoyed by it. She wondered if he might eventually get stuck in that position.

The thought tickled her, and she twisted her lips to keep from laughing.

“Something funny?”

“No, no, I just...it was nothing.” Chloe blushed and looked away, feeling every bit the fool.

Just then the music ended and Andrew turned away from her, clearly seeking out his bride-to-be. Chloe took the moment to regain her wits, chiding herself for being so flustered. It wasn’t as if she’d never seen a handsome man before. Her own husband had been quite attractive.

“Well, Miss Hawthorne, it was a pleasure making your acquaintance.” He gave her what one might consider a half-bow. “Now, if you will excuse me, I believe I shall seek out your cousin.”

Chloe nodded, returning his half-bow with a half curtsey. “Of course, my lord.”

And then she sat back down on her lonely little bench and watched Lord Andrew saunter gracefully across the ballroom.

“It’s going to be a very long evening,” she muttered to herself. “A very long evening indeed.”

***

“Well, well, my fiancé has finally shown his face at his own brother’s party.”

Elizabeth glided toward him with a cheeky smile, her blue eyes twinkling in the candlelight. Andrew bowed deeply over her hand and planted a light kiss to her gloved fingers.

“My apologies,” Andrew said, noting that was the second time in only fifteen minutes he’d apologized to a woman. That certainly didn’t happen often. “I was unavoidably detained.”

“Aren’t you always?” Elizabeth asked with a toss of her flaxen curls.

“The good news, my dear, is that I’m here now. Just in time for our waltz.”

“You’re not going to run off as soon as you’ve danced with me, are you?”

Andrew feigned shock at the accusation, annoyed that Elizabeth was clearly on to his tactics now.

“Spare me the dramatics, Andrew.” Elizabeth took his arm and steered him back in the direction he’d just come from. “I have someone I want you to meet.”

“No need,” he said, tugging her toward the dance floor. “I’ve already met her, and I’m brimming with questions.”

Elizabeth raised one delicate eyebrow at him. It made her look rather mannish and Andrew made a note to address the subject at a later date, hopefully with a modicum of tact. It never did to insult one’s betrothed by telling her she looked like a man.

“Might I ask how you came to make her acquaintance?”

“I didn’t request the introduction, if that’s what you’re asking,” he said flatly. “I stood on her dress. Accidentally, of course,” he clarified. “She asked me to remove my foot, I apologized and in the process, we exchanged names. She seemed to be quite acquainted with me, though I wonder why I've never heard of her.”

Elizabeth smiled and allowed him to lead her to the middle of the floor just as the waltz began.

“Chloe comes from Essex,” she explained after they’d settled into the dance. “She is going to play chaperone to me for the Season.”

“Yes, that much I know. But how can she play chaperone when the two of you are of an age?” he wondered.

“Because Chloe is a widow, of course.”
Andrew blinked several times and furrowed his brow. It was obvious the woman was in mourning, but she hadn't corrected him when he'd called her a miss. He just assumed she was mourning for a family member.

“Well, don’t look so distraught, Andrew,” Elizabeth chided as he pulled her into a turn. “She was only married for two weeks before the poor sap came down with a fever.”

Andrew cast a sidelong glance toward the bench where Mrs. Hawthorne sat. It was hard to believe someone so young was a widow, and he found himself wondering if she’d been in love with her husband.

He shook his head at the thought. What on earth did that matter?

“Did you know him?”

“Who, Sam? Yes, of course. They were childhood friends, so anytime I went to visit, I inevitably came in contact with him.”

“What happened to your Great Aunt Sally? I thought she was to chaperone again this year.”

“She claims that her gout is too much to bear and so she is spending the season in Bath to take the waters.”

“When did her husband die?” Andrew asked without thinking. He wasn’t even sure why he wanted to know.

Elizabeth wrinkled her brow in confusion. “Great Aunt Sally's?”

“No, of course not. Your cousin's husband.”

“Oh. It’s been more than a year. Not that anyone would be able to tell. She insists on wearing those awful black dresses and silly caps everywhere she goes.” Elizabeth tsked in what most would construe to be sympathy, but what Andrew knew to be embarrassment. Elizabeth didn’t want to be seen with anyone who might be considered unfashionable.

“Well, you mustn’t be uncharitable, darling,” Andrew suggested. “Perhaps she is simply without any suitable gowns.”
“Quite the contrary.” Elizabeth blinked her blue eyes up at him. “She has a whole trunk full of suitable gowns.”
“Then we must assume she is not ready to come out of mourning.”

Elizabeth pouted at this and Andrew thought it best to end the conversation before she truly started whining about the state of her cousin’s chosen wardrobe. Instead, he pulled her from the dance floor and led her to where his brothers and the rest of the family stood, chatting away like magpies with one another.

“You know, there are people here who you do not see on a daily basis,” he said to his sister, Katherine, the Duchess of Weston.

“Such as you,” she rejoined with a light smack to his arm. “Why, I don’t believe I’ve set eyes on my baby brothers for at least a fortnight now.”

“Must you be so melodramatic, Kat?” Michael asked, joining the conversation and leaning in to plant a kiss on Katherine's cheek. “We had dinner with you just last week.”

Katherine cocked her head in mock-annoyance. “If you think it counts to breeze into my dining room, stuff your faces with nary a word, and then run out again on a mission to further debauch yourselves, you are sadly mistaken, dear brother.”

Andrew exchanged a knowing glance with Michael, remembering just why they had left in such a hurry. Thankfully, Madam Stone had not disappointed that evening.

“But you are right, Michael,” Katherine agreed as she peeled Elizabeth from Andrew’s arm. “We must branch out beyond the family tonight. Come, Lady Elizabeth, I wish to be introduced to that lovely young lady you arrived with this evening.”

Two

Chloe stood and rubbed her palms down her black gown as she watched her cousin walk towards her with a very elegant woman on her arm. She suddenly realized how inadequate she looked. Both Lizzie and the other woman could have stepped out of a page of Ackerman’s; Chloe could have stepped out of the grave for all the black she wore.

“Chloe dearest,” Lizzie called with a dazzling smile as she approached. “I would like to introduce you to Her Grace, the Duchess of Weston. Your Grace, this is my dear cousin, Mrs. Chloe Hawthorne.”

Chloe dipped into a curtsey, but the duchess caught her hand and clasped it between her own. “I will have none of that, Mrs. Hawthorne,” she scolded playfully. “All these people dipping and bowing gets rather tiring. Besides, if you’re Lady Elizabeth’s cousin, you are practically family.”

Astonished at the woman’s candor, Chloe merely smiled and brought herself erect again. “I’m sorry, Your Grace, I will remember to hold myself upright in the future.”

The duchess laughed a warm laugh that quickly put Chloe at ease. “See that you do. How delighted I am that you have brought your cousin to Town, Elizabeth.”

“Not nearly as delighted as I am.” Lizzie beamed at her, but Chloe still felt unsure as to how she should proceed.

She was not used to being in the presence of aristocracy. Her upbringing in the country had been simple, she’d married a simple farmer, and she knew very little of Town life. The only connection she had to society was through her cousin, though they'd spent little time together in the last few years. As Lizzie approached marriageable age, her life became rather more complicated, so her visits to the country had become fewer and rather far between. Never mind that their mothers didn’t quite see eye-to-eye. Aunt Prudence never fully grasped why her sister had sunk so low to marry a pig farmer. But Chloe knew why, and she was glad her parents were in love.

But Chloe and Lizzie had always been kindred spirits, and thankfully her cousin had given her a copy of Debrett’s Peerages upon her arrival. She’d stayed up until the wee hours of the morning, studying in preparation for this evening. Which probably accounted for her excessive yawning.

According to the book, Katherine Hart, Duchess of Weston had gained her title nearly four years ago through her marriage to William Hart, Duke of Weston. But she was high born through and through, having been the only daughter of the Marquess of Eastleigh.

Needless to say, Chloe hadn’t expected someone of her exalted status to be so friendly.

“Do say you’ll join the ladies and me for tea tomorrow afternoon. You and Lady Elizabeth would be a welcome addition to our little garden party.”

Lizzie’s eyes lit up as if it were Christmas morning. “We would be honored, Your Grace,” she replied, not bothering to ask Chloe if she indeed wanted to attend.

Chloe stifled a sigh. It didn’t really matter anymore if she wanted to attend or not. This was Lizzie’s Season, and Chloe was her chaperone. That meant wherever Lizzie went, there Chloe would be.

“I shall look very forward to it, Your Grace.” Chloe started to dip into a curtsey, but stopped herself mid-way with a sheepish grin.

The duchess laughed again. “You and I are going to get along just fine, Mrs. Hawthorne.”

***

“We’ve been here well over an hour, Michael. Can we please go now?” Andrew approached his brother, who stared intently at the twirling couples in front of him.

“Just a few more minutes,” Michael replied absently.

Andrew couldn’t imagine what had captured his brother’s undivided attention, but he decided to make the most of it.

“If you see Elizabeth, tell her I’ve gone already. I don’t wish to be dragged into another dance. I’ll be in Ben’s study when you’re ready.”
“Fine, fine,” Michael replied with a wave of his hand.
Andrew shrugged and ducked out of the ballroom. He certainly cared about his betrothed, but he detested going to balls with her. Hours and hours of dancing and mingling with people he didn’t know, or didn't like, could be exhausting. Elizabeth knew this and typically was content to go along without him.

Tonight, however, was a different matter altogether. His sister-in-law, Phoebe, would have his head on a platter if he missed her first ball of the Season.

“Andrew?”

Speak of the Devil...

He turned to see the subject of his most recent thoughts trailing after him down the hall. She wore a gown of dark green silk that made the russet streaks in her hair shine like a brand new copper pot.

“Ah, my favorite sister-in-law!”

Phoebe approached and they shared a brief hug. “Never mind that I’m your only sister-in-law,” she replied with a smile. “Where are you off to?”
“I had hoped to find Benjamin in his study and join him for a drink.”

“Your brother is where he should be—in the ballroom doing his duty as host to this party, and if you even think of pulling him away—”

“All right, my lady,” Andrew conceded with a laugh. “I’ll drink alone, then.”

“I’m afraid that just won’t do, Andrew. You should be paying far more attention to your betrothed than you are.”

Andrew rolled his eyes. He had hoped his engagement to Elizabeth would turn his sisters’ attentions to Michael. Apparently they could find a way to meddle regardless. “I’ve already done my duty by her this evening, in an exquisitely executed waltz, if I do say so myself.”

Phoebe gave him a sharp look—the one that made even her own husband cower. “Duty or not, you should keep a closer eye on her. The fortune hunters are out in droves this Season.”

A niggling of doubt began to creep in as Phoebe stood there looking at him, waiting for his response, but he ignored it. Elizabeth was an honorable girl and she would never think to break their engagement. Besides, she couldn't do much better than him. He was a Wetherby, after all, and a rich one at that. Far richer than many titled men, thanks to his careful investments, and far better looking. Why, she'd be a fool to break things off.

He turned back to his sister-in-law and sighed, resigned to the fact that he was going to have to stay a little while longer, if for no other reason than to appease the marchioness. Though perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad if it meant getting to know that bizarre little chaperone of Lady Elizabeth’s.

“Fine. You win,” he said. “Lead the way.”

***

“May I have this dance, Mrs. Hawthorne?”

Chloe looked up, startled, to find her cousin’s betrothed standing before her, hand outstretched.

Dance? Why on earth would Lord Andrew request such a thing of her? Not only was his fiancée in attendance, but there were several dozen other pretty debutantes milling about, waiting for a gentleman to ask them to dance. She grew suddenly nervous at the thought of participating. It had been well over a year since she’d engaged in such an activity, and never in such experienced company. Sam had been rather unremarkable when it came to dancing.

Besides, she was here as a chaperone. To abandon her post would leave her charge unattended, and Chloe was never one to shirk her duties.

She cleared her throat to answer, but Lord Andrew spoke first.

“I won’t take ‘no’ for an answer, Mrs. Hawthorne.”

Blast it all, how did he know what she was going to say?

“It’s not that I wouldn’t love to dance with you, my lord, but...well, there are many reasons that I cannot.”

Lord Andrew’s lips turned up into a devilish grin. “Let me guess. You cannot leave your cousin unattended. Is that right?”

Chloe blinked. “Well, yes, but that is not the only—”

“And, judging by your attire, I’m guessing it’s been some time since you’ve danced.”

Chloe swallowed against the sting to her pride and nodded, somewhat perturbed by his ability to read her mind.

His smile grew wider at her silence.

Arrogant rogue.

“That’s what I thought,” he said. “Well, Mrs. Hawthorne, I’ve been charged with keeping a better eye on my fiancée in order to maintain my position as her betrothed. Therefore, you and I will be spending a great deal of time in one another’s company.”

“Shouldn’t you be dancing with your fiancée, then?”

Lord Andrew turned toward the dance floor where Lizzie whirled about with some other gentleman. “It would appear she is otherwise engaged at the moment. Besides, it isn’t done to monopolize all of one particular girl’s dances.”

Chloe knew that, of course. Though she was a simple country girl, she still understood certain things about society and its protocol.

“Furthermore, if you don't dance with me, I'll be forced into dancing with Lady Bertha.”

Chloe followed Lord Andrew's gaze across the room to where Lady Bertha stood by the refreshment table. In all honesty, that was the last place Lady Bertha should have been. Where Chloe needed to gain a stone or two, Bertha needed to lose no less than three. She had a good feeling the crème puffs that she stuffed surreptitiously into her mouth were not going to help in her pursuit for a husband.

She looked back to the hand he proffered and gave him a sheepish smile. “I suppose I cannot say ‘no’ then, can I?”

Lord Andrew shook his head and grabbed her hand, pulling her to her feet. Chloe couldn’t ignore the odd spark that surged through her at his touch. Of course, it had been years since she’d so much as held hands with a man. It was no surprise she’d had such a reaction.

They walked until they stood at the edge of the dance floor and Lord Andrew turned to gather her in his arms.

“I really must warn you, my lord,” she said nervously. “I’ve only waltzed once or twice in my life. I’m not—Ah!”

Before she could say more, Lord Andrew whipped her around and dragged her into the fold of dancers. It took a moment for her brain to tell her feet they’d begun to move, but thankfully Lord Andrew had a firm grip on her waist and spun her around with little effort.

When she finally braved a look at her dance partner, his eyes sparkled with poorly veiled mirth. “I told you I’m not very good at this.”

“You mistake the source of my amusement, Mrs. Hawthorne,” he said, whisking her from the path of oncoming dancers. “You’re not actually that bad. If you would only remove that terrified look from your face, no one would know you weren’t an accomplished waltzer.”

“Oh.” Now aware of her furrowed brow, she relaxed her face and allowed a smile to tug at her lips.

And then she tripped over Lord Andrew’s feet.

He laughed. Loudly. “All right, then, perhaps we’ll introduce smiling at our next waltz.”

Though her cheeks burned with embarrassment, she couldn’t help but laugh. Lord Andrew had such a charming personality that even insults sounded like sweet nothings. And for some reason, the mention of their “next waltz” sent a frisson of excitement through her.

Immediately she chided herself for having such impulses towards her cousin’s betrothed, and told herself it was simply because she hadn’t enjoyed male company in such a long time.

Perhaps she should use the Season to her advantage and seek out a husband for herself.

Hah! A husband. In London. As if any of these fine gentlemen would look twice at a country bumpkin like herself.

No, she would do her duty by Lizzie and then return to the country at the Season’s end. Surely, she could find a husband in Essex...preferably one with a stronger constitution than her last one.

Oh, what an uncharitable though, Chloe!

“I beg your pardon?”

Chloe looked up to find Lord Andrew regarding her with a mixture of confusion and...amusement?

“What?” she asked, a bit confused.

“You said ‘What an uncharitable thought, Chloe.’” He grinned widely. “Do you talk to yourself often?”

Chloe’s cheeks flushed. “Yes,” she admitted, shifting her eyes away from his to the flower on his lapel. “Quite often.”

“Would you care to share your thoughts?”
Her eyes widened at his suggestion and she sucked in a startled breath. Goodness, he smelled delicious. Sam had always smelled of pigs and mud. But Lord Andrew...it was such a refined mixture of starch and brandy, she completely forgot to answer him.

“I shall take that as a ‘no’, Mrs. Hawthorne, but I won’t always be so kind. I really hate to be left out of conversations.”

Again, Chloe couldn’t refrain from laughing. No wonder Lizzie had chosen this man for a husband. He was quite perfect in every way, even if he did quirk his brow too often.

The song ended and Andrew led Chloe back to her bench at the edge of the ballroom. She was reluctant to see him go. She had truly enjoyed his company.

There is an end to everything, good things as well.

Lord Andrew gave her a funny look as he bowed over her hand, and she worried that she’d once again spoken her thoughts aloud.

But then he straightened, and asked with genuine concern, “Are you all right, Mrs. Hawthorne?”

“Quite,” she replied quickly. “Why do you ask?”

“No reason.” He smiled, baring a row of dazzling white teeth. “Thank you for the dance.”

Chloe regarded him suspiciously before answering, “No, thank you.”

Then he was gone. And once again, Chloe found herself alone, on her cold little bench.

Three

Katherine Hart, Duchess of Weston, sat down before her two best friends—Phoebe, Marchioness of Eastleigh and Becky, Viscountess Hastings—and set to pouring the tea. Both women waited patiently for her to state the business for which they’d been summoned early to the impromptu garden party. However, Katherine had a flair for the dramatic, so she said nothing, despite knowing her friends were practically dying of curiosity.

When she began to drop sugar cubes into the cups with pain-staking slowness, Becky clearly reached the end of her tether. “All right, Kat, that’s enough. The others will be here soon, and I’m itching to know what has you in such a tizzy. Why were you so eager for us to be here early?”

Phoebe seconded the sentiment. “Yes, dear, do hurry.”

Passing the cups and saucers to her friends, Katherine finally looked up and grinned devilishly.

“Did either you have the opportunity to make the acquaintance of Lady Elizabeth’s new chaperone at the party last night?” she asked before taking a dainty sip of her still-steaming tea.

Phoebe and Becky both furrowed their brows and gave a unified, “No.”

Katherine smiled with satisfaction. “Well, I should begin by telling you that she is not really of an age to play a proper chaperone. She can’t be much older than Lady Elizabeth. If it weren’t for her wardrobe, I would think them the exact same age.”

A faint ring came from the front hall and all three of the ladies’ eyes widened in panic.

“Good heavens, Katherine, get on with it!” Phoebe prodded, setting her cup back onto its saucer. “They’re already here.”

“All right.” Katherine scooted to the edge of her seat and spoke quickly. “The poor girl is a widow already. According to Elizabeth, the marriage was short lived and Mr. Hawthorne passed well over a year ago. Mrs. Hawthorne has been summoned from country life to play chaperone to Elizabeth, but I think we could make her stay in London much more adventurous than that.”

Phoebe and Becky exchanged a knowing glance. They knew Katherine loved to meddle; it was practically her life’s work.

“Once you have met her, you’ll feel the same way I do,” she assured her friends. “Now, come. We don’t want to keep them waiting.”

***

Ashbury Manor’s butler ushered Chloe and her cousin through the massive house and out onto the terrace. Chloe was already shaking with intimidation. The foyer alone was bigger than her family's little cottage in Essex. And much cleaner. The permeating lemon scent bespoke of meticulous cleaning practices, and she could almost see her reflection in the black and white marbled floor.

Chloe gave a little gasp as they stepped over the threshold to the outside. The grandeur of it all reminded her once again of just how unworldly she was. The country was beautiful, of course, and there were plenty of grand homes to behold, but this was the closest she’d ever been to such opulence, and it took her breath away.

An overhang, held up by thick white columns, shaded the balcony, and two curved staircases led down into the manicured garden. Carefully plotted beds of tulips and daffodils made up the garden below, with various animal-shaped topiaries throughout. Chloe decided her favorite was the bunny, who stood sentinel over a bed of swaying pink tulips. Stone walkways curved and swirled amongst them, culminating in a courtyard, which boasted an enormous Grecian fountain.

Grasping her cousin’s arm a little tighter, Chloe noted the table and chairs to her left, and small buffet just beyond. Pink and white seemed to be the theme of the garden party, as the table boasted flowers, china and a tablecloth of those exact colors.

“Magnificent, isn’t it?” Lizzie asked from beside her.

Chloe had no words, so she simply nodded, trying to take it all in. But she didn’t have much time before the duchess and two other women she recognized from last night’s ball burst onto the terrace.

“My dear Lady Elizabeth!” Lady Weston exclaimed, pulling Lizzie away and planting a kiss on each cheek. “How wonderful of you and your cousin to join us for our little party.”

Chloe felt uncomfortably exposed without her cousin to cling to and began to twist the fabric of her charcoal dress between her fingers. She tried to tell herself it wasn’t polite to fidget so, but she couldn’t seem to stop herself. The other two women were looking at her—well, smiling at her, really—and she was completely unnerved.

Introductions commenced with the Marchioness of Eastleigh, an auburn-haired beauty with enormous brown eyes. Her gown, the color of field poppies, was one of the most exquisite things Chloe had ever seen.

“And this is the Viscountess Hastings,” Katherine continued. Chloe turned her attention to the viscountess, who looked precisely like an angel with her golden hair and pale blue gown. She carried a little more weight than her friends, but it suited her. The woman positively glowed.

With a toss of her raven curls and a swish of her jonquil skirts, the duchess led the small group to the table at the end of the terrace.

The afternoon passed far too quickly for Chloe’s taste, for she enjoyed the company of these women immensely. They chatted away about their families. The viscountess had given birth to their second child on Christmas Day of the year past, which accounted for the glow Chloe noted earlier.

Phoebe, the marchioness, had two young children, who were supposedly doted upon far too much by their father. And the duchess had three little ones, who were clearly the joy of her life.

“How is the puppy faring at Hastings House?” Lizzie asked the viscountess.

“Oh, the children adore her, although I daresay she is more companion to Lord Hastings than anyone. He doesn’t go anywhere that Iris doesn’t follow.”

“Puppy?” Chloe asked, excited to move on to a topic she knew better than children.

“One of Daisy’s litter,” Lizzie provided. “You remember, she gave birth just before Christmas. Andrew and Michael took a puppy to the Hastings children as a Christmas present.”

Daisy was the family dog, and rather too large to be living in a London townhouse, in Chloe's opinion. But the Crawleys loved her—well, most of them anyway. Aunt Prudence was actually deathly afraid of the animal—and Chloe had rarely seen a dog so spoiled in her life. Though, she had to admit, she probably did far more of the spoiling than anyone else. She had a tendency to take too many bacon slices from the breakfast buffet, and no one seemed to notice when she slipped them discreetly beneath the table into Daisy’s watering mouth.

“Clarabelle is especially fascinated with Iris, though,” the viscountess went on.

“Well, she is at the age of discovery,” Lady Eastleigh put in.

“What a beautiful name. Is Clarabelle a family name?”

All three ladies erupted into laughter at Chloe’s question. She looked quizzically at Lizzie, who merely shrugged and raised her brows.

“Was it something I said?” Chloe wondered with a smile.

“Yes, actually,” Lady Weston replied as the laughter died.

The viscountess turned to her, a large smile pasted on her face. “Lord Hastings was charged with looking after his niece and nephew many years ago when their mother passed. Little Lydia created an imaginary friend and named her Clarabelle.”

“Clarabelle, the imaginary one, was the bane of Lord Hastings’s existence,” Lady Eastleigh announced.

“Eventually, Lydia grew out of her imaginary friend, but when we had our first daughter, it just seemed the thing to do to name her Clarabelle.”

“And now Clarabelle is anything but the bane of Lord Hastings’s existence,” Lady Eastleigh finished with a flourish.

“What a wonderful story,” Chloe said as she settled back into her chair.

Chloe listened intently to their stories, trying to ignore the pangs of loss she felt as the conversation turned back to their families. When she married her Sam a little over a year ago, they had high hopes for a family. He wanted an entire brood of children, and Chloe had been more than willing to oblige. But two weeks was hardly enough time to start a family. When Sam died suddenly of a fever, Chloe hoped and prayed and waited to see if perhaps their few attempts had taken. Losing Sam would have been easier if a part of him had lived on through a child. But it was not to be, and Chloe fell into an inconsolable depression.

“Do you not agree, Mrs. Hawthorne?”

Chloe snapped from her sad memories to realize she’d not been listening. Her cheeks turned hot.

“Forgive me,” she stammered. “I’m afraid I was woolgathering and lost the thread of conversation.”

All four women stared back at her, pleasant smiles on their faces.

“That’s all right, dear,” the marchioness said. “It’s not as if our discussion about dressmakers was all that important anyhow.”

“Oh, no, I’m sure it was quite riveting,” Chloe corrected her. “As a matter of fact, your input on the matter would be greatly appreciated.”

Covert glances passed among the three women and Chloe wondered whether she’d said the right thing, or the wrong thing. Based on the duchess’s surreptitious smile, she assumed the right thing.

“Well, perhaps we should all embark on a shopping trip together, then.”

Lady Hastings and Lady Eastleigh leapt at the idea as if it were a mouse, and they the cats.

“Oh, do say yes!” Lady Hastings begged of Chloe and her cousin.

Lizzie smiled wide while Chloe tried to dampen her own anxiety. Shopping with three women of the realm. Good heavens, how had this happened? She had only asked for their input on dressmakers to seem polite. She had no intention of abandoning her vigil to Sam now, regardless of what anyone said. Now what was she to do?

Chloe sighed inwardly. There was no way out of it. And all four of her companions were so excited that Chloe imagined if she reneged, it would be like telling a child there was no more Christmas.

“That sounds wonderful, my lady.”

***

“You must be joking.”

Andrew sat across from his brother, Benjamin, in the Eastleigh House library. He stopped swirling his brandy long enough to take a drink and then resumed.

“I wish I were, but it is the God’s honest truth.”

“And what would you suggest I do?”

Benjamin stood to refill his glass and then sat back down in the large, leather armchair.

“Marry her. Now. Or at least soon.”

Andrew sighed and let his head fall back. Staring up at the ceiling, he began to feel as if the weight of the world had been put upon him. It was a bit melodramatic for the occasion, but he just hadn’t planned on marrying quite yet. He still had an entire summer during which he intended to carouse as a bachelor. And now that blasted Lord Edgmond was going to ruin everything.

“Are you sure you heard correctly, Ben?” Andrew asked hopefully. “Perhaps he was merely making a joke.”

Benjamin shook his dark head. “This was no joke, Andrew. The man is intent on winning Lady Elizabeth for himself. He needs the money and he needs the connections - it’s really not much of a surprise.”

“But Elizabeth would never back out of our agreement.”
“Don’t be so sure of yourself, little brother. The way she looked at him last night while they were dancing...trust me, I know that look.”

Damn! Andrew wasn’t upset by the fact that Elizabeth might have eyes for another man, as much as the fact that he just didn’t want to marry yet.

Domesticity was not something he looked forward to. He would break off the engagement himself if Elizabeth could keep her reputation intact afterwards, but he knew better. It would never do to ruin her in such a way. And his family would be sorely disappointed in him. He couldn’t very well break off his engagement just because he was afraid of settling down too soon.

He could ask her to break it off. His reputation would certainly survive. But then what? He would have to start the entire bloody search for a wife over again.

However, even worse than his fear of domesticity was his fear of making a mistake. Of marrying the wrong woman. Lady Elizabeth seemed perfect on paper, but...

Blast that damned Lord Edgmond! And blast my brother and sister for finding mates they actually loved!

Andrew banged his fist hard on the side table next to him.

“I’ll ask you to refrain from taking your aggression out on my furniture,” Benjamin droned. “Why don’t we head over to Jackson’s instead?”

“I would rather head to the Rose and Crown for a pint and diversion.”

Benjamin rolled his eyes. “You forget I’m a married man now. Diversions are no longer allowed, not that I’d care for them anyhow. The only person I care to dally with is my wife. I’m sure you’ll feel the same way...one day.”

“Right.” Andrew stood, choosing to ignore his brother’s passive way of telling him that he should avoid diversions as well. “Jackson’s it is, then.”

By the time Andrew crawled into bed that night, he was sore and drunk - he'd chosen to go to Jackson's and The Rose and Crown - but still at a loss for what to do about Elizabeth. He wanted to marry her. Of course he wanted to marry her! There was no question about that.

But then visions of his brother and Phoebe, of his sister and the duke, and mostly of his own mother and father, swam around in his fuzzy brain. Love. That was the common denominator of those unions. Love and honesty and understanding.

Andrew laughed aloud at his romantic musings. Luck. That’s how they’d all happened upon their love, but surely it couldn’t happen for everyone.

And why did he even care? He valued his freedom. If Elizabeth were in love with him, he’d no doubt feel trapped, shackled to her for life with no means of escape.

He shook his head and fell back onto his pillow. No, love was the absolute last thing he wanted from marriage.

Four

“You infernal beast, leave me be!”

Chloe followed the sounds of her aunt’s pleas until she found her in the breakfast room. There she stood alone, backed into a corner, her arms scrunched in a defensive position while the family dog barked at her. To her aunt's credit, Daisy was a rather large animal, as all Saint Bernards tended to be. But Daisy had a heart of gold, Chloe knew, and she wouldn't hurt a fly, let alone the woman responsible for her welfare.

“Oh, Chloe! Thank heavens!” her aunt exclaimed. “Please call him off.”

“Aunt Prudence, Daisy is a girl.”

“I don’t care what it is, it’s trying to kill me!”

Chloe tried not to laugh at her aunt as she said, “She’s not trying to kill you, Aunt Prudence, she wants to play. And the way you’re clutching your fists like that, she thinks you want to play as well.”

Aunt Prudence calmed slightly and looked at her niece, bewildered.

“Go on,” Chloe prodded. “Open your hands. Show her you don’t have anything for her.”

Like a child, the woman nodded her head and slowly unclenched her fists. Daisy lost interest and ran to Chloe, slobbering affectionately all over her hand.

“See? She just wants to be included.”

Regaining her composure, Aunt Prudence swept cautiously from the corner and resumed her place at the breakfast table. “Well, perhaps you could include her somewhere other than my breakfast parlor?”

Chloe smiled at her aunt. “Of course, Aunt Prudence. I’ll take her for a walk,” she said as she grabbed a slice of toast off the buffet and shoved it in her mouth. She would have much preferred to sit down to eggs and bacon—goodness, her mouth was watering from the savory smell!—but apparently, duty called.

“Take Sarah with you.”

“No need,” Chloe replied, her mouth full, as Daisy tugged her towards the front hall. “Daisy will protect me.”

After attaching Daisy’s lead and donning her gloves, the pair burst onto the street, excited to be out in the fresh morning air. It had clouded and rained every day since her arrival almost a week earlier. Chloe liked the city much better in the sun. And she would take a much longer walk today since there seemed to be no threat of rain.

The city was only just waking, and the sidewalks were quiet except for the odd servant or man-about-town on his way to tend to important business. Chloe welcomed the peacefulness. Between Daisy’s incessant barking whenever she was indoors, and her rowdy cousins, Chloe rarely enjoyed a moment of serenity.

Since she came to London, she'd become accustomed to taking Daisy on her morning walks. It was a good way to explore the city a bit—at least the Mayfair portion of it, for she wasn't so brave as to venture beyond its borders.  Today they left Mount Street, wandered through Berkeley Square, past New Street, zig-zagged a bit more and then Daisy turned down Berwick Street.

As soon as they rounded the corner onto Berwick, Chloe’s foot caught on a wobbly cobblestone, and she stumbled until she finally fell face-forward to the ground. Luckily, she caught herself with her hands. Better to have torn hands and gloves than a scraped-up face.

She didn't have much time to assess the damage though, as Daisy barked and pulled at her, apparently disgruntled they had come to a stop.

“Hush, Daisy!” Chloe chided as she struggled to pick herself up from the sidewalk. “People are still sleeping at this time of the morning.”

She examined her skirts and brushed away the dirt, losing her grip on Daisy’s leash in the process. Instantly aware that she was free, Daisy broke into a run down the street.

“Daisy!” Chloe yelled after her as she too broke into a run. “Daisy, stop!”

The dog feigned deafness and continued running at a speed Chloe could never hope to maintain. She lost sight of her after mere moments and slowed to a walk, her breath coming in ragged spurts. How was she ever going to find her now?

“Daisy!” she called, hoping that by some miracle the dog would come running back to her.

She dredged on, scanning both sides of the street for any sign of her wayward pet. Halfway up the lane, Chloe caught sight of Daisy's white and brown coat and heaved a great sigh of relief. That relief however, was quickly replaced by a racing pulse. Kneeling in front of Daisy, on muscular haunches, was Lord Andrew. He was dressed for the day in a crisp white neckcloth, tight, tan breeches and a dark brown jacket. His hair was slightly disheveled unlike the night before when it had been slicked into a distinguished coif.

Air suddenly eluded Chloe.

She watched him for a moment, unable to move or breathe, fascinated at his behavior with the dog. Clearly he was well acquainted with her, and Daisy seemed to know exactly where to find him. He had her by the jowls and rubbed her frantically while she licked his face. Lord Andrew laughed and sputtered, but didn't pull away. He was enjoying himself immensely it seemed.

“Who are you here with, girl?” he asked in what Chloe thought to be a rather silly voice for a grown man. “Where is one of your many masters?”

Lord Andrew finally turned away from the dog and immediately honed in on Chloe, who blushed and stammered like a ninny.

“I-I was walking her, and she ah...her leash, you see, I dropped it.” She paused, trying to gather her wits before she finally said, “Good morning, Lord Andrew.”

He stood to his full height, still elevated on his front stoop, forcing Chloe to tilt her head up and shield her eyes from the sun. Her heart fluttered but she immediately told it not to.

It didn't listen.

“Well, good morning, Mrs. Hawthorne,” Lord Andrew said as he grabbed Daisy's leash and descended the few stairs to the sidewalk. “I wasn't expecting to see you walking this beast.”

Chloe smiled. “It's become my habit since I arrived. It's a nice way to see the city, and I'm not required to bring a chaperone.”

“Ah, I see.” He held out the leash to her. She reached out and their hands grazed slightly as she took it from him. Good heavens, her heart was going to jump out of her chest. “Which way are you headed?”

“I don't know,” she admitted, breaking their eye contact to look up and down the street. “I don't usually plan, I just go and hope that Daisy will lead me back home when she's ready.”

“May I accompany you, then? I do adore walking with Daisy.”

***

“Oh, of course!” Mrs. Hawthorne practically yelled. Andrew smiled, seeing he'd unnerved her. He wondered why, at the same time knowing that most women found it impossible not to succumb to his charm and good looks.

“Excellent!” he replied, hiding his knowing smile. “Let me see to Daisy then so you may enjoy the sights without being dragged behind. I know what a beast she can be and it seems she's already put you through your paces this morning.”

“Indeed, she has.” Mrs. Hawthorne held up her hands, revealing dirty gloves, one with a large hole in it that revealed a bit of broken skin.

“Good Lord, how did that happen?” he asked as he took her hand to examine it more closely.

“I fell,” she said, suddenly appearing very young and very bashful. “That's when Daisy ran away from me.”

“Does it still hurt?” He took off the ruined glove and examined the scrapes, noting how slender and feminine her fingers were as he did. And duly noting the gold band she wore.

“It stings a little,” she admitted in a quiet voice. “But it's nothing, really.”

“We don't want it to get infected, Mrs. Hawthorne.” Andrew turned on his heal, tethered Daisy to the wrought iron gate in front of his town house and marched up the stairs.

Deane immediately flung the door open and waited while Andrew turned back to Mrs. Hawthorne, who stood like a statue on the pavement.

“Come along, Mrs. Hawthorne,” he beckoned. “My housekeeper will see to your hand.”

“It's really not necessary, my lord. Honestly, I will see to it myself once I'm home.”

“Nonsense. An infection could settle in by the time you reach Mount Street and I won't stand for it. Now—” he gestured for her to walk through the door, “—inside with you.”

Left with no other choice, Mrs. Hawthorne went inside. Andrew followed her, deposited her in the masculine drawing room and sought out his housekeeper, Mrs. Finch.

Mrs. Finch—or Gloria, as they referred to her when not in polite company—wasn't your usual housekeeper, nor was she a missus, and Andrew was grateful Lady Elizabeth didn't know about the woman. He wasn't sure how she'd take it if she knew their domestic was a former whore. Certainly, she wasn't one now, and she'd never wanted to be one in the first place, but she had been, nonetheless.

She flirted endlessly with Andrew and his brother, but everyone knew and agreed that anything more would be untoward and unacceptable. He had a feeling she and Deane, their butler cum valet, had spent many a winter night together, however.

He found the woman in the kitchen, sneaking a lick of whatever batter she was mixing up. Hopefully she was making his favorite sugared biscuits. The smell alone made him salivate.

“Why, Lord Andrew,” she exclaimed as she wiped her hands clean. “I thought you'd gone out already.”

“I had, but I ran into someone who needs a bit of mending, if you don't mind.”

“Mending?” Her eyebrows shot up in speculation.

“Don't get any ideas, Gloria. She is my fiancée’s cousin, for God's sake.”

“I didn't say a word,” she replied haughtily, and then slipped past him through the kitchen door.

Gloria Finch had had one encounter with Lady Elizabeth and it would have been a vast understatement to say the woman didn't like his betrothed. Andrew didn't know the details, nor did he really care, but he was forced to endure Gloria's snide remarks about Elizabeth on a near daily basis.

“Mrs. Finch, this is Mrs. Hawthorne,” he introduced as they came into the room. “She fell and scraped her hands this morning and could use some fixing up.”

Mrs. Hawthorne's eyes widened at the sight of Mrs. Finch, but she quickly concealed her surprise and said, “Goodness, Lord Andrew, you make me sound like a child.”

“Aren't you?” She certainly didn't look a day over eighteen.

“Well, no,” she stammered. “I turned twenty in February. I'm older than Lizzie by six months.”

“Ah...my mistake.” He crossed the room to them and stood over Mrs. Finch's shoulder. “What do you think, Mrs. Finch? Will she survive?”

A loud cackle filled the room and Mrs. Finch threw her head back, laughing bawdily, making her exposed bosom bounce frantically. Andrew watched Mrs. Hawthorne. She was clearly baffled by this odd woman and the circumstances of Andrew's household.

“It's nary a scrape, milord,” Mrs. Finch said, smacking him rather forcefully on the arm. “A little alcohol and a bandage and she'll be right as rain, she will. Sit tight, Mrs. Hawthorne, I'll be back in a moment. And don't let this one charm you into his bed while I'm gone.”

With another loud cackle, the woman disappeared through the doorway. Andrew turned to see Mrs. Hawthorne gaping after her.

“Don't mind her,” he said. “She's a bit spirited, but she makes a fine housekeeper.”

“Fine, indeed. Wherever did you find such a woman?”

Andrew smiled, liking very much that this slight woman of twenty years didn't mince words or beat about the bush. “I'll tell you if you promise not to tell Lady Elizabeth. I've no doubt she would disapprove of our unconventional housekeeper.”

Chloe scooted forward on the edge of the chair, her eyes wide with curiosity. “I promise.”

“Truth be told,” he began, “I met her at an establishment of, shall we say, questionable values?” He stopped, realizing this was an entirely inappropriate conversation to be having with a lady, alone, in his parlor, widow or otherwise.

“Well, go on, my lord. Mrs. Finch will be back any moment.”

“Yes, well...you see, this isn't all that easy to say to a lady such as yourself.”

“Oh, I'm no lady, just poor relations.”

Andrew laughed and finally gave in. “The madam gave her to me, so to speak. She was to be mine for the night, only she came to me trembling, upset, really quite terrified.”

“Oh, dear, the poor thing!”

“Poor thing is right. She was only nineteen at the time. Both her parents had died of some sort of fever and she'd fallen into the profession quite by accident. She'd been working, shall we say, for three years, but had, just that night, experienced something quite frightening.”

“Did she tell you what happened?”

“Yes, but do not dare ask me to repeat it. Good Lord, no woman should ever be exposed to such horrors, even second hand.”

“So, what did you do?”

“Well, Mrs. Hawthorne, I like a woman to be willing when she comes to my bed, and so I didn't touch her, naturally. Rather, I bought her out, brought her here and employed her as our housekeeper.”

A glowing smile broke out on Mrs. Hawthorne's lips. It made her eyes light up and her cheeks rosy, and he realized she was beaming at him with the pride of a mother. Good God, he had just ruined his reputation as a playboy in one fell swoop. All because the little twit had begged him to tell his story.

“Please don't.”

“Don't what?” she asked.

“Don't look at me like...well, like that.”

“I'm sure I don't understand. I'm merely smiling at you. I think it's quite honorable what you did, no matter how you came by her.”

Andrew didn't miss the hint of censure in her tone and that made him smile again. “Ah, here she is. Mrs. Finch, I will be outside seeing to Daisy, if you would be so kind as to escort Mrs. Hawthorne there when you're done.”

“Not a problem, milord,” Mrs. Finch said with a wink.

He wasn't sure what the wink meant, but he decided it was best left ignored.

He turned to Mrs. Hawthorne to see she stared back at his housekeeper with badly veiled fascination. Good God, she was fascinated by her? Andrew wanted to laugh, but he couldn't, for he realized that just as she was fascinated by Mrs. Finch, he was fascinated by Mrs. Hawthorne.

Five

“Chloe!”

Chloe looked up from the letter she’d been writing to her mother. She was in the middle of telling her all about Lord Andrew's housekeeper, which was still hard to believe. Goodness, a whore for a housekeeper.

Former whore, Chloe! There you go being uncharitable in your thoughts again.

Lizzie continued to call for her, and soon there were footsteps on the landing outside her bedroom door. Chloe sighed and placed her quill back in the ink well. She would have to finish the letter later, since apparently, duty called again.

“Chlo—Oh, there you are.” Lizzie bounded into the room, her blond curls bouncing. “I wish to take a walk, but naturally, I can’t go alone.”

“Naturally,” Chloe repeated, rising from her desk chair. “I’ll just fetch my pelisse.”

Lizzie followed close on her heels as she walked to her closet, and Chloe couldn’t help but wonder at her peculiar behavior.

“Don’t forget your parasol,” Lizzie advised. “It’s awfully bright today.”

Chloe turned and practically collided with her cousin, she was so close. She brandished her parasol and waved it about, though she didn’t really see the point in them. Her bonnet almost completely covered her face and it was already five o'clock. But it seemed the thing to do in London, so Chloe held her tongue and followed her very eager cousin from the room.

“Where are we going, anyway?” Chloe inquired after her cousin.

“Hyde Park, of course.” Lizzie accepted her own parasol from the butler. “That’s where all the fashionable people go.” She delivered this last statement as if everyone should know such a fact.

“Well, then why am I going?”

Lizzie turned on the spot and leveled Chloe with a somewhat annoyed glare. “Because you are my chaperone and you love me and you wouldn’t dare deny me the opportunity to mingle with my friends on such a delightful afternoon.”

A conciliatory smile tugged at Chloe’s lips. She and her cousin could not have been more different if they tried. But she did love Lizzie, even for all her social climbing and city ways, and did not wish to upset her.

“You’re right,” she said at last. “I’m sorry. I promise not to say another contrary thing the rest of the afternoon.”

Lizzie seemed pleased, if not a bit skeptical with her apology—if her highly arched brows were any indication—and grabbed her arm to tug her out the door. Chloe practically had to skip to keep up with her cousin’s pace. Usually her cousin strolled in a manner befitting a lady. Today she practically ran to the park. Chloe had never known her to be in such a hurry to get somewhere before. It didn’t help matters that Lizzie’s legs extended at least five inches longer than her own.

They reached the park in what Chloe assumed was record time, and she was thankful when Lizzie finally slowed down. She knew it wasn’t on her account, but that was all right, they had slowed nonetheless. It was a lovely day and Chloe didn’t wish to rush their sojourn. Fluffy clouds passed lazily overhead, gravel crunched beneath carriage wheels and children squealed as they ran through the grass.

Members of the ton made up the majority of the scene, walking, riding, flirting; it was like some kind of civilized mating ritual. Chloe blushed at the thought. She really ought to stop reading so much about animals and their rituals.

She followed along behind Lizzie, enjoying the warm, April sun, tilting her face towards the light.

“Why do you lag so, Chloe?” Lizzie asked as she looped her arm through Chloe’s. “You needn’t walk behind me like a maid.”

“Sorry,” she answered. “What shall I do if you wish to walk with Lord Andrew, or a friend?”

Lizzie looked at her with a sly smile. “Well, then you should walk behind. Especially if it’s a gentleman.”

A gentleman? What did that mean? Her cousin was betrothed to one gentleman, and she couldn’t imagine Lord Andrew being very amenable to his future bride taking private walks with another man. And for that matter, she couldn’t imagine wanting to take walks with another man if she were the one engaged to Lord Andrew.

“You never mentioned whether or not you enjoyed your time at Ashbury Manor yesterday,” Lizzie cut into the silence as they crested a hill that looked down on what Chloe assumed was the Serpentine. She’d heard it was the place to see and be seen in London, but she never imagined it would be so beautiful.

Bright green grass dabbled with tall, leafy trees made up its banks. And the vast body of water rippled with every stroke from the little boats that carried lovers and friends alike. Gaggles of geese waddled about, ducks and Swans glided across the water. Groups of silly young ladies and young bucks teased and flirted with one another while their chaperones looked on. Aside from the fauna, it was quite similar to the ball they'd attended the prior evening. Minus the heat and overcrowding, or the abundance of oppressive perfume, of course.

“You seemed a bit distracted at times,” Lizzie continued.

“Oh, no, I had a lovely time. It’s just that...”

“Yes?”

“I suppose hearing about their husbands and families and such made me miss Sam all over again.”

Lizzie turned her fallen features toward the Serpentine, clearly uncomfortable with the way the conversation had turned. Never mind that she’d been the one to ask.

“I’m sorry,” she said at last, and it almost sounded like a question. As if she were asking if that were the right thing to say to a widow who was missing her husband.

But before either could say anymore on the subject, Lizzie tensed her arm around Chloe’s. Chloe had no idea why until her cousin greeted a puffed-up looking dandy on the path. His blond hair was slicked into a greasy coif beneath a tall top hat. And his pants hugged even tighter than Lord Andrew's. Unfortunately, he did not seem nearly as fit or muscular.

“Lord Edgmond,” Lizzie breathed. “How pleasant to see you here this afternoon.”

She had a wistful look in her eye as she regarded the man, but Chloe couldn’t figure out why. He had a handsome enough face, but one could hardly see past his brightly colored ensemble.

When did men start wearing purple striped waistcoats?

“Why, Lady Elizabeth,” the man drawled, taking Lizzie’s hand in his and kissing the tips of her fingers. “I certainly didn’t expect to find you here this afternoon.”

Why not? Chloe tried to puzzle out the relationship, and came to the conclusion that neither one was surprised to see the other at all. Lord Edgmond’s next words confirmed Chloe’s suspicions.

“But since you are here, I’ve something I wish to discuss with you.” He held out his arm to her. “Would you care to stroll with me for a bit?”

Lizzie giggled, and her cheeks turned a bright pink. What in the world was going on here? “Goodness, I hope it’s nothing serious,” Lizzie said and then turning to Chloe, added, “Why don’t you rest for a bit, dear. I’ll only be a few minutes.”

Chloe hesitated. Was this a test? Was she supposed to say “no” like a good chaperone, or was a good chaperone one that allowed her charge a bit of freedom?

Oh, blast it! This was her cousin, who was not even six months from her own age. Chloe was merely there to keep up appearances, not to keep Lizzie from doing as she pleased.

“Yes, all right,” she agreed finally, and then made her way to a soft patch of grass near the water.

***

“Good God, Michael, can we go home now, please?”
“We’ve only been here for a half an hour, Andrew. What on earth is your rush?”

Michael took his eyes from the path to observe his brother who had thrown his head back to look at the sky.

“You know I hate being here during the fashionable hour,” Andrew replied, not hiding his sarcasm. “I much prefer an early morning ride.”

“As do I, but the Lionesses aren’t going to give up, so it’s best we try to appease them once in a while.”

Phoebe and Katherine were relentless when it came to their social mores. As members of such an influential family, they felt it was part of their duty to parade about town and involve themselves in Society. Michael and Andrew had received the “duty” speech more times than they could count, and could recite it verbatim, but they knew their sisters’ concerns went far beyond obligation. They wanted the boys to marry, and soon.

And not for any conventional reasons like connections or heirs. Oh, no! They wanted another sister. Another goose to add to their gaggle to provide them even more topics of gossip and frivolous conversation.

When Andrew had announced he was to marry Lady Elizabeth the women were nearly beside themselves with joy. Lady Elizabeth was just their sort. Lively and pretty and smart. She would certainly be a fine addition to their little club.

Elizabeth would be a fine addition to any gathering.

“Besides,” Michael continued, shaking away his wayward thoughts, “six o’clock is hardly the fashionable hour.”

“It’s fashionable enough,” Andrew rejoined. “And I have appeased them, remember? I’ve already found a wife, so why in hell am I required to come on these rides with you?”

“You’re not,” Michael retorted, suddenly annoyed with his brother. “It’s your betrothed you should be riding with, anyhow.”

Andrew fell silent and Michael looked over at him, but before his eyes could fall on his brother’s brooding countenance, someone caught his eye in the distance.

Lady Elizabeth.

Walking alone with Lord Edgmond, damn her.

The pair disappeared around a bend, and Michael pondered the situation. Was it true that Edgmond was after his brother’s fiancée? He’d assumed, as Andrew had, that it was merely idle gossip. But perhaps they’d been wrong.

His eyes scanned the bank of the Serpentine as they approached and he saw that Elizabeth’s cousin sat there, her foot tapping anxiously.

“Look.” Michael pointed toward the woman and Andrew followed his gaze.

“That’s Mrs. Hawthorne,” he remarked. “But what is she doing in the park alone? And at such a late hour? It’s almost six o’clock now.”

“I’m not sure, but perhaps you should go and find out.”

Michael hoped his brother would take the bait so he might follow to where Elizabeth and Edgmond had gone. Andrew didn’t need to know of her indiscretion, if there was in fact an indiscretion. But Michael couldn’t allow Elizabeth to dally with other men while she was engaged to his brother. It just wouldn’t do.

“Where are you going?” Andrew asked, his gaze still fixed on the little widow.

“I’m just going to give Thor here a hard ride up Rotten Row.” And then he rode off, without an ounce of guilt over lying to his brother.

***

“We meet again, Mrs. Hawthorne.”

Chloe looked up to find Lord Andrew climbing down from his thoroughbred. She hadn’t noticed how dark it had become until he arrived. The air was turning heavy with fog and the smell was quite offensive. She'd heard stories about the awful fog in London. If they didn't leave soon, it might be impossible to find their way home. Where on earth was Lizzie?

“Lord Andrew,” she said, standing to her feet and faltering a little. She felt suddenly awkward and unsure of herself.

“This is the second time today I find you out and about alone. It isn't safe, you know?”

“I wasn't alone this morning, my lord. Daisy can be far more ferocious than any maid. And even now, I'm not...” alone, she was about to say, but stopped herself. She was indeed alone, and the reason was because her cousin—his betrothed—was off somewhere with another man.

Oh, dear. She had not signed on to lie for her cousin. She looked up at Lord Andrew. Blast Lizzie and her blasted Lord Edgmond.

“Mrs. Hawthorne?”

“Yes, sorry!” she exclaimed all of a sudden. Lord Andrew jumped a little at her abruptness. “I meant to say, I didn’t come here alone...that is, I came with Liz- Lady Elizabeth, but...”

Come on, Chloe, you've been talking since you were two! Find your tongue, for pity's sake!

Lord Andrew smiled, seemingly enjoying her inability to form a coherent sentence. Blast him. If he didn't smell so very virile, or look so very handsome, and if she didn't remember their scandalous discussion about his whore-maid that morning, she might be able to compose herself.

“Where is Lady Elizabeth?” he asked, and Chloe clamped her mouth shut.

She would not rat out her cousin.

“She met with a friend and they wanted to walk together, but I was a little tired, so I asked to stay here and wait, so they walked off, but that was quite some time ago, though I don’t have a watch, so I can’t tell you exactly how—”

She cut off as Lord Andrew let out a booming laugh. She blinked several times, trying to assess why he’d be laughing at her, and waited for him to calm down.

Really, it was awfully rude of him.

“Forgive me, Mrs. Hawthorne, but I’ve never heard anyone speak for so long without taking a breath...well, that's not entirely true, now is it? My sisters could talk the hide off a mule.” He rubbed his eyes, which pooled with tears of hilarity. “Quite remarkable really.”

Chloe had no idea what to say to this. She merely stood there, dumbstruck. No one had ever funned her this way before. People always thought she was too reserved or too sensitive to be able to laugh at herself. She had thought that, too. Until now. She felt a giggle forming deep in her belly, gurgling its way to her throat until she could hold it in no more.

The feeling was quite freeing. She almost didn’t want to stop. But Lord Andrew was staring at her now as if she’d grown a second head, so she forced herself to remember the gravity of the situation.

The fact of the matter was that she was standing here, at dusk, with her cousin’s fiancé, while her cousin was who-knew-where with some other lord.

Chloe sobered rather quickly.

“Well, Mrs. Hawthorne,” Lord Andrew said, breaking the awkward tension. “I suppose it’s a good thing I found you here then. Would you even have known how to get back home by yourself?”

Chloe’s back went up like an alley cat. Never mind that she didn’t have a single clue where home was from here, she didn’t want Lord Andrew to think she was some kind of helpless ninny. “Of course I would,” she lied, then added, “I’m not helpless, you know.”

Lord Andrew quirked his brow for the first time in their conversation. “No, of course not. You don’t seem at all the helpless sort and I’m sorry if I insinuated otherwise.”

“Oh,” was all she could think to say to that. He really was a gentleman, wasn’t he?

She was about to concede that perhaps he should walk her home, when Lizzie appeared. Thankfully, she was alone.

“Andrew!”

Lord Andrew spun around. “Lady Elizabeth,” he said, and Chloe noted the cool tone to his voice.

Lizzie offered her hand and he took it, but did not kiss it. Instead, he leveled her with a rather intimidating glare.

“Is everything all right, Andrew?” Lizzie laughed uncomfortably.

“Where is your friend?” he asked, and Lizzie’s cheeks turned a bright pink.

“Friend?” Her eyes shifted to look at Chloe, who immediately looked the other way.

“Mrs. Hawthorne has been waiting for you to finish your walk with your friend for some time.”
Oh, dear. Was he really coming to her defense? Poor Lizzie looked dumbfounded. She looked from Lord Andrew to her, clearly wondering if she had betrayed her trust. Chloe gave her the slightest shake of her head.

“Yes, I was with Miss Lovell,” she said slowly. “She wanted to speak with me about a certain gentleman who wants to court her.”

Lord Andrew's brow shot up mockingly. Oh, Lord, he didn't believe her. “Oh, really? Miss Lovell, you say?”

Lizzie laughed again. A strained, uncomfortable laugh that made Chloe want to cringe. “That is what I said, Lord Andrew.”

“Curious,” he said, looking away and tapping his chin while he dug his riding crop into the dirt.

“Why is that?”

“Well, it's just odd, that's all, especially since I saw Miss Lovell and her two sisters heading out of the park less than an hour ago.”

Lizzie visibly gulped, as did Chloe. She had to say something.

“It’s really all right, my lord,” Chloe stepped in.

His dark eyes turned on her and their gazes locked. Chloe quickly looked away, suddenly ill at ease.

“It would be good of you to remember that I am no fool, Lady Elizabeth. Once we are married I expect you to tell the truth. Right now, you are still free to do as you please, within reason. However, I am appalled to realize that you not only lied to me, but you left your cousin, who knows little of this city, all alone at dusk.”

Honesty? Chloe wondered at his double standard. Would he eventually tell Lizzie about his housekeeper? Or his trips to the bawdy houses, which he'd inadvertently admitted to visiting?

“All alone? Andrew, she was hardly alone. I was just over there, beyond that small copse of trees.”

“You will not argue with me, Elizabeth. The park is a dangerous place after dark.” Andrew's nostrils flared slightly. Goodness, he was upset. Chloe wondered what made him angrier, the fact Lizzie had lied or that she'd left her alone.

Lizzie’s one brow rose in annoyance. “I’ve lived in London all my life, Andrew, and I would never put myself or my cousin in danger. Now, if you will excuse us, we’ll be expected for dinner soon.”

Lizzie grabbed Chloe by the arm and began to pull her away from Lord Andrew. The sound of horse’s hooves pulled her focus to their left. A man, almost identical in looks, trotted toward them on a stallion every bit as lovely as Lord Andrew’s.

Her cousin’s grip tightened as he approached, but she managed an easy smile. Chloe felt as if she’d been caught in a maelstrom. What on earth was going on here?

“Mrs. Hawthorne, I presume?” the man on the horse said.

“I am,” Chloe admitted.

“I am Andrew's twin brother, Lord Michael Wetherby.” He dismounted his horse and gave her a little bow.

Chloe curtsied as best she could with Lizzie gripping her arm.

“Goodness, have I come upon a funeral?” Lord Michael asked.

Chloe looked back at Andrew, who stood staunch, clutching his riding crop under his arm. He stared back at her for a moment before shrugging and turning to his brother.

“Come, Michael,” he tutted with a toss of his riding crop. “We will see Lady Elizabeth and her cousin home.”

“We can make our own way home, thank you,” Lizzie shot back acerbically.

Lord Michael gave a wry smile as he looked back and forth between Lizzie and Lord Andrew. “We just happen to be heading in your direction, Lady Elizabeth,” he said in a placating voice. “It would be our pleasure if you would allow us to see you safely home.”

Lord Andrew and Lizzie both seemed to back down slightly, and Chloe wanted to applaud Lord Michael for his ability to diffuse the situation. Still, far more than met the eye was going on here, and it was going to take more than just a few diplomatic words to get to the bottom of it.

Six

A deafening clap of thunder sounded just as Lizzie stuck her head around Chloe’s door. It was late, but she was still up, finishing the letter to her mother.

“May I come in?” she asked.

“Of course.” Chloe rose to admit her cousin and shut the door behind her. She couldn’t help but notice the troubled look on her face. “Is everything all right?”

Lizzie turned and nodded. “I just wanted to apologize for this afternoon. Andrew was right. I should never have left you alone like that.”

Chloe held up her hand. “You needn’t worry about it.”

“But I should not have put you in such a position.” Her blue eyes turned downward. “Thank you, though, for not telling him the truth.”

“You mean for lying,” Chloe bit back. Lizzie’s expression grew pained at this and Chloe felt awful for having spoken so bluntly. “Listen, Lizzie, I’m not here to judge you, only to chaperone you, and frankly, I’m not even comfortable with that. Your affairs are your own, but I should probably warn you to be more careful next time.”

“I know,” Lizzie sighed, plopping down onto the bed. “Lord Michael gave me the same warning.”

“Lord Michael?”

Lizzie nodded. “He found us. He promised not to say anything, but it was clear he wouldn’t hold his tongue forever.”

“But why, Lizzie? Why do you risk it?”

Lizzie flopped back onto the bed and stared at the ceiling. “It’s just, well, I care about Andrew and all, and of course I want to marry him, but I just can’t seem to help myself.”

Another clap of thunder boomed, followed by a bright flash of lighting. Lizzie turned to look out the window, but Chloe cocked her head like a confused bird, trying to understand what her cousin was talking about.

“What do you mean?” she asked, moving to join her on the bed.

Lizzie looked at her as if she should have understood. “Well, didn’t you ever wonder if there were other men who could love you as much as Sam did?”

Chloe shook her head, hoping her face did not deceive her words. “No, although we didn’t have the same caliber of man wandering about in Essex as you do here in London. Sam was the best, and didn’t every girl in the village know it?”

“Yes, but suppose another man had come along and told you things you’d never heard before?”

“Like what?” Chloe asked.

Lizzie grew wistful and turned her face to look out the window. “Like how beautiful you are. How clever and smart.”

Chloe chuckled lightly. Poor Lizzie had succumbed to the attentions of a flatterer. She knew how her cousin felt. There had indeed been another man in her life, one who wrote horrible poems about her and begged her every day to choose him over Sam. And she’d spent countless nights, lying awake, debating the merits of her two suitors. But she hadn’t loved Louis, and she knew she never could. That alone kept her from marrying him.

“Well, then,” she advised, “I suppose I would make sure my decisions are based on practical things rather than flattery.”

“It’s not flattery,” Lizzie practically shouted over the thunder. “He really does think I’m beautiful and clever.”

“That’s not surprising, Lizzie,” Chloe said, somewhat alarmed that her cousin had lashed out so. “You are beautiful and clever. No one would deny that, but perhaps some are simply more vocal about telling you.”

Lizzie didn’t appear satisfied with this answer, but Chloe didn’t know what else to say. Was she really thinking of backing out of her agreement with Lord Andrew because of that peacock from the park? If Lord Andrew were her betrothed...

But he wasn’t, and it was horrible for Chloe to even entertain such thoughts about her cousin’s fiancé. Like a rotten berry, she tossed aside the image of him standing before her on the stoop earlier that morning, his dark hair tousled, his breeches tight, and his eyes dancing with amusement then darkening in concern for her scraped hand.

“Well, perhaps I prefer the more vocal ones, then.”

“Does not Lord Andrew tell you things you'd like to hear? He seems awfully vocal to me.”

“Yes, when he is dictating what I should or should not do. Goodness, could you believe his audacity this evening? To scold me like a child, and in front of you, no less.”

Chloe sighed. A good cousin would tell Lizzie that flattery was fleeting, but a man like Andrew would take good care of her forever. And that the only reason he'd yelled at her was because she'd made two very stupid mistakes that evening. It was common sense. However, what Chloe really wanted to do was encourage her cousin to break off her engagement and pursue the peacock.

Of course, Chloe chose the first option. “You're simply having second thoughts, Lizzie. This will pass and you will soon realize that you’ve got the most wonderful fiancé a girl could hope for.”

***

“What has you in such a mood tonight?” Michael inquired from his side of their usual table at White’s.

Andrew glanced up from his dinner. He hadn’t realized his face was such an open book. He shook his head.

“Nothing,” he replied, before shoving a spoonful of peas into his mouth.

Michael gestured to the steward for two more pints of ale. He obviously anticipated a long evening of trying to get Andrew to admit to what was wrong. Unfortunately, Andrew had no idea what was wrong.

He knew he was troubled by the scene in the park, especially Mrs. Hawthorne’s desperation to cover for whatever his fiancée had been doing. And the fact that she had to cover for Lady Elizabeth in the first place meant that his betrothed had been doing something improper.

But what?

Furthermore, he wasn’t sure that he cared. What he did care about was that she had left her cousin, a girl clearly not accustomed to city life, all alone in the middle of Hyde Park at dusk. What could she have been thinking to do such a thing? Though Mrs. Hawthorne had spoken to the contrary, he was positive she could not have made it home alone. Hyde Park was a complicated place in the daytime, even for one who was familiar with the park, let alone in the dark.

The thought of Mrs. Hawthorne being left alone there at night sent a shiver down his spine. He was going to have another talk with Elizabeth about her careless behavior. The one in the park certainly hadn’t gone as intended. How dare she argue with him over the matter!

That wasn’t all that bothered Andrew, though.

“Come on, out with it. I have nowhere to go this evening, so I’m willing to sit here all night until you tell me. I haven’t seen your brow furrowed so deeply in- well, ever, to be quite honest.”

Andrew sighed and leaned back, bringing his pint with him. He took a drink and then held the glass on the arm of the chair. Should he voice his concerns to his brother? Or just accept them as wedding jitters and forget about them at Madam Stone’s?

He looked up at Michael, who sat patiently, waiting for him to explain. Damn. There was really no way out.

“What if I said I was having doubts?”

“Doubts?” Michael repeated.

“About Elizabeth.”

Michael’s eyes widened at this admission. He leaned in, his voice lowered, and asked, “Are you planning to break off your engagement?”

“No, of course not,” Andrew assured him and then added, “At least not yet.”

“There’s someone else, isn’t there?”

Someone else? Was he referring to him or her? Andrew had his suspicions about Lord Edgmond, based solely on Benjamin’s advice, but for him-

A vision of Mrs. Hawthorne standing in the fading sunlight invaded his thoughts just then and for no apparent reason. He remembered her laughing; the way her eyes lit up with mirth. He could even smell her, as subtle as her soft, floral scent had been.

He shook his head. Why was he thinking of her at a time like this?

“I think so,” he admitted to his brother. “Benjamin alerted me to a situation involving Lord Edgmond. Said I should pay more attention to my fiancée, because Edgmond appears to be on a mission to steal her from me.”

Michael’s expression grew shuttered all of a sudden, and Andrew wondered if his brother knew something he didn’t. “But why call off the engagement?”

Andrew sighed and thought for a moment before answering. “I just know that I don’t...that I never could truly...love her.”

He expected his brother to erupt into laughter at this. They shared a lot of things, but rarely did feelings come into their conversations. But Michael simply stared back at him, an understanding smile on his lips.

“It’s hard to imagine a marriage without it after the examples that have been set forth for us, isn’t it?”

Andrew chuckled as a loud clap of thunder penetrated the walls of their club. So, his brother understood. That was comforting, and not all that surprising when he really thought about it. Why wouldn’t his twin feel the same way about the institution of marriage? They’d grown up in the same house watching their parents moon over one another. They’d watched as their brother fell in love with Phoebe, and then as Katherine grew devoted to William. No, it was really no surprise at all that his brother understood.

He took another long swig of ale, feeling much better about the whole thing, and gestured for another round. Perhaps it really was just a phase of the betrothal process.

He cared for Elizabeth. She was beautiful and well mannered. Together they would certainly produce attractive looking children. And what did it matter if they didn’t love one another right now? Perhaps he could learn to love her someday.

For heaven’s sake, they hadn’t even shared a kiss!

Andrew tried to imagine kissing Elizabeth. He closed his eyes and saw her face, her blonde curls, and in his mind, slowly moved in to meet her lips. But when he pulled away-

Good God, what was wrong with him? And why was Mrs. Hawthorne appearing in his fantasies about Elizabeth?

“Damn,” he muttered, slamming his pint down on the table, sloshing ale onto his breeches.

Michael raised a brow. “Everything all right?”

“No,” Andrew replied as he stood from his seat. There was only one way to get a woman from one’s head. “I’m going to see Madam Stone. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

***

“Ah, my favorite customer!” Madam Stone greeted Andrew as he strode into the receiving parlor of her Bruton Street establishment. “Why the furrowed brow, my lord? Never mind, it doesn't matter, I'll fix you up with one of my best girls and all your troubles will be but fleeting memories.”

Andrew smiled. He'd been coming here to forget his woes since he was eighteen. He and his brother were well known now and highly regarded by the madam. She always treated them with the utmost regard and had rarely disappointed when it came to her selections for them.

“What's your fancy this evening, milord? Small and malleable? Buxom and languid? Your wish is my command.”

“I'm not in any particular mood. Why don't you surprise me?” He gave her a wink and then climbed the stairs to his usual room.

It was a small room, warmed by a crackling fire, decorated in dark blue and brown. It was plush, yet masculine, and he thought he might like it even more than his own room at home.

He undid his cravat and tossed it aside, then proceeded to lose the rest of his clothing until he was nearly nude, ready for whatever little tart Madam Stone would send through his door. Only a few moments passed before he heard a scratch and then the door opened to reveal a girl of average proportions with flowing blond hair. She had a sweet face and a wicked glimmer in her eye, and Andrew grew immediately hard.

“Come in,” he encouraged.

She did, and shut the door behind her. As she walked toward him, he noticed the way she swayed, her hips swinging, her arms hanging loosely by her sides. Dammit, it reminded him of someone. Not just anyone, though. She reminded him of Elizabeth. As she grew closer, it became evident that her hair was of an exact color, her eyes a very similar blue. His ardor died quickly, and the girl was well aware.

“I do not please you, my lord?” she said with a thick Russian accent.

“Ahem, goodness, no. You are quite lovely. It's just that...well, you remind me of the woman I came here trying to forget.”

A small smile broke out on the girl's lips, for she was merely a girl. Too young for his taste anyhow.

“I'm sorry, but I must decline your services. I will ring for the madam and explain.”

He sent the girl away and rang for Madam Stone. She arrived at his door within moments—he'd barely had time to tie the rope of his dressing gown—a look of utter concern on her brow.

“What has happened, my lord? Did she say something that was not to your liking? Or was it her breasts? Too small? Oh, goodness, my apologies, Lord Andrew.”

“No, no.” He held up a hand to stop her. “None of that. She's just a little young, that's all. Might you send someone a bit further along in years?”

“Ah, hah! An experienced woman is what you're looking for this evening. I've got just the one. You wait here. She'll be along shortly.”

Madam Stone left the room, leaving behind a cloud of cheap perfume, and Andrew settled onto the edge of the bed to wait. The woman worked fast, for it seemed that barely a minute had passed when the scratch came at the door and another girl walked in.

Andrew's mouth went dry. Good Lord, what the hell was wrong with him? And damn Madam Stone for sending him women that looked precisely like the ones he wanted to forget about tonight.

Curly red hair tumbled over a pair of rather large breasts and tapered where her waist drew in, just before her voluptuous hips curved outward. Though her body was nothing like the petite Mrs. Hawthorne, her hair and skin were far too close a match for his taste. However, unlike his loss of ardor with the blonde, his sex raged beneath his dressing gown at the sight of this redhead.

Deuce take it, he couldn’t do it! Andrew knew he had to get out of there, for he could have tousled with that girl all night, imagining her to be Mrs. Hawthorne, and that just wasn't proper for a man who was engaged to another.

Less than an hour after his arrival to Madam Stone's, he marched into the street and turned towards home. He was in a rather uncomfortable state, physically stiff and mentally dumbfounded. There was only one thing left to do.

He walked briskly back to his town house, took three shots of whisky, and went to bed, praying for a dreamless night.

Seven

“Chloe!” Lizzie called from the hallway outside Chloe’s bedroom.

“Come in.”

Lizzie opened the door to find Chloe, dressed in black once again, dripping wax onto a folded piece of parchment. She waited until Chloe had stamped the seal to address her.

“I’ve just come out of the bath, and the water is still warm,” she said, eyeing the drab garment draping her cousin. “Would you like me to help you out of that?”

“Thank you, yes,” Chloe replied. “I could certainly use with a bath before our shopping trip today.”

Chloe turned her back to Lizzie so she could unfasten the clasps. Lizzie remained quiet as she helped her cousin undress and then began to gather the garments from the floor.

“Lizzie, what are you doing?”

Lizzie looked up with a smile. “Just helping. Go on, take your bath, and I’ll put these away for you.”

“But Sarah—”

“She’s busy helping Cook peel potatoes.” Lizzie grabbed at the tattered chemise and stopped when she realized her cousin still stood there, staring. “Go, Chloe! We haven’t much time.”

With a strange nod, Chloe finally quit the room. Lizzie breathed a sigh of relief and then swung open the closet door, which adjoined the next room.

“Sarah!” she hissed through the doorway. “Hurry!”

The little maid rushed in, and both women set to work, frantically pulling every piece of black, gray and charcoal from Chloe’s closet.

“Won’t she be angry, my lady?” Sarah asked tentatively, as she scrutinized a hideous gray frock.

Lizzie shot her an annoyed look. “Of course she will...at first. But she’ll soon realize it’s for her own good. Did you bring my lilac dress with you?”

“It’s already hanging, my lady. Shall I lay it out for the missus?”

“Yes, quickly.” Lizzie could barely see now over the pile of ugly dresses in her arms. “And then take these downstairs with you. You and the rest of the staff may take whatever fits. Whatever does not, you can have delivered to the poorhouse. Now, go!”

Sarah practically sprinted to where the dress hung and then into the bedroom where she laid it out with all the proper undergarments. Lizzie waited while she did so, terrified that Chloe could return at any moment. She didn’t so much care about Chloe’s wrath as much as having to relinquish the frocks back into her cousin’s care again. Whatever happened, those dresses had to be gone by the time Chloe returned from her bath.

***

Andrew woke with a pounding in his head to match the pounding in his groin. What the hell had happened last night? He had hoped for a quiet evening, a little dalliance, and it had turned out a disaster. His sleep was fitful at best, images of Mrs. Hawthorne spinning in his mind, mingling with his mounting fury at Elizabeth.

He still couldn’t believe she’d left Mrs. Hawthorne alone in the park or that she’d had the audacity to defend her actions to him. He knew Elizabeth had a mind of her own, and he didn’t mind too much, but she’d been in the wrong. And when one was in the wrong, they admitted it and apologized. They didn’t argue about it.

He should probably let it go and forget about it, but he couldn’t. It kept him up most of the night and now he was even angrier than he’d been the moment it happened. He had to speak with her and come to a satisfactory conclusion over the matter. He had to know that she understood her wrongdoing.

With a groan, he rolled out of bed and rang for his coffee. He dressed, then met his brother in the breakfast room, where he requested only plain toast from Mrs. Finch. The sulfuric smell of the eggs on his brother's plate threatened to send him running for the nearest chamber pot.

“You look like hell,” Michael remarked. “You must have had a rousing good time at Madam Stone's to look like that.”

“Hah,” Andrew replied, unable to muster any other syllables.

“That good, huh?” Michael opened that day's news sheet and blanched.

“What is it?” Andrew asked on a mumble. “Another silly debutante caught in a compromising position?”

“Actually, yes.” Michael sighed and slid the paper across the table so Andrew could read for himself.

A certain engaged young lady was seen lurking behind bushes in Hyde Park with a man who was decidedly not her fiancé. Though the encounter was reported as being “innocent enough,” this author cannot help but wonder if her betrothed would view it as such.

“Goddamn it!” Michael jumped at the force in Andrew's voice, but he couldn't help himself. So, it was true. The rumors about Lord Edgmond were true, damn him. Damn her! Not only had she left her cousin alone in a strange place, she'd left her so she could dally with some other man.

Andrew pushed back from the table, causing Mrs. Finch to squeal as he nearly missed running over her toes.

“Andrew, be careful how you handle this,” Michael warned. “If I were you, I'd walk off some of that anger before you go barging into her parents' home.”

His brother was right. As much as he wanted to tear both of them limb from limb, he couldn't go stomping around like a mad man. He nodded his head to his brother and stalked out of the room, mentally girding his loins for what was certain to be a trying confrontation with his future bride.

***

Chloe returned to her bedroom with the cheery scent of verbena in her nose. Lizzie had a wide array of bath salts from the perfumer, so bathing was always an adventure for Chloe. She felt clean and refreshed—just what she needed after the night she’d had. Every time she closed her eyes, Andrew’s face appeared, smiling and handsome, and she’d opened them again, desperate to erase the image.

But then he started appearing of his own accord, popping into her head without notice, and causing her to think the most scandalous thoughts.

Chloe was no innocent, and though she’d only been married for two weeks, she knew well the customs of the bedroom. Sam had been eager to bed her, having waited almost their entire lives to do so, and just as eager to start a family.

She grimaced as she remembered their wedding night. Neither one had any experience, and if she were being honest, it had been rather uncomfortable and awkward. But Sam had been sweet and gentle, and she didn’t want to hurt his feelings. So, she’d borne it like a good wife and-

She was distracted from her thoughts by the presence of a dress laid out at the end of her bed. She picked up her brush and crossed to the bed curiously as she began to pull the tangles from her hair.

“What in the world is this?” she wondered aloud. “Lizzie!” Chloe went to the door and flung it wide before calling again, “Lizzie!”

No response. She stared back at the dress. It was pretty. Lilac with white lace trim. Feminine and soft, like the dresses she used to wear before...

“Oh, Sam,” she whispered as she traced a finger along the lace bodice.

And then she shook her head and turned her back on the dress. It was all well and good for Lizzie to hint at her needing a change of wardrobe, but she just wasn’t ready. The dark colors had become her security and her one link to her late husband. She hated herself for entertaining the idea of other men, such as Lord Andrew, and for even thinking of wearing colors. She knew that the time for mourning had passed sometime ago, but she still wasn’t ready to say goodbye.

Chloe flung open the door to her wardrobe and stopped short when she saw that it was empty. Anger boiled inside her like hot lava, causing her to tremble. Everything. Every last one of her mourning dresses had been removed, leaving her with nothing to wear except that blasted lilac thing. As soon as she got her hands on Lizzie, she would wring her neck.

“Lizzie!” she shouted again as she moved frantically to her dressing table. Gone. All her caps were gone as well. “Elizabeth Crawley, I will never forgive you for this!”

Silence. Where had she gone? She was probably in her room, pretending not to hear, so that Chloe would be forced into wearing the gown.

Well, Chloe Hawthorne would not be bested. If Lizzie wanted to steal her clothes, she would just have to find another chaperone to escort her around town.

***

“Chloe, open this door!” Lizzie banged furiously at the oak panel. “Lady Weston and the others will be here any moment.”

“I’m not going,” Chloe called from her bed.

She had decided, since she now had the entire day free from responsibility, that she would snuggle up with a book and relish the quiet. Well, as soon as Lizzie left, she would relish the quiet.

“What are you talking about? You must come. Think of the reflection this will have on me.”

That was it. “On you?” Chloe shot back indignantly. “You’re the one who stole my clothes—”

“And left you a perfectly fine dress instead—”

“That I will not wear!”

“Just open this door, Chloe, please.”

Chloe stared dubiously at the door. She detected a sense of remorse in her cousin’s tone, which Chloe might have taken into consideration if she didn't think it was for completely selfish reasons.

“I will not open the door until I am sure you have recovered my clothes.”

There was silence on the other side of the door.

“Lizzie, did you hear me?” Chloe waited. “Lizzie?”

Perhaps she had giving up and left her alone. Good. The last thing she wanted to do today was go shopping with a duchess anyhow.

She propped her book up again and began to read. Only she couldn’t see the words on the page, for the tears had begun to flow freely, obstructing her view. She allowed the book to drop and then turned herself over on the bed and shoved her face into her pillow.

She knew it had been a bad idea to come to London, but everyone said it would do her good to get away from Essex and the cramped little home she shared with her parents and five siblings. But getting away had only made things worse.

Now she was being forced to lie, forced to go to social functions she didn’t want to attend, and forced to wear clothing in which she didn’t feel comfortable.

“Ah!” Chloe started when someone’s hand touched her shoulder.

She turned to find Lizzie standing over her.

“How did you get in here?” she asked, swiping at her eyes.

Lizzie gave her a sheepish look. “Sarah didn’t lock the closet door when she left with your clothes.”

All of a sudden, Chloe wanted to laugh. The picture of her cousin and the maid ransacking her closet tickled something inside of her. She snorted. Lizzie’s eyes widened and blinked.

Chloe snorted again and covered her mouth with her hand to stifle her giggle. “I’m sorry,” she choked, realizing that she was going to burst into tears again. “I don’t...I don’t know what’s come over me.”

She erupted into another giggle, but Lizzie just stood there, dumbfounded. “Then, you’re not mad?”

“Oh, no, I’m furious, but...” she sat up, trying to gain her composure. Really, she wasn't sure if she was laughing or crying now. “Why did you steal my clothes?”

Lizzie sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed. “Because, Chloe,” she began, “you cannot mourn Sam forever.”

“But-²

“No! No buts, Clo!” Lizzie stood and flailed her arms as she continued. “I know you loved him and he loved you, but he’s gone, and you have to let him go. You’re barely twenty and you look like an old woman.”

Really, that was too much. Chloe bestowed her most perturbed scowl on her cousin. She was going too far telling her what to do and when to mourn.

“You deserve to be happy, Clo, and you’re the only one who doesn’t realize that.”

“The only one?” Chloe repeated. “So I take it I’ve been the topic of conversation around here?”

Having calmed down, Lizzie sat again on the edge of the bed and took Chloe’s hand. “Only because we love you and care about you and remember what a bright, lovely girl you were before Sam died. We know you miss him, but he’s gone. And the fact of the matter is that you’re still here, and we miss you.”

Lizzie stood without waiting for Chloe’s response. Which was fine, because Chloe didn’t know what to say to her cousin’s little speech.

When she got to the door she turned and said, “I’ll make your excuses to the ladies, but only this once.”

And then she shut the door, leaving Chloe alone again.

So very alone.

***

Later on that afternoon, having mulled over her cousin’s speech, Chloe donned the lilac gown. She didn’t intend to wear it out, of course, but she just wanted to try it on to remind herself of how she’d looked before.

She did a half-turn in front of the cheval glass. It was a little big—Lizzie had more substantial parts for filling out a dress—but the color suited her perfectly. She never would have guessed that lilac would be so complementary to her complexion. She smoothed the fabric in front and fingered the lace trim, then used one hand to pile her hair atop her head.

The effect was quite lovely, she thought. If only her eyes weren’t so puffy from crying half the day, she might pass for someone rather pretty.

A knock sounded at her door just then. Had Lizzie returned home already?

“Yes?” she called out.

“A visitor for you, Mrs. Hawthorne,” the butler announced.

A visitor? “A visitor?”

“Lord Andrew Wetherby, Mrs. Hawthorne.”

“What?” she blurted out in astonishment. “I mean, why? Lizzie is not at home.”

“I told him that, but when I informed him that you were home, he asked if he might have an audience. I put him in the front parlor.”

Oh, dear. Chloe looked around her room frantically. She couldn’t meet with Lord Andrew looking like this. She looked in the mirror.

Or could she?

It didn’t really matter either way. She had no other clothes. She couldn’t meet with him in the nude and she couldn’t turn him away.

“Madame?”

“Tell him I will be down shortly.”

With a sigh, she sat down at her dressing table and set to the task of trying to tame her wild hair.

Eight

The door to the drawing room creaked open and Andrew turned from his position by the window. He had every intention of greeting Mrs. Hawthorne, but all of a sudden he could not find his tongue.

Dear God, what had happened to her? He had found her attractive before, but now-

“Lord Andrew?” her sweet voice cut through the silence and brought Andrew back to earth.

“Sorry, Mrs. Hawthorne, I...”

“Yes?” She stared at him curiously.

Get a hold of yourself, man! Gathering his senses, he offered a bow and said, “I trust you are well, Mrs. Hawthorne?”

Mrs. Hawthorne walked into the room, the pastel gown billowing at her feet, and motioned for him to sit. He willingly obliged. Some things were easier concealed when sitting down.

“You do know my cousin is not at home?”

Andrew nodded. “I do, but I had hoped to speak with you, actually.”

“Me?” Her eyes widened. “But why?”

Damn. He should have thought this through a little better. He had no reason at all to speak with the woman, but he’d told the butler he wished to see her anyhow. Now she stared at him, with those brown doe eyes, waiting for a reply.

“A gift!” he shouted, and then realizing there was no reason to shout, repeated, “A gift.”

“A gift?”

“Yes, for Lady Elizabeth,” he said, speaking off the cuff. “I wished to ascertain an opinion from you regarding a gift for her. You see her Birthday is soon—”

“Her Birthday is not until October, my lord.”

Damn! He could have sworn it was in early May. “Yes, well, I wanted to start planning early.”

Mrs. Hawthorne stood and walked to the bellpull. “I’ll just ring for tea, if you don’t mind,” she said, clearly trying to hide a smile. Did she suspect he was lying? “Now, would you like to tell me the real reason you wished to see me?”

Andrew’s mouth dropped open, and he was fully aware that he gaped. But he couldn’t help it. Beautiful and perceptive. Now what was he to say?

God, that gown looked lovely on her. And the way she’d done up her hair. It wasn’t complicated, like Elizabeth’s, with curls and twists and all manner of decoration. Rather, it sat loosely on her head, and curly, red tendrils dropped around her face.

Dear Lord, he was so uncomfortable. He shifted in his chair, realizing he still had not answered her. He couldn’t very well tell her that he just wanted to see her again, that he had enjoyed their brief encounters and that he wished for many more. He was engaged to the woman’s cousin —her charge, for God's sake.

“How is your hand, Mrs. Hawthorne?” he finally asked.

“My hand?” she repeated, seemingly caught off guard. “Oh, yes, my hand. Better, thank you. Please tell Mrs. Finch that her salve worked wonders. Why, I can barely see a single scrape now.”

“I will certainly pass that along. She will be delighted. She's always experimenting with herbs and potions and what not, ever since Michael and I taught her how to read. Now, she pores over herbology books in her free time.”

“Oh, goodness...that's rather unexpected, isn't it?”

“Why? Because she was a whore?” Chloe's jaw unhinged and he laughed. “I'm sorry, Mrs. Hawthorne, I seem to say whatever comes to mind when I'm in your presence whether it's proper or not.”

“Should I take that as a compliment?”

“Indeed.”

They stared at one another for a moment and it was all Andrew could do to not lean over and plant a kiss on those soft, pink lips. Or bury his face in her neck and take in that delectable lemon scent. Thankfully, a servant entered to deliver the tea and Chloe immediately set to pouring it. Andrew watched her intently. Mrs. Hawthorne was obviously a country girl at heart and he wanted to know more about where she came from.

“Where is your home, Mrs. Hawthorne?” he asked.

“Essex, my lord. A tiny parish, hardly worth mentioning, but I grew up there, and I love it.”

“And your family? They are there as well?”

“Oh, yes. Mother, father, three brothers and two sisters—”

“Six children?” Andrew asked, astounded. “I thought the Crawleys had a large brood with five, but six!”

Chloe laughed and it warmed Andrew's blood. It wasn't the giggle of a green girl, but rather a throaty, mature laugh that made him think of having her in his bed. Of making her laugh while he made-

Damn it, man, you're engaged to her cousin!

“Yes, we are a larger brood, however, I believe the Crawley children best us in rowdiness. Now that all three of the boys are home from Harrow it's absolute mayhem around here. It doesn't help that Julia is a spoiled little princess, doted on ridiculously by her mother and father. Good Lord, the tantrums that child throws when she doesn't get her way.”

“Not unlike her big sister, is she?”

Mrs. Hawthorne looked up at him. Her hand held the teapot over his cup that he'd held out to be refilled. Their gazes locked and it wasn't until it ran over, burning Andrew's skin and spilling onto the white lace tablecloth, that he came back to his senses.

“Oh, goodness!” Chloe exclaimed, jumping from her seat.

Andrew placed the cup and saucer back onto the table with great haste and then took the hot teapot from Chloe's hands. He was so astonished at its temperature that he dropped it at once. It clattered to the table and rolled off the edge, before either of them could react, and landed on the floor with a thud.

Liquid and tea leaves continued to spill out onto the carpet. Mrs. Hawthorne was about to reach for it, but Andrew held up a hand.

“Stop!” he shouted, fearing that if either of them moved, they would do even more damage.

The pair stood silent for a moment, then slowly turned to look at one another. Mrs. Hawthorne remained frozen in her hunched over pose, a terrified look on her face as if she might be punished if she moved. And then together, they burst into riotous laughter.

Mrs. Hawthorne threw an arm around her middle, while the other went to her bouncing chest. Andrew fell back onto the sofa, wondering what had come over them. Tears leaked from his eyes for the first time since he was a child. No one had ever made him feel so giddy.

After a few minutes, when they both finally gained their composure, Andrew looked at Mrs. Hawthorne, and asked, “May I be permitted to call you by your given name, Mrs. Hawthorne.”

She sobered quickly and gave him a nervous smile. “I don't think that would be wise, Lord Andrew.”

Andrew smiled back, feeling somewhat foolish. Of course he couldn't call her by her given name. But he would certainly think of her as Chloe from now on. She was far too young and vibrant to be Mrs. Hawthorne.

“You're right,” he said at last. “I'm not sure what came over me. Shall we clean up our mess then?”

They rang for a maid and then set to gathering up the cup and teapot. The air was charged with unspoken feelings—feelings that if said aloud could have horrific repercussions. So they worked in silence until the maid arrived and Andrew finally felt it was time to take his leave.

“Thank you, Mrs. Hawthorne,” he said as bowed to her. “Your company was...delightful.”

With an awkward smile and a curtsey, she replied, “And yours as well, my lord. Good day.”

***

Chloe was still reeling from her afternoon with Lord Andrew by the time Lizzie arrived home. And she was still in the lilac gown. She’d been so nervous to wear it at first, but when she saw Andrew’s reaction, she was almost grateful for her cousin’s bold actions that morning.

It had been so long since she’d enjoyed male attention, and even then, Sam’s attention had been more akin to a lovesick pup than a lust-hungry man. The look in Andrew’s dark eyes sent chills skittering over her bones every time she saw him, or simply thought of him, for heaven's sake!

The housekeeper, Mrs. North, poked her head in to tell Chloe that her aunt and cousin awaited her in the drawing room. Oh, dear. She hoped she and Andrew had done a sufficient job of cleaning up their mess.

She peeked her head into the parlor, feeling sheepish after her childish behavior that morning. Both women gaped as she padded slowly into the room, clearly baffled that Chloe stood before them in the lilac dress. Well, what else was she going to wear, for heaven's sake?

“Chloe?” Lizzie ventured. “Are you all right?”

“I’m more than all right, Lizzie, darling,” she said quietly, moving to sit next to her cousin. “You know, you were right this morning, and I’m sorry I gave you such an awful time about my dresses.”

“Lizzie, what did you do?” Aunt Prudence asked as she settled into a blue striped chair.

Lizzie opened her mouth to speak, but Chloe intercepted. “Oh, Aunt Prudence, you don’t know? Lizzie snuck into my closet and stole every last one of my mourning dresses, and replaced them with this one.”

“Lizzie!” Aunt Prudence turned puce. She was clearly embarrassed by her daughter’s behavior, but Chloe could not have been more grateful. She felt like a different person. A happy person. The person she used to be before Sam died.

“Don’t scold her, Aunt Prudence,” Chloe begged. “I am ever so grateful to her.”

She gave Lizzie, who sat dumbfounded, a bright smile.

Aunt Prudence humphed and sat back in her chair. “Well, if you’re all right with it...I suppose we ought to take you shopping then.”

“Lady Weston was eager to schedule another shopping trip with us,” Lizzie said, finally coming out of her stupor. “It really was great fun shopping with the three of them.”

How very foolish she’d been. She grabbed Lizzie’s hand. “I’m so sorry for my behavior this morning. I never should have asked you to lie on my behalf. It was horrible of me and I promise I'll never be so selfish again.”

“Do not worry yourself, cousin.” Lizzie smiled back at her and lowered her voice. “I suppose it's only fair after what I did to you in the park the other day. However, the three of them were so concerned, it took a fair amount of convincing to keep them from sending a doctor over to check on you.”

Chloe clapped a hand over her mouth. “Oh, dear, how awful! Well, I shall assure them of my well being this evening at the ball.”

Julia burst into the drawing room then and the door slammed back with a bang. Chloe was immediately reminded of Andrew's words about spoiled little Julia being just like her big sister. It was a horrible thing for him to say really, especially to her. Now she had to go around with the knowledge that he harbored ill feelings towards the woman he was going to marry, her cousin. Goodness, she was going to burst with all the lies she held for this pair!

She turned her focus back to the little hellion standing in the doorway. A pretty little menace was what she was. Her golden hair and angelic face made one think of cherubs and baby bunnies, but there was a twinkle of mischief in those dark blue eyes if one looked closely enough.

“Julia, what are you doing here? You were supposed to go to the museum with Molly,” her mother said, coming to an erect position on the sofa.

Julia bounced into the room, a doll on her arm that Chloe wagered would have begged for mercy if only she could speak. The eight-year-old girl wasn't all too kind to her things, for she knew if she broke them or lost them, her father would buy her another. The idea was foreign to Chloe. She'd had to take great care with her belongings, knowing money was scarce, and knowing that her younger siblings would have to garner enjoyment from them as well once she'd outgrown them.

“I hate Molly and I hate the museum,” Julia announced as she fluffed her skirts and sat down in the wing-backed chair opposite her mother.

“All right, then,” Lady Devon said with a resigned sigh. “Just don't say such things to Molly, you might hurt her feelings. Now do be quiet and have a biscuit. Mummy has a headache.”

Chloe watched with fascination as the scene unfolded before her. Even Lizzie seemed rather taken aback by her mother's passive attitude towards Julia. After a few moments of shocked silence, Lizzie grabbed her by the hand.

“Come on, Clo, let's find you something to wear for this evening.” Julia started to speak, no doubt wanting to join them, but Lizzie held up a hand and said firmly, “No, Jules, you stay here with Mother.”

Chloe followed Lizzie from the room. Andrew had been wrong about her. Lizzie was good and kind and well bred, nothing like her little sister who would, no doubt, grow up to be a complete shrew. Somehow, this disheartened Chloe and she knew that was terrible of her. She should never have rejoiced that Andrew found fault with his future bride. And she certainly shouldn't feel so melancholy that she'd disproved him.

She sighed, knowing there was nothing for it, and followed Lizzie to her room to pick out a gown for the Ellis Ball, purposely avoiding the subject of Andrew's visit that afternoon.

***

Andrew strolled through the park, feeling as if his best thoroughbred had just taken first place at Ascot. He couldn’t stop smiling. Every time he pictured Chloe’s face, his mouth tugged upward and he could do naught to stop it. She was like a golden ray of sunshine.

However, a dark, luminous cloud named Elizabeth Crawley blotted out the sun and a scowl came to his brow. He pounded his walking stick a little harder with every step now. What on earth, if anything, should he do? Breaking off the engagement was not an option. He could have an affair with Mrs. Hawthorne. She was a widow, after all. But then what if she rejected him on the grounds that he was engaged to her charge?

“Stupid!” he shouted at himself.

“I beg your pardon?”

He spun around to find Lord Stillwell staring after him, a perplexed look on his wrinkled face. Andrew’s face grew hot. How embarrassing to blush like some kind of schoolgirl in front of this man.

“Forgive me, Lord Stillwell, I certainly was not speaking to you,” he said, sounding forlorn.

The man gave him a knowing smile. “It doesn’t get any easier from here, my boy. Women will always trouble our minds, whether we’re six-and-twenty or...old, like I am.”

The old man turned and continued to waddle slowly down the lane. Andrew watched him with a perplexed smile. How the devil had he known what was wrong?

He shrugged and continued on his own path, and returned his focus to the matter at hand. The truth of the matter was that he felt awful. How could he lust after his fiancé’s chaperone, for God’s sake? And how could he even think of abandoning Elizabeth?

He came to the conclusion, when he reached the opposite end of the park, that he would just have to see his marriage through. He had proposed to Lady Elizabeth, she had accepted, and that was the end of it.

***

Chloe sat dutifully in her chair at the edge of the ballroom, watching her cousin dance a Scottish reel. In truth, she wished she were the one dancing. Up until Lord Andrew asked her earlier in the week, it had been ages since she’d engaged in a dance. But it had been exhilarating and she thought she might never get enough of it.

Then she wondered if perhaps it hadn’t been the dance at all, but rather her partner. A silly grin broke out on her lips and a tiny giggle escaped. Several of the other chaperones looked oddly at her.

Chloe cleared her throat and silently chided herself for acting so foolish over a man that was already engaged to her cousin.

Thou shalt not covet thy cousin’s fiancé, thou shalt not covet thy cousin’s fiancé...

“Mrs. Hawthorne?”

Chloe opened her eyes to find the Marchioness of Eastleigh standing over her. Goodness, she was beautiful. Tonight she wore a midnight blue gown, and the accompanying sapphires twinkled around her neck. And her hair! Oh, to have that luxurious, auburn hair.

“We missed you on our outing this morning, Mrs. Hawthorne. I do hope you’re feeling better.”

“Much!” Chloe exclaimed, coming to her feet. “I have a tendency towards headaches, and I fear I was quite debilitated by one this morning.”

The marchioness blinked several times and then said, “Well, I’m glad to hear you’re feeling better, then. Perhaps we can reschedule for next week?”

“I would be delighted to do so.”

Lady Eastleigh smiled wide before walking away. Chloe rubbed her palms on her dress. There was something intimidating about mingling with the Quality and her palms had become quite sweaty in the course of their short conversation.

Lizzie appeared a moment later and took a place on the bench beside her.

“I saw Lady Eastleigh came to speak with you,” she said, still a little out of breath from her reel.

“We are going to go shopping next week, it would seem,” Chloe told her cousin. “First she asked how I was feeling, though. I told her my headache was much better.”

Lizzie turned to look at her so quickly Chloe was afraid her head might snap off. “Headache?”

“Yes. I told her I had a tendency toward—”

“Oh, no, oh, no, oh, no, oh, no!”

Good heavens, Lizzie really was quite melodramatic. “What’s wrong, Lizzie?”

Lizzie looked up, a pained expression on her otherwise lovely face. “I told them you had a sore throat.”

Chloe's cheeks turned icy cold as the blood drained from her face. “Why in the world didn't you warn me?”

“Oh, I don't know.”

They both slumped in their chairs, looking forlorn, until an older matron—who smelled rather like moldy bread—cleared her throat beside them. Immediately, the two girls straightened their spines and offered sheepish smiles to the woman who had, without saying a word, chastised their posture.

Chloe cast a sidelong glance at her cousin whose lips twitched with amusement, and she smiled before looping her arm through Lizzie's.

“What is on our agenda tomorrow, dear cousin?” Chloe asked.

Lizzie cast her a bright smile and squeezed her arm. “Tomorrow shall be the highlight of our week, for Miss Smythe turns eighteen and her mother is quite well known for the parties she throws. I dare say we're in for quite a treat.”

“Lady Elizabeth, I do believe this is my dance, is it not?”

Chloe looked up to see the infamous Lord Edgmond standing before them. Lizzie gave a little trill and nodded before accepting his hand. They disappeared onto the dance floor and Chloe sighed.

Another party. A treat, indeed. Chloe had the feeling that by the end of the summer she wouldn't want to hear the word party, or fete, or ball, or soiree ever again. However, it was only her first week in the city, and so she would put on her most charming smile, and another one of Lizzie's dresses, and hope for a magnificent party on the morrow.

Nine

Andrew couldn't believe he was here. At the bloody Ellis ball. And frankly, he wasn't sure why he'd come at all. He'd already shown his face and danced with his betrothed the other night at his brother's ball. He certainly didn't need to do so tonight. However, he just couldn't stay away.

He had tried, but after three hours at the tables, trying to rid his head of that laugh, that face, that wild hair, he finally decided it was best to face her. Perhaps the more he saw her—the more he got to know her—he would discover that what he was feeling was only lust. Or perhaps a fleeting crush, because she was so very different from the girls he was used to. Or perhaps once he got to know her better, he wouldn’t like her at all.

“Well, this is unexpected.”

Damn. “Good evening, Katherine.”

“My little reprobate brother showing himself twice in one week at a respectable gathering calls for a toast, I think.”

“Very funny, Katherine.” Andrew turned to face his sister and realized she was not alone. He took a deep breath, preparing to answer the barrage of questions he was sure the Lionesses would throw at him. “Phoebe, Becky.”

They stared back at him with curious smiles. What the devil are they about?

“Is your brother coming?” Phoebe asked.

He knew she referred to Michael but pretended he didn't. “You should know better than I. He is your husband, after all.”

“Don't be difficult, Andrew.”

Right. “I don't think so. Michael is still at the gaming hell from whence I came.”

Phoebe rolled her eyes, Katherine turned her face into a disappointed frown and Becky gave a dignified “Oh, bother.”

Andrew was afraid to ask, but he did anyhow. “Does this put a damper on matchmaking plans, then?”

None of them so much as flinched at his accusation. Clearly, they'd come to terms with being meddling, interfering women.

“Well, it's just that Mrs. Hawthorne is looking so lovely this evening, and she's sitting there, all alone.”

At the mention of her name, Andrew's stomach gave a flip-flop. Dear God, I thought only women could have flip-floppy stomachs! He turned to look in the direction of the Lionesses and his eyes landed on a vision in sky-blue silk, looking very uncomfortable in a row of ancient chaperones. The poor girl.

“Then it falls to me, doesn't it?”

“What?” This question came as a trio and three heads snapped to look at him with wide eyes.

Andrew smiled. “I am quite an accomplished dancer, you know.”

“But you've not yet danced with your fiancée.”

Andrew refrained from snorting. His fiancée was currently making her way to the dance floor with none other than Lord Edgmond. “Yes, well, my fiancée has probably danced with a hundred men already. I hardly think she'll mind my dancing a...pity dance with her cousin.”

He hated the sound of the word as it left his mouth. It was hardly a pity dance. It was a dance he wanted very much to engage in, but he couldn't very well tell the Lionesses that.

Before they could say more, he stalked away from them, right to Mrs. Hawthorne. Chloe. Her eyes widened as he approached, but she said nothing. Her tongue appeared to be blessedly tied.

“May I?” he asked with as wry a smile as he could manage in his current state.

She nodded and took his hand. They approached the dance floor and took their places across from one another to join in the minuet. Ironically enough, they found themselves next to Elizabeth and her partner, Lord Edgmond.

“Lord Andrew!” Elizabeth breathed, just as startled to see him as everyone else was. Or maybe a bit more.

“Good evening, Lady Elizabeth.”

“I didn't expect...that is, I thought you would be...”

“I was bored,” he said by way of explanation to save her from stammering over her words any more.

He took Chloe's hand and step-touched twice, brushing against her swaying skirts each time they moved into one another. Their eyes locked and Andrew sucked in a breath. Thank God he'd thought to button his jacket.

And then they were moving away from one another, prancing in a slow circle until they formed a four-person pinwheel with Elizabeth and Edgmond. How bloody perfect!

No one said a word, but they didn't have to. The tension could be sliced through with a butter knife. Edgmond was eyeing him. Elizabeth and Chloe were passing silent messages back and forth. Thank God he could perform the pattern of a minuet in his sleep, otherwise he would be lost for trying to figure out what the devil everyone was thinking.

There was one frightening fact, though: Being in the presence of Mrs. Chloe Hawthorne had not, in any way, cooled his ardor for her. Nor had his anger abated in regards to his betrothed. They still had a great deal to talk about.

As soon as the dance ended, he took his fiancée by the arm and led her to the doors at the back of the house that opened onto the terrace.

“What are you doing?” she asked, giving the tiniest bit of resistance.

“We need to speak, Elizabeth.”

“But this dance belongs to Mr. White—”

“Mr. White can wait.”

He led her to the far end of the balcony, past several other couples stealing kisses in the shadows. Andrew was quite aware of Chloe's presence far behind, keeping a not-too-close watch on her cousin. He wondered if it was because she couldn't bear to see if he might kiss Elizabeth or simply because she believed in allowing liberties to her charge.

Bloody hell, what does it matter?

“What is this all about, Andrew?”

Andrew took a deep breath, and said, “You are going to force me to do something I do not wish to do. Your association with Lord Edgmond is no secret, my dear, and to save us from scandal, my family is suggesting I move up the wedding.”

Elizabeth's eyes widened at the suggestion. Perfect. Perhaps this would bring her to her senses.

“I haven't done anything—”

“There's no point in lying. You were with him the other day in Hyde Park. I was not born yesterday, Elizabeth. You not only left your cousin alone at dusk, but you dallied, and were seen, with another man.”

“How do you—”

“You think I don't read the news sheets?”

Elizabeth grew silent. Clearly, she hadn't realized he knew. “All right,” she said at last. “I will cease my association with Edgmond, but—”

“Ha!” She wished to add a but? “No, no, there are no buts, my dear. You will cease your association, period.”

And then he turned on his heel and stalked from the balcony, doing his best to not breathe in as he passed Chloe on the way back inside. He'd had all he could take of her perfect, lemony scent that day.

***

Lizzie watched as Andrew marched away from her back into the ballroom. She didn't move. Her poor heart was breaking, and he didn't even care.

Why did he think she dallied? Why did he think she allowed attentions from Edgmond and the other gentlemen? Did he simply think she was a flirt? Or a woman of loose morals? If so, why did he want to marry her in the first place?

She sighed. There was hardly ever a want when it came to marriage. It was a matter of convenience. They were both rich and well-connected, not that Lizzie cared about those things. She'd been raised to care about them, but all she really wanted was to be loved.

Lizzie wanted Andrew to care for her. She had hoped her behavior might make him jealous, that it might spark protectiveness or even possessiveness inside of him. Lizzie realized those were things most women abhorred, but she had to believe they would be better than indifference.

One thing she did not want, however, was to move up the wedding. She needed more time to bring Andrew around, to make him, if not fall in love with her, at least like her. Somehow she would find a way.

***

Andrew stood with his brother in the front hall of the Crawley’s town house, waiting for Lady Elizabeth and Chloe to join them.

Chloe. He would have to remember to call her Mrs. Hawthorne. It would be difficult. He’d been dreaming about her, and when he dreamed about her, he always called her by her Christian name. The compromising positions he’d imagined her in weren’t exactly proper anyhow.

Michael paced the floor and checked his pocket watch for the tenth time in five minutes.

“Somewhere important you need to be?” Andrew queried.

“No,” Michael replied. “But I don’t want to be at this silly garden party all day.”

“Yes, well I don’t fancy the notion either, but unlike you, I don’t have much of a choice.”

Michael gave him a look. “As if I had a choice? I never hear the end of it when I make you go to these things alone. I do wish you and Lady Elizabeth would hurry up and get married so I could avoid these functions altogether.”

Andrew grinned at his twin. “You know you’d miss me, dear brother. That’s why we’re waiting until the Season is over, so you and I can spend some quality time together at garden parties.”

Michael simply rolled his eyes and turned his attention to the two women who were now walking down the stairs. They bowed and when Andrew came up, he met with Chloe’s smiling face. She wore a new dress, though Andrew suspected it was one of Elizabeth’s. It was downy white with a shiny yellow ribbon just under her bust, and her ginger hair framed her face under a white bonnet. She was like a pretty package that he desperately wanted to unwrap.

“Darling, are you paying attention?”

Andrew snapped back to the present, and more importantly, his fiancée. He hadn’t even noticed her. He really needed to get a hold of himself. It wouldn’t do to go gawking after her cousin, especially when she stood right beside him.

“Sorry, just...woolgathering,” he explained rather inadequately. “Are we ready?”

Elizabeth raised that one brow again, obviously not convinced of his explanation. He really wished she’d stop doing that. That was a trait men of the aristocracy had spent centuries perfecting, and it wasn’t right to see a woman do it.

His fiancée grabbed his arm and together they led the way out of the house to the carriage. Andrew groaned just thinking about how insipid the afternoon was going to be. He loathed garden parties, especially when they were birthday parties for silly young girls. But at least he had something nice to look at as a consolation.

“Darling, are you taking me to the opera tomorrow evening?” Elizabeth's voice came from beside him and he quickly shifted his gaze to her. “Madam Pizzarelli is singing Susannah and I so wish to see it.”

Madam Pizzarelli. Perhaps the worst soprano to ever clod across the stage. She wasn’t even Italian, her real name being Mary Reynolds. Of course, if it meant spending an evening in the company of Mrs. Hawthorne—

“Of course, dear,” he assured her, noting the exaggerated roll of his brother’s eyes. “Michael will join us, won’t you?”

“Oh, yes, you must! That way we will be even.”

The look Michael shot him would have made Napoleon quake in his Hessians. But Andrew just smiled.

***

As the carriage trundled along through Mayfair, Chloe wondered why Lord Andrew kept looking at her the way he did. She wished he would stop. If Lizzie ever suspected anything, she didn’t know what she would do.

She shook her head. There was nothing to suspect. The fact that she thought he was handsome and witty meant nothing. She was still Lizzie’s chaperone and he was still Lizzie’s fiancé. Nothing was going to change that. Nothing.

Chloe sighed. He continued to stare at her as if she were a piece of fine horseflesh. How awkward this was with him sitting directly across from her, watching her so intently. Perhaps if she stared back, he would become embarrassed and stop.

She dared a glance. What a mistake that was. His eyes bore into hers and she almost felt lightheaded from the intensity. Clearly Lord Andrew was not embarrassed. He was probably flattered, the lout. Truth be told, so was she, but blast it, this could not continue. She would have to tell him she did not appreciate his unspoken advances.

The carriage pulled to a stop in front of a row of Cavendish Square town houses. The foursome alighted and joined the rest of the party in the garden at the back of the house. Chloe couldn’t believe her eyes when they reached the garden. Miss Smythe had an obvious obsession with the east.

Colorful paper lanterns hung from every available tree branch, and servants dressed up as a Chinese dragon snaked through the hedgerows and flower beds. The smell of foreign spices wafted and mingled with the scent of giant lotus flowers. An elaborate pagoda had been erected for the occasion, under which an oriental-garbed princess, presumably Miss Smythe, greeted her subjects from a golden throne.

Andrew groaned from beside her.

“Something wrong, my lord?” she asked, trying to hide her smile.

“Yes,” he replied dryly. “I can’t stand Chinese dragons. They scare me.”

“Scare you?” Chloe laughed at this. He must have been teasing her.

He quirked his eyebrow. She was beginning to enjoy it when he did that. “You don’t believe me?”

“I don’t think they scare you nearly as much as having to mingle with debutantes.”

Andrew chuckled. “So true, Mrs. Hawthorne.”

Lizzie sidled up to him just then, having returned from a boisterous reunion with girls she’d seen only two evenings past. She grabbed the arm of her betrothed and dragged him along behind her to the gaudy pagoda.

“May I escort you to Her Highness, Mrs. Hawthorne?” Michael asked with an extended arm.

Chloe gave him a grateful smile. The Wetherby family truly warmed her heart. “You may.”

***

Damn, damn, damn, damn, damn! Why did Mrs. Hawthorne have to be so damned beguiling? He knew it was wrong and that he was being a complete cur, but he couldn’t stop staring at her. Thankfully Elizabeth was too caught up in the ridiculous décor to notice. Andrew had never seen so many paper lanterns in his life. God help the garden if one of them caught on fire.

Furthermore, it wasn’t even dark enough to see their glow.

Once they greeted the princess, they made their way to one of the small tables scattered about the garden to enjoy some lemonade. If one could actually enjoy the God-awful stuff. He never understood the appeal of watered-down lemons. But it was either that or die of thirst in the blazing sun; it wasn’t typically done to serve brandy at garden parties.

Michael sat next to Chloe, sulking, while she waved her fan back and forth in front of her face. Andrew looked up. It really was scorching now that the sun had moved directly overhead.

“It is unseasonably warm for this time of year, is it not?” Elizabeth asked from beside him.

Andrew nodded, wishing he could be alone with Mrs. Hawthorne again. A tiny bead of sweat was making its way down her chest, right in between her-

“Attention, everyone!” The princess stood from her throne under the pagoda and all eyes turned to her. “If everyone could gather around, we are going to play a game.”

Reluctantly, Andrew rose from his chair, along with the others, and they all made their way to the foot of the throne. Michael shot him another one of his I’ll-never-forgive-you-for-this looks on the way.

“The name of the game is Sardines,” Miss Smythe announced giddily. “One person will be ‘it’ and they will be the first to hide. The rest of us will count to 100 before we go off in search of the person who is ‘it’. When you find that person, you must hide with them. The game is over when we’ve all gathered together in the hiding spot.”
“Perfect,” Michael whispered to his brother. “On the warmest day of the year, we get to huddle together under a prickly bush. I can’t imagine a more delightful afternoon.”
Andrew grunted his concordance. What was the bloody chit thinking to make them all play such a silly game? Was she turning eighteen or eight?

“Would anyone like to volunteer to start?” she called, a ridiculous smile pasted on her face.

No one responded. Clearly the others were just as opposed to the idea as he and Michael were.

“All right, then I shall choose.” The princess scanned her guests until her eyes landed on Elizabeth and she beamed. “Lady Elizabeth, would you do the honors?”

His fiancé seemed honored at being asked and nodded her head rigorously. Then the princess bid them all cover their eyes while she counted to one hundred.

Before she left, Elizabeth whispered in Andrew’s ear, “Do be the first to find me, darling. I’ve something I wish to give you.”

Andrew looked up, perplexed, but Elizabeth had already gone. He puzzled over it until her heard the princess’ voice count out the last few numbers to one hundred.

“Ninety-eight, ninety-nine, one hundred!”

Everyone uncovered their eyes and began pairing off to search for Elizabeth. Andrew glanced over at his cohorts.

“Shall we?”

They nodded and began walking toward a path at the far side of the garden. But before they reached the path, Princess Smythe bounded up to them, grabbing Michael by the arm.

“Lord Michael—you are Lord Michael, are you not?” She waited for his nod and then continued, “Would you accompany me on the hunt?”

Michael clearly fought the urge to groan, while Andrew and Chloe suppressed their laughter. He truly was never going to forgive Andrew for this. In the end, he smiled and offered his arm to the overzealous miss, who yanked him quickly to the other side of the garden.

“Well, Mrs. Hawthorne, it’s just you and me.”

***

You and me. Oh, goodness, this was most unnerving. Chloe could handle herself fine with Lord Andrew when others were present, but to run off, alone, into the garden was quite another thing altogether.

Thou shalt not lust after thy cousin’s betrothed, thou shalt not lust after thy cousin’s betrothed...

“I suppose it is,” she finally managed.

They strolled along in silence, neither of them truly looking for Lizzie. Truth be known, Chloe didn’t really care to get cozy with a lot of strangers. The thought made her palms sweaty. Or perhaps it was the fact that she was alone with Andrew again. It was hard to tell with the sun beating down so fiercely upon them.

She took a deep breath and straightened her shoulders. This was as good a time as any to tell him how uncomfortable his silent advances made her feel.

“Lord Andrew,” she said quietly, lest other partygoers lurked in the bushes. “I must ask that you refrain from watching me in the future.”

Andrew turned to look at her. “Watching you?”

“Yes,” she replied quickly. “I caught you staring at me several times on the ride over, and over lemonade as well. I’m not blind, my lord, and it’s not fair to Lizzie. She is your betrothed.”

Andrew caught her by the hand and she quickly withdrew. “Mrs. Hawthorne, I...I can’t seem to help myself.”

This sparked her fury and she swung to face him. “Well, you must!” she hissed. Good gracious, they shouldn’t be having this conversation.

“Don’t tell me you haven’t felt it, Chloe,” he whispered intently.

She shook her head. They absolutely could not have this conversation. “No, Andrew, don’t,” she pleaded with him. If he took this any further, God only knew what she would do. It had been too long since she’d been with a man, and she ached for the one who stood right in front of her.

Before she knew it, he had grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her to the other side of a tall hedgerow. He pushed her up against the shrubbery and brought his face within inches of her own.

“You intrigue me, Chloe Hawthorne. Look what you do to me.” He took her hand and placed it on the bulge beneath his pants.

The balmy scent of earth and flowers mingled with his expensive cologne and aroused her until her breasts were aching. Her stomach tightened with desire. She tried to hold her breath to prevent further invasion on her senses, and even closed her eyes. Nothing helped. Nothing stopped the blood from pumping fiercely to her private places.

Chloe bit back a groan. God, how she wanted this man. A part of her felt guilty for betraying her husband, but Lizzie had been right. Sam was gone, and it was time she moved on with her life.

But what about Lizzie?

Andrew’s hand reached up to cup her breast. Oh, God!

“Kiss me, Chloe,” he rasped. “Kiss me before I die of wanting you.”

Ten

“Aha! We are first to find her!”

Lizzie looked up from her position huddled between two tall hedgerows.

Where was Andrew? She was sure he would have made it a point to find her first at her request. And it wasn’t as if her hiding spot was difficult to find. Any numbskull could have found her, like Miss Smythe, especially if they'd been giving explicit directions.

Oddly enough, Michael accompanied the princess, though he did not look thrilled to do so. Lizzie couldn’t blame him. It was hot, and she was certain Miss Smythe had not been his first choice of search partners.

“Move over, Elizabeth, before the others see us.” The princess sat on the ground next to her and shimmied her hips to move into position. “Come, Lord Michael. You must get as close to me as you possibly can.”

Lizzie suppressed a grin. Michael looked positively miserable, but he did as she asked, always the perfect gentleman.

Soon, others piled into the small space with them. One after another the party guests arrived, cramming themselves against one another.

“Miss Smythe, I say, could we not have played inside?” Charles Oster inquired. “It’s hot as blazes out here.”

Lizzie couldn’t have agreed more. At the back of the party, smashed between a bush and the princess, with her overpowering Chinese perfume, trickles of sweat had already started making their way down her back. But she barely noticed them, because she was far too distraught that Andrew had not shown his face yet. She had hoped for him to arrive first, as the game presented the perfect opportunity for a stolen kiss. A kiss they’d yet to share, regardless of their betrothal.

She shrugged off the idea. Nothing said he would have kissed her anyhow. He’d had plenty of opportunities in the past, and he hadn't even bothered to ask. Lord Edgmond on the other hand had indulged her quite willingly when she’d asked.

“Michael, wherever is that brother of yours?” Lizzie finally asked.

It had been at least a quarter of an hour since the party had broken up for the search, and now they’d all been crammed together for more than five minutes. Surely Andrew wasn’t so dense that he couldn’t find sixteen people in a hedgerow.

Michael twisted slightly to look at her, his face glistening with sweat. “I haven’t the foggiest, Lady Elizabeth. Perhaps your cousin is feeling unwell and he chose to stay behind with her.”

Cousin? Oh, dear, what if Chloe was ill? Now she was truly starting to worry.

“All right, everyone out, please!” she called to the front of the pack.

Miss Smythe began to argue that not everyone had arrived yet, but Lizzie silenced her. “We’ll all die of heat exhaustion, Miss Smythe, if we wait. Now, please, let me out of here!”

***

Andrew’s mouth practically watered as he waited for Chloe to answer him. God, what a fool he was making of himself. He’d never thrown himself at a woman. Inevitably, they came to him with batting eyelashes or indecorous proposals. Many a debutante had begged—just as he did now—for a kiss.

Now he understood the ulterior motive. Because as he stood there in front of Chloe, he couldn’t help but hope that that one kiss might turn into something more.

But before he could even consider what that more might be, she shoved at his chest and started back down the path, toward the house.

Imbecile! How could he have even thought of asking such a thing of her? Then the panic set in. Would she feel compelled to tell Elizabeth? Oh, God, he should have thought this through with his head and not his prick. But seeing her in that gauzy white gown had sprung feelings he’d never felt with his betrothed.

Damn it, he had to stop her from telling Elizabeth. He stalked after her, grabbing her by the wrist and pulling her back to him.

“Andrew, please, stop,” she begged, and he saw the hurt in her eyes.

The confliction of wanting him and knowing she couldn’t have him. But she could, if she would only listen.

“Please, just indulge me, Chloe.” He held her about the waist and squeezed her tighter to him. “No one need ever know.”

And then her hand struck his face, leaving a hot sting in its wake. Clearly, he’d gone too far. Feeling like a complete cad, he released her and took a step backwards. Chloe’s face was red, despite the fact he was the one who had been hit. Her nostril’s flared with indignation.

“You are engaged to my cousin,” she said, each word slow and deliberate, as if she spoke to a child. “I will kindly ask you, sir, to never, ever, lay another hand on me.”

“Chloe-²

She stalked to him, coming within inches of his face. “It’s Mrs. Hawthorne to you, and I’ll beg you never to forget that.”

Though she'd spoken harsh words, there were tears in her eyes. He knew they weren't because she was angry. They were because she was denying herself something she wanted. Desperately. As desperately as he wanted her.

She hesitated, and Andrew seized the moment, knowing he might endure another slap and more heated threats, but he didn’t care. He had to know. He had to know what she tasted like. What her lips felt like against his. So, he kissed her. Hard at first, holding her rigid body against him until she gave in. And when she did, when her body melted in his arms, he pried her lips apart and delved his tongue inside.

Good God, she was sweet. Like lemons and sugar. And so soft. His cock grew hard as he imagined how soft she must be elsewhere. Warm and soft and accommodating to his-

A salty wetness invaded their kiss. Damn it, she was crying in earnest now. He broke away and held her at an arm’s length. Indeed, a stream of tears made their way down her left cheek. She stared up at him, her face unreadable.

And then she was gone, running down the path, clearly desperate to get away from him.

***

Chloe ran all the way back to the main house, praying the others still hid away in their game. She was certain she and Andrew would be missed, especially since Lizzie led the game, but it didn’t matter. She couldn’t let them see her now.

When she arrived at the back door, she made her way inside and found a servant girl.

“Can you point me to the necessary, please?” she asked, her voice thick with tears.

The little maid nodded and turned down a corridor, then opened the door to a water closet at the end of the hall. Chloe stepped inside and shut the door behind her, before falling to the floor in a fit of silent sobs.

How could this have happened? How could she be attracted to the one man in London that she truly could not have? As a widow, she could have her pick of any manner of men, even married ones if she was discreet enough.

She wrinkled her nose. The thought of dallying with a man who already had a wife made her rather ill, now she thought about it. Even so, it would not have been so out of the ordinary.

But to dally with her cousin’s betrothed would be reprehensible. She already felt guilty enough about that kiss.

Her heart twisted. Lord, that kiss. As if their lips had been designed one for the other.

“Chloe? Chloe are you in there?”
Blast, they’d found her. Lizzie pounded on the door.

“Andrew said you were feeling ill, are you all right?”

“Did he mention he was the cause of my illness?” she muttered bitterly.

“What?” Lizzie knocked again. “Chloe, I can’t hear you. Are you well enough to open the door or shall I have a maid fetch the key?”

“No!” she shouted suddenly, trying to hide the fact that she’d been crying. “I’m fine, really. I think it was just a bit too much sun.”

“Oh, of course, darling.” Lizzie hesitated, clearly at a loss for what to do or say next. “Would you like to let me in?” she finally asked, a bit awkwardly.

Chloe took a few steadying breaths, knowing she would have to face her cousin sometime, then opened the door. Worry etched Lizzie’s features. A horrible guilt washed over Chloe, and she began to wonder if she smelled like Lord Andrew. Had his manly scent rubbed off on her? Oh, good heavens! How could she have done such a thing to her dear cousin? She was supposed to be looking out for her, keeping her best interests at heart as her chaperone. Not kissing her fiancé.

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to worry you.”
Lizzie threw an arm around her shoulder and led her out of the room. “I’m just glad you’re all right. Let’s find the boys and go home, shall we?”

Awkward silence dominated the ride home. Lizzie fussed over her the entire way, as did Michael, but Andrew only sat there, staring blankly out the window. He wouldn’t even look at her, and somehow, it broke her heart.

She wished they could go back to the way they had been the day before, having tea in the parlor, laughing and talking like old friends. But she knew they couldn’t. They never would.

All of sudden, Chloe wished Andrew and Lizzie would just hurry up and get married, so she could go back to her quiet, widow’s life in Essex. Alone.

***

“So?”

Michael sat across from Andrew at their favorite pub, hunched over a pint. He stared up intently at him, his brown eyes so familiar.

“So, what?” Andrew shot back before taking a sip of his beer.

“So, why did you insist on coming here instead of the club? Why were you missing from the game this afternoon, while I sweated my bullocks off mashed in between that irritating Miss Smythe and Charles Oster? And why do you look as if you could tear the ass out of a rhinoceros?”

Andrew almost laughed at that last one. His brother’s turn of phrase could be colorful at times. But the circumstance alone was enough to keep his mood in the somber place it was.

“No particular reason,” he replied to the first question. “I was seeing to Mrs. Hawthorne’s well-being while the rest of you were playing a game. And it’s none of your damn business why I look like that.”

“And when you say that you were ‘seeing to Mrs. Hawthorne’s well-being,’ you mean...?”

Andrew glared at his brother. Damn him, it wasn’t any of his business. And there was no way Andrew was going to make it his business. What was done was done, and it didn’t matter anymore. He would forget about Mrs. Hawthorne and marry Lady Elizabeth. No matter what.

“Listen, Drew,” Michael began, leaning further over the table. “I don’t know what’s going on, but you have a fiancée.”
“You don’t say!”

“Andrew, I’m trying to help you.”

Andrew narrowed his eyes at his twin. “What are you talking about?”

Michael looked around and then, in a low voice, said, “We’re twins, you nodcock. You can have your way, and so can Lady Elizabeth.”

Eleven

“You can’t be serious, Michael,” Andrew whispered. “We haven’t done that since we were children.”

“Yes, but we don’t look any less alike than we did then.”

Michael had a point. People could only tell them apart nowadays because of their clothing and hairstyles, but their facial features were uncanny and their builds exact. If they swapped clothes, and if Michael trimmed his hair slightly shorter, most people would not be able to tell them apart.

“So what do you suggest?” Andrew asked, leaning further across the table.

“Well, I suppose I will escort Elizabeth to the various functions—as you, of course—and you can have your little romance with her chaperone...as me. Of course, you’ll have to tell Mrs. Hawthorne, and she will have to agree to the deception—”

“That’s not a likely possibility.”

Michael’s brows shot up quizzically. “How do you know?”

“Because she slapped the living daylights out of me this afternoon when I suggested such a thing.”

Michael’s mouth dropped and amusement danced in his eyes. “You already approached her, you blackguard.”

Andrew cleared his throat. “Yes, and what of it?”

“I don’t really understand your obsession with the woman when you have the toast of London ready to walk down the aisle with you.”

“Do I detect a hint a jealousy, little brother?”
“Three minutes hardly makes you older, and no, I’ve resigned myself to a life without Lady Elizabeth.” He eyed a pretty barmaid and smiled, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. “Yes, I am quite resigned.”

“So, do you really think we could pull off this kind of charade? What if she turns me down again?”

“She only turned you down, I’m sure, when it could mean Elizabeth finding out. She’ll never know this way. Elizabeth will simply think it’s me that’s taken a liking to her cousin.”

“And you will keep her occupied if I wish to spend time with Chloe?”

“Chloe?” Michael's eyes widened in astonishment. “My God, man, when did you have time to get to be on a first name basis with the woman? Clearly, you don’t really need my help.”

A raucous group of drunkards broke into song just then, pulling Andrew’s focus from his brother. It was a seedy pub they frequented, but it was comfortable, with its musty aroma and dark corners. Not to mention it removed them from the watchful eyes of the ton. Few gentlemen would find themselves in a place like this.

“I do need your help,” Andrew said, turning back to his brother. “When shall we begin the charade?”

***

“Are you feeling any better?”

Lizzie walked into Chloe’s bedchamber and shut the door behind her. After they arrived home, Chloe escaped to her room. She needed to be alone to think about what had happened that afternoon with Andrew.

And to cry her eyes out over it.

It just didn’t seem fair. She knew that was a childish notion. Life wasn’t fair, and she knew that better than anyone. It certainly wasn’t fair that she’d been widowed two short weeks after her wedding.

“I am,” she replied, hoping her eyes were not as puffy and red as they felt. “Just resting.”

Lizzie climbed onto the bed next to her. “Chloe, are you sure it was the heat that caused your illness this afternoon?”

A hot blush stole over Chloe’s cheeks. Did her cousin know something? Had she seen them in the bushes? No, she had been hiding. There wasn’t any way.

But what if someone else had?

“Of course I’m sure. Why would you ask?”

Lizzie looked at her like one might regard a crippled puppy and grabbed her hand. “I know you’re lonely, Chloe, and I’ve seen the way you look at Lord Andrew.”

Oh, no! She knew. “What are you talking about?” Chloe asked, trying to look appalled at the accusation. “I’ve no more interest in your fiancé than—” you, she wanted to say, but ended instead with, “the Prime Minister.”

“Then why were you both so awkward in the carriage on the way home? And why were you both missing during the game? I just assumed that something had transpired. Oh, Chloe, you didn’t make any untoward advances, did you?”

“Lizzie, of course not!” Chloe nearly fainted dead away at the question. How could her cousin think such things of her?

“I wouldn’t be upset, I promise. You can tell me, Chloe.”

“How could you even ask?” Chloe rose from the bed and began tidying her bedchamber, desperate to avoid eye contact with her cousin. “We started to look for you this afternoon, and I became faint from the heat. Andrew escorted me to the house and left me right where you found me minutes later.”

Lizzie narrowed her eyes. “Andrew wasn’t coming from the house when I found him. And he certainly wasn’t looking for anyone.”

“What do you mean?” Chloe stopped her busy work to look at her cousin.

“He was leaning against a wall on the outer edge of the garden, looking rather guilty, if you ask me. Furthermore, I had asked him to find me, Chloe. I even told him where I would be in hopes he would find me first. I simply wanted a moment alone with him. Do you know what it's like, Clo? We've been engaged for months and he's never even tried to kiss me!”

Chloe regarded her cousin with curiosity. Had she been wrong about her? Did Lizzie truly care for Lord Andrew? Were her dalliances an attempt to garner his attention? The scoundrel! He hadn’t even tried to make it appear as if he’d been looking for his betrothed, nor had he mentioned that he knew where she was. And now Chloe stood in the weeds because of him. Either way, she had to put an end to this immediately and set her cousin’s mind at ease. If Lizzie really did care for Lord Andrew, how could Chloe possibly stand in the way of her marriage to him?

“Lizzie,” she said, walking back to the bed and sitting down beside her. “I don’t know what Andrew was doing, but I promise things transpired just as I’ve said. I hold no tendre for your betrothed. You have my word.”

Goodness, she hated to lie so blatantly. But how could she tell Lizzie what really happened?

She couldn’t. And it didn’t really matter, because it was never going to happen again. Ever.

***

“How do I look?”

“Exactly like me. Dashing.”

Andrew and Michael stood side by side, staring into the Cheval glass at their reflections. How bizarre to look in the mirror at one’s self, but see one’s brother staring back.

A chill chased up Andrew’s spine. Bizarre indeed. No matter they were six-and-twenty, it never stopped being odd.

If he didn’t know better, he would truly think he was Michael. All it had taken was a quick trip to their barber and a swap of particular wardrobe pieces and they were both transformed.

“And do I smell like you?”

“Oh, good God, Michael, I'm not going to bloody smell you!”

“Perhaps your cologne smells different on me than it does you. They were specially blended, you know.”

Andrew rolled his eyes, but finally gave in to his brother's request and took a sniff. “Ah, delectable! Lady Elizabeth won't be able to keep her hands off of you.”

Michael grinned childishly, and said, “Well, shall we, then?”

“As long as you’re ready,” Andrew replied. “You’re the one who’s got the toughest job in this. I get to tell Chloe who I really am.”

“Don’t worry about me.” Michael tugged at his ascot. “I’ve spent enough time with you and Elizabeth to know how to act towards her.”

“And how is that?”
“Cool and indifferent.”

Andrew shot him a look. “I most certainly do not act that way toward her.”
“No?” Michael shrugged. “No matter. Let’s go.”

They made their way to the Crawley townhouse in silence. Michael fussed with his gloves and ascot the whole way, but Andrew sat quietly, contemplating his brother’s words. Was his indifference really that noticeable? Elizabeth had never said anything, although she probably felt thoroughly thwarted after that afternoon when he’d failed to find her in the bushes.

She wanted a kiss, he was sure of it. But he didn’t want to kiss her. Why? She was beautiful by any standards. She was kind and sweet.

But she wasn’t Chloe. How had that woman needled her way into his mind so quickly? She had burrowed and nuzzled so deeply that he was helpless to think of anything else.

Anticipation grew in his gut at the thought of seeing her tonight. He hoped with all his might that she would not still be angry with him, but it wasn’t likely. He’d rarely seen a woman so furious in all his life, except maybe his sister. Katherine had a temper that would be hard to rival.

The carriage pulled up to the townhouse, and the brothers alighted and walked together to the door.

“Well, Michael,” his brother asked. “Are you ready for this?”

“It’s a little late for that question,” he retorted, “Andrew.”

***

Chloe and Lizzie descended the stairs to find the brothers Wetherby waiting for them in the foyer. Chloe’s heart beat a little faster at seeing Andrew, but she ignored it—and him. After a polite greeting, she latched herself on to Michael’s arm, determined to remain there for the duration of the evening. She would not be tempted into slipping away with Andrew, should he ask.

Though she didn’t think he would. She had made her feelings more than clear that afternoon. He would be a fool to try anything more.

The foursome made their way to Covent Garden in the Eastleigh coach and then into the opera house itself. The current of patrons dragged them along, up the stairs, until they reached the privacy of the Wetherby box. A strong smell of wine and cigars lingered in the lobby, and Chloe couldn't help but imagine it was exactly what debauchery would smell like, if debauchery actually had a smell, that is.

A frisson of excitement chased down her spine as they entered the box through the velvet curtains. She loved opera, but she’d never enjoyed it in such a lavish environment. They didn’t have such places in the country. Most of the opera she’d heard had been in homes or at the local assembly hall.

From their vantage point, they had their choice of which performance to watch: The one on the stage, or the ones in the other boxes. Already, people were whispering and pointing, with an occasional laugh of shock at who had arrived with whom. Their own box seemed to draw a vast majority of that attention. Clearly, she was in rather popular company.

Chloe took her seat beside Michael, while Lizzie and Andrew settled in front of them.

Don’t stare, don’t stare, don’t stare...

Blast! He was perfectly positioned in front of her and slightly to the right; she had no choice but to look at him in order to see the stage. Good heavens, this was going to be torture.

The overture played and then quickly moved into the first scene. Chloe loved this scene. Poor Susannah simply wanted for Figaro to validate her choice of hat, yet all he cared about was where they were going to put the marriage bed.

She watched the actors intently, trying to keep her eyes above Andrew's head rather than on it, but then he leaned into Lizzie and whispered something in her ear. Lizzie giggled and playfully swatted at Andrew with her ungloved hand.

Chloe turned away. How long this summer was going to be. She let out a low groan as the soprano screeched out a rather strained high note. Whoever thought Madame Pizzarelli was the toast of Italy must have had a serious hearing problem. Her cat could sing Susanna with far more skill than this overblown—and over aged—madam could. Visions of Tabitha decked out in skirts from the previous century, meowing Giunse alfin il momento, had Chloe giggling.

“Did I miss something?”

Chloe turned to Michael, embarrassed she had been caught mid-reverie. She said nothing.

“Please, Chloe,” he begged. “If there is something amusing, you must share, otherwise I might die of boredom.”

A smile cracked on Chloe’s lips. “Sorry, but I can’t possibly tell you what I was laughing at. You’ll think I’ve gone positively out of my mind.”

“Shall I guess, then?”

“You may try, but I’m sure you will never succeed.”

Michael opened his mouth to voice his first thesis when an agitated whisper cut him off. “Could you two please keep it down? We’re trying to enjoy the performance.”

Andrew leaned backwards to deliver this message, no doubt, on behalf of Lizzie. Lizzie was the singer in the family and she actually had a stunning voice, though her nerves prevented her from singing anywhere other than in the comfort of her own music parlor.

“You can’t be serious, Andrew,” Michael retorted. “This is absolutely dreadful stuff.”

“Just be quiet, will you?”

Andrew turned back around and flashed a reassuring smile at Lizzie, indicating that all had been taken care of. Lizzie, in return, gave a demure grin and refocused her attention on the squealing soprano. Chloe ruthlessly suppressed the jealous pang that twisted her stomach.

Though shalt not covet thy cousin's fiance, though shalt not covet-

“So, come on. What was so funny?” Michael interrupted her silent chant.

Chloe, not wanting to be reprimanded again, put a single finger to her lips to quiet Michael. Rolling his eyes, he settled back into his chair. Chloe did the same, and her mind began to wander to the man who sat before her. How could it not? He was close enough for her to be able to smell him; his scent as familiar to her now as her own. She closed her eyes, trying to put the kiss he'd given her that afternoon from her mind.

A hand came down on her arm and she jumped at the contact. She looked over to see Michael regarding her with familiar eyes. My, they really did look so much alike. It was hard to believe it was Michael she stared back at and not his brother. He had clearly gone for a haircut that afternoon after the party and now he looked more like his twin than ever.

“Would you like to get some air with me, Mrs. Hawthorne?” he asked.

Air? They’d just arrived, and the opera was only in its first act. Why on earth did he want to leave already?

A peal of laughter from her cousin broke into her thoughts and sent waves of jealousy coursing through her. She had done the right thing, she knew, but she didn’t know then that it would hurt so much to watch her with him.

Goodness, this was completely backward! How could she be jealous of something that was never hers to begin with?
“Yes,” she finally replied. “Air would be lovely.”

Twelve

Chloe darted out of the box, and Andrew was quick on her heels. It occurred to him briefly that it might not be entirely appropriate to be alone with her in the corridor, but he shrugged it off. She was a widow and chaperone, and it wasn’t as if she had any reputation to maintain. She’d barely been in London a week.

Her steps were quick and agitated as she paced back and forth in the hall. Clearly she was still mad at him for that afternoon. But she wanted him, that much was clear. The way she looked at Michael, thinking he was him, was enough to tip off even the most oblivious nodcock to her feelings.

Yet another thing to endear her to him. Gently bred ladies had a way of masking themselves, assuming that was what every man wanted—an emotionless woman, who wouldn't trouble them with silly notions like love or affection. But Chloe was an open book, regardless of how hard she tried not to be.

“Are you all right?” he inquired, remembering that he was supposed to be Michael.

She stopped pacing and looked up at him. For a moment, he thought she might have realized it was him and not Michael who stood before her, but then she looked away again and shook her head.

“Yes,” she said, her tone clipped. “I just...”

“What?” He wanted to know.

She took a moment, obviously contemplating whether she should confide in him, and then shook her head again. “Nothing. It’s nothing. Do you mind if we just stay out here for a few minutes?”

Andrew sauntered closer to her. “I don’t mind at all.” He dropped his voice to what he imagined was a sultry baritone, hoping to clue her in to the truth without actually telling her.

She met his gaze, and he tried to speak with his eyes what he did not want to say. And then her mouth dropped open in astonishment.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

Andrew quirked his brow. “What do you mean?”

Chloe let out an annoyed grunt. “You and your brother are both despicable! With your eyebrow and your smiles and seductions.”

“Seductions?” She clearly had not caught on to their game.

“Yes, seductions.”

“Do you mean to say that my brother has...approached you?”

She looked so conflicted as to whether or not she should answer him, and he couldn’t blame her. As a matter of fact, he wasn’t so sure he would appreciate her sharing such things with Michael, if he were in fact Michael. But the fact of the matter was that he was Andrew, and he wanted to know what she was thinking. Perhaps if he acted more like a friend than a pursuer, he could find out the truth.

He looked at her and took a deep breath. “Chloe, you can tell me. I swear I won’t say anything to him. But you seem rather distraught.”

She nodded and looked away from him again. God, she was beautiful. He wanted nothing more than to take her in his arms and kiss her just then. To peel that powder blue gown from her shoulders and—

“He tried to kiss me this afternoon,” she finally admitted with a heavy sigh.

Andrew feigned surprise. “He what? Is that why you two were missing from the game?”

“Yes, and I can’t stop thinking about it. I feel so guilty every time I look at Lizzie, but...”

She trailed off and her expression grew pained. How he wanted to kiss away that pain. But the truth was that he was pained too. Conflicted, and for the same reasons. She didn’t even have to finish her sentence, because he knew exactly how she felt.

“But it doesn’t matter,” she continued. “Because he is engaged to my cousin, and no matter what I feel for Andrew, I feel a hundred times more for Lizzie. And I think, despite what I thought before, that Elizabeth might actually care for Andrew. I could never betray her.”

So there it was. Andrew didn’t stand a chance as long as he was engaged to Elizabeth. However, Chloe had it wrong. How could Elizabeth care for him while she was running amuck, kissing other men? He had to find a way to break it off. Chloe would never agree to an affair—that much she had already made clear—but would she agree even if their engagement were broken?

Certainly, if he broke it off, Elizabeth would be ruined and then Chloe would have to hate him forever. But perhaps he could persuade Elizabeth into breaking it off herself.

“You won’t say anything, will you?”

He looked up into Chloe’s brown eyes, wishing he could tell her, but knowing it wasn’t the right time. “Of course not.”

***

Chloe stared back at the man in front of her, wondering why she had decided to confide in him. Goodness, he looked just like Andrew. Well, some of the time anyhow. Like now. The way he dragged his hand through his dark hair.

Their parents must have had a time telling them apart as children. It wasn’t so difficult now. They both had their own very distinct personalities. Andrew was more apt to brood, while Michael’s face was warm and open.

But at first blush, one could easily mistake one for the other.

“Are you ready to go back in?” Michael asked.

She hadn’t realized how quiet it had become in the hall until he spoke.

“Yes.” She nodded, although she wasn’t entirely certain she wanted to go back to the box. By the sound of it, the famed Madame Pizzarelli was struggling with her voice this evening. “Does she always sound like that?” she wondered aloud.

Michael’s lips broke into a grin. “Unfortunately, yes.”

“Then perhaps we should wait until after her air is finished.”

Michael’s hearty laugh gave Chloe pause. They even had the same laugh. And the way the skin around his eyes crinkled when he smiled...

No. It couldn’t have been. They would never do anything so foolish as to trade places, especially in a public setting. How cruel that would be to Lizzie and herself if they ever did such a thing.

But the thought that it could be Andrew standing in front of her, alone in the hallway, sent desire shooting straight through her.

She tamped it down. They were twins—identical twins. How absurd of her to begin lusting after Andrew’s brother.

Thankfully, the aria came to an end just as Chloe was on the brink of inquiring as to Michael’s true identity. She did not relish making a fool of herself so soon into the Season.

They walked back through the velvet curtains, and Michael stood behind her as she took her seat, before sitting down himself. Chloe settled in and tried to look at the stage and not Andrew.

But curiosity had gotten the better of her. She wanted to know if they had indeed switched places. She remembered that Andrew had a small freckle on his neck, just below his right earlobe. Blast it, she should have checked while they were out in the hall.

Now, both of them sat to her right. There was no way to tell them apart without making a scene.

Unless...

“Lord Michael,” she leaned in to whisper. “Would you mind trading seats with me? I’m having a devil of time seeing the...ah...”

Lord, but this was a weak excuse. She had a perfect view of the entire stage. But Michael did not even wait for an explanation. He jumped from his seat and stepped aside so she could move into it. Then he took her seat on the left.

Perfect. This would be simple now. All she had to do was turn and offer her thanks and try to catch a glimpse of the freckle. But when she turned to face him, he already faced her, obscuring her view of his neck.

Blast him.

“Is that better, Mrs. Hawthorne?” he asked with a roguish smile.

Chloe returned his smile with a tight one of her own. “Much,” she replied and then turned back to the stage, now obstructed by Andrew’s perfect head of hair.

All right. What next? Perhaps if she pretended to drop something to her right. Then she would have an excuse to lean close to Michael’s head. Surreptitiously, she knocked her fan to the floor. It made a loud thud, drawing the attention of those in her party. Chloe was hopeful when Michael turned his head to the right and leaned down to retrieve her fan.

But all hope was lost when she realized his collar sat far too high on his neck this evening for her to see if the freckle was there.

Blast him!

She sat back in her chair with a loud sigh, feeling defeated and not just a little foolish. What was the matter with her? Grown men such as Andrew and Michael would never play such a foolish game. What would it gain them anyhow? It didn’t change the fact that Andrew was engaged to Lizzie. Surely, when the time came, if they had in fact switched identities, they could not pull such a scheme off all the way to the altar.

No, she would just have to trust them. So, she put her suspicions aside for the evening and settled in to listen to the rest of the opera.

It was too bad the Company was not really worth listening to.

***

At three o’clock that morning, Chloe sat bolt upright in her bed. Her face was dampened with sweat, and her breath came fast and heavy. She clutched the covers to her chest as she tried to make sense of her realization and why she hadn’t realized it before. Her suspicions had been right all along. That blackguard! How dare he try to pull such a scheme? What did he hope to accomplish, she wondered? Surely, he didn’t think her so naïve as to not realize their game. And surely he didn’t think she was going to go along with it.

If it weren’t the middle of the night, she would have marched right down to Berwick Street and given him what for. As it was, she would simply have to wait until morning.

Thirteen

Chloe didn’t fall asleep until it was near to dawn, but at a quarter past nine, she sat up with a start. Her mind flashed back to the previous night and her discovery. In the light of day it seemed so absurd that she wondered if she’d actually dreamt the whole thing.

She shook her head. No, she certainly had not dreamt it. The Wetherby twins had switched places and Andrew had made one fatal mistake—one that Chloe kicked herself for not realizing in the moment.

She sat down at her writing desk, intent on giving him a piece of her mind. She dipped her pen in the ink and set it to the paper, but she’d not even finished her curt salutation before Lizzie burst through the door.

“Are you excited?” she asked, a smiled pasted on her face.

“Of course,” Chloe replied, wanting to match her cousin’s enthusiasm, but knowing she fell rather short. She just wanted to pen her note and be done with it.

“Which do you think is best with this dress?” Lizzie brandished two ribbons and Chloe had to squint to make sure of what she was seeing.

“They’re the same color,” she said.

One would have thought she’d declared that water wasn’t wet, the way Lizzie regarded her, but it was true. They were both yellow and both the exact same shade.

“They most certainly are not!” Lizzie held them up to examine them more closely. “Look, this one is clearly lemon and this one—” she shoved the second one out, nearly smacking Chloe in the nose “—chartreuse.”

The last was said with a French accent and an air of superiority. Chloe rolled her eyes.

“I’m sorry, Lizzie, I would love to help,” she said, “but I just don’t see the difference.”

Frustrated, Lizzie stomped from the room and closed the door. Chloe turned immediately back to her letter.

Lord Andrew,

I’m not exactly sure what you and your brother

are playing at, but rest assured, your secret is

no longer a secret. Furthermore, I must ask you to

disregard anything

“What about this one?”

Chloe nearly jumped out of her skin at her cousin’s voice. She hadn’t even heard her open the door.

“Good heavens, Lizzie, you frightened me half to death.”

“Sorry,” she said quickly, and then held up yet another yellow ribbon. “Do you like this one more than the other two?”

“How many yellow ribbons do you own, Lizzie?” Chloe asked as she shifted her body to block her cousin's view of the letter.

Lizzie shrugged and said, “I don’t know...seven, eight?”

Sensing she might be asked to look at the four or five others if she didn’t give a good enough answer, Chloe decided to indulge her cousin. In an attempt to get her cousin as far away from the desk as possible, Chloe stood up and dragged Lizzie toward the window, under the auspices of needing more light to give a fair assessment to the yellow ribbons.

“Well, I do like this one—far better than the other two, actually.” She plucked it from Lizzie’s hand and held it up against her hair. “Yes, yes, this is definitely the one.”

Lizzie’s eyes narrowed. “Are you sure?”

“There is no doubt in my mind!” Just get out!

“All right, then.”

And without so much as a thank you, Lizzie bounded out of the room again. Chloe practically ran back to her desk and sat down to write again. She wrote one word before Lizzie burst through the door, the remaining yellow ribbons draped over her arm.

Clearly there were forces at work to try and prevent her from writing that letter to Andrew. Admitting defeat, she crumpled the half-written note and tossed it into the bin, then set to the task of finding the perfect yellow ribbon for Lizzie.

By afternoon, Chloe found herself firmly ensconced in the bosom of the Wetherby family. It seemed that any woman who had anything at all to do with the family decided to join them on their shopping excursion.

In addition to the three she was already acquainted with, Lady Eastleigh’s mother-in-law, the dowager marchioness, as well as her own mother, Lady Grimsby, joined in the fun. At least, what they deemed to be fun. Chloe didn’t mind shopping, but being measured and fitted by strange women was a bit unnerving.

They arrived at a dressmaker's shop in what Lizzie assured her was the most fashionable part of town, which Chloe was sure equated to the most expensive part of town. And with a name like Madame le Riche, what was one to expect?

The little maid, called Sophie, saw to the welfare of the ladies with tea and biscuits while the dressmaker herself took Chloe behind a curtain and demanded she strip down to her chemise and drawers. Chloe did as she was bid, but when Madame le Riche gasped at her underclothing, a blush rose to Chloe’s cheeks.

She knew her nether clothes were a bit worse for the wear, but they could not have been that bad.

“My dear,” the woman began in a thick, French accent, “the first law of fashion is that the dress is only as good as what is underneath.”

She tsked a few times to further express her distaste and then called for her assistant. They spoke in rapid French while drawing a string around various parts of Chloe’s body, and making notes in a small, leather-bound book. Chloe felt like a sparrow caught in a squall.

What was the meaning of all this anyhow? She had unearthed all of her old dresses, and Sarah had pressed and darned them until they were like new. So why was she here?

From behind the screen, she could hear the other women laughing and talking, having a veritable teatime while she was poked and prodded by an army of seamstresses.

“Oh, this one would look lovely on her petite frame, don't you think?”

“Absolutely! In a rich green.”

“Or this in blue?”

“Chloe looks lovely in blue!”

Oh, dear! They were plotting out all sorts of additions to her wardrobe. Who was going to pay for all this? She certainly didn’t have the funds, and she was sure Uncle Arthur would not be keen on buying a new wardrobe for his daughter’s chaperone.

Oh, goodness, what if Lizzie meant to pay out of her pin money? She couldn’t let her cousin do such a thing.

“Lizzie?” she called sweetly through the curtain.

The laughter stopped and Lizzie’s feet came running towards her. “Yes?” she asked, peeking around the screen.

Chloe waited for the chatter to resume so she could ask Lizzie about payment. “Lizzie, I haven’t the funds to pay for this shopping trip. You do know that, don’t you?”
“Of course I do,” her cousin replied with a sweet smile.

“Oh, Lizzie, I can’t have you spending your own allowance on me-²

“But I’m not.”

Chloe blinked up at her cousin. “Then, who?”

A wide smile broke out on Lizzie’s face. “I’m not at liberty to say, dear cousin, but your benefactor assures me it is of little consequence.”

“Little consequence?” Chloe repeated, looking about at the various silks and satins that had accumulated around her. “This trousseau could cost a small fortune.”

Lizzie laughed, a lilting, sweet laugh. “Perhaps to you it is a small fortune, but for some...oh, do not worry so much, Chloe! It is a gift and the giver will not take no for an answer.”

With that Lizzie disappeared behind the curtain and rejoined the ladies. A great deal of whispering ensued, and Chloe vowed she would throttle her dear cousin should she relay any of what they’d just discussed. But within moments, the chatter resumed at its normal volume.

For the rest of the afternoon, Chloe modeled several ready-made dresses, over which the ladies all oohed and ahhhhed, but in which Chloe felt vastly uncomfortable. She wished she could say her old gowns were comparable and acceptable, but now that she wore truly fashionable dresses, she realized just how inadequate her old wardrobe was.

And virginal. She was no debutante, and therefore the whites and pastels were no longer suitable. Thus the stream of reds, greens and dark blues she’d been forced to model all afternoon.

By the time they left the modiste, Chloe wanted nothing more than to lay down for a long nap, but it was not to be. At least not yet. They still had bonnets and ribbons and gloves to shop for, so the entourage made their way through the Burlington Arcade, patronizing one shop after another. Chloe had hoped to ascertain which of the ladies was her benefactress, but whoever it was, she was a sneaky woman. She supposed it was easy to be sneaky when every shop owner knew who you were and was able to apply credits to your account with nary a word on the subject.

At three o’clock, as she stood at the milliner’s counter, Chloe began to feel a bit overwhelmed. She did not mean to raise any alarm, and so she slipped quietly from the shop, eager for a bit of fresh air and quietude.

Sometime in the course of the afternoon, it had begun to rain. She breathed in the cool, damp air and slumped against the bit of marble wall that separated the hat shop from the jeweler. Her feet ached, and her head hurt, and she just wanted to go home.

***

Andrew rounded the corner into the pavilion of the Burlington Arcade. It had begun to rain and he'd been caught without an umbrella, so he thought to take shelter there and perhaps pick up a box of cigars for his elder brother's birthday. He was whistling to himself, feeling good after having visited his solicitor on the Strand. His ventures continued to pay off and soon he'd be richer than Midas. They were on the dawn of industry, he was sure, and his careful investments in the textile mills had thus far earned him a killing.

He was about to turn into the tobacconists, when a certain red-head caught his eye. He smiled wide. The poor woman looked as if she would rather be anywhere other than where she was, which was on a shopping trip with the Lionesses.

“Good afternoon, Mrs. Hawthorne.”

Andrew approached her cautiously, though she still started a bit as he approached, and a girlish blush rose to color her cheeks. He smiled. She averted her gaze.

“Lord Andrew,” she said with a slight curtsey. “I trust you are fine this afternoon?”

He wondered at her cool tone, but chocked it up, for the time being, to her apparently trying day of shopping. Of course, she was probably still angry about the kiss too, but it was best not to relive that moment right now.

“I am indeed, though I must admit, you do not look very well yourself.”

Chloe gave him a weak smile. “I fear your family has it in mind to make me into...well, one of them, I suppose. They’ve had me out shopping all day. Of course, I’m sure you already knew that...Lord Michael.”

Andrew reared back at her suddenly biting tone, though it should not have surprised him one bit. She'd figured him out, which would account for her tone. Still, he didn’t care to incriminate himself.

“Why on earth would you think I was Michael?”

“Did you think I was so naïve that I would not figure it out?”

“Naïve, no. Stubborn, most definitely.”

“And what is that supposed to mean?”

He moved in closer to her and lowered his voice. “It means that I knew you wouldn’t speak to me unless you thought it wasn’t me.”

Chloe’s mouth dropped open. “So, it was you?”

Andrew gave her a smile to say “guilty as charged.” She seemed taken off guard, even though she’d been the one to figure it out. “What was it?” he wondered.

“What was what?”
“What was it that gave me away?”

“Chloe,” she said simply. “It didn’t register at the time, but later on, as I replayed our conversation, it occurred to me that you called me by my given name.”

“Really?” Andrew’s brows rose in surprise. How could he have made such a glaring mistake and not realized it? “And are you angry with me?”

“Horribly.”

Andrew smiled at the scowl on her forehead. He wished they were somewhere that he could kiss her until she forgot all about her anger. As it was, he could only use words to diffuse the situation.

“Chloe, I’m sorry,” he said, keeping his voice low. “I meant to tell you last night, but...”

“It’s all right.”

“It’s not. Clearly I’ve upset you.”

“Frankly, Andrew, I’m too exhausted to feel much of anything right now.”

“Well, the Lionesses can do that to a body. I’ve had to succumb to many a shopping trip in my day, but don’t worry, it will all be over soon.”

“Chloe! There you—Oh, Lord Andrew.” Elizabeth slipped out the shop door and made her way to them. “What are you doing here, darling?”

Trying to figure out a way to get your cousin alone. “I was just passing through, when I found dear Mrs. Hawthorne resting against this wall. It seems she is not accustomed to the shopping habits of the ton.”

Elizabeth shifted her gaze from him to her cousin, concern etching her brow. “Are you all right, dear? Perhaps we should go home now. I want you to be well rested for tonight.”

“Tonight?” Chloe pushed away from the wall, suddenly alert. “Why? What is tonight? I thought we were to have a night of rest.”

“Lady Eastleigh has invited us to dine with the family this evening, weren’t you paying attention? You will be there too, won’t you, darling?”

Andrew almost didn’t hear the question. Poor Chloe looked as if she would rather attend her own hanging than another social function.

“Of course I will be there,” he replied.

He had not in fact planned on attending a family dinner that evening. He supposed it was one of his sister-in-law’s last minute ideas. Nonetheless, it might present the opportunity he’d been looking for.

***

“You know, Michael, Mrs. Hawthorne is a lovely woman. You’d be remiss, in my opinion not to show her special attention.”

Michael shot a look to Andrew while their sister droned on about Chloe. Andrew didn’t know how to explain the shot of jealousy that ran through him at the simple thought of his brother courting her. He was betrothed, for God’s sake. How could he be jealous?

Very easily, he mused as he thought of the young widow. God, how he wanted her. How he wanted to end things with Elizabeth and run away with that silly little ginger-headed woman.

“Katherine, you may go on all day about Mrs. Hawthorne and her qualities—which, I admit, are many—but I fear my interests lie elsewhere.”

Andrew tried to hide his smile. How sporting of his brother to throw himself in front of the proverbial carriage for him.

“Oh, Michael, you must tell me who she is!” Katherine suddenly adopted the persona of a fourteen-year-old schoolgirl. “Do we know her? Is she here in London? When shall we get to meet her?”

Michael dared a glance at his brother—a glance that said “you owe me for this”—and then turned back to Katherine. “I must insist on keeping her identity a secret for now. I’m so sorry to disappoint.”

Katherine looked as if she might pout, but then her eyes narrowed, and the guessing games began. Their sister was convinced she had a gift for reading people, and so whenever someone insisted on keeping a secret, she insisted on guessing. She was sure if she guessed the right name, she would know just by looking at them.

Unfortunately for her, as far as Andrew knew, there was no mystery girl to speak of. Michael really was tops when it came to brothers.

***

After a nap that was far too short, Chloe donned one of the ready-made gowns she’d come home with that day, and prepared for dinner with the Wetherby clan. She was so nervous that Sarah had to admonish her several times for fidgeting, first with her dress, then her hair, and then the pins that were supposed to go in her hair. But she couldn’t help herself.

Standing there with Andrew that afternoon had been so wonderful. That was the only way to describe how she felt when she was with him. Well, wonderful and terribly nervous, if she were being completely honest.

And guilty. Wonderful, nervous and guilty. What a truly wretched combination of feelings! She slammed her bare hand down on her vanity in frustration.

“Mrs. Hawthorne, are you quite all right?”

She looked up at Sarah, who still held her head in her capable hands. Somehow, she’d forgotten the girl was there.

“I’m sorry, Sarah,” she muttered. “I’m fine, really.”

The maid, knowing her place, went back to the task at hand. Chloe, on the other hand, did her best to push Andrew Wetherby from her mind.

He was, after all, her cousin’s fiancé, she reminded herself for what seemed like the hundredth time that hour.

Fourteen

Dinner was to be, Andrew noted, as always, a lively affair at Eastleigh House that night. Already, the drawing room was filled to the brim with Wetherbys, their offspring and close family friends. Three generations flitted about, chatting and laughing, while they awaited the guests of honor.

Andrew had just poured himself a glass of brandy when Michael pulled him aside.

“I should tell you that Elizabeth will be rather eager to be alone with you this evening,” he said, taking a glass from Andrew.

“That isn’t really news, is it? She’s been trying to corner me for months.”
Michael looked at him, surprised. “What do you mean by that? Surely you’ve at least kissed the girl.”
Andrew winced, realizing just how awful it must seem that he had never taken any liberties with the woman who was to be his wife. It wasn’t like him, and his brother knew that.

Michael’s jaw hung open. “You’ve been engaged for two months already,” he hissed. “And you haven’t had any problems defiling proper girls in the past-²

“Would you lower your voice, please?” Andrew begged of his brother. “I just can’t bring myself to do it.”

Michael almost laughed but clearly thought better of it. “Listen, Drew, you can’t go on like this much longer. She’s desperate for something from you. A sign of your affection.”

“And what if she never gets it?” Andrew wondered aloud, the wheels in his head beginning to turn. “Do you think she will call off the engagement?”

“Hard to tell.” Michael shrugged. “She might just tell herself that you’re too much of a gentleman to do anything untoward before you’re married.”

“I was afraid you'd say that.” Frustration mounted in Andrew’s gut. “Then what the devil am I supposed to do?”

Michael scanned the room before turning back to his brother. “Follow me.”

***

When Chloe and Lizzie arrived at Eastleigh House for dinner that evening, they were greeted by a room full of people. The parlor was brimming with children and adults alike, playing games by the fire, having drinks in the corner or gossiping in the sitting area. It was altogether heartwarming and disarming at the same time.

“I thought it was a family dinner,” Chloe whispered to her cousin as they were ushered through the drawing room doors.

“It is,” Lizzie replied with a smile. “Though I daresay their family extends a bit further than our own.”

“Welcome, Lady Elizabeth, Mrs. Hawthorne!” Lady Eastleigh bundled up to them and took them both by the hand. “Oh, how delightful you look, Mrs. Hawthorne. A fine choice this dress was, don’t you think, Lady Elizabeth?”

“I do! I think this shade of gold is certainly her color.”

“Her color, indeed,” the marchioness replied. “Now, come and meet the rest of the family.”

Chloe nodded and curtsied her way through introductions. Of course, she already knew the women of the family, but she’d yet to meet many of the men, and none of the children. She couldn’t help but notice what an attractive family her cousin was marrying into—the men were all strapping and refined, and the women elegant and beautiful.

Almost as soon as the introductions were finished, the butler announced dinner, and all the children were sent off with the nursemaids. That's when Andrew and Michael finally joined the party.

“There you are and just in time,” the marchioness said. “Michael, you will escort Mrs. Hawthorne.” Was that a wink she gave him? “Andrew, I think you know where your duty lies?”

“Indeed,” Andrew answered, flying to Lizzie’s side.

Or was it Michael?

“Mrs. Hawthorne?”

Chloe looked up and knew immediately that it was not Michael who stood before her, but Andrew. They had done it again, the snakes.

“Do you really think you can fool your family?” she whispered.

Andrew smiled covertly and proffered his arm. She took it and they began to walk together into the dining room. “We used to do it all the time as children.”

“Yes, but you aren’t children anymore, and you weren’t with me for five minutes before you made a slip last night.”
“Touché,” he drawled. “But I’m willing to take my chances.”

Chloe’s heart gave a flutter as Andrew deposited her into her chair, which happened to be next to his. Clearly God was testing her in all this. But she chose to ignore her misgivings and settled in to try and enjoy her dinner.

As soon as the first course was placed in front of Chloe—some sort of green soup that smelled delectable—the Duchess of Weston addressed her.

“Mrs. Hawthorne, might you entertain us with stories of your life in the country?” she asked, her black eyes sparkling.

“I’m afraid my quiet country life is rather boring in comparison to the city,” Chloe replied, hoping that would turn the interest away from her. She already felt horribly unnerved with Andrew next to her, pretending to be Michael.

What if she slipped up and revealed their ruse to the family?

“But you must have some anecdote for us—a childhood story perhaps? Have you many brothers and sisters?”

“Goodness, Katherine, leave the poor girl alone. I daresay she’s already overwhelmed just being here.”

Chloe was grateful to Andrew for coming to her aid, but she couldn’t bear the stricken look on the duchess’s face.

“Oh, I suppose—” Chloe tried to intercede, but it seemed she was already forgotten.

“Is that to say our family is so overwhelming?” Katherine shot back, clearly affronted.

“I’m sure we can be to those who are not used to us.”
“No, you’re not at all—”

“What do you think, Phoebe? Did we intimidate you at first?”

Chloe sat back with a smile. Cleary, no one really cared what she had to say anymore and she was grateful, since she really had nothing of interest to contribute. Furthermore, the exchange amongst the Wetherby siblings was far more exciting than anything Chloe ever could have come up with. It made her think of dinner with her own family, gathered around their rustic table in the cottage, shooting barbs and laughing at one another. Of course, instead of a seven-course meal with roasted pigeon as the main course, they usually had pork and potatoes. Or sometimes just potatoes. Her father's meager salary couldn't always provide them with meat.

The evening progressed, and Chloe noted, with delight, the closeness of the Wetherby family. Their energy was infectious and by the end of the meal, her jaw hurt from smiling so much. The procession back to the drawing room for tea was filled with laughter as they all debated over what divertissement they preferred.

Lord and Lady Hastings decided to engage the dowager marchioness and Lady Grimsby in a game of Whist. Lady Eastleigh and her husband took to the piano, and Lizzie and Michael joined them. Chloe held back slightly. She felt guilty for knowing that the man her cousin thought was Andrew was actually Michael. And she hated that it made her happy.

“So, are you overwhelmed?”

She turned on her spot to find Andrew standing directly behind her. Her breath caught slightly. His gaze was so very intense.

“Ah, no, actually,” she managed. “It’s wonderful. It makes me miss my own family.”

“Would you take a walk with me, Mrs. Hawthorne? My brother has some of the most exquisite gardens you'll find in London.”

Caught slightly off guard, she cast a glance toward her cousin, who stood blissfully unaware that Michael had his arm around her.

“H-how will we see them in the dark? Isn't it better to tour a garden in the day?”

“Not if it is the moon vine you wish to see.”

“But what of a chaperone?”

“You are the chaperone, Chloe. Besides, Katherine was encouraging Michael to get to know you better just this afternoon. I'm sure she would be delighted to see us escaping for a moonlit stroll.”

Chloe swallowed. It was so wrong of her to even be tempted to accept Andrew’s invitation. But somehow, she just couldn’t help herself.

“I would be delighted to see the nightshade, my lord.”

***

Andrew walked with Chloe out the doors to the terrace and led her down the stairs into the garden. She looked hesitantly back toward the house, but he urged her on. He needed to be alone with her. To kiss her and feel her. He just hoped she wouldn't push him away this time.

He had almost felt sorry for her back in the drawing room. Clearly, she was torn between duty to her cousin and her desire for him. As a matter of fact, he should have been torn as well. But he was far too elated to feel anything but pure victory just then.

They reached a rose-covered arbor and he led her inside. She hesitated once again.

“Will we not be missed?” she asked.

Andrew shrugged. “I think the others were quite engaged in their activities. Surely, a few minutes out here won’t cause a fuss.”

She looked around again. “Yes, I suppose you’re right,” she answered with a sigh. “Although...”

Andrew turned to look at her, waiting for her to continue.

She stepped toward him, seemingly full of a nervous sort of energy, and began to speak rapidly. “Andrew, this cannot continue. That is my cousin in there. She’s practically like a sister to me! No matter what I feel for you, I feel a hundred times for Lizzie and-²

Before she could say anymore, Andrew stepped forward, grabbed her about the waist, and kissed her like he was sure she’d never been kissed before. She tasted of tea and berries tonight, sweet and soft, and she felt like heaven pressed against him. The small of her back curved perfectly over his arm, and he ran his fingers through her soft, red curls.

She allowed him greater access when she opened her mouth, but when he moaned, it seemed to bring her to her senses. Chloe pushed away, hard, and took several steps backward until she was flush against one of the arbor beams.

He moved toward her.

“No!” she shouted. “Please stay there.”
He hesitated. They stood there a long moment in silence; the only sound the rustling of the leaves and the thumping of their hearts. He wondered what she would do. Would she run and tell him never to speak to her again? Would she expose their charade to the family or to Elizabeth?

Then just when he thought he would die of waiting for her to say something, she closed the distance between them and planted her lips firmly against his.

***

She kissed him wildly, like a wanton, but she didn’t care. Perhaps it was that she’d been alone for so long without male companionship. Or that she was simply overwhelmed. But she knew the real truth behind the kiss she gave him now.

She loved him.

It was an impossible fact to deny, as foolish as it seemed. She’d only known him for a little more than a week, but that was all she needed. Something inside her ached to be with him, to be his.

Chloe allowed her tongue to tangle with his, and when his hand slipped down to cup her breast, she nearly split in two. Dear God, it had been too long.

Even as she kissed him though, she knew it was wrong. But how could something so wrong feel so very right?
She pushed away again. “Oh, God, Andrew,” she panted. “What are we going to do?”
“Hopefully make sweet, passionate love to one another until the sun comes up,” he said gruffly.

That did sound wonderful, but... “No, Andrew, I mean about Lizzie.”

He took a deep breath and ran a hand through his dark hair. He looked so handsome in the moonlight, and Chloe imagined that under the veil of darkness, she might allow him to do just about anything to her.

He put his hands on his hips and looked at her, a serious expression marring his perfect features. “Run away with me, Chloe.”

Chloe’s jaw dropped. Had she really heard him correctly? “Run away with you?” she repeated. “And then what? You leave Michael to do our dirty work? And Lizzie to face the ton alone? No, Andrew, we must face up to this. We must confess how we feel about one another.”

“And how do we feel about one another?”

His dark eyes bore into her and she trembled. “Well,” she began, “I think we care a great deal about one another.”

“Is that all?” His voice was low and rumbling, and Chloe felt her knees turn to putty.

“I-I-²

Andrew moved in and kissed her again, this time robbing her of any rational thought. Good heavens, how she wanted him.

“Chloe!” A voice shouted her name from a distance and she and Andrew jumped apart quickly.

“It’s Lizzie,” she said. “Oh, God, it’s Lizzie.”

“Chloe, where are you? Come quickly!”

The note of panic in Lizzie’s voice brought them both up short. Something was wrong.

Fifteen

Chloe ran back to the house and found Lizzie pacing and wringing her hands at the door.

“What is it?” she asked her cousin, out of breath.

Lizzie stared back at her, clearly reluctant to share whatever news she’d received.

“Lizzie, please, what’s happened?” she prompted again.

“It’s your sister, Grace,” she said, her voice shaking. “She’s taken a fever. You must leave for Essex at once.”

Chloe’s blood ran cold. Gracie. Poor little Gracie. She’d always been comprised of a rather weak composition, which made Chloe fear for the worst. The thought of fever claiming yet another member of her family caused her knees to buckle beneath her. She clutched at Lizzie’s arm, but someone grabbed her from behind and held her steady.

“Mrs. Hawthorne, are you all right?”

She scarcely heard the question, her head was spinning so fiercely. But she managed to nod her head and gain her footing.

“It’s her sister, Michael,” Lizzie explained. “She is ill and not expected to live. Chloe must leave for Essex tonight.”

“Then I will go with her.”

“Michael, you’ll have to take a chaperone with you,” the marchioness said as she bustled into the hall.

“I’ll call for the carriage,” Benjamin added, following at his wife’s heels. “Darling, why don’t you round up an appropriate chaperone in the meantime.”

The next several minutes were a blur to Chloe. Whispered conversations and barked orders floated around her until she was deposited into the back of a stately carriage. Someone took the seat opposite and then they lurched into motion. They bounced along for some time before a male voice interrupted her tumultuous thoughts.

“Chloe?” the voice asked cautiously. “Are you going to be all right?”

It was Andrew. Andrew had come with her. Oh goodness, what was she going to do? Surely Michael could not run around Town as Andrew for the time it took him to take her to Essex and back. Someone would find out, and if that someone was Lizzie-

“Andrew, you shouldn’t be here,” she finally whispered.

He moved from his position to sit next to her and took her hand. “I’m not leaving you,” he vowed.

“But what about Lizzie? What about Michael? What if someone finds out?”

“Then let them find out. I will not leave you,” he repeated.

Chloe was tempted to cry out of relief. He was so strong and warm, and he risked so much in accompanying her. But instead, she took a steadying breath, and allowed his caress of her palm to lull her into a calmer state. Everything would be fine, she told herself. Gracie would be fine.

“Do you want to tell me about her?”

She couldn’t resist a small smile at the thought of her baby sister. “Gracie—Grace—is seventeen, and is forever complaining that she is not well-born enough to have a Season in Town.” Chloe gave a little laugh. “She was so jealous when Papa announced that I’d be going to London for the Season. I tried to remind her that I was only going to be a chaperone, but...aren’t we supposed to have a chaperone?” she asked, remembering the conversation in the hallway.

“Collins is up above,” he assured her. “Not really an appropriate chaperone, but that’s the best Phoebe could do on such short notice.”

“It seems London has no shortage of inappropriate chaperones these days.”

“So Grace will not come to London when she is of age?” Andrew asked, steering the conversation back to her sister and away from Elizabeth.

“Oh, heavens, no. We haven’t the money for that. Unless Uncle Arthur sponsors her, but he has quite a brood of his own. It is more likely she’ll marry a local farmer.” She stopped as the tears began to choke her. She tried to swallow them down—she needed to be strong now, for her sister and her family. But when Andrew shifted to pull her into his embrace, there was naught she could do to stop them.

He stroked her hair as sobs wracked her body, and held her tightly to him. All she could think of was how grateful she was for his deception that night. How could she have made this journey without him?

“I don't know anything about the rest of your family,” Andrew said quietly into her hair. “Why don't you tell me about them?”

Chloe knew he was trying to distract her, but she didn't care. It was working. “All right,” she said, accepting the handkerchief he held out to her. She dabbed her eyes with it and then asked, “Who should I start with?”

“Your parents, of course.”

“My parents.” Chloe settled into the nook of Andrew's arm and blew out a breath. “Father is a pig farmer-”

“So you always have bacon, I assume?”

She looked up at him. “Are you going to interrupt all the way through?”

With a smile, Andrew shook his head. “No, I promise I'll be quiet. Go on.”

“Ahem...father is a pig farmer, but no, there is not always bacon. Sometimes lighting the house or clothing the children is more important than eating the meat. But of all the meats, pork is the most common in our home.”

“What is your father like?”

“Wonderful. Quiet. He smiles a lot. And he finds ways to make each of his children feel special. He is quite a remarkable father.”

“Then I cannot wait to meet him.”

Chloe thought about that. About her family meeting Andrew. It should have been an exciting occasion, but how could it be under these circumstances? It wasn't as if it mattered what they thought of one another.

“And your mother?”

“A lot like father, really. Quiet, most of the time. Of course, whenever Stevie or James got into trouble as children, she was the one to blister their bottoms. She can be rather fierce when she needs to be, though I know she prefers peace in the house.”

“Who are Stevie and James?” Andrew wondered as he lazily twirled Chloe's curls around his fingers.

“My brothers. James is the eldest. He's four-and-twenty now, Stevie is two-and-twenty. They both help father with the pigs and are responsible for taking them to market as well. But they are just as depraved as you and Michael,” she added with a smile.

“Ah, then we will get along just fine, won't we?”

Chloe laughed and allowed Andrew to hug her closer, if that was possible. “And then there are Cassandra and Jonathan, the youngest in the family. Cassie is eight and Jonathan is five.”

“Such a large gap in ages.”

“Yes, well, mother miscarried several times after Gracie. But they are the true life of the family. I always think one should try and view life through the eyes of a child.”

“Even Julia?” Andrew smirked.

Chloe gave a little snort. “Well, maybe not just any child. Do I get to hear about your family now?”

Andrew cleared his throat in preparation and began. “Well, my father was the fifth Marquess of Eastleigh, and not only was he a brilliant steward of the Eastleigh coffers, he was a wonderful father as well. Sadly, he passed away two years ago, shortly after Benjamin and Phoebe married.”

“Do you ever miss him?”

“All the time,” he replied quietly. “It wasn't sudden though. We had time to prepare, to say our goodbyes. Mother recovered well. She and Phoebe's mother are the best of friends now. They even toured the continent together last year.”

“And what of your sister, Katherine.”

Andrew let out a long breath. “Ah, Katherine. She is a perpetual thorn in my side.” Chloe elbowed him in the ribs and they both laughed. “But I do love her tremendously. And the duke, as I'm sure you've noticed, dotes on her quite lavishly.”

“Just as it should be,” Chloe commented.

They both fell silent. Chloe felt her eyelids droop and she let out a giant yawn.

“Is my family that boring?”

Chloe would have giggled if she had any energy left to do so. “Hardly,” she yawned again. “I'm just so...so...”

***

In the wee hours of the morning, the Eastleigh carriage pulled in front of a small house along a country road. A cock crowed his good morning as the sun began to rise over the horizon, and the sounds of the waking village infiltrated the thin windows of the carriage.

Andrew looked down at Chloe, still snuggled in his arms. She had fallen asleep crying, and had slept the rest of the way. It was a good thing, he thought. Better than her worrying through the night.

No, he had done enough of that for both of them. He’d sat there, wide awake, pondering their predicament for the last six hours, yet he’d come to no sound conclusions. Sure, they could run away, but where would that leave Elizabeth? And what would his family think of him? If nothing else, he valued his family and their opinions of him. He would not disgrace them by jilting his fiancée.

Perhaps the only option left was to come clean. To profess his desire to marry Chloe, and not her cousin, and hope for the best. But he didn’t have time to think about that now.

“Chloe?” He shook her gently in his arms and kissed the top of her head. She smelled so sweet and looked so darling that he hated to wake her. But if he were fortunate enough, he would get to wake to that sweet face every morning for the rest of his life.

Chloe stirred slightly, as if she might wake, but then burrowed back into his arms and went still again. Andrew gave a little chuckle and tried again.

“Chloe,” he repeated in a singsong whisper. “Come, darling, we’re here. In Essex.”

At the mention of Essex, Chloe’s eyes opened wide and she sat up with alarm. Clearly, she was trying to remember why they were there. When she did finally come to, she lapsed into a panic.

“Oh, God, Gracie,” she whispered and then flinging open the door, shouted, “Gracie!”

She hurled herself from the carriage and Andrew followed her quickly to the dilapidated little cottage. She barged through the door and then disappeared up a set of stairs. Andrew stayed downstairs alone and made himself as comfortable as he could at what must have been the family’s dining table, though it was nothing like the dining tables he was accustomed to. It looked more like a table and bench from an ancient pub.

He could hear faint voices from upstairs, but there was no indication of Grace’s condition. Assuming he was going to be there a while, he divested himself of his coat and hat and settled back down at the table again.

It was hard to believe someone like Mrs. Hawthorne had grown up in a home like this one. She was so poised and lovely, but this house was dingy and small, hardly fit for a woman of her disposition.

Andrew smiled. How he wanted to give her all the things she’d clearly never had.

A large, black bug ran by his hand just then, and he brought his fist down hard to smash it.

And perhaps find a more appropriate home for her family as well.

***

Chloe threw off her cloak and knelt down beside her sister’s bed. The rest of her family had risen when she entered, but no one spoke or tried to stop her with hugs or greetings. A somber pall hung in the room, along with the dank smell of sick—a smell Chloe remembered all too well—as everyone waited to see which way Grace’s fever would turn.

“What does the doctor say?” Chloe finally asked.

She brushed a piece of damp hair from Grace’s forehead and grabbed on to her clammy hands. Grief threatened to grip her, but she would not allow it. Grace was still alive—they just had to keep her that way.

“Influenza. It’s not good, Chloe,” her mother said, stepping closer. “We just have to wait.”

“Wait? What do you mean wait? She's dying, mama, we cannot just stand by and do nothing!”

“But there is nothing to be done.”

Chloe finally took her eyes from her sister to look around the room. Her mother and father held vigil along with James and Stevie, but her littlest siblings were not present.

“Cassie and Jonathan are at the parsonage,” her mother informed her, having read the question in her eyes. “Until...” She broke off on a sob.

“It’s all right, mama.” Chloe turned back to her sister and clasped her hand tighter. “Gracie will come through, I know she will.”

Silence ensued for a few moments, until Stevie returned with fresh rags and water.

“Blimey, Chloe, you brought a gentleman back with you and didn’t even tell us.”

Chloe spun around to better look at her brother. His clothes were a bit tattered and his hair scraggly, but she had to admit both her brothers were awfully handsome.

“Stevie, that’s Andrew. My friend,” she stated definitely, keeping titles and last names out of it. She wasn’t about to tell them she’d brought back cousin Lizzie’s fiancé.

“A good friend to have, by the looks of him,” her other brother, James, declared. “Come have a look at this carriage, mum.”

Both her parents gave her questioning looks, but her mother crossed the room to the window anyhow.

“Apparently your daughter’s been holding out on us, Father,” she said. “She has indeed brought back a gentleman.”

Her father rose from his chair on the other side of the room with a warm, but somber smile. “Well, then, I best go welcome the young man to our home.”

With a welcoming kiss to Chloe's forehead, her father left and took her brothers with him. Chloe tamped down the apprehension she felt at introducing Andrew to her entire family. There was nothing she could do about it now, since he was already downstairs. And with her little sister laying on her deathbed, Andrew Wetherby was the least of her worries. Though she did send up a little prayer that he would have the foresight to introduce himself simply as Andrew.

Gracie stirred a bit in her sleep and Chloe tried to soothe her with a cool cloth to her forehead. Her mother knelt down on the other side of the bed, and for the first time since she’d arrived, Chloe got a good look at her.

Dark circles rounded her eyes, which drooped with weariness, and she looked thin. Like she hadn’t eaten in days. Her mother was typically rotund and rosy-cheeked. Chloe hadn't seen her this way since Sam had died.

“Mother, I’m here now. You should go and get some rest.”

Her mother shook her head. “I can’t leave her, Chloe,” she choked.

Chloe put a hand on her mother’s arm. “I promise I will wake you if anything happens. You need your rest and Gracie will need you when she wakes up. Please, Mama.”

Her mother sighed, but resigned in the end. She nodded her head in acknowledgment of Chloe’s words and then placed a kiss to Gracie’s forehead. Silently, she slipped from the room.

Alone with her sister, Chloe began to pray. She was not the praying kind, and she’d rarely stepped foot in a church in her twenty years, but she didn’t know what else to do. If God couldn’t save her, then no one could, she supposed.

Sixteen

Heavy footsteps on the stairs heralded the arrival of three men. Andrew rose from his spot at the kitchen table while the older of the three extended a hand to him.

“Jamie Clarke,” he said with a wan smile. “I’m Chloe’s father.” He stepped aside to present the younger men. “These are my sons, James and Steven.”
They all shook hands and Steven informed him that he tended to go by the nickname Stevie.

“Andrew We—” Andrew cut off suddenly, wondering how much Chloe's family knew about Elizabeth and her intended. Chances were they at least knew his name. “Andrew,” he repeated. “Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

They all stood quietly for an awkward moment. Clearly, no one was sure how to carry on in such odd circumstances. What must they think of him? He still wore his evening clothes from dinner the night before, and he’d brought Chloe home in a crested carriage in the middle of the night. Surely there were going to be questions, but for now, Andrew thought it best to keep the focus on what was truly important.

“Is there anything I can do for your daughter?” As long as he was there, he might as well be of some use. “Has a doctor come to see her?”

“Aye,” Mr. Clarke remarked. “But there’s little to be done now.”

Andrew had to wonder at that. Surely something more could be done to help her. He feared that perhaps the country doctor did not have the resources or that the family did not have the funds to pay for proper treatment. But he did not wish to push the matter further with Mr. Clarke. Even simple farmers had their pride. He would broach the subject later with Chloe.

“Then might I ask to be shown to the local inn? That is, if it’s no trouble.”

Suspicious glances passed amongst the three men, but finally the older of the two brothers stepped forward. He had forgotten which was which, but he assumed the eldest was James, named after their father.

“Stevie and I will take you,” he said. “It’s no trouble at all.”

***

Chloe’s father entered the tiny bedroom not long after her mother had retreated to her room and the Eastleigh carriage had trundled off down the dirt road. Chloe heard him shuffling around for a moment, heard the scraping of wood against wood as he dragged a chair to the bedside, but she didn’t move. She didn’t even have to look up to know who it was.

Her father’s scuffling gait was unmistakable, and anyone else in her family would have been quick to make their presence known. And she could smell him, like an old boot covered in mud. It was one of her favorite scents in the world.

Both were silent for a moment, but the silence was killing Chloe. She knew what he wanted to ask, but what could she possibly say?

And then he surprised her by saying, “Does Lizzie know you’ve brought her betrothed to Essex?”

Chloe’s heart stopped. How had he known? Did Andrew give his last name? Oh, heavens, what was her family going to think of her now?

And what was the answer to that question? In a way Lizzie did know. But the real truth was that she thought Michael had left with her evening last. And she believed that it was Andrew with her in London now.

Chloe shook her head, still not wanting to look at her father. How ashamed she was for what she’d done to her cousin. She hadn’t meant to fall in love, and she’d certainly never planned on kissing the man.

Her father sighed heavily and Chloe finally dared a look at him. “Does Mama know?” she asked tentatively.

“So it is him.” He blew out a long breath and threw his head back. “No. I don't think anyone else made the connection, though I daresay it will come out sooner or later. These kinds of deceptions have a way of catching up with a person.”

“I know.” Chloe released her sister’s hand for the first time since she’d arrived and placed it gingerly at her side. “But Andrew is a twin...an identical twin. Lizzie was under a guise when we left last night. She thinks I left with his brother, Michael.”

“Ah,” her father said simply. And then he looked with those warm, dark eyes at Chloe. If she wasn’t mistaken, they held a hint of disappointment. Or perhaps it was hope. “Well, I trust you will do what you know is right, Chloe. You’ve always been my brightest girl, you know?”

Chloe smiled at her father’s praise and then turned back to look at her sister. “You shouldn’t say that, Papa. Gracie’s smile is like a ray of warm sunshine.”

“I don’t deny it,” her father replied. “But you are my brightest.” He stood and planted a kiss on her forehead. “I’m going to go check on your mother.”

He moved to leave the room, but Chloe stopped him. “Papa,” she said quietly. “Did he say anything...I mean, before he left?”

She couldn’t deny the slight pang she’d felt when she heard the carriage pull away only minutes before. And she wouldn’t have asked, but now that her father knew, what harm could be done?

“No, he didn’t,” he replied with a sympathetic half smile.

Chloe’s heart constricted. She’d known he would leave as soon as he dropped her off, but part of her had hoped he might stay, just for a while. Or at least say good-bye.

“Although...” Chloe looked up to find her father still standing in the doorway.

“Yes?”

“I imagine he’ll have plenty to say over dinner tonight.”

And with that, her father quit the room.

***

Andrew looked around the tiny room to which he’d been assigned at the local inn. Although the Penwick Arms Inn seemed old, it was clean and the bed appeared comfortable. Hopefully, for Grace’s sake, he wouldn’t be here long.

He called for a tub of hot water and a hot meal and then undressed down to his breeches. When the little maid arrived with the requested items, she blushed and curtseyed before leaving the room with a giggle. Several weeks ago, Andrew might have been tempted to enjoy a dalliance with the girl, but not today. Not ever again.

The only person I care to dally with is my wife. I’m sure you’ll feel the same way...one day.

His oldest brother’s words rang in his ears, and he finally understood what he’d meant. And that it could only mean one thing: he’d fallen in love with Chloe Hawthorne. The petite, ginger-haired beauty had stolen his heart.

But what now? He decided to write home to Michael and ask his advice in the matter. Perhaps he’d be willing to bring Lizzie here, so they could explain in person, for he couldn’t countenance leaving Chloe—at least not until it was for certain that her sister would pull through her fever. On second thought, perhaps his brother would be willing to maintain the charade until they could return.

Either way, a letter to Michael was in order.

***

Chloe sat with her sister all day while the rest of the family rested and tended to neglected household chores. Periodically, they stopped in to check on Grace’s progress—or lack thereof, in this case—but it was nearly sundown when Andrew stepped into the room.

He wore the same clothes from the night before, only he’d forgone the intricately tied neck cloth. She couldn’t blame him. People did not dress so elegantly in their little parish. But there was no denying his status even without the neckcloth. Tall and lean, he walked with an air of confidence, and he had the face of an aristocrat. A face that made Chloe’s heart leap when she saw it.

“May I?” he asked from the doorway.

Chloe nodded. Andrew ducked through the small doorway and came to stand next to her at her sister’s bedside. He looked first at Grace, then Chloe, and she could have sworn her heart ceased its beating. His eyes held so much concern it made her want to cry.

“I thought you had gone back to London this morning,” she admitted, unable to take her eyes from his.

“You should have known better,” he replied with a little smile.

“I suppose I do now.” She looked back to Grace and then motioned for Andrew to take the seat on the other side of the bed. “How long will you stay?”

“Until I am certain your sister will be all right.”

Chloe blinked up at him, surprised. She’d thought perhaps he would stay a night or two, but who knew how long it would be before Gracie showed any sign of improvement. That was, if she showed any at all.

“I’ve sent a letter to Michael,” he continued. “We will figure out a way to handle our...situation.”

Their situation. It was more of a predicament than a situation. One that she was sure would not be easily solved. “My father knows,” she blurted out suddenly.

It was Andrew’s turn to look surprised. “What do you mean? How?”

“He just assumed you were that Andrew. Father doesn't say much, but he's awfully perceptive.”

“And what did he say?”

Chloe took a deep breath and released it on a sigh. “Nothing. He believes in letting his children make their own decisions—figure out their own course. Though he does make it clear that he hopes we will make the right decisions.”

“What do you believe is the right decision, Chloe?” Andrew’s voice was low, his eyes searching.

She shook her head, uncertain of how to answer. “I don’t know,” she finally admitted. “I’ve always believed in following my heart, but look where that’s landed me. To follow my heart would mean to break my cousin’s, and to betray her trust.”

“But can you betray your own heart?”

Tears began to fill her eyes. Life had suddenly become so complicated. Only a few weeks ago, she’d been living quietly in the country, content with her status as a widow. Now she sat at her sister’s sick bed, in love with her cousin’s fiancé, wishing she could go back to the way things were before. But knowing she never could. Knowing that now that she’d tasted bliss, she would never be able to forget him.

“Chloe?”

Chloe swiped at her dewy eyes and then spun around in her chair at the sound of her mother’s voice. She looked so much better now, having rested the better part of the day. Andrew had already risen and offered a little bow to her.

“Will you introduce me to your friend?” she asked.

“Of course. Mother, this is Andrew.” She looked at Andrew. “Andrew, this is my mother, Mrs. Joy Clarke.”

They exchanged pleasantries, and her mother thanked Andrew profusely for having brought Chloe home so quickly. Andrew, in turn, assured her that he had been happy to do so.

When the conversation dwindled, her mother asked after Grace.

“There’s been no change, Mama,” Chloe said grimly. “None at all.”

“Well, dinner will be ready soon. Why don’t you and Andrew get some fresh air? You will join us for dinner, won’t you, sir?” she asked, though it was more of a statement than a question.

“If it isn’t too much trouble.”

Chloe’s mother smiled. “None at all. Now, go on, both of you.”

Seventeen

Andrew was glad for the time alone with Chloe. Out here in the country, they could walk freely without judgment, and enjoy one another’s company. And hopefully come to some kind of conclusion about what their future might hold.

The sun was indeed setting as they stepped out of the small manor house. There was a cool breeze and a dampness to the air that heralded rain. Chloe walked quietly next to him, her arms folded over her chest. She looked exhausted, and he wished he could pull her into his arms and hold her while she slept again.

Good God, his desire to take care of her was almost overwhelming. But taking care of her meant taking care of her family as well.

“I would like to call in a doctor from London.”

Chloe turned to him, shock in her features. “Surely you must realize that my family could not afford the services of a London doctor.”

He gave her a wry smile. “Pray, take no offense, madam, but I am not blind. Your family’s situation is rather apparent.”

Chloe looked away. Had he embarrassed her?

“I’m sorry I said that, Chloe, but...it was my intention to pay for services rendered, if you will let me. Your sister needs help and I daresay the local veterinarian cannot offer proper care.”

She seemed to think about it for a moment. Andrew wondered why anyone would have to think over such a thing when their sister was lying on her deathbed. He supposed everyone had their pride. But then, when he glanced at her again, he realized tears streaked her cheeks.

Content that they were a safe distance from the cottage, or onlookers of any kind, he pulled her to him and held her tight. Her body was warm, but she shivered in his embrace. Her hair still smelled like rose water, as it had the night before. He drew her even closer, desperate to ease her tears.

She pulled back slightly. Her doe eyes blinked up at him with apparent gratitude, and Andrew was helpless to his next move. He lowered his mouth and gently brushed his lips against hers. Her sweet scent mingled with salty tears. He tasted them, as if doing so might make them go away. But the more he kissed her, the more tears that fell.

He put a hand to her cheek and brushed them away. Chloe’s arms wrapped around his waist and she squeezed him to her.

“Oh, Andrew,” she whimpered when he took his mouth away to kiss her cheeks and the curve of her jaw.

“What is it, my love?” he asked, without removing his lips from her person.

“I-I love you.”

Andrew stopped suddenly and pulled back. She looked almost pained by the admission. Her brows knitted together and her lips were pulled taut while she awaited his reaction.

But he didn’t know what to say. Love was a powerful word—one that he’d used so little in his life—but the truth was that he’d never loved anyone like he loved this woman. He loved her with every bit of his soul. How could he not tell her? He opened his mouth to speak, but she stopped him with a single finger to his lips.

“Don’t say anything now,” she said to him. “Just take me somewhere we can be alone.”

“Alone?” he repeated, trying not to get his hopes up.

Chloe nodded. “I need you, Andrew.”

Oh, God. Those three little words dug deep into his soul, and brought his body to full attention. But what a cad he would be to take advantage of her in this situation.

“Chloe, not now,” he said gruffly. “You’re grieved and confused. Let us wait.”

For a moment he thought she might agree and concede, but then her expression changed rapidly into one of indignity. He’d never seen her angry or without control of her temper, but clearly something he said had chafed her.

“How dare you tell me what I’m feeling right now?” Her voice was surprisingly even despite the words she spoke. “You have no idea what I’m feeling or what I want.”

“I didn’t mean—”

“No!” Angry tears spilled over onto her cheeks. “Do you know how long it’s been? Do you know how terribly lonely I’ve been since Sam died? Or how guilty I feel for even wanting another man? And do you have any idea how scared I am that I might lose my sister?”

“I know—”

“No, you don’t know.” She turned her moist brown eyes on him and blinked several times before speaking again; this time her voice was practically a whisper. “When I said I needed you, I meant it. I need you to make me feel alive again. I need you to help me forget, just for a moment, all the terrible things that have happened in my life. I know it’s an awful lot of pressure to—”

Andrew cut her off with a kiss, unable to take anymore. She was practically begging him to do what he’d dreamt about doing for weeks now. And who was he to argue with her? If she needed him, he was going to provide whatever it was she sought.

“Where should we go?” he asked, his voice hoarse with desire.

Chloe gave him a teary half-smile and looked around. “Follow me.”

***

Chloe grabbed onto Andrew’s hand and pulled him down the path through the small patch of trees. When they reached the massive oak that she knew so well, she stopped and turned her face heavenward.

Andrew followed her gaze. “You wish for me to make love to you in a tree house?”

Chloe let out a giggle that sounded rather odd since she’d be crying for the better part of the last half hour. “It is the best I can do under the circumstances,” she explained.

“Shall I go first and pull you up, or do you wish for a boost from behind.”

“Neither, thank you,” she said, tilting her nose into the air. “I can manage just fine on my own.”

Without another word, she grabbed onto the small wooden planks that had been nailed to the tree to make a ladder. They were worn from years of use by her siblings and herself, but she shimmied up them with the ease of a nine-year-old boy. Andrew followed quickly behind. The movement of his muscles under his coat intrigued her as he pulled himself up and dusted himself off. He looked around, taking in the interior of the tiny tree house, though there wasn’t much to see.

A few wooden toys lay on the floor in the corner, but other than that the place was bare. When Andrew finally looked at Chloe, she shivered with anticipation. It barely crossed her mind that he was still betrothed to her cousin or that her sister lay sick in her bed. Or that Sam was the only man she'd ever planned to be with. Fifteen minutes. That was all she needed—all she wanted—to forget that anything existed except the two of them.

Andrew walked toward Chloe and knelt down in front of her. Then he grabbed her about the waist, pressing his face to her belly. Chloe ran her fingers through his hair and closed her eyes as his hands reached around to her buttocks. Desperate to feel his lips on hers again, she dropped to her knees and took his face in her hands. In one swift movement, Andrew drew her to him and kissed her urgently. She matched his urgency.

He whispered her name like a benediction as he trailed frantic kisses down her neck to her décolletage. He threw off her shawl, revealing her gown from the previous evening and its rather low bodice.

Only then did Chloe realize she’d forgotten to change, but she was too aroused to care. And what did it really matter when in a moment the dress would be on the floor?

Andrew’s mouth found its way over the soft mound of her right breast. His thumb grazed the edge of the bodice and then pulled it down until her nipple popped free. He glanced down at the taut bud and moaned.

“Oh, dear God,” he breathed before taking her into his mouth.

Chloe gave an appreciative moan in return as her body turned to mush. The play of his tongue on her nipple made her weak, and she started to sway back onto her haunches.

Andrew looked up as his arm tightened around her to hold her upright. “Wait one moment,” he said, pulling his jacket from his shoulders.

He threw it down on the floor behind her, but Chloe barely noticed. She was too focused on Andrew’s hard, muscular body to notice anything else.

“Good heavens,” she breathed. “I don’t think even Michelangelo could have dreamed up such a sculpture.”

Andrew smiled as he pulled his shirt over his head and Chloe gave a little gasp. She had never been witness to such a masculine sight. She felt the dampness pool between her legs at the mere thought of having him on top of her, inside of her.

“It’s your turn, love,” he cooed, coming closer to her. “Let me see that goddess body of yours.”

Oh, Lord, it had been so long since she’d been naked with a man, it almost felt like her wedding night all over again. She swallowed hard. What if he didn’t like the way she looked? Her breasts were not as large as some—certainly not as large as Lizzie’s—and she’d been called unfashionably thin by her Aunt Prudence.

A clap of thunder jolted both of them from their trance-like states. Before Chloe could protest, Andrew reached around and unfastened her dress. The bodice fell forward. Her breasts were still covered, but the threadbare cloth of her chemise left little to the imagination.

Andrew pulled the chemise away, exposing her bare breasts to the chilly, spring air. He groaned as he took one full breast into his hand and kneaded it. Chloe's dress fell, unsupported, to pool around her knees, and Andrew lifted the chemise over her head, leaving her completely naked. She shivered as a breeze crossed between the tiny window openings of the tree house.

Ever the gentleman, Andrew took only a brief moment to admire her, and then pulled her to him. Gently, he lowered her to his coat on the floor and covered her with his warm body.

Chloe’s breath was coming quick now with anticipation. Andrew’s cock pressed against her belly and she moved her hands between them to undo his breeches. He smiled again and Chloe felt as though she might melt right through the floor. Together, they untied his breeches and then Andrew lifted up to pull them away. His cock sprung free, hard and rigid, and Chloe once again gave a little gasp.

“Are you all right?” Andrew asked with concern.

She nodded. “It’s just been...so long,” she reminded him. “Far too long.”

With that, Andrew lowered his head to hers and kissed her. His hands roamed the sensitive flesh along her side and along the outer edge of her breast. All her senses came to life and cried out for release.

“Please, Andrew,” she begged. “Please don’t make me wait any longer.”

“I wouldn't dream of it,” Andrew quipped. “I'm not a very patient man myself.”

Chloe wanted to giggle, enjoy the comfortable banter, but she couldn’t. Not with his member inching its way inside of her, stretching and filling her until the rest of the world drifted away. She could only think of how wonderful he felt inside of her, this strong, virile man.

Andrew moved slowly, pulling out until only the tip remained inside of her, and then thrusting back in until he filled her to the hilt. Over and over he teased, bringing Chloe briefly to the edge of ecstasy every time. But when he lowered his head to her tightened nipple and suckled, she could not take anymore.

Sensing that she was near her release, Andrew thrust faster and harder, until at last, they both cried out in heavenly bliss.

Uncontrollable tears choked Chloe as she and Andrew made their way slowly back to earth. She’d barely known that she needed such a release, but now that she’d experienced it, it overwhelmed her.

Andrew grabbed onto her and held her tight, his cock still firmly planted inside of her. She never wanted him to leave. She never wanted to let him go.

But another crash of thunder reminded them that they were not alone in the world—that people still relied on them and needed them—namely her little sister. Their eyes met in the dim twilight and Andrew gave her one last kiss before rolling off her. They dressed quickly and did their best to put themselves back to rights. Once ready, Chloe moved to the opening and put her foot down on the first wrung of the ladder.

“Wait,” Andrew said, causing her to stop and look up. “I forgot to tell you something.”

“Yes,” she said, blinking up at him.

Andrew knelt down so he was at eye level with her. His brown eyes sparkled in the darkness of the tree house. He gave her a small kiss that was so tender it set her body to tingling all over again.

“I forgot to tell you,” he began, “I love you too.”

Eighteen

Andrew walked alongside Chloe in sated silence until they reached the back door of the cottage. He could scarcely believe he’d told her he loved her. It was true, of course. He’d never felt about anyone the way he felt about her. But it was difficult to tamp down the guilt over Elizabeth.

One thing was for certain, now—he had to tell her about Chloe and break off the engagement. It wouldn’t be easy, and he couldn’t imagine what it might do to her reputation, but he had no choice. There was no way he could marry Elizabeth, knowing what he’d done with her cousin.

“I’m afraid our meals are simpler here than what you’re used to,” Chloe said, breaking into his thoughts.

He smiled. “I could use simple right now, to be completely honest. Lord knows nothing else in my life is.”

Chloe gave a little laugh and then pushed open the door to the cottage. The rest of her family bustled around the kitchen, setting the table and preparing the meal. Chloe fell into the fold to help, but Andrew just stood to the side, trying to stay out of the way. After a few more minutes, Chloe beckoned him to the table and they all sat down to eat.

It was a quiet meal—clearly everyone’s concern for Gracie hung in the air, and Andrew noticed that Mrs. Clarke devoured her small plate in mere minutes.

“I hope you don’t think I’m being rude,” she said to Andrew as she stood from the table.

“Of course not,” he assured her, rising in deference at the same time. “Please do not feel you need to stand on ceremony on my account.”

Mrs. Clarke gave a grateful nod and then disappeared upstairs. Silence reigned over the dinner table once again, until Mr. Clarke dismissed himself to join his wife, leaving Andrew and Chloe alone with her brothers.

Andrew wondered if the silence might stretch on forever, but then James finally spoke.

“I say, Andrew, would you care for some company this evening?”

“Company?” he repeated.

“Stevie and I were thinking of having a drink down at Penwick Arms. Since you’re staying there and all, we thought you might want to join us.”

Andrew smiled. Of course they were having a drink at the Penwick Arms. That way Andrew couldn’t possibly say no to their invitation without being unforgivably rude. He had a strong feeling it was not just a friendly drink they had in mind. The prospect of stating his intentions toward their sister made him uneasy, since he hadn’t even spoken to her about them. Either way, it didn’t matter now.

“I would love to join you.”

Chloe cast him a look that said she wasn’t all that comfortable with the idea either, but she held her tongue. He was certain there was no way to stop her brothers at this point anyhow.

Andrew’s carriage conveyed the three of them to the inn where they all settled in at a table in the corner of the dining room. It was a quiet night and only a few other tables were occupied. They ordered their beers, and the barmaid hadn’t gotten two feet from the table when James leaned in and narrowed his eyes.

“Forgive me for being forward, Andrew... ”

“Please, speak freely.”

James nodded and continued, “We can’t help but be a bit curious as to the nature of your relationship with our sister.”

Andrew regarded the two men before him and sat back in his chair. He knew they would ask, he just hadn’t expected it so soon. “I’m not sure what to say,” he said, trying to buy time. “I like your sister very much, but as to my intentions, well...”

The barmaid set down three pints in front of them and retreated again, but not before flashing a toothy grin in Stevie’s direction. He smiled back, a roguish glint in his eyes, and then turned his attention back to the topic at hand.

“Well what?” Stevie asked impatiently. “Do you intend to marry her?”

Andrew choked on his first sip of ale. Good Lord, they were a forward bunch out here in the country.

“I, ah...”

James shook his blond head with a resigned expression. “Our sister is not a dalliance, my lord. She’s been through enough already. We won’t have you breaking her heart.”

“I assure you, I don’t intend to,” Andrew shot back.

“So, you plan to marry her?” Stevie asked again.

Was that the only question he knew how to ask?

“I’m sorry, gentlemen, but I just don’t feel right discussing this with you before I’ve had the opportunity to discuss it with your sister.”

The men considered this as they sipped from their pints and Andrew was grateful for the reprieve, brief though it was.

“I guess I can understand that,” James finally replied. “But we want you to know that if anything should happen to our sister—if you hurt her in any way—you’ll have us to deal with.”
Andrew smiled. Their loyalty was to be commended. “Gentlemen, I would expect nothing less. And you have my word that I will do everything in my power to make your sister a happy woman.”

James and Stevie seemed satisfied with this reply and willingly dropped the subject. Andrew found that when not playing the roles of protective brothers, they were quite good company. After several more pints and an impromptu dart competition, James and Stevie left for home and Andrew stumbled up to his room.

He was laughing as he shut the door, realizing that not only had he fallen for Chloe, but he’d fallen for her family as well.

***

Michael walked into his shared bachelor lodgings just after two in the morning to find a letter awaiting him from Essex. He undressed and poured a brandy before settling in by the fire to read. He wasn’t surprised to hear that Andrew had decided to stay there, but he wasn’t at all thrilled that he’d been charged with looking after Lady Elizabeth.

It wasn’t that he minded having her on his arm. Actually, he didn't mind having her on his arm at all. He preferred it. But every time she called him Andrew, it did something to his heart, reminding him that she was not really his. That she belonged to another man. And not just any man, his bloody twin brother.

How much longer could he keep up this ridiculous charade? He’d intended to help Andrew one or two times, to allow him private audiences with Mrs. Hawthorne, secretly hoping things would dissolve and the engagement would end. Then he could swoop in and play the hero by marrying Elizabeth in Andrew's stead to save her reputation.

And then she would be his.

But could he really go on playing his brother until further notice? Furthermore, should he? This was all going to come out sooner or later, but sooner would be better for everyone. Especially Elizabeth.

Who was he trying to fool? It would be better for him. The sooner he could move on with his own life and forget about Lady Elizabeth Crawley, the better.

He tossed the parchment into the fire with a sigh. One thing he could do for sure was send for their family physician. So, first thing in the morning, he summoned the doctor and informed him of the situation, before shipping him off to Essex.

***

Andrew couldn’t remember a time when he’d had such a fitful sleep. Memories of his tree house love-making with Chloe crept in unannounced, causing his cock to turn rigid more times than he could count. He felt like a boy of fourteen for all the times he brought his own release throughout the night.

When his thoughts weren’t on Chloe, they were on Elizabeth. How was he ever going to explain this mess to her? Or his family?

He rolled over and put a fist through the lumpy pillow, determined to fall back to sleep. A cock crowed in the inn yard, and a sliver of sun poked through the inadequate curtains on his window, and he realized his opportunity for sleep had passed.

After bathing and dressing, he went downstairs for breakfast and then set off for the Clarke’s tiny cottage. The morning was brisk, but sunny, so Andrew decided to walk. He needed to clear his head after the night he’d spent tossing and turning. It was barely a mile to the cottage, and he arrived at its door within twenty minutes, carrying a small bunch of forget-me-nots he’d found along side the road.

Already, the house was a flurry of excitement, and Andrew hoped that it was perhaps because Grace’s fever had broken. But he soon discovered this was a normal morning for a working class family.

Mrs. Clarke let him in and then rushed around the kitchen preparing food and heating water. The sounds of wood chopping drew Andrew’s attention out the back of the cottage where he saw Chloe’s brothers working in their shirt sleeves.

Pigs and chickens made up the rest of the chaos.

Feeling rather out of place, Andrew cleared his throat and asked, “Is there anything I can do?”

Mrs. Clarke stopped what she was doing to look at him. “Oh, no, Andrew. Why don’t you go up and see Chloe? She’s with Gracie, of course.”

Andrew nodded and eagerly climbed the stairs. Chloe sat at her sister’s bedside, reading aloud from a book. She ceased her reading when he came through the door, and he ceased his breathing.

He hadn’t expected her to look so beautiful this morning. Of course, she was always beautiful, but in her simple blue dress, with her hair tumbling over her shoulders, she was resplendent.

And when she smiled, it was as if the entire world fell away until all that was left—all he could see—was her.

“Good morning,” she said brightly as she stood from her chair. “I wasn’t expecting you so early.”

Andrew smiled back, instantly cheered at the sound of her voice. “We don’t have roosters in London and for that I am eternally grateful, or else I would never sleep past six again.”

Chloe laughed and then nodded toward the bunch of flowers.

“Forget-me-nots,” he offered as he held them out to her.

“I know,” she smiled. “They are my favorite. However did you know?”
“I didn’t,” he admitted. “But they were so lovely, I couldn’t resist plucking a few stems for you. Besides, I figured this room could use a bit of cheerfulness.”

Chloe nodded, sobering rather quickly as she looked down at her sister.

“Has she seen any improvement?”

Chloe shook her head. “I’m afraid not. She stirs often and mumbles in her sleep, but...”

Andrew reached across the bed and grabbed Chloe’s hand. “Help is on its way,” he whispered. “I promise she will pull through this, Chloe.”

She squeezed his hand back. “Your optimism is greatly appreciated,” she said with a little smile. “Though I am desperate for a true sign of recovery.”

Neither one said anything more. They sat down on either side of the bed, and Chloe continued to read aloud. Andrew had to laugh at her choice of reading material, for he was sure nothing would bring a seventeen-year-old girl out of a fever better than a gothic romance.

***

The lunching hour had long passed by the time the doctor arrived at the cottage. Chloe breathed a sigh of relief at seeing the well-dressed man climb from the hackney that she was sure Andrew had paid for.

A remarkably tall man, he could barely stand up straight in their little house. But he willingly followed Mrs. Clarke up the stairs and Chloe followed behind, leaving the men to wait in the kitchen for a prognosis.

Chloe and her mother stood to one side of the bed, holding one another’s hands, while the doctor did his examinations. After a while, he removed his spectacles and addressed Mrs. Clarke.

“Your daughter is very ill, Mrs. Clarke, and the infection is very advanced.”

Chloe looked at her mother, whose face had turned to a stark white.

“Please, Dr. Gibbs, is there nothing you can do for her?” Chloe asked, willing him to say yes.

“If I may, there is but one option left to us.”

Chloe felt her skin grow cold and clammy. She shook with the memories of her husband and the letting he’d suffered just two days before he died.

“No,” she heard herself respond. “There must be another option.”

“But there isn’t, Mrs. Hawthorne.”

Her mother gave her hand a reassuring pat. “Chloe, we must at least try it. Grace stands little chance otherwise.”

“She is right.” Dr. Gibbs looked to Mrs. Clarke. “With your permission, ma’am.”

Chloe felt her mother’s nod to the doctor and the man immediately set to work. He removed a small brass box from his satchel, which she recognized well.

Don’t swoon, Chloe! she told herself over and over. She needed to be there—wanted to be there—for her sister, no matter how difficult it might prove to be.

“I will need at least two bowls, ma’am,” Dr. Gibbs said.

“I will fetch them,” Chloe offered, grateful for a chance to get some fresh air before the letting began.

She ran down the stairs, drawing the attention of the men who immediately rose from their seats around the table. Her eyes scanned her brothers and father and then settled on Andrew. He must have read the panic on her face for he came to her at once and put a hand to her shoulder.

“What? What did he say?” he asked.

Chloe glanced at her father. “He is going to perform a blood-letting, Papa.”

Tears welled in her throat, and she bit her bottom lip to keep it from trembling. She had to be strong—for her family and for her sister. It wouldn’t do to go falling to pieces now.

Her father merely nodded his head, his expression more grim than she’d ever seen on his merry face. He’d been present at Sam’s procedure and knew well the risks involved.

But the doctor had claimed it to be the only way, and so Chloe brushed away her fear with her tears and left Andrew’s side. She found the bowls and then returned to the small bedroom upstairs.

The process was painful. Watching her sister’s blood pool and drip into the bowls made Chloe queasy, but this was no time to be weak of stomach. Her mother diligently held one bowl under Gracie’s arm, while Chloe held the other. Dr. Gibbs continued to perform the letting, and on it went until he proclaimed they’d taken enough.

Once he’d dressed her small lacerations, Andrew saw him to the inn. Chloe watched him go, feeling exhausted, but in desperate need of his company. She was so happy he had not gone back to London, for simply knowing he was near set her heart at ease.

It was near dawn when Gracie’s fever broke. Chloe had fallen asleep reading to her in the chair. But when Gracie’s small hand reached out and touched her knee, she immediately came to. Her sister looked at her with barely open eyes, sweat dripping down her face, and Chloe breathed freely for the first time in days.

“Oh, Gracie,” she whispered, dropping to her knees by the bed, her sister’s hands firmly held in her own. “How are you feeling?”

“Thirsty,” Grace replied, her voice barely a whisper.

“Oh, of course!” Chloe jumped up and retrieved a glass of well water from the side table.

She propped her sister’s head up and helped her to take a drink. Grace fell back onto her pillows as if taking the water had used all her energy. Chloe stayed where she was on the edge of the bed, silently thanking God, and Dr. Gibbs, for saving her sister’s life.

“Chloe?” came Grace’s raspy voice.

Chloe turned to look at her, a smile touching her lips. “Yes, what is it?”

Grace swallowed hard and then asked, “Am I dying?”

At this, Chloe burst into relieved laughter. “No, my dear, you are going to be just fine.”

“What happened?”

She swiped a damp cloth across her sister’s forehead. “Don’t worry about that right now. Once you’re better, I’ll tell you all about it. You just rest until the doctor gets here.”

***

When Andrew arrived at the cottage with Dr. Gibbs that morning, there was a flurry of excitement. Not like the day before with the chaos of chores, but with genuine merriment. Mrs. Clarke had prepared a large breakfast, which was laid out in the style of a buffet. Smiles decorated the faces of the family members present in the small kitchen.

One of them was Chloe. Her eyes sagged with an apparent loss of sleep, but they sparkled with delight at the same time. She ran to him immediately and, ignoring the presence of her family, wrapped her arms around him.

“She’s all right,” she whispered close to his ear. “Gracie is all right.”

Andrew squeezed her back as relief washed over him. Dr. Gibbs disappeared upstairs with Mrs. Clarke and the rest of them settled in for a celebratory breakfast.

“We can’t thank you enough, Andrew, for what you’ve done,” James said with a mouthful of egg.

“It was nothing, really.”

“Nothing?” Stevie said. “If it weren't for you, our sister could be...could have...”

Andrew gave a smile, deciding to accept their gratitude with grace. “Well, I was happy to oblige, Stevie.”

“Will you be returning to London, now that this is all over?” James asked.

“As soon as the doctor is ready to return, yes. I’ll wait until he deems Grace well enough not to need his care any longer so I may convey him back to London myself.”

“That’s awfully kind of you,” Chloe said. “But don’t you think you should return sooner than that? You never know how long the doctor will need to stay.”

He turned to look at Chloe. She stared back at him, her dark eyes unreadable. Did she not want him there? Or was she simply concerned about what was happening with Michael and Elizabeth?

“That is true,” he replied, trying to say with his eyes what he could not say with words in front of her family, “but no, I don’t think there is any rush getting back to London.”

“Oh.” Her eyes grew wide as she raised her brows questioningly. “All right. How about a tour of Essex, then? I could use with a bit of fresh air.”

Andrew smiled, excited at the prospect of spending the day out of doors with Chloe. And perhaps finding a secluded spot to steal more of her delectable kisses.

“A tour would be delightful.”

Nineteen

Chloe was surprised that Andrew decided to stay even longer than he already had. She was sure he would want to get back to London, if not to make sure nothing had gone awry with their scheme, then to at least escape the boredom of the country. She couldn’t imagine what kept him here. Of course, he could have been staying for her, but he had to know that was futile. They could never be together, as much as she wanted for them to be. The scandal and ruination to both Andrew and her cousin would be irreparable. And then he would resent her, and that was something she could not bear.

“Where are you taking me?” he asked after they’d been walking for several minutes.

“Here and there,” she replied as the breeze whipped her curls about her face. “Nowhere in particular.”

That wasn’t entirely true, she realized, but she didn’t want to tell Andrew that she was taking him to her childhood haunts. The places she and Sam and their friend, Louis, used to frequent as children. She hadn’t visited them in some time—she had known it would be painful—but she wanted to go today. She wanted to make new memories at those places she held so dear, with the man she held so dear.

Was it wrong of her to want to take him when she’d shared so much with Sam in those places? A stab of guilt pierced her, but she pushed it away and replaced her frown with a bright smile.

“Have you heard from Michael?” she asked.

He nodded. “All is going well, so he says. Elizabeth doesn’t suspect a thing...of course, that’s not surprising.”

Chloe cast a sidelong glance at him as she stepped over large rock. “What do you mean?”

“You must have noticed that your cousin keeps me only for show,” he said with a shrug. “It’s not as if we’re...”

“In love?” she finished for him, hope flaring in her heart.

“No, not at all.” He stopped walking and took Chloe’s hands, pulling her around to face him. “You do know that, don’t you? I don’t love her—I never have. We were—are engaged out of convenience and nothing more.”

Chloe opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She knew Lizzie didn’t love him, and she suspected the same of him. But to hear him say it aloud made her heart sing. Perhaps they’d be able to make something of their relationship after all. If he and Lizzie truly didn’t love one another-

“Chloe, are you going to say something?”

She shook her head and smiled. “No,” she replied and then she rose up on her tiptoes and landed a kiss on his cheek.

She tried to move away, but Andrew deftly grabbed her about the waist and drew her to him. “Not so fast, my little tart.”

He tried to kiss her but she pushed him away. “Not here, Andrew!” she hissed, trying not to laugh. “Someone will see.”

He cocked his head and pasted on a mischievous smile. Chloe’s heartbeat quickened. What was he about?

“If I catch you, you’ll have to kiss me.”
“What?” She gaped at him, astonished and more than a little excited.

“The chase begins in five...four...three—”
“You can’t be serious!” she laughed.

He raised his brows. “Two...”

Chloe shrieked, knowing he did not make empty threats, and took off at a run across the open field. She heard him call, “One”, and she quickened her pace, laughing all the while. She gave a good chase, she knew that. Having grown up with two older brothers and boys for her best friends, she’d learned how to run. Fast.

Only, unlike when she was a child, running from the boys because they teased her with snakes or worms, she actually wanted to be caught today. But not yet. Not until they were at the pond, secluded by a copse of tall pines, safe from any onlookers.

She continued to run, not bothering to look over her shoulder. She knew he was there. His breath was quick and heavy, his steps even quicker. A giggle escaped her as she emerged into the clearing where the pond sat nestled in a somewhat shallow valley. She ran down the hill, intending to stop when she reached the bank, but Andrew clearly had other ideas.

Before she could scream, his body slammed into hers and they both tumbled into the freezing water. Chloe came up gasping and gurgling, quite unable to believe he’d just done that.

“What are you doing?” she cried, wanting to sound angry, but finding it impossible to keep the laughter out of her voice.

He stared back at her, his expression befuddled. “What do you mean? I thought you wanted to take a swim. Isn’t that why you went all the way to the edge?”

“No!” she laughed, trying to find purchase for her feet on the slippery floor of the pond. “Whatever gave you that impression?”

“Does it matter?” he asked, his voice suddenly low and serious.

She looked up into his chocolate-brown eyes and suddenly the water didn’t feel nearly as cold as it had before. She shook her head.

“I believe I’ve caught you now,” he pointed out.

She wanted to speak, but her tongue wouldn’t move, so she just nodded her acknowledgment as he moved closer and slipped his arms around her. She stared brazenly at his chest, the outline of which she could see through his soaked white shirt. Good heavens! She would never get tired of staring at that perfectly formed body.

“And you remember what the punishment for being caught is, don’t you?”

Chloe’s breath quickened and her heart pounded so quickly she almost wondered if she were still running. And then, finally, he lowered his lips to hers and kissed her, softly at first, and then more urgently. She kissed him back, reveling in the eroticism of the moment. How sinful it felt to stand there in broad daylight, dripping wet in the shallow water of the pond, kissing this man. This man who she wanted so badly, so desperately that she would give almost anything to be with him.

***

Andrew pulled away from Chloe, his breath coming fast and hard, but not from running. He wanted her. He had to have her again before he went back to London. Back to a life and a woman he didn't want. In the next moment, he scooped her into his arms and carried her from the water. He knelt down on the grassy bank and placed her gingerly on the ground. Chloe sat up and playfully caught a droplet of water that was about to drip off his nose with a flick of her tongue.

That proved to be Andrew's undoing. In a frenzy of desire, he pressed his lips to Chloe’s and hurriedly made his way up her skirts. Likewise, she tugged frantically at his trousers and in a matter of moments, his cock sprang free. She wrapped her dainty fingers around his manhood and he groaned with the sublime pleasure of having her touch him.

When his own fingers found her moist folds, Chloe gasped. Her body was cold from the pond water, but her honey pot was warm and so inviting.

“Oh, God, Chloe, make love to me,” he begged and thankfully, she nodded her consent.

Andrew raised up slightly and moved over her, before plunging deep inside of her. She gasped again and they both moaned as he began to move. He meant to take his time, but she felt so dammed amazing, he wasn't sure if he could. His blood was pumping fast and the desire coursing through him was so strong, he was sure he couldn’t hold out another moment. And then, blessedly, Chloe cried out in ecstasy. She clenched around him and practically sucked the seed from his loin.

They both yelled and groaned with their release, but to Andrew it sounded like the sweetest music he’d ever heard. Good God, they were meant for one another. Meant to be together. There wasn’t anything that could stop Andrew now from finding a way to be with her.

A quiet befell them as they lay side by side on the grass. It was a peaceful moment, one that Andrew hoped would never end.

He grabbed Chloe’s hand and squeezed her fingers, but when she turned to look at him, he could see there were tears in her eyes.

***

Chloe stared back at Andrew, hating herself more than she’d ever thought possible. This was not her man. He never would be. No matter how much he tried to assure her that they would work it out—that they would confess all and that everything would be fine—she knew it was not so simple.

“Chloe?” he breathed. “What’s wrong?”

She met his gaze. It was so warm and loving, she nearly melted at the sight. But she wouldn’t allow herself to do so. Too much was at stake to let this continue.

“Andrew, we shouldn’t—” She tried to pull away, but he wouldn’t let go of her hand.

“Don’t, Chloe,” he begged. How hurt he sounded all of a sudden.

“I must. This isn’t right,” she insisted, finally tugging free of his grasp and getting to her feet.

“Chloe, I’ve never known anything so right in my life.” He stood as well and moved toward her.

She shook her head and backed up, slipping on her wet slippers. “Andrew, I’ve come to a decision, and you must accept it.”

“Decision? There is no decision to be made, Chloe...” His voice choked. “How could you let me make love to you again? You could be carrying my child.”

His child? How naïve of her to not have considered that possibility. Even so...”I doubt it,” she said, “but that isn’t the point.”

“Then please, tell me what is the point, because I’m awfully confused.”

“So am I, Andrew! You are not the only one to suffer in this-”

“Chloe, no one need suffer.” He stepped closer and lowered his voice. “We will return to London and sort it all out with Elizabeth as soon as your sister is fully recovered.”

Chloe was tempted to believe that everything would turn out all right—that they could simply waltz back into Town, declare their undying love for one another, and marry without consequence. But how could she believe that when she knew it was not true. It would not be that easy, and she would risk alienation from her family. Her family, for whom she cared so deeply.

“I’m sorry, Andrew, but it’s not that simple,” she said quietly, avoiding his eyes.

“It is that simple,” he replied. “Look at me, Chloe.”

She didn’t. She couldn’t look at him or else all her resolve would melt away.

“Fine,” he finally said, a harsh edge to his voice. “Will you at least listen?”

Chloe didn’t respond. She knew she was being stubborn, but she had to make him see that they couldn’t be together. He was meant for Lizzie, and she was meant to be here, with her family in Essex. They needed her, and she would not abandon them.

“Chloe, please, I don’t know what’s happened in the last few minutes to make you change your mind about me, but mine has not—and will not ever change about you. I meant it when I said that I loved you.” He stopped and raked a hand through his sopping hair, his frustration obviously mounting. “Damn it, Chloe, say something!”

She shook her head and began to walk away, the weight of the water in her skirts making it somewhat difficult. “Just leave me alone, please.”

“I will not!” he exclaimed, chasing after her.

“You should go home, Andrew. There is no need for you to be here and the longer you are, the worse things will get.”

“I can’t imagine anything worse than what’s happening at this very instant.” He grabbed her wrist and forced her to turn and look at him. “Tell me you don’t love me and I’ll leave. Tell me that when we’re together, you don’t feel the earth-shattering desire that I feel, and I’ll leave. I’ll leave right now and never return.”

Chloe swallowed back the tears that rose to her throat. She wanted desperately to tell him she loved him—that she couldn’t imagine a single day without him. That she couldn’t bear the thought of never being in his arms again or making love to him ever again.

“Andrew,” she choked out, “none of that matters. You are promised to my cousin. It would be wrong of us to pursue this further. Imagine what our families would say! Imagine how the ton will talk—”

“I don’t care about any of that!” he said gruffly, grabbing her by the shoulders. “Look at me, damn it! Look at me and tell me you don’t love me!”

Slowly, she lifted her eyes to his. His face was full of pain and anger, and she couldn’t blame him. She’d given herself to him, begged him to take her—twice—and she’d not stopped him when she knew he was falling in love with her.

“I-I was lonely,” she lied. “And I was scared...I needed comfort.”

Her heart ached as she watched Andrew’s expression change from one of hope to utter anguish. She’d hurt him, and in doing so, she’d hurt herself. She loathed herself just then, but she knew it was for the best.

She didn’t belong in his world and he certainly didn’t belong in hers. He and Lizzie were meant for each other and if they only gave it a chance, they could be happy together. The mere thought made Chloe’s heart twist painfully, but she knew it was the only thing to do.

Andrew stepped away from her, dropping his hands from her shoulders in defeat. His features hard as stone, he walked away. Chloe watched as he disappeared into the thicket of the trees.

And then her heart broke into a million pieces.

***

That night, Andrew walked into his London townhouse following a harrowing day in the carriage. After Chloe had so cruelly turned him away, he returned to the inn, collected his things and set off for the city. But the sky opened up only minutes after his departure, slowing the trip tremendously, and then an axel had broken on one of the wheels. He and his driver spent the better part of an hour fixing it in the pouring rain.

So, when he finally arrived home, he was sore and damp and his heart was heavy. Chloe’s words echoed painfully in his head, over and over, threatening to drive him insane.

And he continued to ask himself why. Why did she lie and say she did not love him? Why, when he put his heart at her feet, did she turn him away?

Why were women so damned emotional?

“Good evening, my lord.” Deane greeted him at the door and took his wet hat and coat.

“Is my brother at home?” he asked, hearing the weariness in his own voice.

“Just arrived, my lord. I believe you will find him in the study.”

With a nod of thanks, Andrew strode down the hall and into the study. Michael sat in the leather armchair by the fire, scotch in one hand and a newssheet in the other. It was a familiar scene, with the familiar smell of home—burning wood, spirits and leather—but somehow it wasn't as comforting to be there as Andrew had hoped.

“Back already?” Michael asked without so much as a hello.

“It would appear that way.” Andrew shrugged out of his jacket and threw it over the sofa before pouring his own glass of whisky.

Michael put down his reading material and leaned forward in his seat as Andrew took the chair opposite.

“What’s happened?” His tone had turned grave.

Andrew supposed that was the one good thing about being a twin—they oftentimes did not need to speak to understand what the other was feeling.

He nosed the scotch, taking in the spicy flavors, before taking a long, cleansing swig, and then set the glass on the side table. Staring into the fire, he recounted the events of the past several days to his brother. But when he got to that morning’s encounter, it was all he could do to keep himself together. He wanted to scream, to cry, to hit something—anything to ease his pain.

Michael listened patiently until he was finished and then asked, “What will you do?”

Andrew gave a sardonic chuckle. “You ask the question as if I have any choice in the matter.”

“We always have the ability to choose, Andrew.”

“No, brother, that is where you are wrong. I did choose—I chose Chloe the minute I followed her into that tree house, but alas it didn’t matter, did it?”

“Yes, but you could choose to not go through with your marriage to Elizabeth.”

“And ruin her reputation?”

“You were going to anyhow, in order to be with Chloe.”

“Well, that was for a good cause, wasn’t it? Now it would be for naught. I would end up marrying a woman I didn’t love regardless, so why shouldn’t it be Elizabeth?”
“It’s a rather cynical way of looking at it, don’t you think?”

Andrew shook his head. “I’m not sure there is any other way to look at it.”

***

Chloe curled up in the chair next to her sister’s bed and watched her sleep, grateful for the progress she’d made in just one short day. She’d even taken in several cups of broth throughout the course of the afternoon and evening. Chloe smiled down at her sister’s angelic face, but her smile quickly turned to tears when her thoughts shifted to Andrew.

She tried to muffle her sobs as best she could, but Gracie stirred anyhow. She opened her eyes and Chloe immediately sought to compose herself. It wouldn’t do to upset her sister in her current state.

“Chloe? What’s the matter?” Gracie whispered. “I’m not dead, am I?”

Chloe couldn’t help but laugh at her sister’s dark attempt at humor. “No, of course not!” Her voice was thick and throaty from the tears.

“Then whatever are you blubbering about?”

“Oh, it’s nothing really,” Chloe said, and then, eager to change the subject, asked, “Do you need anything? Are you feeling all right?”

“I’m fine, but I want to know what’s wrong with you.” Gracie stared up at her, waiting. When Chloe didn’t answer, she said, “It’s that gentleman, isn’t it?”

Chloe’s eyes widened at the mention of Andrew. How did she even know of him, she wondered?

“Well, I suppose it has a little do with him. But, please, Gracie, I would rather not speak about it just now,” she pleaded with her sister.

“I understand.” Gracie moved to prop herself up further on her pillows and Chloe jumped up to help. “Though, I confess I am desperate to know the details.”

“Well, details you shall not hear...at least not until you’re eighteen.”

“That’s only a few months away, Clo. Don’t you think you could make an exception?”

“Time flies, dear one,” Chloe replied.

“You are cruel, aren’t you?”

Grace’s words were meant to be a jest, but they struck a rather sharp chord with Chloe. She was cruel. She’d been more than cruel to Andrew, and it pained her greatly to recall the look upon his face just before he walked away. Tears began to well in her eyes again.

“Have I said something wrong?” Gracie asked quietly.

“No.” Chloe shook her head. “It isn’t your fault. I just...”

Gracie reached over and took Chloe’s hand. “Will you sleep with me tonight?” she asked.

Chloe looked up at her sister. What a dear, sweet thing she was.

“No, dear, you need your rest-”

“Please,” Grace begged. “Mama changed the sheets this afternoon, and I promise I’ll sleep better with you next to me. Just like when we were younger.”

Chloe’s heart filled with love at her sister’s request. How lucky she was to have her in her life. And how lucky they all were for Andrew’s generosity, without which Gracie might not be here at all.

Ignoring the wrenching in her gut at the thought of Andrew, she climbed into bed with her sister and blew out the candle. But she did not sleep. She thought she might never sleep again after what she’d done that morning, for it was bound to haunt her for the rest of her life.

Twenty

The weeks passed with painful slowness for Chloe. She fell back into life with her family in the country, feeding pigs, collecting eggs and looking after her sister. Gracie’s health returned slowly, and nearly two months after the day her fever broke, she was begging to be allowed to attend the local assembly.

“Gracie, I don’t think you’re ready.” Chloe silently assessed her sister’s pallor as she often did these days. Her sister's cheeks were rosy again, but she still wheezed from overexertion on occasion.

“Please, Chloe, look at me!” Gracie practically whined. “I’m fine. And I’ve been healthy enough to help with household chores. A country dance will hardly put me back on my death bed.”

“Don’t call it that,” Chloe admonished. “You know I hate it when you say that.”

“Sorry.” Gracie picked a small yellow flower from the path and twirled it under her chin. “Have you heard from your gentleman?”

Chloe stopped walking long enough to throw a scathing glance at her sister and then continued on again. She had not in fact heard from Andrew, but she had heard from Lizzie. It appeared that all was well in her world and that the wedding would still take place at the beginning of autumn. She missed Chloe immensely and begged her to please come back and be her chaperone. Apparently, her father had hired an old, curmudgeonly spinster to take her place, and she’d not been allowed a private moment with Andrew since the woman’s arrival.

Chloe smiled at the thought. She knew it was wicked of her to rejoice in her cousin’s misery, but she couldn’t help herself. And she hoped that Andrew, likewise, was glad of the circumstance.

Not that it mattered. In less than two weeks, they would be married, and any hopes Chloe may have harbored in regard to Andrew would be squashed, like a melon beneath a wagon wheel.

Chloe shook her head. There was no point dwelling on what would never be.

“So, will you come with me?” Gracie asked, coming up beside her. “I promise not to dance more than you.”

“You may dance as much as your health will allow,” Chloe returned.

“Then you will come!” Gracie did a little skip along the lane, her smile wide and infectious.

“Yes, but you must promise to be mindful of your state, Gracie! I won’t have you taking ill again.”

Gracie promised and then practically dragged Chloe all the way back to the house. The entire family decided they would attend in order to keep a close eye on Grace, but the truth was that the assembly dances were the most exciting things that ever happened in their tiny parish.

Even Chloe looked forward to the evening. Perhaps it would take her mind from Andrew for once, and lift her, even if only for a moment, from the despair that had consumed her since the day he left.

After a light supper, and after tucking Cassie and Jonathan into their beds, the family set off on foot to the local assembly hall. They laughed and teased as siblings often do, enjoying the warm mid-summer weather and the setting sun. When they arrived at their destination, the hall brimmed with parishioners, decked out in their finest country attire.

Chloe couldn’t help but compare the modest gathering to the lavish balls she’d attended in London. Rather than the sophisticated aroma of expensive perfume and hot house flowers, she was accosted with the smell of sweat and rotting wood. But she ignored the little twinge in her heart at the thought of a London ball and pasted on a lively smile, determined to have a good time with her family and neighbors.

Within minutes, though, her family had abandoned her for more interesting pursuits. Her mother joined up with the other matrons who gathered like hens at the edge of the dance floor. Her father went off to the card room and her brothers pounced upon the first eligible young ladies they could find for a dance.

And Gracie, of course, had skipped off with her young friends to gawk and giggle at the handsome gentlemen in attendance.

Chloe sighed. Some things never changed, she imagined. No matter whether she was at an elegant ball in London or a country dance in Essex, she somehow always found herself alone.

Resigned to her fate, she took a glass of lemonade from the refreshment table and found a seat amongst the other wallflowers. She watched her brothers dance, and she had to admit they were quite good; both lithe, but manly, like real gentlemen.

Once she bored of watching the dancers, she resorted to picking loose threads out of her skirt. She’d left all of her new dresses in London and not bothered to send for them, so she was left with old dresses that had already been passed down to Gracie, and were rather worse for the wear.

“I daresay you could make a whole new skirt from the pile of threads by your feet.”

Chloe looked up to see a young man standing beside her, watching her with a great deal of amusement. Embarrassed, she smoothed her hands over her skirts and tried to compose herself.

“It isn’t polite to poke fun, sir,” she said, trying to smile in spite of herself.

“Please accept my apologies, Mrs. Hawthorne.”

Confused, she blinked up at the man. “I’m sorry, do I know you?”

He took the seat next to her. “You did...once. Long ago.”

Chloe narrowed her eyes and took a good look at the man beside her. He had overgrown sideburns and shaggy hair, but when she looked closely, she could see the boy she once knew. “Louis!” she exclaimed, hardly able to believe it. “I thought you ran off to Scotland. What are you doing back in England?”

Louis’s expression turned grim. “I’m afraid my grand plans for Eleanor and myself came to an abrupt end when she passed away a year ago.”

“Oh, Louis, I’m so sorry to hear that.”

“Yes, well, it was a long time ago.” He turned his attention from the dance floor and focused his hazel eyes on Chloe. “And what of you and Sam?”

Chloe gave him a half smile. “Sam died, Louis.”

Louis’s face turned suddenly sober and Chloe wished she had thought to soften the blow a bit. “I thought for sure you would have heard. Didn’t your parents...” She cut off, remembering the circumstances under which he had left England in the first place.

Louis chuckled. “No, certainly not. Although, they offered a warmer reception than expected when I returned home a few weeks ago.” There was a pause, and then, “What of Sam's family? Do you see them?”

Chloe shook her head. “I used to. The months after he died, I visited often, but the visits became fewer and fewer, though I can't say why.”

“They must have been devastated.”

“Yes, I imagine losing any child would be difficult. Losing your only child...So you will stay in Essex?” Chloe asked, changing the subject. She hoped she sounded merely like an interested friend and not an eager schoolgirl. She didn’t want to give Louis the wrong impression.

He had been a good friend to Sam, and they shared many memories, the three of them. But Sam had been her love, the one she wanted to marry, and Louis had not-so-gracefully bowed out of the race for her hand all those years ago. As a result of his broken heart, he took up with a girl barely out of the schoolroom from the next town over and ran away with her. He kept in touch with Sam for a while, but eventually the correspondence had come to an end. Sam assumed that Louis had become too busy with his life in Scotland to care, but who knew the truth? It seemed Louis had his own set of problems to deal with.

“My father is ill, so I’ve little choice in the matter. I have to take care of my family.”

“And what of your life in Scotland? Did you not have anyone to care for there?”

Louis shook his head. “No, not anymore. But let us turn to happier topics, shall we?” he suggested, bringing a bright smile to his face. “How about a dance, Mrs. Hawthorne?”

Chloe hesitated, but then realized it was either dance or continue to defile her dress. “That would be lovely, Louis, as long as you promise to stop calling me Mrs. Hawthorne.”

With an exaggerated bow, he said, “May I have this dance, Chloe?”

She took his hand and he led her to the floor to join in the line of dancers in a rigorous country dance. They weaved in and out, laughing like children, and Chloe felt a genuine smile come to her lips for the first time in ages.

The dance progressed, and Chloe danced with more and more eagerness as it did, determined to dance away the pain of the last months. Faces began to blur before her, colors and music overloaded her senses. A heat started at her toes and slowly crept up her body until she felt as if she couldn’t breathe. Her skin felt cool all of a sudden, though she was damp with sweat.

“Mrs. Hawthorne?” she heard Louis say. “Chloe, are you all right?”

But before she could answer, Chloe’s world turned to black.

***

“Andrew. Andrew, pay attention, darling, please!”

Andrew snapped from his daydream to find his betrothed staring at him with a look of disdain.

“I’m sorry, dear,” he said absently. “I guess I’m a little distracted today.”

“Today?” she repeated with a snort. “You’ve been distracted for weeks. Are you sure there’s nothing you wish to discuss with me? Perhaps I can help you with whatever it is that’s distracting you.”

Andrew almost choked at the suggestion. What on earth would Elizabeth say if she knew the truth? She would have his bullocks on a platter, he was sure. No, there was no need to disclose what had happened all those weeks ago with Chloe. It would only hurt Elizabeth, and he stood to gain nothing from it, other than to relieve his own conscience.

“I assure you, I’m quite all right,” he replied, forcing a smile.

“Well, if you’re sure...” Elizabeth stood and moved to sit next to him on the sofa. She sidled up close and batted her eyelashes, clearly looking for a bit of affection.

“Mrs. Spitz has left us alone,” she whispered, pointing out the obvious.

Uncomfortable, and overwhelmed by her potent floral perfume, Andrew inched backwards. “Yes, but she’s sure to return soon, and I would hate to meet with the woman’s cane.”

Elizabeth gave a shrill laugh. “Mrs. Spitz couldn’t hurt a fly! Come now, darling, just a little kiss...please.”

Andrew swallowed, unsure of how to proceed. He’d done a fine job of avoiding Elizabeth’s advances up until now, but she was becoming more and more determined with every minute that passed. Eventually, he would have to kiss her, and of course, bed her. But it didn’t feel right. It would never feel right—not after Chloe.

His gut clenched painfully at the thought of her. He wondered what she was doing just then. Perhaps kneading bread in their tiny kitchen or gathering eggs from the hens. Or maybe she was sitting alone in the tree house, remembering that blissful afternoon they’d spent together there.

That’s what he was doing—whether he wanted to or not. He thought of that afternoon almost constantly. He could still smell her, taste her, feel her hands on his chest and buttocks.

“Andrew, what is the matter with you?”

He snapped from his thoughts to realize that Elizabeth stared at him with a fair amount of frustration. Her eyes were wide and angry, and her lips pursed into a straight line.

“I’m sorry—”

“No, Andrew, sorry isn’t good enough anymore,” she said, her voice rising in anger. “I’ve tolerated this long enough. Ever since Michael came back from the country, you’ve been a different man. You’ve stopped showing me any sort of affection — you won’t even kiss my cheek, for heaven’s sake!”

“Elizabeth, please, I’ve had a lot on my mind.”

“I thought that night in the garden counted for something, Andrew.”

That got Andrew’s full attention, and he realized there were tears in Elizabeth’s eyes. Dear God, what had Michael done while he was away? He was supposed to have looked after her, and made her think he was him. Not defile the girl that was to be his wife.

He almost laughed at the hypocrisy of his thoughts, but he was too frustrated, and just a little curious as to what happened between them.

“The garden, yes...when I...” He hoped his fishing wouldn’t raise any red flags in Elizabeth’s mind.

“When you kissed me!” she shouted. “And touched me! Good Lord, Andrew, have you been with so many women that you cannot even remember when you were with your own fiancé?”

Oh, God. “Elizabeth, you must keep your voice down.”

“I will not!”

“Do you wish for the whole of your household to know what we did in the garden?” he asked, desperate to calm her.

“I want you to remember,” she finally said and her voice cracked as if she were holding back tears.

Damn it, but he felt sorry for her. He was acting like a cad, and she had done nothing to deserve such indifference. He didn’t want to hurt her, and he didn’t want to spend his life pining away for a woman who had made it clear she didn’t want him—at least, not under the circumstances.

It was time he faced facts and moved on with the life he’d been given. He took Elizabeth by the shoulders and looked into her blue eyes. Then he kissed her on the forehead and pulled her into an embrace.

“I remember, Elizabeth,” he said quietly. “I remember.”

Twenty-One

Chloe blinked her eyes open, unsure of where she was or how she’d gotten there. It took her a moment to realize she was in the bed she and Gracie shared. Her mother sat in the chair next to her.

“Good morning,” she said with a little smile as she brushed a wild curl from Chloe’s forehead. “We wondered when you were going to wake up.”

“What happened?” Chloe asked, pushing herself up against the pillows.

“You took quite a spill on the dance floor. It was lucky Louis was there to catch you.”

The previous night’s events slowly came back to her. Louis. She’d been dancing with Louis. And she’d been so happy—happier than she’d been in quite some time.

She vaguely remembered being brought back home in a carriage and being looked over by the local doctor. But she couldn’t remember anything past that.

“I was so warm,” she recalled, putting a hand to her forehead.

“Yes, well, our bodies do funny things sometimes.” Her mother stood to pour a glass of water from the side table and then handed it to Chloe. “Especially when we’re in such a delicate condition.”

Chloe choked on the water she’d just sipped, and sputtered, “Delicate condition?” She must have heard her wrong.

“Aye, my dear, delicate indeed.”

No, it couldn’t be true. She’d made love to Sam ten times at least in their short marriage and nothing ever came of it. How could twice with Andrew have resulted in a child?

“But are you certain?”

“The doctor is.”

She did a quick calculation of her last menses and felt a cold chill pass over her.

“Oh, Lord...” What was she going to do?

Andrew was about to marry her cousin—they were so close to the wedding, and Chloe was certain that by now he’d have forgotten about her. She wanted to tell him about the baby, but how could she? And for what reason? She’d done enough damage, it was time she took control of her life and faced the consequences of her foolish actions. Even if she had to face them alone.

“Chloe dear,” her mother broke into her thoughts. “Is it Andrew’s?”

Chloe nodded, feeling ashamed. What must her mother think of her?

“Will you tell him?”

“No,” she replied, trying to keep her voice from shaking.

“But, Chloe-”

“I said no!” Chloe felt awful for speaking so forcefully to her mother, since she was in fact angry with herself. “Please, Mama, you mustn’t tell anyone. At least not yet. I need time to figure out what I’m going to do.”

“What you’re going to do is find a husband.”

Her mother’s blunt statement shocked her. “I don’t need a husband-”

“No, but your child will need a father. Imagine the ridicule! You cannot raise the child as a bastard.”

Her mother was right, of course, but the harshness of the word struck Chloe. A bastard. Good heavens, what had she done?

***

“What the hell have you done?”

Andrew strode into White’s and straight to the table where his brother sat playing Whist with their mutual friends.

Michael’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Come again?”

Andrew glanced to the other men at the table and then brought his gaze back to his brother. “A word, if you please.” And then he walked across the room to a more private table tucked away in the corner. Michael wisely joined him moments later.

“What is this about?” his brother asked, leaning forward and crossing his arms in front of him on the table.

“The garden. What happened in the garden?”

Michael’s cheeks turned pink. Good God, he’d never seen his brother blush before. This was certain to be interesting.

“What do you mean?” he asked, his words painfully slow.

“If the redness in your cheeks is any indication, you know exactly what I mean.” Andrew leaned back with an exasperated sigh. “Damn it, Michael, I don’t care that you took liberties with her, but you could have at least told me! She blindsided me this afternoon and I had no idea what to say.”

Michael shook his head. “I’m sorry, Drew, I should have told you. I just didn’t know how.”

“Then tell me now, for God’s sake.”

His brother took a deep breath. “We took a walk in the garden during the Lockwood masquerade.” Michael’s eyes grew wistful as he said, “She came dressed as a wood nymph.”

“I don’t care how she was dressed,” Andrew assured him. “What did you do?”

“Right...well, you had been gone for several days already, and frankly, I don’t know how you’ve refused her advances for this long. She’s bloody persistent.”
Andrew felt his jaw twitch. If his brother didn’t hurry up with his story, he was going to have to beat it out of him.

“Anyway, there we were, in the moonlight, me in my domino and her with those sparkling eyes, and...”

“And what?” Andrew practically screamed.

“Well, you don’t need all the details, do you? I’m not usually one to kiss and tell.”

Andrew clenched his fists tight to keep from wringing his brother’s neck. “Fine. Are there any other instances I should know about?”

Michael stiffened and clamped his mouth shut. Andrew shook his head. Clearly his brother had taken many liberties in his charade. But why? He could have treated her, as he said, coolly and with indifference, and Elizabeth never would have been the wiser.

Good Lord, this was a mess of monumental proportions.

“Well, then,” Andrew said, standing from his chair. “Thank you for taking such excellent care of my fiancée while I was away.”

“Don’t be sarcastic with me, Andrew. You’re the one who hied off to Essex to be with the girl’s cousin. God help us if any of this gets out. I was just doing my duty by you.”
“Rather thoroughly.”

Michael stood and leaned across the table, his brown eyes suddenly very intent. “I don’t understand,” he began in a grave whisper, “how you can look in those blue eyes and not feel anything. How you can be engaged to her and not have the slightest desire to kiss those lips. How you can hear her plead for your affection and ignore her. I certainly couldn’t, and you cannot fault me for that.”

Andrew stood glued to his spot as his brother stalked back across the room, collected his coat, and left the club.

Oh, my God. He’s fallen in love with Elizabeth.

***

The following afternoon, Chloe sat with her mother and Gracie in the kitchen, snapping the ends off of beans. Gracie stared absently out the window, her embroidery resting on her lap as her mother darned a pair of old stockings. A light breeze blew through the open door and brought with it a pleasant male voice.

“Good afternoon, ladies,” the voice said, and all three women looked up to see Louis in the front doorway.

Chloe immediately stood and self-consciously brushed falling strands of hair from her face.

“Louis!” she exclaimed. “We weren’t expecting you.”

“Should I come back another time?”

“Of course not, Mr. Maltby,” her mother cut in. “You are welcome here anytime.”

He smiled a sweet smile and stepped through the open door. As he did so, Chloe noticed he held a small bunch of wildflowers in his hand.

“I wanted to see how you were doing after the other night,” he said to Chloe, “and to bring you these.”

Chloe took the proffered flowers, feeling a bit unnerved. “I’ll just put these in water.” She started toward the cupboards, but her mother intercepted her.

“No need, dearest,” she said, snatching the bunch from her hand. “I’m sure I can do that for you.”

“In that case, may I steal your daughter away for the afternoon?” Louis asked, looking hopeful.

Chloe nearly groaned aloud. Neither her mother nor Louis sought to conceal their intentions, and she found herself rather annoyed. Especially with her mother. Her mother, who knew of her condition and still wanted to pawn her off on another man. For heaven’s sake, she hadn’t seen Louis in years! And she’d spent less than an hour in his company since he’d been back.

“Yes, yes, go! Gracie can finish the beans, can’t you, dear?”

Gracie tried to hide her amusement, but did not succeed. Chloe wanted to throttle her for finding humor in her misery, but she supposed she had no choice now. So she pulled her shawl from the hook by the door and preceded Louis to the outside.

He followed in silence for a minute, before coming up beside her and matching her brisk stride.

“You seem to be feeling much better, Chloe,” he said quietly.

“I am, thank you...much better.”

“Good,” Louis said, and Chloe noted how happy her simple declaration had made him.

He led her to his curricle, waiting by the side of the road, and lifted her onto the seat. They rode in silence while Louis drove the horses down the main road and then turned off onto a narrow lane.

She glanced at him, then back at the road before saying, “Thank you, Louis.”

“I wasn’t aware I had done anything that warranted gratitude,” he replied, a wry smile lighting his face.

Chloe smiled back at her old friend as they trundled down the tree-covered lane. He really was a sweet man. They’d had many wonderful times together as children and he knew her well. At least, he’d known her well as a child and that was even better. She wasn’t sure she wanted him to know who she was now—a trollop who had somehow fallen in love with her cousin’s fiancé.

Her heart gave a little twinge at the thought of Andrew, but she swiftly pushed it away and turned her attention back to Louis. “It can get rather crowded in the cottage with eight of us living there. I’m always torn between wanting to run off to the treehouse alone and staying to help Mama with the household chores.”

“Have you not considered going back to the home you shared with Sam?”

Chloe shook her head, even though Louis wasn’t looking at her. “The house was sold a long time ago. I couldn’t bear to live there alone, not to mention, it’s not all that safe for a woman on her own. No, I went back to the cottage mere weeks after Sam passed away—once I thought I could get through a whole night without waking the family with my sobbing.”

“I’m so sorry, Chloe.”

Louis’s hand reached out to hers while he kept the reigns firmly in the other. It was warm and somewhat comforting, though she was sure he didn’t know what he was offering comfort for. That was all right, though. He didn’t need to know about Andrew or the baby.

Her other hand went instinctively to her belly at the thought of the little one growing inside of her. A constant reminder of the man she loved so dearly, but could never have.

She pulled her hand from Louis’s grasp and he relinquished without a word. “Thank you, Louis, but I’m all right. Truly,” she added when he cast her a sideways glance filled with skepticism. “Sam’s been gone a long time.”

Louis shifted uncomfortably on the perch beside her. Clearly he felt guilty for not having been there for his very best childhood friend. It had been a rough time, those months after Louis left. He had been like a brother. To both of them.

“He didn’t blame you, you know?” Chloe said, hoping to reassure him. “He missed you, but he understood why you left.”

“Did you?”

The horses slowed. Neither of them was looking at the road ahead anymore, they were intent on one another’s faces. The passing scenery faded away until all she could see was Louis, all she could hear were his shallow breaths of anticipation. Chloe swallowed as his deep blue eyes bored into hers. She knew why he’d gone, why he’d fled without a moment’s notice to Scotland, but she’d hoped that a wife and years of separation would have changed his feelings about her. She nodded, but said nothing.

It was Louis who finally broke their gaze. He turned his attention back to the road and they sat in silence for a few moments.

“Where are we going?” Chloe finally asked, curious now that they’d traveled so far from home.

“A picnic,” Louis replied. His frown had been replaced with a bright smile and Chloe breathed a sigh of relief. She was glad their conversation had not progressed further. She thought of him as a friend and she preferred to keep it that way.

They fell into an easier time while they picnicked in an open meadow. The sun was bright, but a constant breeze kept them comfortable as they lunched. Sheep baaaed in the distance, birds chirped from the surrounding trees and tiny white butterflies flitted about, hovering just above the tall blades of grass. Chloe smiled at the scene, grateful for the escape from her current reality, from the mess she’d made of her life. Though she couldn’t deny that she longed for different company, she didn’t long to be alone. And Louis was not the worst companion. As a matter of fact, he was quite a nice companion, and not entirely horrible to look at either.

He wasn’t Andrew, of course. Few men were. But Louis had nice features, fair and soft. Friendly, if not sometimes troubled.

She wondered briefly what he saw in her face. Could he see the lines of worry that she was certain marred her brow? The heavy circles beneath her eyes from sleepless nights spent dreaming about Andrew?

Chloe looked up and started when she realized he was studying her. She put a hand to her brow and pushed errant strands of her wild hair to the side.

“What were you thinking about?” he asked her.

She hesitated before answering. “I was thinking how nice it is to have you home.” She gave him a bright, sincere smile, which he returned.

“I’m loathe to admit it, but I’m actually glad to be home. I didn’t think I would be, what with all the scandal surrounding my departure.”

“Have you spoken with Eleanor’s parents since you’ve been back?”

A shadow passed over his features and the smile disappeared. With a sardonic chuckle, he said, “I tried. They saw me approaching and sent out their burliest servants to see that I didn’t get anywhere near them.”

“How awful.”

“No. I deserved it. I ran off with their daughter and killed her.”

Chloe gasped, unable to believe his words. Louis turned startled eyes on her, quickly coming to realize what he’d just said.

“Oh, heavens, no! Not like that, Chloe. Goodness, what do you take me for?”

“I don’t know!” Chloe shouted. “I haven’t seen or heard from you in years and here you are, confessing murder to me while we’re picnicking in the middle of nowhere.”

Louis burst into laughter then, propping his arm on the grass beside him to keep from rolling over in his mirth.

“Perhaps you would like to explain yourself?” Chloe suggested, trying to calm her racing heart.

“Ahem...of course.” Louis took a moment to get himself under control and then smiled weakly at Chloe. “Of course I didn’t murder my wife, but I did kill her...in a way. You see, she was giving birth to our son when she died.”

Chloe sucked in a sharp breath, all at once horrified and nauseated. She said nothing, so Louis continued.

“It was dreadful,” he said, shaking his head at the memory. “The baby was breeched. And the blood. There was so much blood, Chloe. And all I could do was stand by and do nothing. I just watched her die.”

Chloe fought hard against the nausea and the overwhelming heat that consumed her. She wanted to be able to be there for Louis as he recalled what must have been the darkest hour of his life. But how could she? She didn’t want to hear this, not while she carried a child of her own. It was too much to handle, far too much to think about. Women died in childbirth every day, but Chloe didn’t want to spend the next seven months thinking about that. And she certainly didn’t want to hear firsthand accounts of the horrors.

She vaguely registered that Louis was still speaking, going on about the day he watched his wife and child die, but the nausea was too much.

Before she could spill her accounts all over their lovely picnic, Chloe picked herself up and ran a few yards away.

“Chloe!” She heard Louis running across the grass to reach her, felt his hand on the small of her back when he approached. “Dear God, Clo, are you all right? Was it too much wine? Was the chicken bad?”

“No, no, it’s nothing, I assure you,” she managed finally. “Please don’t be alarmed, I...I think perhaps I’ve had too much sun today.”

“Oh, yes, of course.” Louis looked up at the sky as if to affirm there was indeed a hot sun above them. “Foolish of me to keep you out so long. I’ll take you home straight away.”

Louis made quick work of cleaning up their picnic and then led Chloe back to the carriage, a gentle hand on her elbow all the way. They spoke very little on the ride home, but Chloe could feel his eyes on her every other minute, studying her pallor, no doubt.

When they arrived at the cottage, her brothers were there in the front yard. They were trying to look busy, but Chloe knew better. James and Stevie were well acquainted with Louis’s story and they feared Chloe would be his next victim in a mad dash for the Scottish border.

“They don’t like me very much,” Louis pointed out.

“No, they don’t.” There was no use in lying to him. She was about to say that they would come around eventually, but stopped herself. Did she want them to? Did she want Louis to call on her enough that it mattered what her brothers thought of him? In the end, she decided it was best to simply avoid the topic altogether. “Thank you again for this afternoon, Louis. I’m sorry I...um...”

Louis smiled as he helped her from the high perch. “May I call on you again?”

Chloe’s heart paused for a moment, just long enough for her to feel the panic that his question incited. She floundered, trying to decide between lying to spare his feelings and getting the hard part over with right then and there, but in the end decided for mercy.

“That would be wonderful.” And with one last, brilliant smile, Louis was gone.

***

“Are you quite ready, my dear?” Louis asked from the doorway, a bouquet of wild flowers in his hands.

“My goodness,” Chloe exclaimed, jumping from her chair. “There won't be any flowers left in all of Essex if you continue to carry on this way.”

Louis said nothing. Only smiled as he held the flowers out to Chloe. She looked radiant today, in pale green muslin. Just as he remembered her. He watched as she flitted about the shabby kitchen, retrieving a tin cup from the cupboard to fill with the bouquet. There were several other flower-filled tin cups about—five, to be precise. One for every day he'd come to call on her.

“Really, Louis, all these flowers aren't necessary.”

“Of course they are. They're to remind you of me.”

“You're here every day, I hardly need reminders of your existence.”

“I don't want you to forget me in the evenings when I'm not around...or the early mornings.”

Chloe rolled her eyes and smiled. “Where are we going today,” she inquired, changing the subject.

“I thought we would go riding,” Louis said, beaming. “I brought someone special for you.”

“Someone special? I assume you mean of the equine species?” There was a light in her eyes as she teased.

“Come,” he said and then took her by the hand to lead her out the door.

She followed willingly and then gasped when she saw the dark brown mare munching the grass alongside his own gelding.

“She's beautiful!” Chloe exclaimed, making her way cautiously to the animal. “What's her name?”

“Chocolate. Fitting, don't you think?”

“Perfect.”

Louis enjoyed watching her as she approached Chocolate and offered the back of her hand. Chocolate took one sniff and knew what Louis had known all along. That Chloe was a wonderful, kind and gentle woman.

“She likes you,” he observed as the horse nuzzled Chloe's neck. “May I?”

“Oh, of course!”

He lifted her into the side saddle and stood back. “A perfect pair!”

Chloe laughed and petted Chocolate's mane as Louis mounted his own horse, and then they were off.

***

Horrible, awful, painful guilt niggled at Chloe as she trotted alongside Louis this afternoon. Five days. Five days in a row she'd let him call on her. And every day he'd called, she'd allowed him to escort her away from her home on one distracting outing or another. Their excursions through the countryside helped her, if only for a while, to not think about Andrew and his impending marriage to her cousin.

But, poor Louis. He truly thought that filling her house with flowers would help her to think of him. What he didn't know—and what would likely kill him if he did—was that once he dropped her back home every day and rode away, not a single thought was spared for him.

Well, that wasn't entirely true. Except any thoughts she did have were about her guilt and how she should tell him the truth, end their courtship. However, every time she opened her mouth to say something to him, she stopped. She just couldn't do it. Right now, as selfish as it was, she needed him. She needed the distraction. She needed to get away from her house, her family, her own self-pitying thoughts, and have fun, even if only for a couple of hours every afternoon.

As always, their afternoon together was a great deal of fun. Chocolate was a remarkable animal, and Chloe reveled in simply being on her back. She and Louis recounted yet more stories from their childhood, laughing until they cried about the time Sam had run, screaming like a little girl, over the sight of a giant rat that turned out to be nothing more than a baby bunny.

When they turned their mounts onto the lane that lead to the cottage it was near dinner time. The sun was setting rapidly on the horizon, and Chloe could feel Louis staring at her from atop his horse. She didn't dare turn. The last thing she wanted was to meet his longing gaze right now.

“Chloe?” he whispered softly.

“Mmm, hmm?” she replied, keeping her focus on the pink and purple clouds straight ahead.

He waited. Clearly, he was waiting for her to turn to him. To look at him so he could assess if she felt what he was feeling. But she couldn't. She wasn't ready to break his heart. Or to lose his friendship.

“May I...”

“Oh, no.”

The cottage had just come into sight and Chloe spotted her brothers, dressed for an evening at the local pub, waiting by the front door.

“What is it?” Louis asked.

“My brothers.”

Twenty-Two

Stevie and James greeted them as they pulled up in front of the cottage. James helped Chloe from the mare and placed her gently on the ground before offering a conspiratorial wink.

Oh, good heavens. “James, what are you two doing?” she whispered to her brother.

He pulled her a few feet away. “He's called on you every day this week, Clo. We're taking him to the pub.”

“Don't,” she begged. She really didn't need her brothers interfering in her business. They were going to ask what Louis's intentions were, but she already knew. And she needed to disabuse him quickly of any notion that they were ever going to be together.

Her brothers would only make things more difficult.

“Clo, we don't want him running off with you should he have the notion. We want to know that his intentions are honorable.”

“James, they are,” she said, the desperation clear in her voice. “But, please, don't do this.”

James looked at her with a shrewd eye. “Why not? Do you not return his affection?”

Chloe turned to look over her shoulder at Louis, who stood making small talk with Stevie. When she turned back to her brother, his eyes were filled with concern.

“What is it, Clo?”

Oh, goodness. This was it. Only her parents knew of her pregnancy, but eventually, she wouldn't be able to hide it. Her brothers were bound to figure it out sooner or later. But was this the right time to bring it up, with Louis standing with them in the yard?

No, it wasn't. “Just don't be too hard on him, James. He is my friend.”

Her brother gave her another wink and then stalked across the yard to meet Stevie and Louis. Once they hitched the horses to the post, the trio set off toward the local pub.

***

Andrew arrived at Elizabeth’s Cavendish Square home at eleven in the morning, only one week from their wedding date. She wasn’t expecting him, so he wasn’t surprised to see Elizabeth climbing into a carriage. No doubt she was headed to Bond Street to do more shopping for her wedding trousseau. He called out to her and she paused on the foothold to turn to him.

“Oh, Andrew!” she exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”

“I should have written first, but I was visiting my sister up the road and thought you might like to go for a drive.” He caught sight of the large trunk attached to the back of the coach. “Where are you going?” Clearly not to Bond Street.

“I sent word this morning,” she said, climbing back down to speak with him. “I’m off to Essex for a few days.”

Essex? Why would she go to Essex if not to visit her relations there? Andrew grew ill all of a sudden.

“May I inquire as to why?”

“I received a letter from my cousin Chloe. She’s told me she can’t come to our nuptials. Supposedly, she hasn’t been feeling well lately and cannot make the trip.”

“And you doubt her?”

“Chloe isn’t one to lie,” she assured him, “though I doubt the severity of her illness. But frankly, I could use a few days in the country to clear my head before the wedding. Besides, all of Chloe’s new gowns arrived some time ago and I think she should have them. You paid so much for me to have them made for her, I would imagine you feel the same way.”

The gowns. Of course. He’d been more than willing to supply funds for Elizabeth’s dowdy-looking cousin when she asked. After all, he wouldn’t want his future bride to be seen with someone so ill turned out. At least that’s the reason she used to convince him to sponsor Chloe’s shopping trip. Little did Elizabeth know there was no need for convincing.

“My mother is driving me absolutely mad with wedding details,” she continued. Then she put a hand to Andrew’s cheek and he started at the contact. Elizabeth was rarely so affectionate with him. “You do understand, don’t you, Andrew?”

Not really. “Of course, but when will you be back?”

“I’ll only be a few days.”

Things were spinning out of his control, and he began to worry about this little trip of hers. He was sure that the real reason for Chloe not wanting to be at the wedding was him, and having Elizabeth there would only upset her. His fiancée would surely go on about the wedding and beg her to be a part of it when she saw that Chloe was not in fact sick. And then what? Would it come out what they’d done together? That they’d loved one another?

No, not loved. Andrew was still very much in love with Chloe, but love was not a prerequisite for marriage among his ilk.

He didn’t want to prevent Elizabeth from going—God knew he would appreciate a few days of rest from their heavy social calendar—but how could he let her go under the circumstances?

“What shall I do without you?” he blurted out without thinking.

Elizabeth gaped at him for a moment and then burst into laughter. “You can’t be serious!” she trilled. “What will you do without me?”

Damn. It wasn’t a likely excuse to keep her there, seeing as he was a rather independent man. But what else?

“They’ve got so little room there!”

The laughing stopped and Andrew felt every last ounce of blood drain from his face.

“How would you know anything about my aunt and uncle’s house?” she asked as her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

“I don’t,” Andrew amended as the blood rushed back to his face with a vengeance. “I mean, that’s what I’ve heard...from Michael! Of course. How would I know what their house is like?”

Good God, if Elizabeth couldn’t see right through his bold-faced, bumbling lie, he’d be amazed. What an idiot he was! But if she had sensed that he’d been lying, she did not indicate as much. She merely nodded her head slowly and turned back to look at the carriage.

Things had suddenly grown very uncomfortable.

“Well,” she said quietly, “I’d best be going. I want to get there by nightfall.”

“Right.” Andrew leaned down to plant a chaste kiss on her cheek. “Safe travels, then.”

And with that, Elizabeth climbed aboard the carriage and disappeared from sight.

Andrew blew out a long breath. He had a feeling his life was about to get a hell of a lot more complicated.

***

The following morning, as expected, Louis arrived on the cottage doorstep, asking to take Chloe for a walk. She was reluctant to accept. She knew the visit to the pub had gone reasonably well, and her brothers had informed her they approved of Louis, if she decided she wanted to marry him.

Ha! How silly her brothers were. While she valued their opinions and advice, they held no sway over whom she might marry.

Nonetheless, Louis was here, and she had a sinking feeling that she was going to have to confess all, and soon.

She grabbed her shawl from the hook on the way out the door and began walking in the direction of the tree house.

“My curricle is this way, Chloe,” Louis informed her, but she didn’t stop walking.

“I wish to walk today, if you don’t mind,” she called over her shoulder. “I’m feeling a bit restless.”
“Are you all right? Is there anything I can do?”

When she was certain they were far enough away, Chloe turned to face him. Blast it, but this was going to be difficult.

She was about to turn away to walk a little farther when he grabbed her wrist and pulled her to him. She was startled at how fast it happened. Before she could even blink, his arms wrapped around her waist.

“Chloe,” he breathed and for the first time, Chloe realized that his breath smelled horrid. Not tainted with brandywine, like Andrew's, but rank with something akin to rotting onions.

Oh, heavens! He attempted to make eye contact, but Chloe wouldn’t allow it. She averted her gaze as her breathing sped up.

“Louis, please let me go,” she said, her voice as calm as she could manage.

“Just look at me, Chloe, please.”
“Louis, let me go!” She struggled a bit until he finally loosened his grip and released her.

They were both silent for a moment, until Louis said, “I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me.”

Chloe looked up and noted the shame etched in his brow. Part of her felt sorry for him. She’d known he was in love with her all those years ago, and she knew he was still in love with her now. How foolish of her to lead him on so.

“It’s all right, Louis, I just...I don’t want to give you the wrong impression.” She hesitated, remembering the wrong impressions she’d given when they were younger. “I’m sorry I’ve been so...”

Louis chuckled. “Nothing you do could ever change my feelings for you, Chloe. Indeed, marriage to my best friend, and years apart has done little to ease my desires. I do wish you would have said something earlier though. I would have been making greater attempts to win your affection.”

“Please, Louis, don’t do this,” Chloe begged, her heart constricting from the hurt she heard in his voice.

“But I must,” he replied, his voice intense. “Have I no chance in this, Chloe? I know I am far from perfect, and I know I’ve made some mistakes in the past. But my greatest mistake of all was letting you get away.”

“Get away?” Chloe repeated, astonished.

“I gave up! I let Sam have you-”

“I loved Sam and nothing was going to change that.”

“But if I’d just tried harder, paid more attention, don’t you think—”

“No!” Chloe said, looking him square in the eye. “I don’t think.”
And truly she didn’t. She hadn’t thought when she’d invited Andrew to take her to the tree house to make love to her. She hadn’t thought when she’d sent him away. She hadn’t thought when she’d accepted flowers from Louis every single day.

Oh, Lord, why wouldn’t he go away and leave her alone? Her life was complicated enough without him vying for her attention.

“Please, Chloe,” he begged. “I would never ask you to think of me in the way you thought of Sam. But a man can hope, can he not? Perhaps if you’d only give me the chance...”

Chloe’s heart raced as she stood there, staring at Louis. What he offered was not entirely absurd. She couldn’t live with her family forever, and Louis would soon inherit his father’s land. That meant security for her and her baby.

But she couldn’t say yes without telling him about her condition. Shaking, she took his hand.

“Louis, there is something you must know about me, and I strongly believe it will alter your desires.”

“No, Chloe,” he whispered. “Nothing could ever change my mind about you.”

“You mustn’t speak so soon,” she said with a forced chuckle.

“Well, go on.”

Chloe took a deep breath and said, “I am with child.”

Louis gave very little reaction for having heard such a statement. “I beg your pardon?”

“I know this must come as quite a shock. Indeed, I’m still rather shocked myself. Nonetheless, I am going to have a baby.” There was a pause while she studied him, trying to gauge his reaction. Then she asked, “Now, do you still want me?”

Louis stood there, gaping, his hazel eyes wide. “I-I don’t know what to say. Whose is it?”

“Louis!”

“I have a right to know whose baby you’re carrying if I’m going to father it...potentially,” he added lamely.

“Louis, how can you even think such a thing?” Chloe began walking again, her frustration mounting.

“Because I love you.”

“No, you don’t, Louis! You love who I was.”

“And are you not still that same person? It’s been a long time, Chloe, but not so long that you have lost those qualities that I fell in love with so long ago.”

“I am carrying a child out of wedlock, Louis,” she said, emphasizing every word.

“If it is shame you are afraid of, then I will claim the child as my own.”

“No.”

He pushed on, ignoring her protests. “I will acquire a special license.”

“No!”

“We will be wed by the week’s end and no one will ever know your disgrace.”

“Stop!” Chloe turned to face him, fuming. “I am not disgraced,” she said as tears pooled in her eyes. “This child was created out of love.”

“Love?”

“Yes, love! What did you think? That I’d tupped a local drunkard?”

Louis reared back, clearly shocked by her harsh language. “No, of course not,” he mumbled. “I guess I didn’t think at all.”

“Neither did I, which is precisely how I got into this position in the first place.”

Both fell silent, the only sound coming from the nearby brook and the breeze through the trees. Chloe’s heart ached painfully. She’d never imagined this when she’d thought about what she wanted her life to be like. She had wanted to marry quietly, have a brood of children with her husband, and grow old with him. Now, here she stood, pregnant out of wedlock, facing a proposal from a man she didn’t love, but a man could offer things she needed for herself and the baby, nonetheless.

Good Lord, what was she to do?

***

Chloe and Gracie were setting the table for dinner when the sound of a horse and carriage penetrated the walls of the cottage. For a fleeting moment, Chloe thought it might be Andrew, come back to tell her how wrong she’d been to send him away. She imagined a tearful reunion and a joyful Andrew when she told him she carried his child. It was the same daydream she had every time a carriage rolled by their little house.

However, nothing could have prepared her for the sight she saw when she opened the door. Lizzie, in all her London finery, stepped cautiously from a black traveling coach, followed by a woman who looked to be at least eighty-five. She almost giggled, thinking how angry Lizzie must have been when Chloe abandoned her post as chaperone. But she was far too dumbfounded to muster a laugh just then.

Why on earth had Lizzie come to see them? She thought for a moment that perhaps she’d found out about her and Andrew, but when Lizzie graced her with a wide smile, Chloe knew that could not be the case.

“Chloe, darling!” she said, running toward her, arms wide open.

“Lizzie, what are you doing here?” Chloe returned her cousin’s embrace. She had bathed in Chloe's favorite verbena bath salts that morning, and it made Chloe long for her luxurious days in London. She put the thoughts aside, though, and pulled away, still very confused.

“You can’t imagine how much I’ve missed you, and I was devastated when I received your letter! How can you not be present at my wedding, Chloe?”

Chloe was saved from having to answer her cousin just then by the arrival of her sisters and brothers. They all exchanged hugs and greetings and then bustled inside where Chloe’s parents waited. Both seemed a little stunned to see Lizzie at first, but quickly lapsed into excitement at her arrival.

They all sat down to dinner together and listened as Lizzie droned on about London, the wedding, and of course, Lord Andrew. How attentive he’d been in the last few weeks. How doting he was towards her and how much she adored his family.

“He’s really been quite devoted,” she announced. “And I daresay he’s enjoying the wedding planning. Can you imagine? I never did, that is for sure, but he’s been especially adamant about the flowers. I wanted to do a simple bouquet of forget-me-nots and lilies, but he was insistent that there be no forget-me-nots. Seems he detests the flowers for some reason.”

Chloe looked up at her cousin, her heart racing. No forget-me-nots? What did that mean? Did he truly detest the flower now because of what she’d done? Or was it just too painful? Did he miss her and pine for her as she did him?

And then, just when she thought things couldn’t get any worse, she caught the expressions on the faces of her family members. Oh, good heavens. They all gaped at her, clearly stunned, but said nothing.

“And of course all his female relations have insisted on helping me to fill my wedding trousseau. It has been quite exhausting—well, you remember, Chloe—it’s as if their concept of time flies right out the window when they’re shopping! Which reminds me, I’ve brought your dresses. They arrived ages ago and I contemplated sending them, but decided I would rather pay a visit to my favorite cousin.”

Chloe wasn’t sure if it was Lizzie’s rambling on about Andrew and his family, or the baby she carried, or the fact that the rest of her family had figured out her indiscretion, but she suddenly grew very nauseous. And when her mother scooped a generous helping of roast onto her plate, she nearly lost all accounts of her stomach. She barely managed to excuse herself before running out the front door of the cottage and burying her face in the bushes at the side of the house.

“Chloe?” Her mother was at her side, patting her gently on the back while she continued to toss up her accounts.

“I’m fine,” she whispered as tears stung at her eyes.

“You’re not fine, love,” her mother corrected. “Let’s put you in bed and I’ll make sure Lizzie doesn’t mention another word about him tonight.”

At this, the dam broke and Chloe’s tears began to flow uncontrollably. How sweet her mother was to try to protect her so. But she couldn’t keep Lizzie from talking for the duration of her visit, and she certainly couldn’t tell her not to speak of Andrew without raising suspicion.

No, Chloe knew what she had to do. It wouldn’t lessen the pain of watching him marry her cousin, but at least she could move on with her life.

Or appear to, anyhow.

“Mama,” she said quietly. “Louis has asked me to marry him...and I have decided to accept his offer.

Twenty-Three

“Oh, my darling, are you sure this is what you want to do?”

“I am certain, mama,” she replied, choking back more tears. “I have no choice. I want my baby to have a father. Clearly, Andrew cannot fulfill that position.”

“Don’t you think you should tell him? Give him the chance?”

“And what do you think he will do, mama? Ruin Lizzie—the woman he is to marry—a woman that clearly he is in love with.”

“You don’t know that.”

“You heard her,” she replied, her voice breaking. “He’s been attentive and...but none of that matters,” Chloe continued. “They are to be married in a week.”

“What about Louis?”

“What about him?”

“Does he know?”

Chloe nodded and hung her head. Poor Louis. She knew he’d always loved her, always wanted to be with her, but she never loved him. She knew she never would. But he was kind and generous, and she had no doubt he’d be a fine father.

Her mother pulled her into a warm embrace. The familiar smell of her comforted Chloe, like warm soup on a cold day. She cried into her shoulder, wishing she didn’t have to go back inside. Wishing she didn’t have to face her cousin again. Or her family. What would her sister think of her now that she’d figured out her Andrew was in fact Lizzie’s Lord Andrew? She wished she didn’t have to marry a man she didn’t love. She wished she wasn’t about to lose the man she did love to another woman.

Eventually, her mother pulled away, leaving Chloe feeling cold and alone again. “We should go back inside, love,” she said warmly. “It’s starting to rain.”

***

Chloe, Lizzie and Gracie retired to the little room at the top of the stairs not long after nightfall. There was little space in the house, so the three girls would share a bed, small as it was. Chloe’s brothers had given up their bed to Lizzie’s chaperone and opted to sleep on makeshift cots downstairs.

Chloe shuddered at the thought. Lord knew what lurked on the floors of their cottage in the daylight, let alone in the dark.

“My goodness, I am utterly exhausted,” Lizzie sighed as she plopped onto the feather mattress to pull off her boots. “What a day this has been.”

Gracie and Chloe said nothing in response, but continued to undress. It wasn’t until Lizzie let out a loud gasp that the girls turned to acknowledge her.

“What is it?” Chloe asked and then noticed that Lizzie stared at her stomach.

Good Lord, was she already showing? It had not even been three whole months.

“Well, I don’t mean to pry, Chloe, dear, but how on earth have you gotten so plump?”

Plump? Chloe floundered for a moment, unsure of how to respond. “I...I’m sure I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she finally said, trying to look affronted. “I’m the same size I’ve always been, am I not?”

“Heavens, no!” Lizzie exclaimed. “Look at your stomach.”

“I haven’t noticed anything different about Chloe,” Grace spoke up.

Chloe began to shake with nerves. Oh, good heavens, what was she going to say? Gracie didn’t know she was pregnant yet. She was hoping to keep it a secret as long as possible and she certainly didn’t want anyone to know the baby was Andrew’s. What a blasted tangled web this had become! She was getting dizzy trying to keep all her secrets and falsehoods in line.

“Well, that’s because you’re with her every day. I haven’t seen her in months…”

Lizzie’s mouth dropped open suddenly, and Chloe feared she had put two and two together. Her heart raced as Lizzie ran to her side and touched her stomach. Chloe knew it was hard with pregnancy, not soft with stuffing. She tried to pull back, but it was too late.

“Chloe Hawthorne, you’re pregnant!”

A stunned and awkward silence fell over the room. Good heavens, what was she supposed to say now? She looked to her sister for guidance, but Gracie’s expression was just as shocked as Chloe imagined her own was. How in the world had Lizzie figured it out so quickly?

Blast their small house!

“I am,” Chloe finally admitted, sticking her nose in the air.

She offered no further explanation but, of course, neither Lizzie nor Gracie would allow the conversation to end there.

“Chloe, how did you end up in this predicament?”

“It’s not a predicament,” Chloe snapped, suddenly angry that people saw her unborn child as an inconvenience already.

“But you have no husband. No prospects even! What are you going to do with a bastard child, Chloe?”

Before Chloe could stop herself, she’d swiped a palm across her cousin’s cheek with a loud slap. Gracie gasped. Chloe and Lizzie stood stunned, staring intently at one another.

“Don’t you ever refer to my child as a bastard again, Elizabeth Crawley,” Chloe said, her voice a dangerous whisper. She could even feel her nostrils flare with every angry breath she took.

Lizzie only nodded, her eyes wide. “I’m sorry,” she finally managed. “I only meant to...well, I don’t know what I meant to do. I guess I’m just a little shocked is all.”

Chloe swallowed, feeling rather foolish for having slapped her cousin across the face. She had turned almost primal it seemed, in defense of her baby, but she couldn’t very well go about scratching people’s eyes out. After all, it wasn’t Lizzie’s fault that society was so unforgiving toward children without fathers.

And their wanton mothers.

“It is I who need forgiveness,” Chloe said, softening her tone. “I shouldn’t have slapped you like that.” She assessed her cousin’s cheek. A faint handprint appeared pink against Lizzie's snowy white skin. “Does it hurt?”

Lizzie shook her head as a small grin broke out on her lips. “You’re not that strong.”

They shared a strained giggle at her jibe, and the tension in the air subsided. Quickly, the three girls finished undressing, crawled into bed and snuffed out the candle. A chorus of goodnights ensued, followed by a long silence, until Lizzie spoke again.

“Are you sleeping, Clo?” she whispered.

“No,” Chloe answered. “And I daresay Gracie isn’t either.”

“Of course not.” Gracie turned toward Chloe and nuzzled against her shoulder.

“Will you tell me who he is?” Lizzie ventured.

“No, but I will tell you who I am going to marry.”

“Marry?” Gracie half sat up in the bed and Chloe could just make out the outlines of her astonished features. Perhaps she should have told Gracie first, about everything. What a horrible way for her own sister to find out all of this. “Please don’t tell me it’s that bloke, Louis!”

“Shhh! Will you keep your voice down? You’ll wake the whole house.”

“Well, it’s not, is it?” she forged on, this time in a whisper.

Chloe paused and then said with a sigh, “Who else would it be, Gracie?”

“I have another gentleman in mind,” she replied in an undertone, and Chloe thought she could have throttled her there on the spot.

“Who?” Lizzie asked, sitting up fully in the bed. “Who are all these men and do they know your condition?”

“Well,” Gracie sat up too and Chloe slapped a pillow over her own face in frustration. “Louis is this sappy fellow who was in love with Chloe long ago. You must remember him. He’s the one who eloped to Scotland just before Clo married Sam.”
“And he wants to marry you, Clo?”

“Yes,” she replied, her voice muffled by the pillow.

“And what about this other gentleman? Is he the father?”

“Goodness me, I’m awfully tired all of a sudden,” Chloe nearly shouted before Gracie could answer, tossing the pillow aside. “The baby does that to me, you know?” she blathered on. “Completely fine one moment, and utterly exhausted the next.”

Lizzie nearly jumped off the bed. “Michael!” she shouted and then when both girls shushed her, she repeated in a whisper, “Michael! It's Michael, isn't it? Chloe, is he the father?”

“Ah...”

Gracie shifted slightly. “Who is Michael?
“Oh, goodness, I’m afraid I need to use the convenience!” Chloe blurted out, thankful no one could see how red her face had become.

“Right now?” Lizzie asked.

“I’m afraid the baby doesn’t allow me to wait for convenient times to empty my bladder.”

She extracted herself from the covers and inched her way to the end of the bed. The floor was freezing to her bare feet and she could feel the vermin scatter in fright. Normally, she would have squealed and jumped back into bed, but not tonight. Not when her sister and cousin were so close to discovering the true identity of her baby's father.

She paused at the foot of the bed, realizing it would be foolish to leave the two women alone. She had to explain things to Gracie before she made any mention of Andrew to Lizzie.

“Ummm...Gracie, I think I need you,” she said lamely.

“Need me?” came her sister’s incredulous response. “How could I possibly be of assistance while you use the chamber pot?”

“Well...it’s just that...Oh, will you just come with me!”

With that, Gracie finally rose from the bed and followed Chloe, who held the chamber pot in hand, from the room. Once they were in the hall, Chloe set the chamber pot on the floor and turned to address her sister.

“What are you doing?” Gracie asked, seeming somewhat perturbed that she'd been dragged from the warmth of the bed.

“I have to tell you something, Gracie, but you must swear to secrecy.”

“The parson says it’s a sin to swear.”

“Oh, for God’s sake, Gracie, Lord Andrew is the father of this child.”

“I figured that out on my own. But who is this Michael person? And how long have you known you were pregnant? Do mother and father know?”

“Yes, they know, but we were waiting to tell the rest of you. We only found out after I fainted at the assembly.”

“Oh,” Gracie said. “And Michael?”

“Michael is Andrew’s twin. Identical twin. He took Andrew’s place in London, while Andrew accompanied me here to be with you.”

“But why?”

Chloe paused. Lord, how disgraceful this was. And what a horrible example she set for her little sister. “Because...because we love each other, Gracie. But we can’t be together. He is engaged to Lizzie, and...well, we’re just poor relations. I would not be an appropriate match for someone of his status.”

There was silence in the hallway and after a moment, Gracie simply pulled Chloe into an affectionate hug. “Your secret is safe with me, dear sister.”

***

Two days later, Lizzie waved good-bye to her relations and set off for London. The departure was bittersweet. She’d enjoyed her stay with her family — she always enjoyed the camaraderie she shared with Chloe and Gracie—but their living conditions were a far cry from what she was used to. No servants, no modern amenities. It was like living in the dark ages. And there was only so much she could take of the smell of pig slop. If Stevie and James weren't so handsome, she would think they were pigs themselves.

However, one thing was for certain: She could not allow Chloe to marry that sappy Louis person! Especially not when she carried Michael Wetherby’s baby.

Chloe had been very clear that she did not want Michael to know about the pregnancy, but that certainly wasn’t going to stop Lizzie. It was obvious Chloe loved him, and she’d seen at times the way he had regarded her when she was in Town. There was a connection there, and the only thing that prevented them being together was Chloe’s blasted pride.

Well, Lizzie would see to it that Michael and Chloe were somehow reunited, if for no other reason than for the sake of their unborn child.

Twenty-Four

“Four days,” Andrew mumbled to himself as he stared blankly over the edge of his pint glass.

“Four days, what?”

Andrew jerked his head up to meet his brother’s quizzical eyes.

It took him a moment to figure out what Michael was talking about. He was so absent-minded these days. “Oh, nothing,” he said at last. “I was just...thinking.”

“A dangerous pastime, brother.” Michael reached across their usual table at White’s and tapped the side of his glass. “Drink up. It’s much safer.”

Normally, Andrew would have found the humor in his brother’s advice, but he had trouble forming a smile. Come to think of it, he hadn’t formed a real smile since the day Chloe sent him back to London.

He wondered what she was doing just then. He pulled out his pocket watch—two in the morning. Sleeping. Of course his beautiful girl was sleeping. How he wished he were next to her, holding her firmly against him, listening to her dreamy murmurs-

“Wouldn’t you agree?”

“What?” Andrew snapped to attention, suddenly aware that his brother had been speaking to him for some time.

Michael quirked an amused brow. “I suppose I shouldn’t try to hold a conversation with you until after your wedding. Although, I doubt that will solve much.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Andrew wondered.

“I mean you’ve been a complete bore ever since Chloe turned you away. You’re moody and brooding. I can’t believe Elizabeth still wants to marry you.”

Andrew sniffed in response. The truth was, he couldn’t believe she still wanted to marry him either. He’d promised to be more attentive, and he’d certainly been trying, but his heart wasn’t in it. Apparently, that didn’t matter to Elizabeth, though. As long as he was at her side at social functions, she didn’t seem to care that his mind was elsewhere.

“Listen, Andrew,” Michael began, leaning further over the table. “If I could trade places with you, I would. But I think we’ve done enough damage with our activities as it is. You either have to call it off, or resign to a life with Elizabeth as your wife, because this just won’t do.”

Andrew was just about to tell his brother to bugger off when Michael rose from the table and walked away.

Good, saves me the trouble.

Who the hell was his brother to tell him his behavior wouldn’t do? What did that mean, anyhow? And what the bloody hell would Michael do if it were him? The same bloody thing he was doing, Andrew was sure. They were gentlemen, damn it. They had been raised to do the right thing—to follow the strictures of society—and that meant marrying the woman you first offered marriage to.

Andrew slammed his fist down on the table, drawing all sorts of unwanted attention from other club members. He scowled at the beer that sloshed on the table. Blast it, his brother was right. This just wouldn’t do.

***

“How are things progressing at Wexford Hall, Mr. Maltby?”

“Just fine, thank you, sir. Though my father’s health is quickly deteriorating. The doctors do not expect him to live much longer.”

Silence fell over the supper table; the only sounds the scraping of silver against tin and the chickens clucking in the yard. Chloe looked around, noting the down-turned heads of her family members. She had informed Louis of her decision to marry him that morning, and her mother had invited him for dinner.

It was supposed to be a cheerful time of celebration, but now that the conversation had turned to his father’s impending death, no one was quite sure what to say.

“Is the estate in good order, then?” Chloe cut into the silence, curious about the state of her soon-to-be home.

Louis looked at her, his eyes intent. Goodness, she had never realized how serious he was. She gave a smile, hoping for one in return.

But he simply nodded and then answered, “It is, though it needs a great deal of work. Father has abandoned his tenants for so long due to his health that most of their cottages are in ill repair.”

“And what are you doing to help, now that you’re home?” Chloe wondered.

“I am doing a great deal,” he offered. “As much as I can in light of the current circumstances.”

“Circumstances?” Chloe’s mother leaned in curiously.

“My parents’ health prevents me from doing more.” He turned to Chloe with adoring eyes that made her somewhat uncomfortable. “But perhaps I will be able to persuade Chloe to help me, once she is lady of the house?”

Lady of the house. Chloe very much wanted to be “lady of the house,” only it wasn’t Louis’s house she wanted to be lady of. And she certainly didn’t relish looking after his mother and her gout.

Goodness, that was horribly uncharitable of her, but she couldn’t help it. She didn’t want to marry him, but what choice did she have? It was either raise her child as a bastard, or wait on Mrs. Maltby.

“Yes, of course,” she replied. “I am...looking forward to it.”

The table fell silent again and after another quarter hour of awkward conversation, they all stood from the table. Chloe desperately wanted to escape with Gracie to their room and go to bed, but Louis insisted they take a walk together.

“It’s dark outside, Louis,” Chloe pointed out, hoping he would see her point.

“But the moon is full, my dear,” he countered, taking her by the elbow. “We won’t go far. Just to the stream and back.”

He wasn’t going to take no for an answer, Chloe could see that, so she followed him from the cottage, throwing her shawl over her shoulders as she did.

They walked in silence up the lane and to the meadow. The stream was just beyond, illuminated by the bright moon, babbling and rippling its way through the countryside.

Chloe glanced at Louis. He really was a kind person, and she knew that what she was doing to him was not right. She cared for him as a friend, but beyond that she felt nothing. She would never know the all-consuming love and passion she’d known with Andrew, but at least they could be friends. Of course, it was clear Louis would want more, and as his wife, she’d be obliged to accommodate him, but-

A flutter of nausea passed through her stomach.

“Chloe, are you all right?” Louis reached out with a tender hand and steadied her when she swayed.

“I’m fine.” She allowed him to lead her to a nearby tree stump where she gratefully plopped down.

“Thank you,” she muttered once her stomach had calmed. “This baby tends to have awful timing. The nausea hits me at the most inopportune moments sometimes.”

“That’s all right, darling,” Louis said coming to kneel down beside her. “I’ll always be here to help you through it.”

His voice was soft, and his eyes looked on her tenderly. He reached up and stroked her cheek with the intimacy of a lover, and Chloe started in response.

“Don’t be frightened, my love,” he cooed sweetly. “I just want to kiss you.”

“Kiss me?” Not meaning to, Chloe reared back, away from his oncoming lips. She couldn't get the memory of his onion breath out of her nose. Not to mention, kissing him almost felt as if she were being unfaithful. How odd, when Andrew was only days away from marrying another woman. “Wait, Louis!”

She jumped up from the stump and stepped a few feet away. Louis was on his feet immediately, still in pursuit of his kiss.

“Come now, Chloe, you’re to be my wife very soon. You don’t expect our marriage to be platonic, I hope.”

Oh, Lord, she didn’t expect him to ask this of her so soon.

“No, of course not,” she exclaimed, skirting back around to the other side of the stump. “It’s just that it’s...against my beliefs.”

That brought Louis up short. “Your beliefs?” he chuckled. “Am I to believe that you’re the Virgin Mary, then?”

“Louis, stop it,” she begged, her breath coming in short spurts from having to run from him. “I can’t kiss you yet.”

“May I ask why?” He stopped his pursuit and looked at her, hands on hips.

“Why what?” Chloe asked, hoping to drive him in circles.

Louis threw up his hands and bellowed, “Why can’t you kiss me?”

Chloe chewed her bottom lip. Why couldn’t she kiss him? Because she didn’t want to. That was the truth of it, but if she told him that, he’d be crushed. So she came up with a lie that she hoped would be believable.

“Because you remind me of him.”

Louis’s eyes grew wide. “The father?”

“No, you nincompoop! You remind me of Sam. Every time I look at you, I think of him.” She plopped back down on the stump and closed her eyes against the cool breeze. She hated to desecrate her husband’s memory in such a way—it didn’t seem right to use him to fend off suitors—but it was the only thing she could think of in the moment.

She heard the crunch of footsteps nearing her, but then they were passing her. Puzzled, she opened her eyes and swung around to see Louis walking away.

“Louis?” she called, but he didn’t stop. “Louis, what is the matter?”

He halted and turned just enough to look at her, but not fully around. “I have no wish to compete with a dead man, Chloe. Think about that and I will call on you tomorrow.”

Stunned, Chloe watched him walk away, and not surprisingly, a sense of calm washed over her. Of course, she shouldn’t have felt so calm. Her one opportunity to make a secure life for herself and her baby was walking away, giving her an ultimatum.

Though, what he didn’t realize was that his competition was very much alive and well and living in London.

Twenty-Five

“Oh, good, you’re here!”

Elizabeth rushed into the parlor and ran straight to Andrew, who took her hands in his. She looked harried, her brow furrowed beneath blond ringlets.

“Well, of course I’m here. You said it was urgent.” He searched her blue eyes, wondering what could be the matter, half-hoping she was going to call off the wedding.

“What I have to say to you is rather sensitive.” She blushed slightly and looked away as if she were embarrassed to bring it up.

What the devil is going on?

“Tea?”

“Tea?” Andrew parroted. “I thought the news could not wait.”

“It can’t! That is, it can wait until I ring for tea.”

Without waiting for his answer, she darted across the room and yanked on the bellpull. They waited silently until a maid arrived to take her instruction and then finally, they sat down on the tufted pink sofa.

“Well,” Andrew prodded, “go on.”

“Oh, Andrew, I don’t know how to say this or what we should do about it, but I’ve discovered something...well, rather scandalous, involving your family.”

Oh, dear God. She really was going to call off the wedding. She’d found out some long lost secret that no one knew about—not even the living members of his family—and she just couldn’t live with the shame of being married to one of those Wetherby’s. Andrew tried to calm himself, tried not to get his hopes up too far, but the one thing he’d been wishing for the last four months was about to come true. Elizabeth was going to let him out of his obligation.

“Andrew, are you listening?”

“Yes, of course!” he shouted all of a sudden. “Sorry, you say it involves my family?”

Exasperated, Elizabeth threw up her arms and shook her head. “Not just yours, but mine as well. Andrew, Chloe is...”

The world seemed to come to a stand still at the mention of Chloe. Chloe is what? he wanted to shout, but he didn’t. He remained calm, passive, and waited for her to finish. She opened her mouth again, but a servant entered at just that moment to deliver the tea service. Andrew thought he might die of waiting to hear the rest of the sentence, but Elizabeth took her time pouring the tea, and then offered him a biscuit. They did smell delicious, like the ones Mrs. Finch always made for him, but no! He did not want a bloody biscuit right now!

Finally, Elizabeth put down her tea cup and swallowed the bite of biscuit she'd taken, before turning somewhat wary eyes on him.

“Chloe is...with child.”

Silence prevailed in the overly pink room while Andrew tried to lift his chin from the floor.

With child? She couldn’t be. Did Elizabeth know about him? Dear God, he had surely reached the seventh circle of Hell.

“H-how do you know?” he ventured, hating the sound of his own shaky voice.

“Well, what a silly question,” Elizabeth chirped. “She’s pregnant!”

“Oh, of course,” Andrew remarked absently. “But what has this to do with my family, then?”

Elizabeth took his hands in hers and made him look her in the eye. Lord, but that was difficult. He braced himself.

“The baby is Michael’s.”

Andrew couldn’t speak. He just sat there, gaping, trying to sort out what Elizabeth had said. Michael. She thought it was Michael’s baby. But of course! It was supposedly Michael who had gone to Essex, wasn’t it? Not him. But had she figured it out on her own, or had Chloe lied to protect him?

His gut clenched as a million thoughts flew through his mind. But the foremost thought, once all the questions had stopped swimming around, was that he was going to be a father. And Chloe, dear sweet Chloe, was carrying his child.

It should have been a joyous occasion, one spent with Chloe, holding her in his arms, telling her how excited he was that they were going to have a baby together. Instead, she was in the country, probably trying to bear the shame of being pregnant out of wedlock all alone. And he was here, with his betrothed, trying to make sense of the fact that she was the one to deliver this earth-shattering news.

“Aren’t you going to say something, Andrew?” her voice cut into his thoughts.

“Well...I suppose someone should tell the- the father.”

“Immediately,” she added, a sudden sense of urgency to her tone.

Andrew eyed her curiously. “Why immediately?”

“Because if not, she will marry that droll Mr. Maltby!”

Marry? Andrew snapped to attention, and without thinking grabbed Elizabeth by the shoulders.

“What are you talking about?”

“Louis Maltby,” she repeated, looking perplexed. “He was an old friend from her past—a friend of Sam’s, really—and he offered her marriage so that her baby wouldn’t grow up without a father. They’re set to meet with the parson a week from Sunday and while I think it’s admirable and all, I must say, I don’t really like the man. And furthermore, it isn’t fair that the real father doesn’t even know—What are you doing?”

Andrew debated telling Elizabeth the truth, but he thought better of it. He had to find Michael and figure out a plan. But there was one thing that was for certain: He was not going to let Chloe marry this Mr. Maltby. Whoever that was.

***

“Well, congratulations, brother! Shall I bring out the cigars and the good port?”

“This is hardly a time for celebration!” Andrew shouted at his brother, his nerves getting the better of him. “I’ve got to stop that wedding!”

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” Michael asked, sitting cool as an April breeze in the leather armchair.

“What?”

“Ah, you have your own wedding in just a few short days. And you’ll be honeymooning in Scotland by the time Chloe walks down the aisle to her Mr...what was it again? Murphy?”

“Maltby.”

“Ah. Doesn’t ring a bell. Do we know him?”

Andrew turned a scowl on his brother. “I don’t give a bloody rat’s bum if we know him!”

Michael put his hands up in mock surrender. “Sorry,” he muttered and then, “So, what do you plan to do?”

“I have to get to Chloe,” Andrew said, taking a seat opposite his brother.

“And what of Elizabeth?”

Andrew sighed and dropped his face into his hands. What of Elizabeth? He had no choice, really. He wasn’t about to let Chloe marry some other man. And he certainly wasn’t going to let his child call that man Father.

Resigned, he stood and leveled his brother with a dark gaze. “I have to tell her the truth. She has to call off the wedding.”

A calculating gleam appeared in Michael’s eyes and Andrew was almost afraid to ask what he was thinking. But curiosity got the better of him.

“What?” he asked simply.

“Maybe you don’t have to tell her.”

Andrew snorted. “In which case I would have to marry her, and we’d be right back where we started.”

Michael leaned forward in his chair, his energy heightened. “No, Drew...what if I married her?”

Andrew’s mouth fell open. He loved his brother—they’d always gotten along and been there for one another in difficult times—but this went beyond brotherly devotion. One did not leg-shackle themselves for life without an ulterior motive. The sap really did care about her, didn’t he?

“You? You want to marry Elizabeth?”

Michael nodded. “That is to say, I wouldn’t mind marrying her.”

Andrew narrowed his eyes on his brother until Michael broke.

“Fine! I want to marry her. Are you satisfied?”

Andrew shook his head, trying to make sense of things. “Why didn’t you say anything before? I had my suspicions, but I would have—and will still—gladly step aside.”

With a beleaguered sigh, Michael leaned back against the leather armchair. “Of course you would, but it was you she chose. Not me. It’s frustrating. I’ve come to care for her. Deeply,” he admitted. “Actually, I’ve always cared for her. You just beat me to the punch when it came to proposing. Secretly, I was thrilled to take your place, and equally thrilled that your relationship with her was...well, chaste is probably the best way to put it. When I chased off Lord Edgmond—”

“Edgmond?”

“Yes, Edgmond. Benjamin was serious when he told you about him. And Elizabeth was awfully close to running off with the blackguard. It wasn’t until you—I—started showing her due attention that she ceased her flirtation with him.”

Andrew stared back at his brother dumbfounded. Why hadn’t he told him any of this? They could have saved themselves months of heartache and frustration. They could have told Elizabeth long ago, rather than on the eve of her wedding. Good Lord, they had to do something, or else all four of the parties involved would be miserable for the rest of their lives.

***

Saturday morning, Chloe woke to torrential rainfall outside her window, and in her house as well. The slats in their ceiling were in ill repair, and little puddles had formed on the floor throughout the cottage. She lit a candle to cut through the gloom—knowing her mother would be vexed with her for wasting them when it was light out—and glanced around the room.

Gracie still slept on the other side of the bed, but it sounded as though the rest of the house was already awake. Her little brother and sister could be heard dragging their wooden toys across the kitchen floor, while her mother hummed softly. She was preparing breakfast, if the wafting smells were any indication.

Chloe’s stomach grumbled as the scents of eggs and ham and toast mingled in the air and invaded her nose. She seemed to be hungry almost constantly these days.

But what was at the forefront of her mind was not really having breakfast, but rather a particular wedding that was to take place at this time the next morning. Her heart twisted painfully, and she fought the tears that sprang to her eyes. It would soon be over. Done. Andrew and Lizzie would be man and wife, and what little hope Chloe held onto would vanish.

In some ways it was good, she told herself. Now she could move on with her life, marry Louis and raise her child in a proper home. It pained her that she would never be able to tell her child who his real father was—that he would grow up thinking the fair-haired, milksop Louis Maltby was his father.

Stop it, Chloe! she chided herself. Louis was a good man, willing to do what few other men would do for her in her situation. He did not deserve such uncharitable thoughts.

No, she was going to have to face her destiny and move on. Sitting up in bed, she squared her shoulders and set her resolve. She would go about this day as if it were any other Saturday, and do her best to forget about what would happen in London the next morning.

“Gracie,” she whispered, gently shaking her sister. “Time to get up, dearie.”

Gracie mumbled incoherently and nuzzled further under the covers.

“Come on, Grace, let’s go help mama with breakfast.”

“You can help her,” came Grace’s muffled reply. “Let me know when it’s time to eat.”

Laughing, Chloe threw the covers from her sister, who promptly grabbed for them.

“Chloe, it’s freezing, give them back!”

Within moments, a full-fledged pillow fight had broken out, both girls giggling like children. Gracie was just about to bring her pillow down over Chloe’s head when she stopped short, her gaze fixed on something outside the window.

“What is it?” Chloe asked, trying to see what had captured her sister’s attention.

“It’s him.”

Chloe blinked, still trying to free her legs from the tangled bedclothes. “Him? You mean Louis?”

“No,” Gracie replied absently. “Look. It’s your Andrew.”

Chloe joined her sister at the window and watched as Andrew climbed from the carriage, followed by Michael.

“Who is that?” her sister wondered.

“That,” Chloe answered, “is Lord Michael, Lord Andrew’s twin brother. Though I can’t for the life of me fathom why they’re both here.”

“I can,” Gracie stated, turning to look Chloe in the eye.

Chloe stared back at her sister, hope filling her heart. Could she be right? Had Andrew come back to claim her? Had they found a solution to their conundrum?

“Well, don’t just stand there, you ninny!”

At Grace’s words, Chloe turned from the window and ran out of the room.

Twenty-Six

Andrew darted from his carriage toward the little cottage, Michael fast on his heels, ignoring the way his boots sank into the deep mud. He knocked and moments later the door swung open to reveal Chloe and her entire family staring back at him and his brother. There was a brief pause before Mrs. Clarke stepped forward to invite them in.

Like the Red Sea, the Clarkes parted to allow them entry into the tiny room. Chloe and her sister stood to the left, Mr. Clarke and his two sons to his right. Mrs. Clarke held her hands out to take their coats and hats, while the two youngest children clung to her skirts.

Andrew had never had the chance to meet Cassie and Jonathan, but he knew just by looking at them that they were delightful, as Chloe had said. They both had flaming red hair like Chloe's, and sweet faces. Though there was a hint of mischief there, which Andrew found endearing.

He turned back to Chloe. No one had said a word, but she finally ventured into the silence.

“Are you going to tell us what you’re doing here?”

Andrew met with her sparkling brown eyes. They were filled with hope. Good heavens, he had missed her. He hadn’t realized until that very moment just how much. His eyes swept over her, stopping briefly to take in the small bump below her bust. The place where his child grew.

Part of him wanted to run to her, to gather her in his arms and never let go. To breath her in and kiss her until neither of them could think straight. Another part of him needed to chastise her for not telling him—for leaving him in the dark and agreeing to marry another man. But he decided to wait for a more appropriate moment to do those things—a moment in which her entire family did not look on.

“We have a certain matter we wish to discuss with you...that is, if you aren’t too busy?”

A trace of a smile came to Chloe’s lips and then vanished with apprehension. Was it possible that she didn’t want him there? That she had actually fallen in love with this Maltby person?

“I’m sure I can spare a few moments of my time,” she replied and then turned to her family. “Do you mind?”

They all broke suddenly from their trance-like states and began bustling about the cottage. Made up excuses to gather bed linens or to consult a botany book left the trio alone within mere seconds.

The tension hung thick in the air as they stood there, staring silently at one another. Andrew wanted desperately to know what she was thinking, but he wanted even more to just hold her. To remember what it was like to have her in his arms. Without another thought, he closed the gap between them and reached a hand up to Chloe’s cheek. She leaned into it with a sigh, closing her eyes as she did so. Her breath was sweet, like she'd just eaten berries right off the vine. He wanted to taste her, but he had to have his questions answered first.

“Why?” he asked. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

She shook her head. “I-I don’t know. I suppose I thought you wouldn’t want to know.”

“Why would you ever think that?”

“Because...because Lizzie said...well, she made it seem like you were happy. Like you were excited to marry her.”

“I wasn’t,” he admitted, hating that Elizabeth had made her think such things when they weren’t true. “I was miserable. I spent every day thinking of you, hoping Elizabeth would cry off so I could come back to you. I only stayed away because you told me to. Because you made it seem as if you didn’t want me.”

She blinked up at him and he nearly melted at the pain in her eyes. “I thought I’d never see you again,” she admitted. “Or that if I did, you would be...you would...”

“Shhh,” he cajoled, finally pulling her to him. It was heaven to have her against him again — to feel her soft, feminine body pressed to him. “I’m here now. And I’m never going to leave you again. I promise.”

“But what about Lizzie?”

Andrew turned to regard his brother, who stood a few discreet feet away to allow them their moment. At his nod, Michael moved forward and cleared his throat.

“If I may?” Michael said.

Chloe pulled away from Andrew and looked from him to his brother. “Go on,” she prodded.

“Well, the thing is...ahem...what I mean to say is...you see-²

“He’s in love with your cousin,” Andrew blurted out, unable to take any more of his brother’s stuttering.

“In love?” Chloe’s jaw dropped and her eyes grew round. “How? When?”

“Always, actually,” Michael admitted.

“Well, that’s wonderful! And what does Lizzie say to all this?”

Andrew cast his brother a glance and then turned back to Chloe. “She doesn’t know yet. That’s why we’re here. We think we should all be present to explain.”

“All?”

Michael nodded. “Will you come back with us?”

***

Chloe wasn’t sure what to say to their request, but an unexpected interruption took her from her thoughts. At once, the three of them turned as the front door opened and a dark figure stepped through. There in the doorway stood a drenched Louis.

“Oh, good heavens,” she muttered, quite unable to believe the man’s poor timing.

His boots were muddy and the rest of him was soaked to the bone. Chloe tore her eyes from his dripping hem and met with his dark gaze.

“What is going on?” he asked, a confused frown marring his blond brows.

Chloe moved to step forward, but Andrew gently pushed her back and approached Louis.

“I take it you are Mr. Maltby?”

“I am,” Louis replied his voice tight. “I am Mrs. Hawthorne's betrothed, as well.”

“Well, I haven't received an answer yet, or even properly asked, but I’ve come to ask Chloe to marry me,” Andrew announced.

Chloe’s mouth dropped. Shouldn’t she have been the one to break things off with Louis? Andrew had no right to say such a thing to the man she was engaged to.

“Wait, Andrew-² She tried to intercede, but Louis was already on the rampage. He looked as if he might kill Andrew, and frankly, Chloe wasn’t surprised. She was tempted to give him a little cluck on the head herself.

The poor sap had waited years for Chloe to agree to marry him—he’d even run off so he wouldn’t have to watch her marry his best friend. But the reality of it, like it or not, was that she’d never really loved him in that way. Certainly she loved him as a friend—they’d known each other since they were mere children—but she’d only agreed to marry him because of her situation, not out of love.

“You’ll do no such thing,” Louis bellowed, bringing his boot nearly toe to toe with Andrew’s. “She’s agreed to marry me, and she will keep her promise.”

“I understand you have an agreement, Mr. Maltby, but I daresay the fact that she’s carrying my child holds a bit more sway than that.”

“You abandoned her!” Louis’s eyes grew round and wild with frustration.

Chloe looked to Andrew, waiting for his rebuttal to the accusation. His fists clenched and flexed at his sides and his nostrils flared ever so slightly, as if he were trying very hard to keep his temper in check. If Chloe didn’t step in soon, there would surely be bloodshed. She took a step forward, but Andrew cut her off when she was about to speak.

“I didn’t want to,” he said, his voice low and full of regret.

“That isn’t the point, is it? The point is that you left, and I stepped up. I’ve offered her a home and security—security from your sort.”

Sort?

“And what sort is that, pray tell?”

Louis sneered. “The sort that spend their time in their clubs and elite whorehouses, who squander money on ale and opium and depend on their elder, more responsible brothers to take care of them—to give them land and allowance—”
“Louis!” Chloe could take no more of this. “How dare you speak to Lord Andrew that way? You know nothing about him. Furthermore, he is a guest in my house and I will not have you speak that way to my guest!”

“Chloe, stay out of this,” Louis shot back, never once taking his eyes from Andrew.

Michael had been silent throughout the exchange, but clearly he couldn’t hold his tongue any longer. “Don’t tell the lady what to do.”

Andrew took a step closer to the man. He stood at least a head taller, but Louis didn’t seem to notice. His expression was as determined as ever.

“Or what?” Louis asked of Michael.

Louis’s tone had turned taunting, and Chloe knew she had to step in before Andrew and Michael pummeled him to the ground. She moved forward with the intent of wedging herself in between the men, but it was at that moment that Louis drew his hand back in a tight fist.

Before anyone knew what was happening, he delivered a startling blow to Chloe’s jaw. She staggered backwards right into Andrew. Her legs collapsed beneath her. Andrew caught her under her arms and eased her to the ground, while Louis stood there, dumbfounded by what he’d done.

“Oh, dear God,” she heard him mutter faintly as Andrew cradled her head.

“Chloe, are you all right? Can you hear me?”

She looked up at Andrew and gave a slight nod. Though her jaw hurt like the dickens, she was really more stunned than anything.

“Oh, God, I’m sorry, darling! It was meant for him, not for you—never for you! I’m so very sorry.” Louis dropped to his haunches and cupped Chloe’s jaw.

She winced from the contact and Louis drew back with more apologies. She could barely see through the tears of shock that filled her eyes, but all of a sudden, despite the pain and awkwardness of the moment, Chloe started to laugh. She knew there was nothing truly funny about the situation—good heavens it was the antithesis of funny. But she couldn’t help herself. How in the world had she ended up pregnant, with two suitors and a blow to her jaw?

“Chloe, are you all right?” Andrew ventured sweetly, his brow etched with concern. Clearly, he thought she’d lost her mind.

“I-I’m sorry,” she sputtered, wiping tears from her cheeks. “I was just thinking how absurd this whole thing is...can you help me up, please?”

“Of course.” Andrew held one of her hands firmly and locked his other hand around her waist to hoist her up from the floor.

She looked back and forth between the two men, knowing her decision, but hating to have to break Louis’s heart yet again.

“Andrew,” she looked up at him with pleading eyes, “could you and Michael give us just a moment?”

With a wary look for Louis, the brothers made their way to the other side of the room and took seats by the window. It wasn’t ideal—the cottage offered very little in the way of privacy—but it would have to do thanks to the deluge outside.

She took a deep breath and settled her eyes on Louis. Poor, thwarted Louis.

“Louis,” she said quietly, taking a step towards him, “you know I will always think of you as a dear, dear friend.”
“Stop, Chloe. You can’t do this to me.”

Oh, dear. He was not going to give up very easily, was he?

“But I must.”

“No.” His voice turned desperate, insistent. “I have waited years for you, Chloe. Through Sam, and then Eleanor...I used to pretend she was you, you know?”

Chloe’s heart stopped and she thought she might be ill. He didn’t mean—no, he couldn’t. That would be far too perverse. Besides, it didn’t matter. She was going to marry Andrew and nothing he said could make her change her mind.

“Louis, I think you should-²

“He doesn’t love you, Chloe,” he interrupted. “He could never love you like I do.”

“Just the same,” she replied, her tone becoming clipped with agitation, “I think it’s time for you to leave, Louis.”

He opened his mouth to protest again, but Andrew cut him off. He stood just behind Chloe. She could feel his warmth and welcomed the comfort it offered. Rarely had she been so unnerved in her entire life. Desperation obviously did odd things to a person, and she wasn't entirely comfortable with what it had done to her childhood friend.

“You heard what she said, Mr. Maltby,” came Andrew’s low, threatening tones. “It’s time for you to go.”

With one last dejected look at Chloe, Louis flung open the door, stepped through it and slammed it behind him.

Twenty-Seven

Once they were alone, Chloe tipped her face up to Andrew, reveling in his presence. Lord, how lonely she had been. How utterly frightened and confused she’d been even just that morning. But in an instant, her life had changed, and for the better, no less. She would finally get the happy ending she’d always dreamed of.

Andrew brought his hand to her face and leaned down to kiss her again. His lips were firm and coaxing, and the pain in her jaw seemed to melt away with every stroke of his tongue.

“Ahem!”

“Oh, goodness,” she said, pulling away from Andrew and turning to his brother. “Sorry, Michael.”

“No bother,” he replied lightly. “However, we do have a slight crisis on our hands. If you can pull yourselves apart for a moment, perhaps we can come to some kind of conclusion?”

“Of course.” Andrew pulled away and led Chloe to the kitchen table. The three of them sat and began to work out their plan. Her stomach coiled into a tight knot at the thought of telling Lizzie the truth. She had done unspeakable things to her cousin, and now she would have to come clean.

How careless she had been! Deceptive and wanton. Goodness, how she hoped Lizzie would somehow find it in her heart to forgive her and give her blessing on their union.

“What say you, Chloe?”

Chloe looked up and realized they’d been plotting without her. “Sorry, what was that?”

“Will you come? I’m afraid we have to get going as soon as possible-²

“No,” she said, making up her mind. “This is what we should do. Michael, Andrew, you need to confess all to Lizzie without my being there. I know I should face up to my cousin, but not now. Not when the entire ton is looking on. It cannot seem that I’ve anything to do with this.”

“What do you mean?” Andrew wondered, leaning across the table.

“What I mean is that if I’m there, pregnant, and Michael is suddenly marrying Lizzie...I don’t know, I just think that it will be easier on everyone if I’m not there. Then, Andrew, you can go to their wedding, offer your support, and let everyone know that you stepped down in the name of love.”
The brothers exchanged a glance and then looked back to her. “And then what?” Michael asked.

“And then,” Chloe began, “you bring Lizzie here and I will beg her forgiveness, I suppose.”

“What if she doesn’t give it? What then?”

Chloe looked up at Andrew and swallowed. “Then we will have to live with that.” She took his hand and squeezed. “I’m not going to let you go again. Not ever.”

Andrew squeezed back and then lifted her fingers to his lips. “Good,” he replied. “You would have a devil of a time getting rid of me anyway.”

After a few minutes more of discussion, the men stood to depart. Chloe watched from the doorway as they darted back through the rain to the waiting carriage and drove down the lane.

Please let Lizzie forgive me, she prayed, and then turned back inside to tell her family the good news.

***

Andrew and Michael rode through the rain in silence. Thankfully the main roads were not yet flooded, and they made it back to London before nightfall. Andrew instructed the driver to take them straight to Elizabeth’s townhouse. It was best to get it over with as soon as possible. The wedding was in less than fourteen hours, after all.

The butler begrudgingly let them in and bid them wait in the foyer until he could speak with Elizabeth and fetch them towels. The rain was so fierce that they had gotten drenched in the short walk from the carriage. No doubt, the butler was not pleased that they were dripping on the tile floor of the entryway. Or that they smelled like wet dogs.

After several minutes, he reappeared with the promised towels and waited while they dried themselves sufficiently. Then he led them to the drawing room.

“Lady Elizabeth will be along momentarily,” he assured them before closing the door behind him.

Silence ensued. Clearly Michael was as nervous as he was, if not more. He had a great deal to lose in this situation. If Elizabeth did not accept him, he would be heartbroken, Andrew was sure of it. Though she had just as much to lose in not accepting him, for Andrew had no other choice but to break the engagement now. Chloe carried his child, and he was determined to marry her no matter what.

The door creaked open then and Elizabeth stepped through, her brow etched with concern.

“Andrew?” she said tentatively. “What is the matter?”

She stepped further into the room as he and Michael stood and then gestured that they should all sit. Once they’d settled, she asked again, “Has something happened?”

Andrew nodded. “Indeed, it has,” he said gravely. “We’ve just been to Essex. We paid a visit to your kin there.”

“Chloe?” She reached out and grabbed Andrew’s hand. “Oh, dear, has something happened? Is it the baby?”

“No, no, nothing like that,” he assured her. “Everyone is fine and in good health. But there is another matter we must discuss.”
Andrew tossed a glance to his brother and Elizabeth followed with her gaze.

“You see, Elizabeth,” Andrew said, drawing her attention back to him, “Michael and I have been masquerading as something other than we are.”

Elizabeth’s brow furrowed once more with confusion. Damn, but this was hard to say. He supposed he ought to just come right out and say it, rather than try to circumvent the issue.

“We’ve been switching places...often.”

No one made a sound as they waited for the implication of his words to sink in. But after nearly a minute of silence Andrew couldn’t take it anymore.

“Aren’t you going to say something?”

“I...I’m not sure what to say. I don’t know that I understand.”

“It was me,” Michael finally spoke. “It was me who kissed you in the garden at the masquerade ball. And it was Andrew who was in the country with your cousin.”

“You?” Elizabeth looked at Michael, seemingly unable to comprehend what he had said. “You were the one who kissed me? Who...” A blush came to her cheeks. “Good Lord,” she whispered.

A few more moments of silence passed before Andrew spoke again. “Elizabeth, it was me in the country. With your cousin.”

“With my...” Realization seemed to dawn and her mouth gaped open. “Oh, Lord,” she said again. “The baby...it’s not...Lord, have mercy.”

Panic settled on Elizabeth’s features and Andrew cast a glance at his brother. What were they to do now? She was about to dissolve into hysterics.

“But the wedding!” she shrieked all of a sudden. “What about the wedding?” She glanced at the clock. “Oh, Lord, thirteen hours! In thirteen hours three hundred guests will arrive at St. George’s to find that I’ve been jilted!”

Andrew and Michael both leapt from their seats and crossed to where Elizabeth had begun to pace in front of the fireplace.

“Not at all,” Andrew said. “I never planned to jilt you and if there were not a perfectly acceptable solution, I would never have even broached the subject.”

Elizabeth turned her gaze on him, an incredulous frown in her blue eyes. “Really? So you would have married me, knowing my cousin’s child was yours, and lived unhappily ever after with me? Well, thank you, but I would never want that. And you’re a fool-² she poked his chest with one bony finger “—if you think—” she poked again “—that I would ever want that!” Poke, poke, poke.

He fought the urge to grab her wrists. He deserved whatever derision she threw his way, but her finger was bloody bony!

“Elizabeth,” Michael said, drawing her attention away from Andrew. “I know you’re angry, and you have every right to be, but if you will just hear us out...”

She seemed to calm somewhat at Michael’s request, but that didn’t stop her pouting.

“Fine,” she said, sticking out her bottom lip. “Go ahead.”

Michael gestured to the seating area once again. He needed to sit for this. Once they settled though, he jumped from his chair, unable to keep still.

He paced in much the same manner as Elizabeth had as he started to speak. “I know that this all comes as quite a shock, but well...I am willing to take my brother’s place and marry you in the morning.”

There. He’d said it. He breathed a sigh of relief, feeling better already.

“Why?”

“Why?” He turned an incredulous gaze on Elizabeth. “To preserve your reputation of course!”

She shook her head and Michael’s blood began to boil. Was she really going to question him at a time like this? She should be bloody grateful for his offer, not make inane inquiries.

“That can’t be all, Michael. I mean, you do realize what marriage means, don’t you? It is for life. This is not just some game-²

“Game?” His temper snapped. He stalked to her chair and glowered down at her. “Do you think I was playing a game when I kissed you in the garden?”
“Yes!” she cried, coming out of her seat. “What else am I to think? You were parading about as your brother, kissing me at liberty, lying to me about your identity so that he could have an affair with my cousin. If it wasn’t a game, then what, pray tell, would you call it?”

Michael seethed in silence. She had a point. It had certainly started out as a game, but it didn’t feel like one anymore. Games were fun, and this was anything but.

Perhaps he should take a different approach—tell her that he’d developed feelings for her and that he truly wanted to marry her. That he wasn’t just doing it for his brother’s sake. But he wasn’t about to reveal his true motives. Not with Andrew looking on, and not until he was sure she reciprocated.

And what if she never reciprocates? He tamped down the little voice in his head that drove doubts into his thoughts. He couldn’t think about that right now. She simply needed time. At least that’s what he hoped.

Resigned, he sat down and rubbed his thumb and forefinger along his brows to relieve the tension that had built there.

“I don’t think this is a game,” he finally answered. “But the truth is, had my brother not offered for you when he did, I would have. I care about you as a friend, and I care about your reputation. Furthermore, I think, if nothing else, we could have a peaceful marriage, based on our long-standing friendship.”

Elizabeth listened intently, and it appeared she might soften and accept his suit, but when she opened her mouth, her words were cold as ice.

“How do you plan to pull this off? What of the marriage license? And how will we trick the ton into thinking this is what we wanted, and not something that was forced upon us?”

Michael procured the piece of parchment from his breast pocket and held it out for Elizabeth. She took it and read it.

“What if I say no?” she wondered as she stared at the special license.

“Then you will face ruin,” Andrew offered. “This way, it will look as if I’ve stepped aside in the name of love. I will be there tomorrow to offer my support of your union and then I will go away and marry Chloe as discreetly as possible so as not to arouse suspicions. We will stay away until well after the baby is born. No one will suspect a thing, I assure you.”

Elizabeth nodded her head, clearly trying to come to grips with her fate. Michael hated that he had to strong-arm her into marriage to him. He would have preferred to woo her, to tell her that he loved her, and have her agree to marry him based on a mutual love. But things didn’t always go as planned.

“Well, then,” Michael said solemnly as he stood, “I will see you at the altar.”

Twenty-Eight

Andrew stood at the front of St. George’s Cathedral the next morning with a beaming smile on his face. It was a lovely day for a wedding. The sun was bright in the sky, birds could be heard chirping away just beyond the stained glass windows, and a light breeze blew in from the back, carrying whispers from curious attendees.

“I thought she was marrying the other one...” was the most common of statements today, but Andrew didn’t care. They could talk all they wanted about him giving up his bride for Michael. All he cared about was that ultimately, their crisis had been averted and Chloe would finally be his.

Elizabeth walked down the aisle toward Michael, but her veil was too thick to determine if she was happy or not. Andrew wondered if they had done the right thing, but only briefly. His elation at his own luck was too overwhelming for him to get down for too long.

He tried to be patient during the vows, but he was itching to just be done with all of it. He had a great many things to tend to before he could run off to Essex to retrieve his bride. He wished he could go straight there, but if they were to disappear until after the baby was born, he would have to tie up his loose ends in the city. Furthermore, he wouldn’t be able to meet with his solicitor until tomorrow, and absolutely nothing could go forward without meeting with his solicitor.

So, he stopped his fidgeting and tried to relax through the rest of the ceremony. When the reverend announced that Michael could kiss his bride, Andrew finally got a good look at Elizabeth’s face.

She looked neither happy nor sad—simply indifferent to the events. Guilt stabbed at his gut, but there was nothing to be done now. What would he do anyway? They were already married. He could only hope for the best, for Michael's sake.

It wasn’t until the wedding breakfast that all the questions began to pile in from his family, or more specifically, from the Lionesses.

“What on earth happened, Andrew?” Katherine asked, clearly eager to hear every last juicy detail.

Andrew shrugged nonchalantly. “When Michael told me that he was in love with her, well...what could I do? I wasn’t in love with her. And she wasn’t in love with me either,” he added. “We look alike and are of equal station, so it didn't seem to matter to Elizabeth either way.”

“Yes, but, are you not the least bit worried about your own reputation?” Phoebe put in. “People are already starting to whisper of how heartbroken you must be.”

Andrew only chuckled. “The ton may say whatever they wish. The truth is that I couldn’t be happier for myself, or for my brother.”

His sisters regarded him curiously. Clearly they were confused as to how he could be so very happy under such circumstances. But now was not the time to tell them about Chloe. Too many people were about, and he couldn’t risk any more gossip. He would tell Benjamin when they were alone and garner the support of his family in private.

For now, he would continue to evade his family’s inquiries.

As he circulated the ballroom, it became evident that the Lionesses were not the only ones talking about the situation. The whispering would cease whenever someone thought he was in earshot of their conversation. Pitying glances followed him wherever he went. Good God, he had to get out of there.

He found his brother and Elizabeth tucked into an alcove of the ballroom, clearly carrying on a private conversation. If he had not been looking, he wouldn't have even noticed them there.

Andrew approached cautiously, not meaning to eavesdrop, but eavesdropping nonetheless.

“I will not discuss this now. The matter is closed. Now I would very much like to return to the party.”

“Elizabeth, please. She only wants to apologize. Just come to Essex so we can all talk about this.”

“What on earth is there to talk about?” she asked, and her voice cracked a bit.

“Will you not give her your forgiveness?”

There was a pause and then Elizabeth finally said, “I do forgive her, and you may send that message along with Andrew. But I will not go to Essex. I do not wish to see her yet.”

“Pardon me.” Andrew stepped into the alcove to join them. They both turned, seemingly not surprised to see him there. “I will certainly pass along your message, Elizabeth. And, thank you. However, I do believe the two of you will wish to go somewhere.”

“What do you mean?” Elizabeth seemed alarmed at the prospect of leaving London, but Andrew knew neither of them would be happy if they stayed.

“The rumors are already in full swing, even here, amongst your friends and family. I dare say an extended honeymoon would be a good idea.”

“And where do you suggest we go on such short notice?”

Andrew tossed a glance at his brother. “Scotland. The estate was being prepared for...for you and I, Elizabeth.”

“Good,” Michael said with a note of finality. “We'll leave first thing tomorrow, then. Thank you, Andrew.”

With a nod of his head, Andrew muttered, “Many felicitations,” and then disappeared out the nearest door of Eastleigh Manor.

***

“Are they gone?” Andrew asked, poking his head into his older brother’s study.

“They left hours ago. You’re safe.” Benjamin signed off on a document and then finally looked up at Andrew. “I suppose you’re here to tell me what happened.”

Andrew took a seat across from his brother after pouring himself a glass of scotch. “Yes, but there is a great deal more to the story than you might think. Have you got the time?”

“I’m all ears, Drew.”

Andrew nosed his whisky, garnering courage from its potent smell, and with a deep breath, launched into the whole, sordid tale of how Michael came to be the one married to Elizabeth. And how Chloe came to be pregnant with his baby. Benjamin remained quiet and never once passed judgment on Andrew for what had transpired. How could he? He had certainly met with his own bit of scandal in the past.

When Andrew finished the story, Benjamin sat back in his chair and exhaled. “So, what now?” he asked.

“Well, I’ve met with my solicitor this morning. I have money enough to buy us a home, and her parents as well, but the problem is finding one on such short notice. I could bring her to London, but under the circumstances that’s probably not the best idea.”
“No, certainly not.”

“I would accept one of the family estates, but the empty ones are in the north. I hate to take her family so far from home. So, you see, I need your help.”

“Well,” Benjamin said, standing to his feet, “it’s not me you need, really. But I do know someone who can help you.”
Andrew looked up at his brother, not daring to dream. Benjamin said nothing. He simply walked from the room.

“Well, are you coming?” he asked, popping his head back around the door. “I was under the impression this was a time sensitive situation.”

Andrew needed no further prodding. He jumped from his chair and followed his brother from Eastleigh House.

***

Tuesday morning a letter arrived for Chloe. She tore it open, eager for news from Andrew. She was somewhat disappointed as the note was brief and very to the point.

My dearest Chloe,

I regret that I haven’t time to explain yesterday’s festivities in detail, but rest assured everything went as planned. I will be there by the week’s end. Please tell your family to begin packing their things.

With all my love,

Andrew

Pack their things? What on earth was he talking about? She reread the note to make sure she hadn’t missed something, and went so far as to turn it over as well. Nothing. It was still just the few short lines, detailing very little.

Just the same, she did as he said and told her family to begin packing their personal belongings.

“Why on earth would we need to pack?” her mother asked. “It’s not as if the whole lot of us can go on your wedding trip.”

Good Lord, was that what he was planning? No. He would never do such a thing.

“I don’t know, mama, but we should pack just in case.”

***

The following afternoon, Chloe received yet another minuscule piece of correspondence from Andrew.

Dearest Chloe,

Secure the vicar for Sunday and prepare a bouquet of forget-me-nots. I will see you on Friday.

Yours,

Andrew

“May I come in?”

Chloe quickly folded the letter and shoved it in her pocket before looking up to greet Louis, who stood in the doorway of the cottage. She couldn’t say she was entirely surprised to see him. Somehow she’d known he would come back, if for no other reason than to make sure she wasn’t permanently damaged from his blow three days ago.

“Oh, Louis, do come in,” she said as she moved to clear the mess from luncheon.

“I just wanted to make sure you were all right.” He moved into the room and Chloe backed away. “I won’t do it again,” he said with a sheepish grin.

Chloe laughed in spite of herself. “I know, Louis.” She plopped into a kitchen chair and gestured for Louis to do the same.

“Please say you don’t hate me, Chloe. I don’t know that I could live without your forgiveness. I can’t imagine what came over me.”

“I know.” Chloe nodded. “And I do forgive you. But that doesn’t change things.”

“I saw him leave here shortly after I did,” he said. “I assumed perhaps you had sent him away as well.”

Chloe saw the hope in Louis’s eyes and her heart ached for the man. She just couldn’t give him what he wanted.

“No,” she whispered with a shake of her head. “He simply...had some things to take care of. He will return, Louis, and when he does, we will be married.”

“But I love you, Chloe.” Louis’s voice rose with a frightening passion.

“Yes, I know you do,” she replied. “But I don’t love you, Louis.”

She took his hand and gave it a slight squeeze. When he looked up at her, she could see there were tears in his eyes.

Chloe hated herself for being so blunt, but what choice did she have? She could no longer lead him on a string, and she certainly couldn’t marry him just to have someone to care for her and the baby. Especially now that Andrew was going to make things right for them.

Guilt surfaced again over the situation, but she tamped it down quickly. Lizzie would forgive her one day. Chloe just hoped it would be sooner rather than later.

But she understood Louis’s pain, and how lonely life could be. The months after Sam's death were the worst of her life. The feelings of loss, of overwhelming loneliness, had threatened to swallow her whole. However, she had known there was hope. That life had a way of working itself out, of bringing that thing or person that you never thought could be yours.

“Oh, Louis, you will find someone one day who is worthy of you. Who will love you and who you will love in return, so much that you'll think you're heart might burst with it.”

“I already feel that way. For you, Chloe.”

“Louis,” she ventured. “I am so sorry. I wish I could love you, truly I do. And Lord knows I’ve tried. But you must believe me when I say that I value you and your friendship and, horrible as this may sound, I am quite flattered by your affections.”

Louis grinned and gave a little sniff of disbelief.

“Your kindness will never be forgotten,” Chloe promised.

He stood then and let go of her hand. He said nothing, but nodded, clearly trying to keep his tears at bay.

Chloe choked back her own tears. Though she did not love him, it was never easy to say good-bye.

Louis walked to the door and opened it, but turned back to face her once more. “Promise me one thing, Chloe?” he asked.

She nodded for him to go on.

“If you ever find yourself in trouble again, promise you’ll come to me.”

Chloe was warmed by his concern for her and she solemnly nodded her consent. Though she knew in her heart that she would never have to take him up on that particular offer.

***

Just after dawn on Friday morning, a caravan of stately coaches drove up the lane and parked in front of the Clarke cottage. Chloe and Grace, having a room at the front of the house, were the first to hear the horses as they clopped to a stop.

“What is going on?” Gracie wondered as she Chloe stared out the window.

“I have no idea. But the Wetherbys certainly travel in style, don’t they?”

Curiosity fueled them as they dressed quickly and then ran down the stairs to the front door. By the time they arrived, the entire Wetherby clan, save Michael and Lizzie, had alighted the carriages and were gathered in the drive, talking animatedly about their trip.

Chloe caught sight of Andrew and went to him. “What is going on?” she asked with a smile.

“Good morning, darling,” he greeted her, planting a swift kiss on her cheek. “We’ve come to retrieve you and your family. Are you all packed?”

“Well, yes-”

“Good! Tell your family to start loading their personal belongings in the last two carriages—they’re meant for cargo.”

“Why is the whole family here, Andrew?”

“For our wedding, of course. You did reserve the vicar for tomorrow, did you not?”

“Yes, but-”

“No buts, young lady. Now, go and get your things.”

“Andrew,” Chloe said with a laugh. “Will you not tell me what this is all about?”

He tapped her on the nose and gave her a wink. “You shall see soon enough, my dear. Now go and get your things.”

***

Once the Clarkes’ belongings had been loaded and everyone was safely secured in the traveling coaches, Andrew instructed his driver to lead the way.

A broad smile spread across his face as he put an arm around Chloe’s shoulders. He’d never been so happy in all his life.

“What are you grinning about?” she whispered, clearly uncomfortable with his display of affection in front of his sister and her husband.

“Oh, nothing,” he replied lightly.

“Are you not going to tell me where we’re going or why my family had to pack up their things?”

“No. I’m not.”

“Never fear, darling,” the duchess piped up. “It is a most pleasant surprise.”

A comfortable silence reigned over the rest of the ride. Andrew stole fleeting glances at his bride-to-be, hardly able to believe that in two short days she would officially be his. Not even a week ago, he was resigned to spending the rest of his life with a woman he didn’t love. How benevolent the gods of love are.

An hour later the caravan pulled up to a long, tree-lined drive. Andrew watched as Chloe leaned forward to see out the window. The lawn and the flowers that adorned it were breathtaking, but Andrew didn’t see any of it. He only saw his beautiful Chloe as her eyes lit in wonder and disbelief.

“Andrew,” she began tentatively, “what is this?”

“This-” He waved his hand expansively at the land and the massive manor that loomed before them “-is our new home. And that-” He pointed to a somewhat smaller house to the right “-is your family’s new home.”

Chloe’s jaw dropped as her head swung around to face him. “What?”

He had to laugh at her expression. She was clearly speechless, and it pleased him greatly that he was the reason.

“A gift,” the Duke of Weston put in, “from Katherine and myself.”
“A gift?” Chloe echoed in disbelief.

“A gift in the sense that Weston here suggested I buy it from him,” Andrew added, not wanting his bride to think they’d be living off charity.

Weston laughed and grabbed his wife’s hand. “Touché.”

“But...my family. Our home? What will my father think of all this?”

“It wasn’t easy, I’ll grant you that,” Andrew replied to her musings. “Your father was resistant at first. But we’ve agreed on a position for him here, and he will pay rent for the house.”

“A position? You mean you’ve spoken with him?”

“Through messengers, yes. Though I made him promise not to let on. I wanted to surprise you.”

“And what will he do here?”

“He will serve as stable master, and look after my prized thoroughbreds. I hear your father has quite a way with horses, though your financial situation has not allowed him to work with them in many years.”

The carriage went quiet again and Andrew grew nervous. Chloe just stared out the window, her mouth still agape.

“Do you like it?” he ventured.

She turned to him, her brown eyes twinkling, and nodded. Then, without warning, she threw her arms around his neck.

“Thank you,” she whispered in his ear. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

Twenty-Nine

“Andrew?”

Chloe poked her head around the corner of Andrew's new study to find him hunched over, covering his eyes.

“Andrew, what are you doing?”

“I'm not supposed to see you before the wedding, you ninny! What do you think you're doing here?”

Chloe laughed and moved further into the room. “I thought the rule was that you weren't supposed to see me in my wedding gown before the wedding.”

There was a pause while Andrew contemplated this. “Are you certain?” he finally asked.

“No. But now I know that you're a superstitious softwit.”

Andrew finally looked up, his jaw unhinged with incredulity. “Well, that's not a very nice thing to say, is it?”

“Will you ever forgive me?”

“I will try,” he replied, coming to his feet and moving to wrap his arms around Chloe. She took a deep breath as he embraced her, still unable to believe they were going to be married that afternoon. “So, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be getting ready?”

“It's too early yet. Besides, there is something I would like for us to do...something I need to do before we marry.”

Andrew's brow furrowed and Chloe reached up to soothe it with her fingers. “You needn't look so concerned. I simply wanted to ask if you would join me to visit Sam. I just...I feel as if...”

“Say no more, my dear girl,” Andrew said as he pulled her tightly to him. “I will see that the horses are readied.”

A half hour later, the pair mounted their horses—lovingly prepared by an elated Mr. Clarke—and set off on the ten-mile trip to where Sam was buried next to their old parish church. They reached their destination in less than an hour and tied the horses to the wrought-iron gate surrounding the tiny church graveyard.

Chloe took in a deep breath of cool, morning air before walking through the gate. She hadn't visited Sam's grave since before she'd left for London, and a part of her felt guilty for that. She had clung to him for so long, not wanting to let him go, but it had been easier to do than she anticipated. So easy that she completely forgot to visit him anymore.

Nonetheless, she couldn't avoid seeing him today. She needed to tell him. She needed his blessing, though she wasn't sure how she would know if she had received it.

Andrew took her gently by the elbow and followed her lead through the graveyard. Sam's plot was toward the back under a low-hanging poplar tree, so it was always showered with tiny white flowers in the spring. They paused when they stood just a few feet in front of Sam's stone, and Chloe could already feel the tears rising up to choke her. She didn't mean to cry—she didn't want to, especially not in front of Andrew. On their wedding day. Over her first husband. But she couldn't stop the tears.

She didn't cry because she missed Sam. She had come to terms with the fact that he wasn't coming back ages ago. Chloe cried because she was finally moving on with her life, but that didn't mean that she would forget Sam. He would always be in her heart. She would always remember him for the best friend that he was to her in childhood. She would remember him as her first love, her first lover, and her first husband.

Andrew squeezed her shoulders from behind and planted a kiss on the back of her head. “I'll be right over there if you need me,” he said, pointing to a spot on the other side of the yard, then he walked away to give Chloe time alone with Sam.

Wiping her eyes, she dropped to her knees and stared at the headstone. It read a poem by Lord Byron that Chloe had thought appropriate for a gravestone.

Samuel Aaron Hawthorne

12 November 1800—3 February 1820

So, we'll go no more a roving

So late into the night,

Though the heart be still as loving,

And the moon be still as bright.

For the sword outwears its sheath,

And the soul wears out the breast,

And the hearth must pause to breathe,

And love itself have rest.

Though the night was made for loving,

And the days return too soon,

Yet we'll go no more a roving

By the light of the moon.

“Oh, Sam,” she said at last, after reading the poem again. “I've come to speak with you, for I have an important question to ask you. I do hope you can hear me, and if you can, well, I hope you'll be able to give me some sort of sign of your approval...or disapproval, as the case may be.” She paused and looked around. Andrew was leaning against the gate at the far side of the graveyard and he gave her a little smile before she turned back to the headstone. “Sam, I'm getting married today. His name is Andrew Wetherby, and he is a wonderful man. He is thoughtful and generous...and he loves me. You can't begin to know the half of what we've been through, but you see, I'm carrying his child. Yes, I know I should have waited until we were married—or at least until he had broken off his engagement to Lizzie—but...well, I love him too. And we just got carried away. And frankly, I'm rather glad we did.

“I know you don't need to hear all this, but I feel as if I should tell you. I want you to know that I have never stopped loving you, and likely never will. For a long time I thought it would be impossible for me to love another man, but as it turns out, there is room in my heart for you both.

“So, please...if you can hear me—if there is anyway for you to give me a sign—I would very much like to have your blessing.”

The sound of boots crunching through the gravel reached Chloe's ears as they grew closer to her. She thought it was Andrew at first, but then she realized there were two sets of footsteps.

“Chloe?” came a woman's voice. A voice Chloe hadn't heard in some time. A voice that made her dissolve into a puddle of sobs.

She buried her face in her hands, but she couldn't turn around. She couldn't look at them, though she knew they were the sign. Sam had sent them to her, and his decision would lie on their tongues.

When she finally found the strength to lift her head and pick herself up off the ground, she met with the familiar faces of Mrs. and Mrs. Hawthorne, Sam's mother and father. Andrew was at her side in an instant, exchanging somber greetings with the Hawthornes.

And then she was engulfed in Mrs. Hawthorne's arms. “Oh, Chloe, we've missed you so. Are you all right, dear?”

Chloe nodded, taking deep breaths to try and gain back her composure. Goodness, she hadn't expected such an emotional morning.

“I am well...very well, actually, though you wouldn't know it by looking at me.” She took Andrew's hand and gave a weak smile. “I am getting married today.”

Mrs. Hawthorne gave a little gasp and there was a moment of silence as they waited to see if it was a gasp of shock or excitement.

“Oh, Chloe, that is wonderful news.”

“It is?” Chloe asked, surprised.

Mrs. Hawthorne nodded and looked to her husband, then back to Chloe. “We weren't planning on coming here today. We usually come during the week, when there are no services. But Mr. Hawthorne said he had an inclination to come here this morning, and so here we are. I don't doubt for a minute that Sam wanted us to be here in order to hear your good news.”

Chloe choked back more tears. She was going to look a fright walking down the aisle that afternoon if she didn't stop crying. “Then you think he would be happy for me?” she asked.

“Oh, Chloe,” Mrs. Hawthorne sighed. “All Sam ever wanted was for you to be happy. Dear, if marrying this fine-looking gentleman here makes you happy, then rest assured, Sam is beaming with joy for you today.”

At that, Chloe didn't even bother trying to hold her tears in. “Oh, thank you! Both of you,” she said as she embraced them both.

After a tearful good-bye, she and Andrew left the graveyard, and rode back home, toward their new life together.

***

Andrew beamed with a pride unlike any he’d ever felt before as he watched Chloe, with her slightly bulging stomach, walk through the local parish church toward him. She wore an ivory gown and a lace veil and carried a small bouquet of forget-me-nots in her hands. But it was her smile that made him weak in the knees. A smile he missed every day after she sent him away, but one he’d never have to miss again.

His heart was so full as he stood there, her hands in his, as they recited vows to one another in the company of their families.

Well, most of their family, anyhow. He wondered how Michael was faring with his new bride. Elizabeth could be a formidable woman and he hoped she wasn’t giving his brother too hard of a time over the circumstances. He tried not to laugh at that thought—he was, after all, in the middle of his own wedding—but Chloe clearly sensed something was amiss by the way she narrowed her eyes at him. He could tell she made a mental note to ask him about it after the ceremony.

But it wasn’t until well after the wedding breakfast, after all the guests had gone home, and the sun was setting over the horizon that she had a chance to ask him.

“Are you going to tell me why you were grinning like a little boy on Christmas morning during our vows?” she asked as she nestled against him in front of the fire.

They had driven halfway through Kent and were now ensconced in a lovely little room at a roadside inn. Tomorrow they would go the rest of the way to the Dover coast, but tonight, they would enjoy just being alone together in the rustic little room.

“Would you believe me if I told you that I was simply overcome with joy?” he asked, his brows raised in invitation for her to challenge him.

“No,” she replied without hesitation. “You were clearly thinking about something else.”

He chuckled and pulled her tighter against him. She brought his hand to her belly and he nearly jumped when something kicked his hand.

“Good God, was that the baby?” he asked, amazed at what he’d just felt.

Chloe laughed, that sweet laugh he loved so much. “I hate to disappoint you, but it’s too soon for that.”

“Then what the bloody hell was I feeling?”

“I’m afraid that’s our wedding breakfast. I’m certain I overdid it on the sweet meats.”

Andrew laughed, conceding that he too had eaten a bit too much that afternoon. “Well, will you please inform me when it is the baby?”

She turned and planted a kiss on his lips. “Our baby.”

“Our baby,” he repeated and then kissed her again, hungry to taste her.

But she pulled away suddenly with a mocking grin. “So?”

“So?”

She rolled her eyes. “So, what were you thinking about when you should have been thinking about our vows?”

“Ah,” he said, ready to confess. “I was just wondering how Michael and your cousin were faring. Elizabeth was rather indifferent the morning of the wedding, it was hard to know what she was thinking.”

Chloe remained suspiciously quiet for a moment too long.

“You little minx!” Andrew exclaimed, pulling away to look her in the eye.

“What?” she laughed.

“You know something, don’t you?”

“Of course, not. I haven’t heard a thing!”

“Show me your fingers,” Andrew demanded.

“This is ridiculous.”

“Show. Me. Your. Fingers.”

With a bashful grin, Chloe lifted her hands to reveal that she had two of her fingers crossed.

“You naughty girl,” Andrew growled playfully. “I’m afraid you’ll have to be spanked for such deplorable behavior as keeping vital secrets from your husband.”

Chloe giggled as Andrew tried to pick her up for a spanking.

“I’m getting to be as large as a house, Andrew!” she laughed. “You can’t spank me.”

Andrew stopped and grew serious for only a moment. “You are beautiful...and I will find a way to spank you, regardless of your size.”

With that, Andrew carried his wife to the little inn bed, reveling in the glorious sound of her laughter all the way. She was finally his. His to love and cherish for the rest of his life.

Epilogue

“Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!”

“Sam, no!”

Chloe looked up from her desk, wondering what on earth all the commotion in the front hall was. It didn't worry her so much—commotion was a normal part of her every day life now—but she was curious what in the world her three-year-old daughter was doing to drive poor Mrs. Finch mad this time.

She stood and left the parlor and followed the sounds of Sam's giggling to the front hall. There Chloe found her daughter lying on the marble floor, rolling about and laughing like a miniature hyena.

“Samantha, what have you done?”

“I keep tellin' her not to slide down the banisters, milady, but-”

“She is her father's daughter,” Chloe finished for her. It seemed she uttered that sentence at least a hundred times a day.

“Indeed, she is.”

Chloe swung around to see her husband standing in the doorway. “I didn't even hear the door open!” she exclaimed at the same time Sam squealed, “Papaaaaaaaaa!”

The little darling was going to be a menace to matrons hell-bent on propriety...and men. Good heavens, it would be a massacre, if her angel face and brilliant smile were any indication at this age.

Andrew gathered her in his arms and then bent over until she was upside down, smothering her with kisses all the while. The first time he'd done that, Chloe nearly keeled over from fright. She was sure he would drop her. But there was no forbidding the activity, for it was Sam's favorite pastime—to be dangerously suspended upside down above a marble floor. Lord help her!

“Chloe!”

Oh, heavens, did it never end? “Yes, Grace, what is it?”

“I need you...please!”

Chloe cast a glance at her husband, who leaned in to give her a kiss.

“You go on. I think I promised someone I would have tea with her this afternoon,” he said, tickling Samantha until she squirmed and giggled with delight.

“Coming, Grace!”

Chloe mounted the stairs at a leisurely pace, knowing it would probably be the only few moments she would get to herself the rest of the day. When she arrived at Grace's room, she halted on the threshold.

“Gracie, what is all this?”

“Please don't call me Gracie, Clo, it sounds so unsophisticated. No duke wants to marry a woman named Gracie.”

“Oh, do forgive me, Your Grace, Grace. I shall make a concerted effort to remember your proper name from now on,” she said, not bothering to hide the sarcasm in her voice.

“Clever,” Grace replied with a roll of her eyes. “Now, I desperately need your help. Which one is the best match?”

Grace held up five ribbons. Five yellow ribbons. Chloe let out a snort of laughter. “Good heavens, are you sure you're not cousin Lizzie's sister?”

“Chloe, this is serious! I can't go to the ball wearing the wrong color ribbon!”

“Heaven forbid.”

Grace let out an exasperated groan and threw the ribbons in the air. They landed on Tabitha, the cat, who promptly abandoned the shaft of light on the floor and ran for the closet.

“Now look at what you've done and all because of a silly ribbon.”

“Will you not take this seriously?” Grace asked, her tone low and full of censure.

Chloe sighed and shook her head. “Do you really want my opinion?”

“Yes!” her sister cried.

“All right...I think any one of these would look stunning on you, but not because they are pretty or an exact match to the slip of your gown, but because you are stunning no matter what you put on.”

Grace opened her mouth to protest Chloe's speech, but she raised her hand to stop her. “Ah, but I did learn something being Lizzie's chaperone...” She dipped down and picked up one of the yellow satin ribbons at random. “So, if I had to choose, I would choose this one.”

“Thank you.” Grace snatched the ribbon from Chloe's hand with a little smile.

“Milady.” Chloe whirled around to see Mrs. Finch standing in the doorway. “The Lionesses are here.”

“Right on time. Thank you, Mrs. Finch.”

“May I join you all today? Please?” Grace begged of Chloe.

“Heavens, no! Married women only, Grace, you know that. And don't you dare try to eavesdrop. The things Mrs. Finch teaches us...well, goodness, they would make a sailor blush. You certainly don't need to hear them.”

Grace let out a beleaguered sigh. “I do hope I catch a husband soon. I'm beginning to feel left out.”

Chloe leaned down to squeeze her sister's shoulders and gave her a little peck on the cheek. “I've no doubt this will be the year, Grace. I'll see you at dinner.”

Then she skipped down the stairs, eager for the weekly meeting of the Lionesses. They had established the tradition two years ago that when in Town, they would convene at Chloe and Andrew's residence for tea and a little scandalous discussion. Mrs. Finch had become a vital part of tea time, since she was the only one who could answer their more obscure questions.

“Welcome, ladies!” she exclaimed as she burst through the parlor.

A chorus of hellos ensued before they all finally took their seats. Mrs. Finch brought the tea and then promised to be back once she'd served Andrew and Sam's favorite biscuits upstairs in the nursery.

“What is Andrew doing in the nursery?” Katherine wondered as she bit into a piece of cake.

“He's playing with his daughter. He says he finally realized the benefit of being the second son of a rich marquess: no responsibilities whatsoever. This way he gets to play silly games with Sam and take tea with her in the afternoons. That child is going to be so spoiled by the time she's ready for the marriage mart. I pray for the poor soul who actually falls in love with her.”

“Speaking of the marriage mart, has Grace set her cap for anyone this Season?” this question came from Phoebe, who was pregnant once again, with their fourth child.

It seemed among the four of them that at least one of them was pregnant at any given time. Becky had given birth to two more children since Chloe had married Andrew. Katherine had another one as well, bringing their count up to four.

Chloe had a bit of catching up to do, it would seem, but it wouldn't be long now. She had found out a few days earlier that she was carrying. However, she wasn't quite ready to divulge her secret. She would have to tell her husband first, but she'd yet to find a good time to do so.

“Grace has set her cap for anyone with a title and a nice face. She's certainly trying my chaperoning skills.”

“I'm sure she'll get an offer soon,” Becky said, reaching over to give a comforting pat to Chloe's hand.

By the time the Lionesses finally ventured home, all four women were somewhat soused. Mrs. Finch had a horrible habit of dumping sherry into the teapot when no one was looking.

“Goodness me, do I finally get a few moments alone with my wife?” Andrew drawled, coming up to shut the front door from behind her.

“That depends. Are you interested in taking a nap, because there is no possible way I will make it through tonight's festivities without one.”

Andrew made a few lascivious grunting noises as he leaned down to nibble on Chloe's ear. She giggled and tried to push him away. “No, Andrew, I really need some rest.”

“Then I will join you.”

She smiled back at him as she started to ascend the staircase. “Fine, but you must promise to leave me alone. I mean it. I need a nap. Not a nap.”

“Understood.”

“Andrew!”

“What?” he asked, clearly trying not to laugh. “I said I would let you rest.”

She stopped on the stair and turned to him with a sweet smile. “Good. Because in my current state, I'm feeling awfully tired.”

A wrinkle formed on Andrew's brow for a half a second before he realized what she was saying. “You mean, you're...we're...expecting?”

“Shhhhh!” Chloe slapped a hand over his mouth. “I don't want anyone to know yet.”

He nibbled at her palm briefly and then scooped her up in his arms. “You really shouldn't have told me that, darling.”

“Why not?”

“Because now I will definitely not let you sleep.”

With that, Andrew carried his wife the rest of the way to their bedchamber and then spent the afternoon celebrating the good news.

THE END

Other titles available from

Jerrica Knight-Catania

The Daring Debutantes Series

The Robber Bride

The Wetherby Brides Series

More than a Governess

The Wary Widow

The Bedeviled Bride

And Wetherby Short Stories

Christmas Warms the Harts

The Perfect Kiss

A Summons From the Duke

Regency Christmas Summons Collection 2

© 2011 Jerrica Knight-Catania, Lilia Birney, Samantha Grace

In JERRICA KNIGHT-CATANIA’s Loving Mister Lockwell, Lady Isabel Whitton has no use for people other than her twin sister -- she much prefers the company of her books. So when she discovers that all her cousins from near and far have been summoned to her home, Danby Castle, for Christmas, she isn't pleased. To make matters even worse, the deplorable Mister Lockwell has come uninvited. * Damien Lockwell, 3rd son of the Earl of Totterdown, has invited himself to Yorkshire for Christmas. Spending the holiday with the Whittons seems far preferable to watching his father drink himself into a stupor. And Lady Isabel proves to be just the kind of entertainment he was looking for -- she's smart as a whip and quite the most unique creature he's ever met -- not to mention she despises him, which is the most thrilling part of all for a man like Damien.

~ * ~

In LILIA BIRNEY’s A Second Chance For Christmas, Philip Whitton has been summoned back home by his grandfather after a wastrel existence in Italy, studying music and trying to forget his first love. Emily Barlow, nee Ware, is picking up the pieces of her shattered existence following her husband's death. Thrown together by chance on the road back home to Danby, Emily and Philip rekindle the flames of their old passion. Will the fire burn itself out like it did before, or are they ready to follow their hearts and live out the truth of their love?

~ * ~

In SAMANTHA GRACE’s Twice Upon a Time - since her father’s untimely death, Felicity Halliday has relied on the medical knowledge learned at his side to treat London’s most disreputable in order to support her family. Life has been hard, but everything changes the night she is snatched from an alley behind a theatre and tossed into a nobleman’s carriage.  * It has been less than a fortnight since Julian Beckford returned to London after a sojourn in India, and he’s already up to his top-boots in one of his cousin’s mad schemes. When his foolish cousin decides to engage an actress to play his wife over the holidays at Danby Castle, Julian becomes an unwilling party to the lady’s abduction. Along their journey to Yorkshire, Julian makes a stunning discovery about his cousin's pretend wife....and finds it’s possible to love Twice Upon a Time.

About the Author

Jerrica Knight-Catania left her “glamorous” life as an actress in favor of becoming a romance author, where she could write about truly glamorous lives. She currently resides in New York City with her real-life hero of a husband, their shy Russian Blue, Dr. Snuggle, and their beautiful daughter who is most definitely a princess-in-training.

Jerrica loves to hear from readers! You can send her an email at jerrica@jerricasplace.com

Visit Jerrica’s official website to learn more about her other books, the Wetherby family and to see what’s new in her writing world!

www.jerricasplace.com

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