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Authors: Adrienne Basso

To Protect An Heiress (Zebra Historical Romance) (31 page)

BOOK: To Protect An Heiress (Zebra Historical Romance)

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The marquess turned and saw Harriet slump down on the floor, wrap her arms around her stomach and rock slowly back and forth. Her hair had fallen forward, hiding her face, but her shaking shoulders were clear evidence of her silent weeping.

“Please, Trevor go to her,” Meredith whispered.

He tightened his hold on his wife, not wanting to leave her side for an instant. “Where is Wingate?”

“He has gone to get help. Jason is caring for Elizabeth. Please, there is no one else.”

“And what of you?”

She smiled bravely. “I am much better, but Harriet is suffering so much.”

Letting Meredith slip out of his embrace took a tremendous amount of courage. Before leaving he bent his head and pressed a kiss to her temple. “If you have need of me, just call.”

She nodded. Trevor walked to the opposite side of the room to see about Harriet. She stopped rocking and lifted a tear-streaked face to him. “Julian?” she asked, her voice choked with tears.

“He has gone for assistance,” Trevor said softly. “Please allow me to sit with you while we await his return.”

The hesitant way she reached for his hand made Trevor realize Meredith was right. Poor Harriet was on the verge of total hysteria.

Fortunately, help arrived very shortly. A bevy of males entered the room noisily. Several burly servants accompanied Wingate, along with a somberly dressed gray-haired gentleman whom he identified as the local magistrate.

Hawkins’s body was removed. Once it was gone, Elizabeth lifted herself off Jason’s lap and practically fell into Harriet’s arms. The two sisters hugged each other fiercely, crying like young girls. Jason remained at Elizabeth’s side, patting her shoulder awkwardly and hovering protectively.

Trevor turned to retrieve Meredith, wanting nothing more than to gather his wife in his arms and get her safely home. Yet as his gaze settled on the far wall, he received a most unpleasant shock. The marquess’s heart jolted as bands of panic tightened around his chest until he could barely breathe.

Meredith was no longer in the room. She was gone.

Twenty

Fortunately, the duke’s butler was crossing the foyer when the marquess came charging though the mansion’s front doors, frantically shouting Meredith’s name. The servant calmly informed him his wife had only just arrived and was in her rooms. Without waiting to hear anything else, a much relieved Trevor thundered up the stairs.

The bedchamber was in complete disarray as he burst inside. Gowns, walking dresses, slips, corsets, chemises, gloves, hats, stockings were all piled haphazardly on the bed. He stared at them in surprise, telling himself not to jump to any unfounded conclusions.

Meredith emerged from the sitting room, her arms ladened with a bundle of garments. She froze the moment she saw him, dropping a gown and some fluffy white underthings.

“I am sorry,” she whispered. Bending low, Meredith gathered up the fallen garments and pressed them close to her chest. “I had hoped to be finished with all of this before you returned.”

“What are you doing?”

“Packing.” She dropped the clothes she held in her arms on the bed and turned to the armoire for more. “I promise to be gone by morning.”

Trevor’s mouth went dry. The fear he had experienced upon learning Meredith was in danger was a mere ripple compared to the wave of terror that now washed through him.

“You are leaving me?”

She would not answer, nor would she meet his eyes. She just kept bringing out more and more garments and tossing them on the bed with frantic, jerking motions. Several strands of hair had escaped from her coiffeur and were dangling against the side of her neck. The gown she wore was wrinkled and slightly disheveled from her efforts.

He stepped directly in her path, blocking her route to the armoire. She shifted left, trying to go around him. Trevor countered to his right, effectively impeding her. She groaned and tried again, but again he prevented her progress.

“I know you must hate me.” She paused, then finally lifted her head. Her eyes were dull and sad, her breathing quick and shallow. “I do not blame you for these feelings, yet I cannot stay and be reminded of all the grief I have wrought upon you. ’Tis too much for me to bear.”

“Meredith, please. What are you saying?”

“What can I say? You were there. You heard it, too, every horrible, ugly word of truth.” He reached for her, but she evaded his hands. “Me, Trevor! It was me Hawkins meant to kill that afternoon at the duchess’s party. Not Lavinia. By all rights ’tis I who should be dead, not her.”

Just the mention of Meredith’s death brought a hot, jabbing ache squarely to his heart. Was that truly what she believed? “I forbid you to speak such rubbish.”

“Why? ’Tis the truth.”

This time she succeeded in stepping around him to fling another garment on the bed. Tears leaked silently from her eyes. Trevor wanted only to gather her close in his arms and ease her pain, but the note of hysteria in her voice bade him to be cautious.

“Lavinia was wearing my shawl that afternoon at the duchess’s party,” Meredith continued in a low, quivering voice. “Hawkins had come to the estate with one purpose in mind, to punish me for rejecting his employer’s proposal of marriage. When he saw from a distance a woman wearing the shawl he knew I favored, he attacked.”

“That is hardly your fault,” Trevor said quietly.

“You don’t understand, I made her wear the shawl!”

Trevor was momentarily shocked into silence. He reached again for her, but Meredith shook her head and backed away.

“It was not very cool that afternoon, but Lavinia had been shivering. I was concerned about her health, and the baby’s—” Meredith’s face suddenly crumpled. “The unborn infant! I had forgotten about that small, precious life. Oh, how can you even bear to be in the same room with me?”

There was no mistaking the agony on her face. He could almost feel the heavy weight of her torment, and it increased the grief in his own heart until it was almost unbearable. “How can you blame yourself?”

“How can I not?” Her lips twisted. “I thought I was so smug, so righteous in my attitude that I was different from other women in Society. I disregarded expectations, flaunted convention, refused so many honorable offers of marriage that first Season. Oh, yes, I happily broke all the rules, yet it was Lavinia who paid the price. With her life.”

The marquess could not credit what he was hearing. “You cannot believe that if you had married Julian Wingate this might have been avoided?”

Meredith turned her head and gazed blindly across the room. “I am not certain. But if I had accepted an offer of marriage that first Season, Hawkins might have forgotten about me. I might not have offended him so greatly, angered him to the point where he would do murder to put me in my place.”

“Stop it, Meredith. Listen to what you are saying.” Trevor clenched his hands into fists by his side, fearing he would reach for her again and upset her even more. “Your emotions have overridden your common sense. You are not responsible for Lavinia’s death.”

“I am,” she whispered brokenly. “I am.”

He laid a finger across her lips. Her body went rigid. “Heed my words, for I speak the truth, Meredith. This was not your doing. Hawkins, and only Hawkins, is accountable to the law and to God for all the horror he has wreaked upon this world. Including Lavinia’s death.”

Meredith’s eyes flared in protest. She stared at him wildly for several long moments, and Trevor braced himself for the arguments that were sure to come. But then her golden eyelashes flickered, her shoulders slumped forwards and without further warning Meredith burst into sobs.

Slowly the marquess edged forward. She cried out when he reached for her, but was too distraught to put up much of a fight. He gathered her in his arms and held her tightly, absorbing her trembling sobs.

Trevor’s eyes slid closed. Lord, it felt so right to hold her. He wished he could take away her suffering, could bear the burden of this horrifying pain himself.

“It should have been me,” she sobbed.

“Ah, darling. Do not say such things.” He tightened his hold as her body started trembling. “It was a terrible, cruel twist of fate. I will not allow you to unfairly blame yourself. Please, Meredith. For my sake, you must put this from your mind.”

She lifted her tear-streaked face. “How can you be so kind and comforting to me?”

He pressed his lips lightly against hers. “Dearest Meredith, I have loved but two women in my lifetime. Hawkins took the first from me. I will not allow him to take the second.”

There was stunned disbelief in the two watery blue eyes that stared up at him. “You cannot possibly love me.”

Trevor’s face split into an enormous grin. Revealing his heart had brought him a tremendous sense of peace and joy—and had also managed to stop his wife’s tears. Whoever said love could work miracles certainly had it right.

He kissed her forehead and murmured, “Oh, but I do love you, Meredith.”

The sorrow and pain etched on her lovely face were slowly replaced by a warm gleam of hope and amazement. “Are you certain?”

“Very.” He hugged her fiercely. “Though my behavior since our marriage has hardly demonstrated it, there have always been deep feelings whenever I was near you. I did not understand what they were or why they made me so wild until I realized I might lose you.”

“You love me.” She repeated the words to herself slowly, and Trevor smiled with tenderness.

“Yes, and because of that love you cannot leave me.” He stroked her hair. “My actions of the past have proven me unworthy of your affections, yet I vow I shall do all within my power, for as long as I live, to bring your heart to mine.”

The edges of her lips curved up mysteriously. “I cannot give you something that already belongs to you, my lord.”

He cupped her cheek with his hand and tilted her chin until their lips touched. It was a sweet, tender kiss full of love. “Meredith.”

“Trevor.” She gave him a heart-melting smile.

His chest tightened. “You are everything that was missing from my life. I buried myself away when I lost Lavinia, turning my back on all I had in an effort to forget. Then one evening you lured me out to a secluded section of the garden and kissed me senseless.”

Meredith dipped her chin and blushed. “Please, do not remind me. I still cannot fathom what possessed me to help my brothers win that ridiculous bet.”

“Fate.” He lifted her hand and nibbled gently on each fingertip. “It has given me a second chance at happiness, and I shall not tempt its wisdom.”

“Oh, Trevor, what right do we have to happiness considering all that has happened?”

He enfolded her again in his embrace, needing to feel the warmth of her body against his.

“We will never forget the past, but we cannot let it deny our future. Lavinia taught us both what it means to have a giving heart. What better way to honor that legacy than to share our hearts with each other?”

Meredith went very still, then shuddered with soul-deep emotion. The soft light in her eyes reflected her love and her overwhelming need, but most importantly it held the promise of the future.

Trevor bent his head to kiss her cheek, but Meredith deliberately moved, and he kissed her on the lips instead. It was a kiss that was carnal and seductive, speaking of her needs as well as desires. It made Trevor catch his breath.

“I have thrown most of my wardrobe about the chamber and in the process made a total mess of my bed,” Meredith whispered when he finally pulled away. “I doubt we could even find the mattress under that mountain of clothing.”

The marquess smiled wickedly at the invitation in her voice. All would be well. Though he suspected it would always haunt her to some degree, Meredith seemed willing to try and let go of the past.

“I recall achieving great success in my bed,” Trevor said. He kissed her again, discovering anew in the giving warmth of her embrace why he loved her, needed her, would do all that was in his power to keep her.

What they shared was rare and precious. Trevor vowed never to forget that, never to take for granted this remarkable gift.

Meredith shrieked in surprise as he swept her off her feet. With his wife held securely in his arms, Trevor retreated to his bedchamber, his delighted laughter mingling with Meredith’s and echoing through the entire wing of the house.

Epilogue

Hawthorne Manor
Six months later

“I’ve brought you some hot chocolate and toast, my lady,” Rose said.

Meredith glanced up from the small writing desk she was using as she reclined languidly against the many pillows on her bed and frowned. Her maid was practically cowering in the doorway. Her eyes, wide with alarm, darted nervously about the room.

“The marquess is shaving, Rose. In the other room.”

“Very good, my lady.” The maid heaved a big sigh and finally stepped into the chamber. “Shall I place your tray on the table near the window, or do you want it on the table by the bed?”

“By the bed will be fine. I am feeling lazy this morning.”

Meredith watched with amused concern as Rose practically ran across the room. She plunked the tray on the table, dropped a quick curtsy, and left even faster than she arrived.

Meredith sighed. Poor Rose. She had obviously not yet recovered from the incident of last week when a fully aroused, naked Trevor, interrupted while trying to seduce his wife back to bed in the late morning, had a less than gentlemanly reaction to the maid’s sudden appearance.

“Was that Rose?” Trevor asked as he emerged from the small dressing room they shared.

“I believe so,” Meredith replied. “Yet she came and left in the blink of an eye, so I could not be certain.”

The marquess sat on the edge of the bed. Meredith shifted to the center to allow him room. He was freshly shaven and smelled deliciously of soap. “I was hoping for an opportunity to apologize to Rose again this afternoon. That is, if she stands still long enough for me to speak with her.”

Meredith raised her hand to hide her smile. Trevor had been trying since the incident to make amends with the maid, unsuccessfully. It was rather lowering for such a sought-after rogue to now have a woman turn tail and run from him in terror each time he attempted to speak to her.

“I think it might be best if you say as little to Rose as possible.” Meredith moved her small writing desk to the side so she could get closer to her ruggedly handsome mate. “She will eventually adjust to you.”

Trevor snorted. “I have my doubts.”

Meredith smiled. He resembled a petulant child, in a temper because he was being unjustly scolded for doing something he felt was right. And yet there was nothing boyish about his square jawline or wide shoulders or muscular chest.

“Rose has no choice in the matter. For you see, sir, I have decided to keep you.”

He raised his head and met her eyes. Meredith’s breath caught at the stormy, sexy look he gave her. They reached for each other at the exact same moment, as if the pull of their love and desire was too strong a force to resist.

In their passion, they denied each other nothing, kissing and fondling with utter abandonment, touching each other with love and awareness. Nimble, knowing fingers were busy teasing, caressing, and seeking out all those mysterious places that would render the other weak with pleasure.

Their bodies joined together slowly, but the measured pace soon quickened. Their hearts seemed to beat as one as they neared completion, each urging the other to savor the sensations of ecstasy when it at last shattered over them.

In the aftermath of the moment, Meredith could think of nothing but her absolute satisfaction and total love for her husband. A single tear trickled down the side of her face, wetting the hair at her temple. She moved her head to brush it away, then felt Trevor’s warm breath against her ear as he murmured her name and his love for her over and over.

More tears threatened, but she blinked them back. At times it was difficult for her to believe how far they had come in their relationship, and each day Meredith could envision an even better future. With Trevor’s love and devotion, she truly felt anything was possible.

She tightened her arms around his broad back and hugged him fiercely. He stirred lazily. “Am I crushing you?”

“Hmmmm, it feels wonderful.” Linking her fingers with his, Meredith pulled his hand to her lips. She kissed each finger gently, then pressed his hand against her cheek. “Now, we must not fall asleep. I have many things I need to accomplish this morning.”

“All right. Then let’s start the day.”

Neither one moved. Finally Meredith opened her eyes and glanced up. Trevor was gazing at her with a rapt expression of contentment. She raised her head and brushed a kiss across his lips. “I am famished. I hope you have not spilled my hot chocolate,” she muttered. “For if you have, you will be forced to ring for Rose and ask her to bring another tray.”

Trevor laughed loudly. “It will take me half the day just to find her. We will perish from starvation.”

Meredith rolled carefully to her side, mindful of the tray of food that rested on the table not far from her head. She adjusted her nightgown and robe, resumed a comfortable reclining position on the pillows, folded her hands, and waited expectantly.

Trevor lay sprawled across the rumpled bed, the picture of total relaxation. Meredith moved her foot and gave him a nudge with her toe. He grunted. She nudged him again, this time a bit harder.

“If your frightening growls are going to keep my maid from our room, then you must perform her duties. I am waiting for my breakfast, sir.”

The marquess opened one eye and glared at his wife. She smiled sweetly. With a resigned sigh he shifted his position and sat up. He retrieved the breakfast tray, which was remarkably intact, and placed it across Meredith’s lap.

“Tell me, what is so important that we must leave our bed this morning?” Trevor asked, as Meredith fed him bites of toast.

Meredith took a sip of chocolate and smiled. “Though it is still several weeks away, I want to discuss the holiday preparations with the housekeeper, butler, and cook. Our first Christmas together should be extraordinary. I want this place alive with celebration and good cheer. I have already made a list of things.”

She reached for the paper on her writing desk and read from the list she had been working on. “Roasted goose, plum pudding blazing in ignited brandy with Christmas holly decorations on it, a Yule log, Twelfth Day gifts, the house smelling of fresh evergreens and spiced treats. I also think it would be nice to have a party for the local gentry. We have yet to do any entertaining since we arrived.”

“I am sure the locals understand. After all, we are newlyweds with far more important matters on our minds.” The marquess rubbed his hand over his face. “Are your parents still planning on joining us?”

“Yes. Jasper’s last letter said they should be returning to England within the week. I am very anxious to see them.”

“I look forward to meeting them.”

Meredith’s expression softened. “I know they will soon grow to love you as much as I do.”

Trevor grinned. Then, sobering, he caught Meredith’s eye. “My father will be joining us also. And your brothers. Are you sure the house is big enough for so much family?”

“I think we can squeeze everyone,” Meredith said, a twinkle in her eye. “Hawthorne Manor does have twenty-four bedchambers.”

“Ah, yes I remember. I also remember you can work wonders in each and every one of them.”

“Trevor.” Meredith tried for a scolding tone but was blushing too hard for it to have much effect. Somehow her husband had gotten it into his head that they needed to make love in every bedchamber of the manor. It had taken them nearly two months to reach this infamous goal, and the marquess took great delight in informing her of that achievement—and in whispering that his other two estates had even more bedchambers. Just thinking of it brought color to Meredith’s face.

“I should warn you that my brother Jason is already hinting about staying on past the new year.”

“Why would he want to spend so much time with us?” The marquess picked up a lock of his wife’s golden hair and studied it lazily. “Not that I mind. I find Jason rather amusing. Besides, I need someone to practice my piquet skills on, since I haven’t played a round in months.”

“I certainly do not want to encourage card playing in either of you.”

“We shall play for buttons or some other frippery. And if you are very good, we shall teach you to play. Remember how much you enjoyed horse racing?”

“I will not allow you to corrupt me, sir,” Meredith teased, pulling her hair out of his fingers. “As much as I hate to disillusion you, my dear, I don’t think you are the true reason Jason wants to stay with us. He is very aware Faith’s baby will arrive sometime after the new year. Naturally he assumes I shall visit her once the child is safely delivered, God willing.”

“I had no idea Jason was so fond of Faith.”

“He isn’t.” Meredith shook her head. “Oh, he cares for her, of course, but my dear brother is far more fond of Faith’s younger sister-in-law, and apparently most anxious to see Elizabeth.”

“I applaud his taste in women. Elizabeth seems like a charming young woman.”

“She is a delight, yet I fear that will be a hard road for Jason to travel. According to Jasper, Elizabeth has refused to answer any of Jason’s letters.”

“How strange,” Trevor replied, frowning. “I would think she would be thrilled and grateful to see Jason again. He saved her life.”

Meredith shrugged. “He is also a stark reminder of something Elizabeth wants very much to forget. Faith mentioned in her correspondence last month that Elizabeth still suffers from the occasional nightmare.”

The marquess reached out and tucked Meredith’s hand protectively in his arm. “I am very glad you have overcome yours.”

Meredith’s gaze shifted out the window. Thankfully, the nightmares had ceased, thanks in large part to her husband. His strength and confidence bolstered her own. “I sleep beside my protector—though there are nights when I get very little rest.”

The marquess lifted his brow suggestively. “Complaints?”

“Never.” She laughed and shook her head.

“What of Harriet?” Trevor asked “Does she suffer from nightmares, too?”

“Faith made no mention of any. Though she did have some startling news. Apparently Harriet has decided to strike off on her own.”

“What do you mean?”

Meredith shrugged. “She told Faith and her brother, Griffin, that once Faith’s child is born she will be leaving them.”

“To go where?”

“It has not yet been decided, but Harriet has answered several advertisements for positions of employment far out in the countryside. I think one post was even in Scotland. Two were for families seeking a governess and one was a companion to an elderly dowager.”

Trevor whistled. “Though I do not know her very well, I find it difficult to imagine Harriet surviving as a servant. She has too much pride and far too sharp a tongue.”

Meredith once again conceded that her husband was an excellent judge of a woman’s character. “I think everyone agrees employment as a menial in a household does not suit Harriet. But after that mess with Wingate, I think she feels she needs a fresh start. How else can one recover when her fiance abandons her in the middle of the biggest scandal of the decade?” The marquess snorted. “He really did turn out to be a total cad. She is better off without him. Yet I am not sure she understands all that is involved with being employed.”

“It will be difficult, though I remember she was very fond of her nephew, Griffin’s natural son. She might do better as a governess. I cannot imagine her at the beck and call of some elderly, spoiled dowager.” Meredith shook her head. “Wherever fate takes her, I wish her well.”

“That is very generous, considering your past difficulties with Harriet.”

“In my position I can well afford to be so generous, for I have everything a woman could possibly want or need.”

“Truly?”

Meredith curled her hand along Trevor’s cheek and smiling lovingly into his handsome face. “Of course I have everything, my dearest. I have you.”

BOOK: To Protect An Heiress (Zebra Historical Romance)

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