Lady Charlotte's Marquess (The heir and a spare Book 2) Read online

  Archie heard a growl behind him, knowing it was John and shivering at the prospect. He also knew he had only seconds left before a fist was landing somewhere in his body.

  “I love you. I have loved you since you were sixteen years old and debuted in the most horrible white dress I have ever seen. Marry me, please.”

  Archie had so much more to say but hands were pulling at him and he had to let go of Charlotte’s hands so that he could confront his friend.

  John and Oliver pulled him to his feet and spun him around.

  “Why are you offering to marry her Archie?” John asked, his face a mixture of fear, anger and trepidation.

  “Because I love her, I have always loved her. I just didn’t want to offer for her when my family’s name was so badly ruined. But now, I have no choice, I must.”

  “You’re offering to marry her, despite the baby? Or because of the baby?” John asked, his face showing signs of hope and fear warring.

  Archie took a deep breath and told the truth, knowing full well what was going to happen, and he deserved it.

  “Both…It’s my baby,” he announced quietly, the stillness in the room meant the words echoed as though he had shouted.

  John’s fist ploughed directly into his jaw causing Archie to spin backwards, pain splintering across his face and through his brain.

  John was on him in a second, pummeling his stomach until he was hauled away by Rupert and Oliver.

  “You bastard,” John hissed, breathing like a grampus.

  Archie fell into a chair breathless, his lip bleeding and beginning to swell already. He coughed, his ribs screaming at him.

  Charlotte pulled the cord for the butler and ran to him, throwing herself into his lap and covering his face in kisses and touches.

  “Oh, my love, are you hurt, show me, show me.” She ran her soothing, frantically hands over him.

  Archie winced as his bruised body screamed out in pain, but gathered her close despite it. He wanted to press his head to her breasts and let her comfort him, but he heard another low growl and knew he needed to have it out with John first.

  “Darling, would you and Sarah go upstairs for a little while? I need to talk to your brother.” Archie choked out the words as soothingly as he could considering he had been punched in the stomach only a moment before and his breath was still missing.

  “But...,” Charlotte protested, her eyes flying between Archie and her angry brother.

  “It will be alright,” he reassured her, and despite their audience he pressed a quick kiss to her lips.

  “Charlotte, please.” He stood up slowly and pushed her gently towards Sarah.

  For the first time, Archie really looked at Charlotte. She did look pale and extremely tired. They made a fine pair, and yet she’d never looked more beautiful to him. A child, their child. He could barely believe it.

  “You’ll be married next week,” John declared from where he was being forcibly held down.

  Charlotte stamped her foot. “John, you cannot tell us what to do!”

  Archie pulled out the piece of paper he had in his breast pocket.

  “I organized a special license yesterday,” he told Charlotte, with eyes only for her.

  “Even before you knew...” she trailed off, her hand sliding down to cover her womb containing his child.

  He followed the path of her hand and then looked back up to her face.

  “I love you,” he repeated, this time quietly, only for her benefit.

  Charlotte smiled her brilliant smile, warming him from the inside out and left the room with Sarah. As he had requested.

  One down, one to go.

  “You better have a good explanation for this, Tother.”

  Archie flinched at John’s use of his new title. It was not a good start to the conversation but Archie reined in his wild emotions and sat in the chair opposite John. Rupert and Oliver had a firm grip on either shoulder and Archie trusted them not to let John have his head and pound him into the dust. Although, technically he deserved it, he didn’t want to get married looking like a bloody mess.

  “The only explanation John is that I lost my mind.”

  John growled in response.

  “If I hear one insult about my sister, I am going to wring your neck.”

  “No, John, you misunderstand me.” Archie quickly corrected, holding up his hands in a peaceful entreaty. “I love your sister, I always have. But there is no excuse for the fact that I made love to her before we were married, none.”

  John’s shoulders sagged when Archie openly admitted he was wrong.

  “Then why? For God’s sake Archie! Why!”

  “I have known about my brother’s illness since the week before I turned eighteen.” Archie had decided it was best to explain everything.

  They all went silent, looking at each other with surprised expressions but it was Rupert that put it all together.

  “So that’s why you wouldn’t come to the brothel, then or ever.” Rupert said, seeming shocked at the idea.

  “Yes, my father informed me that I would be his heir and that I was to keep myself out of the whore houses.” Archie kept his chin high but had to break his composure to wipe the blood off his chin as it began to drip towards his clothes.

  “So where does Charlotte come into this?” John growled again, his eyes narrowed, his jaw clenched.

  Archie counted himself lucky that they were sitting in a reception room and not John’s study where his dueling pistols were kept.

  “I would have courted Charlotte and proposed years ago but I was always terrified of what would happen when everyone found out how my brother died. I feared that even if I kept my reputation spotless, that people would still paint me with the same brush,” Archie confessed, feeling the load that he had carried on his shoulders for so long lift from him. It felt so good to confess his fears and secrets. He had been so stupid to keep it to himself for so long.

  “So? What happened?” Rupert asked. Releasing his hand from John’s shoulder, he kept one eye on John and the other eye on Archie.

  “A few months ago Charlotte and I started to talk and get to know each other better. I had spent so many years keeping her at arm’s length that I just couldn’t do it anymore.”

  “I always did wonder why you two had such a strong dislike for each other.” Oliver murmured.

  “Self-preservation I’m afraid, well at least on my behalf,” Archie told them quietly with a wry smile. He wasn’t sure if Charlotte had wanted him for all the years he had desired her, but he would find out soon enough.

  “So...?” John prompted, sitting forward in his chair and obviously wanting more specific information.

  Archie took a breath and guarded himself for the next attack.

  “So, almost five weeks ago Charlotte visited me at my house to express her condolences...”

  “By herself?” John asked, his face incredulous.

  Archie just nodded trying not to put any of the blame on Charlotte but not wanting John to think he set out to seduce her either.

  “And I was so totally out of my mind. I just couldn’t fight her any longer.”

  “So, you ruined her.” John said flatly, obviously still angry but looking quite defeated at the same time.

  A wry smile touched Archie’s lips.

  “We ruined each other I’m afraid. I could never have anyone else but her.” Archie looked around the room and only Oliver smiled at that. He was the only one who knew what it felt like to make love, rather than the rutting variation in which his friends indulged.

  “Then why did she say the father of her baby wouldn’t marry her?” John asked now, that glitter reappearing in his eye.

  Archie swallowed down his guilt and gave them the honest truth.

  “Because, initially I told her I couldn’t.”

  “You what?” John yelled, surging to his feet. Rupert and Oliver stayed close but didn’t try to restrain him.

  Archie dragged himself to his feet,
not sure if he even had the strength to raise his arms if it came to a real fight. But John didn’t seem interested in fighting physically. He started pacing like a restless animal.

  “You ruined her and then refused to marry her! What sort of gentleman are you?” John cried, obviously frustrated beyond baring.

  “John, I know I was wrong, so very wrong. But I preferred Charlotte to be able to marry someone with a good name that would be accepted by society rather than mine. How could I draw Charlotte into that scandal?” Archie knew that the argument had merit but also knew that ruining her and not marrying her was an even greater offence.

  John growled again, low in his throat.

  “And yet, you did.”

  Archie only nodded. If he had known Charlotte was pregnant he would have come to his senses weeks ago. That result had never even occurred to him, which showed how off his game he was.

  “My brother will be home in an hour, you can have your meeting with him to discuss the settlement and then you can be married tomorrow.”

  Archie just nodded, his arms and legs feeling weaker by the second.

  “Archie, are you alright?” John asked, concerned now.

  Archie felt himself weakening at the knees and his head was spinning. The blackness came in to claim him and after weeks of not eating or sleeping he gave into the darkness.

  He came back to consciousness with his head in Charlotte’s lap and her refusing to let him go.

  “If what you say is true and we will be married tomorrow then I have every right to hold him until he awakens. He’s unconscious for heaven’s sake!” She sat on the floor with him, stroking his hair soothingly and Archie was loathe to open his eyes in case she stopped.

  Charlotte must have felt his breathing change because she was soon asking,

  “Archie, are you awake?” “Open your eyes, my love,” she whispered close to his ear.

  Archie blinked open his eyes reluctantly and found himself still in the sitting room, surrounded by Charlotte, John, Oliver, Sarah, Rupert and four or five servants.

  “I’m fine,” he said, attempting to sit up and having his head spin so fast that he lay back down again with a moan.

  Charlotte wrapped her arms around him protectively and held him tightly. The heat of her made him instantly relax, his eyes closing on a sigh.

  “Archie, rest, please.”

  Someone growled at this.

  Archie summoned the energy to open his eyes again and ask, “May my fiancée and I have a few moments alone please?”

  He knew he must look ridiculous lying on the Aubusson rug with his head in Charlotte’s lap, but he stayed where he was none the less.

  “I think you’ve had enough moments alone, don’t you?” John asked, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

  “John!” This admonition came from Sarah and it was Oliver who finally stepped in to help them.

  “I think they can have a moment alone to discuss their wedding.”

  He gathered the assembly like the duke he now was and swept out of the room.

  “Are you sure you are fine?” Charlotte asked, her voice trembling.

  Archie sat up slowly, swallowing the bile that rose in his throat and turned around to face her, his palms sweating.

  “Me? How are you?” he asked, sliding his hand to her still flat stomach, feeling the softness there and a strange happiness settling over him that had been missing out of his lie for a very long time.

  Charlotte blushed crimson at his touch but did not move away. Instead she actually moved into his touch, warming his heart all the more.

  ****

  Charlotte had never known real terror until she had heard John calling for help because Archie was ill. She had spent half an hour pacing her room, answering all of Sarah’s questions and reassuring her friend that it wasn’t her fault. The poor woman had got it into her mind that it was what she had advised that day in her sitting room that had led Charlotte to sleep with Archie. Charlotte was happily relating how wonderful it had been when she had heard the yell. Not mindful of anything but getting to Archie as quickly as she could, she flew down the stairs and had dropped to her knees before him. Seeing him lying there so still and pale had felt like her insides had been scooped out. She had thought he had broken her heart irretrievably but she had been wrong. It seemed that the silly thing still beat only for him.

  “I’m a little apprehensive about the immediate future, but otherwise, I feel fine,” she told him honestly.

  “You’ll be fine; we’ll be fine Charlotte. You and the baby are going to be healthy and well. We’ll travel to my father’s estate for our honeymoon, and just decide not to come back until next season.”

  Charlotte’s smile faltered. She wasn’t worried about the scandal or the baby. She was worried that Archie was only marrying her because she had trapped him. It was the oldest trick in the book on how to land a good husband, and she hated herself for it. She was sure he despised her for it too.

  Charlotte dropped her head and refused to look at him.

  “What’s wrong?” Archie asked, pulling them both up and onto the chaise lounge, placing her on his lap and wrapping his arms around her.

  “Everything,” she cried, letting her tears fall.

  Archie crooned and stroked her hair, telling her that everything was going to be alright.

  John chose that moment to stick his head in and just as quickly stuck it back out again.

  “Charlotte, I’m sorry you’re going to have to marry me. If I could have saved you from this pain, I would have.”

  Charlotte laughed somewhere between a sob and a gulp. Pulling her head up so that she could look at him she put all her strength into her glare. “I want to marry you; I’ve always wanted to marry you.”

  Archie pulled out his handkerchief and blotted her face, the move so endearing as to make her sob again. He truly was a gentleman.

  “Then why are you crying?” He asked gently.

  “Because you don’t really want to marry me.” She whispered the feared words, biting her lip as the tears began to fall down her face again in unending hot waves.

  Archie cradled her face in both of his hands and forced her gaze up to his.

  “Charlotte, listen to me and listen closely. The only, and I mean the only reason I have not asked you to marry me before now is because I couldn’t bear the idea of you being cut direct or embarrassed by my family’s reputation being ruined. I couldn’t bring you into that.”

  “So that stopped you from asking me? For how long?” she whispered, fear and hope flaring alive in her heart. His eyes told her that he was speaking the truth, and it would be in Archie’s character to protect her in such a way.

  “Years, almost since the moment I met you again at your coming out. I fell in love with your wit and your fire, your passion for life and your wicked sense of humor. You are also the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my life.”

  Charlotte blushed at his words and wrapped her arms around his neck.

  “So, you do love me,” she whispered again, tendrils of hope heating a path of light through her heart and body.

  “I do,” he repeated and pressed his soft lips to hers.

  It had been forever since they had kissed, or that was how it felt to Charlotte. Her lips clung to his, moaning loudly when they opened to sweep his tongue into her mouth.

  A loud throat being cleared brought them both back to reality.

  A smiling Oliver and a red-faced John stood in the doorway.

  Charlotte blushed again and stood up. Archie followed more slowly. Oliver turned away with a smile and John started turning purple.

  “I think it’s time for you to wait in the library,” John told Archie with a look that brooked no argument.

  Archie turned to Charlotte and bowed over her outstretched hand.

  “Get some rest, my dear,” he gave her a wink that was odds with his formal words and left the room.

  Charlotte straightened from her curtsy to see
John staring at her.

  His analytical gaze roamed over her face and he sighed loudly.,

  “You’re looking better already.”

  *****

  It took very little time to work out Charlotte’s wedding settlement. Once their older brother had been informed on Charlotte’s condition it was pretty much settled. He called Archie a few choice names that Archie agreed with and then they went on to discuss the financials. Archie was pleased to realize he could easily afford the pin money her father was currently giving her and even signed a document to make sure she kept the property she owned in her name. He had no wish to take anything away from her and from what she had originally said about her not wanting to marry because of her husband’s power over her, he was determined to give her as much freedom as possible. Her dowry was also very generous. It had been increased from ten to fifteen thousand pounds as she had remained unmarried and although Archie would have liked to refuse it outright, he was soon told that it was not negotiable. Archie found it amusing that they thought he might back out of the wedding if he didn’t get everything to which he was entitled. Maybe Charlotte would like to invest it for the baby, or go for a European trip? He’d ask her the next day.

  Later that evening, Archie found himself inside the library of Rupert’s bachelor townhouse. He was still contemplating the wisdom of his visit when the devil himself walked in.

  “Archie, my man. Come to enjoy your last night as a single man?” He asked jovially, a bottle of whiskey in his left hand and a bottle of brandy in his right.

  “Actually, I’ve come for some advice Rupert,” Archie told his friend, trying not to sound as horrified as he actually was, to be asking such things.

  “Will you have a drink?” Rupert asked, the resigned look in his eye telling Archie that he didn’t expect a yes.

  Archie hardly ever drank spirits. He had always avoided anything that eroded his self-control.

  “Yes,” he said with a definite nod. “Whiskey, fill it up.”

  He was going to need courage tonight and if that courage came in a bottle, then so be it.

  Rupert’s eyebrows shot up but he didn’t say anything, just filled up a glass of expensive whiskey and gestured to a chair.