Ecstasy (Notorious 4)

“The scandal be damned.” The elderly nobleman looked directly at his granddaughter, his eyes softening. “I’ll not force you to wed against your wishes. I’ll not repeat the mistake I made with your mother.”

“It won’t be against my wishes, Grandfather,” Raven replied, a stubborn edge to her voice.

Kell finally was able to control his anger enough to interrupt. “I don’t deny your charges regarding my profession, Lord Luttrell. But I’m not at all ashamed of my Irish heritage. As for my being a fortune hunter, you are far off the mark. I am quite capable of caring for your granddaughter and keeping her in her accustomed style. In fact I’m prepared to be exceptionally generous. I will provide her with a house and income of her own. And if you are still concerned for her welfare, your solicitors can draw up a marriage contract to tie up whatever fortune she now possesses and keep it out of my reach.”

Lord Luttrell gave Kell a fierce glance, but Lady Dalrymple conferred an imperious nod of approval on the plan. “There, then. It is all settled.”

A long silence followed while his lordship’s scowl gradually faded to frustration and then finally resignation. At last, he sighed and surrendered to necessity, just as Kell had. “I suppose there is no other choice.”

“No, Grandfather, there isn’t,” Raven agreed.

“Now,” her aunt said briskly, obviously determined to take charge, “we must somehow come up with a credible story to explain Raven’s disappearance yesterday. If she is to suddenly reappear married, then no one will truly believe she was ill as we claimed. And there will still be the disgrace of her publicly jilting the Duke of Halford.” She hesitated, frowning. “But what story could be considered credible?”

“We would do best to keep as close to the truth as possible,” Kell said. “Too many people saw Miss Kendrick’s abduction for us to deny it, but we can suggest our own interpretation of events.”

“What do you mean?” Raven asked.

He met her curious gaze with cool detachment. “We should put about a new story: we met sometime in the past and fell in love, but you rejected my suit because of your family’s objections. On the eve of your wedding, I realized I couldn’t live without you, so I abducted you and convinced you to wed me.”

“You want to concoct a tale of a love match?” her aunt asked.

“We would pretend to be in love?” Raven echoed, startled by the unlikely prospect of Kell Lasseter loving her. Judging by his expression, he saw her as a regrettable obligation. “But when would I have had time to meet you and fall in love? Until this past spring I was still living in the Caribbean.”

“Then we fell in love in the Caribbean when I visited years ago.”

“It just might suffice,” Lady Dalrymple said thoughtfully. “A former romance could explain why Raven would be foolish enough to jilt a duke. And it could possibly avert further disastrous consequences. Halford might be inclined to call out Raven’s abductor, but if he believes her in love with someone else, he will be less likely to brawl over her. The ton, as well, could be a trifle more forgiving in judging her.”

“We should probably claim to have been married last evening,” Kell added, “and make it a reality as soon as possible.”

“Why not elope to Scotland,” Luttrell demanded, “and be married over the anvil?”

“An elopement wouldn’t help Miss Kendrick’s reputation,” Kell answered. “For one thing, she would be unmarried and in my sole company for too long. And your servants would know differently. Moreover, with my leg wound, I would prefer not to endure countless days of jostling in a carriage.” He glanced at the ormolu clock on the mantel. “There is still enough time to apply for a special license so that we can be married this evening.”

“You will need a clergymen to perform the ceremony,” his lordship said tersely.

“I can arrange for a clergyman. But we cannot be married here. There would be too many witnesses who could later contradict our story. The ceremony will have to take place in a private location.”

“Where do you suggest?”

“I have a house in Richmond that is lightly staffed at the moment and should be adequate. The servants are discreet.”

Raven shot her future husband a curious frown. Quite often gentlemen of leisure had pleasure houses close to London so their mistresses would be nearby. Was Kell Lasseter one of those gent

lemen? Was he even a gentleman?

The thought was interrupted by her grandfather’s continued questioning. “What of the marriage contract? I want my granddaughter to be well provided for.”

“Jervis, there is no time to draw up any contracts,” his sister insisted. “That can wait until after they are safely wed.”

Lasseter returned a cool look. “I don’t intend to cheat your granddaughter out of a settlement, if that is what concerns you.”

“Of course it can wait,” Raven said. “I trust Mr. Lasseter to keep his word.”

And strangely enough, she did. She had little doubt he would do as he promised. Her bigger fear in marrying him was that she could completely lose her independence, since a wife had few rights. She wouldn’t be able to manage him the way she could have managed Halford. On the contrary, if any husband could prove to be domineering and difficult to control, it would be Kell Lasseter.

He was watching her with that enigmatic look again, as if trying to determine her motives. Subjected to his dark-eyed scrutiny, Raven suddenly felt her stomach twist in knots.

This man would soon be her husband. She was actually about to marry a notorious stranger, heaven help her.