The Heiress (Madison Sisters 2)

Jeremy patted her hand soothingly, and shook his head. "Forgive me. That was just a moment's bitterness slipping out." He sighed and turned his gaze to the water, but then confessed, "When you rushed off so precipitously and left me without a partner, I asked a lovely young blonde if I might have the pleasure. We danced and chatted and laughed . . . I fear I was quite taken with her. I even fetched her punch and then asked for a second dance later in the night." He gave her a crooked smile and pointed out, "Very risky behavior, dancing twice in one night with the same lady."

"Yes," she murmured, turning her gaze to the water now.

"I met her again the next night at the Hammonds' ball and again danced with her twice and fetched her punch, and then she grew quite warm and we went out on the terrace and I snuck a kiss."

Suzette swallowed, recalling the kiss she and Daniel had shared at the Landons' ball.

"It was all quite intoxicating," Jeremy said quietly. "I fear I let myself get carried away and endeavored to "run into" her at several other places the last few days . . . She did not seem to mind and then, well, I fear I ended up asking her to marry me." He sighed. "I wanted to go to her father and ask for her hand, but she convinced me not to. She insisted we must run off to Gretna Green to marry, and at once."

Jeremy bent to pick up a stone he'd been worrying with the toe of his boot and tossed it in the pond before continuing. "Of course, the truth was her parents would never have approved. She is an heiress where I have only a barony, a small castle in northern England and little money to run it." He grimaced charmingly as he admitted that and shrugged. "I agreed and we set out."

Suzette's eyebrows rose. "Is she back at the inn?"

Jeremy shook his head. "It seemed she wasn't quite as taken as I. We rode night and day, got to Gretna Green and--" he shook his head with bewilderment. "She just changed her mind at the last minute. She burst into tears and fled. She would not even allow me to return her home, but insisted on renting a hack herself and returning on her own." He dug up another stone and bent to collect it as well. He weighed it in his hand briefly, and then tossed it into the pond before finishing, "So I am returning alone, still a bachelor rather than the newly married man I expected to be."

"I'm sorry," Suzette whispered, sympathizing with the man. His story was not that different from her own.

"The hell of it is, I have to marry relatively soon to fulfill my duty to my family," he continued unhappily. "I have been resisting marrying the first likely gel for money, and thought here I would manage a love match and still meet my family's needs, but--" He shook his head. "It seems I shall have to sell myself off to stud to the first likely hag with coin in her pocket to save the family estates from ruin."

Suzette stared at him blankly for a moment and then suddenly just burst into tears.

"Oh say," he cried at once. "I didn't mean to make you cry again. 'Tis all right, my heart is a little dented and wounded now, but I'll recover. I hope," he added unhappily, and then said, "Please don't cry."

"I'm sorry," Suzette muttered, dashing at her tears, and then, accepting the hanky he held out, she quickly mopped them up. "It is just that we are in much the same situation."

His eyebrows rose. "You need to marry for money?"

"No. Well, yes, but--oh," she sighed and quickly explained the situation and her need for a husband in need of money who would be willing to allow her to pay off the debt and live her own life.

"So you have a large dower and need a husband in need of money, and I have a title and lands and need a bride with coin, and here we both sit brokenhearted and with no prospects," he said with a short laugh, and shook his head. "Fate has a nasty sense of humor, doesn't she?"

Suzette nodded solemnly and handed him back his hanky.

They were both silent for a moment and then he glanced at her and asked, "Would it be too bold of me to suggest we marry each other?"

Suzette hesitated and then glanced away. The thought had occurred to her, but it would mean telling him what she'd done.

"I wouldn't suggest it, only . . . well, I feel very comfortable with you," he admitted and then added wryly, "Believe me, I do not usually go about blurting my troubles to pretty ladies I've just met, and yet it seemed the most natural thing in the world to tell you." He smiled crookedly and added, "I even feel a little bit better for it."

Suzette managed a smile, but worried her lower lip between her teeth, wondering if she had the courage to tell him what she'd done. She did not feel uncomfortable with him either. He was pleasant enough, and rather charming in a non-threatening, not-at-all-arousing-like-Daniel way.

"And it does seem to me that if you cannot have a great passion, you should at least like and be comfortable with your mate," he added. "I think we could be good friends with time."

Suzette sighed and lowered her head. If she could not have Daniel, she supposed she could do worse than Jeremy. Of course, they'd just met, but he seemed decent enough, and at least, having suffered heartbreak himself, he would understand her heartbreak. And it would solve her problems and save her from the wearying business of searching for another possible husband. She just wished she didn't have to tell him what she'd done. But there was no help for that, she realized, and blurted, "I let my betrothed drive his machine up my strait."

Jeremy stared at her blankly, one sound slipping from his lips, a confused, "Eh?"

"He drove his nail up to the head," she explained, using another metaphor she'd learned in her reading.

"Er . . ." Jeremy got out, still looking bemused.

Suzette sighed with exasperation. "He buried his truncheon in my cloven field."

"Don't you mean clover field?" he asked scratching his head. "I've never heard of a cloven field. You must mean clover."

Suzette flushed with embarrassment. She couldn't recall anymore metaphors from her reading and it seemed something more to the point was needed here. "I gave him my innocence, my lord."

"Oh," the word left him on a long breath, and then he sighed, "I see . . . Well, that's . . . Oh dear."

Suzette lowered her head, awaiting his disgust and rejection, but after a moment he cleared his throat and said, "Well, I will admit I would not like another man's by-blow. However, I suppose we could resolve that matter by simply refraining from . . . er . . . nailing the clover until we know if you are carrying his child or not."

Suzette blinked and glanced to him in surprise. "You do not min

d? I mean I--"

"You obviously love him," he said gently. "Your tears say as much, and I surely understand love. Though truly, I must tell you I don't think he deserves your love if he would take your innocence and then abandon you like this. Certainly, I never would have let my girl go had we gone so far."

Suzette felt misery slide through her and turned her head away with shame, but he patted her hand.

"It is surely not a flaw in you, but him," Jeremy said reassuringly. "And perhaps it is only because my heart is not engaged, but other than waiting to consummate the marriage until we are sure you are not with child, I see no reason for that to be an issue in our decision."

"And what if I am with child?" she asked on a whisper.

A moment of silence passed and then he suggested, "Why do we not deal with that if it happens? You probably are not with child, and we must hope for that, but if you are, well, there are many options to choose from. It might be a girl, who wouldn't inherit the title and estate anyway. Or the child might not make it to term." He shrugged. "Let us take this one problem at a time. We both need to marry and suit each other's needs in that manner. Let us leave the future to take care of itself."

Suzette let her breath out on a small sigh as she nodded, and actually felt a little better. Her heart still ached, and she suspected she would spend a lot of time weeping, and would no doubt weep at the wedding because it was Jeremy at her side and not Daniel, but at least the other issues were taken care of. Her family would be safe from scandal, the markers would be paid, and Jeremy did not appear to be horrified, scandalized or disgusted by what she'd done.

"Suzette?"

She peered over her shoulder as her father stepped out of the trees and into the small clearing.

Lord Madison frowned when he took note that she was not alone and said, "I have been looking for you for several minutes and was about to give up and go back to the inn when I heard your voices and followed them."

"Lord Madison," Jeremy said quietly, getting to his feet. "I realize it is not well done of me to keep your daughter company out here like this, but we came across each other on the path and I thought seeing the falls would lift her spirits."

"Do I know you?" Cedrick Madison asked, eyes narrowing on Jeremy.