“Why didn’t you just leave me in London to begin with?” she asked, a ball of dread settling her stomach.
“I should have. Though I won’t regret what has brought this moment about, love.”
Those words softened her heart a bit. “I wanted to go.”
He gave her a gentle smile. “I know.”
Diana made it to the front of the church, standing just in front of them. “We’re all returning to see that Grace is safe but I, for one, think you did the right thing, bringing Ada back here to marry.”
“Thank you,” Blake answered. “But Exile, tell your wife—”
“Nope,” Exile answered before he could finish. “She’s stronger than most men. I’ll not tell her she has to stay home.”
“Then I’m coming too.” Ada straightened. “Grace might need us.”
Blake gave a single nod. “Very well. Your Grace, if you’d be so kind as to see us wed, we’re returning to the country tonight on a rescue mission.” Then he winked. “Jack’s driver will rue the day he picked us up.”
Years later, Ada wouldn’t remember the details of the ceremony. What she wore, the exact words she said. But the feeling would stay with her forever. Warmth surrounded her. She’d found a man who valued her for who she was and even better, he brought out the very best in her.
“I could never ask for more than you, Lord Viceroy.”
Blake placed a soft kiss on his wife’s mouth. “And I never dreamed to earn the love of a woman such as you, Lady Viceroy.”
Her heart thrummed in her chest. “I’m ready to be my best self. Let’s go find Grace.”
Baron of Bad
Lords of Scandal Book 5
Tammy Andresen
Baron of Bad
Lady Grace Chase gripped the side of the carriage with increasingly stiff fingers as she eyed the pale-faced blonde woman who sat across from her.
Lady Cristina Abernath held a long dagger in her thin hand as she stared back at Grace. “It didn’t have to be this way.”
Grace parted her lips to reply, but hesitated. She wasn’t the most sensible woman in England. In fact, of her three sisters and two cousins that she’d grown up with, she might be the least intelligent of the bunch. But she knew, instinctually, when it was best to keep quiet. And now was one of those times.
Not that she always listened to her instincts. A few hours prior, she’d ignored her feelings entirely and stomped out of the carriage after she’d had a rather heated disagreement with the Baron of Baderness.
He’d accused her of being spoiled and she’d stormed off because of what he’d said, which of cour
se, had allowed her to be kidnapped right in the middle of a busy London Street. If he were here now, she’d smack him, or hug him.
Maybe both.
“If one of your family could have just agreed to help me, I wouldn’t have to take these measures. And then you went and stole my Harry too.”
This time, words burned on the tip of Grace’s tongue but she held them in. Accusations like Abernath had chosen to abandon the child in a locked room during a fire or that she’d stolen her sister, Cordelia, and attempted to take her other sister, Diana, recently. Instead, Grace tightened her hold on the wooden rail that trimmed the interior. It was a lovely carriage. She took in the rich red drapery and the shining mahogany of the interior. What an odd prison she was now held in.
“We can still make a deal. Tell me you’re the most rational of the Chase women.”
“Hardly,” Grace murmured without meaning to. “But I’m willing to talk.” Grace was by no means the most rational, which was likely a good thing. Cordelia was far more sensible for example. But that wouldn’t help her in this situation. Abernath was completely off her rocker.
Rather than relaxing, Abernath tensed, narrowing her gaze. “One of your sisters already made that promise. I’m not sure I trust your word.”
Grace shrugged, feigning indifference. She was being held at knifepoint in a carriage that was barreling down a country road with a scarred giant of a driver. Blood rushed through her ears. But she was the one who shouldn’t be trusted? “I’m sure Diana made you promises. If I’m not mistaken, she likes you.” That wasn’t entirely true. Diana was the oldest daughter of the Earl of Winthorpe and the boldest of the bunch. She’d likened herself to Abernath, saying that she understood the countess’s struggle. Being a strong woman, she’d been trapped into a corner by society.