Hardly a Husband (Free Fellows League 3)

"Do you want to give her the moon and stars?" Gillian asked.

"My heart," Jarrod burst out. "I want to give her my heart."

"Give her your heart after you give her a cartload of gifts," Griffin advised. "After what happened tonight and what's likely to happen when the morning newspapers hit the stands, her reputation is ruined. You're going to do a great deal of groveling before you can expect to marry the girl; otherwise, she may try to cut your heart out with a spoon…"

"In other words," Colin said, "shopping. And if I were you, I'd start with a ring."

"And now that that's settled," Griffin drawled, "let's let Gillian tell us what she's discovered…"

* * *

Chapter Twenty-Seven

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Without hope, we liv

e in desire.

— Dante Alighieri, 1265-1321

"She's asleep at last." Lady Dunbridge tiptoed out of the bedchamber she shared with Sarah and into the tiny sitting room where Lord Mayhew waited.

Lord Mayhew shouldn't have been there at all. But the fact that he had carried Sarah up the stairs, into the room, and placed her on the bed had allowed him entrance, and now he was loath to leave. "A good night's sleep will do her a world of good," he said. "She'll see things in a better light in the morning."

"I hope so," Lady Dunbridge said. "I thought my heart would break. I've never seen anyone look so hurt and lost as Sarah did when all her lovely dreams came crashing down around her, and I could have cheerfully strangled Shepherdston with my bare hands for hurting her." She turned to Lord Mayhew. "I don't know if I dare leave her alone long enough to meet you at Ackermann's in the morning."

Lord Mayhew smiled at her. "This morning, my love. And there's no need to meet me at Ackermann's. I'll simply wait for you to complete your morning ablutions and escort you to Lambeth Palace. I can purchase a special license and we can be married there or in any church that takes your fancy along the way back."

"I had planned to ask Sarah to walk Precious for me in the park while I slipped out to meet you." She nodded toward her King Charles spaniel sleeping peacefully on Lord Mayhew's foot. "But now, I don't know that I should…" She bit her bottom lip and frowned.

"We could postpone it another day or two," Lord Mayhew said. "But I've already waited twenty years to marry you and I hate the thought of adding to it."

"What about Lord Shepherdston?" Lady Dunbridge asked. "Will he really face Reggie in a duel?"

Lord Mayhew snorted. "Jarrod will be there. He was publicly challenged. He has to show up or risk losing his honor. Especially since Dunbridge also recorded that ridiculous wager and Sarah's name in the betting books at White's…"

Lady Dunbridge looked at him in sudden dread. "What ridiculous wager?"

"Dunbridge wagered a thousand pounds that he would marry Miss Sarah Eckersley at season's end. Jarrod wagered that wouldn't be the case."

"Good heavens!" Lady Dunbridge exclaimed. "But Reggie has turned out to be worse than I thought. Imagine evicting a girl from her home and dragging her reputation through the mud in order to force her to marry him. How could he believe it would work?"

"How could it not work?" Lord Mayhew posed the question for the sake of argument. "When you look at it from Dunbridge's point of view? Sarah was the daughter of the late rector. Why wouldn't she want to marry a wealthy viscount?"

"Because he's Reggie Blanchard and she's in love with Jarrod Shepherdston."

"But Shepherdston has made his aversion to marriage quite clear. Dunbridge knows that all he has to do is force the issue. Once he has Sarah at his mercy, who is going to stand in his way? Especially since he's a wealthy viscount and an excellent catch for a rector's daughter? Most other girls would have crawled to Dunbridge on their knees and begged him to save them." Lord Mayhew smiled. "But our rector's daughter took a different approach. She refused to settle for Dunbridge so long as there was a chance she might have the man she loves. It was really quite extraordinary." He looked at Henrietta. "When you think about it, Dunbridge has done us a favor. He's forced Jarrod's hand, so you and I don't have to. The question at hand is whether Dunbridge has the courage to make an appearance at Wimbledon Downs."

"He issued the challenge."

"Yes, he did," Lord Mayhew agreed. "In the heat of the moment in order to avoid further embarrassment. Still, Jarrod gave him a dozen excuses to withdraw. Let's hope he's smart enough to make use of them."

"I don't know," Lady Dunbridge said. "When I think of the hell he's put us through these last few days and the fact that he's responsible for shredding Sarah's good name, having Lord Shepherdston skewer him might prove very satisfactory."

"I believe swords are passe," Lord Mayhew said. "Dueling pistols are the thing nowadays."

"A shot through the heart would be equally satisfying," Lady Dunbridge said with relish.