The Earl's Mission: Defiant Brides Book 4 Read online

  “Very well, then, the matter is decided,” his mother said with a sniff. “But do not complain to me when you realize how much you have spent and the damage it could do to your coffers.”

  Leah came in with a large tray that held the silver tea set and placed it on the table. Rachel sent her away, letting her know she would take care of serving. She would show this woman what she had learned.

  “I would not dare complain to you,” the Earl replied as he stood. “Now, I will leave you two to discuss matters further. I have a few items I wish to attend to while I am here, and the study would be the best place to do so. Plus, I have every confidence that you will plan a wonderful party.” And with that he was gone, leaving Rachel alone with his mother.

  Rachel was unsure as she sat beside the Dowager Countess. The woman did not hide her disdain for Rachel, but Rachel had learned much since arriving in Kellington about keeping her temper when dealing with the likes of a woman of the nobility. If this woman was to become her mother-in-law, she needed to bite her tongue whenever possible.

  “Lord Linfield has taken quite a liking to me,” Rachel said lightly, as if testing the ice of a frozen pond. “I have seen a strong man emerge.”

  The Dowager Countess set her cup in its saucer and then placed them on the table. Then she patted Rachel’s hand. “I love my son,” she said firmly, “and he will be great one day. As long as he continues to listen to me.” She removed her hand and returned her attention to her tea. “Now, enough about that, let us discuss a few more details for this party and then we can begin the invitation list.”

  ***

  The weather outside looked inviting, but Rachel forced a smile as the Dowager Countess continued her suggestions for the upcoming engagement party. They had finished the invitation list well over an hour earlier, and now the woman was explaining who the most important people were to impress.

  “Lord Sullyard I have no doubt will attend,” she explained. “It is of the utmost importance that he receives the most attention.”

  “May I ask why this is?”

  “His marriage is in shambles,” the older woman explained, “so he is in a weakened state. Joseph should use this opportunity to gain a foothold in the man’s business. As his wife-to-be, you should do your best to mention the man’s absent wife.”

  Rachel nodded slowly, but she knew she would do no such thing. To use someone’s pain in such a way was cruel and she wanted no part in it. However, she would not voice her disagreement to this woman; she simply would not do as she suggested.

  The door opened and it was as if sunshine had entered a darkened room when she saw Lord Linfield in the doorway. “Surely the planning has been completed by now,” he said with a chuckle.

  Rachel smiled as she allowed her eyes to roam over his well-fitting coat and breeches. The man took great care in his appearance, and Rachel could not help but stare.

  “We have just finished,” the Countess Duchess said. “I believe this engagement party will be the best the ton has ever attended.” As the woman stood, she swayed on her feet, and Lord Linfield ran to her side.

  “Mother?” he asked, his voice filled with worry.

  “Oh, I am fine,” she said with a slap at his hand. “The strain of everything does weigh me down at times. I believe I am ready to return to Abberton House.”

  Her words of assurance did not seem to calm the Earl. “Perhaps you would like to go lie down upstairs and rest for a while,” he said. “We could dine here; I am sure Miss Cooper would not mind.”

  “No, not at all,” Rachel replied, although she had to admit she had seen better performances from a drunken man explaining to his wife how a woman ended up in his lap at the pub. The woman would never perform in the theater, that much was certain.

  “No,” the older woman said firmly. “I need to leave. Goodbye, Miss Cooper.”

  Rachel returned a quick farewell and walked the pair to the front door. Sherman was there with their coat and wrap as their carriage was brought around, the Dowager Countess hanging on Lord Linfield’s arm as if she would collapse at any moment.

  Although Rachel found the Dowager Countess a bit odd, she was glad the woman had not berated her son as she had the last time they met. In fact, like her son, she had made vast improvements in her attitude. Perhaps she would not be as bad as Rachel had first believed.

  A smile came to Rachel’s face when she caught her own reflection in a mirror. Truth be told, she, herself, had made great strides. Her vocabulary was much improved, her mannerisms now impeccable, and she was becoming quite the lady, and it made her proud. If only her parents and friends back at the pub in Falmouth could see her now, she thought. They would not even recognize her.

  Rachel had told Lord Linfield she wished to make him happy, but now, as she looked down at the ring on her finger, she realized that he was making her happy, as well. The small things he did for her, such as working on his temper or smiling at her each time they met, they showed the person hidden behind the stern facade.

  Once the Dowager Countess was gone, Lord Linfield asked, “What are you thinking about?”

  She shrugged. “The party, my life, the two of us,” she replied. “So much has happened over the last few months, and yet so much of it has been wonderful.”

  He smiled as he took her hand in his, and Rachel considered she might melt from the heat in his eyes. “Let us go outside. The weather is far too nice to spend indoors.”

  She slipped her arm in his and they made their way down the steps from the veranda onto the garden path, the sun’s rays warm but not overbearing.

  “Your mother, is she well?” Rachel asked, although she suspected she already knew the answer.

  Lord Linfield let out a half-laugh. “I have begun to realize…well, perhaps I have always known, that Mother likes to be in control of things. When she is not, she feigns illness to gain sympathy.”

  Rachel wanted to laugh. So, she had been correct in her assessment of the woman. “Was it she who taught you how to maintain a rigid schedule?” she asked rather than laughing.

  The Earl nodded. “Indeed. However, a woman I know has been showing me that life does not rely simply on schedules. A lesson I appreciate her sharing.”

  Rachel stopped and turned to him. It was time for her to reveal a secret she had been keeping from him. “Remember the first time you were late, and I showed you the clock on the wall?” He nodded and she continued. “I had Sherman move the hand forward by twenty minutes.”

  His jaw dropped and she let out a laugh. “Miss Cooper!” he said, but then followed it with a laugh. “Why would you do such a thing?”

  “To teach you a lesson,” Rachel stated firmly. Then she gazed up at him. “I hope you are not angry with me.”

  “A few months ago, had I known, I might have left and never returned.” Rachel felt her heart sink a little. “But I am glad you did it. I have a confession to make myself.”

  “Oh?” she asked. Then she found herself holding her breath.

  “Let it be known, I will never leave you.”

  Her heart rose as joy coursed through her body. “Those words mean everything to me,” she told him. “I must admit it is something I have feared, being left alone.”

  “I have never asked you, and I will not again, if you do not wish to answer. However, your mother, your real mother, when she left you at the pub, did she explain to you why she did so?”

  Rachel stopped beneath a large elm, its branches providing a bit of shade. “Mother had met a man, apparently a wealthy man who promised to marry her, although there was no possible way he would marry her if she had a child, especially an illegitimate child.” She spoke without tears, for she had wept too many for that day over the years. “I still remember the journey to the pub as if it were yesterday. My mother told me that she needed happiness in her life, and that that man could give it to her.” Though she had no more tears, the memory still made her shudder. “I cried and begged her not to go, wondering how a mo
ther could do such a thing to her child, but it did not matter. She left me and never returned. From that moment forward, I vowed to hate anyone of title and class, for they took my happiness from me, or so I had thought.” Then she looked up into his eyes. “That is, until I met you.”

  Lord Linfield stepped in closer and placed his hand gently on her face. “I am happier now than I have ever been in my life,” he said, his gaze seeming to look into her soul. “And I look forward to remaining happy with you by my side forever.”

  Then he leaned in and Rachel felt a fire ignite inside her as his lips pressed against hers, the hunger in them unmistakable. She wrapped her hands around his neck as he tightened his grip on her waist, and she could feel the strength in the muscles beneath the sleeves of his coat.

  When the kiss broke, he held her tight against him, and she laid her head on his chest. For the first time since she could remember, Rachel felt safe and secure. And when she looked back up into the eyes of the man holding her, she knew that nothing would ever come between them.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  The carriage moved along the road with a slight jostle, its destination having been kept from Rachel. She gazed out the window at the last of the houses disappearing and the thick clusters of trees replacing them. The day was bright and sunny with not a dot of white to mar the deep blue of the sky. They had been traveling for nearly half an hour, making Rachel wonder if they would soon arrive at Abberton House. However, if that were the case, she had not used this road to visit the Earl’s family home. So perhaps that was not where they were going.

  “Will you still keep our destination from me?” Rachel asked. The man had insisted they take this foolish ride and had refused to give her even the smallest of clues as to where they were heading. Although the idea of not knowing caused a small amount of frustration, a larger amount of excitement overrode it.

  “I will,” he replied with a sly grin.

  Rachel gave him a disgruntled sigh and continued her study of the terrain.

  Finally, the carriage began to slow and then turned right. The trees gave way to a large open field with a single oak tree standing tall and alone in the middle of it. When they came to a full stop, Lord Linfield opened the door, set the step on the ground and helped her alight from the carriage. Then he reached in and removed a large basket and a blanket from under the seat before the driver rode off beyond the edge of the forest from where they had just come.

  “Please,” Lord Linfield said as he held out his elbow to her, “come with me.”

  Rachel stared at his arm for a moment. “You do realize that our engagement party is tomorrow, do you not?” she asked in a demanding tone, although inside she did not feel even the slightest bit angry. “There is still so much to do.”

  He chuckled. “Worry not about time,” he said smoothly. “A schedule is nothing to fret over at the moment.” Then he gave her a wink.

  Once again, Rachel stared at the man beside her, unsure if he had been replaced by another. Not once had she ever heard Lord Joseph Linfield make such a statement, or any that even resembled such a statement, as the one he had just made. She could not help but smile.

  “Who are you, My Lord?” she asked, allowing a small smile to play on her lips. “Where has the man I am meant to marry gone?”

  This made him lean his head back and laugh, and she thought she had never heard anything so wondrous in her life. The sound was deep and filled with mirth, a sound she hoped to hear often from this day forward.

  Rachel finally took his arm and he led her to a place beneath the oak tree where he spread the blanket on the ground. He offered her his hand and helped her lower herself to the ground, and as she spread her skirts around her, he sat beside her and began unpacking the items in the basket.

  “This is a beautiful spot,” Rachel said as she closed her eyes and reveled in the slight movement of the air around her and breathed in the scents of the grass and trees. And that of Lord Linfield, a muskiness with just a hint of bergamot. She found herself surprised that she had never noticed it before.

  When she opened her eyes, she was pleasantly surprised when he offered her a glass of wine and kept one for himself. “Indeed, it is quite lovely here,” he replied. “I thought this short excursion would make for a nice break from the hustle and bustle of planning you have been doing and allow us a moment’s peace with no servants, or anyone else, around.”

  Rachel held back the giggle. The only other person who had been in constant attendance had been his mother, and she knew better than to agree with him on that point, even if she did. Instead she said, “Well, I think it a marvelous idea.”

  He lifted his glass and said, “To us.”

  “To us.”

  They both sipped the wine, a lovely elderberry, one of Rachel’s favorites. Had he known this?

  “Are you looking forward to tomorrow?” he asked.

  “I am,” she replied honestly. “I have to admit, however, that I find myself a bit worried. My stomach does continuous flip-flops. What if I make a mistake? I do not want to embarrass you.”

  Lord Linfield reached over and took her hand in his. How could such a simple touch make her heart race and her body feel flushed? “You can never embarrass me,” he said, a huskiness to his voice. “Your beauty, your heart, your mind, they are all something to admire.”

  Rachel thought her body would ignite and scorch the ground around her. She pulled her hand away and drank from the glass in hopes at cooling the heat that had overtaken her treasonous body. When she felt she could speak without her voice cracking, she said, “The man who sits before me is not the man I thought he was. You have become a man full of confidence, but it is self-owned and comes from within. I must admit, I admire that man.”

  He smiled and then opened his jacket. Rachel shook her head to indicate she did not understand what he wished her to see. Then she laughed. “My Lord! Your pocket watch. You have left it behind?”

  He belted out that deep laugh once again and closed his coat once again. “It was not needed today, so I left it at home,” he said as if this was a decision he made often. “Yes, the man I was before is now gone, replaced with a man who is, for once, happy. And it is all because of you.”

  The heat returned and Rachel almost fanned herself to cool it down. However, she knew only one of two things could do so: either a change in the conversation or allowing the man beside her to pull him into his arms. She knew which she would prefer, but she decided the other would be much more appropriate.

  “Tomorrow…” she began to say before he stopped her.

  “Tomorrow we celebrate our engagement; however, I believe it is more than that. We celebrate us, two people who…care for each other and foresee a wondrous future together.”

  Rachel blinked back tears. “I agree, but there is something more,” she whispered. “From the moment you walked into the Rooster’s Crow, you did something to me here.” She pointed to her breast to indicate her heart. “I did not know what it was, but over the past few weeks, that feeling grew, and now I know what it is.”

  He leaned in closer to her. “Tell me,” he said, his voice as quiet as hers.

  “That I have come to care very deeply for you.”

  “As have I for you,” he replied. Then he leaned in, and all pretense of her attempt to choose conversation over an embrace was gone as his lips touched hers.

  Under that mighty oak tree, Rachel shared a kiss with her fiancé, a man she had come to realize she had loved from the moment they first met. This kiss was different from the one they had shared in the drawing room before, for a kiss in love is unlike any other.

  Although she did not know how long the kiss lasted, it felt like an eternity had passed when they finally pulled away from each other. They both smiled as they gazed into each other’s eyes. Tomorrow they would confess their love for everyone to hear, but Rachel knew this confession from their heart was much more powerful.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

 
; Rachel had spent most of the morning and early afternoon preparing for the party. Leah had deftly pinned up her hair into a perfect chignon with a perfect curl hanging over her shoulder. Her dress was a deep blue and was chosen to match the sapphires in the ring and the necklace, which she now wore around her neck. Leah had insisted on adding only a bit of rouge and a spot of color to Rachel’s lips claiming that Rachel’s natural beauty could not be improved by artificial means.

  Once she was ready, she began the half-hour journey to Abberton House, and it felt as if an eternity had passed when, finally, the carriage pulled up in front of the house belonging to her fiancé. She had suggested she stay in one of his guest rooms so she could help with the final preparations for the party, but he had insisted she remain at Elford Estates, stating that not only was that inappropriate—she did not agree with this argument as his mother was also in the house—but that he wished to surprise her. This had piqued her interest enough to not argue with him, but it only made her nerves that much more frayed by the time she had finally left her house.

  Lord Linfield stood waiting for her as the carriage pulled up and had the door open before it came to a complete stop. “Miss Cooper, there has never, nor will there ever be, a more beautiful lady in all of England,” he said with a gasp when he looked at her.

  She felt heat creep into her cheeks and knew she had to be blushing profusely. Perhaps she had not needed even the rouge if the man was going to speak such words to her. She smiled nonetheless and allowed him to help her alight from the carriage.

  He looked more handsome, if that were possible, than she had ever seen him with a dark-blue tailcoat with gold buttons that fit nicely across his broad chest. She caught a glimpse of a blue and white striped waistcoat and a white ruffled shirt, and around his neck a perfectly starched and tied cravat. She wondered if he had spent as much time as she readying himself for this event.

  “Come, I wish to show you something,” Lord Linfield said. Perhaps it was the twinkle in his eye or the handsomeness of his face or the wave of his hair, but she felt her breath catch in her throat as she placed her hand in the crook of his arm.