Chapter Five
As Rory had expected, Aunt Jennie was beside herself.
She ranted and raved and strode about the room waving her arms. Bothwell took shelter beneath the furniture, peering out with wide eyes.
Rory allowed her words to wash over him, nodding when necessary, apologizing when it seemed expedient, and even assuming a repentant pose when she threatened to evict him.
It took a while but eventually she began to calm down until finally she slumped into one of her brocade-covered chairs, looking exhausted. That was when he knelt at her feet and, taking her hands in his, spoke to her in his most appealing tone.
“Aunt Jennie. I promise you, if there had been any other way to save the lass, I would have taken it. Ormsby is a monster, and his daughter is terrified of him. I couldna leave her to suffer under his tyranny any longer. And truly, it makes no difference to me. Unlike Callum, I had no plans to marry, but a wife might come in useful.” He thought a moment and added, “One day.”
“Oh Rory!”
“I have informed her that we will live separate lives, so no feelings will be hurt when I don’t return home every night. Besides, she plans to use her dowry to live on. Probably somewhere in the country.” He waved a hand vaguely. “After the wedding we will no’ see each other again. Ever.”
Now that he had finished, his aunt seemed to be trying to gather her thoughts, and he could see there were a great many of them.
“Rory, you may think that marrying Lady Grace will be a simple matter, but you can be sure complications will arise. Is she with child? There was talk about some rake who abandoned her.”
“Buckingham,” Rory said with a grimace. “And Grace assures me she is not breeding.”
“And you believe her?” his aunt asked in amazement. “Why would she tell you if she were? It would be in her interest to keep it secret until the last possible moment.”
Rory was surprisingly irritated by this. “I do believe her. Why would she lie when I am marrying her either way?”
His aunt looked at him as if she thought him a na?ve fool and then gave a deep sigh. “I can see you have made up your mind to play the hero. You are making a grand gesture. But Rory, she will be your wife! You won’t be able to pretend she doesn’t exist. Dear lord, what will your father say?”
Rory leaned toward her and fixed his gaze urgently on hers. “That is why my father will no’ find out about any o’ this until the deed is done. I would like to have a chance to explain matters to him before he comes riding south to give me a tongue lashing.”
Jennie eyed him uneasily. “Be it on your own head, lad. But I think Maxwell will struggle, as I am, to understand why on earth you would put yourself in such a sticky situation.”
Rory groaned in frustration. “I’m no’ doing it on a whim, Auntie!
I am doing it because I am an honorable man.
Despite what some people may think of me, I was brought up to do the right thing.
If you’d seen the terror in Grace’s eyes when Ormsby threatened to marry her to his footman, a great brute with a face like a plate! No, I couldna leave her to that fate.”
His aunt’s worried expression softened. “You are a good boy,” she said.
“That poor lass, living in Ormsby’s house and having to listen to his insults every day.
I used to feel sorry for his wife, but at least she stood between him and her daughter.
Now that she is gone, there is nothing to stop the man’s cruelty.
It wouldn’t surprise me if Grace had thrown herself at Buckingham in the hope he would marry her and take her away from all of that. ”
Rory wondered if that was true. He said thoughtfully, “She is not Ormsby’s daughter, she told me that. But I believe there are other children who are?”
His aunt looked pensive. “Yes, two younger daughters. They are not out yet, but the eldest must be almost sixteen? Ormsby will be looking for a husband for her.” She gave a laugh that sounded more distracted than amused.
“You might find yourself saddled with the lot of them, Rory! Grace and her sisters are close, and she will try to protect them as much as she can.”
Rory imagined a household with himself, a wife and her two sisters.
And then he told himself that wasn’t going to happen.
He had made it very clear to Grace that they would live separate lives.
He had come to London to enjoy himself with no plans to be anyone’s husband or protector.
He valued his freedom, and marrying Grace would change nothing.
Jennie stood up with the air of someone with a great deal to do. “If you will excuse me, Rory, I believe I have a wedding to plan! If that is still what you want?” she added, with a curious look.
He smiled. He had always been very fond of his mother’s sister, and she seemed to care for him too. “It is what I want, Aunt Jennie. Thank you.”
“Well, life is never dull with you around,” she said, and a moment later was gone, leaving him to contemplate his situation.
A married man. The thought gave him a shaky feeling, but Rory ignored it.
Bothwell slid out from under the settee and strolled after his mistress, tail in the air, as if he refused to remain in the same room as a fool like Rory.
*
The next few days were full of tasks his aunt assured him were extremely necessary for a soon-to-be married man.
While Jennie went about making the wedding preparations, Rory set off, on her instructions, to visit a solicitor and draw up his will.
After some consideration, he left a reasonable amount to his future wife, but the rest went to his brothers and sister.
He didn’t think Grace would do something as dastardly as disposing of him in the hope of inheriting his worldly goods, but he suspected Ormsby would, and he wasn’t about to make himself a target.
Ormsby sent paperwork from his own solicitor for Rory to sign. The dowry Grace had spoken of was small indeed, and he wondered if she could really live on such an amount. Perhaps if she removed to a cottage deep in the country? Very deep. Well, that was for her to decide after their wedding.
At night, he continued to go out on the town and return home the worse for wear, which didn’t stop him from going out again the following night.
He told himself he was celebrating, but he wasn’t sure what.
Perhaps it was his freedom, even though he was certain that wasn’t about to change.
And yet he felt unsettled. He supposed he could have brought the whole thing to a halt—as his aunt continued to remind him—but he didn’t.
Rory couldn’t forget the look in Grace’s eyes or the way in which she had twisted her hands together, as if her inner feelings were so tumultuous they might overcome her at any moment.
All the same, he had not realized that marrying her would involve so many complications—in his head it had been such a simple matter. He kept reminding himself that once the vows were spoken and the knot tied, that would be it. They would go their separate ways.
And then all too soon, his wedding day dawned.
Ormsby arrived at the countess’s door with Grace at his side and two younger girls who were obviously the sisters.
As they peered apprehensively at Rory, he thought they looked younger than he had expected.
When he gave them a reassuring smile, they huddled together, as if afraid of what he might do.
After that, he gave up and turned his attention to his future wife.
Grace was pale but had a determined expression.
She was wearing a pink gown that leached even more color from her skin, until she resembled a ghost, and there was an uneven circlet of fresh flowers set upon her dark hair that looked as if her sisters had made it.
At least her hair looked shiny and brushed today, as it lay loose about her shoulders and halfway down her back.
Was she meant to look like a virgin bride? Rory reproved himself for the thought as he bowed before her. “Lady Grace.”
In return, she gave him a curtsy, her dark eyes downcast. “Lord Rory.”
The earl observed them with a smirk. “I thought by now you might have made a run for the border, MacKenzie,” he said in a droll way. “Mind, I would have found you, but it would have caused me a great deal of inconvenience to drag you back here.”
“I gave my word,” Rory replied, a little testily. “I had no intention of running.”
“So you did.” Ormsby appeared slightly impressed. “You are a singular fellow, MacKenzie.”
At that point, the Countess of Strathmore entered the room, looking regal in a silver dress with beading about the hem and a tiara on her hair. She was a duke’s daughter and an earl’s wife, and she wanted everyone to remember it.
“Ormsby,” she said and held out her hand, which he bowed over. “And this is your daughter?” Her smile warmed as she took in Grace in her unflattering pink gown, the untidy flowers in her hair. “My dear,” she said, “I trust all is well with you?”
Rory suspected it was a roundabout way of his aunt asking Grace if she still wanted to go ahead with the wedding.
“I am very well,” Grace said with quiet assurance. Her gaze slid to Rory and then to her father, before landing on the floor.
“Good, good!” Ormsby rubbed his hands together.
“Shall we get on? I am leaving for my country estate shortly, and I want this done before I go.” He turned his attention to Grace.
“You will be Lord Rory’s problem now, girl.
Your belongings have been packed up and will be delivered here shortly, so there is no need for you to return to my house. ”