Chapter 19
19
The Marquess of Stoneway was proposing marriage to Penny Smith. In his robe with the breakfast tray steaming behind him. Impossible.
Loving Liam and being loved in return was a miracle, but a maid marrying a marquess? That delved into the realm of social blaspheme.
A duke fell in love with a mistress’ bastard. A soft lady sharpened herself into a lethal weapon. Hannah and Millie defied their destiny, so why can’t I become Liam’s wife?
Instead of triumph, fear washed through Penny. What if she did accept his offer? Standing in front of the entire beau monde, by his side, on equal footing with lords and ladies whose chamber pots she once emptied? Taking his hand and becoming a marchioness? How could she possibly dare so much?
In an extremely inconvenient moment of personal epiphany, Penny realised accepting Liam’s proposal and turning her wildest imaginings into reality was far more frightening than remaining exactly as she was with her dreams floating somewhere in the clouds.
Because if I marry him, everything changes.
Dreams were meant to be ethereal things, insubstantial and untarnished by reality. But achieving a dream brought it out of the cosmos and into the world.
And the world is an imperfect place.
Never being good enough meant Penny never had to be good enough. She could stay safe and still in her small bubble and never change. But if she accepted his offer, his public display of love, his declaration that she was equal to all the gently bred lords and ladies of England, she would have to transform. Grow. Step into a brand-new world as a brand-new creature. Which was frightening. Because she didn’t believe she belonged with the shining people above-stairs. And if she married Liam, that’s exactly where she would ascend. A very scary prospect indeed.
But I can’t stay stagnant in this fear forever.
Liam’s throat constricted and worry crept into his beautiful eyes. ‘Unless you don’t love me?’
His vulnerability was her undoing. She might be terrified of standing by his side, but she was more frightened of hurting him. Of losing him because of her own insecurities. ‘Liam, I love you more than I can express.’ Pushing up on her toes, she closed the distance between them, crushing her mouth against his.
Liam’s flat palm pressed against the small of her back, pulling her flush against him. He plunged his tongue into her mouth, tasting her, exploring, tempting.
But she couldn’t get lost in his body. In their mutual need. Not yet. There was more she needed to say. She pulled out of the kiss, out of his warm embrace, and backed up several steps. ‘Before I accept your offer, there is something I must say.’
Liam stood from where he leaned against the settee and moved closer as she stepped away.
‘What is there left to say? I love you. You love me. I’ve asked for your hand. You need only accept.’
Penny’s belly clenched. ‘Yes. And I will marry you on one condition.’
Liam took another step and Penny retreated again, her back crashing into the door.
‘Name it.’
Penny kept her focus on his hairline as he moved closer. She could smell the forest, fresh air, spice. Her mouth watered and she swallowed.
She forced herself to look at him and almost lost her nerve. He was offering her everything, and she was going to demand more. Squaring her shoulders, she pressed forward. ‘I want nothing more than to be your wife, but I will not give up my autonomy. You don’t want me to help catch the Devil’s Sons. You said as much last night. But I won’t be deterred. I will do what I can to bring these men to justice.’
He opened his mouth to speak, but she didn’t let him.
‘As your maid, I am still entitled to my own choices outside of this house, but society has different rules for wives. Rules I will not follow. You will always have my heart, but my mind and my will must remain my own or I can’t agree to this marriage.’
Liam clenched his jaw. ‘I am not taking away your autonomy, but I also won’t willingly risk your life. Not for anything.’
‘If I forbade you to attend this meeting, would you listen to me? Would you abandon your mission?’
He crowded her with his body, putting one hand by her head on the door and the other on the wood next to her hip, caging her in his arms without touching her.
But Penny Smith didn’t back down from anything. She thrust out her chin, daring him to engage in this battle. ‘You wouldn’t, would you? So how can you deny me the same privilege?’
‘It’s different,’ he growled.
Her eyes flicked to his full bottom lip and caught there. ‘It’s not. Don’t think this isn’t a terrifying prospect for me, Liam. But if I’m brave enough to claim my place as your equal, then I demand to be treated as your equal. It is my only condition.’
Liam ran the blade of his nose up her cheek, inhaling her as his lips hovered near her ear. ‘Your only condition is that I sacrifice you to the wolves?’ He sucked the lobe into his mouth, biting hard enough to make her gasp as her nipples budded. Every cell in her body fizzed with desire.
He is trying to distract me. It won’t work.
‘No. My only condition is that we are like members of the same team. Or is your love not strong enough to grant me such equality?’
His mouth moved to her neck. He scraped his teeth over her flesh. ‘You don’t play fair, Miss Smith.’
Something shimmery and bright flared in her chest as a new sense of power infused her. ‘What is it they say? The rules of fair play do not apply in love and war. As a decorated war hero, surely you know this, Lord Renquist.’
He pushed away from her. ‘Equals. In love and war. This is your condition?’
Holding her breath, her hopes, her dreams, she nodded.
‘You drive a hard bargain, madame.’
‘Only when it matters.’
His firm mouth softened as his body hardened. ‘I agree to your terms, but I have a condition of my own.’
Before elation could fill her, she bit her lip and nodded for him to continue. His eyes strayed to her mouth. ‘If it comes down to a choice, between you and me, between your life and mine, you choose yourself, Penny. You must promise me. You won’t sacrifice yourself for me.’
‘I…’ How could she answer him?
‘I will not be swayed in this. You must swear it.’
I won’t let it come to that. Somehow, I will make sure we both survive this.
She nodded, knowing this was the only promise to Liam she would break.
He shifted his hand from the wall, gripping her hip. ‘So, it is decided. You have your autonomy and my heart. I have your promise.’
‘And my heart.’
‘A fair trade.’ His beautiful mouth curled into a smile.
Now that the decision was made, fear gave way to more powerful emotions. Hope. Love. Need. She wanted him. And she would take everything he was willing to give. Without shame or modesty or hesitation. With so much unknown, she knew this with absolute certainty.
Liam’s hand moved up her hip, brushing the side of her breast but staying annoyingly away from the tightened tip. She tingled and ached for his touch. His long fingers flicked open the top button of her dress, then the second, then the third. He pulled the high-necked cotton aside, grazing along the sensitive skin of her clavicle. Gripping her neck, his thumb traced gently along her jaw.
‘I could take you right here. Right now,’ he growled, before his lips latched onto the delicate skin where her pulse beat and sucked hard. She moaned as he thrust forward, pinning her hips against the hard wood with his own. The steel ridge of his erection pressed against her skirt.
But this was her claiming. She wanted to control the rhythm and pace. ‘Not if I take you first.’ Pushing him back, she reached down and yanked his sash free. His cock sprang forward as his robe gaped open. Long and hard and weeping with need. She gripped him in her hand and squeezed as his pupils dilated.
‘Careful,’ he warned.
She pumped hard from tip to root, using his own moisture to aid in her task. ‘I don’t want to be careful.’ She wanted him hard and fast and feral.
‘I don’t want to hurt you. Damn it, Penny. You’ve only just lost your virginity.’
She stretched her mouth in a wicked smile. ‘I didn’t lose it. I know exactly where it went.’
He shook his head. ‘You know what I mean.’
She sank her free hand into his hair, tugging hard enough to make him hiss then softening her grip and massaging the tight cords of tendon at the base of his skull as she mimicked the movement with her hand around his cock. ‘You can’t hurt me, Liam. I promise. I’m not some delicate lady. I want you wild and free.’
His fingers tightened around her neck as he pulled her close, crushing his mouth against hers. She licked the seam of his lips, sinking her teeth into the firm flesh. Pumping him hard, she revelled in his throaty groan.
He pulled at her skirts, bunching them around her waist. Cool air caressed her thighs. He gripped her legs, knocking her hand from his cock and lifting her as easily as he might lift a sheaf of papers. Wrapping her legs around his hips, he ground his pelvis in a deliciously tight circle. His blunt head pressed against her wet entrance.
‘Now. I need you now.’ She tightened her thighs around him, pulling him closer.
In one hard drive, he entered her, hot friction stroking her swollen clitoris as she screamed his name.
They froze for an infinite moment as her body adjusted to him, welcoming his hard flesh into her soft core.
Gripping her bare bottom in one hand and covering her corseted breast with the other, he plunged deeper. Each pulse of his hips scraped his cock against raw nerve endings. Penny felt her channel stretch and clench around him, the pleasure a growing inferno as he slammed into her again. And again. And again. She held him tight with her thighs, clenching her inner walls with each lunge, her nails scratching down his back as he increased the rhythm.
‘More.’ She urged him on, pulling her breast free and pinching her own nipple, needing the bite of pain to ground her.
Liam swore, the filthy words only heightening her pleasure as he watched her fingers flicking and rubbing the rose-puckered flesh. ‘Yes. Show me what you want. What you need.’
She pinched again, the burn intensifying as he drove her higher, faster. ‘You. I only want you.’ She closed her eyes and flew off the precipice as he grew impossibly harder inside her tight body. His final thrust pinned her against the wall as they fractured apart, splintered together, fused into one pulsing heartbeat.
Liam was reasonably certain his spirit left his body. He sank with Penny to the floor, and they sat in a tangled heap, catching their breaths as the echoes of pleasure spasmed through him.
‘Dear God, woman. I won’t survive a year of marriage with you, let alone a lifetime.’
She stroked a hand down his bare chest, her nipple peeking out from the plain cotton corset. It was all he could see of her body. The puckered bud of dark-pink flesh contrasting against the pale swell of her breast while the rest of her was covered in black cotton. Her white apron was still tied neatly around her waist. Yet he sat on the floor, completely naked. The dichotomy was unspeakably erotic.
‘At least we’ll die happy.’ Her throaty laugh did something to his heart.
He stood slowly, walked to the basin on the far side of the room, wet a towel, and cleaned himself before taking a fresh cloth, dipping it in the water, and returning to Penny. He took his time lifting her skirts and wiping her flesh clean, giving equal attention to the sensitive curve of her inner thigh, the inner and outer lips of her labia, the hood covering her clitoris and the still-swollen cluster of nerves. When he was done, her breaths came hard and fast.
‘You are a very wicked man.’ Penny’s words were rough with new need.
‘I know. At this rate, we’ll never leave my room.’ He pulled her to her feet, pressing a lingering kiss against her mouth.
A loud knock sounded on the door and Penny froze in his arms. She pushed him away, tucking her beautiful breast back into her corset and quickly buttoning her dress. Which was a laughable effort as her hair was still in disarray, her neck marked from his teeth, and her lips swollen from his kisses. And he still stood naked in the middle of the room. No one who walked through the door would remain ignorant of what they’d been doing. It was obvious. And Liam welcomed the discovery. He didn’t want to hide his feelings for Penny any longer. Or his intentions to make her his wife. It was sure to cause a stir with the staff below-stairs, but anyone who gave Penny so much as a glare would be immediately dismissed.
She picked up his robe and threw it at him before wildly wrestling her hair back into some semblance of order.
Liam took his time putting on his robe while another knock sounded, this time more insistent.
Penny looked behind her at Liam, nodding insistently at the sash which hung loose. He smirked and tied it.
Exhaling a shaky breath, she opened the door and her shoulders tightened.
‘Mr Coggins.’ Penny’s voice was a high squeak.
Of all the bloody people to be on the other side of the door, Mr Coggins was the absolute last individual Penny hoped to see. So of course, it was the smug butler who took in her appearance, looked behind her to Liam, and tightened his mouth in a disgusted smirk.
What would Coggins say when he found out she was soon to be his mistress? Nothing kind, Penny was willing to wager.
Without sparing her a second glance, he pushed past Penny and strode into the room. His training was evident as he quickly rearranged his face into an expression of deference. His mouth softened into a neutral line. His eyes remained on the floor in front of Liam’s feet. He clasped his hands behind his back. Or he would have, if one hand wasn’t already holding something. A letter.
Penny squinted at the thing and her tummy flipped. The paper carried the seal of the Devil’s Sons.
‘I’m sorry to interrupt your breakfast.’
Bravo, Coggins.
The word held zero innuendo, though it was painfully obvious to all of them exactly what he’d been interrupting.
‘As am I. This better be important, Coggins.’ Liam was displaying his full power as marquess. His words were clipped, his tone austere. He threw his shoulders back and glared at Coggins.
‘It is, my lord. And I’m glad Miss Smith is here as it also concerns her.’
He’d found her letter. The sneaky bastard had probably gone through her room the night before while the servants were revelling below-stairs and Penny was swanning about above-stairs. So, he would also know she wasn’t in her room, feeling ill.
Damnation!
Would this create a crack in her newly built foundation with Liam? He knew she had been investigating him, but he didn’t know the boundaries she’d been willing to breach to find evidence against him.
I suppose I shall find out.
But she would be damned if she’d give Coggins the satisfaction of confessing her crimes. Stepping forward, she snatched the letter from his hand. He spun, his face turning red with rage. ‘How dare you?’ he seethed.
Penny held the letter out of his reach. ‘You found this in my room. Under my bed, I’d wager. A letter from Reynard Renquist. Something that does not belong to me. And you are hoping to catch me in an act of theft. Is that about right, Mr Coggins?’
He sniffed, his nose tipping as he looked down on Penny. ‘That’s exactly correct.’
Liam crossed to Penny’s side. He held his hand out and she gave him the letter. His gaze quickly scanned the text. Nerves wrapped bony fingers around Penny’s throat.
‘I took it the day after you arrived. You accused me of stealing something from you. You were right. I didn’t realise it was your brother’s letter. I thought it belonged to you.’ Penny watched Liam’s face for any indication of his thoughts.
‘She is a filthy little thief, my lord. It would seem her morals are lower than I first guessed. Obviously, she is trying to trap you in her seductive web while she rummages through your personal belongings, for what, I can only begin to imagine. Blackmail, I’m guessing. I will happily throw her out right now unless you’d rather we involve the law.’ Spittle caught in the corners of Coggins’ mouth as his shrewd gaze flicked from Penny to Liam and back again.
Liam folded the letter and tucked it in the pocket of his robe. Turning his full attention to Coggins, Penny couldn’t read his expression. ‘You are suggesting we throw Miss Smith onto the streets, or even better, into a cell?’
Coggins’ eyes flashed with cold victory. ‘Exactly so, my lord.’
Liam turned to Penny. ‘Well, I see only one way forward.’
Penny held her breath.
‘As the soon-to-be mistress of this house, the staff will be under your direction, my love.’
Coggins gasped in a breath before coughing hard. ‘M-mistress?’ he whispered, his eyes widening in horror.
Mischief danced in Liam’s eyes. The corner of his mouth lifted. ‘Do you wish to dismiss yourself, Penny? Or perhaps it is time we consider a new butler?’
The tightness in her throat eased as a relief washed through her. ‘I think a new butler is just the thing, dearest.’
The week rushed by in a buzz of activity. With so much at stake – and Penny’s role as servant being necessary for the next step in their game of cat and mouse with the leaders of the Devil’s Sons – the last thing they needed was for word to get out of Penny’s soon-to-be-changed circumstances.
Liam made Coggins swear to keep the news of Liam’s proposal to Penny a secret or risk being dismissed with no letter to recommend him. Coggins was a slimy arse, but he was also devoted to his own survival. He needed Liam’s recommendation, or he wouldn’t even find work as a stable boy. His loyalty was promised and with his own livelihood at stake, Penny was reasonably assured he would keep his word. It helped that Liam also threatened Coggins with bodily harm if he whispered a word about it. They agreed that Coggins would tell the staff he was leaving to find better prospects elsewhere. It wasn’t a total lie. He had no hope of finding happiness in Liam’s household.
Penny was able to visit with her mother and after many tears and an overabundance of tea, sandwiches, and sleep, Harriet was regaining her physical strength and making plans for a future. Something she’d never been able to do in the past. And it was all due to Liam’s support. His country estate had a dowager house on the grounds boasting eight bedrooms, a library, a sumptuous garden including a newly renovated greenhouse, and a small staff. It would be perfect for Harriet, and plans were in place to move her there after Liam and Penny’s wedding.
Hannah, Millie, and Ivy had all come to visit with Drake and Killian. They met in the front parlour and Penny was asked to serve them. Instead, she sat with the ladies and nibbled on tea cakes while feeling like a total imposter.
‘Don’t worry, Penny. You’ll get used to it. The first time I was called “Your Grace”, I almost choked on my ratafia.’ Hannah sipped her tea, scrunched her nose, then poured another splash of whiskey into the cup. She sipped again. ‘Ah. Much better.’
The ladies discussed strategies for Penny to protect herself in her upcoming confrontation with the Devil’s Sons while Killian and Drake quizzed Liam on his work with the Queen. Drake puffed on a cheroot, the smoke tickling Penny’s nose. Liam and Killian sipped on port and made disparaging comments about the smoke Drake blew in their direction.
‘I know Liam will be there, but I think it’s important you’re prepared.’ Hannah went through all the weapons Penny could conceal on her body and made sure Liam was able to procure them on such short notice. While brass knuckles and hat pins were all well and good, daggers and pistols were far better. Even if Penny wasn’t adept at aiming, in close range, she wouldn’t need to be an expert marksman. And while the Devil’s Sons would expect Liam to come armed and would more than likely check him for weapons, they would hardly think his maid might be concealing firearms and blades.
‘Yes, quite. I know when Drake and I had to confront poor Reynard at our wedding party last year, it was my skill with throwing knives that saved us.’ Millie shook her head sadly. ‘I still wish we could have found a different path forward.’
Drake caught Millie’s gaze from his place by the fire. He hitched his chin up and gave her a small smile. Knowing that Liam was aware of the true cause of Reynard’s death, and that he understood why it happened, had relieved much of the guilt and tension between the men. But Millie confided in Penny that it still plagued her. The red-head’s expressive skin flushed crimson and she shifted in her seat. ‘He worries about me. But I am learning to live with my choices. Justice comes at a cost to everyone, not just the guilty. But it’s worth it, to protect the innocent.’
Ivy’s pale cheeks grew even whiter. ‘I can’t imagine. Even after my training sessions with the Duchess, I would never have the courage to put myself in such danger.’ She had the haunted look of a victim. Penny had seen the same wide-eyed fear in some of the inmates in prison. Penny felt the urge to wrap her arms around Ivy and protect her from whatever demons the girl clearly fought within herself.
Millie did what Penny could not and wrapped her shapely arm around Ivy, who sat next to her on the settee. She squeezed her friend close. The women couldn’t be more different. Millie’s voluptuous body spilled out of a sprigged muslin gown. Her wild, red curls were piled on top of her head in an artfully messy coiffure. In contrast, Ivy’s pale, thin form was covered from throat to wrist to ankle in a simple blue frock. Her hair, so fair it almost looked silver, was twisted in a simple chignon at the base of her neck. Where Millie was the colour and fire of a summer sun, Ivy was the cool, pale moonlight on a winter’s landscape.
Their conversation moved on to Penny’s mother and her health before circling back to Ivy and her new work with the foundling home being organised by Lady Olivia Smithwick. It was a wonderful afternoon and when the guests left, Penny returned to the kitchen with the empty tea tray feeling lighter than she had in ages. She might not know how to step into her new role as marchioness, but she knew she would have friends to help her navigate the treacherous landscape of the beau monde.
‘You’ve got a note.’ Mrs O’Brian winked at Penny. ‘If I didn’t know better, I’d think a secret admirer is courting you.’ She handed the letter over with Constable Sweet’s familiar scrawl. Penny kept her expression neutral, though Mrs O’Brian would keel over if she knew how close she was to the mark. Just with the wrong man.
Constable Sweet had returned from Bath. She would need to update him on the happenings over the last few days. How he would marvel at the drastic changes of Liam’s transition from key suspect to intended groom.
The clock drawn onto the paper showed midnight once more. Her last clandestine meeting with her old friend. But wouldn’t it be a special treat to invite Constable Sweet and his lady-wife into her home as guests once she married Liam?
The evening was busy. Molly had caught a cold and Penny promised Mrs Harding to cover the girl’s work in the laundry while still tending to her responsibilities. Mrs Harding’s attitude had shifted slightly with the loss of Coggins. She slipped into the role of both butler and housekeeper with remarkable ease and while her relationship with Mrs O’Brian was still strained, Penny was impressed with Mrs Harding’s ability to control the staff with a firm, but fair hand.
Penny hoped she would be able to work well with Mrs Harding when she took on the mantle of mistress of the house. She certainly wouldn’t miss the back-breaking tasks, though knowing her time below-stairs was numbered made them easier to bear. Penny intended to sneak into Liam’s room before her meeting with Constable Sweet, but time flew by, and she was still elbow-deep in sudsy water long after the staff retired to their beds.
Folding the last of the linen tablecloths that had been left in a clean pile on the counter, Penny put them on their designated shelf and made her way through the servants’ hall from the laundry to the kitchen. It was nearly midnight and there was no time to rush upstairs before Constable Sweet would be scratching at the door. Instead, she put the kettle on for a much-needed cup of tea and sat on a stool near the fire, warming her hands. Liam would just have to wait until after her meeting with the constable.
Soon, I’ll be sitting in the stuffed chair in Liam’s room. Our room.
It was hard to imagine, but the image created a glow of warmth in her chest as comforting as the flames warming her fingers. She was so lost in her imaginings, she almost missed the soft tapping at the door.
She stood, opening the door wide. With the household all asleep, there really wasn’t a need for them to hunker on the servants’ stairs. A light rain had started and the wind was cold from the west.
‘Constable Sweet. Come in and warm yourself by the fire. Everyone is abed. We’ve no need to fear discovery.’ And if Liam happened to find his way into the kitchen, she could introduce him to the man who was the closest thing Penny had to a father. ‘I’ve put the kettle on. Would you like a cup of tea?’
Constable Sweet took off his hat. His thin hair was wet and stuck to his head in tufts. He looked tired. The creases around his mouth were deep, and he wiped moisture from his eyes. ‘Are you sure, dove? I don’t want to get you into any trouble.’
Penny smiled at the dear man. ‘No, we’ll be fine. There’s much I need to tell you.’ She got him settled by the fire, poured them both a steaming cup of tea, placed the dishes on a rickety table between them, then sat on the stool once more.
She spent the next twenty minutes catching Constable Sweet up on all the happenings of the past week, including the most shocking news of all: her impending nuptials.
Constable Sweet’s mouth fell open. ‘Married? To the marquess?’ He shook his head. ‘This changes everything.’ Constable Sweet’s moustache twitched as he watched Penny. Her thoughts exactly, only he didn’t seem nearly as happy as she’d hoped. ‘I won’t be able to come visit my little dove any longer.’ But then the man broke into a smile. ‘We need to celebrate.’
Penny jumped from the stool. ‘You’re right! This calls for some of Mrs O’Brian’s lemon tarts. There are a few left in the pantry.’
She brought the treats back while Constable Sweet poured them more tea.
He wanted to know all about her relationship with the marquess and Penny happily told him while munching on lemon tarts and sipping hot tea. She wished she’d thought to sweeten the brew with sugar. It was a bitter blend.
It was close to one in the morning when Penny’s head started to feel funny. She blinked but couldn’t bring Constable Sweet’s face into focus. ‘I don’t think I’m well.’ She started to tip off the stool before the constable caught her. His familiar scent of peppermint and tobacco, usually so comforting, made Penny’s stomach twist in a nauseous wave.
Dear God. I’m going to be sick all over the constable.
‘I’m so sorry, Penny. You must know, I had no choice.’
Penny drew her brow down, though her face felt oddly numb. What was he talking about? And why was everything slowly fading to black? She blinked again but couldn’t open her eyes as the world rushed away from her and she fell into darkness.