Chapter 14
M ercy tugged at the cuffs of her grey gown, drew in a deep breath, and lingered for a moment before Leander’s study door. She could do this. After all, he was the one who had proposed to her and had been pursuing her. Yes, indeed, she could manage this.
She lifted her hand and rapped upon the door.
“Come,” Leander called with that deep, compelling voice of his. The rich timbre always did the most tempting things to her. Absolutely marvelously marvelous things. Things she’d never imagined.
Even now, she felt anticipation rush through her. The anticipation of being in his powerful presence, and after that kiss… After the way he had teased her body to life, she felt she could scarcely breath as heat bloomed through her.
Mercy swallowed, then opened the door, stepped inside, and watched a dagger soar across the room and pierce the wooden wall.
He turned slowly to her as if throwing weapons indoors was the most normal thing in the world.
At least the blade had been hurled away from her and not towards her.
She watched the hilt quiver as the tip drove into the board hung upon the wall.
“Ah, Mercy, I’m so glad you’re here.”
She swung her gaze to his handsome face and powerful frame, captivated by the way his mere presence could fill a room.
But then she felt compelled to look back at the wall. Several daggers had already been thrown, and it was clear that he did it often. And excelled.
She arched a brow as she leveled him with a surprised stare. “Are you thinking of someone, Your Grace?”
He smiled slowly. A sensual, masculine smile. “Not anyone in particular,” he informed. “There are several people, though, who I’d like to skewer like a pin cushion.”
“Your family is rather bloody minded,” she stated.
“It’s how we’ve kept power, you see,” he said unapologetically. “The truly great families might seem genteel, but deep inside, they’re all at court because they want to rule, and their ancestors seized their chance through blood or dalliance.”
“I see,” she murmured, taking him in.
As he stood in the falling shadows of night with the glow of the fire on him, she found herself growing quite… Well, it was hard to describe how she felt. His dark hair fell over his razor-edge cheekbones. His eyes were twin pools of desire and crackling power. His linen shirt was open at the throat, exposing his clavicles and the hollow there. She had the wildest urge to go to him and kiss his warm flesh.
What a mad thing to think! Or was it, since they had already kissed so passionately?
And she was about to claim him.
Yes, she was about to be his too, if she would but allow it. If he still wished it.
His cuffs were rolled up to his elbows, exposing the most beautiful forearms she’d ever seen. And those hands, those gorgeous strong hands of his, which should have been delicate and soft were not. He clasped another dagger, his fingertips slowly stroking the flat of it, the steel.
She sucked in a slow, steadying breath. There was something about him that was wild, untamed, despite the fact that he was a duke. Oh, how she loved that about him, the unpredictable vibrance there.
He was the opposite of herself, even though she had known wildness and unsteadiness while growing up. It was most strange for, unlike hers had been, the duke’s outside world was steady and solid. It was his inner soul that was on edge somehow, a soul that was greater than any she’d ever known.
And that soul longed for her.
He cocked his head to the side and his lips parted. “Can I help you, Mercy? Is anything amiss?”
She squared her shoulders, which drew his attention to her breasts. His gaze darkened as if he was imagining caressing her body again.
How she longed for it. How she longed to let go with him, even if she was still terrified to do so. She’d been in control of herself for so long. She’d never let anyone close. Not truly. Not like this.
And then she blurted, “Do you still wish to marry me?”
His brows quirked. “Of course, I do. I don’t make offers that I plan to rescind, unless, of course, you’ve done something heinous. Have you done something heinous?” he teased.
She laughed, unable to stop herself, for his whole demeanor was simply irresistible in his playfulness. “I did dare to suggest to a publisher that I would publish novels.”
“How horrible of you,” he said. He looked as if he already knew this.
“Did your mother tell you?”
“No,” he said gently. “If I’m honest, I overheard from the hallway. It was all I could do not to burst in at that moment. But I did not wish to invade your private conversation, and so I left quickly. I felt certain that if you wished for my help, you’d tell me. And I already have a plan to take care of the bastard.”
“I appreciate your passion,” she replied, her heart beating swiftly at how strongly he had declared his willingness to stand up for her.
“I am exceptionally passionate. Perhaps too passionate,” he said ruefully. “But I shall follow your lead on this. However, it would give me great pleasure to visit him.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Why do you wish to?”
“Because sometimes it does help if another man explains to such a bastard how much of a bastard he’s being. Men need to stand up for the ladies, Mercy. Of course, you may go on your own with Mama and sort him out, but I’d also like to put the fear of God into him.”
Perhaps she should have been indignant as she wished to take care of it herself, but she was not. Most of her life, she’d had to take care of her own difficulties. When her brother had gone off to war, she’d been alone. Her parents had abandoned her, coming to England, traitors to the United States.
The very idea that she might have someone fight for her, stand up for her, nearly stole her breath away.
“I think we should discuss it,” she said.
“Discuss it?” he queried. “Me putting the fear of God into the publisher?”
She cleared her throat and took a step forward. “No, the business arrangement of our marriage.”
His brows quirked again. He crossed to his desk and leaned against it as he contemplated the beautifully made dagger in his hands. “Ah, I see we are coming to the point of it,” he said, teasing, as he touched the point of the dagger, letting it get close to piercing his skin, but missing. “After all,” he said, “all marriages, especially here in the ton, are contractual. Very wise of you. Do you have a solicitor?”
She balked at that. “No, I do not.”
He slipped the dagger into a mahogany case, closed it, and braced his hands on his desk. “Well, we must get you a good one so that you can review the marriage contract.”
“The marriage contract?” Her head began to spin.
“Of course,” he said. “I’m not going to marry you without everything laid out in detail. My estates are too vast. It would be extremely foolish not to do so and to not put provisions for you and our children into writing. When I die, you will know—”
“Cease! We must not talk of your death,” she exclaimed, horrified.
“Mercy, we all die,” he said softly.
She was shocked by the emotions that swept her. The very thought of him gone? It was unbearable.
“Yes, but I…” She did not like to speak of such things. It was too terrifying. The idea that she might had just found someone like Leander? And now she had to discuss the possibility of losing him? No, she’d known what it was like when people suddenly vanished, even if it wasn’t death, and it was a pain she could not…
She shook her head firmly. “If you would like to have a contract drawn up, please do, and I will review it, but I don’t wish to discuss your death.”
“I see,” he said softly. “I’m glad to know you want to keep me about, and that you’re not just marrying me and hoping I’ll pop off and leave you a great deal of money.”
She groaned and the sound turned into a laugh. “Of course not. Don’t be absurd.”
“It’s not absurd. Many young ladies hope for that,” he said. “Though I am a better catch than most. Many young ladies of the ton marry an old fool, hoping that he’ll die, and then find out that old fools have a tendency to last the longest.”
She grimaced. “How terrible for them.”
“Yes, it is terrible,” he agreed. “Now, what is it that you’re hoping in this arrangement of ours?”
She hesitated. This all felt terribly unreal. Months ago she was alone, accustomed to facing the world on her own terms. Now? Not only did she have her brother, but she also had a houseful of people eager to help her. And she had the duke.
And then, of course, there was the most practical aspect of a future marriage. “Well, I will, of course, give you children because that is important to you.”
He stilled. “That sounds quite dry. Do you not want children?”
She nibbled her lower lip. “I’ve never really thought about it before.”
“Mercy, I don’t think you should just give me children unless you want to have them too.”
She wound her hands together and confessed, “The idea of making a family is actually quite appealing to me.”
He smiled gently, then pushed away from the desk and crossed slowly to her. “I’m glad to hear it.”
“And…” she said, suddenly nervous at his presence. Not because she was afraid, but because he was so much man. “I will be a duchess, so I will have a great deal of funds, and I will be able to sway people. Is that true?”
He nodded. “You’ve seen the way my mama behaves.”
“I have seen the way she behaves, and I am not in shock,” she said, “but quite in awe.”
“Good, because if that’s how you wish to behave, you may,” he replied, reaching up to tuck a lock of her hair behind her ear before lightly stroking her cheek with his knuckles. “I would hope that you will be as full of fortitude as she is. You have independence and strength, which is exactly the sort of duchess I’m looking for.”
Her breath hitched in her throat at his touch and at his words. Did she have the independence and strength that he hoped for? Certainly, outwardly she did, but sometimes she wondered. She wondered if her insides were quite delicate indeed. She feared that if her outside armor were to crack, armor she had so very carefully constructed, her heart might fall entirely apart.
She lifted her gaze to his and said without another moment’s hesitation, “Then let us get married immediately. I do not see why we should wait. I think the offer that you have made to me is far too good to pass up. I would be a fool to turn it down since you are sincere.”
“I’m glad you’ve come to understand I meant everything I said, and I won’t make comment on whether you’re a fool or not to turn me down. I’m glad you see it is an excellent choice. But let us eschew this idea of a deal, a comprise,” he said. “While that is part of it, we shall have far more than that.”
“Shall we?” she gulped.
“Indeed,” he growled softly, stroking his thumb along her chin. “No one in this family has anything so dry,” he said. “Hermia thought perhaps she was getting a simple arrangement with her earl,” he explained. “A marriage of convenience, but everyone in this family knew that she and her husband were destined for passion and love.”
Mercy sucked in a breath as her skin began to tingle. “Do you think that we are destined for love?” she breathed. “Because I—”
“It doesn’t matter what you think right now, Mercy, or what I think,” he said, his voice a gravelly whisper. “But we are definitely destined for passion. I desperately wish to kiss you now. To take you in my arms. To remind you what awaits us if you are my wife. It shall be your last chance to run, because if you agree, then we’ll be married immediately.”
“What is the point of waiting?” she returned, letting her body lean into his. She was eager for him to show her just what was awaiting her.
“I shall arrange St. Paul’s at once,” he stated.
She tsked. “Surely, I don’t need a grand marriage at St. Paul’s.”
“Not even to make all the other ladies of the ton furious?” he teased.
She laughed. “Did you notice?”
“The other night?” he prompted. “Yes, of course, I noticed when all the ladies were absolutely furious that an American had stolen my attention. Do you wish to rub it in their faces? We can,” he said with a great deal of amusement.
“No. No, I don’t think I need to rub it in their faces,” she assured, though her heart swelled again at how he wished to stand up for her. “I think they’ll be sufficiently horrified when they find out we’ve wed.”
He pulled her into his arms. “It shall be at St. Paul’s. You deserve nothing less, but still let us be wed at once, Mercy, for I think it is best to seize life right now. Because one never knows how long we shall have.”
“Kiss me then,” she urged, touched that he wished them to be wed in such a beautiful place, knowing that their fate was already sealed but longing for his touch.
And the kiss he gave her then was wilder, more passionate, more full of the promise of temptation than she could ever have imagined... And she could not wait to find out what would take place on their wedding night.