Chapter Thirty
James
He wakes wrapped entirely in Bobby. A leg between his thighs, arms banded around his torso, head tucked into the dip in his
shoulder. James lies there, feeling the rise and fall of Bobby’s chest and the soft warmth of his breath over his shoulder
and neck, and cannot for the life of him stop smiling. He must look like a lovesick fool.
“Mmpf,” Bobby mumbles, tightening his arms. “Curtains,” he adds, and James can hear the pout in his voice.
Without thinking about it, James rolls in Bobby’s arms, grasping the duvet to pull it over their heads, plunging them into
brown-tinged shade. Bobby blinks blearily at him, smiling.
“Love you,” he says.
James feels it catch in his chest, warmth suffusing him down to his toes. “Love you too,” he whispers.
Bobby tugs James in, capturing James’ bottom lip between both of his own in a stale yet exultant kiss. Bobby’s thigh presses
up as they move together and James sighs into Bobby’s mouth. He could get used to waking up like this—someone else to alleviate
the morning pressure, someone to kiss, someone to love every morning for the rest of his—
“Oi, we’re going to miss the bloody ferry!”
They jolt, James’ forehead knocking into Bobby’s cheek. They both groan. Gwen pounds on their door a few times and then they can hear her speaking to Albert, both of them way too loud for the quiet, lovely morning he and Bobby were working up to.
“I don’t hear movement!” Gwen calls.
Bobby grunts, shifting to steal one last kiss. “More tonight,” he promises.
“I’ll hold you to that,” James says, smiling as Bobby grits his teeth, throwing back the duvet.
It’s a harried few minutes as they dress, searching the room for their various discarded pieces of clothing, exchanging knowing
smirks. Bobby does up James’ tie, his fingers lingering at James’ throat, and James is about to arch into a kiss when the
door clicks open.
They cleave apart, but it’s only Gwen, who takes one look at them, red-cheeked and flustered, and cackles. She leaves the
door open and they can hear her storming across the hall to Albert and Meredith’s room.
“You owe me twenty quid,” she calls into the room.
Bobby chuckles while James flushes. He lets Bobby lead him out into the hall, where Beth is already loitering in her gray
travel cloak and gown, a frilly bonnet in her hands. She smiles at them far too knowingly. Gwen leans back out of Albert and
Meredith’s room and eyes them with glee.
“Here.” James watches in mortification as Bobby passes Gwen twenty quid from his pocket. “Easier this way,” he says, catching
James’ expression. “Not like we paid for the room.”
That only makes James more embarrassed, and then a thought overtakes him that sends all that blood straight out of his face
in horror.
“James?” Gwen prompts, stepping toward him, Beth right behind her.
Bobby turns, reaching out for him.
All James can mutter is “We should have asked your father first.”
He didn’t ask Lord Havenfort if he could marry his daughter, much less marry her so he can really marry his nephew.
Meredith steps out of her room with Albert in tow. “Ask Lord Havenfort what?” she asks.
But James’ inaudible response is drowned out by the sound of Beth squealing and launching herself at Bobby, who catches her
and spins her around, both of them laughing. Even his latent horror can’t compete with that, and James watches them with what
he’s sure is a sappy, adoring smile.
He jolts as Gwen leans down and kisses his cheek. “My father will more than approve. And he won’t have been expecting you
to talk to him anyway, since I am my own woman and make my own choices.” James slowly turns to meet her eyes, his shoulders
drooping in relief. “Though, it would have been nice if you’d actually bothered to ask me ,” she says, eyebrow arched.
“It would have been nice if you would have told us you were trying to trap us into marriage!” James exclaims.
Gwen merely laughs and wraps him in a hug. He stiffens automatically, and then forces himself to relax and embrace her back.
“I absolutely don’t apologize,” she whispers.
“No, of course not,” he agrees, laughing as she giggles.
“Would someone care to let us in on the celebration?” Meredith asks.
Gwen pulls back and takes James’ arm, turning them to face Albert and Meredith. Oh, shit, should he have asked Albert’s permission
for Bobby? Not that there’s a protocol to ask a man if he can proxy-marry his brother through his cousin.
“Oh, we’re going to be married, me and James, and Beth and Bobby, didn’t you hear?” Gwen says with nonchalance.
Albert gapes while Meredith laughs delightedly. Albert turns to his wife, takes one look at her face, and gasps. “Did you know about this?”
“No!” Meredith says quickly, shrieking as Albert goes to nab her about the waist, laughing.
“Liar!” Albert says, tickling her.
“I just had a hunch!” Meredith squeaks. “I swear I didn’t know!”
James watches them bicker, then turns to find that Beth and Bobby are already in a frantic discussion of venues and dates
and decor. Everyone’s happy, and eager, and elated, for him .
His eyes start to sting and he goes to pull away from Gwen, overwhelmed in the best way. But she doesn’t let him, wrapping
her arm around his shoulders.
“I promise, you get used to us,” she says.
He laughs a little wetly, feeling sheepish but... excited. “I’m looking forward to it.”
She squeezes him and they stand there, watching the rest of their motley group absolutely lose it. It gives James just enough
time for his brain to catch up through all the chaos. Gives him enough time to summon what little courage he still possesses
after last night.
“Gwen, would you? Like to marry me, that is?” he asks, turning to meet her eyes.
Gwen’s smile stretches impossibly wider. “Absolutely. Provided we’re agreed we’re not really marrying... each other,” she
says, glancing toward Beth and Bobby.
“A marriage in name only, agreed,” he says, laughing as she extends her hand.
He takes her smaller palm in his with a decisive shake and they beam at each other.
“I guess we’ll have to figure out the line of succession,” Gwen says as they drop hands, Beth and Bobby and Albert and Meredith still chattering around them.
“Yes,” he says, the elation of the moment fading just a hair.
“I wish...” Gwen says softly, glancing again at Beth.
The image of Gwen at the Foundling Hospital gate, hugging the little girl, springs into his mind. He finds he wishes too.
But he couldn’t lie with Gwen, and he knows Bobby would never lie with Beth. Maybe Wristead and his wife truly are happy with
a third person somewhere in their marriage, but James knows he never could be. And the way Gwen’s looking at Beth? She could
never either.
“I think I’d be a pretty piss-poor father, anyway,” James says, pushing the words out. They’re true, but it doesn’t make the
wistful feeling lift at all.
“Same here. Not mother material, I mean. But Beth would be an excellent mother,” Gwen says quietly. “And I don’t know, we
turned out all right, didn’t we?”
James can’t prevent the snort that escapes him. “Touché.”
Meredith finally gathers herself enough to begin herding them toward the stairs so they don’t miss the first ferry.
Bobby’s hand briefly finds his, their eyes locking. They’re really doing this—stepping into the future, together. It’s more
than enough to chase any lingering doubts from James’ mind. He squeezes Bobby’s hand, and then lets him go, offering Gwen
his arm.
“My dear?” he says.
Gwen smirks and takes his elbow. “Lead the way, sir.”
***
His room has a lovely view out over the Solent. Were he interested, he could sit at the picture window and watch the ships pass, or squint across the water to Lepe Country Park and watch staff set up tents along the grounds. But all he wants is to cuddle up for a nap and sleep the afternoon away.
He pokes his head out of his door. Their rooms are all in a cluster, but it’s hardly as private as having had the full floor
at the inn last night. Still, it wouldn’t be that suspicious for him to linger in Bobby’s room for an hour or two.
Of course, the moment he actually steps into the hall, Albert’s door opens and he leans out, beckoning for James to join him
in their suite. It’s a sunny, spacious room, equipped with a fainting couch, small table, and separate bathing area. Next
year he and Gwen could have a room like this, and simply swap at night. They’ll get to live like married couples do, with
all the benefits. How glorious.
“James.”
James blinks and realizes he’s just been standing in the threshold to the room, while Gwen, Beth, and Meredith sit at the
table, and Bobby lies sprawled on the fainting couch. James can just see his shoes from the doorway.
Albert pats him on the back and closes the door, unconcerned. “Meredith has some thoughts.”
“Always a dangerous thing,” Bobby says from the couch.
James rolls his eyes and walks into the room, lifting Bobby’s feet to plunk down on the couch with him. Bobby winks and wiggles
his toes when his feet plop back into James’ lap.
“Sorry, Meredith, you were saying?” James says.
“Well, for starters,” Meredith says, after giving them all a mock-haughty look.
She reaches into a small bag sitting on the center of the table and pulls something out. Both Beth and Gwen gasp. Meredith
hands whatever it is over. James glances at Bobby, who shrugs. But then Gwen slides out of her chair and onto the floor, looking
up at Beth, on one—oh.
Beth nods eagerly, her face growing pink, and James can just see a tear leak down her cheek in the sunlight that comes in from the spotless windows.
“I love you so much,” Beth whispers.
Gwen slips a plain ring onto Beth’s finger and grips her hand. Beth beams and pushes her chair back, sinking onto the floor
with Gwen. She slides a ring onto Gwen’s finger and Gwen whispers something to her before pulling her in for a kiss.
James feels his chest expand and squeezes Bobby’s leg. It’s not just James and Bobby who get a full life together, but Beth
and Gwen, now wrapped in a hug and weeping softly into each other’s necks—they get their happy ending too.
“We’ll do our own rings, promise,” Bobby murmurs.
James feels his smile stretching across his face. “Deal.”
They sit for a few minutes in contented silence, allowing Beth and Gwen to gather themselves, and everyone pretends that they
don’t spend at least two of those minutes kissing. How he could ever have been afraid to be honest with these people, James
will never know.
Well, he does know, but now he knows better.
“All right,” Meredith says finally. “Everyone up. You have rooms to carry on in later.”
“My wife, the romantic,” Albert says as Beth and Gwen help each other up, giggling.
Bobby stands and offers his hands to James, who takes them happily, laughing when Bobby tugs him up and into a firm hug. Bobby
dips his head and presses a kiss to his neck. James shivers, zips of arousal flooding through him instantly.
“No more of that,” he hears, and then Bobby’s stumbling away.
Meredith yanks him over to Beth and shoves him in between Beth and Gwen. Gwen laughs as Meredith then tugs her across the room and over to James’ side.
“Some courting lessons seem to be in order,” Meredith says.
Gwen snorts. “I’ve been through five seasons, Meredith, I think I know how to be courted.”
“Yeah! I was engaged once before,” Beth puts in.
“And you and Albie dragged me on half of your outings last year as chaperone,” Bobby adds.
The room turns to look at James. He has the absurd urge to duck and hide behind Gwen. “I—created our initial problem with
Raverson?” he finds himself saying.
Bobby groans while Gwen laughs and takes his arm. “We’re three out of four, I think we can shape James up without your pedantic—”
“Courting in season, and demonstrating your happy engagements to the entire ton and to the aforementioned blackmailing slimeball,
are different,” Meredith says over Gwen’s objections. “We must convince the ton that you are all proudly engaged, that it’s
been going on for a while, and that Raverson has concocted an entire slanderous narrative in his head.”
“He—hasn’t?” Bobby says, his cheeks going red.
“Hasn’t what?” Meredith asks, turning to him, hands on her hips. She’s very no-nonsense when she wants to be.
“She’s going to make an excellent mother,” Gwen mutters.
James coughs through a laugh, unable to meet her eyes.
“Well, I mean, I did actually... Raverson has firsthand proof of his claims with me. He also, ah, stole my signet ring,”
Bobby admits, eyes trained resolutely over Meredith’s head.
“And he has proof about me too, though it was much less recent,” James says. He’s not proud of it, but he’ll hardly leave
Bobby out to dry.
Meredith and Albert look between James and Bobby, who shrug at each other. This is the bed they’ve both made, and already laid in. And as much as it’s wonderful that they’ll never need to risk lying with an untruthful or downright vengeful man again, they still have to deal with the reality of their pasts.
James glances over as Gwen holds out her opposite hand. Beth sighs and detaches from Bobby, riffling in her skirts to pull
out a quid and hand it over to Gwen. Bobby groans and James flushes. Bad enough they had to explain the threat of Raverson’s
extortion in hushed whispers on the ferry over, but betting on the sordid details? Is nothing left to simply be in this family?
Gwen looks back at him, her eyebrow raised, and he can do nothing more than lift his hands in surrender. “Look, we can’t all
find the love of our lives on the very first try.”
Gwen laughs and Beth returns to Bobby, cooing something teasing up at him. Albert chuckles and meets James’ eyes.
“You’ll do nicely,” he decrees.
“As much as rehashing the terrible decisions that led you each to that man’s bed could occupy our entire day—”
“And provide salacious details,” Gwen throws in, making both James and Bobby squirm.
“It’s not your mutual past with Raverson that’s really the problem,” Meredith continues firmly. “Raverson can only use information
that doesn’t directly implicate him, and as the only true evidence he has of either of your...” She trails off, looking
to Bobby and then James.
“Ah, preferences?” Bobby suggests.
“True selves?” James counters.
“Oh, much better,” Bobby says, smiling at him.
“Right,” Meredith agrees. “He can only go to the papers if he thinks he has other evidence of your true desires, and, Robert, we will either get that ring back or easily make a duplicate so he can’t use it.”
Bobby and James exchange a glance. Well, that’s frighteningly simple, isn’t it?
Meredith rolls her eyes. “We’ll need to remove any other remaining ammunition as well, which means the four of you need to
be shamelessly public with your engagements. I want you over the top, making a spectacle of yourselves.”
“A spectacle,” Gwen repeats, her smile turning just a bit dangerous.
“We have permission for spectacle?” Beth asks, looking equally devious. What have they gotten themselves into?
“As I’m not worried any of you will be sneaking off to hedges with your fake fiancés, yes, spectacle. We’re going to attend
every single event.”
The wind goes out of the room and all of them, even Albert, droop at that.
“We need it reported back to London before Raverson can get his bearings,” Meredith insists. “Once it’s all over the ton that
you’re engaged, it’ll be twice as hard for Raverson to even consider slandering your names. So you’ll just have to suffer
through a week of parties and drinking and public soppiness. I have no doubt you’re all up to the task,” she says, looking
over both couples.
“Oh, want to see whose engagement gets announced first? I’ll bet five pounds on me and James,” Gwen says.
“Dear Lord,” James mutters. But the way Bobby perks up, exchanging a glance with Beth, has him rummaging in his pocket to
pull out his own bill. “Ten.”
“Oh, you’re going to be such a good husband,” Gwen decides, squeezing his arm before stepping away to take Beth’s hand again.
“If we do this right, your reputations will be secured, we’ll take down a despicable viscount, and you’ll all be happily married by summer’s end,” Meredith says.
“Hear, hear,” Bobby says, smiling at James.
James returns his smile, but something sinks in his gut. “Do you think our engagements would discredit all of Raverson’s claims?” James asks, looking to Albert.
Albert frowns, slowly sinking to sit back down on the bed. “Probably not,” he admits.
James sighs. Bobby steps up next to him and threads their fingers together.
“I don’t want anyone in our community taken down because Raverson wants more money and more power, and doesn’t mind destroying
the men he’s slept with to get it,” James says.
Bobby nods next to him. “Maybe we can talk to Thomas Parker when we’re back, see if we could convince a number of the D’Vere
clientele to commit to speaking out, or drafting a very threatening letter?”
“That’s a good idea,” James agrees, glancing up at Bobby. “Cunningham’s here this week, isn’t he?”
“I think so,” Albert says.
“Oh, we have dinner scheduled with them tomorrow,” Meredith says. All three of them look over at her. “You lot have been busy with the vote and research, so I made some calls. Parker’s here as a guest of Cunningham’s, and I’ve already got them compiling a list of gentlemen they know who have had dalliances with Raverson, which they’ll bring tomorrow night. And then we’ll discuss who else we should connect with to get a list of men that perhaps Raverson wouldn’t want coming out of the woodwork—anyone he blackmailed at school, or their fathers, who might want retribution. All of that combined should be enough to intimidate him into keeping his mouth shut, or else.”
James is gaping, Bobby’s wide-eyed, and Albert flops backward on the bed, a hand over his eyes.
“You really need to stop forgetting to ask for help,” Meredith says simply. “We’re a team, whether we’re matchmaking widowed
parents or blackmailing a viscount to protect our family and friends, all right? Use your words.”
Bobby snorts. James’ chest fills with that warm, sickly-sweet feeling again. He watches Meredith cross the room to sit beside
Albert, patting him consolingly on the thigh as he shakes his head in shame.
“You ready to con the ton?” Bobby asks.
James looks up at him, glancing over at Beth and Gwen before he rises on his toes to press a kiss to Bobby’s lips. Bobby steadies
him with a hand on his waist, his other pressed between them, their fingers still tangled together.
“Oh, get a room,” Gwen calls out.
“That’s the plan,” James returns as he breaks away from Bobby and sinks back down to the flats of his feet.
Bobby just smiles at him and James takes a deep breath. Conning the ton it is.