Nearly Ruining Mr. Russell Read online

  Aubrey hoped that everything he felt was visible in his eyes as there were no adequate words to be found to reply to that statement.

  “Oh,” she cried, her face falling and becoming the picture of indignation. “My brother is coming. I must leave now, but don’t give up on me, Aubrey.” She couldn’t say anymore as Aubrey could see the scowling face of Lord Winterbourne crossing the ballroom like an angry bear, and people scattered before him.

  The big man drew level with Aubrey, his green eyes so like his sister’s but so very different too. These eyes seemed always full of anger. “Leave her alone,” he growled, his voice low. “She’s to marry Ranleigh.”

  Aubrey stared up at the man, remembering with deep satisfaction the moment when he’d run the fellow head first into a wall. He only wished he could do it again.

  “And what about what Lady Violette wants?” Aubrey demanded as his own anger grew.

  “She’s just a woman,” he replied with an impatient snap to the words. “She has no idea what is good for her. Ranleigh is a fine man and it’s a brilliant match. I won’t let you get in the way.”

  Aubrey clenched his fists, every muscle tense with fury at this callous man and his power over Violette. “Don’t you care for her happiness at all?” he demanded, quite unable to withhold the fury from his voice.

  Winterbourne stepped closer and Aubrey knew he should feel threatened. The man was a decorated war hero, a terrific swordsman, a superb shot, and he had a devastating right hook ... all of these things ought to give him pause, but he was far too angry now to give a damn.

  “I care enough that she be well looked after and not married to a penniless rake with at least one bastard to his name. Ranleigh isn’t a monster, she’ll be happy enough,” Winterbourne barked, his green eyes flashing with the kind of fury that suggested he really might hit Aubrey, here in the middle of the ballroom.

  “And that’s enough, is it?” Aubrey replied with a sneer, too angry to even bother to defend his own reputation. “That’s enough to convince you that you’ve done your duty to her as her guardian?”

  “She’ll do exactly as I say and you ... you will not get in the way. That is an end to the matter!” The violence behind those words was quite stunning, but before Aubrey could reply, the marquess had turned on his heel and walked away.

  ***

  “Are you really quite sure?”

  Aubrey leaned a bit heavier on his cane as his leg began to throb and nodded as he met his cousin’s concerned grey eyes. “Quite sure, Alex,” he said, even though just talking about it was making him feel perfectly nauseated.

  Alex let out a breath, but to Aubrey’s relief, he didn’t reprimand him for being a fool, a scoundrel, or a black guard, anyone of which he would have admitted to feeling like.

  Could he really do such a thing?

  Glancing across the room he saw Violette in conversation once again with the handsome and sophisticated Duke of Ranleigh. If Aubrey was any kind of man, perhaps he would do as her brother demanded and walk away. She would make the match of the season, a duchess no less. Except that he knew in his heart of hearts that Violette truly didn’t care for such things. She loved him. As extraordinary and ridiculous as it was, she said she loved him, and he believed her.

  “There will be the devil of dust kicked up,” Alex warned, fixing Aubrey with a fierce look that was obviously meant to drill that fact home.

  Aubrey swallowed. “I know it,” he replied, surprised that his voice sounded so sure and certain, when inwardly he was quailing like a blancmange. He took a breath and stiffened his spine. Violette was the bravest person he knew, so if he was to be worthy of her, he needed to buck up and take matters into his own hands.

  “You’ll need a licence,” Alex mused, frowning as Aubrey grasped his arm and let out a sigh of relief.

  “I knew you wouldn’t let me down, Alex,” he replied, grinning like a madman.

  “Somehow I feel I’m going to hear those words again after you demand for me to be your second when her brother calls you out.”

  “Oh, well,” he said, feeling almost cheerful suddenly, ridiculous as it was. “He can’t very well shoot his brother-in-law can he?”

  Alex snorted and shook his head. “Well, let us hope not, at any event,” he replied, his tone dry. “Very well then, what is the plan exactly?”

  “Well,” Aubrey replied, “I thought perhaps early Friday morning ...”

  ***

  “It has to be Friday morning,” Violette said the next afternoon, sitting in the back parlour by the fire with Celeste’s spaniel curled up over her feet. “You must invite me to go out with you and to stay the night here and somehow we must contrive that Alex gets Aubrey here, too, whilst we are out,” she said, frowning a little over that puzzle, as she didn’t know how it was to be contrived without Alex suspecting. “If he were to drink a little too much and fall asleep here, perhaps ... well, you’ve said yourself, he’d done it before. Then if we happen to leave in the carriage together the next morning, he’ll think he’s just accompanying me going home, and we’ll be at the church before he realises what I’ve done.”

  “Oh,” Celeste cried, abandoning her embroidery and throwing it to one side. “Mais alors, nothing could be more perfect. Alex ‘as already said Aubrey will be dinning ‘ere Thursday night. They ‘ave some business deal to discuss.”

  “Oh!” Violette cried with excitement as Bandit leapt to his feet in alarm. “Is this the locomotive project that Ranleigh was speaking about? Do you know, I overheard the Duke of Sindalton talking about it too! He was saying he thought Mr Russell a very perceptive man and that he’d go far! Ranleigh as good as promised me he’d be investing, too.”

  Celeste snorted and waved her hand. “Bah!” she replied with a toss of her golden hair. “We ‘ave known this forever, and they only just discover it.”

  Violette laughed, feeling happier and more carefree than she had in months. “Oh, but he needs it, Celeste. He is a proud man, and it will hurt him if people think he married me for my fortune.”

  “There is no need to worry,” she said, her tone firm and decisive as she fixed Violette with her blue eyes. “Aubrey, ‘e ‘as needed something to fight for. That stupid father of ‘is takes all of ‘is confidence and undermines ‘im. Until now, ‘e ‘as drifted with no direction.” She reached over and grasped Violette’s hand, squeezing her fingers, her lovely blue eyes bright with affection. “You ‘ave given ‘im a purpose, ma chére, and now we see that ‘e is a man like Alex. It ‘as already begun. Me, I see it. I see the change in ‘im.” Her lovely face changed then, a sly smile growing as she regarded Violette. “And now, you must tell me ‘ow you persuaded Ranleigh to procure a special licence!”

  “Well, in fact, as we are still to be married in Aubrey’s parish, not that he knows it, Ranleigh said we only needed an ordinary, not a special at all. It was rather disappointing, actually,” she replied with a scowl.

  “But ‘e arranged it all for you!” Celeste said again.

  Violette laughed and shook her head, still not quite believing it herself. “He said he thought it all terribly romantic, and as he’d never eloped himself, he thought he’d rather like to help someone else do it!”

  “‘E never did!” Celeste exclaimed, eyes wide with astonishment. “Well, I always thought him a rather proud and stuffy man. I wronged ‘im I think.”

  “Yes,” Violette replied grinning at her friend. “I rather think you did.”

  Celeste fell quiet for a moment and picked up her embroidery again, tracing the pattern she’d been working on with one finger. “Um ... Violette?” she said, still looking at the pattern with a small frown at her brow.

  “Yes?”

  “‘Ave you ... ‘ave you ever been ... intimate with Aubrey?”

  Violette felt her cheeks heat and stared at Celeste in alarm.

  “I mean,” Celeste hurried on, “do you know what to expect on your wedding night?”

  “Oh!” Violette r
eplied. She hesitated for a moment, wondering what to admit to before taking a breath. “Well ... in answer to the first question, yes, at least ... a little,” she murmured, wondering if her cheeks could get any hotter before she spontaneously combusted. “And to the second ... not exactly.”

  Celeste grinned at her, her blue eyes full of mischief. “Alors, then as your maman is not ‘ere to advise you, I think it is time you knew, hein?

  To Violette’s astonishment, Celeste continued to give her the benefit of her experience as a married woman, and some very good advice. A lot of advice. Violette proved to herself that great temperatures could be endured by the human body without bursting into flames and felt she’d never be able to look Lord Falmouth in the eye ever again.

  Goodness!

  The only problem now was that she couldn’t help but feel a great deal more impatience for her wedding night.

  Celeste had rung for tea and was on her third slice of cake before Violette felt anywhere near composed again. She regarded Celeste with amusement.

  “I’ve never seen anyone eat as much cake as you do,” she said laughing. “How on earth do you stay so slim?”

  “Oh dear,” Celeste replied, looking at the crumbs on her plate with chagrin. “I never used to. But it’s the only thing I seem to like to eat now,” she added with a laugh. “Everything else turns my stomach.”

  Violette looked at her with a frown.

  “How strange.”

  “Isn’t it?” Celeste replied with a private little smile as she looked away. She sipped at her tea before turning back to Violette with a frown. “Violette, I’ve been thinking. What about your brother?” she asked, worrying at her lip with her teeth for a moment before she spoke again. “Won’t ‘e suspect something if you ask to stay the night here?”

  “Oh, of course,” Violette replied with a bright smile. “And he’ll ask me to swear upon my honour that I’m doing just as I say I am. I’ve had to swear on my honour I’m not up to anything wicked on and off my whole life! Though, of course, I never have been before,” she added, smoothing out her skirts while the naughty spaniel raked a paw at the fabric, demanding attention. “Well, not since before Eddie disappeared,” she amended.

  “Mais alors!” Celeste replied, eyes wide with horror as she sat forward on her seat. “And what will you do then?” she demanded.

  Violette stared at her in surprise, as to her mind, the answer to that was perfectly obvious. She shrugged and gave Celeste a look of quiet glee. “Lie,” she said.

  ***

  Aubrey stared at the thick slices of meat on his plate as his stomach churned.

  “Buck up, young Romeo,” Alex said with a grin, cutting a thick slice of his own dinner with relish. “If you’re to be married in the morning, you’ll need all your strength,” he added with a wink.

  Glowering at his cousin, Aubrey picked up his knife and fork.

  “Not having second thoughts, are you?” Alex asked, frowning a little now.

  Aubrey shook his head. “No, of course not. Only, I hope Violette doesn’t change her mind,” he said, the idea tying his already fragile stomach in a knot. “I mean, it’s one thing to talk about eloping, quite another to actually do it!” he added, watching as his cousin dug into his meal.

  “I don’t think you need have any qualms there,” Alex said, picking up his glass of claret. “Violette doesn’t seem the sort to shy at the last fence.”

  Aubrey laughed at that and shook his head. “No. She’s full of pluck, that’s for sure. More than me I think,” he added with a rueful smile.

  “Nonsense,” Alex replied, his tone brisk as he reapplied himself to his dinner. “You’ve already got this project of yours further in a few days than I could ever have believed. You’ll do fine, Aubrey,” he said with a grin. “And if Winterbourne doesn’t kill you first, we shall all reap the rewards of your hard work.” He paused then, chewing thoughtfully. “I think perhaps we should offer him a good deal on an investment, as a brotherly wedding present.”

  Aubrey snorted but didn’t disagree. “If it means I don’t have to meet him at dawn in Hyde Park, I’m all for it,” he muttered.

  The meal was finished in a companionable manner as they discussed the final details for the morning’s journey to St James’ in Piccadilly.

  “Sindalton has arranged for you to have the house in Harrogate for as long as you want it. From there, you can go onto Glasgow and your meeting with Stephenson easily enough.”

  Aubrey stretched as he got out of his seat and shook his head with a fond smile. “I’ll never be able to repay you.”

  His cousin gave a snort of amusement. “If this project of yours is anything like as successful as I suspect it will be, you’ll be repaying me many, many times over and more besides for years to come. And anyway,” he added as they adjourned to his study. “Sindalton owed me a favour.”

  “Why doesn’t that surprise me?” Aubrey replied, his tone wry.

  “Because I’m such a likeable chap, of course,” Alex replied with a white-toothed smile that was pure cutthroat.

  Aubrey snorted and stretched out in a chair in front of the fire, smothering a yawn. “Yes, that would be it,” Aubrey mumbled. He supposed it was the combination of good food and wine, but he felt most dreadfully sleepy and closed his eyes

  Chapter 25

  “Wherein things get off to a shaky start.”

  Violette looked at Celeste across the gloomy confines of the carriage and frowned. Her friend had been somewhat distracted all evening and hadn’t seemed to much enjoy the play. To be truthful, Violette hadn’t attended to it at all, and would have been hard-pressed to tell anyone if it had been a comedy or a tragedy, let alone an idea of the plot. Her mind was entirely focused on the fact that she was going to make Aubrey Russell marry her tomorrow morning if it was the last thing she did. Of course, then her thoughts inevitably turned to what would happen after they married, and the play could no more have held her attention, then, than an audience with Prinny himself. She flushed a little in the darkened carriage and glanced over once more to see Celeste’s beautiful face pinched into an anxious scowl. She hoped that the countess wasn’t having second thoughts about the mad scheme they’d arranged. Though Violette could hardly blame her if she was. Both her and poor Lord Falmouth would be in deep trouble with her brother for having aided her to marry Aubrey. Not that Falmouth knew the slightest thing about it, but she very much doubted that that would stop her brother blaming him just the same.

  That was if Aubrey himself didn’t baulk before they even got to the altar. Oh, how humiliating that would be, and with Ranleigh there waiting with the licence!

  “What is it, Celeste?” Violette demanded, quite unable to bear her fidgeting a moment longer. “Have you decided against it?”

  Celeste looked up at her with alarm. “Quoi?” she demanded with a distracted air. “Oh, of course not!” She shook her head but didn’t look any less anxious.

  “Then whatever is the matter? You’ve been like a cat on hot bricks all evening.”

  She watched as Celeste let out a sigh. “Non, it is nothing, only ... I ‘ope I did not give them too much,” she muttered, biting her lip and staring out of the window.

  “Too much what?” Violette demanded, frowning at her friend with growing anxiety.

  “Laudanum,” Celeste replied as if that was obvious. “I put a little in the claret before we left. Just enough to make them sleep ... I think ...”

  “You think?” Violette squealed, sitting bolt upright in her seat. “My God, Celeste!”

  “Oh hush!” Celeste scolded her, waving a hand in the near darkness. “I ‘ad to do something. A fine thing if Aubrey ‘ad gone ‘ome after dinner. What then, hein? Besides, I ‘ave done it before. It will not ‘arm them. But if I gave them too much, they might be ‘ard to wake in the morning,” she added, sounding just a little anxious about that fact.

  Violette blinked at Celeste in alarm as her words filtered through her astonished bra
in. “You’ve drugged Falmouth before?” she repeated, her voice faint.

  Celeste looked back at her with a frown and then laughed. “Oh, only when ‘e was very ill,” she replied, giggling at the horror in Violette’s eyes. “Not for any other reason, I assure you.” She snorted and shook her head. “Why, Violette, whatever do you think me capable of?” she scolded, her blue eyes glittering with laughter.

  Violette gave a prim little sniff and tried not to let her lips twitch. “Well, of helping me elope, at the very least,” she said with dignity as her friend collapsed into helpless giggles. “And after that ... pretty well anything, I should imagine.”

  ***

  Aubrey groaned and rubbed at his stiff neck, looking around to see that he had fallen asleep in the chair in Alex’s study.

  “Good Lord!” he exclaimed, even more astonished to see Alex stretched out in the chair opposite, black hair falling across his forehead and snoring fit to wake the dead.

  “I say, Falmouth!” Aubrey said, shaking a startled Alex awake.

  “W-what?” the Earl replied in annoyance, batting Aubrey’s hand away and then looking around with as much surprise as Aubrey had. “What the devil ...”

  “I don’t know,” Aubrey snapped. “But it’s gone eight already. The blasted carriage will be here at half past.”

  “All right, all right, no need to bite my head off,” Alex replied, pushing his hair from his eyes and frowning. “Though I’ve never before fallen asleep in my chair like that ... I don’t even remember ...”

  “No, nor me,” Aubrey agreed, giving his cousin an impatient push on the shoulder to get him to move. “Must be getting old.”

  “Speak for yourself!” Alex retorted, apparently not liking that comment one little bit. He got up nonetheless and crossed to his desk. “Here’s the licence. Ceremony is at nine. I told Celeste that I had a surprise for them both, and they were to be ready early. Come to think of it ...” he said with a frown. “Why didn’t she come in and wake me when she got home from the theatre?”