Only Marriage Will Do. Jenna Jaxon

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СКАЧАТЬ Philippe.” Juliet spoke in French. “Nor do I want anything else from you except to be left alone.”

      “C’est impossible, chérie. We are man and wife. I will not leave you alone in the care of another man. I insist you accompany me back to my inn.” St. Cyr dove for her hand.

      With a strangled cry, Juliet spun around to hide behind Amiable.

      “By God, that is enough.” He’d make an end to the wretch this time. “There are laws in England that prevent men from forcing women to marry them.”

      “The law says Juliet is already married to me,” St. Cyr said softly and drew a sheaf of papers from his jacket. He waved them at Amiable. “And only to me.”

      Chapter 2

      Blood roared in Amiable’s ears, as though he stood in the heat of battle. He drew his sword and lunged, aiming to skewer the Frenchman through the stomach. “The law will matter not at all if you are dead, St. Cyr.”

      St. Cyr grasped the knob of his walking stick and pulled a thin blade free just in time to parry the thrust, then scampered for the door, calling out in English, “This is not the end of this, Juliet. I will return with the authorities and make you see reason.”

      As the viscount fled the room, Amiable scrambled after him.

      “Let him go.” Juliet tugged his arm.

      Amiable stopped and the front door slammed shut. “I wish I’d run the blackguard through.”

      “No, that would have been a disaster. We’ve had scandals enough of that sort.” Juliet dropped his arm and backed away, her face pasty white. “Thank you so much for your assistance, sir. I am truly in your debt.” She burst into tears and crumpled on the rose and cream sofa, shaking hard enough to make the legs skitter against the wood floor.

      Duty still called, it seemed. He eased down beside her, fished a clean handkerchief from his pocket, and handed it to her, then urged her head onto his shoulder. More than one woman had used it as a crying post.

      He slid his arm around her shoulders then gazed about the room. Rose chairs and a dainty writing desk bespoke it as the lady’s receiving room. It suited her. However, was this indeed her house? Not if she had married Manning. And where the devil was Katarina? She should be in the midst of this ruckus, yet Juliet had said she was alone.

      Her crying lessened into little broken sobs and she sat up abruptly and scooted away. “Oh, I beg your pardon, sir.”

      He smiled to reassure her. “Not at all, my lady. It is ‘my lady,’ I assume?”

      “Oh, yes. Of course, you don’t know who I am, do you?” She smiled, wiping her tears. “Lady Juliet Ferrers, Mr…er…Lord?”

      “Captain Amiable Dawson, at your service.” He inclined his head. “Then you are not married to Jack Fitzwilliam, the Earl of Manning?”

      “Oh, no, Captain Dawson. Jack is my brother-in-law. I used his name merely as a ruse to throw Philippe off balance. I am so grateful you came to my rescue just now.” She squeezed his arm. “Just like a knight in shining armor, don’t you think? Only not really in armor. Except for the sword. Would you really have called Philippe out?”

      “Do you doubt it, my lady?” He stared into her dark, sinful, intoxicating eyes.

      “I suppose not. I certainly wanted to kill him when he brought up the Christmas ball.” She flushed and hastily rose, bringing Amiable to his feet.

      “I should have enjoyed removing his tongue after that little indiscretion. However, what he said, Lady Juliet, about being married to him. Is it true?” He should at least find out that much. Then he must ask for Katarina—the damsel in distress he had come to rescue.

      “Absolutely not, Captain Dawson. I am convinced Philippe is lying about our marriage. He would never go against the wishes of his father, and his father no longer wished us to wed. Philippe would have cut out his own tongue before he disobeyed the Count de Mallain.” She sighed and paced to the window. “I pray that is still true.”

      “Did St. Cyr ask why you still lived at your brother’s house if you were now married?” Such a slip might very well bring the villain running after the lady.

      “Yes, he did ask me as soon as I informed him I had married.” Juliet smiled and raised her chin. “I told him our own house had to undergo renovations, and in light of Duncan’s absence, we moved here temporarily.”

      “Well done, Lady Juliet.” His admiration for her grew. “What an excellent excuse to explain your, or our, presence here.”

      She wrinkled her forehead and her shoulders slumped. “Not so clever, really. My brother and I moved into our Aunt Phoebe’s house while Dunham House underwent refurbishing several years ago. That’s what gave me the idea.” Juliet shuddered. “Unfortunately, my aunt still resided in the house when we stayed there.”

      “Do you know why he is trying to perpetrate this fraud on you, my lady?”

      “No. I don’t know. Even if such a marriage took place in France, in England it is invalid. I made that perfectly clear to Philippe.”

      “Are you sure, Lady Juliet?” He had little knowledge of the laws concerning such things, but it made no sense to go to the trouble and expense of a marriage by proxy if it did not bind the parties by law.

      “Yes, my brother explained it to me. The Hardwicke Act made such marriages invalid in England. The proxy ceremony in France, on the other hand, would bind Philippe to me until he returned to England for it to be performed legally.” She turned back to gaze out the window. “By the time my brother sent the proxy to France I didn’t even want to marry Philippe, but I feared telling Duncan. Vicious rumors about me had besieged us for months and he wanted to make the marriage work for my sake.”

      “Rumors about you, my lady?”

      She hung her head. “Surely you heard them. The ton could talk of nothing else last year.”

      “I am but lately come from the colonies. We hear very little of London society’s scandals there.” He should not distress her more. “If you would rather not speak of it—”

      “No. I don’t mind. Everyone else knows.” She sighed and returned to the sofa. She sat in a rose-colored companion chair and motioned for him to take a seat opposite her. “Over a year and a half ago, Earl Ferrers shot and killed a man. He was arrested and charged with murder. Our family name is the same as his title, although we are connected only through marriage. The earl pled insanity, although it did not save him, despite several genuinely mad family members.”

      She stared at him intently then continued. “Several rumors surfaced that I had inherited the Ferrers insanity. My brother called out the man who started them and killed him in a duel. He…” She swallowed hard. “He killed two men for my honor and dueled with others as well. Duncan also suffered horrible allegations.” She shifted in her seat and tried to smile. “So you see, the Ferrers family was hardly a bargain in the marriage mart last year. My brother thought he was acting in my best interest, sending the proxy for our marriage.”

      “Did you not wish to marry the viscount?”

      She СКАЧАТЬ