Page 28 of Rogue of My Heart
He stood and went up to his chambers. Matthew would need a bath and his best clothes if he planned on visiting the Archbishop. He’d have to bribe the holy man with a lot of funds, but it would be worth it to secure the license. They wouldn’t have time to wait. Cesca should have come to him sooner. Perhaps he was being too hard on her there. How could she have? They hadn’t been forthcoming with their names. She had probably had to discover his identity and it had cost them both precious time.
He pulled the bell for his valet. “Have a bath drawn.” Matthew told him when he arrived in his bedchamber.
“Now?” his valet asked. There was a little bit of shock in the man’s tone. Matthew couldn’t blame him. He didn’t often ask for a bath in the middle of the night. Actually, he didn’t believe he ever had before.
Matthew grinned. It was late but he didn’t plan on sleeping. He had much to do and not a lot of time to accomplish it all. “Yes, now,” he ordered.
“Very well, Your Grace,” he bowed and then left to accomplish the task he’d been assigned.
He would have to ask permission to marry her. She hadn’t told her family yet about her condition. If she had then it would have been her father, and possibly other men in her family, that had paid a call on him. He could use that to his advantage. It would be better if he had a ring on her finger before they discovered they had anticipated their wedding vows. Once she was his they couldn’t do much.
“Your bath is ready,” his valet announced.
“Perfect,” Matthew said. He’d had a lot to drink, and the bath would help him to clear his head. “Have my clothes pressed. I’m to meet with the Archbishop at dawn.” And after that he’d pay a call on Merrifield. He would need a witness at his wedding. “And tell the stablemaster to have my horse ready to depart before my meeting.” He should perhaps take a carriage, but a horse would be quicker.
“I’ll see to it,” the valet answered and left him to his bath.
Matthew settled into the water and leaned back into the tub. He closed his eyes and absorbed the warmth. He was going to be a father. Him. The rogue duke… The ton would be all aflutter with gossip once his marriage was announced. He wasn’t certain who would be more surprised: his friends, his mother, or society. Either way, it was the most entertainment he’d had in ages.
Cesca probably thought they were done. She would be in for quite the shock when he paid a call on her. Matthew looked forward to that exchange. Would she be polite or rude? He hoped she’d be rude. He liked it when she thought she had the upper hand. He could not wait to prove her wrong, but what he really wanted was to make her his. He needed her in his bed, at least one more time, and maybe then he could finally erase her from his mind. Matthew prayed that an entire night of her beneath him, living every fantasy he had of her, would be enough.
Five
The sun was high in the sky and warmed Francesca’s skin. She held her parasol over her head to block the light from blinding her and overheating her already strained body. She had somehow managed to hide her sickness and crawl out of bed that morning. For some reason her child had decided to take pity on her, at least for one day. She hadn’t lost the contents of her stomach, but nausea still filled her. Francesca had skipped breakfast and went to the library to read. Her ball was later that night, and she should be resting. Instead, she was walking in Hyde Park with Violet and Iris. She could not take the chance anyone in her family my overhear what they discussed.
“What did the roguish duke have to say for himself?” Violet asked.
If only she’d know his moniker before she’d fallen into his arms… Francesca sighed. She wouldn’t have realized it that night regardless. He hadn’t told her his full name. She should have insisted, but she’d been too taken with him. “He denies responsibility.”
“Of course, he did,” Iris replied, disgust evident in her tone. “He isn’t the type that would. Without telling her why I wanted to know anything about him I asked Lady Calliope Andrews. I acted as if I might be interested in him myself.” She shuddered a little. “Her brother is one of the duke’s closest friends. She has socialized with him often.”
“What did she have to say?” Francesca couldn’t help her curiosity.
“Not much that we do not already know.” Iris frowned. “She believes he had his heart broken once and it has soured him ever since.”
“Did he?” She nibbled on her bottom lip. It might explain why he acted the way he did. Still, she couldn’t let him treat her as if she were nothing. He had no respect for her or her predicament. She carried his child and he had been far too blasé about the situation. Somehow, he had refrained from physically hitting him; however, she did believe she dealt a much harder blow when she dropped her family name. “Do you know who he supposedly loved?” It did hurt a little to believe he might have had feelings for someone else. The same sort she still had for him and he’d done his best to crush out of existence.
Iris shook her head. “No,” she said. “All she could say was she overheard a conversation between her brother, the Earl of Hampstead, and the duke. Lord Hampstead had been berating him about his broken heart, and how he let it rule his decisions.”
“How long ago was this?” Violet asked. “I have difficulty believing he has carried these feelings for years. He’s been a rogue for quite a while now. Mama keeps telling me to steer clear of him while she still carries avarice in her eyes about the very idea of having a duchess for a daughter.”
“On one hand she doesn’t want a scandal,” Iris began. “And the other is wondering if one of us could turn his gaze long enough to lure him down the aisle.” She chuckled lightly. “That’s what most of the marriage minded mama’s have on their agenda. Ours is no different.”
“Except Fran’s mother.” Violet frowned. “She never pressures you, and she might be the one to have a duchess for a daughter.”
“Mother doesn’t care for society rules.” Francesca blew out a breath. “And one day she’ll be a duchess herself. Why should she bother with pushing me toward a specific title? She would rather I found love than a title he can hold over the heads of the matriarchs.”
“That is one of the reasons I adore your mother,” Iris said. “She has a reasonable outlook on life. I do wish our mother could follow her lead.” She nibbled on her bottom lip. “This will be our second season, and if we don’t make a match she’ll despair. Two unmarried daughters apparently are the cause for tremendous anxiety…at least for our mother.”
“I’d gladly give you my current dilemma in exchange. Either the duke will have to agree to marry me or I’m going to have to find a different suitor, and fast. I’m going to be ruined if I don’t find a husband.”
“Speaking of the devil…” Violet gestured toward a pair of horses that entered the promenade. One was the duke, and darn it, he looked so handsome it nearly took Francesca’s breath away.
“The gentleman with him looks familiar.” Francesca said absentmindedly. She didn’t care who the other man was because all she really saw was Matthew.
“That is the Marquess of Merrifield,” Iris told her. “He’s the one Violet has her cap set for, but he never notices her.”
“I do not,” Violet protested. Francesca glanced in her direction. Was Iris correct? Did Vi have feelings for the marquess. “He probably looks familiar because he was at the Christmas house party too. All the scandalous gentlemen were.”