Page 29

S EBASTIAN KNOCKED ON THE DOOR , hat in hand.

Vivienne smoothed down her pink sarsenet evening gown.

They would not be shamed in their dress at least, even if their marriage was hasty.

She still could not quite believe Sebastian had made a contingency plan if they were caught.

If she were an heiress, she would think his plan came from a place of greed, but she had precious little to offer besides her good name and her terrace home in Bath.

No, he stood to lose far more than he gained from their union.

She watched him as they waited for what felt like an age.

His shoulders remained straight and his brow devoid of perspiration, reassurance in his gentle touch upon her lower back.

He was a good man, and those were hard to find.

The door wrenched open. The maid eyed them with open curiosity. “Vicar Brown is having dinner at the moment. I do not think he is open to visitors.”

“Tell him that Sir Sebastian Larkby is here to see him about a marriage—I have brought a special license.”

Her pursed lips softened, and she smiled as she motioned them into the parlor. “I will see to it that he receives your message at once, Sir Sebastian.”

He reached behind him and grasped Vivienne’s hand in his, tucking her into his side as he led her into the small parlor.

She looked about the room, which was so sparsely decorated that there was not much to distract her and occupy her mind.

She would not dwell on the fact that she was about to marry.

For even if she was gladdened at the prospect of not losing Sebastian after this adventure, it was sudden, and she had already had one attack of nerves tonight. She could not have a second.

She picked at a woven blanket that graced the back of a worn wooden chair before the fireplace.

Granted, she would not be sacrificing much.

Other than a love match with Bash. She shook that thought from her mind.

The highwayman was never a choice. He is a cad, a thief, and devastatingly handsome beneath that mask, I’m sure.

She looked to Sebastian, who had his hands behind his back and paced the room.

Sebastian was striking, and it seemed his hair was growing in, but she could not be certain of what the color would be yet.

She smiled at her musings. Trivial matters such as one’s hair mattered little.

Sir Josiah had plenty. Lord, is this what you wish?

For me to marry this knight? It seems too good to be true—an answer for so many of my secret prayers.

Sebastian’s pacing did not cease, and as he seemed deep in thought, she crossed to the window, staring up at the moon, following the trail of moonlight to the vegetable patch. “Do you regret making our plan, Sebastian?”

His features softened as he joined her in looking out the window, his hand resting on the sill.

“I wholeheartedly believe that you were sent by God Himself to Grandmother’s side to breathe new life into her.

” He took her hand in his. “We went about things in haste and made a choice in fear, but this is the perfect solution.”

“How? You are giving up so much.”

“I wish you would stop saying that.” He rested his hands on her shoulders. “Don’t you know that I have become fond of you?” He chuckled. “Why else would I see to the safety of a dog that tried to bite you?”

“Because you raised them at one time and hounds hold a soft spot in your heart?”

He shrugged. “Partly, but sleeping beside the kennels was extreme, even for me. No, my intention was to please a lady.”

“A noble endeavor.” She looked up at him and smiled. “It would certainly count toward your number of chivalrous acts per annum.”

“Absolutely. Because of this fondness and your habit to attract trouble wherever you go, I am reluctant to leave you without protection. When I am called away to serve the Crown, I wish to protect you from afar. With this certificate of marriage, Sir Josiah will have no claim on you. You will be safe. You will have a family. You will be loved by Grandmother. Your future is secure.”

Was this how Muriel had felt when marrying her privateer?

A mixture of fear and hope? Muriel and Erik were quite happy, and he was a kind duke who not only accepted his wife’s antics but had bought her a bakery in their village so she could continue the baking that made her happy.

And now Sebastian Larkby was willing to promise himself to Vivienne, that she might have protection, the career of her dreams, and a family in Grandmother Larkby. He, too, is a good man.

“I have come to love your grandmother. I am pleased our marriage will no longer be a lie, for her sake.”

Vicar Brown appeared in the doorway, a napkin tucked into his neckcloth, his fingers pinching a roll that appeared to have been dipped in the drippings of his dinner.

“Sir Sebastian Larkby, my maid says you have a special license?” He popped the roll into his mouth, his lips smacking as he sucked his fingers clean before wiping the residue on the napkin at his chest. “Are you certain you do not wish for the banns to be read in each of your churches? It would lessen the wagging tongues.”

Sebastian produced it, laying it on the man’s desk. “We have waited long enough.”

“Very well then.” He wiped his fingers on his napkin once more and reached for his Bible, flipping it open with ease to a piece of paper in the middle. “Jill! Come in here and act as witness!”

The maid scuttled inside and stood in the corner with her hands folded before her, offering Vivienne a small smile before staring at her feet.

“Do you take this woman as your wife?”

Sebastian and Vivienne looked at each other.

“Aren’t you forgetting something, Vicar Brown?” Vivienne interrupted. “A reading, perhaps? Shouldn’t we be joining hands?”

“My dinner is waiting. You have obtained a special license, and therefore I shall give a special, abbreviated vow exchange. Hold hands if you want.”

Sebastian’s hands reached for hers, turning her toward him as the vicar raced through the vows, running his finger down the piece of paper tucked in the Bible.

Sebastian bound himself to her and she to him.

He dipped his forehead to touch hers, smiling as the vicar unceremoniously declared them husband and wife.

Vivienne breathlessly signed her name beside Sebastian Larkby’s on the certificate, the vicar and maid witnessing the marriage.

She was a married and titled woman now. Her stepbrother could not force her into a marriage with Sir Josiah.

She smiled up at her husband, and he gathered her hand in his strong one, gently kissing the top of it. She was safe at last.

He assisted his bride into the gig. His bride . Even if their marriage was in name only, the responsibility of her protection and happiness was real and of vital importance to him. They had an easy friendship. This would prove a boon. He climbed in beside her and snapped the reins.

As they rode back to the manor, the burden of the lie lifted, and Bash was grateful that he’d supplied his grandmother with the granddaughter she had always wished to have.

Evie needed his grandmother as much as she needed Evie.

He only wished that she might come to need him one day …

beyond protection from her stepbrother. He tamped down the thought.

He had years left to serve the Prince Regent.

It was only a matter of time before George took the throne.

Bash had worked diligently to see to it that he stood behind his friend, offering him support even if the people found him wanting as their king.

“You’ve been quiet.” Evie broke the silence. “What are you thinking about?”

“Returning to London.”

“Oh.” Her voice dipped. “So soon?”

“Soon enough.”

“Very well.” She yawned behind her gloved hand. “If you do not mind, I am quite tired after tonight’s unexpected events. I will close my eyes.”

It was just as well. His mind was likely spinning as much as his bride’s.

It did not take long to reach the manor, what with his thoughts completely overtaken by what they had done.

The wheels rolled to a halt, and his bride was truly asleep.

So she had not been merely avoiding conversation with me.

He moved to shake her shoulder, but with the moonlight cascading down her golden locks and thick lashes, she seemed so at peace, and he was loath to wake her after the attack of nerves she had endured.

When he was a boy, nothing had helped to retune his own body after an attack quite as much as sleep.

He scooped her into his arms, cradling her to his chest as he stepped down from the gig, which took some doing, given the height.

Her head lolled against his shoulder, but her soft snoring was steady.

He nodded to Noah, who’d stumbled out from the stables, hair askew.

He looked twice at the sight of Bash holding the lovely woman and blinked away his astonishment.

The servants must have heard them arrive, as the butler opened the door at once. Ladd’s eyes widened at the sight of Lady Larkby.

“Have no fear. She is merely exhausted. We shouldn’t have attended tonight, but I did so wish to show off my bride.

” He took the stairs slowly, knowing that with every step she was that much closer to never being in his arms again.

He paused at her door and gently knocked it with the toe of his boot.

Charlotte appeared in the crack of the door, her jaw dropping.

“She fell asleep after a fright.”

She held the door open, standing to the side. Concern etched her features. “What happened?”

“Sir Josiah was at the Sydney Hotel.”

“La! Say it isn’t so? He is here to spirit her away, isn’t he?” She twisted her hands. “Did she have an attack of nerves?”

“Yes, but we have seen to the issue.”

“What do you mean?” She snatched up a crocheted throw, motioning for him to set Evie on the bed. “You did not challenge him to a duel, did you?”

“I’ll admit, the thought did cross my mind.” He laid Evie on the bed, admiring her hair on the silk pillow. She must’ve been truly exhausted to sleep so soundly. “We decided to marry instead.”

She dropped the blanket.

“As in legally marry.” He opened his coat and withdrew the certificate of marriage.

She grasped it, her lips parting. “This is real.”

“It is.”

“She married you?” She pressed her hand to her mouth, smiling.

“That’s what the paper says.”

“Praise the Lord.” She handed back the certificate. “I am tempted to wake her to obtain more details than a few grunts from you, but knowing how exhausted she is after one of her spells, I will stay my questions until the morning.”