The Viscount's Runaway Bride (Marriage by Bargain Book 1) Read online

  Marriage by Bargain: Book 1

  The

  Viscount’s

  Runaway Bride

  Ruth Ann Nordin

  Wedded Bliss Romances, LLC

  This is a work of fiction. The events and characters described herein are imaginary and are not intended to refer to specific places or living persons. The opinions expressed in this manuscript are solely the opinions of the author and also represent the opinions or thoughts of the publisher.

  The Viscount’s Runaway Bride

  All Rights Reserved.

  Copyright 2016 Ruth Ann Nordin

  V1.0

  Cover Photo images Period images. http://www.periodimages.com/welcome-to-periodimagescom. All rights reserved – used with permission.

  Cover Photo images Dreamstime. www.dreamstime.com. All rights reserved – used with permission.

  This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without expressed written consent of the publisher/author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  Wedded Bliss Romances, LLC

  http://www.ruthannnordin.com

  Table of Contents

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Coming Soon In The Marriage by Bargain Series

  Chronological List of Ruth Ann Nordin’s Books

  Where To Find Ruth

  Dedication: To Marcy McNelis whose generous heart has blessed me many times over. Thank you for being a source of great joy!

  Chapter One

  Early October 1817

  “You have to invite Loretta to this dinner party,” Miss Celia Barlow said. “She’s your betrothed.”

  Anthony Barlow, Viscount Worsley, tried not to grimace as he finished his dinner. Good heavens, but what had he been thinking when he agreed to marry his sister’s friend?

  “I only intend for this to be a business dinner,” Anthony told his sister.

  Celia set her napkin on the table and shot him a pointed look. “Every single dinner party you’ve had this year has been a business dinner. This won’t be any different.”

  He set the glass back down. Noting that she was finished with her meal, he gestured to the butler to let him know they were done and rose from the table so he could escort her out of the room. It’d be best to continue this discussion when they were alone. If he thought he could avoid it, he’d slip up to his bedchamber and be done with it, but there was no escaping Celia. When she had her mind set on something, she hounded him through the entire townhouse until he listened to her.

  “I’ve invited Loretta to every single dinner party this year,” he said, keeping his voice low as they walked down the hallway. “That was including the one I had last week. I see no reason why she needs to come to the next one.”

  His sister jutted out her bottom lip. “You’ll be making me go out to the country next week, and I’ll be stuck all alone out there.”

  “You won’t be alone. I’ll be there, too.”

  “You know what I mean.” They entered the drawing room, and he shut the doors to ensure their privacy. “I won’t have another lady to talk to.”

  “Well, I won’t have another gentleman to talk to, so it’s no different for me, either.”

  “Yes, but Loretta and I are like sisters. We share everything.” She clasped her hands together and peered up at him. “Won’t you please consider marrying her right now?”

  Somehow, he managed to resist the urge to groan. “I already told you I want the wedding to be done properly. She needs time to get a beautiful gown, and there are banns to be read. Plus, all your other friends and our relatives can be there to share the special day. You don’t want to spoil all of that for her, do you?”

  By the way her shoulders slumped, he could tell his argument had worked—again. Good. It was bad enough he’d already agreed to rescue her friend from financial ruin. He didn’t need to ruin his own life, too…just yet.

  He went to the desk and pulled out invitations to write to his friends for the dinner party. A benefit to not having any ladies in attendance would mean he could invite Warren, the Earl of Steinbeck. With any luck, Warren might be able to secure his father-in-law’s attendance as well. The two were good when it came to financial matters, and he couldn’t wait to hear what they thought of a business venture he was thinking of investing in next year with Captain Egan.

  Celia walked over to the window and let out a mournful sigh.

  Anthony chose to ignore her. She was still moping about the dinner party, but this was his dinner party and he had a right to invite—or not invite—whomever he wanted. If she wanted to see her friend, she could do it some other time.

  He dipped the quill in the inkwell then started to pen the first invitation when Celia walked over to him. “Sometimes I miss our grandparents.”

  Surprised she should bring up that particular topic, he glanced up from the invitation and looked at her sullen expression. “Sometimes I miss them, too.”

  And he did. He missed them more than he had ever missed their parents. There were moments when he thought it’d be nice to have one more day to talk to their grandfather or one more day to take a stroll with his grandmother.

  But all the wishing in the world wouldn’t bring them back, so he tried not to dwell on it. What good was dwelling on things that could never be? This also brought him to the point in his life where he had resolved himself to his upcoming marriage. For better or worse, his course was set. There was no sense in wasting time thinking of things that might have been.

  A teardrop fell on his hand, breaking him out of his thoughts. He turned his attention back to his sister who dabbed her eyes.

  He retrieved a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her.

  “Thank you,” she said with a sniffle. She brushed the cloth against her cheeks. “The worst part is that we didn’t get to go to their last dinner party. Remember it? We went to the symphony instead? From time to time, I wish I hadn’t been so insistent on skipping the dinner party. It was the last time we would have had with them. Life is so short. You just never know if you’ll get to see someone again or not.”

  Anthony’s gut twisted into an all-too-familiar knot. “Celia, you will see Loretta again.”

  “How can you guarantee that?”

  “Because I know it.”

  “You can’t be so certain about it. What if she suffers a terrible accident like our grandparents did?” Celia pressed, more tears brimming in her eyes. “I didn’t expect it, and neither did you. I still bear the guilt from not seeing our grandparents one last time. I don’t want the same with my dearest friend.” She reached out and touched his hand and sniffled. “Please, Anthony. Give me this one thing, and I won’t complain the entire time we’re in the country this winter.”

  His gaze met hers, and his resolve weakened. The dinner party would only
be for one evening. Surely, he could manage that since he would have a reprieve for the next few months in the country.

  “All right,” he said. “Loretta can come.”

  “Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!” She went over to hug him. “You’re the best brother in the entire world.”

  “So you keep telling me,” he replied.

  She released him, all the tears replaced with a large smile. “That’s because you are. I am the most fortunate lady in all of London to have you for a brother. Now, I’ll leave you alone so you can write the invitations.” She turned from him but then snapped her fingers and faced him again. “I just had a wonderful thought! When you write the invitation to Loretta, make it sound like it was your idea to invite her. She’ll be thrilled knowing you’re looking forward to marrying her next year. It’ll give her brothers hope, too, as they go through this very trying time.”

  He swallowed the lump in his throat. There was no way he could say he was excited about having Loretta over. All he could bring himself to do was extend the invitation. But rather than explain this to his sister, he said, “I’ll get started on the invitations at once.”

  She let out an excited cheer and hurried out of the room.

  With a groan, he picked up the quill and got started, his earlier enthusiasm for the dinner party significantly diminished.

  ***

  “Thank you for coming,” Anthony whispered to his friend on the evening of the dinner party.

  “When you explained the situation, I couldn’t let you go through this alone,” Corin St. George, the Earl of Durrant, replied, his voice low.

  Anthony glanced over at his sister who was at the drawing room window, eager for Loretta to arrive. His dinner party, which should have been enjoyed by six gentlemen, had been slimmed down to just the four of them. He hadn’t been able to invite his good friend Warren, and because of that, Warren’s father-in-law and Warren’s two friends, Malcolm and Robert, were off the list as well.

  “What a sad state of affairs it is when we have to bend our will to what ladies want,” Anthony whispered.

  “I know how your sister is,” Corin assured him. “She’s not easy to say no to.”

  “No, she’s not.”

  And it did bother Anthony that he kept giving into whatever she wanted. But he didn’t know how to change things so that he could say no and have her accept it without turning things around so she got what she wanted.

  “I hope you understand I have no interest in your sister,” Corin said, still keeping his voice low. “It’s nothing against her. She’s pretty and intelligent, but I don’t think of her in a romantic sense.”

  “You have no need to worry,” Anthony assured him. “I know you’re only here as a favor to me.”

  Corin relaxed, and he went over to a chair and sat in it.

  How Anthony envied him. There would be no marriages thrust upon him against his will. He was free to marry whomever he wished.

  “Oh, good! Loretta’s here,” Celia cried out and hurried to the doorway.

  With a heavy sigh, Anthony went over to the settee and grabbed his glass of port wine. He gulped it down, pretending he didn’t notice the sympathetic expression on his friend’s face.

  Yes, Corin was very fortunate indeed. His future was wide open to him. He could even choose not to marry if he wanted. Granted, as a titled gentleman, he most assuredly would want an heir, but if the right lady didn’t present herself, he could choose to pass on the title to his younger brother.

  “You look stunning this evening!” Celia gushed over her friend as they came into the room. “Doesn’t she look stunning, Anthony?”

  Out of obligation, Anthony glanced over at Loretta. Good heavens. She was wearing another yellow gown. Bright yellow, to be exact. Was it possible she was unaware of how much she resembled a banana?

  Corin coughed, probably as a maneuver to cover up his laughter. A smart move on his part. Had Anthony not been betrothed to the walking banana, he might have laughed, too. But as it was, he was too horrified to do so.

  Celia brought Loretta over to him and urged her to sit with him. There wasn’t enough port wine in the world to make him say Loretta looked attractive in such garish clothing.

  “I think I’ll wear a yellow gown at our wedding,” Loretta told Anthony, fluttering her eyelashes at him. “It’s my favorite color.”

  “That’s no wonder since you look so good in it,” Celia replied as she sat in a chair next to Corin. “We have so many plans to tend to, Loretta. Anthony wants this to be the wedding of your dreams. He said he’ll spare no expense. I dare say, this wedding just might be so marvelous that even Lady Eloise will be drooling with envy.”

  The two ladies giggled, and Anthony felt a stab of pain shoot across his forehead. This was going to be a long evening. Worse than that, it was going to be a very long life.

  Loretta touched his arm, and he had the urge to pull back. “Celia was distraught that we couldn’t marry this year,” she began, “but I assured her that waiting will only make things that much more exciting. And, as your sister pointed out, we can have one of the most expensive weddings in London. I think the Ton will be talking about it for years to come.”

  “Oh, most definitely,” Celia agreed. “Then after you marry, we can go to Paris and have gowns specially made for us.” She clapped her hands and squealed in delight. “Maybe we’ll even get a chance to see Spain!”

  The two giggled again, and Anthony rubbed his temples. Why didn’t his sister understand there was a limit to the money? He had the hardest time keeping up with her demands. Worse, Loretta was the same way.

  “It’ll be so much fun to see you more, Loretta,” Celia said. “I was just bemoaning the fact that I’ll have to spend an entire winter at the estate. I do so wish Anthony and I could stay in London.”

  “I wish you could stay, too,” Loretta agreed. “It’s going to be boring without any of the fun things we have during the Season.”

  “Then you’ll be as bored as I will.”

  Loretta nodded. “Except you get to enjoy the fresh air of the country and have all that room to run around.”

  Celia let out another giggle. “I ran around that large estate when I was a little girl. There are so many places to hide that one could get lost if they’re not careful.”

  “Well, maybe your brother and I will run around there after we marry,” Loretta teased, glancing at Anthony. Then, she whispered, “If you find me, you get to have your way with me.”

  Anthony’s gut tightened in dread.

  The butler came into the room and announced that dinner was ready. Relieved, Anthony bolted up. He would have run to the dining room had he not been mindful of his obligation to escort Loretta there. With a glance at Corin, who dutifully offered Celia his arm, Anthony turned back to Loretta and escorted her out of the room.

  “I hope you don’t think I’m only marrying you because of Celia,” Loretta softly told him as they strolled down the hall. “I think we’ll make a splendid match. We get along so well. I was just thinking the other day of the things we will do after we marry. We’ll go to the theatre and the symphony. There will be the museum, of course. But we won’t do anything as silly as the menagerie or circus or balloon launches. We’ll spend our time with influential members of the Ton. I think it would be wonderful if you could befriend Lady Eloise’s father and brother. Think of all the opportunities that will open up to us if you got in with the right people.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with the friends I currently have.”

  “Well, it’s true Lord Steinbeck and Lord Durrant have much to commend them. They are upstanding gentlemen. But I think you’ll benefit even more if you make time to engage in conversations with other, more notable, gentlemen. You don’t mind doing that from time to time, do you? For me?”

  She squeezed his arm, and as she did so, her breast pressed against it. He shuddered. He knew the action should have aroused him, but it had the opposite effect. God he
lp him, but he had no idea how he was going to have an heir with her. It just didn’t seem humanly possible, and he couldn’t pay some other gentleman to do the job for him.

  “Anthony?” she asked, once more squeezing his arm.

  He made it to the dining room and slipped his arm out of hers, the reprieve from touching her finally enabling him to breathe normally. “I just had an idea,” he said as he turned to his sister and Corin. “There’s no reason why this townhouse has to be empty all winter. Why don’t I let Celia stay here? I’ll go to the estate by myself.”

  Though Celia’s eyes lit up with excitement, she asked, “Are you sure?”

  “I wouldn’t have suggested it if I wasn’t,” he replied.

  Celia went over to Loretta and hugged her. “How wonderful! Then we can plan out your wedding at our leisure!”

  “Indeed, we can!” Loretta agreed and gave him a smile. “Thank you so much, Anthony.”

  Corin shot him a sympathetic smile before they took their seats. For the winter, at least, Anthony would be granted some much needed peace. If only winters could last forever…

  Chapter Two

  Anthony stared out the window of his carriage as the driver slowed the horses. About a mile up ahead would be the inn he’d stay in for the night. While he wished he was in London, he just couldn’t stay there anymore. Not with Loretta and his sister there, both planning the worst day of his life.

  He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Surely, by next spring, he’d be able to stomach the idea of marrying Loretta.

  The carriage came to an abrupt stop, and his eyes flew open. He peered out the window in time to see a young lady wearing a cloak that concealed everything but her pretty face. She was carrying a valise, and she seemed to be imploring the driver for something.

  Eyebrows furrowed, Anthony opened the door just as the driver was telling her, “I’m afraid he cannot help you.”