Kidnapping the Viscount Read online

  Marriage by Fate Series: Book 5

  Kidnapping

  the

  Viscount

  Ruth Ann Nordin

  Kidnapping the Viscount

  Published by Ruth Ann Nordin

  Copyright © 2019 by Ruth Ann Nordin

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Book Cover Design by: Yellow Prelude Design, LLC

  Table of Contents

  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

  Lord Toplyn’s Romance: Ruined by the Earl

  Lady Cantrell’s Romance: His Wicked Lady

  All Books in the Marriage by Fate Series

  All Books by Ruth Ann Nordin

  Where to Find Ruth

  Chapter One

  Author’s Note: This story begins during the time of The Perfect Duke right after Miss Webb and the Duke of Ravenshire went to Gretna Green.

  ~~~

  December 1819

  If you want something bad enough, you’ll fight for it.

  Miss Heather Duff kept repeating this phrase to herself as she knocked on the door of Lord Powell’s residence.

  “Are you sure this is a good idea?” her brother, Mr. Charles Duff, asked her.

  “I have to do this,” she told him. “If I don’t, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life. Besides,” she added when he rolled his eyes, “he loves me. This is as much for him as it is for me.”

  “In that case, it’s a shame you didn’t accept his proposal.”

  It was a shame. It was a horrible decision on her part. She never should have listened to Lady Eloise. She should have gone with her heart and said yes. Who cared if Lord Powell was only a viscount? In light of the way Lady Eloise ruined Ladies of Grace, it hadn’t done Heather any good to focus on how impressive a gentleman’s title was. If there was one thing she could go back and change, she would tell him yes and let Lady Eloise kick her out of the group.

  The door opened, and Charles introduced themselves to the footman then asked to see Lord Powell. Heather held her breath as she waited for the footman’s response. Thankfully, he opened the door further and gestured for them to come into the townhouse.

  She went in first, and her brother followed.

  “Lord Powell is in the drawing room,” the footman said. “Wait here. I’ll tell him he has guests.”

  She clasped her hands together, hoping no one could tell she was nervous. All she had to do was give him the speech she had prepared. He did love her. She knew it. He wouldn’t have proposed to her if he didn’t, not when he had other ladies who were interested in him. She was his first choice. Sure, he had proposed to another lady, but that was after she’d rejected him.

  I was so stupid. Why did I listen to Lady Eloise?

  Never again. She’d never let anyone tell her what to do in the future. She was here to take back control of her life. And it wasn’t too late to marry him. He’d only gone through the banns one time. There was still time to intervene and stop the wedding.

  The footman returned. “Lord Powell will see you.”

  He gestured for them to follow him, so they did. She resisted the urge to press her hand over her chest. Her heart was beating so fast that she could hardly breathe. She hoped no one else noticed.

  Her brother let her into the drawing room first, and at once, she felt that familiar thrill at seeing Lord Powell. He was exquisitely handsome. Hair so dark it was almost black. Deep brown eyes. Nice square jaw. Wonderful broad shoulders. He wasn’t as tall as some gentlemen, but he was strong. He wasn’t scrawny like some.

  Lord Powell stood by one of the chairs, hands behind his back. “Mr. and Miss Duff,” he greeted. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

  Heather. I wish he’d call me Heather. She’d love to hear the way her name sounded on his lips.

  Her brother nudged her from behind, making her jerk forward a bit. Heat rose up in her cheeks. Granted, her brother wasn’t all that happy about being dragged here, but he could at least be subtle about it.

  She turned her attention back to Lord Powell and offered a curtsey. He, in turn, bowed. She didn’t know if her brother joined in the pleasantries or not since he was still behind her, but for propriety’s sake, she would assume so.

  “I was wondering if I might speak to you for a moment.” She glanced back at her brother. “In private.”

  “If you wished to speak with me in private, then why did you bring your brother?” Lord Powell asked.

  She turned her attention back to him. “Well, I couldn’t come here alone. That would have looked bad.”

  “You didn’t mind how things looked when you turned down my proposal when my mother and your brother were in the room.”

  She tried not to wince, but it was hard to do that when he was right. “I was afraid if we were alone, people might talk. Then a scandal could have erupted.”

  “And you think if we talk in private right now that a scandal might not happen?”

  Drat! He made a good point. She clasped her hands together. “Back then, I wanted my brother nearby for moral support.”

  “Moral support?”

  “It wasn’t easy to tell you no.”

  “It wasn’t easy to hear the answer no, either.”

  Again, she winced. This conversation wasn’t going as she had hoped. She knew she’d have to apologize and seek his forgiveness. She just didn’t realize she was going to have to do it in front of her brother. But Lord Powell was right. She had humiliated him in front of her brother and his mother. It was only right she be willing to humble herself in front of a third party.

  She cleared her throat and gave him a nod. “You’re right. I should have been more concerned about your feelings.” She paused, very much aware that her brother was behind her, listening to the whole thing. “I came by to apologize. I made a horrible mistake. I never should have told you no. I wanted to say yes, but I let a ridiculous stipulation with my lady’s group stop me.” She swallowed. That was harder to admit than she’d thought it’d be. “I have since left the group. I was hoping you might consider marrying me.”

  “Didn’t you hear that I am betrothed to someone else?”

  “Yes, but you’re not married yet. There’s still time to do things right.”

  “And you think me marrying you is the right thing to do?”

  “Well, you did propose to me before you proposed to Miss Beaumont.”

  “But you said no.”

  “I’m not saying no now,” she argued. “Now I’m saying yes.”

  “You can’t just change your mind and expect everything to go exactly the way you want it to.”

  He was right. There was no arguing this particular point. “I accept that, but I know you don’t love her. You might be comfortable with her. She’s probably a good lady who’d make a pleasant companion. You and I, howe
ver, have something magical between us. We’d have a love match. I think something like that is worth fighting for.”

  He hesitated for a moment, and she thought he might agree, that he might say he’d end the betrothal with the other lady and say he’d marry her instead. But he didn’t do that.

  “If it’s worth fighting for, then you’d fight for it.” He walked over to the doorway and gestured to it. “The footman will open the front door for you on your way out.”

  She wasn’t sure she understood him right until her brother took her by the arm and led her out of the drawing room. She was too stunned to stop him. She shouldn’t have been stunned. She’d said no to Lord Powell when he proposed. He wasn’t expected to sit and wait for her to come to her senses. He had moved on. He was with someone else now.

  She glanced back at him, and she caught the regret in his eyes. She had hurt him when she’d told him no. He had wanted to be with her. He still wanted to be with her. She wasn’t imagining it. They did have the very real possibility of a love match. She’d just been too stupid to grab onto it when she had the chance, and, as he’d pointed out, she couldn’t just come here and expect things to go her way. She’d hurt him too much for him to just welcome her back as if nothing had happened.

  “Come on,” her brother said, urging her through the front door of the townhouse.

  Once the footman closed the door behind them, she said, “He still wants to marry me.”

  Her brother let out an exasperated sigh. “No, he doesn’t. He told you no. He is going to marry Miss Beaumont.”

  But he didn’t have to. Not if she did something to stop the wedding.

  Charles groaned. “Heather, you have to know when to let things go. This is one of them. The best you can do right now is move on. Find someone else. There are a lot of gentlemen in London.” As if to prove his point, he motioned to the gentlemen who were in carriages or walking up and down the sidewalk. “Half of them don’t have a wife. Choose one of them.”

  She didn’t want one of them. She only wanted one, and he was in the townhouse she’d just left. She looked over at the window, and she couldn’t be sure, but she thought she saw Lord Powell duck behind the curtains. No, she was sure. She had seen him. Lord Powell was watching her.

  He’d only do that if he secretly wanted her to come back for him. Otherwise, he would have gone off to do something else like read a book, write a missive, or go to another room. But he wasn’t doing any of those things. He was watching her. He was probably waiting to see what she’d do next.

  Well, she couldn’t do anything right now. But she would do something. She needed a plan. This wasn’t going to be easy, but she couldn’t let the obstacles standing in her way stop her. She wanted to marry him more than she wanted anything, and she was going to be his wife no matter what.

  Feeling much better, she joined her brother and walked down the steps of the townhouse. It wasn’t too late. He wasn’t married yet. As long as he was still available, there was a chance. There were two more banns left. Surely, she’d come up with something before the last ones were read.

  ***

  Logan Breckman, Earl of Toplyn, poured brandy into two glasses then handed one to Gill Easton, Viscount Powell. “Are you sure Miss Duff looked back when she left the townhouse?” Logan asked.

  Gill nodded as Logan sat across from him. As soon as Miss Duff and her brother had left his townhouse, he had come straight over to his friend’s to talk about it. Gill took a sip of his brandy. “I’m sure. She turned her head to the window and looked directly at me.”

  “What did you do in return?”

  “I pretended to be startled she caught me watching her and stepped out of sight.”

  “And you think this will make her pursue you?”

  “She did come to ask me to take her back. She said she wanted me to marry her instead of Miss Beaumont.”

  Logan took a drink of his brandy then shook his head. “That doesn’t mean much.”

  “Yes, it does. I’ve been on her mind. She realizes that saying no to my proposal was a mistake. She should have said yes.”

  “I understand that. But you told her you wouldn’t marry her. How do you know she’s going to keep begging you to marry her instead of Miss Beaumont?”

  “I don’t know it for sure.” When Logan shot him a pointed look, he added, “My mother says I made myself too available to Miss Duff. She said I was like a puppy with a new shoe whenever Miss Duff was around. If I had pretended I had no interest in her, then I probably could have had her.”

  Logan’s eyes lit up. “Ah, I see. You’re playing hard to get.”

  “It doesn’t hurt to try something different since what I did before didn’t work.”

  “And what about Miss Beaumont? You proposed to her, and she said yes.”

  “My mother suggested the marriage, and Miss Beaumont’s father agreed to that match. Neither I nor Miss Beaumont had anything to do with it.”

  “But you’re still planning to marry her.” Logan paused. “Or, at least you were planning to until Miss Duff showed up at your townhouse today.”

  “I was going to go through with the wedding.” But maybe now he didn’t have to. Maybe things had taken a sudden unexpected turn for the better. “I’m not particularly interested in Miss Beaumont, and I don’t think she’s all that interested in me. We’re only marrying each other because our parents arranged it. We barely say more than a few words to each other when we’re together.” He took another sip of the brandy.

  “Does Miss Duff know that?”

  “Of course not. I wouldn’t dare tell her such a thing. Where would the challenge be if she knew I had no interest in Miss Beaumont?”

  “So you want poor Miss Duff to suffer until you let Miss Beaumont go?”

  “I want Miss Duff to prove she really wants to marry me. I think I’m owed that after the way she rejected me.”

  “You’re doing this for the sake of your silly pride?”

  Gill rolled his eyes. “It’s not just that. It’s about knowing her feelings for me are sincere. I don’t want to be a passing fancy to her. I don’t want her to be interested in me because I’m betrothed. I want her to show me that she loves me.”

  “And you think making things difficult for her will do that?”

  “I got further with her today than I did when I was her suitor.”

  Logan considered his words then nodded. “You make a good point. So what do you plan to do next?”

  Gill glanced at the remaining brandy in his glass. “To be honest, I haven’t thought further than pretending I’m no longer interested in her.”

  “Hmm…”

  Noting the way Logan was tapping his fingers on the arm of his chair, Gill leaned forward in interest. “You have an idea?”

  “If you’re insistent on going this route, you might as well make it worth your while.”

  “If you were in my situation, what would you do?”

  “I’d make Miss Duff squirm as much as possible. I’d go to a ball with Miss Beaumont and pretend I was interested in everything she had to say. If Miss Duff approached me for a dance, I’d act as if I had to because it was expected of me. I’d let something about Miss Beaumont slip into the conversation, but I’d also touch her in a way that indicates I might be interested should she keep vying for me. I’d go for a walk or horse ride with Miss Beaumont and go right by Miss Duff’s residence. If she happened to see me, I’d let my gaze linger on hers so that she thinks she might have a chance. I’d say ‘no’ but let my actions say ‘yes’. I’d do anything possible to make her pursue me. If you make it too difficult, she’ll give up. If you make it a challenge, she’s likely to fall for the trap.”

  “Why, Logan,” Gill began, his eyes growing wide, “you’re a cad. A very clever and sneaky cad.”

  “Thank you. It’s one of the things my wife loves about me.” With a smile, he drank more of his brandy.

  Already, Gill was making plans on what he could say and do t
o get Miss Duff to do what he wanted. With any luck, he’d secure Miss Duff’s undying devotion, but he had to be careful in how he proceeded.

  A knock came at the door of the den, followed by a small lad calling out for his father. Logan chuckled, got up, and set his empty glass on the desk. Then he hurried to the door and opened it.

  A blond-haired two-year-old boy held his hands up to him. “Papa.”

  Logan chuckled and picked his son up in his arms. “Mathias wants to be where the excitement is.” He returned to the chair and sat down, setting a very happy boy on his lap. “It seems that no matter where I’m at, he manages to find me.” He ruffled the boy’s hair. “Not that I mind. It’s rather flattering that he wants to be with his father as much as he does.”

  “Not tired,” Mathias said. “No bed.”

  “Oh, so that’s what he’s doing,” Gill replied with a smirk. “He’s trying to get out of taking a nap.”

  “You’ll notice he came to find me,” Logan pointed out. “He could have sought out anyone else, but he chose me.”

  “Or he could have been running from his mother because he knows she’d make him take that nap,” Gill said.

  “No bed,” Mathias repeated.

  Gill laughed. “I thought so.”

  “Mathias adores me,” Logan insisted. “He follows me everywhere when he’s awake. I’m his hero.”

  The door opened halfway, and Logan’s wife poked her head into the room. Her gaze went to Mathias, and she groaned. “You have to take a nap.” She opened the door further and stepped into the room, showing Gill just how close she was to giving birth to her third child.

  “I take it the second is asleep,” Gill guessed.

  “Yes,” she said as she approached them. “Jerry went to sleep right away, which is more than I can say for his older brother.” She shot Mathias a disapproving look.