A Deceptive Wager Read online

  Marriage by Design: Book 3

  A

  Deceptive

  Wager

  Ruth Ann Nordin

  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.

  A Deceptive Wager

  All Rights Reserved.

  Copyright 2021 Ruth Ann Nordin

  V1.0

  Design Credit: Images and Cover Art Illustration by Period Images, Pi Creative Lab and MMuse-A7. Cover Text and Branding by Ruth Ann Nordin.

  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.

  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

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Epilogue

  Other Books in the Marriage by Design Series

  Marriage by Scandal Series

  Upcoming Series

  All Books by Ruth Ann Nordin

  Where to Find Ruth

  Chapter One

  A quick reminder: Lord Edon and Mr. Christopher Robinson are not married yet in the Regency timeline. This book takes place between The Earl’s Inconvenient Wife and A Most Unsuitable Earl.

  ***

  September 1814

  Aaron Henry, Earl of Northton, felt a smile tug at his lips. He’d done it. He’d won the wager. Sure, the question of whether it was right to bet another gentleman on his ability to get into a lady’s bed wasn’t exactly the most noble of wagers, but if Lord Halloway hadn’t been such a braggart, Aaron wouldn’t have gone along with it. Lord Halloway thought he was God’s gift to ladies, but Aaron knew full well the gentleman would never convince Lady Richfield to sleep with him.

  Lady Richfield hated gentlemen as much as Aaron hated ladies. She hadn’t even liked her first husband. Aaron was well aware that she considered the untimely demise of her husband to be the best thing that had ever happened to her. Lord Halloway would never get into her bed. Aaron had even warned Lord Halloway that he would lose the wager, but Lord Halloway kept insisting he’d win.

  And so, the bet had been made, and a month after one failed attempt after another, Lord Halloway had finally admitted defeat. That morning, he had sent Aaron a missive telling him to come by to collect the money due to him.

  Aaron sat in the gentleman’s library as he waited for Lord Halloway to show up. The brandy the butler had poured for him went untouched. He should have told the butler he didn’t want anything to drink, but at the time, it seemed rude to turn down the offer. Now, as he swirled the liquid in the glass, he thought it might have been better if he was rude than to waste such fine liquor.

  Footsteps drew his attention to the doorway. Aaron got to his feet just in time for Lord Halloway to enter the room.

  “I warned you Lady Richfield wasn’t going to take you to her bed,” Aaron said.

  Lord Halloway rolled his eyes as he shut the door. “You’ve said that already. How many times do you think I need to hear it?”

  Unable to resist smirking, Aaron said, “Perhaps if you didn’t make it a habit of trying to be like Lord Edon, I wouldn’t feel the need to remind you that you’ll never have the same prowess around ladies that he does.”

  Lord Halloway scowled as he reached the desk and opened the drawer. “Lady Richfield is as cold as an iceberg in the Atlantic. No one can conquer her.”

  “Oh, I don’t know. I’ve seen Lord Edon sneaking into her townhouse when he thought no one was looking.”

  “You’re lying.”

  “I assure you I’m not.”

  “Well, I don’t believe it.” Lord Halloway took a ledger out of his drawer and dropped it on the desk with a resounding thud.

  Aaron raised an eyebrow. “You’re not a gracious loser, my lord.”

  Without a response, Lord Halloway opened the ledger and turned a few pages until he found the one he wanted.

  Aaron stepped closer to the desk and set his glass on it. “The amount we agreed to was—”

  “I know the amount. I’m not an imbecile,” Lord Halloway snapped.

  “All right.” Aaron clasped his hands behind his back. “I think I can see why people aren’t fond of you like they are of Lord Edon. Lord Edon might be a braggart, but at least he’s likable.”

  “You don’t have as many friends as he does, so I wouldn’t be so quick to point out my inadequacies.”

  “Unlike you, I don’t brag about how wonderful I am with ladies,” Aaron muttered under his breath.

  “The agreed amount is twenty thousand pounds.” Lord Halloway turned his attention back to the ledger. “That’s the amount of my sister’s dowry. You’ll receive the amount when you marry her.”

  Aaron stiffened. “You can’t put her in this wager. We didn’t say anything about marriage.”

  The corner of Lord Halloway’s lip curled up. “Do you want the money or not?”

  “Of course, I do. It’s the amount we both agreed to.”

  “Then you should be satisfied you’ll be getting it.”

  “But there was nothing said about marriage.”

  “Do you have something against marriage, Lord Northton?”

  Aaron hesitated to answer. He didn’t know if Lord Halloway knew about his aversion to marriage or not. It wasn’t like Aaron kept it a secret, but Lord Halloway didn’t belong to White’s, so the chances he had heard Aaron discussing his views on marriage were slim.

  “You can’t arrange for me to marry your sister out of spite,” Aaron said. “We agreed to wager money. I will settle for nothing else.”

  Lord Halloway chuckled. “I don’t have twenty thousand pounds. I was planning to get that from you after I seduced Lady Richfield. As it turns out, you were right. She will let no gentleman approach her bed. The only way you’re going to get twenty thousand pounds is from the dowry my father left my dear little sister.” He met his gaze. “Do you want the money or not?”

  Aaron gritted his teeth. Had he known this was a trap, he never would have made the bet. He had underestimated how shrewd Lord Halloway was. “Give me the dowry without the shrew.”

  He chuckled. “The two go together. If you want the money, you’ll have to marry her.”

  Aaron wished he could get rid of the smug expression on Lord Halloway’s face, but he was too much of a gentleman to punch him. If there was one thing he endeavored to never do, it was resort to physical violence.

  “I already told quite a few people in London about the marriage,” Lord Halloway said. “I’m sure some influential people in the Ton even know by now. You know how quickly people talk. If you were to be so cruel as to end the engagement, I’m not sure who will do business with you. Lord Cadwalader happens to be an acquaintance of mine.”

  Aaron�
�s fingers curled into fists.

  He lowered his gaze to Aaron’s hands. “I also speak with a few other prominent gentlemen on occasion.”

  “You’re lying,” Aaron finally said. “You didn’t tell anyone that I was betrothed to your sister.”

  “I could be lying, but do you want to take the chance? I know all about your father and how hard he struggled to keep both you and himself free from scandal.” He grinned. “It turns out your mother was quite willing to let gentlemen into her bed, which is so unlike Lady Richfield.”

  He closed his eyes for a moment in order to rein in his anger. He was close to unleashing it.

  “My sister is also different from your mother. My sister is a wallflower. No one notices her. She spends all of her time sitting in a room either reading or sewing. But despite how dull she is, she is pretty. Think of her as a decorative piece of furniture. You can sit her in a chair and let her be.”

  Aaron opened his eyes. “I’m not amused.”

  Lord Halloway snickered at him just as a light knock came at the door. “Ah, there is the little decorative ornament right now. I wondered what was keeping her.”

  “You can’t mean to introduce us.”

  “It’s only fair she meets the gentleman she’ll spend the rest of her life with.”

  Lord Halloway shut the ledger then went to the door. He opened it and beckoned for the lady to step into the room. Her gaze darted from her brother to Aaron and back again. As her brother had said, she was pretty. Dark hair, a fair complexion, and a pleasant figure. She had an innocent face, but Aaron knew better than to fall for the shy young virgin ruse. While Lady Richfield detested activities of a personal nature with gentlemen, other ladies weren’t so resistant to them. And in Aaron’s experience, the more innocent a lady seemed to be, the deeper her secret engagements went.

  “Kitty, this is Lord Northton,” her brother said as he cupped his hand under her elbow and led her over to Aaron. “He won the wager, and since you have the required sum of money in your dowry to pay it off, you are to marry him.”

  Aaron was shocked her brother came out and told her why she was to marry him. He thought her brother would at least make up some lie in order to get her compliance, but by the tone in his voice, he wasn’t leaving room for argument. He was dictating she marry, and it was obvious he didn’t care how she felt about it.

  The only indication Kitty gave that this news came as a shock was the way her eyes grew wide. She then glanced over at Aaron and then turned her gaze back to her brother.

  “While I told other people about the marriage, I might have neglected to tell her,” Lord Halloway told Aaron before he gave a nonchalant shrug. “She knows now, and as it turns out, so do you.” He led her to Aaron’s side and then released her. “There. Once the vows are exchanged, the money will be transferred to your account.”

  Lord Halloway turned to leave the room, and Aaron followed. “Do you really find this amusing?” Aaron demanded, not willing to let the gentleman get away with this sneaky ploy.

  Lord Halloway paused and turned to him. “To be honest, I’ll be glad to get rid of her. All she does is deplete me of my money. I can’t touch her dowry, but she has liberties to eat my food and spend my money on her clothes. Quite frankly, she’s not worth the trouble.” Then he strode down the hall.

  “No lady is ever worth the trouble,” Aaron growled as he hurried after him. “What you’re doing is immoral.”

  “I don’t know if it’s immoral, but it’s not illegal. You can always arrange for her to live in a cottage somewhere if the thought of marrying her repulses you.”

  “The thought of marrying anyone repulses me.”

  “Then find her a little cottage somewhere and give her an allowance to live on. Or, since she is pretty, just set her in your drawing room as you would an heirloom.” He stepped into the drawing room then finally turned to face Aaron, a move that caused Aaron to almost bump into him. “You can do whatever you want with her. You won’t hear a single complaint from me.”

  Aaron couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He might not like being around ladies, but it seemed absurd that her brother would be so callous in his treatment of Kitty. “She’s your sister.”

  “So?”

  “So? You should want what’s good for her.”

  “I’ve done that. I’ve provided for her ever since our father’s death, and now I have arranged for her to marry you. Since you’re to be her husband, the matter of doing what’s good for her falls to you.” His gaze went to someone else.

  Aaron expected to see Kitty, but instead, he saw the footman.

  “Escort Lord Northton out,” Lord Halloway said. Looking at Aaron, he continued, “Our conversation is over. The marriage will be tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow?”

  “I already arranged for a special license, and the vicar will be at this townhouse tomorrow morning.”

  Aaron felt the heat of his anger creep up his neck. “I can’t believe you. You had this planned the entire time. You knew Lady Richfield would never let you into her bed. You only pretended you didn’t know. This was all a ploy to pawn your sister off on me.”

  Lord Halloway gestured for Aaron to leave and went over to the desk.

  Aaron made a move to follow him, but the footman cleared his throat. Aaron’s head snapped in his direction.

  “I’d rather keep things civil, my lord,” the footman said, his expression indicating that he didn’t want to be put in the middle of this but had been forced to because of his employer.

  Aaron considered going over to Lord Halloway and punching him. God knew he wanted nothing more than to wipe the smirk off of the gentleman’s face. But he caught sight of Kitty watching him and the footman. He didn’t know why she should stop him from doing what he ought to do to her brother.

  It had to be his upbringing. Even with all the things his mother had done to make him and his father miserable, his father had always conducted himself with grace.

  Clenching his teeth, Aaron stormed out of the townhouse. The only satisfaction he was able to get was slamming the front door as hard as he could.

  Chapter Two

  Miss Kitty Farrow’s hands shook as she picked up the teacup in Lilly’s drawing room. As soon as her brother let her leave, Kitty ran right over to her friend’s residence and asked if Lilly would invite Emilia over so she could talk to them both. Lilly had done as Kitty wished, and now Lilly and Emilia were waiting for Kitty to speak.

  Unfortunately, now that they were all together, Kitty was afraid to say anything. Lord Northton obviously hadn’t been pleased to find out her brother was forcing him to marry her. She still recalled how red his face had gotten. It’d been so red that she thought it might burst.

  Up to today, she hadn’t had anything to do with him. She recognized him only because Lilly had pointed him out at a ball, but she hadn’t ever spoken or danced with him. So, she didn’t think he was upset with her. At least, she hoped he wasn’t.

  She’d known her brother had been planning something by the way he’d kept smirking at her for the past week, but she hadn’t dared to ask him what it was. He wouldn’t have told her anyway. He never told her anything. He thought she was too stupid to understand what was going on around her because she was a lady.

  Lilly, who was due to give birth in another month, looked at her in concern. “This must be serious. You’re quieter than usual.”

  “What is it?” Emilia asked. “I thought you wanted to tell us something.”

  Kitty gave up on the idea of drinking tea. She set the cup on the tray and clasped her hands in her lap so they’d stop shaking. After a moment, she cleared her throat. “I came here to ask about Lord Northton.”

  Lilly blinked in surprise. “My husband’s friend?”

  She nodded. “I wanted to know what kind of gentleman he is.”

  “Why? Are you interested in him?”

  “No.” Kitty shifted in the chair and tucked a dark curl behind her ear. “Bu
t my brother has demanded I marry him.”

  “Don’t do it,” Lilly said. “Aaron doesn’t like ladies. He thinks none of them can be trusted.”

  “Why does he think that?” Emilia asked.

  Lilly shrugged. “I don’t know. Roger won’t tell me. He says that when Aaron told him, it was in confidence, and Roger has always been good at keeping his word. Just suffice it to say that Kitty should marry someone else.”

  Kitty winced. “What if my brother already arranged it?”

  “I doubt Aaron would agree to the arrangement,” Lilly said.

  Lilly was right. He hadn’t agreed to it. But her brother had stated things in a way that made her suspect that Aaron was going to have to go through with it even if he didn’t want to. She knew it was pointless for her to go against her brother’s wishes. Her brother always got his way no matter what.

  “Aaron must be a good person if Roger is friends with him,” Emilia spoke up before she took a sip of her tea.

  “Of course, he’s a good person,” Lilly replied. “Roger speaks very well of him. He just isn’t interested in marriage.”

  “But he’s a titled gentleman. He’ll need to marry if he wants an heir,” Emilia said. “Heirs are the only way they will pass their title directly down the line.”

  “Well, he’s not in any hurry to get an heir like your husband was.”

  “Benjamin is a very considerate and sweet husband. I can’t help but want to give him a child.”

  Lilly smirked at her. “That’s not what you were saying on your wedding day. You were determined to keep him from ever touching you.”

  Emilia gave a nonchalant shrug then sipped more tea.

  Kitty’s face grew warm. She didn’t know the first thing about what happened between a husband and wife in bed, but it made her uncomfortable whenever her friends made comments about it. If it was up to her, she would remain unmarried for the rest of her life. Just dancing with a gentleman was difficult for her. She never knew what to say or how to act, no matter how often her friends had tried helping her in these matters.