Ruined by the Earl (Marriage by Deceit Book 3) Read online

  “It would have made little difference if you had done either of those things. The damage was done as soon as he kissed you.”

  “I know.” And curse Lord Toplyn, for he knew it, too. “I don’t suppose he can be met with some unfortunate accident.”

  Her mother pulled away from her and gave her a pointed look. “Melissa, I forbid you to think such things, even if it is tempting.”

  “Oh, I wouldn’t hurt him myself. But, is it really wrong to pray for someone’s early demise?”

  “Yes, I’m afraid so. The best thing we can do at this point is make sure he understands you’re a lady and that he needs to treat you as such.”

  “I don’t know if he has the ability to do that. You should have seen him last night when he was talking to Father and Malcolm. He was smirking the whole time as if we humored him.”

  “He wasn’t.”

  “He was. His eyes were cold, and his tone was condescending. His only concern was when he could get his hands on Father’s money.”

  “Surely, you exaggerate.”

  “I swear, I’m not,” Melissa replied. “He was ready to sprout a pair of horns.”

  “This is worse than I thought. Your father didn’t give me such a bad report when I talked to him this morning.”

  “Why would he? He sees Lord Toplyn through the eyes of a gentleman. He won’t have to be married to him.”

  “You’re right. Gentlemen don’t understand how delicate these situations are to ladies.”

  “Which is why I knew I could confide in you.”

  Her mother pulled her in for another hug. “A gentleman’s world can be a cruel one. We need each other to get through it. Of course, you can confide in me. I’ll always be here for you.”

  Tears filled Melissa’s eyes, and she held her mother tightly, taking comfort in her silent strength.

  ***

  Dabbing her eyes, Melissa took a deep breath and knocked on the door to Lady Seyton’s townhouse. She struggled to control her tears, really she did, but every time she thought about her fate, a new wave of sobs came over her.

  The footman opened the door and greeted her.

  “I’m sorry to come unannounced, but I was wondering if I may have a word with Lady Seyton.” Even as she made the request, her voice wavered.

  “Follow me.”

  She did as he instructed and waited for the butler to welcome her into the drawing room. She hadn’t planned to run straight for Lady Seyton, but an image of Lord Toplyn popped in her mind and she passed Lady Hawkins and went right over to her.

  “Oh dear.” Lady Seyton brought her in for a comforting hug. “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s horrible. Just horrible.”

  “Did someone die?”

  She wished! “If only it was that good.”

  “What is it?” Lady Seyton encouraged.

  Aware the other lady was watching her, Melissa tried to gain her composure. But she couldn’t do it. She broke down and started sobbing like she had the previous evening. After all the help Lady Seyton had given her, how was she supposed to tell her that all her efforts had been in vain? In her mind, she kept reliving the memory of that horrible kiss Lord Toplyn had given her. Even washing her lips all night couldn’t erase the awful feel of his mouth on hers. She trembled.

  Lady Hawkins approached them and rubbed her back. “Is there anything we can do to help?”

  Able to finally gain some of her composure, Melissa wiped her cheeks with the handkerchief and shook her head. “I’m afraid not. My fate is sealed.” She sniffled and wiped her eyes again. “Lord Toplyn came at me from nowhere and,” she gagged, “kissed me right in front of everyone.”

  “He did what?” Lady Seyton asked.

  “It was horrible. Just horrible.” Melissa took a deep breath but more tears came. “I didn’t even know he was going to do it. I only talked to him one time, and that was weeks ago.” And quite frankly, she hadn’t been impressed with him any more than she was now. “But last evening as I was leaving the ball, he came right up to me and kissed me. My brother was unable to stop him. And now I have to marry him instead of Lord Waxman. You know I love Lord Waxman, and he loves me.”

  “Yes, I know.” Lady Seyton put her arm around Melissa’s shoulders. “I’m so very sorry.”

  Melissa’s heart ached at the thought of seeing Lord Waxman. The gentle earl would’ve been the perfect husband. He deserved so much better than this. “I don’t know how to explain this to him. He was going to propose next week. I didn’t say anything to you sooner because I wanted to come here with him and tell you. He wanted to meet with my father and get his approval before he officially asked for my hand.”

  “That was honorable of him.”

  “It was, wasn’t it? And that’s how he’s always been since I’ve met him. Honorable, kind, decent.” A pain shot through her heart. “And now I’m stuck with Lord Toplyn.”

  Lady Seyton brought her back in for another hug.

  “Why must ladies’ fates be given to the hands of gentlemen?” Lady Seyton muttered.

  “That’s a good question,” Lady Hawkins added.

  “If they didn’t act first and think later, they wouldn’t ruin everything.”

  “I agree. Whether we like it or not, we’re left to their whims.”

  “Fleeting as those are, too. Miss Jasper,” Lady Seyton began, “what’s your Christian name?”

  Surprised, Melissa glanced from her to Lady Hawkins. “Melissa. Why?”

  “I think it’d be good if we supported each other,” Lady Seyton said. “We might not be able to do anything about the gentlemen we’re with, but we understand how difficult it is to be a lady in this society. I’m Helena.” She gestured to the other lady. “Her name is Chloe. She doesn’t even know her husband.”

  “Well,” Chloe began, “to be fair, I’d recognize him in a crowd, but I haven’t had a conversation with him since our quick wedding.”

  “Her husband is in India, and no one knows when he’ll be back.”

  A marriage where the husband stayed far away? To Melissa such a thing seemed like a dream come true. “I wish Lord Toplyn would be kind enough to do that for me, but I have a feeling he won’t.”

  “No,” Helena replied. “It’s only when we want them around that they insist on being somewhere else. I’m sorry, Melissa. There’s nothing you can do to get out of marrying Lord Toplyn. All Chloe and I can do is offer our support.”

  “Yes,” Chloe said, reaching for their hands and squeezing them. “We’re all in this together.”

  Melissa didn’t know what to think of the sudden change of events. She hadn’t expected Helena to offer such an invitation. But she supposed it was good to know someone who understood what she was going through. And who knew if they might offer her some useful advice? Her brother was overwhelmed, her mother helpless, and her father too accepting of the whole thing. They wouldn’t be much help, but these ladies might be. She gave them a smile, thankful for her new and unexpected allies.

  ***

  Logan went to White’s to deliver the money to Mr. Robinson. Thankfully, Miss Jasper’s father was an understanding gentleman. He lucked out on that count. It was a shame his daughter couldn’t stop crying. He honestly didn’t know how he was going to live with that.

  But then, his estate was large, and he could always tuck her in another wing of the manor. Then he wouldn’t have to listen to her. Of course, she might prefer to live by herself in a little cottage somewhere. Either way was fine with him. There wasn’t even a pretense of friendship between them. She’d probably welcome her own little place.

  Whatever the case, his future was secure, and he would never ever, under any circumstances, gamble any more money. He was done. The Duke of Ashbourne had taught him a very important lesson: there was no such thing as a sure thing.

  Logan poured himself a glass of brandy and strolled through White’s until he found Mr. Robinson lounging in a chair, arms crossed, his head tipped forward, hi
s eye closed. As tempting as it was to give Mr. Robinson a hearty pat on the back so he could give him a good fright, he only tapped the gentleman’s boots with his foot.

  Mr. Robinson jerked awake. Eyes wide, he looked up at Logan.

  “I see you were waiting for me with great anticipation,” Logan said.

  “It was a long night,” Mr. Robinson replied then stood up, making a great show of stretching and yawning. Then, with a wink, he added, “My wife is so demanding. Sometimes she won’t let me out of her bed.”

  “Perhaps if you did the job right the first time, she wouldn’t need to keep you there.”

  Mr. Robinson opened his mouth, probably ready to protest, but then someone called out, “How splendid. It’s the Great Imitator.”

  Logan turned and saw Lord Roderick approaching them, a scowl on his face. His eyebrows furrowed, Logan clasped his hands behind his back and asked, “What are you talking about?”

  “You.” Roderick gestured to him. “At my ball, two gentlemen secured marriages by doing the exact same thing. First, the Duke of Ashbourne kisses Lady Seyton in front of everyone, and the next thing I know, you’re doing the exact same thing to Miss Jasper. While I’m not fond of scandals, especially ones that take place at my balls, I can’t believe you would duplicate another gentleman’s idea.”

  Logan frowned at him. Leave it to Roderick to be upset someone would do something as simple and innocent as kiss a lady. “I assure you I didn’t lack the imagination to do more to Miss Jasper. I kept it clean for your sake.”

  “You shouldn’t have done it all at,” Roderick said. “Do you think I like the Ton talking about my place like it’s a den of impropriety?”

  “I can’t help it if the only time anything interesting happens to ladies at your residence is when other gentlemen are doing it.”

  Roderick glowered at him. “What are you implying?”

  “Do I really have to explain it?” Logan asked, surprised the gentleman was that stupid. He knew Roderick was a prude, but he thought even Roderick knew what to do with a lady.

  Mr. Robinson smirked at Roderick but directed his next statement to Logan. “Since you secured the hand of one of London’s wealthiest ladies, I take it you’re here to make good on the wager.”

  “I am,” Logan told him.

  Before Logan and Mr. Robinson could go to the other room to settle the matter, Roderick stepped in front of them. “Thanks to you and the duke, people are going to think it’s acceptable to create scandals at my balls.”

  “Oh, they’ll think nothing of the sort,” Mr. Robinson said.

  “No?” Roderick pulled out a piece of paper and unfolded it. “This was delivered to my townhouse this morning.”

  With a roll of his eyes, Logan took the Tittletattle and read it aloud so Mr. Robinson could hear it. “Anyone looking for a good time? Look no further than Lord Roderick’s balls. A lot of scandals happen there. Two just last night. One by the Duke of Ashbourne who kissed Lady Seyton. Then another by Lord Toplyn, the Great Imitator, who kissed Miss Jasper. Will there be another scandal at Lord Roderick’s ball in the future?” Logan let out a huff. “The Great Imitator?” So Roderick wasn’t the one who came up with that. Was all of London going to start calling him that now because some idiot put it in the scandal sheets?

  Mr. Robinson took the Tittletattle from Logan and laughed.

  “This isn’t funny,” Roderick snapped.

  “I can’t believe how quick the Tittletattle is to report gossip,” Mr. Robinson said, ignoring Roderick’s outburst.

  “It’s a disgrace.” Roderick grabbed the paper from him and stuffed it back into his pocket. Turning to Logan, he pointed his finger at him. “Don’t you ever come to one of my balls again. You’ve made me the laughingstock of town.”

  “He did no such thing,” Mr. Robinson replied. “People were already laughing at you. You just didn’t know it.”

  Before Roderick could respond, Logan told him, “I already got a wealthy lady who has to marry me. I don’t need to create any more scandals. You don’t have to worry about me. But, to set your mind at ease, I won’t go to another one of your balls. It’s not like you have the fine music and brandy that Lord Edon does anyway.”

  He said the last part to simply annoy Roderick, and by the way Roderick scowled, he’d succeeded. Deciding he’d had enough of Roderick’s self-righteous antics, Logan darted for the next room where wagers were recorded in the ledger.

  Mr. Robinson followed but waited until Logan opened the ledger before he spoke. “You’re not half bad.”

  Logan shrugged. “I never cared for Roderick. He’s too serious.”

  “That’s what I’ve been telling his poor wife all along, but she loves him.”

  “You’re joking?”

  “Afraid not. She’ll defend him to anyone who doesn’t speak well of him.”

  “There’s no accounting for taste,” Logan commented then scrolled down the names of the gentlemen who had joined in the wager—all betting that the duke couldn’t secure a wife. That, of course, would have made it harder to acquire a significant portion of money on Logan’s end, though it worked out beautifully for Mr. Robinson. “I see everyone else who made the wager already paid you.”

  “Yes, though none were too happy about it. I’m surprised you all thought so little of the Duke of Ashbourne.”

  “They saw how inept he was at Lord Edon’s ball.”

  Like a fool, Logan had tried to help the duke when he’d gone to Edon’s ball earlier that month. He’d gone so far as to secure a dance for him with Miss Jasper. And how did the duke thank him? By kissing Lady Seyton so he couldn’t win the bet. That was a fine way to return a favor.

  “Lady Seyton was attracted to him,” Mr. Robinson said. “It was only a matter of time before the two realized they were supposed to be together.”

  “It would have been nice if you’d explained that sooner.”

  “And lose twenty-five thousand pounds?”

  Logan’s gut tightened. Was that how much he was getting altogether? He lowered his gaze and counted the number of gentlemen who’d placed the bet with the expectation the duke would fail. He was one in four who owed Mr. Robinson money.

  How unfortunate it was five thousand pounds was enough to make him go into a panic. His situation was worse off than he’d admitted up to this point. Marrying Melissa was the only recourse he had. After he paid Mr. Robinson the money, he left.

  Chapter Three

  Since Logan had nothing better to do, he decided to pay Melissa a visit. She was his betrothed now. The least he could do was learn something about her. Hopefully, she wouldn’t be crying today.

  When he got to her townhouse, the footman led him into the drawing room. He hadn’t gotten a good look at this room the other evening when her brother dragged him here after knocking him unconscious. Logan stroked his jaw, which was still sore from the punch. The gentleman was stronger than he looked. Hopefully, he’d be in a better mood today. Better yet, he hoped he wouldn’t see Malcolm at all.

  Logan examined the fine furnishings in the room. The place was really impressive. He could have only afforded such fine things in his dreams. Even when he married Melissa, he didn’t know if he would splurge on anything as fancy as what her family owned. He’d do much better to tuck all the money aside and save it for his future children. He’d learned his lesson. Money was too hard to acquire to spend on bets and other worthless endeavors.

  Footsteps came from the hallway, so he faced the doorway, hands behind his back. But it wasn’t Melissa who entered. It was her father. And surprisingly, the gentleman was smiling. Logan glanced around, just to make sure the gentleman was actually smiling at him. Not that there had been anyone else in the room, but it didn’t hurt to make sure.

  “Are your debts resolved?” her father asked.

  “Yes, Mr. Jasper,” Logan replied. “Thank you.”

  “Well, thirty percent interest on a debt paid late is ridiculous. I did something l
ike that once in my youth. And once,” he added as the butler brought in tea and crumpets, “was all it took to stop that nonsense.”

  “Well, I’m done with gambling.”

  “I know.”

  Logan wanted to ask how the gentleman could possibly know that, but he gestured for Logan to sit so Logan chose the nearest chair.

  Melissa’s father poured them both a cup of tea and held his out to him. After Logan took it, her father sat back in his chair and took a drink. “You remind me of myself when I was your age,” her father said.

  “Do I?”

  “Yes. I was impulsive and vain.” Logan opened his mouth to protest, but Mr. Jasper held his hand up to stop him. “You need to let me finish.”

  Sure he wasn’t going to enjoy where this was going, Logan offered a nod and sipped his tea. Her father had gotten him out of a tough situation. The least he could do was let the gentleman berate him.

  “I was impulsive and vain,” her father said. “I thought I knew everything. I made careless wagers. For a while I even got some good money from them. This only increased my reckless behavior, though. Before long, I lost it all, and worse, I owed ten thousand pounds.”

  “Ten thousand pounds?”

  “Yes. And I had thirty percent interest on it.”

  Well, at least Logan didn’t feel quite so bad about the two hundred pounds, though her father had most likely made more in his gambling than Logan ever did.

  “I secured a marriage with Melissa’s mother by pretending to be someone else,” her father said.

  Logan’s eyebrows rose in interest. “You did?”

  “Her parents had arranged a marriage between her and some other gentleman. It’s been so long ago I don’t even remember his name. But I learned he was going to be delayed, so I came instead and pretended to be him. I did everything I could to make her fall in love with me, and it worked. By the time the real gentleman showed up, I had secured her hand.”