A Daring Liaison(60)
He turned to her as he tied an elaborate knot in his cravat. He smiled and his fingers faltered for a moment. “Damn, Georgiana. Must you look so tempting? I have half a mind to come back to bed.”
She glanced at the slice of sun intruding through a gap in the draperies and stretched languorously. She did not want him to leave, anyway. “You may as well stay. Too late to fool the neighbors now.”
He laughed. “With any luck, they will think I’ve paid an early call. But it will not matter soon.”
“No? Why? Do you know who has been killing my husbands?”
“Not yet. But we shall be married by this time tomorrow.”
She giggled. “What are we going to say? That we acquired a special license?”
“I did. We are now permitted to marry without banns at any time and place of our choosing.”
“Quite thorough of you, Charles, and rather expensive. But do you really think anyone will inquire at the Archbishop’s office to see if we’ve told the truth?”
He sighed deeply, as if preparing himself for unpleasant news. A few steps had him at her bedside. He took her hands and brought each one to his lips for a tender kiss. “Georgiana, I have business to be about today. First, I am going to my local parish to arrange to be married tomorrow. Then I hoped to collect you so that we may inform my family and ask them to witness our vows. Afterward I have an appointment to interview a man who might have useful information. Oh, and Lord Carlington has invited us to dine at his home tonight. I hope you do not mind that I accepted for us both.”
“Mind?” She could scarcely think, let alone form a protest. “Marriage? Will your minister perform a mock ceremony? Surely that must violate some ecclesiastical ethic, Charles.”
“Nothing mock about it, my dear. We will be married. In law and in God’s eyes.”
“No! I mean...no. I cannot marry. And certainly not you.”
“I will not leave you to fend for yourself another day. Even Finn must sleep sometime. After our vows I intend to move your household to mine. My servants are used to keeping a lookout for trouble. And cheer up, my dear. If your luck holds true, you shall not be married for long.”
Ice formed somewhere in the region of her heart. How could he even jest about such a thing? “You will be hard-pressed to marry me, Charles Hunter, when I am standing there saying no.”
He smiled and caressed her cheek. A tingle of desire spiraled upward to firm her breasts. “Last night you said you wanted me, Georgiana. I took you at your word. You certainly did not act as if you found me unacceptable.”
She leaned her head against his chest and held on to his shirtsleeves. “Charles, I am terrified for you. I have wished from the beginning that I had not let you goad me into our ridiculous agreement.”
“Nevertheless...”
“No.”
“The only one trying to kill me at the moment is that scum-dwelling sewer rat, Dick Gibbons. That will not change whether we marry or not.”
He lifted her chin and smiled. “If I can keep you nearer, we will both be safer, Georgiana. I find that I am always trying to keep an eye on you, and that distracts me. Aside from that, there are other forces afoot. My name may offer you a measure of protection—privilege, if you will—should the worst happen.”
The worst? Should he die? But his deep violet eyes were so clear and convincing that she could almost believe him. “What forces, Charles?” He blinked and she knew he was searching for words. They must be very dire indeed if he did not want to voice them.
“For one, we’ve been intimate. You could be with child even now.”
Shocked, she glanced down at her stomach, suddenly foreign territory to her. With child? How she would love to have Charles’s baby. Warmth crept through her every fiber at the mere thought.
“I warn you, Georgiana, I will not father a bastard. My child will be mine. Recognized and raised by me. My heir. A Hunter.”
Her resolve began to crumble. “And when it’s over? When we’ve discovered the truth? And if I am not with child? By then you’d be stuck with me.”
“A burden I am willing to bear,” he said with a grin.
Married. She was going to be married. Again. But this time she wanted it with her whole heart. And was terrified of the consequences. But she could see his determination in every line of his body. She sighed and nodded. “Yes.”
His grin widened and he hugged her so tightly she was barely able to breath, then shrugged into his waistcoat and jacket. “I shall be back at two o’clock to take you to Lockwood’s house.”