CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

C HAPTER S EVENTEEN

C harlie had his doubts that he and Oriana would be able to keep the news of their betrothal to themselves for long. Among his sisters, her aunt, and the vicar’s very preceptive wife, someone was bound to sleuth it out. The only question was which one would do it first.

Perhaps he should attempt to hurry the declaration along. “When would you like to wed?”

Her head swung toward him, her eyes wide with surprise. “When?”

“It is common to set a date for a wedding.” Had she accepted him, then put it right out of her mind? He gave her a rueful look.

“Of course. I just was not thinking about it.” That was evident. She furrowed her brows for a few seconds. “I suppose we should set the date shortly before we marry.”

There was only one way that could happen. “Then I should procure a special license.”

She frowned again. “Do you not wish to have the banns read?”

Charlie gave himself a shake. His beloved was clearly not thinking this through. He pulled the pair to a halt and took her hands. “My love. There are two and only two ways to wed.” That wasn’t precisely true, but they were of age and had no reason to go to Scotland. “Either we attempt to keep it a secret and marry by special license or we let the world know by having the banns posted and read. Which do you want to do and when do you want to marry?”

She rubbed a hand across her forehead, leaving a sweep of dirt. “I have never even thought about marriage.”

Charlie sighed to himself. “If we follow the tradition of my family, the service will be in two weeks and it will be taken completely out of our hands, leaving you to begin redecorating Stanwood Place.” Oriana gave him a perplexed look. “That is what my sisters have done. Grace began completely remodeling Worthington’s town house.”

“I did see that your house needed to be refurbished.” Oriana nodded.

Was that a yes to two weeks? “Those who will need to know about the wedding are the vicar, my sisters, and your aunt.”

She nodded slowly this time. “I suppose we ought to tell them.”

“I think that is an excellent decision.” He almost let out a breath of relief when another thought occurred to him. “When do you want to inform them?”

Another nod. This one was sharp and decisive. “We can tell our families as soon as we see them. We will inform the vicar within the next day or two.”

“Excellent.” Charlie started the horses again. A few minutes later the house came into view. “As I thought. My sisters are here, but whose carriage is that?”

“I believe it belongs to the Tauntons.” Oriana must have looked as well. “We did not manage to keep our betrothal a secret for very long.”

Which did not surprise him at all. Would she now agree to make it public? “Maybe it’s just as well. Now that it will be out, we can spend more time together.”

“Doing what?” Oriana looked confused.

“Well.” She might be just about the same age as him, but she was clearly a complete innocent. “We could kiss some more.”

She settled back against the bench. “That would be nice.”

It was then that something she said came to mind. “Who tried to kiss you before?”

“Who do you think? My cousin. I kept pushing him away and turning my head. All he ended up doing was licking my cheek. It was sloppy and disgusting.”

He really was going to make Ognon wish he had not lived as long as he had. “I shall endeavor not to lick your cheek.”

She slid him a look he couldn’t decipher. “I do not think it would be horrible if you did it.”

“That is good to know.” Charlie was going to lick her. All over her delicious body.

“How are we going to stop him?”

That was the reason she was distracted. He should have thought of it before. Then it hit him that she’d said “we.” That was the first time Oriana had willingly included him in what she normally considered her problem. “We set a trap.”

She turned an enquiring look to him. “By doing what exactly?”

Charlie smiled and brushed his lips across hers. “If you invite me to dinner, you can get out your estate map and we can discuss it.”

“Thank you.” Oriana threw her arms around him. “It feels so good to have your help.”

He pressed kisses along her jaw. “It is my honor and privilege to assist you.”

A shrill whistle rent the air.

Her mouth dropped open. “What on earth was that?”

Charlie wanted to roll his eyes. “My sister Mary. They are obviously tired of waiting for us.”

Oriana let out a breath. “We had better go.”

A few minutes later they pulled up to the front door. His sisters and her aunt stood on the steps waiting.

“We thought you would never get here,” Mary said.

“What took you so long?” Theo asked.

Charlotte surveyed him and Oriana critically. “Have you been rolling around in the mud?”

“Come in, you two,” Lady Prue ordered. “You both need to bathe. Stanwood, your valet is here.”

“We will tell you everything and answer all your questions after we are clean.” Charlie lifted Oriana down from the curricle.

They climbed the stairs and, once again, he was led down the opposite corridor than the one in which she disappeared.

“Here you are, my lord,” Figgs said as she opened the door. “Your valet is awaiting you. The tub is already being filled.”

He wondered if that was the reason Mary was so insistent that he and Oriana return. “Thank you, Figgs.”

“Sir.” His valet, Bedloe, stood with his back to Charlie. “Your bath is ready.” Bedloe turned around. “What in Heaven’s name happened to you?” He glanced down at Charlie’s boots. “Another pair ruined. It is a good thing I brought a fresh pair.”

“What happened is a calf stuck in mud.” He stripped off his clothes. “I don’t know what will be salvageable. I left my jacket in the curricle.”

“Very good. I will have someone fetch it.”

Charlie sank into the hot water. He’d have liked to remain for a while, but he needed to hurry. He and Oriana had much to discuss. “Bedloe, you may wish me happy. But keep it to yourself. We are only telling family right now.”

“I do wish you happy, my lord. The staff will be thrilled. They received a very good impression of Miss Ognon.”

* * *

Oriana bathed and dressed quickly. Fortunately she had kept her bonnet on, so her hair was still clean. She waited impatiently while her maid dressed her again. “I want to tell you that Lord Stanwood and I are betrothed. However the news is to remain in the family for the time being.”

A bright smile lit Kerby’s face. “I am so happy for you! He will know what to do about your cousin.”

“I believe you are right.” Oriana smiled to herself. Marriage was still a foreign concept. Still, she was becoming used to the idea. “I must join him and our families.”

“Yes, miss. I’m finished now.”

She entered the morning room to find Charlie demolishing what looked to have been a rather large plate of sandwiches. She sat next to him on the small sofa.

Her aunt placed a cup of tea and more sandwiches in front of her. “Eat something, then we all have questions.”

Charlie slid her a humorous glance and kept eating. Oriana quickly bit into a chicken sandwich. Several minutes, two cups of tea, and another sandwich later, she dabbed her lips with a serviette.

Charlie whispered in her ear, “Do you want to make the announcement or shall I?”

Once again it struck her how different he was from other gentlemen. “I will.”

He inclined his head. Oriana cleared her throat. “Charlie and I have agreed to wed.”

Stunned silence greeted her declaration; then everyone began talking at once.

“I knew it,” Theo said.

“This is excellent news, my dears,” Aunt Prue said, smiling.

“I am so glad.” Charlotte smiled.

“That was what took you so long to get back,” Mary opined.

A warm feeling infused Oriana at being accepted by his family. She held up a hand. “We have decided not to tell anyone but the family, and our servants of course.”

Theo’s dark brows slanted down. “Why?”

“Because of Oriana’s cousin. We believe he is responsible for the vandalism on her property and we want to resolve that before we make our betrothal public knowledge.”

There was also the problem of Ognon wanting to wed her. “He has also been pestering me to marry him. I do not wish him to do anything drastic.”

Charlie gave her a questioning look. “I remember you mentioning that. I did not think it a serious problem.”

She closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose. “Every time he lost my property to someone, he wrote to me suggesting I marry him to keep it from happening again.”

Her betrothed shook his head in disbelief. “That makes no sense.”

“As I have said time and again. Unfortunately he seems determined that he and I will marry.”

Charlie’s expression cleared. “That’s the reason you want to catch him before we announce our betrothal to everyone else.”

“It was more of a feeling, but yes.” Or an unconscious thought. She was concerned about what he might do if he realized he had no chance at all with her because she was going to marry someone else.

“Well, then”—Charlie set down his serviette—“let’s look at your estate map and see what it can tell us.”

She tugged on the bellpull. When Figgs answered, Oriana asked to have the map brought in. Soon they had it laid out on the square table they used for games. She pointed to the two places where they had been attacked. “They are both close to a lane that leads to a larger road.”

“In order to enable them to get away quickly.” He stared down at the map.

Oriana nodded. “Both times they were here in the early morning hours. When everyone was asleep. That time also, assuming we are correct, would be about an hour and a half or two hours from the areas that were damaged. Thus allowing them to leave and return in the dark.”

“Indeed,” Charlie said. “The stream was so fast-moving that part of the field would have flooded even if the dam was discovered in the morning.” He moved a finger toward another lane. “Your property borders the Evermores’ to the north. Therefore the next attack will most likely be along this lane to the east. What is there?”

“The Coombes’ tenancy.”

He moved his forefinger toward the house. “And this building?”

“A small house that was used by my grandmother as a retreat.” Oriana had used it as well. “Just past that is a large barn for hay storage that everyone uses.”

Charlie’s lips flattened. “That would be a very tempting target. It’s far enough away from the main house that it wouldn’t cause damage to the stables or other buildings.”

“Of course. Ognon would not want to destroy what he hopes will be his,” Aunt Prue commented drily.

“How far apart have the attacks been?” Theo asked.

Oriana glanced at her future sister-in-law. “About a week between them.”

Charlie stared down at the map, then at the wall. “We need to set a watch. If you require more people, I can send some of mine.”

That was exactly what they must do. “I will meet with my tenants. I would like you to be there as well.”

“Very well. Shall we call the meeting for after church on Sunday?”

“Yes. That is probably the best time.” Finally they were going to catch the miscreants, and they should lead them back to her cousin.

“After dinner I would like you to take me to the retreat. It might be an excellent place to have some of our men keep a lookout,” Charlie looked at Charlotte. “May I keep your curricle for the rest of the evening?”

She seemed surprised. “Are you not coming home for dinner?”

He exchanged a glance with Oriana. “Er, no. I was planning to dine here.”

“I have an idea,” Aunt Prue said. “You ladies can join us as well.”

“Dinner is in an hour.” Mary shook her head. “Cook would never forgive us.”

Charlotte looked from Oriana to Charlie. “Of course you can keep my carriage. Mary is correct; we should be going.” She glanced at Aunt Prue. “I would like to invite the two of you to join us for dinner tomorrow. We have much to discuss. I assume the wedding will be in two weeks. That is just before the ball.” Charlotte smiled at Oriana. “If we have the wedding a day or so before then, it will be your first introduction as the Countess of Stanwood.” She gathered her sisters with a glance. “Come along.”

Oriana walked them to the front door. “I will see you tomorrow.” A picture of the retreat came to her. It was very cozy, with a pretty flower garden around it.

“Yes, miss.” Her majordomo bowed. “I hear you and Lord Stanwood are to wed.”

“We are. Please tell the staff not to talk to others about it.”

“I have already done so.”

“Excellent.” Oriana was looking forward to showing the small house to him. Perhaps she and Charlie could kiss some more.

Ognon Hall, Warwickshire

“Why the devil hasn’t she sent someone to request my assistance?” Cyril, Viscount Ognon, fumed as he paced the floor of one of the few rooms he had open in the house. “She doesn’t have anyone else to help her. Someone had to have found it.”

“Didn’t you say Stanwood had offered to look out for her?” Sir Winston Humphries, Ognon’s friend asked.

“Come now.” Why would Stanwood be interested in his cousin? After the ladies who had set their caps for him last Season he had no need of a plain brown female. “They barely know each other. He said what any gentleman would say under the circumstance.”

“You have a point. After all, he has his own estates to care for.” Winston refreshed his glass of brandy. “If he’s like everyone else we know, he’ll be attending house parties as well. After his Grand Tour that’s the perfect way to reacquaint himself with the ton .”

Ognon tossed back his drink and poured another. He really needed to find a better quality brandy. This had lost its taste. “My men said that it was already starting to flood when they left.”

“Maybe her tenants didn’t tell her. Or perhaps it doesn’t matter to them. After all, what man takes care of his tenancy when he works for a lady?” Winston commented. “Or it could be they didn’t tell her because, after all, what could she do to help?”

“I think she’d try to do something. From what I’ve heard. She keeps a close eye on her tenants.” The damn woman was too self-sufficient. She had to be made to realize that she was going to wed him. He glanced around at the shabby parlor. He not only wanted her, he needed her money to put this place back in order. After Oriana’s mother died her father hadn’t done anything to keep up the estate. “I’ll send them out again tomorrow night.”

“Wait another week and try again,” his friend suggested. “They’ll be on their guard now.”

“What if she still doesn’t come around?” She was proving to be more obstinate than he’d thought she would be.

Humphries gave Ognon a humorless smile. “You could always abduct her. With only women in the house that shouldn’t be hard. Then she’d have no choice but to marry you.”

“Unless we were betrothed that would ruin my reputation as well as hers.” Ognon paced the room again. “I tried putting around that we were going to be wed, but word has got back here that she said she wouldn’t get riveted. Whoever heard of a lady who didn’t want to put a leg shackle on a gentleman? It ain’t natural.”

“Well”—Humphries wandered over to the sideboard and poured another brandy—“if this next attempt doesn’t work, you’ll think of something else.”

“I could just have the banns read here.” She’d have trouble getting out of that.

“Have to be read in her parish as well,” Humphries said.

Ognon took a large drink of his brandy and refilled the glass again. “I can have the vicar here write to her parish vicar to have it done.”

“Might want to offer something to make it worth it to him. These village vicars always need funds.”

“That’s a good idea.” She wouldn’t dare tell the vicar he was wrong. If she did, he’d make sure she married him.