Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

E veryone in the room stared at Cooper and Noelle silently – but no one was more shocked than Cooper himself.

He barely even realized that Noelle had slid her hand into his, holding on tightly as she stood bravely before them.

“Noelle,” he murmured in a low voice. “Don’t do this.”

She looked up at him, her eyes unquestioning as she whispered, “Trust me.”

Lady Brighton practically slid off the couch, her lips curling into a smile as she stared at the two of them. “Noelle, darling, are you saying you were in Mr. Hartwell’s bedroom?”

“I was.”

“I know you are betrothed, but that is rather… scandalous, is it not? You are not yet married.”

“I am aware, Brighton, darling , but Mr. Hartwell and I are so in love we have a hard time not spending every moment together. This should be a private matter, but these circumstances give me no choice but to share the truth.”

“I see,” Lady Brighton said as Cooper couldn’t decide whether to be relieved or panicked. On the one hand, this meant that he would be saved from a murder accusation. But on the other…, he would now be forced to marry Noelle. How could he not? He knew enough about the nobility to be aware that, otherwise, she would be so scandalized that no one would ever consider marriage to her in the future. A broken engagement was one thing, but a broken engagement after admitting to being alone in the man’s bedroom? There was no recovery from that.

It was true that he had been considering extending their relationship beyond Christmastide, but marriage was something else altogether.

She squeezed his hand as though sensing his unease, and he remembered what she had said. To trust her. It was not like he could do anything else at the moment.

“That is a romantic sentiment,” Hattie said softly while Lord Walters looked back and forth from Cooper to his daughter in dismay.

“Well,” Lord Burton said, his hands beneath his rotund stomach, “this has been a trying evening for everyone, and I am concerned about my wife. Why do we all not get as much sleep as possible and reconvene when the coroner arrives in the morning? We have a week until Christmas, and I hope we can finish this horrid affair before then.”

The party all began to break up, the guests casting a mixture of suspicious and curious glares his way. Cooper, never one to shy away from attention, had never been more aware of it than he was in this moment.

He placed his hand on the small of Noelle’s back again, enjoying the slight gesture of possessiveness that momentarily quelled his need to be close to her.

As they passed footmen, who appeared to have hastily dressed upon the commotion, he leaned into one of them.

“Could you please send up a small bath to my bedroom? I apologize for the lateness, but…” he waved his hand over himself, and the footman nodded.

“Of course, sir.”

“Father, could we have a word?” Noelle said as Lord Walters approached with Lord Aster, and he wearily nodded and excused himself as Cooper led the three of them into the small parlor at the back. Cooper wondered whether she was going to share the truth of their betrothal. It seemed the contract meant nothing anymore anyway.

Lord Walters began to talk the moment they stepped through the door, not allowing either of them a chance to explain.

“Mr. Hartwell, when I agreed for you to marry my daughter, it was with the understanding that you would care for her and protect her. Instead, you not only were caught with a dead body, but you have now compromised her and ruined her reputation. I?—”

“Father.” Noelle finally stopped him by stepping forward and placing both hands firmly on his chest. “None of this was Cooper’s fault.”

“Noelle,” Cooper said, shaking his head. He was not about to let her take the blame for this. “That is not true.”

“It is,” she insisted, standing between the two men before lowering her voice after glancing at the closed door. “Father, this must stay between us, but I was not truly in Cooper’s bedroom. I was in my own, but we both heard the gunshots. When I opened my door, he opened his simultaneously, with no blood stains on his wrapper. I realized, however, that if that was the story I told, a case could still be made that he shot through the window to create the noise or that I was lying for him. I had to be with him to clear his name. It’s the only way.”

“But your reputation?—”

“I know it might come into question, but that makes my story believable. Besides, I am not overly concerned,” she said, her calm conciseness impressing Cooper. “Lord Burton wants to keep this entire situation quiet. I am sure that he will not be spreading news of what happened, and therefore, my reputation should remain intact from most of the ton .”

“And once you are married, no one will remember,” Lord Walters added, causing Noelle’s smile to falter for the first time since she had started on this.

“Yes,” she forced out. “Of course.”

“Well, there is nothing to be done about it now,” Lord Walters said, running his hand through his short gray hair, causing it all to stand on end. “I am glad you did not compromise my daughter, Mr. Hartwell. I might have had some initial misgivings, but you have been a blessing to our family.”

Or his money was. Cooper tried not to cringe at Lord Walters’ sentiments, which seemed heartfelt. But knowing what they had agreed to, it was hard to ignore the guilt. He and Noelle needed to have a serious conversation alone.

Sooner better than later.

When Noelle returned to her room, she fell into bed, the plush blankets and pillows providing a cocoon of comfort. Despite her exhaustion, however, sleep remained elusive.

Every time she closed her eyes, all she could see was Cooper standing there, his gold wrapper bloody, and her heart jumped in her chest at the thought that it could have been him who was injured – or worse.

When she realized he could very likely be blamed for this, she had done the only thing possible.

She was aware of the repercussions and knew he was likely under the impression that he now had to marry her after her proclamation. But she would hold no man to her under false pretenses.

It was time to tell him so, or she was sure she would never find sleep.

She also needed to see him with her own eyes to ensure he was safe and to replace the image of him in his blood-soaked wrapper.

Finding her wrapper again, she opened the door as quietly as possible before tiptoeing across the hall and softly knocking on Cooper’s door.

When she placed her ear on the wood, she could hear him rustling around within, and she took a breath, wondering what he would have to say to her after all that had occurred tonight.

“Noelle.” He opened the door a crack before widening it and waving her in. “What are you doing in here?”

A bathtub sat in the corner of the room. It wasn’t full but contained enough water for him to wash off. Water that was now tinged red. He wore only a pair of untied trousers that he must have hastily pulled on when she knocked.

“I’m so sorry. I’ve interrupted your bath,” she said, stepping backward toward the door, but he reached out and caught her arm, holding her there.

“You didn’t. I’ve finished,” he said. “Are you well?”

“Yes, of course. I just… couldn’t sleep.”

She walked across the room and sat on the edge of his bed, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Are you cold?”

“I am, suddenly, yes.”

“Go under the blanket,” he said, jutting his chin forward, and she hesitated despite how enticing his bed appeared.

“It will be our secret.” He winked. “Although I don’t suppose discretion matters much anymore.”

He was right. She nodded in agreement before nestling under the blankets, which smelled like pine needles and leather. Like him. She hoped he didn’t notice how deeply she inhaled, taking him in.

As much as she wished for the man himself, he kept his distance, sitting on the opposite corner of the bed. “Now, tell me what you need.”

She wanted a lot from him, but that wasn’t what he had asked.

“I need to tell you that I have no additional expectations from you,” she said. “Our agreement remains the same. I know that my lie might change things for you. The gentlemen won’t like the idea of you compromising me, but it would be far worse if they believed that you were a killer. I couldn’t let them suspect you for Lord Northbridge’s murder and could see no other way around it.”

He leaned over to lie on his stomach, facing her.

“Noelle, if you stick to this story, you will be ruined if we do not marry. I was looking forward to the support of some of the gentlemen in attendance at this house party, but I can still find my way forward even if I lose it. What will you do if you do not marry? Who will support you?”

“My father will while he is able, and then, well, I may have to marry down, but I do not need finery. However, I do not believe that this will cause my ruination. I meant when I said that this will likely be kept quiet. You heard Lord Burton. He is trying to prevent this from even being labeled a murder. I can see them avoiding an inquest altogether.”

“We will see what the coroner says tomorrow. But you don’t have to stick to this story. I didn’t murder Lord Northbridge, and I am sure that all will be revealed in due time. Just tell the truth – that you saw me leave my room moments after you heard the shot.”

“It will not be enough. It would be easy for me to lie about that. It is not so easy for me to say that I was here with you, knowing what is at stake.”

Cooper pushed himself up from his prone position, striding off the bed and pacing back and forth, his face pinched in concentration. Noelle’s heart beat in time with his footsteps, but she remained silent, her eyes even closing momentarily as she allowed him to work through whatever he was thinking. Finally, he seemed to have reached a conclusion, for he stopped, braced his feet wide, and looked at her.

“We must marry in truth.”

Her jaw dropped. That was the last thing she expected of all the things he could have said.

“We cannot!”

“Why not?”

“Because… because you do not want a wife.”

“Perhaps not,” he agreed. “But what are you going to do now? You cannot be certain that you will ever be able to find another man to marry you – at least one that can keep you in the comfort you are used to.”

She bristled at that. “I am not so fine that I?—”

“I know.” He held up his hands. “That is not exactly what I meant. Hear me out. It will be difficult to find a man who can provide you all you deserve and support you so you will not have to work yourself – especially without a dowry. The reason that I do not want to marry is that I do not want to be tied down or beholden to anyone. Perhaps we could come to another agreement that will benefit both of us.”

“Another business contract?”

“Something like that,” he said, walking over to sit down next to her. She pressed her back against the headboard as he placed one of his large hands over both of her smaller ones, and he looked earnestly into her eyes.

“We could marry but agree that we can each live our own lives. I will be free to continue my business dealings and not feel any obligations to my life at home, and you will feel supported financially and able to live your life as you will. See who you want. Attend any social engagements. Look after your father. Do as you wish with the house. Sew for your own enjoyment. I also think you could help me.”

“How?” she asked, shocked at everything he was proposing.

“You have a fine mind. There are certain aspects of business in which you could help me. As my wife, I am sure you would be available to help me undertake certain dealings that are easier for a married man than a single one. For example, dining with another couple if I must do business with the man. You would be an excellent hostess. Not only are you polite, but you also understand business matters.”

“I see,” she said, biting her lip. She had always hoped that she would love the man she married. But perhaps it would be much more realistic to like her husband. She respected Cooper and could admit that her body was more than open to marriage with him.

There was one question on her mind, though. One that shouldn’t matter. Not if this was a business dealing as opposed to the romantic proposal she had always hoped for. But suddenly, it held more importance than she would like.

“Would you, ah… take other women to bed?” she asked softly, unable to meet his eyes. “I know it should mean nothing to me, but I would just want to know so that I was never asked and taken aback. It would not do us any good for that to be known, not when the entire premise of our being together was romantic.”

He ran his hand over the side of her face before cupping her cheek, stroking it with his thumb. She leaned into it, hating how much she loved his touch.

“I would never do that to you,” he said softly, although he didn’t clarify whether he would never find another or be discreet. “Now, you are tired. Go to sleep. We will figure this out tomorrow.”

“Cooper?”

“Yes?”

“Could you… could you hold me? I’m cold and tired, and I just…”

She couldn’t say the rest. That she wanted him to look after her. That she was more comfortable here than alone. That it made her feel better to have him with her than picture him murdered in her nightmares.

Somehow, he seemed to understand anyway.

“Of course,” he said, sliding into the bed behind her. He reached his arm around her, tucking her close into his body, his hard chest flush against her back.

“Goodnight, Noelle.”

“Goodnight, Cooper,” she said, relaxing into him.

Within moments, she fell fast asleep.