Chapter 24

CHAPTER 24

L ouise scowled at Christian’s smug expression as she attempted to straighten her clothing before their arrival. She had no choice but to ask him to re-lace her bodice, which was almost entirely undone.

It took him several attempts in the small confines of the carriage, and he exclaimed several times that he could not believe how tight it needed to be.

She was ruffled and disheveled and felt as though all of the servants would know immediately what they had been doing.

“Can you at least assure me that I look respectable?” she huffed as he sat back in the opposite seat, watching her with amusement.

“You look debauched. Does that help?”

“Christian!” she hissed.

He raised his hands defensively. “You are quite presentable for my servants, Louise. We are husband and wife, after all. They can hardly expect me not to ravage you on every occasion, particularly not in that dress. I believe I shall buy you more red gowns. They suit you like nothing else.”

He ran his thumb over his lips seductively, before sucking the tip into his mouth as though enjoying the taste. Louise felt a shuddering echo of pleasure as she fidgeted in her seat.

She had thought that her first experience of pleasure had been beyond her imagination, but feeling two fingers inside her was beyond description.

She felt sated and languid, leaning back in her seat without a care in the world. Christian seemed to be in the same state, and as they rode back home, Louise was surprised by the contentment she felt in his company.

They stepped out onto the pavement outside their home a few minutes later. The night had cleared, and the stars were visible above them as they ascended the steps. Christian offered her his hand, and she took it without question, his face breaking into a pleased smile as she did so.

“Ah, that reminds me,” he said softly, reaching into the inner pocket of his coat. She followed the movement of his arm curiously as he produced a slightly squashed Gallic rose and handed it to her. “For your collection.”

He said nothing more as he led her into the house, but her fingers closed around the rose with a growing sense of affection and deep gratitude.

He must have removed this from one of the vases at Lady Barrington’s. That is remarkably… thoughtful of him.

As they stepped onto the porch, the butler opened the door for them, and Louise removed her gloves, handing them to him before she noticed the expression on his face. Only then did she realize that something felt strange about the house—a new kind of atmosphere that was difficult to describe.

“Your Grace, Lord Marcus is here,” the butler announced quickly, and both of them spun around to face him.

“What?” Christian barked. “Marcus is here? ”

“In the library, Your Grace. He arrived half an hour ago.”

Christian took off running.

Louise followed, feeling his urgency and excitement as he bolted through the house. They rushed to the library and burst inside, only to pause in the doorway, staring in astonishment at the scene before them.

Marcus was sitting before the fire, quite whole and apparently unharmed. The Dowager Duchess was leaning over him, her hand on his shoulder, and the kitten was sitting in his lap.

Louise sucked in a sharp breath before she let out a cry of delight. She handed the Gallic rose to Christian and ran forward.

“Marcus!” she cried. “Oh, I cannot believe it!”

Marcus gave her a broad smile as he rose to his feet, passing the little kitten to his mother.

Forgetting all decorum, Louise embraced him tightly, feeling his frail body beneath her arms. He was horribly thin compared to the last time she saw him. She pulled back, studying his face eagerly, aware of his mother’s eyes on her.

“Whatever happened? Where have you been?” she asked.

Christian cleared his throat quietly as he came forward. She looked back at him to see his eyes darting between them, but when his gaze finally settled on Marcus, some of the tension left his shoulders. In a convulsive movement, he lurched forward and pulled his brother into his arms.

The two men embraced fiercely, holding on to one another with a tight grip neither of them seemed willing to relinquish. Eventually, Christian pulled back, his eyes soft and uncertain. He glanced at Louise and then his mother before returning to Marcus.

“I thought you were dead,” he said, the anger clear in his voice. “What on earth happened to you?”

Now that he no longer had his brother’s body to support him, Marcus looked alarmingly unsteady on his feet.

“Will you sit down?” he asked wearily. “I will explain it all.”

A footman brought a chair to them, and Louise sat beside the Dowager Duchess as Christian lowered himself into the armchair beside his brother. They were all silent for a long moment. Marcus appeared to be catching his breath, and Christian waited patiently, staring at him as though he might disappear at any moment.

“I am sorry,” Marcus sighed. “Mother has told me how worried you have all been.”

“Where were you?” Christian demanded. “How did you appear out of nowhere without a warning?”

Marcus gave him a reproachful look, and then his eyes flicked to Louise as he raised his eyebrows.

“ You are astonished? Imagine my feelings when I discovered that the two of you are married! And to each other, no less!”

Christian’s jealousy, which had gone away during the carriage ride, returned in full force. It only grew as Louise laughed at his brother’s comments, and he had to remind himself of what was important.

Marcus has returned. My brother is alive! That is all that matters. I cannot begrudge them the friendship they have had for years… but she has never laughed like that with me.

He met his brother’s solemn gaze and pursed his lips. “Yes, we are married,” he confirmed. “But that discussion must be left for another time. You must tell us how you arrived here. It was not so very long ago that the constable told me they had found your carriage but no body. It seemed as if you had vanished like smoke in the wind.”

Marcus leaned back in his chair, the bags beneath his eyes looking all the more pronounced in the glow of the firelight.

“I had an accident,” he said quietly. His whole being seemed reduced, as though he had endured a great deal and was fighting against it still. “I was lucky that it happened close to a village. One of the villagers found me and nursed me back to health. I would not have survived without them, and I am in their debt.”

Christian frowned, waiting for him to say more, but Marcus fell silent.

“So, no one else was involved in your accident?” Christian asked suspiciously.

“If you’re implying, again, that my father would do something like this,” Louise said sharply, “I will repeat that he is not like that. He may be a gambler, but he is not a criminal.”

Christian seethed at the apologetic look she gave Marcus.

“And where were you going?” he demanded. “Why were you so far from London?”

Marcus rubbed a hand over his face as the kitten started mewing incessantly in his mother’s arms. Christian watched as his mother passed the kitten back to his brother, as though she could not think of what else to do. As soon as the tiny creature was in Marcus’s arms, it settled instantly.

Christian saw the change in his brother too. His shoulders relaxed as he stroked the cat, and the hard lines around his mouth softened.

“I am surprised you did not receive my letter,” Marcus said finally. “It should have arrived a few days ago.”

Christian and Louise exchanged confused glances.

“A letter?” Louise asked, sounding just as surprised as Christian was. “What letter?”

Marcus shook his head, stroking the kitten as it settled happily in the crook of his arm and went to sleep.

“It does not matter now,” he insisted, looking up at them, a wan smile on his face. “Tell me about your marriage! I still cannot believe it. Are you happy, my sweet?” he asked Louise.

Christian’s blood boiled as his brother held out a hand, which Louise took without hesitation.

How dare he call her his ‘sweet’ when she is my wife .

He ground his teeth, trying to focus on the fact that Marcus was finally home, instead of the rabid jealousy burning through him.

It was one thing to worry about the nature of their friendship when he had never seen them together, but now he could see the easiness between them—the gentleness of their manners when they addressed each other.

It is infuriating. I can hardly bear to be in the same room!

“You should rest,” Louise urged, moving her hand to Marcus’s arm, and Christian had to hold himself back from wrenching it away and banishing his brother from the room. “We have so much to discuss, but it is very late, and you must be exhausted from your journey.”

“I shall instruct the cook to prepare double the amount of breakfast tomorrow,” the Dowager Duchess said with concern. “My boy is all skin and bones.” She paused suddenly, looking at Louise as her cheeks pinkened slightly. “My apologies, Louise. The household is yours. It is merely a force of habit.”

Louise shook her head. “We are entirely in agreement, Sabine. I would also ensure that we have plenty of food so Marcus can regain his strength.” She looked down at him. “I am so pleased that you have returned to us. I was certain something terrible had befallen you.”

Her eyes were glistening with unshed tears, and in any other circumstance, Christian would have been touched to see them. He should have been touched that his brother had a friend who cared so much about him, but he could not bring himself to feel anything but rage.

Straightening his spine and pulling in a long breath to cool down his ire, Christian stared at Marcus until his younger brother turned to face him.

Where were you going? Why was your carriage so far outside the city?

“Tomorrow,” he uttered ominously, watching Marcus recoil a little before he nodded in resignation.

They both had much to discuss, and Christian would be able to find out the truth from his brother quicker when his wife was not fawning all over him.