How to Seduce a Bride

In that moment, he looked infinitely weary. “Yes,” he said. “I believe here is where it started, and I know here is where it will end. Nothing to feel bad about,” he added in a soft voice. “Nothing to fear. That I promise. But you should see this, and relieve your mind. I am the one who should be upset,” he said. “If I refuse to be, then so should you. Come, let’s get it over with.”

He gave the reins to his tiger, the boy in livery who rode on the back of the curricle, and stepped down. He took his wife’s hand to help her down from the driver’s seat. “You look lovely,” he said, admiring her new peach-colored muslin gown and matching bonnet. “And wasn’t it delicious to feel the breeze as we drove? It’s the only way to get one today. Let’s drive ’round the park after we’re done here, shall we? I want to show you off, as well as cool you off.”

She smiled, but her hand shook in his, and not from fear of getting down from the high driver’s seat. When she reached the pavement, she breathed a shuddery sigh. “Lead on,” she whispered.

“What a pleasure to see you, sir,” the butler who admitted them at the door said.

“A pleasure to see you again so soon, Fitch,” Leland said. “You’re looking in fine fettle, I must say. You don’t change, someday you must tell me your secret. And here is my lady, Deidre, the new Viscountess Haye. We were married a month past in the West Country, at a church near my country house. I’m planning to have a reception for the villagers and everyone at Haye Hall later this summer, so I can introduce my lady to everyone properly, as well as introducing my home to her.”

The imperturbable butler blinked. “My lady,” he said, when he recovered. He bowed. “A great honor to meet you. I had heard of your nuptials; it was in the papers. May I offer you my very best wishes?”

Daisy nodded. “Thank you,” she said. She shot a puzzled look to Leland where he stood, his lips thinned, his expression impassive.

When the butler straightened, he looked at Leland, and much that wasn’t said seemed to pass between them in that moment. “I will inform your mother that you are here, my lord,” the butler said. “Please come sit in the garden. I’d ask you into the salon, but the heat is perishing there today.”

“Thank you,” Leland said. “Come, Daisy, Fitch is right. We will be cooler in the garden. My mother’s salon is a welter of heavy furniture and heavier fabric. The furniture is priceless, and the fabric, museum quality. Fine for December, but not for today.”

But Daisy only stood, white-faced, looking up at him.

“Yes,” he said, putting his hand over hers where it lay on his arm. “Unpleasant for me, but not out of character for her. At least the nonsense will end, here and now. I want you to hear it from her own lips.”

He looked at the butler. “Fitch, please send to my mother. And there’s no need to mention that my wife accompanies me.”

“Certainly, my lord,” the butler said, and led them through the stifling house to the garden in back. “I’ll tell the viscountess at once,” he said, and left Leland and Daisy on a terrace overlooking a neat square of a garden shaded by ancient lacy leafed elms.

Daisy couldn’t sit. She stood by the stone balustrade and watched Leland prowl, pacing back and forth. She didn’t try to speak to him. He seemed too preoccupied by his own thoughts to listen. Then she saw his head go up and his nostrils become pinched, as though he smelled something distasteful.

“Haye,” the viscountess said as she came out on to the terrace. “How good to see you.” She wore a white gown, and with her fair hair and skin, the only color she had was in her deep blue eyes, so like her son’s. Except they were devoid of expression. That searching blue gaze found Daisy. “How charming. You’ve brought me a guest. Have we met before? You do look familiar. Forgive me for not remembering,” she said to Daisy, “but at my age, one does tend to forget the names of new acquaintances.”

“Really?” Leland said in cool amused tones. “How odd, considering how involved you made yourself in her life. You must learn to remember her name. This is my lady wife, Daisy, Mama. I’m surprised you don’t remember what she looks like. You certainly did recall her name when you paid poor old Samuel Starr to testify against her. Oh, I see what it is. You paid someone else to ask him. Of course. You never would stoop to actually speaking with someone like him. You must recall his name, though. You got it from some seedy persons. And then you paid him to lay information against my wife in an effort to have her arrested for the murder of her husband.”

She stood stock-still, staring at her son.

He waved a hand as though to bat away a gnat. “I haven’t the time to play today, Mama. I simply came to you with the truth. Useless to ask why you did it. I can guess. I’m here to ask you to apologize to my lady. And to vow you’ll never meddle in my affairs, or hers, again. If you do not,” he said in a steely voice, “I must ask you to remove yourself from this house. I own it, if you recall. But you may stay on if you keep far from us. I’d ask you to leave England altogether, only I don’t want more gossip. And, if you do ever return to Haye Hall, you can only take up residence in the dower house. I never intend to sleep under the same roof as you again, and would certainly not ask my wife to do so. I’m sure you understand. My wife’s comfort, peace of mind, and safety are paramount to me, you see. And your presence ensures that she won’t have that.”

He turned and paced a step, then wheeled around to face his mother again. “For shame, madam,” he said angrily. “What a beastly thing to do. Not clever, not witty, just pure troublemaking. Whatever possessed you? Surely it wasn’t done for my welfare? You’ve never concerned yourself with that before. And how misguided that would have been. You must have discovered that my wife is wellborn, and her transportation a travesty of justice, as all now admit. You also know that I could have married far beneath me, instead of being lucky enough to wed this beautiful young woman who foolishly consented to be my wife. It couldn’t have been to protect the family name, either. Hers has far less scandal attached to it than ours. And not only because of my reputation. I remind you that yours is similarly sullied. So, why then?”

His mother stood tall, rigid. “I never meant the girl harm,” she said haughtily.

“Nonsense,” Leland said. “What would you call trying to arrange her arrest and deportation? And I remind you, madam, that she is not a ‘girl,’ she is my wife. Never forget that again. I can understand, if never condone, your attempting to have her deported. You didn’t know her, after all. Hard as it is for me to believe, I concede it may have been misplaced and belated concern for me. But why the devil arrange to have me skewered that evening in the park?”

Now his mother sneered. “I had nothing to do with the assault on you. I may not be a doting mother, but I do not want your death. In fact, I had it investigated. My sources tell me it was a random incident. The fellow who did it confessed as much to his friends, and then fled the city. He was only a petty criminal who lost his head when you frightened him. I may have done many things, but I would not harm you, Haye. You have committed follies yourself, but you are nevertheless a credit to your name: Your tenants thrive, the estate does well, you pay your debts and increase the family fortune. In fact, you uphold the title as your brother, alas, could not.”

“Which brother?” Leland asked. “Martin, yes. I can see that. Though he may improve with time. But Daffyd is intelligent and well balanced.”

“Don’t be absurd,” she said, her own nostrils pinching. “I meant your legitimate brother. But you likely know that very well.” She turned her gaze on Daisy. “Understand please,” she told Daisy, ignoring her son. “I bear you no ill will. In fact,” she said, with a slight icy smile, “I congratulate you. You are exactly fit to marry him.”

Leland gave a cough of a laugh. “Now that that was deftly done-an insult wrapped in a compliment, ambiguous, but offensive. And untrue. She is far above me, and leagues above you. Now tell her that you won’t ever meddle in her life again.”

“Done,” his mother said. “I won’t, my dear,” she told Daisy. “Why should I? You have married my son, and with that, pleased me very well.” For the first time, she showed emotion. She was smiling and seemed genuinely pleased.

Leland frowned. “I can’t guess your game,” he said slowly. “But wait!” he said. “Now maybe I can. You didn’t want to harm Daisy. That I believe, if only because you wouldn’t want to be blackmailed for it one day. Nor did you do it to save me, of course not. Why the devil did I keep trying to believe you care a jot for me? You only wanted her out of the way. So if we take that and spin it out further, realizing that you weren’t considering me at all, not only because you never have done, but because I didn’t seem to be courting her…”

His eyes opened wide. “Good God! It was Geoff you were trying to protect from Daisy! The earl! He was the one you wanted her to keep away from. Because-” He stopped and shook his head. “Lord, madam,” he said ruefully, “you fly high. But he’ll never ask you, you mistake your prey this time. He doesn’t care for your sort at all.”

Her chin went up. “Do you think so? I do not. Time will tell. You are clever, Haye. But you don’t know