Page 31 of A Countess Captured for the Captain
“Never have I seen such a display. You have ruined any chance of your marrying Reginald Spencer. He was your one hope of avoiding scandal, Samantha. Think of what you have done, of what you have cost me, of the shame you have brought upon us all,” her father seethed.
He was an angry man at the best of times, but now he seemed more so, caught up in the utter disaster he now perceived was visited upon them. But Samantha could not have been happier. In one delightful action, Nox had proved his love for her and given Reginald his marching orders. There could be no suggestion of her marrying him now, and surely the way for her and Nox to marry was now open.
“I had no hope or desire in him, Father. I hated the man, from the very moment I met him, I hated him. I am glad that Nox showed his true feelings for me, tonight. I love him and that is that,” she said, folding her arms.
“How can you love him? He abducted you! He is a pirate, albeit one that is now dressed as a gentleman. But I will not allow it, Samantha. I forbid you to marry that man, I forbid it,” he cried.
“Then I shall run away, I shall marry him, come what may,” she declared, for she had inherited her father’s stubborn will and could be just as determined as he to have her own way.
“You have caused me nothing but trouble, Samantha. Why can you not be like other women and do as you are told?” her father demanded.
“Randolf, do not be too hard upon her, the marriage may be to her advantage,” Regina said, and Samantha looked up in surprise.
Regina never took her side, but her words seemed almost a comfort.
“She is disobedient, Regina, and she needs to learn–” the Duke began, but Regina shook her head.
In the gloom of the carriage, Samantha could not make out the expression on her face, but by the tone of her voice she could tell Regina was enjoying this moment.
“We shall never be rid of her if you forbid this. Let her marry this Nox, let her turn her name into a scandal. We are about to have a child, Randolf, and I want nothing to upset such a happy day, least of all her,” Regina said.
Samantha smiled to herself. Regina wanted rid of her, and she knew that a marriage to Nox would ensure just that happy outcome. Regina cared nothing for how she got rid of Samantha, only that she would do.
“We will discuss this tomorrow,” Samantha’s father said, and that was an end to the matter.
They rode home in silence, and Samantha went straight to bed, ignoring Regina’s continued taunts. As she lay down to sleep, she thought of Nox and all that they had shared that night. The tenderness of his touch, that feeling of delight which had coursed through her, the way he made her feel. She longed for him and for the moment she could escape from her father and Regina. She cared nothing for scandal, for what did scandal matter if she was to marry the man she loved?
* * *
Nox felt pleased with himself. It had been a bold move to kiss Samantha in front of the whole ton, but one which he was pleased he had had the courage to do. Reginald Spencer was a weak and pitiful man, far from deserving the affections of a woman like Samantha. He had come to realize the astonishing depths of her qualities, entirely unlike any of those silly women he had endured in procession that night.
The Thompson twins and their mother had gone off without another word – much to Nox’s pleasure – and with the public showing of his feelings for Samantha, no other woman had taken the chance to bid him farewell. The ball ended abruptly, with Samantha bundled out by her father and Nox’s uncle in something of a state for the manner in which his nephew had behaved.
“It is not really the done thing,” he repeated, shaking his head, as Nox’s aunt returned from the hallway, having seen out the last of their guests.
“You have certainly made an impression, Norman. What will you do now? Will you marry Lady Samantha Crawford?” she asked, and Nox nodded.
“She is the only woman I could ever think of marrying. Never have I met such a woman. When I discovered her as a stowaway, I knew there was more to her than other women, and time and again she has proved herself more than worthy,” he said, thinking back to the moment when Samantha had appeared with Catherine in the prison cell to affect the rescue.
“She was promised to Reginald Spencer,” his uncle said, but Nox only laughed.
“And now she has promised herself to me and I to her. Am I not the Earl of Brimsey? I shall do as I wish,” he said, and without waiting for a reply he made his way to bed, where his thoughts were preoccupied by Samantha and the possibility of what was to come.
Chapter Fifteen
Samantha barely slept a wink, and she was already up and dressed when the maid arrived to assist with her toilette. It was a beautiful day outside, the birds singing in the trees and the sunlight flooding the garden, where Samantha took her breakfast. Her thoughts were preoccupied with the events of the night before and now she waited, hoping that Nox would soon call upon her.
She did not have long to wait, and the clocks about the house had just struck eleven when she heard the sounds of a carriage outside. Hurrying to the hallway window, she was delighted to see Nox climbing down onto the street and she made her way to the salon, ready to receive her guest. The knock now came at the door, and she listened for the sound of Nox’s admittance, her father now emerging from his study.
“I suppose you are here to talk about last night,” she could hear him saying.
“With your permission, Your Grace, yes. It is my honor to ask for your daughter’s hand in marriage,” Nox replied.
Samantha could barely contain her excitement, and unable to wait a moment longer she threw open the salon doors and rushed out into the hallway where she found Nox and her father facing one another across the marbled floor.
“I do not need permission, I accept. It is all I want, and you have said yourself, Father, that a scandal is inevitable. Well, if I am married then there is no scandal. We are in love, and this is no idle fancy,” she declared, slipping her hand into Nox’s, the two of them smiling at one another, as her father shook his head.
At that moment, Regina appeared from the drawing room. It was clear she had been listening in, and now she stood next to Samantha’s father, playing the ever-loyal and dutiful wife.
