Page 20 of The Baron's Return
But perhaps she wasn’t an exception. It was possible that his initial assumption that she was being coerced when he’d received her letter breaking their betrothal had been correct.
John dropped into his chair. “I take it your conversation went well?”
The corners of his mouth lifted. “He threatened to call me out. But have no fear, you won’t be called into duty as my second anytime soon. We’ve managed to come to an agreement about my upcoming marriage.”
John grimaced as he took another sip of the coffee that had no doubt gone cold in his absence. “From everything I’ve heard, he doesn’t seem to be a blackguard. I imagine he’s acting out of a sense of duty.”
Cranston’s lips pressed together as he met his friend’s gaze. “You have connections.”
John’s brows rose. “As do you.”
He leaned forward. “One of your sisters is very good friends with Brantford’s wife.”
Brantford, who was once known as the Unaffected Earl, had been thought to have ice water running through his veins. But his marriage, and his very obvious affection for his wife, had shown the world that the impossible was true. That the man had a heart buried somewhere beneath that icy exterior.
“Catherine, yes. They’re very close.”
“Brantford has connections everywhere. He has no reason to help me, but perhaps you can convince your sister to reach out to his wife. I need to know exactly what happened in the past to make Abigail marry Holbrook. If her father had something over her, I need to know what it was.”
Chapter 12
Abigail spent the next day in a strange mood. A large part of her still couldn’t believe Cranston had asked her to become his wife. He was doing so because of Gemma, of course, but it was an outcome she’d never thought would happen.
When she’d decided to seek him out and tell him about his daughter, she only wanted to give him the opportunity to get to know her. And of course she’d known that Gemma would get much out of their relationship. Gemma had spent her whole life with a father who was one in name only. And now that the former Viscount Holbrook had passed and Cranston was no longer in military service, the time had finally come to tell them both the truth.
But to have him propose marriage? No, while she might have fantasized about such an outcome on occasion, she’d never expected it to happen.
It was impossible not to dwell on the kiss they’d shared. The way his mouth had consumed hers, the feel of his hard body against hers. The hard length of his arousal against her hip that told her he wanted her just as much as she wanted him.
She’d had to drag herself out of her musings several times as she went about the practical business of preparing for her upcoming marriage.
As her first task, she sent a short letter to the new Lord Holbrook to let him know about the development and to thank him for going out of his way to look after her and Gemma. She hadn’t wanted him to worry about the two of them remaining in London after he left town. When he’d replied later that day, she expected his congratulations and to learn that he would hasten the date of his departure. She suspected, after all, that he was only remaining in town to give her the opportunity to change her mind about returning to the country seat with him.
What she didn’t expect was for him to call on her. He was with her when Cranston’s solicitor arrived with the marriage contract. He’d also accompanied her to consult with his own solicitor to review the agreement before she signed it.
And then this morning she received an invitation from the Marchioness of Lowenbrock to join her on a shopping trip. Abigail readily agreed, of course. It would be far more enjoyable to visit Bond Street with a friend. She’d gone alone, with only a maid for company, when she’d first arrived in town and needed to purchase a new wardrobe that wasn’t composed entirely of mourning colors.
She wondered if Cranston had already told Lord Lowenbrock about their upcoming marriage and if he, in turn, had shared the news with Amelia. He couldn’t keep their wedding a secret for long, but it would be a blow to discover he was hiding it from his friends until the last possible moment.
After breaking the fast with her daughter, she left Gemma in the very capable hands of Miss Phillips just as the Lowenbrock carriage was slowing to a stop in front of the town house. Abigail rushed out of the house to save Amelia the effort of having to come collect her.
She climbed into the Lowenbrock carriage to find Amelia smiling widely at her.
“Thank you for accepting my invitation today despite the weather. I hope it doesn’t start to rain while we’re out.”
Abigail took in the luxurious interior of rich red leather as she settled next to her new friend. She leaned back into the plush seat cushions and sighed. As the carriage pulled into the street, she could already tell it would be a far smoother ride than the small, modest carriage she’d rented for her stay in town.
“It was a wonderful surprise to hear from you. I know you said that mornings weren’t good for you, and I remember how difficult they were when I was increasing.”
Amelia grimaced. “Yes, but fortunately today has been going well. No queasiness at all.” She gave her head a small shake as if to dispel the memories of unpleasant mornings. “That’s enough talk about such distasteful matters. I plan to visit all my favorite shops today while I still have the energy.”
Abigail sighed, tension already leaving her body. “It’s been so long since I’ve enjoyed such an outing with a friend. I haven’t done this since I married Holbrook.”
Amelia patted her knee. “Have no fear, I will introduce you to every store—and everyone—you’ll need to know. My husband’s sisters are surprisingly well connected. Of course, some of those introductions will need to wait until the start of the next season since so many have already left London.” She tilted her head to one side. “Is there a reason you chose to arrive in town just as the season was drawing to a close?”
Of course the marchioness wouldn’t know the details of her situation. Just another bit of proof that Cranston never spoke about her aside from any confidences he might have shared with Amelia’s husband.
“June marked the one-year anniversary of my husband’s death, so I was officially in mourning until then. I saw little point in arriving earlier since I wouldn’t be able to attend any of the events.” She hesitated a moment before continuing. “Also, my father has been unwell, so I was visiting with him this spring.”
