Page 5 of A Very Roguish Boxing Day
“I will not!”Gwendolyn snapped.Donald McCullough was every bit as bad as Maurice.Possibly worse.“How will you even find a priest willing to marry a woman who was widowedyesterday?”
Joseph recoiled, obviously not having considered this detail.Although a man was free to marry as soon as he became a widower, a woman was expected to wait a decent interval after her husband’s death so that, if she should find herself in the family way, there was no question about the paternity of a potential heir.
Joseph recovered quickly.“We’ll have the first marriage annulled.It wasn’t as if it was consummated.”
Mariah crossed her arms.“How would you know?They were alone in this very room for hours after the ceremony!I would assume ithasbeen consummated.”
Gwendolyn’s heart squeezed.Her brother could be dangerous in a temper, so Mariah’s kind gesture in sticking up for her was not without risk.
But the truth was, the marriage hadn’t been consummated.Perhaps Joseph didn’t know, unless Maurice had told him.If Maurice even remembered.Then there was the fact that Gwendolyn was fairly certain that failure to consummate a marriage was not, in fact, legal grounds to have it annulled.
Not that Joseph was likely to give her leave to take a pleasant stroll down to the Inns of Court to seek a legal opinion on the matter.And even if it was illegal, she knew without a shred of doubt that Joseph would bribe the judge and force the annulment through if he possibly could.
Joseph’s smile was malicious.“Well, we’ll just have to see, won’t we?I’ll arrange for a physician to come by tomorrow, to see if your maidenhead is still intact.I have several friends who are doctors, as you know.”He spun on his heel, casting a triumphant look over his shoulder.“Don’t worry, Gwen.I’m sure the exam won’t betoopainful.”
The door closed with a sharp click, leaving Gwendolyn and Mariah alone.
Mariah squeezed her hand.“Did Mr.Simpkins sleep with you?”
Gwendolyn shook her head sadly.“Not in the sense you mean.I’m still a maiden.”Her voice broke as she added, “I do appreciate you defending me.”
Mariah’s gaze was fierce.“Don’t you worry, Miss Gwendolyn,” she said, patting Gwen’s hand.“I’ll take care of it.”
Gwendolyn made a bleak sound.“Take care of it?How?”
Mariah was already halfway across the room.“I have an idea.That is… I know just who to ask.Get up, get dressed, and keep yer cloak handy.You’ll need something to hide yer face.I’ll give you the signal as soon as everything is in place.”
Gwendolyn squinted in confusion.“I’m sure Joseph won’t allow that.I’m sure he’ll keep me locked in my room and?—”
She found herself talking to a closed door.Mariah had slipped into the corridor.
Gwendolyn lay back against the pillows, wondering what twist fate would throw at her next.
Chapter3
No food was brought to Gwendolyn’s room that day.She assumed it was a return to her brother’s method of starving her into submission.She tried to while away the hours with a book, but unsurprisingly, she couldn’t focus.
There was no word from Mariah.As the shadows grew long and stars finally emerged, Gwendolyn’s spirits sank to a new low.Perhaps she should try to sleep.Whatever Mariah had been planning, it had obviously fallen through.
As she was opening the wardrobe to retrieve her night rail, Gwen jumped as a sharp rap came not at the door but the window.Hand on her heart, she tiptoed across the room and peered into the back garden.
Three women stood on the ground below.Squinting through her spectacles, Gwendolyn recognized one of them as Mariah.
At Mariah’s gesture, she opened the window.“What is it?”she called quietly.
“Yer rescue party!”Mariah stage whispered.“Catch!”
Something soft smacked Gwendolyn in the arm.She did not catch it.With her poor vision, catching had never been her forte.
But she fumbled with it long enough to realize it was a rope.
She caught it on her sixth try.“Tie it around the bedpost,” Mariah called, “then throw the other end down.”
Gwendolyn complied, her fingers shaking.She didn’t relish the idea of going out the window.She was not what you would call dexterous, and there was a good possibility she would break a leg, for all that her bedroom was only one floor above ground level.
But anything was better than being trapped in Joseph’s clutches, and she was determined to try.
“Yer cloak!”Mariah called.“Don’t forget yer cloak!”
