A Lesson in Pride (3 page)

“You are correct, Alysanne. Vivianne would never allow the marriage to stand if you and Drake have not consummated it.”

Ginny rolled her eyes. She didn't relish having to go back to living with the man across from her. He would only find someone else, whether that person wanted marriage or a more temporary arrangement. Alysanne's options were few in this time period. As her head drooped, Nigel spoke words that left her body chilled to its very core.

“Someone will have to divest you of your maidenhead, Alysanne. It is as simple as that.”

Ginny's head flew back up and she gawked at the man. Surely he didn't mean what she thought he meant. Surely he couldn't be suggesting something so heinous and unnatural. Even Nigel Thomas couldn't be that degenerate.

She stood mute waiting to see where he would go with his line of thought. Refusing to believe the worst, even from the man before her, Ginny waited. When nothing else came forth, she asked, “Who do you suggest?”

********

There could be no mistaking his daughter's meaning. Nigel had been living on the outskirts of polite society for most of his life. He had done everything he could to keep his daughter safe because he knew she would be of some use to him one day. Today was that day, and he wasn't going to allow anything to stop him.

When he'd married her to Drake, he was hoping that the connection would lead to a constant source of income and access to society. With that, he hoped to get Robert married off to some rich cit's daughter. With both his children nicely situated, Nigel would never again have to worry about money.

Employment had never sat well in his mind. He always knew he was meant for bigger and better things. Never once could he imagine himself as some country vicar or attorney. Though his dear wife wanted for him to have a profession, he had convinced her that someday the right opportunity would come along and they would be set for life. Sadly, she had died before he could realize his dream. After seventeen years of struggle, Nigel was about to rewarded.

When he demanded that Drake include a generous settlement upon his death to his daughter, he never thought the man's death would happen so quickly. Now his daughter would be in control of a large sum of money. That meant that he would be in control of a large sum of money. Alysanne, despite her sudden impudence, had always been a biddable girl. She would allow him access and he would take advantage. New clothes, a nice house, servants-it would all be his finally.

He had only one small issue to resolve. His daughter could not remain a virgin. Vivianne would have her tested. She would fight the settlement tooth and nail. She would be a constant thorn in his side, but in the end she would lose. There was no way to prove murder, not with the way the man lived his life. There were too many people to testify to the fact that Drake had suffered a bout of dropsy not even the year before and was bedridden for over a month, in addition to his opulent lifestyle of over-eating, drinking far too many spirits and never taking proper exercise.

That left only the question of who would be the one to divest her of it. Of the two available males, neither one was preferable. Unless he could think of someone else in the next five minutes, the job would fall to either himself or Robert. The thought brought up a measure of bile into his throat, burning as he swallowed it back. It was a terrible thought, but he'd come too far to give up now.

“Maybe we could bribe a footman,” Nigel said, thinking out loud and not requiring any input.

“You're kidding, right?” his daughter asked snidely. It was obvious that she was to be no help at all.

“Would you rather it be myself?” he responded angrily.

Alysanne took a step back as if struck. A hard glint came over her eyes. It was all there, years of disgust and disappointment, but Nigel was too self-absorbed to see it.

“Do not even dream of it, sir.”

A shiver ran down Nigel's spine when he heard his daughter's response. She'd never had a backbone before and he would attribute this display to the situation at hand. Shaking his head, he continued to think aloud.

“The problem with a footman would be that he could blackmail us later. It has to be someone trustworthy.”

Nigel's head automatically turned to his son. If there was one thing Nigel never did, it was anything that would cause him pain or unpleasantness. His son owed him his very life, so if he demanded this of him, Nigel was certain that Robert would toe the line.

When his gaze fell to Robert, it was Robert's turn to startle. Clearly, the whole business was distasteful, but he had as much to lose as Nigel did. Before he could demand it of the lad, Robert spoke up.

“What about Montgomery?”

Nigel scrunched his eyes in thought. Montgomery was his friend and had done him favors in the past. He could probably be paid off in some way. He would not want to reveal the secret as it would reflect badly upon him as well. He had attended the wedding. With each point Nigel made in his head, he nodded in the affirmative.

“Good idea, Robert. He would be perfect. Go downstairs and find him before he leaves. Be quick about it.”

Robert exited quickly, probably from the relief of not having to deflower his own sister. When gone, Nigel turned back to his daughter.

“Now, tell me everything that happened from the beginning.”

Chapter 4

Ginny had not wanted to share anything with Nigel. Even speaking to him left her feeling dirty. She gave a brief synopsis of her husband's passing and walked away to grab her robe. Nigel ignored her to examine Drake's body.

A few minutes later, Robert walked into the room with the man he'd been sent to find. Ginny had lots of memories of the man and knew he was her mega-hunk as soon as the name was mentioned. He had it all, wrapped up in a nice package. He was gorgeous with an excellent body. But mostly, he was imperfect. He had so many flaws that his only recourse would be to find the right love to set him straight.

Thankfully, Alysanne had been in love with Grant Montgomery from the moment she'd first laid eyes on him. Alysanne's feelings would help her get through this detestable situation of having to have sex with a stranger. Ginny could hardly call him a stranger though. Her body had known him for so long, even if Ginny had not. It was a strange thing this body jumping.

As soon as Montgomery walked through the door and saw the situation, his eyebrows slowly raised on his forehead. In an irreverent tone, he asked, “Why would I be asked to the wedding chamber?”

That was before he saw Drake on the floor. When he spotted the body, he asked in the most insulting way Ginny could imagine, “What have you done, Alysanne?”

Before she could defend herself, Nigel spoke up. “The man turned up his toes right in front of the girl.”

Ginny shook her head in amazement. These men had known Alysanne her entire life. Why did they think her capable of murder? She was meek and subservient. No doubt that at some point she would have snapped and taken out half of London, but she hadn't reached that point yet.

“Well, I cannot say that I am sorry to see him dead. The man was a bastard. Oh, pardon me, Alysanne.”

Ginny's face didn't change. She offered him no smile. She simply waited until Nigel sprung his grand plan on the man.

“Did you wish to share your good fortune, Nigel? Why have I been summoned?”

Ginny was surprised to see Nigel hesitate. She watched him closely, waiting to see if he wouldn't be able to ask his friend to deflower his daughter. Was there a hint of a conscience in there after all? After a few seconds of silence, Ginny's theory was proven wrong.

“I need your help, Montgomery. It is a matter of great importance. Please let me explain before you comment.”

The only reaction from Montgomery was the raising of his right eyebrow and the crossing of his arms across his chest. Ginny stood silently, like a sentry on duty, to see how Nigel would present his offer.

“As you can see, Drake is quite dead. Unfortunately for me, he died before he could perform his duty to my daughter. She is still a virgin, you see and this marriage could still be annulled by Drake's family posthumously.”

Montgomery shook his head. “I see. 'Tis a pity after all you went through to arrange it.”

The disgust in his voice was evident and Ginny liked him better for it. He wasn't a man to stand for his friend's heinous behavior, though Ginny had no memory of him fighting for her. Not that she believed Montgomery could have changed her father's mind in the matter.

“It doesn't have to be a pity, Montgomery. Not when it would be easy to divest my daughter of her maidenhead with no one the wiser.”

Ginny witnessed the light bulb go off on top of Montgomery's head. She saw exactly when he realized what Nigel was asking of him. And it was definitely not something he wished to have been asked of him.

Montgomery's head turned slowly and looked at her beside the bed. His expression was appalled, but there was something else. Ginny had played many a beautiful girl, so she was not a stranger to lascivious looks from men. This man would be convinced, she was sure, but he would put up a fight.

“There must be another way,” Montgomery stated, never taking his eyes off Ginny.

“Unless you wish to think of Robert doing the deed, I can tell you there is not.”

With that, Montgomery turned his attention back to Nigel. “Come with me,” he demanded as he walked across the room and through the door Drake had entered earlier. Without a word, Nigel turned and followed him out of the room, leaving Robert and Ginny alone.

As soon as the door closed, Robert turned to her and said, “Quite a spot of luck, Alysanne. Not only do you get out of being Drake's wife, you get to spend your wedding night with Montgomery instead.”

Ginny didn't care for his tone. “Oh, yes, Robert, such luck. Being sold off to a lecherous scumbag, then getting to watch him die right in front of me. All so you and our father could avoid working for a living. Yes, I'm the luckiest of women.”

Robert's face turned a delightful shade of red before he turned and faced the fireplace. It wasn't much, but Ginny would take it all the same.

********

“Are you mad?” Grant asked as he stood in front of Nigel in Drake's dressing room. “How can you even ask this of me?”

“What choice do I have?” Nigel asked in return. “I most certainly will not do the deed and I loathe having to ask my son to do it. But it must be done or I will be asked to return the money Drake has already given me.”

“I would doubt that,” Grant retorted, losing some of his anger. “Alysanne married him in good faith. She certainly had no idea that he would not make it to the wedding night.”

“And what of that?” Nigel asked. “Your first thought was that she had killed him. What if Vivianne hires a Runner to prove that she had somehow killed Drake before he could touch her? Most would not blame her if she did.”

It was true that Grant had initially thought that even sweet-tempered Alysanne was driven to brain her new husband with a fireplace poker. Even when she was proven innocent, the scandal would be devastating for the girl. She would be without any means to marry again.

“Perhaps a stranger...”

“I have thought of that,” Nigel interrupted. “Anyone else would blackmail her when she got her money. Short of taking her out of here and finding a drunken lord who would not remember anything come morning, I am at a loss of another choice but you.”

Turning his back on Nigel, Grant leaned his head against the wardrobe. It was true that Grant would never blackmail her, even if he was in desperate need of the money. He had little to his name, but he would hold onto his honor. Some stranger would be unlikely to care much for Alysanne, rutting her like some beast. Alysanne had survived so much in her short life, he hated to idea of some stranger touching her.

His hypocrisy slapped him hard in the face. He hadn't stood up for her when her father had sold her to Drake. He had been fully prepared to allow that stranger, a known sadist, to touch her. Grant had been downstairs not twenty minutes earlier thinking of how to seduce Mrs. Dennis, not what was happening to Alysanne above stairs.

He had known the chit since she was a child. Alysanne had grown from a quiet child to a beautiful girl. She had always had a quiet strength about her, but as she grew into adulthood, she fairly beamed with it. Grant was also aware of the
tendre
she had for him. Whenever they were together, she gravitated toward him. She laughed at his silly jokes and went out of her way to make him feel welcome. If he had any proper prospects, he might have offered for her, but it was not meant to be.

Still, it would be no hardship to spend this night in her bed either. What Nigel was asking was despicable, but the more he thought about it, the more he knew there was no other choice. Only he would be tender with her and only he would not harm her when the deed was done by blackmailing her. He hadn't saved her before. This was his chance to redeem himself.

“I would compensate you, of course,” Nigel spoke into the silence, making Grant's back bristle from the insult.

Turning to look at the man, Grant stated, “Do not insult me, Nigel. I will do this for Alysanne because I wish for her future to be secure. And because I have no wish for her to be subjected to Robert or any other man.”