Brighter Than The Sun (4 page)

"That scenario presents two problems," he said.

"Two?" she echoed. She might have been able to talk her way around one, but two? Doubtful.

"My father's will specifically addresses the possibility that I might enter into a sham marriage merely for the sake of my inheritance. Were I to obtain an annulment, my assets would be immediately seized and handed over to my cousin."

Ellie's heart sank.

"Secondly," he continued, "an annulment would require that we not consummate our marriage."

She gulped. "I don't see any problem there."

He leaned forward, his eyes burning with something she didn't recognize. "Don't you?" he asked softly.

Ellie didn't like the way her stomach was jumping about. The earl was far too handsome for his own good—far too handsome for
her
own good. "If we marry," she blurted out, suddenly very eager to change the subject, "you will have to get my money for me. Can you do that? Because I won't marry you otherwise."

"I shall be able to provide for you quite handsomely without it," Charles pointed out.

"But it's mine, and I worked hard for it. I'm not about to let it rot in Tibbett's hands."

"Certainly not," Charles murmured, looking as if he were trying very hard not to smile.

"It's the principle of the matter."

"And the principle is what matters to you, isn't it?"

"Absolutely." She paused. "Of course, principles won't put food on the table. If they did, I wouldn't be here."

"Very well. I shall get your money for you. It shouldn't be that difficult."

"For you, perhaps," Ellie muttered ungracefully. "I couldn't even get the blasted man to acknowledge that I possessed a greater intelligence than a sheep."

Charles chuckled. "Have no fear, Miss Lyndon, I shan't make the same mistake."

"And that money will remain mine," Ellie persisted. "I know that when we marry, all of my possessions—meager though they are—become yours, but I would like a separate account in my name."

"Done."

"And you will make certain that the bank knows that I have full control over those funds?"

"If you so desire it."

Ellie looked at him suspiciously. Charles caught the glance and said, "I have more than enough money of my own, provided we marry in haste. I don't need yours."

She let out a relieved breath. "Good. I do like to play the 'change. I shouldn't want to have to get your signature every time I want to make a transaction."

His mouth fell open. "You play the 'change?"

"Yes, and I'm quite good at it, I'll have you know. I made a tidy profit in sugar last year."

Charles smiled in disbelief. They would do quite well together, he was sure of it. Time spent with his new wife would be more than pleasant, and it sounded as if she would be able to keep herself occupied while he was pursuing his own affairs in London. The last thing he needed was to be shackled to a woman who whined every time she was left to her own devices.

He narrowed his eyes. "I say, you're not one of those managing sorts of women, are you?"

"What does that mean?"

"The last thing I need is a woman who wants to take charge of my life. I need a wife, not a keeper."

"You're rather choosy for someone who has only fourteen days before his fortune is forever lost."

"Marriage is for life, Eleanor."

"Believe me, I know."

"Well?"

"No," she said, looking as if she wanted to roll her eyes. "I'm not. That is not to say that I don't want to manage my
own
life, of course."

"Of course," he murmured.

"But I won't interfere with yours. You won't even know I'm here."

"Somehow I doubt that."

She scowled at him. "You know what I mean."

"Very well, then," he said. "I think we are making quite a fair-minded deal. I marry you, and you get your money. You marry me, and I get my money."

Ellie blinked. "I hadn't really thought of it that way, but yes, that's about the sum of it."

"Good. Have we a bargain?"

Ellie swallowed, trying to ignore the sinking feeling that she had just sold her soul to the devil. As the earl had just pointed out, marriage was forever, and she had known this man but two days. She shut her eyes for a moment, then nodded.

"Excellent." Charles beamed as he rose to his feet, holding on to the arm of his chair while he steadied his cane. "We must seal our bargain in a more festive manner."

"Champagne?" Ellie asked, ready to kick herself for sounding so hopeful. She'd always wanted to know what it tasted like.

"A good idea," he murmured, crossing over to the sofa where she sat. "I'm sure I have some on the premises. But I was thinking of something a little different."

"Different?"

"More intimate."

She stopped breathing.

He sat next to her. "A kiss, I think, would be appropriate."

"Oh," Ellie said quickly and loudly. "That's not necessary." And just in case he missed her point, she gave her head a broad shake.

He caught her chin in a light but firm grasp.
"Au contraire,
my wife, I think it is very necessary."

"I'm not your—"

"You will be."

She had no argument for that.

"We should make sure that we suit, don't you think?" He leaned closer.

"I'm certain we will. We don't need—"

He halved the distance between them. "Has anyone ever told you that you talk a lot?"

"Oh, all the time," she said, desperate to do anything, say anything to keep him from kissing her. "In fact—"

"And at the most inopportune times, too." He shook his head in a sweetly scolding manner.

"Well, I don't really have such an ideal sense of timing. Just look at—"

"Hush."

And he said it with such soft authority that she did. Or perhaps it might have been the smoldering look in his eyes. No one had ever smoldered over Eleanor Lyndon before. It was beyond startling.

His lips brushed against hers, and a sharp tingle shot up and down her spine as his hand moved to her neck. "Oh, my goodness!" she whispered.

He chuckled. "You talk when you kiss, too."

"Oh." She looked up anxiously. "I'm not supposed to?"

He started laughing so hard that he had to pull away from her and sit back. "Actually," he said as soon as he was able, "I find it rather endearing. As long as you're being complimentary."

"Oh," she said again.

"Shall we give it another go?" he asked.

Ellie rather thought that she'd used up all of her protests with the previous kiss. Besides, now that she'd tried it once, she was a bit more curious. She gave her head a tiny nod.

His eyes flashed with something very male and possessive, and his mouth touched her lips once again. This kiss was just as gentle as the previous one, but so, so much deeper. His tongue feathered along the line of her lips until she parted them with a sigh. Then he moved in, exploring her mouth with lazy confidence.

Ellie gave herself up to the moment, sinking into his hard frame. He was warm and strong, and there was something thrilling about the way his hands pressed against her back. She felt branded, burned, as if she'd somehow been marked as his.

His passion grew fierce... and scary. Ellie had never kissed a man before, but she could tell that he was an expert at this. She had no idea what to do, and he knew too much, and... She stiffened, suddenly overwhelmed. This wasn't right. She didn't know him, and—

Charles pulled away, sensing her withdrawal. "Are you all right?" he whispered.

Ellie tried to remind herself how to breathe, and when she finally found her voice again, she said, "You've done this before, haven't you?" Then she closed her eyes for a moment and muttered, "What am I saying? Of course you have."

He nodded, shaking with silent laughter. "Is there a problem with that?"

"I'm not certain. I have this feeling I'm some sort of..." Her words trailed off.

"Some sort of what?"

"Prize."

"Well, you certainly are that," Charles said, his tone clearly marking his statement as a compliment.

But Ellie didn't take it as such. She didn't like to think'of herself as an object to be won, and she particularly didn't like the fact that Billington made her head spin so fast that when he kissed her she lost all sense of reason. She stepped quickly away from him and sat down in the chair he'd recently occupied. It was still warm from his body, and she could swear she could smell him, and—

She gave her head a little shake. What on earth had that kiss done to her brain? Her thoughts were skipping along with no sensible direction. She wasn't sure that she liked herself this way, all breathless and silly. Steeling herself, she looked up.

Charles raised his brows. "I can see you have something important to tell me."

Ellie frowned. Was she that transparent? "Yes," she said. "About that kiss ..."

"I would be more than happy to talk about that kiss," he said, and she wasn't certain if he was laughing or merely smiling or—

She was doing it again. Losing her train of thought. This was dangerous. "It can't happen again," she blurted out.

"Is that so?" he drawled.

"If I'm going to marry you—"

"You already agreed to do so," he said, his voice sounding very dangerous.

"I realize that, and I'm not one to break my word." Ellie swallowed, realizing that that was exactly what she was threatening to do. "But I cannot marry you unless I have your agreement that we ... that we ..."

"That we not consummate the marriage?" he finished for her flatly.

"Yes!" she said with a relieved rush of air. "Yes, that's it exactly."

"Out of the question."

"It wouldn't be forever," Ellie said quickly. "Just until I'm used to ... marriage."

"Marriage? Or me?"

"Both."

He was quiet for a full minute.

"I'm not asking much," Ellie finally said, desperate to break the silence. "I don't want a lavish allowance. I don't need jewels or dresses—"

"You need dresses," he cut in.

"All right," she agreed, thinking that it would be awfully nice to wear something that wasn't brown. "I do need dresses, but really, nothing more."

He leveled a hard stare in her direction.
"I
need more."

She gulped. "And you shall have it. Just not right away."

He tapped his fingertips together. It was a mannerism that had already become uniquely his in her mind. "Very well," he said, "I agree. Provided that you grant me a boon as well."

"Anything. Well, almost anything."

"I assume that you mean to let me know when you are ready to make our marriage a true one."

"Er... yes," Ellie said. She hadn't really thought about it. It was hard to think about anything when he was sitting across from her, staring at her so intently.

"First of all, I must insist that your participation in the marital act is not unreasonably withheld."

Ellie's eyes narrowed. "I say, you haven't studied the law, have you? This sounds terribly legal."

"A man in my position must beget an heir, Miss Lyndon. It would be foolish of me to enter into such an agreement without your assurance that our abstinence would not be a permanent state of affairs."

"Of course," she said quietly, trying to ignore the unexpectedly sad feeling in her heart. She'd thought that she might have aroused a deeper passion in him. She should have known better. He had other reasons for kissing her. "I—I will not make you wait forever."

"Good. And now for the second part of my stipulation."

Ellie didn't like the look in his eyes.

He leaned forward. "I reserve the right to try to convince you otherwise."

"I don't catch your meaning."

"No? Come here."

She shook her head. "I don't think that is a very good idea."

"Come here, Eleanor."

His use of her given name shocked her. She hadn't given him permission to do so—and yet, she had agreed to marry him, so she supposed she shouldn't quibble.

"Eleanor," he said again, clearly growing impatient with her wool-gathering. When she didn't respond yet again, he reached out, grasped her hand, and yanked her over a mahogany table and back into his lap.

"Lord Billing—"

His hand covered her mouth as his lips found her ear. "When I said I reserved the right to try to convince you otherwise," he whispered, "I meant
this."

He kissed her again, and Ellie lost all power to think. Abruptly, he cut the kiss off, leaving her shaking. He smiled. "Fair enough?"

"I... ah ..."

He seemed to enjoy her befuddlement. "It's the only way I'm going to agree to your request."

She nodded jerkily. After all, how often was he actually going to want to kiss her? Stumbling, she rose to her feet. "I had best be getting home."

"Indeed." Charles looked out the window. The weather had cleared, but the sun was beginning to set. "As for the rest of the particulars of our bargain, we can work them out as we go along."

Ellie's mouth opened slightly in surprise. "Particulars?"

"I assumed a woman of your sensibilities would want her duties spelled out."

"You will have 'duties' as well, I presume."

Charles's mouth turned up into an ironic half-smile. "But of course."

"Good."

He took her arm and walked her to the door. "I shall have a carriage bring you home and fetch you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" she gasped.

"I haven't much time to dawdle."

"Don't we need a license?"

"I have one. I need only to fill in your name."

"Can you do that?" she gasped. "Is that legal?"

"One can do quite a bit if one knows the right people."

"But I will need to prepare. To pack."
To find something to wear,
she added silently. She had nothing suitable for marrying an earl.

"Very well," he said briskly, "the day after tomorrow."

"Too soon." Ellie planted her hands on her hips in an attempt to look firm.

He crossed his arms. "Three days hence, and that is my final offer."

"I believe we have a bargain, my lord," Ellie said with a smile. She had spent the last five years clandestinely wheeling and dealing on the 'change. Words like
final offer
were comfortable and familiar. Much more so than
marriage.