His Perfect Bride(20)

Thinking about it now, she wondered why he had been in the marquis'  bedchamber. Surely there were other rooms he would have been assigned  to. His presence here was also a mystery, for if he had accompanied the  marquis on his trip as she had originally thought, he would not show up  in the drawing room without him. She watched as he turned from her and  made his way to Lady Stonemede.

"Richard! Finally, I was beginning to believe you were never going to  present yourself," Lady Stonemede exclaimed, then kissed him on his  cheek.

Brianna observed the exchange in confusion, wondering why Richard would warrant such a greeting.

"I'm sorry, Mother. I had some matters that required my immediate attention," he replied.

Although they had the room and chatting guests separating them, Brianna  heard the words that shattered her happy illusion. She froze. It was as  though her entire body had gone into shock and was no longer under her  control. Mother?

As the realization hit her, her knees went weak. Oh, Lord, she was such a  fool. He was not plain Richard; he was Lord Richard Carrack, Marquis of  Stonemede. As if under a trance, she headed to the nearest chair and  sank down in an unladylike fashion. She was barely aware of her mother's  cry of outrage.         

     



 

Brianna could feel her world spinning, and tears sprang into her eyes.  Her perfect vision of her and Richard living their lives out in a small  cottage in the country vanished. She could not understand why he would  do this to her. Her ignorance of his true identity had been bad enough  in London, but now, after what they had shared, it was hopeless.



She wanted to cover her face in embarrassment or fall asleep until this  nightmare ended. Unfortunately, she was denied the slight respite as  there were too many witnesses, and she felt positive a number of them  already noticed her odd behavior.

Trying to regain her composure, she watched as Richard made his way  around the room greeting various guests. He periodically glanced her  way, and anger flooded her at the thought of him witnessing her  discomposure. Dragging herself from the chair, she refused to allow him  to see her fall to pieces now that the shock had worn off.

"Brianna, what is wrong? Answer me at once." The concern in her mother's voice betrayed her stern words.

"I'm sorry, Mother. I felt faint for a moment, but I'm feeling slightly  better now," she whispered, offering her mother a weak smile.

"Good, for Lord Stonemede and Adora are coming this way, and I wish for  you to make a good impression on him. From the look of it, we are the  only ones who have not been previously acquainted."

"Good afternoon, ladies," Richard said as he and his mother approached them.

"Lady Ransley, Lady Brianna," Lady Stonemede began. "Please allow me to  introduce my son, Richard Carrack, the Marquis of Stonemede." Then she  turned to her son. "Richard, this is Rachel Denton, Countess of Ransley,  and her daughter, Lady Brianna Denton."

"It's wonderful to finally meet you, my lord," her mother said, obviously pleased.

"I'm quite honored to meet you both," he replied.

"I'll leave you now to become better acquainted." Lady Stonemede then left them alone with Richard.

"I apologize that we have not gained an introduction sooner." His  pleading eyes didn't leave hers, but Brianna did not feel in a forgiving  mood. The truth of his name was coming much too late to save him from  her wrath.



"Why is that, my lord?" Brianna failed to keep the bitterness out of her voice. "There have been ample opportunities."

"Not when I first arrived in London, for my attention was captured by  various ladies," he explained, and she resisted the urge to react to his  reminder of how she captured his attention. "After that, when the  situation changed, it was much too late."

"That is no excuse. You still could have found a time and avoided all  this evasiveness." Brianna felt her temper rising. He was right that she  had not given him an opportunity at first. However, he could have told  her before today.

"I planned to, but unfortunately the timing was taken from my control."

"When were you-" Brianna started, but was cut off by her mother.

"My lord, what my daughter is trying to say is that we have been looking  forward to meeting you for quite some time. But now it's past us, and  we can spend some time getting to know you better." Her mother was  apparently unaware of the tension sizzling between the two of them.

"I would like that very much. Lady Brianna, perhaps you will allow me to  give you a tour of the gardens later? Stonemede is known for its  beautiful grounds."

"She would be delighted, my lord," her mother quickly answered for her.  Brianna was slightly grateful for the opportunity, as the things she  wished to say were not appropriate for her mother to hear.

"I will look forward to it. Now, if you will excuse me, I must welcome  the other guests." His smile was uneasy as he bowed and left them.

"Brianna, I don't know what possessed you to behave in such a way, but  thankfully you didn't give him much cause for concern. I would scold you  for your improper behavior, though I believe it somehow led to his  invitation, so I'll ignore it this once."



As she stood there listening to her mother prattle on about Richard and  other nonsense, she could feel the weight of manacles placed upon her  ankles. She felt trapped, as if the oxygen supply to her body had been  abruptly cut off. There were too many people here, too many witnesses  able to observe the attack of panic threatening to overwhelm her.  Desperately needing an escape, she turned to her mother.

"I'm beginning to feel unwell. Do you think Lady Stonemede would mind if  I excused myself?" Seeing her mother's reluctance, she added, "Perhaps  if I rest now, I will feel well enough to enjoy the tour with Lord  Stonemede later." Brianna saw the change in her mother's face, and she  praised her quick thinking on bringing up Richard's invitation. She knew  her mother would do whatever was necessary for Brianna to spend the  maximum amount of time with a marquis.         

     



 

"Go ahead, my dear. I'll speak with Adora. She will understand and encourage you to get your rest."

Brianna nodded weakly, then turned and walked from the room, grateful  she didn't have to fake the appearance of being unwell. She felt  peculiar. As if the events of the day had happened to another person  altogether, and she simply watched them unfold. The entire world had  shifted and distorted reality, leaving her stumbling along without  options.

After closing the door to her bedchamber, she lay down on the bed and  once again went over every moment with Richard. Now that she knew the  truth, everything about him made sense. His demeanor, his apparent  wealth, and his willingness to keep their interludes a secret should  have been enough for her to discover his identity, but she had not  wanted to believe it.

She thought over everything for a long time before she got up and sat  down at the dressing table. Studying her reflection, she hardly  recognized the hurt and confused girl staring back at her. It was not  her. She was confident, intelligent, and had always been able to handle  anything thrown in her direction. She'd never lacked for a plan, until  now. Richard had done this. He'd turned her into this pathetic shell of  herself, and she would not stand for it.



Feeling anger return with full force, she welcomed the emotion, allowing  it to fuel her body. So furious, she wanted to hurt him back. Knowing  her strength was not equal to his, she decided to settle for breaking  something of value. Although she had lost track of the time, everyone  was most likely still in the drawing room, so no one would notice if she  once again made her way to the marquis' bedchamber.

It felt much better to have a plan. Full of purpose, Brianna left the  room and quietly darted down the hallway to the place where only moments  before she had been so ignorantly blissful. Closing the door behind  her, she groaned to see how sparsely the room was decorated. The most  valuable piece was a vase, but she had doubts as to whether she would be  able to lift it.

The big bed stood before her, and she felt awash in memories. Although  she had no desire to see the exact location of her downfall, she could  not force herself to back away. The sheets were still askew as they had  been when she had exited the bed earlier. Gently running her fingers  along the soft fabric, she marveled at how something that had taken  place so recently could feel so far away. She closed her eyes. Seeing  the evidence before her and feeling it within her body brought heat to  her cheeks.

"You are the last person I expected to find in my bedchamber," Richard said.

Startled, she swung around to face him. She had been so absorbed she failed to notice the sounds of his arrival.

"Yes, well I'm not accustomed to doing things other people expect," she retorted, her words laced with acid.