Page 39 of Two Lies and A Lord

Her laugh was not bawdy, precisely. It was joyful. The fact that his blood raced with pure lust at the sound?

Inexplicable.

EPISODE ONE HUNDRED AND FIVE

THE PROSPECT OF MARITAL INTIMACY

Down in the kitchens, Belle greeted them with cheerful “Moo,” but showed no interest in leaving the maid who was feeding her mashed apple. Daisy was struck by an aching wish for Belle to beam at her and hold out her arms. The feeling confirmed that she was right to marry Miles, because that was the only way she could become Belle’s mother.

“The child should remain below stairs so that she’s not seen,” her future husband said. “She will follow us to the country in a carriage with its curtains drawn.”

Daisy couldn’t help thinking that he was terribly dictatorial. In the normal course of a marriage—if he had fallen in love with her—she might have been able to stand her ground and tell him that she’d like Belle to travel in their carriage. But now?

She nodded.

Then she walked home accompanied by a footman, since Miles exhibited a disconcerting ferocity at the idea she might walk a few London streets without an escort.

The moment she entered her house, her mother tore out of the front parlor.

“Where have you been?” Lady Wharton cried. “I thought you had left forever, taking the baby with you!” Her eyes were feverishly bright, the skin drawn tight over her cheekbones.

“I didn’t go far,” Daisy said soothingly, drawing her mother back into the parlor. “Do let’s sit down.”

“Where’s the baby? Where’s Belle?” Her mother collapsed into a chair, her thin hands twisting together. “I can’t stop thinking of the way you looked at me with abhorrence. I suddenly realized that I had sent those waifs to the orphanage without ever checking to see what happened to them.”

“I didn’t mean to look at you unkindly!” Daisy cried. “When I heard of Father’s despicable behavior, I thought of him with abhorrence. My half-siblings are not your relatives. You made certain they were cared for and taught to support themselves. No one could expect more from you.”

“I should have expected more from me,” Lady Wharton said. “Wallowing in anger as I did … Why do I bother going to church on Sundays, if I can’t be truly charitable? The fact that Belle has her own name, your curls, and a blanket just like yours made my mean-spiritedness all too clear.” Her voice caught. “Where is she?”

“She is with Lord Devin,” Daisy said. “Miles and I will marry and raise Belle together.”

“What?”

“We will wed tomorrow morning by special license, spend the night in London, and then travel to the country the following day. Miles is sending footmen all over London with invitations.”

“When the news about Belle spreads, everyone will think that the two of you had child out of wedlock,” her mother said hollowly.

“Miles assures me that his household staff will not gossip about Belle’s presence. In six months, he will announce that one of my father’s cousins, born on the wrong side of the blanket, has sadly succumbed to a fever in India that also took his wife. My husband and I will be able to care for Belle under the guide of raising my uncle’s orphaned child. In time, Belle will be introduced to society with a magnificent dowry supposedly left to her by her entrepreneurial father.”

“Oh,” Lady Wharton said faintly. “Oh, my goodness.”

“Apparently many children orphaned abroad are actually illegitimate offspring of nobility.” Daisy hesitated and admitted, “Miles thinks that Belle is my child.”

Her mother’s lips fell open as an expression of pure horror crossed her face. “Daisy! Your fiancée believes you are a fallen woman?”

Daisy nodded, feeling a pulse of guilt.

“Virginity remains the cornerstone of all marriages in the aristocracy. Every man wants—rightly or wrongly—to feel that his wife is his alone.”

“Then he’ll be happy to learn the truth!”

“You cannot lie to the man you’re going to marry!” Lady Wharton’s eyes widened. “Who does he think the father is?”

“I refused to tell him.”

Her mother’s expression was extremely pained. She cleared her throat. “I believe now is the time to share some details about marital intimacy.”

“I know them,” Daisy assured her. “I shall tell him the truth after our wedding. He’ll be pleased to discover that I’m as pure as the driven snow.” Despite herself, a sardonic note underlaid that sentence. For the life of her, she couldn’t understand why a gentleman was free to take more than one mistress and yet insist on marrying an innocent lass. It wasn’t fair.