Page 21 of Brazen Rogue
Bellamy nodded, his friend's words making more sense than anything he had thought of since the moment Miss Hall had come to be at his estate. He should not care what others thought, he knew that, but Sally had been so very wild. So much damage was done to his name. To his daughter's name.
"How can I put my daughter through such a scandal after all that her mother has done to her?" he argued.
Chilsten shrugged. "She's five. I do not think she will remember what happens now, so long as she is loved and cared for."
Bellamy downed his brandy, relishing the burn the drink left down his throat. "To my shame, I wish my daughter's mother was Reign. I wish she were my marchioness. How can I remain a gentleman when all I want to do, every moment of every day, is be with her? I want to seduce her, have her in my bed, my life."
"Then society be damned. Take what you want, Gage. Marry her and make the both of you very happy," his friend urged.
Bellamy rubbed a hand over his jaw. Could he ignore all the rules and do what he wanted for the first time in his life? Gain what he had wanted for so long, and to hell with what thetonthought of his choice. He would never regret marrying Reign. How could he when she was utterly perfect? The kiss he had shared with her, a kiss that had rattled him and shown him everything that he had lost by making an error all those years ago in London.
"If I do as you advise and do as I want, there will be a scandal," he stated.
Chilsten nodded. "I know all too well what it is like to cause scandal. And as your friend who made a similar mistake in marrying the wrong woman before I married Julia, let me tell you that whatever you choose will be hard, a decision not to be taken lightly. But you have mine and Julia's support, whatever you decide to do." Chilsten paused, sipping his brandy. "Society knows you were deceived into entering that parlor with Lady Sally, and while they embraced the wedding, there is knowledge and understanding as to why you would marry Miss Hall now that you can."
Bellamy nodded, hope for the first time flickering to life in his mind. He had not thought to have to face such a choice. He did not expect to see Miss Hall again, certainly not under his roof.
Had he come across her in London in passing, he knew he could deny the pull she had always had on him, but here, in his home, running into her in the middle of the night when she was reading his daughter a bedtime story, well, that was another matter entirely.
"Thank you, Chilsten. Your support is welcome, but I know I should keep away, halt any whisper of scandal and let her go to America as planned, but I'm not certain I can. I shall think on the matter further."
Chilsten stood and refilled their near-empty glasses. "Julia mentioned that Lady Miller said Miss Hall came to the estate with us. She played along, of course, but what is that about?" Chilsten asked him. "Julia wished to know."
Bellamy swore, having forgotten to tell his friends of his lie. "Her ladyship saw Miss Hall, and I could not tell her that she is now a governess. I lied and said she attended with you but was not up to house party entertainment. Thank you for not denying my words," he said, making a mental note to tell Reign of his falsehoods before too long.
Chilsten threw back his head and laughed. "Well, let us toast to Miss Hall once more being part of the upper echelons of society, just as she should be."
Bellamy raised his glass to that, hoping that mayhap such a change in status may yet be possible. "I'll toast to that." And pray he had the fortitude to deny the raging lust that thrummed through him whenever he was in Miss Hall's presence, when they were in public in any case.
ChapterTwelve
The following day Reign stood at her bedroom window and watched as carriage after carriage left the estate. Thankfully her good friends Lord and Lady Chilsten had agreed to stay on for several more days, and she was looking forward to spending more time with her friend. Certainly, time away from the ogling eyes of the guests who had been present would be a welcome reprieve. Not to mention they would no longer need to pretend she was not a governess but a guest, since Lord Lupton-Gage could not tell the truth to Lady Miller.
Was he so ashamed of her situation in life that he could not even voice her occupation?
The situation with his lordship was not ideal, and nor did she wish for it to continue the way it was. They could not keep taunting each other whenever their paths crossed.
Not only because it was unfair to them both, but because she ought to know better. There was no future with his lordship. He had made it perfectly clear he would not marry a governess. Nor would she marry someone who would think she was good enough for him.
But that did not mean she did not crave his touch, the feel of his hands on her body, his mouth taking hers in a kiss that left her breathless and her heart racing.
She left the room and made her way to the school room, only to be handed a small written note from Mrs. Watkins that Lady Alice was with Lord and Lady Chilsten today for an outing in the carriage about Derbyshire and that her schooling would have to wait until tomorrow.
Reign refolded the note and placed it into her pocket, deciding to look at the grand gallery she had spotted during her first week here. It did not take her long to make the gallery, and she sighed at the sight of the long, wide space where family portraits had hung for hundreds of years. The large urns filled with hothouse flowers near the windows made the room smell divine.
She strolled, stopping every so often to read the names at the bottom of each painting. Some of the Lupton-Gage ancestors stared back at her with the current marquess's eyes or a twist of their lips before she came to the very man himself's portrait. He stood alone beside the mantel in his library, two wolfhounds by his feet, his daughter at his side, holding his hand and glancing lovingly up at him.
It was a charming painting and portrayed his love for Lady Alice. At least he gained a sweet daughter from his association with Lady Lupton-Gage, if nothing else before she passed.
Footsteps sounded on the wooden floors, and she glanced toward the end of the wing and found his lordship striding toward her. He was reading a missive and had not spotted her until he glanced up and skidded to a stop.
She steeled herself to be near him again and not want to throw herself at his head like some wanton. "My lord," she said, adjusting her voice to deny the emotions that were thrumming through her at the near sight of him. "Good afternoon. I hope you're having a pleasant day," she said, inwardly cringing at her question. What sort of conversation was this they were about to begin? Stale and without feeling if she were to guess. Once, they had talked for hours, sat at balls and parties, dinner events, and discussed all manner of things until he had up and married Lady Sally.
His steps slowed but continued toward her, his face schooled, so she did not know what was going through his mind. "Good afternoon, Miss Hall," he quipped, not losing stride as he passed her.
She glanced over her shoulder and watched him leave the gallery, hoping he would turn and glance at her, show her in some small way that he cared, but he did not.
Disappointment stabbed at her, and she went and sat in a window nook, looking out over the beautiful gardens and water feature the west wing overlooked.
