Alexander rose, towering over Ambrose. “I am Duke of Lorchester. The rightful heir and a true Englishman by birth and by blood. And I will use Parliamentary privilege to make this public if I have to. You will have no legal recourse. My position in Parliament protects me. Did your father not teach you that, old chap?”
Ambrose looked up at him, lips moving soundlessly. Then he sat back down and put his head in his hands.
Chapter 37
Alexander handed Violet up into the carriage and then joined her. He gave the address of her Great Russell Street home to the driver but Violet stopped him.
“Driver, please take us by the most circuitous route possible. I wish the journey to take at least an hour. You will be recompensed for the trouble.”
“Right you are, Your Ladyship,” the driver said, pulling at the brim of his hat.
Violet reached over Alexander to pull the door closed. As the carriage rumbled away, she reached up to pull down the blind that served to cover the window. Then she did the same on the other side of the carriage. Finally, she took Alexander’s face between her hands and kissed him. The kiss went on and on. The bumps and sways of the carriage faded into the background. At some point, Alexander seized her about the waist and hauled herinto his lap. Strong hands touched her cheeks, then caressed her hair, his lips all the while pressing insistently against hers.
She pulled back after an eternity, looking into his eyes. “Is it over? This frightful threat that he was holding over us?”
“It is, lass. And no, I won’t let you correct me. You need to accept that you’re marrying a Scot. Without Ambrose to lead the opposition, the Bill will be passed. Sebastian can marshal the votes now. It will be child’s play with Ambrose and his pals stepping aside. So, I’ve no mair need to put on the accent or worry about my words.”
“You do not,” Violet agreed. “And I do not need to worry about the rules of society, the rituals, and all the…the…god-damned propriety!”
She flushed bright red, eyes wide at her own daring. Alexander threw back his head and laughed aloud.
“It’s fun, isn’t it? Cursing and just letting it all out. Say what you like about the ordinary working folk of Glesga, they can speak their minds. None of this repressing of what you’re feeling. It’s no healthy.”
Violet laughed. “It will take some getting used to.”
Alexander kissed her again, fingers stroking her neck. She put a hand to his chest, spreading her fingers and pushing the loose laces further apart as she did. Then she lowered her headand pressed her lips to the taut muscle she found there. His chest had a covering of soft dark hair and was quite the most masculine thing she had experienced. When she lifted her head, she was breathless.
“Oh my!” She breathed.
She stroked his neck, following the touch with her lips and hearing his breath catch as her lips explored. Alexander’s hands roamed downwards, feeling the swelling of her bosom and then hips. She leaned back against him, relying on his strong arms to hold her upright. When they came apart for the second time, she pressed her lips to his neck and lifted her feet onto the seat, curling up in his embrace.
“Will you not miss the Ton, lassie? You are so well known in this city.”
“That was my previous life. I feel like I have been reborn, ready to start a new chapter,” Violet said. “There is so much more to life than knowing what jewels to wear at a Duchesses’ ball. Or what the latest fashions are in hats or dresses. I threw myself into those things because I believed there was nothing else of value I could offer. That there was nothing in my life other than that. I did not have parents or siblings. I had nothing but my position within society. And helping my cousins take their places. I want more from my life though. I want love…”
“Children?” Alexander asked.
“Yes, God above, yes!” Violet enthused, lifting her head. “And you?”
“I want a family around me. I never knew what that was like. And once I have outwitted the blackguard who is robbing me blind, or rather Lillian has, I want to put that fortune to good use. I have more money than one man could spend in a lifetime according to Gellert. I intend to make it work for the good of all those who did not have my good fortune.”
“Then it seems we are not completely done with the Ton,” Violet said. “We will need to move in the right circles, recruit the right people to our cause if we are to make a success of that.”
“Then it is fortunate that I will have a wife who is an expert in that,” Alexander said.
A thought occurred to Violet then. “Lillian may not be as keen as she was. She and I had a falling out over Ambrose.”
Alexander raised an eyebrow.
“It is not like that,” Violet said. “She thinks that I put myself before him in order to steer him away from her. She thought that I had seen him show an interest in her and became jealous.”
“Then you should tell her why he is not a suitable man for a husband. Not for either of you,” Alexander said.
Violet thought about it. She wanted a sister almost as badly as a father. But she had always suspected that George and Charlotte were not her parents. Lillian did not even suspect. To tell her would be to turn her world upside down.
And for what purpose? So that I may claim her as my sister. So that I can call her by that name? It would be selfish in the extreme. And what if she does not want to be my sister. What if she rejects me for telling her and showing that her entire life thus far has been a lie?
“No, I do not think I can tell her. Perhaps not ever,” Violet said.
