Abandoned to the Prodigal - Mary Lancaster Page 0,93

dictate which guests come into my house! Coates, sit down, have a cup of tea!”

Since Dan had told her Myerly frequently denied the vicar access, this sudden invitation was somewhat surprising. Barden merely sneered, but Juliet’s mother added insult to Barden’s injury.

“My lord, I really believe you have stepped beyond the line of what is pleasing, or even permitted, by a guest. Please take our carriage back to Hornby. The servants will help you pack while the carriage returns for us. Goodbye, my lord.”

Barden spun on his heel and walked out of the room, leaving the door open.

Juliet, still holding the special license, met Dan’s gaze. His lips quirked. His eyes gleamed in invitation, and her breath caught. Mischief surged along with excitement and a much more basic feeling of rightness, of completion.

“Papa.” She stepped up to her father and took his hand. “Please consider this. Because if necessary, I will wait for him, and I will marry him on my twenty-first birthday. But I would so much rather do it with your blessing.”

Her father snatched his hand back. “Look, there is Jeremy, who once you eagerly promised yourself to. What has changed?”

“I have. Papa, Jeremy does not love me. Dan does.”

“Loves your money more like,” Colin muttered. Hugh nudged him ungently with a sharp, pink elbow.

“That isn’t true, Juliet,” Jeremy said desperately. “Oh, perhaps once I took you for granted. I behaved ill, as though you could be exchanged for someone else of similar birth and influence. But the truth is, you can’t be, because you’ve made me realize….oh the devil, in short, Juliet, I do love you, and it would be my profound honor to call you my wife.”

“Why, Jeremy,” she said, touched in spite of herself. “That was a genuinely handsome speech, and I’m grateful for the sentiment. But the truth is, I am at fault, too. I didn’t realize it before when we were engaged, but I didn’t love you, either. I was wrong. I love Dan.”

To Juliet’s surprise, her mother took her father’s hand. He frowned down at her, reading her unexpected, silent plea. Juliet began to smile.

Her father groaned. “This is madness! You barely know him! He has nothing! And your reputation—”

“He is the heir to Myerly, and my reputation means nothing without him.”

The earl continued to scowl.

“Cosland, allow her this,” her mother said, low. “It is her happiness.”

“Oh, for the love of—” He threw up both hands. “Very well, have him, marry him.”

“Oh, thank you, Papa!” She hugged her father and mother together and turned, laughing, back to Dan.

“Ha!” uttered Lord Myerly. “Got round the great Lord Cosland, did you? Well, you won’t get round me. I forbid it!”

All eyes turned on him in dismay. Silence filled the room, and the old man sat back and enjoyed it.

“You can’t,” Dan said. “I’m well past the age of majority.”

“True. But I can take Myerly away again, give it to Hugh!”

“That’s not such a bad idea,” Dan said seriously, and with a jolt, Juliet remembered the bizarre revelations of the morning.

Lord Myerly stared at Dan. So did Hugh and Mr. Ames.

“Why?” Myerly barked.

“Hugh will tell you later. If you don’t shout. Mr. Coates, I have a special license here. Would you be so good as to marry Lady Juliet and me?”

*

Lord Barden sat in the bumping Cosland carriage, stunned and entirely at a loss.

And yet, this had happened before. Only four days previously, his plans for Hazel Curwen had been thwarted by his humiliating ejection from Brightoaks. And he still felt that previous failure must have contributed to this one. With Hazel as his acknowledged mistress, his social power would have been that much more apparent.

Damn Cosland, damn him! And damn that puppy and his monstrous hell-hound…

To hell with all of them. He had recovered from worse, and it was undeniably true that his initial revenge held true. Hazel Curwen and Cosland’s daughter were both ruined. He had that much satisfaction.

But now, he had to look ahead, not backward. He might have hurt Cosland, and he certainly would do his best to hurt Juliet further, but he did not have his money back. His estate was still mortgaged and rented out. He lived in inferior rooms in London instead of the gracious family townhouse. To get those things back, to live in luxury, he needed another wealthy bride. One of even higher standing than Juliet Lilbourne.

He sat up. Oh, yes. With a few tweaks to his original plan, he could still salvage everything. He hesitated,