The Brambleberry Bride, page 9
“After her behaviour at your wedding . . .” Vivienne’s ears burned as she heard his words. She took a step backwards to execute an entrechat, thereby missing the remainder of the sentence, which was that he could “quite see that pomp and splendour was not her style at all, and that a runaway marriage would be far more to her taste.”
“Bertram! You cannot be serious!”
Vivienne heard those words, but not, unfortunately, the reply.
The roof of her mouth was as dry as sawdust. When Lord Cowper bowed and thanked her politely as the music faded, she stared at him blankly, extended her hand quite unthinkingly, and received a chivalrous kiss for her trouble. This made the dowagers raise their eyebrows significantly, but strangely had little effect on Vivienne, who had no notion of the honour that had just been conferred. She smiled wanly, turned tail, and fled.
“Vivienne! I have been searching for you everywhere!” Captain Ralston breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness he had thought of searching the gardens. Though they were dark, several newfangled gas lamps lit a path down to the lake.
“Have you? Then come here and get what you deserve!” Despite her devastation, Vivienne was still a woman of spirit. Bertram grinned and readily obeyed, fully expecting a most intoxicating outcome for his trouble.
“Ouch!” Certainly he had not expected the stinging slap that seared his cheek.
“Ouch again!” The other side this time.
“Vivienne, have you lost your senses?”
“No. Have you lost yours? Trifling with the house servants is not considered comme il faut!”
“House servants?” Bertram was bewildered.
“I believe companions are considered as such in some households.” Vivienne had never held herself so breathtakingly erect, though her miserable pins were now giving up the ghost. As a consequence, her hair was falling about her face in the most inviting of fashions, and Bertram was torn between kissing her thoroughly or throwing her bodily in the lake.
“I have no notion of what you are talking of.”
“Yes, you do!” Vivienne replied hotly. “Oh, I know your sort, Captain Ralston! Were you hoping to give me a slip on the shoulder? I may not appear respectable, but I am, I will have you know!”
“Which is precisely why a special license is burning a hole in my pocket. Also, though I don’t personally care for such trifles, I have just spent the ungodliest of fortunes on a betrothal ring that matches exactly the shade of your eyes. Viv, do be sensible. And, oh, please, please stop crying! You shall ruin my shirt points.”
Quite suddenly, Bertram found he did not mind about his shirt points, for the delectable smell of mint and lavender was assailing his nostrils and a pair of very desirable lips were parting invitingly. He seized the opportunity, for he would have been a veritable gudgeon had he ignored it. After a while spent in this thoroughly agreeable fashion, he pushed Vivienne from him and managed to unravel where the misunderstanding had begun.
“You said you would not marry me for all the tea in China.” Vivienne’s lips quivered at the memory.
“Widgeon! I said I would not marry you that way for all the tea in China! You would not want a huge society wedding, would you?”
“Heaven forbid! Anastasia’s was quite enough. I detest the things.”
“There you go, then! I thought you’d feel that way.” Vivienne nodded, and sighed with quiet contentment. Her hand stole into Bertram’s. The captain, whose self-control was now reaching its limits, thought it high time to mention that he had arrived in a closed chaise rather than in the more usual tilbury.
“And why, pray?” Vivienne was not in the mood to talk of transportation, but being an obliging soul, she decided to humour Bertram, just so long as she could fiddle with his silver buttons and nuzzle a little at his neck.
“Because I am about to abduct you!”
“What? ” Vivienne stopped nuzzling and looked at Bertram in shock. He was not put off, however, because her eyes were twinkling delightfully and he could just make out a dimple peeping in her cheek.
“It is as I say. I have just compromised you quite horribly—look, there is that Peabody Frampton woman walking in the shadows and I bet any number of people can see us in the lamplight. Besides, they are in an uproar inside because they can’t find you. Lady Richmond is currently indulging in a fit of hysterics.”
“I will bet she is!”
“Yes, and like as not Lord Richmond, in the absence of any brothers on your part, will challenge me to a duel.”
“Well, we can’t have that, can we?” Vivienne’s eyes creased at the thought of the timid Lord Richmond challenging anyone to anything.
“Well, then, we have no choice. We shall be married immediately. There is a bishop at Holebury awaiting us this very hour.”
Vivienne’s eyes opened wide. Then she chuckled delightfully, obligingly allowed herself to be thrown over Bertram’s shoulders like a sack of potatoes, and made one comment only. “Abduct away!”
Very obligingly, Captain Ralston did.
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ISBN: 978-1-6018-3053-1
First electronic edition: January 2013
Hayley Ann Solomon, The Brambleberry Bride
