Never Fall for Your Fiancee, page 31
“You think you are destined to follow in their footsteps?” She sunk back on the chair, shaking her head. “Oh, Hugh … What a pointless and wholly avoidable mess.” Tears swam in her eyes. Pitying tears instead of the sad ones he had expected at the reopening of such old wounds. “When I tried to talk to you about it all those years ago, I thought you understood.” She reached for him and gripped his hand across the polished mahogany. “But then, you were still very much a child and perhaps I am guilty of censoring those conversations, and too readily accepting your assertions you understood the situation and were at peace with it.
“Your father wasn’t a philanderer. In fact, he was the exact opposite. He fell in love with Charlotte when he was young and was still deeply in love with her when he took his last breath. She was always the only woman for him and apart from the first weeks of our marriage, he was always faithful to her.”
“Now it is me who doesn’t follow.”
“She was a farmer’s daughter. They grew up in the same village. Played together as children. As time went on, their friendship turned into love and they wanted to marry. But Hugh’s father wouldn’t hear of it. Future earls didn’t marry beneath them, and you already know what a horrid tyrant your grandfather was. To cut a very long story short, he went behind Hugh’s back to her father, threatened to turn them off their land and completely ruin them unless Charlotte terminated the engagement and promised never to see your father again. He had also brokered an arranged marriage with me. My father was a duke, so I was considered the more suitable and advantageous match. That was the way of things in those days … I was young, barely seventeen and much too cosseted to go against the plan, and I married a stranger not much older than me. Newly heartbroken, barely twenty, and always one to do his duty, Hugh did as he was told—but only because he had failed in his attempts to win Charlotte back.”
“She turned him down.” Suddenly it all made sense.
“She couldn’t see her family thrown out on the streets, and your grandfather was a cruel and vindictive man exactly as you have always been told. She didn’t tell Hugh all that, merely saying she did not love him enough, which must have destroyed them both. But on his final attempt to change her mind, the night before his wedding to me, as they said their final goodbye, Sarah was conceived. To be fair to your father, he never would have married me if he’d known, and they were much too young and green to truly understand the consequences of their actions.”
She looked suddenly wistful. “When your father said his vows to me, he meant them and he tried to be a good husband. He discovered Charlotte was with child the same week I discovered we were to have you and then the whole sorry tale came out. I ranted and I raved at the stranger I married and we were both miserable for the longest time—until I realized it wasn’t his fault. Any more than it was mine. It just was.”
“Because some things just are.”
Would he have understood all this at seventeen? Of course not. He was too busy being outraged on his own behalf and heartbroken at the perceived betrayal to consider the reasons behind it. The weight Hugh had always carried on his shoulders suddenly felt lighter.
“Hugh being Hugh, he couldn’t abandon them, and honestly, I never could have grown to love and respect him as much if he had.”
“You loved him?”
“As a friend, darling. We were stuck together for all eternity, there was no point in spending all that time miserable. But it was a marriage in name only. He kept his vows and quietly supported Charlotte and Sarah in case your grandfather got wind of it. We all muddled along as best we could for the sake of appearances for ten whole years, until your grandfather died. Then I gave Hugh permission to be with her, and in return, he introduced me to Jeremiah.… And we both finally got to enjoy being with the person we loved without having to pretend. Except, for Hugh, that wasn’t for very long.”
He felt a rush of emotion for his father almost as painful as when he had first died, except this was tinged with regret.
“Before he died, he made me promise to ensure you only married for love. I suppose I did take that promise a little too literally. Your father always did despair of my meddling. He would have left you to find your own love … which ironically you did, albeit with a little push from me. If it hadn’t been for my meddling, you never would have lied. And then you never would have met Minerva. Your father would have approved of your choice.”
For fifteen years he’d been angry at the man who had shaped him—unfairly. His father hadn’t deserved that.
Had it shown in those final moments?
His concern must have appeared in his expression, because she shook her head and came to stand behind him, wrapping him in a motherly hug and stroking his hair. “You were a good son, Hugh. The best. Just as he was a wonderful man. A great father to both you and Sarah—but I always thought he had a special bond with you. You are so like him. In every conceivable way—aside from your mischievous streak and outstanding sense of humor, which I like to think came from me, of course. And because you are so like him, all he saw was your love at the end and so did I. I never knew you despaired of being his exact image.”
“Well, I suppose that explains why I’ve tired of the bachelor life.”
“And while you were trying so desperately to do the right thing, you did the absolute worst thing in the end. He couldn’t bear to hurt anyone’s feelings either.” The hand that had just lovingly stroked his hair clipped him around the ear. “You have some serious amends to make!”
“I know.”
“To me, to Jeremiah, to that lovely young lady who is miraculously prepared to wait for you despite your total idiocy…”
He was an idiot. Because she didn’t have to wait!
Neither did he! The Standish blood that ran through his veins wasn’t tainted. It was his father’s blood, not his grandfather’s. Therefore it was loyal and decent and capable of lifelong, deep, and abiding love!
What a wonderful revelation!
“… to Reverend Cranham, the entire congregation of Saint Mary’s, Madame Devy…”
Hugh knocked the heavy oak chair over in his hurry to get up.
“Where do you think you’re going, Hugh! I haven’t even got through the half of it yet…”
But he wasn’t listening. He dashed across the hallway and back into the drawing room and skidded to a halt.
Jeremiah was still seething. Lucretia still snoring. Vee sat on the settee. Eyes red, swollen, sad, and remorseful behind her spectacles. Diana next to her, her gaze instantly narrowed at the sight of him, looking out for her sister. Giles munching on a biscuit, waiting for the next gripping installment in Hugh’s epic farce to unfold. Payne hovering while still doing his best to merge into the woodwork.
And Minerva.
Rushing toward him, concerned. Wonderful, selfless, passionate, uncoordinated, outspoken, and perfect Minerva worried entirely about him. Because she loved him.
“Is everything all right?”
“It is better than all right. It is…” Frightening, exciting, unexpected, mind-boggling. The floor was tilting and his head was spinning—but he was free. “Truly … excellent.”
Hugh grabbed her hand and dropped to his knees.
“Do you remember when I said I believed vows should last forever?”
She nodded, confused.
“Well, I still believe it! Marry me, Minerva. Not next year or next month or even next week. Marry me now because I cannot wait another day to spend the rest of my life with you.”
“But you said you wanted to wait…”
“All the more reason to ignore it! Look at the mess I’ve made. I’ve been a blithering idiot! I’m a menace to myself and those around me. I can’t be trusted to make important decisions all by myself.”
“That’s true.” His mother sailed into the room, grinning. “‘Marry me today’ indeed—when the banns still need to be read on Sunday and Madame Devy won’t be able to get Minerva’s beautiful wedding gown here on time! No indeed!”
“But I don’t understand … last night…”
“Last night I believed I was just like my father, and I assumed that was a bad thing, but now I know it wasn’t. It isn’t.” It was wonderful. Truly excellent in every way. “You see, it turns out he wasn’t a philanderer at all—that was just my grandfather.” He could see she was struggling to keep up—and no wonder; he was making no sense. “What I mean is, I was wrong, Minerva. About him. About me. About us. About everything. I will never let you down because you already know I’d rather die than hurt you. So marry me and you have my solemn vow I’ll spend eternity proving it.”
Minerva smiled, her beautiful eyes brimming with love, but before she could respond, his meddling mother decided their nuptials were a fait accompli.
“A Christmas wedding is better, I think. Don’t you, Minerva? Valentine’s is such a long way off. Besides, I’ve already ordered the musicians and sent out the invitations, although I am a bit annoyed I shall have to redo the table plans, now that your nonexistent relatives from the Cairngorms won’t be coming.” Then she rolled her eyes as Lucretia began to snore again. “Although at least we’ll be spared the Mozart—so every cloud … What music would you like, Minerva dear?”
“It will make no difference…” She laughed and tenderly stroked Hugh’s face. “I cannot hear it.”
“Is that a yes, Minerva?”
“And once again, I have been proved right.” A smug Giles addressed nobody in particular. “I warned him. Actually falling for his fake fiancée would only end in catastrophe. And here he is, stumbling headlong into the parson’s trap like a man possessed! The biggest catastrophe of them all. If I wasn’t so delighted to have been so prophetic, I’d be devastated for him.”
His mother sighed. “He’s a man in love, Giles dear. You should try it. In fact … Diana’s awfully pretty. I’ve seen you watching her when you think nobody is looking…”
Diana was outraged. “I wouldn’t have him if he were the last man on earth!”
“And I wouldn’t touch that harridan with a barge pole!” Poor Giles looked absolutely terrified.
“Can you all just shut up so the lady can answer!” Jeremiah’s bellow brought a welcome silence to the room. “Unless you want to run from all this madness, Minerva? In which case, I’ll have the horses saddled.”
“She can’t ride either.” Jeremiah glared at Vee, and she set her jaw stubbornly. “Well, as we are all suddenly telling the truth, I thought I should mention it…”
Hugh felt his lips twitching at the ridiculousness of it all and saw Minerva’s do the same. What bizarre stock they both came from. So much so, life was never destined to be dull. Their children would be interesting. He had never considered them before but suddenly couldn’t wait to meet them all. A house full of adorable green-eyed troublemakers to make their happiness complete.
“So what’s it to be, my love? A wedding followed by a life of nonsense with all of these escaped lunatics or the blissful quiet of a life of delirious exile on a beach in Italy?”
“I’ve become rather accustomed to the chaos these past few weeks.… And Madame Devy’s design was rather wonderful…”
“I am going to need the words, Minerva. The actual words.”
“Then, yes. I’ll marry you.”
He kissed her, and all the chaos receded temporarily into the background. That was something he decided to do whenever life got out of hand. He would kiss his wonderful wife and she would make it all better exactly as she was doing now.
“Then all’s well that ends well. And I promise that is the absolute last theatrical reference I ever use, my love.” Two words that felt perfect on his lips and that he would use wherever possible.
My love.
His. For all eternity.
“Did I ever tell you I played Helena at Drury Lane…”
The unanimous and heartfelt noisy groan said it all.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
As the old saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child, and as each story feels like my baby, it also takes a village to write a book. This book is one I have wanted to write for a long time, because it has bubbled away in the back of my mind for years. It would still be there, waiting patiently behind my other writing commitments, if my wonderful husband hadn’t nagged me weekly to ignore everything else and just write it. I have also been blessed with the two best kids in the world, who have been very forgiving of the fact that their weird mother lives most of her life in her own imaginary world. So thank you, Katie and Alex, for being wonderful, for your encouragement, for growing up to be amazing adults, and for making me laugh. Words cannot say how proud of you I am.
I would also like to thank the writing community, especially my two little “tribes,” who have been there for every step of this journey. The Harpies, my fellow historical romance–writing friends and support network—Nicole Locke, Laurie Benson, Lara Temple, Janice Preston, Jenni Fletcher, Harper St. George, Catherine Tinley, and Elisabeth Hobbes—you rock, ladies! And my exclusive little local writing group, Essex Writers United, who diligently critique my chapters and lead me astray—Liam Livings, Alison Rutland, Lucy Flatman, Kelly Stock, Sophie Rogers, Karen Osborne, Zeba Shah, Andrew Willmer, and Sarah Dorrian—my comrades in arms and my friends for life. Also thanks must go to Linda Fildew and Mills & Boon, from whom I have learned so much.
Finally, a special thank-you to my tenacious and wise agent, Kevan Lyon, for believing in me, and my editor, Jennie Conway, for her unfailing enthusiasm for this story. You are a joy to work with, ladies, and I couldn’t have done this without you!
OTHER BOOKS BY VIRGINIA HEATH
The Discerning Gentleman’s Guide
Redeeming the Reclusive Earl
Miss Bradshaw’s Bought Betrothal
The Scoundrel’s Bartered Bride
Her Enemy at the Altar
His Mistletoe Wager
That Despicable Rogue
THE WILD WARRINERS SERIES
A Warriner to Protect Her
A Warriner to Rescue Her
A Warriner to Tempt Her
A Warriner to Seduce Her
THE KING’S ELITE SERIES
The Mysterious Lord Millcroft
The Uncompromising Lord Flint
The Disgraceful Lord Gray
The Determined Lord Hadleigh
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
When VIRGINIA HEATH was a little girl it took her ages to fall asleep, so she made up stories in her head to help pass the time while she was staring at the ceiling. As she got older, the stories became more complicated, sometimes taking weeks to get to the happy ending. Then, one day, she decided to embrace the insomnia and start writing them down. Now her Regency romcoms (including the Wild Warriners and Talk of the Beau Monde series) are published in many languages across the globe. Twenty books and two Romantic Novel of the Year Award nominations later, it still takes her forever to fall asleep. You can sign up for email updates here.
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright Notice
Dedication
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Acknowledgments
Other Books by Virginia Heath
About the Author
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
First published in the United States by St. Martin’s Griffin, an imprint of St. Martin’s Publishing Group
NEVER FALL FOR YOUR FIANCÉE. Copyright © 2021 by Susan Merritt. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Publishing Group, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271.
www.stmartins.com
Cover design and illustration by Vikki Chu
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Names: Heath, Virginia, 1968- author.
Title: Never fall for your fiancée / Virginia Heath.
Description: First Edition. | New York: St. Martin’s Griffin, 2021. | Series: The merriwell sisters; Book 1
Identifiers: LCCN 2021021938 | ISBN 9781250787767 (trade paperback) | ISBN 9781250787774 (ebook)
Subjects: LCGFT: Novels.
Classification: LCC PR6108.E1753 N48 2021 | DDC 823/.92—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021021938
eISBN 9781250787774
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