No Marriage Of Convenience - No Marriage Of Convenience Part 49
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No Marriage Of Convenience Part 49

mobbing it even more.A woman to the right of Riley said to her companion, "Must be part of the book I haven't gotten to yet.""No, it isn't, for I finished it just this afternoon, and I don't recall this chapter," the lady's friend commented as if she were watching a production at the Queen's Gate and not a woman's life beingthreatened."Maybe there is to be a sequel," the first woman suggested."Oh, I do hope!" her companion said. "It looks quite exciting."Stephen's grip on her arm grew even tighter. "Why are they clapping? What are they doing?""I don't know," Riley answered.

"I do," Mason said, stepping out from the crowd to block their path.

The entire room grew silent, except for a few collective sighs from the ladies standing about.

"Get out of my way, Ashlin," Stephen warned. "Or I will kill her as she stands here."

"And then what, Cariston?" Mason asked. "Where will you go? What will you do? I'll tell you-you'l

hang. It is over, man. Let her go and you'll only be ruined."

Riley heard Stephen gulp down his next two breaths. What she didn't want to hear was what he had to say next.

"Then if I am to be ruined, you both will share my shame," Stephen said. He waved the pistol in the air.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to introduce my cousin, Madame Fontaine."

"No!" Riley protested. "Stephen, don't do this."

"But cousin, I want all the ton to know about your illustrious past. Yes, my friends, this young woman is

the most notorious whore in all of London-nay, England!"

This announcement was met with disapproving silence, but Riley had the odd sense the crowd'sdispleasure was pointed not at her, but at Stephen.A portly gentleman stepped to Mason's side. "That is no way to talk about Regine," he admonished Stephen.

"No, you didn't hear me," Stephen said. "This is Madame Fontaine. The illegitimate granddaughter of Lady Marlowe."

Muttered comments followed, and then a brief bit of light applause.

"Please, Stephen," Riley whispered, "say no more."

But Stephen continued, since it appeared he had a rapt audience. "My Haymarket cousin has been living

with Lord Ashlin-without the benefit of the parson's blessing."

"How kind it was of Ashlin to take her in," an older lady standing just a few feet from Stephen commented to her companion.

That woman smiled at Riley as if she were the luckiest girl alive. "The Ashlins always know how to take a

stand. To take such a terrible risk on a lady's behalf." Tears glistened in her eyes. "You are so lucky,"

she told Riley."Don't you see," Stephen urged his onlookers, his voice rising to a fevered pitch. "She is a whore, to bereviled. Shunned. Why are you looking at me? Look at her-she is nothing but a dirty bit of baggage."

"I think I've heard quite enough, Cariston," a young man Riley recognized from the Everton ball said as

he stepped out and joined Mason and the other man. "It would be my honor to assist you, Ashlin."

"Honor?" Stephen snarled, pointing the pistol directly at Mason. "This man has no honor. And he will die like the plaguing dog that he is."

Riley no longer cared what happened to herself, only that Mason was in danger. She spun and knocked Stephen's arm upward, the gun firing wildly, the shot blasting into the ceiling, sending down a rain of plaster.

There was a collective gasp from the crowd.

"My God," the portly man to Mason's left complained. "That pistol was loaded! Demmed fool thing tobring to a party."Mason surged forward, as did his youthful friend, and they caught Stephen by his arms.The man struggled and fought wildly, calling out more of his ugly disclosures. "She's an actress, a whore.

She isn't fit to serve any one of us, let alone stand amongst us."

Just then, McElliott came dashing through the front door with three members of the watch right behindhim."I heard the shot, my lord," McElliott said. "Is everyone all right?""We're fine," Mason told him. He handed Stephen over to the watch.As Riley's cousin continued to struggle, jewels started to fall out of his pockets."Looks like I'll need to add thievery to the charges," McElliott commented. "Come along, milord. You should find life in Botany Bay quite to your liking."

"Wait," Riley said. She turned to Mason. "He has proof of my parents' marriage. The papers are in his jacket."

A quick search turned up the evidence, which was in turn handed to Riley.

"Those are mine," Stephen protested. "It is all mine!" he continued to say, even as the watch carted him

away.

With Stephen gone, Mason caught Riley in his arms and kissed her. This was followed by wild applause.

The guests surged around them, congratulating Riley and adding their well-wishes.

"Why do they keep calling me Regine?" she asked Mason, as he pulled her into another embrace-a

move which was met with even wilder applause.

"I suppose I should explain," Mason told her. "I tried to tell you earlier-I suppose I should have asked first."

"Asked what?"

Before Mason could answer, a young girl, probably in her first Season, edged forward. She pulled a

small, narrow volume out of her reticule. "Lord Ashlin, Madame Fontaine, may I be so bold as to askyou to sign my copy?"Riley looked down at the title on the book.The Secret Diaries of Regine, the Illustrious Madame Fontaine."What the-" Riley said, having a sneaking suspicion she didn't want to know."It was your idea," Mason said, grinning at her. "You told me to write your life story-so I did."

Epilogue.

R iley snatched the book out of Mason's hands, as their carriage rolled away from her grandmother's

house. "I can't believe you did this," she said."I hope you don't mind," he said. "I think you should be honored. I've gone through three printingsalready, and the fourth is nearly sold out as well."

"That many copies?" Riley took a deep breath.

Mason nodded. "And since Freddie invested heavily in the printing shop, I've made a small fortune."

"A fortune?" Riley liked the sound of that.

"Yes, enough to pay off the worst of my debts. Mrs. Pindar was quite vexed when I came to redeem my

vowels." He paused for a second. "You see, I couldn't come to you as a pauper. You worked so hardat everything, you made me realize that I'd fallen into worse habits than my father or Freddie. I needed tofollow my industrious ancestors and do something a little more practical if I was to restore our fortunes."

"You prideful, foolish man. I didn't care if you were a pauper or an Earl. I just wanted to spend my life

with you."

"I know, but I needed to do this. To pay my own way. You could say you shamed me into being an honorable man."

"By calling me Regine and selling this exaggerated version of my life story," Riley laughed. "I just wish I'd thought of it first."

"You did. You suggested I write your story the day you left me."Riley caught his hands and held them. "I don't care how you did it, as long as it means we can-" Shedidn't care anymore about propriety. "As long as we can be together always."

"I want nothing less," he declared, pulling her into his arms. "I haven't wanted anything else since the first moment I laid eyes on you. And now I have the means to declare my heart." He got down on one knee in the cramped confines of the carriage. "Riley Fontaine, I love you with all my heart. Will you be my wife?"

"Yes," she whispered, almost afraid to say the words too loud and break this magical spell.He brought his lips to hers and sealed their bargain, this time with more than a handshake."Mason, I never sought money or fortune or titles-I only wanted you," she said after some time."I know that, and it is exactly why I had to come to you with something in my pockets other than lint."She shook her head at him. What did she care about his reasons for delaying? He'd finally made his declaration of love.

Yet there remained one other problem-the reason for their hasty return to Ashlin House.

"What do you think happened to the girls?" Riley asked.

"And Cousin Felicity," Mason added. "She told me this morning that Lord Chilton was sending his

carriage over for them at half past nine. Given the way Cousin Felicity hounded and hammered me to give the girls their Season, you'd think she'd ensure they made it to their coming-out ball."

The carriage pulled to a stop before the house, every room in the place alight.

Mason bounded down from the carriage and up the steps. Riley followed, hot on his heels.

Inside the foyer, a distraught Belton sat on a chair, his face buried in his hands. "In all my years," he was

muttering. "And never have I seen such a disgrace!"

"What is, man? What has happened?" Mason asked the butler.

Belton nodded toward a silver salver resting on the end of the balustrade. Three sealed notes sat atop the