Page 87 of Empowered By the Earl (Second Sons of London 3)

Chapter Twenty-Six

Owen chomped atthe bit as his carriage turned into the lane leading up to Cliffside. He would arrive just after drinks were being served in the drawing room. The trip to London usually took three and a half hours or so. He had been at Doctors’ Commons for close to two hours, doing his best to try and speed along the process. Some things couldn’t be hurried, however.

He touched his hand to his breast pocket for at least the tenth time since he had left London, making certain the special license was still there. It had been worth every guinea he’d paid for it and allowed Louisa and him to wed any place of their choosing.

He raked his fingers through his hair, thinking they still had so much to talk about. Would she want the wedding ceremony held in a church? Or would she allow Ev and Adalyn to host it as he had thought upon the conclusion of the house party? He knew women were always talking about gowns and how long it took elaborate ones to be made up. Would Louisa need a new gown for their wedding and cause further delay or could she be happy marrying him in one she already possessed?

Owen intended to get the answers to all his questions very soon. He began to think where they might honeymoon. With Bonaparte now in custody, Paris might actually be a city Louisa would enjoy seeing. Or would she prefer they travel to Vienna and try to visit some with her father? He sighed in frustration. All he seemed to know was that he loved Louisa and was ready to marry her on a moment’s notice.

He wondered about the time she had spent with Lord Boxling today. If Owen hadn’t been vying with the viscount for Louisa’s hand, Owen might consider the man as a friend. He possessed an easy assurance and was quite intelligent. Besting him, though, and claiming Louisa as his countess would most likely put an end to any friendship between the two men. It didn’t matter. He had Ev and Spence nearby and hopefully Win and Percy would be able to take some time away from the army and visit in the near future.

The vehicle began to slow and excitement filled Owen. Having spent most of the day away from Louisa had been torture. He would make it up to himself—and her—tonight. He planned to ravish her until the wee hours of the morning. In fact, he would start with kissing every inch of her beautiful body. That might take a good hour or more.

The carriage came to a halt and he threw open the door, bounding down before the stairs could be placed down for him.

Looking to his driver, he said, “Return to Danfield. Have a groom ride Galahad over before eight o’clock tomorrow morning so that he will be available to me to ride after breakfast tomorrow.”

“Yes, my lord.”

Owen hurried toward the house, realizing he would need to change into more formal wear for dinner. He cursed under his breath and opened the front door, hurrying up the stairs to his bedchamber. When he opened the door, he saw Strunk awaited him. All his clothes were laid out on the bed.

“Thank you, Strunk,” he said, quickly unknotting and discarding his cravat.

“We will have you ready in no time, my lord,” the valet promised.

Even with the efficient Strunk aiding him, Owen knew he had most likely missed out on seeing Louisa in the drawing room. As he rushed down the stairs, he saw Ev and Adalyn leading the way to the dining room, their guests trailing behind them.

Ev saw Owen and called out to him. He joined them, glancing over his shoulder and seeing Louisa on Hampton’s arm. The young man also escorted Miss Peterson.

“Did your business go as planned?” his friend asked, his lips twitching in amusement.

“Yes, it did. Everything that needed to be accomplished was.”

Adalyn frowned. “What was so important at Danfield that your steward could not handle it? You were missed today.”

“It is good to hear that,” he told her. He paused, believing that Louisa had actually kept their secret, else Adalyn would have been pumping him for details about the upcoming marriage.

They entered the dining room and everyone took their places. Owen inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. It was the first time he had been seated next to Louisa.

She took her seat and he leaned over. “Good evening,” he said huskily, inhaling the lavender that clung to her skin.

“Good evening,” she said curtly, a wintry look in her sapphire eyes, immediately turning to Spencer, who was on her right.

He was a blithering idiot. Louisa was mad at him. Of course, she was. He had spent the night in her bed, taking her virginity. He had offered marriage to her. Then he had absented himself for an entire day, leaving no word with her that he would be gone for the day. No wonder she had given him the cold shoulder.

At least he knew how to warm her up.

Owen turned to Miss Peterson, who was on his left.

“Did you enjoy the picnic today, Miss Peterson?”

She spoke of the day and he tried to relax and not worry about Louisa’s behavior. He deserved being ignored. He would accept his punishment as a man. But he definitely planned to end the frost between them after dinner.

As he spent much of the meal conversing with Miss Peterson, he could see why Louisa liked her so much. Owen hoped that Lord Boxling wouldn’t be a fool and walk away from this house party without having made an offer to this woman. She was bright, entertaining and quite pretty, with her lively blue eyes and trim figure. He recalled that Miss Peterson was one of the candidates Adalyn had put forward to Ev before Ev let it be known that he wanted Adalyn and no other.

The meal concluded and Adalyn led the women from the room, promising there would be music and dancing if the gentlemen could finish their port in a timely fashion. Owen longed to hold Louisa in his arms and dancing would be a perfect way to start what he hoped would be a long night together.

He left with the others to head to the ballroom after they had finished their port. Lord Boxling fell into step with Owen.

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