Viscount of Vanity, Tammy Andresen [top reads txt] 📗

owned shares in the company, and for a time, Abigail and her sisters struggled to even eat. I’m telling you this so that you know you have far more in common with her than you might think.”

Gabriella leaned further into him. “Thank you. I was feeling disadvantaged. That’s good to know.”

“I need them to see us as a legitimate match so that should your father contest any part of our marriage, we have ironclad ground to stand on.”

He saw her grimace, so subtle he might have missed it in the increasing darkness. “I appreciate the lengths you’re going to protect me, but why wouldn’t they see our match as legitimate?” she asked.

It was his turn to wince. “We are. Of course. But it’s all been very sudden.”

* * *

She sat up in her seat, trying to decide why his words bothered her.

Perhaps it was that he was worried other people would not see them as legitimate. Were they not?

Their ceremony had been a bit…odd. Even she knew that.

But they’d married in a church, with a license. And last night they’d been intimate.

Though she recalled their conversation about his…staff. And that had been nowhere near her…opening.

Two days with Austin had taught her a great deal about the man. He was even-tempered, caring, and concerned for her well-being.

On the worst days with her father, she’d pictured a sweeping love who’d pick her up and carry her away.

She wasn’t fool enough to think that was what was happening here. Though, not because she didn’t wish it to. In fact, she was fairly certain her heart was already involved in her marriage.

But there was a distance to Austin. A gap she felt between them, making her ache with longing. She desperately wanted to bridge the void, but she wasn’t certain how.

Not that it mattered. He was still picking her up and carrying her far away from her father’s tyranny, and for that alone, he’d have her undying affection.

He was her hero.

She just wished she could somehow be as important to him as he was to her.

The carriage rumbled to a stop and he stepped out, helping her from the vehicle and escorting her up the massive stairs.

The doors swung open in greeting.

Abigail was there, just as Gabriella remembered her.

The man next to her was nearly as tall and broad as Austin. Though, while Austin was polished, the Baron of Blackwater looked just a bit dangerous. Rough. He had a rakish gleam that pervaded every feature from his overlong blond hair to the jaunty way he stood.

“We’re so pleased you’re here!” Abigail gushed as she stepped forward. “And look at you.” Rather than hug Gabriella, she grabbed Gabriella’s hands and spread them wide. “My goodness you are the most enchanting creature. No wonder Vanity married you.”

“Vanity?” she asked, looking back at Austin.

For the first time since she’d met him, his cheeks turned a bit pink. “It’s a nickname my friends have given me.”

“Mine is Blasphemy. Don’t ask.” Chad stepped forward. “But it helps to keep our identities secret at the gaming hell we run.”

That made her start. Her husband ran a gaming hell? Wasn’t he a lord? Her lips pressed together as she followed her hosts into a sitting room. Austin’s hand came to her back, but for once, she didn’t lean into him. Because she realized why she’d been distressed earlier. He had every right to be concerned about others seeing their match as legitimate. She didn’t know a thing about him. Not really.

If held to question, she couldn’t even answer basic facts about the man she’d married.

“Vanity, you’ll never guess what’s happened,” Abigail said as they sat. “My father has returned. He’s alive.”

Gabriella blinked, allowing the conversation to flow over her as she retreated into her own thoughts.

What had she gotten herself into? The three other members of the party bantered back and forth, clearly old friends who knew each other well. She should listen, she’d likely learn more about Austin, but instead, she looked down at her lap.

“We’ll need the carriage. With Abigail’s father’s return, we’ll travel to London to inform her sisters,” Chad said. How long had the conversation gone on without her?

She blinked back to reality as Austin replied, “Is it safe?”

Chad nodded. “Eliza and Menace are already back, and Isabella and Decadence are on their way.”

Chad gave a quick nod. “Can you send my carriage here when you arrive in London? I need to shore up some more details before we can leave Overton.”

“Such as?” Chad asked, his arm resting lightly about his wife’s waist.

“We can speak on it later.” Austin waved his hand.

“Quite right,” Abigail added. “I’ve been prattling on while Gabriella has hardly said a word. Tell us all about what’s happened since I last saw you.”

Gabriella swallowed. This conversation had her insides all twisted. “Well. The highlight, I think, is that we got married.”

Everyone laughed at that.

Chad gave her a kind smile, the sort that softened his features. “So, Vanity, you’ve married a woman who is both beautiful and quiet. How’d you manage that?”

“Are you insulting me?” Abigail swatted at his arm, but she laughed. “I’ve been told that I am rather chatty. As the youngest of four, I had to be loud in order to be heard.”

Gabriella leaned forward, relieved and pleased at the turn in the conversation. “Did you love having siblings? I’ve always wanted a big family.”

Abigail held her hands to her heart. “My sisters are the most wonderful people in the entire world. I love them so much, it hurts.”

“She loves them with all her heart when she’s not furious with them,” Chad added with a wink. “And I’m sure Vanity will make an excellent father. He’s the most even-tempered of anyone I know.”

She looked over at her husband. She’d thought so too, and it was a small consolation that she’d figured something out about him. But there was still so much she didn’t know, and she was worried one of those gaps might rip them apart completely.

Take the gaming