A Stranger at Castonbury

by Amanda McCabe

  She slowly turned her head to find Jamie sitting by the bed. He slowly stroked her hand as he sang, his tousled head bent over her fingers. He looked rumpled and exhausted, his cravat loosened and his shirt wrinkled. He was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen.

  ‘Jamie,’ she whispered, and his head shot up.

  ‘Catalina, you are awake,’ he said. He raised her hand to his lips and kissed it. ‘Are you in any pain at all?’

  She tried to shake her head, but a jolt went up from the base of her neck to her eyes and she winced. ‘A headache, that is all. But everything is a bit hazy to me. Is Webster...?’

  ‘He is dead. He will not work his evil schemes on anyone else again.’

  Catalina remembered it all then—Webster’s body on the ground as the cottage burned down, his eyes staring sightlessly at the sky. She shivered, and Jamie’s hand tightened on hers. ‘No one else is hurt?’

  ‘The footman is dead. Everett brought men from Castonbury, but by then it had begun to rain and the fire was going out. He helped me get you to the doctor.’ Jamie’s hand tightened on hers. ‘Dear God, Catalina, but when you were so still and pale in my arms—I have never felt such fear. If I had lost you again...’

  ‘But you did not!’ Catalina covered his touch with her other hand and held on to him. ‘I am here. We are both here. We have been given such a rare gift, and I—I was a fool to think I could ever turn away from it. I knew that when I was locked in the cottage. I love you, Jamie, mi amor. And I always will, even if you go away from me.’

  ‘Go away from you?’ Jamie said hoarsely. ‘Never, Catalina. I love you too, more than my own life, more than anything. I felt dead inside when I lost you in Spain, and I never felt alive again until I saw you here at Castonbury.’

  ‘You love me?’ Catalina whispered, as a bright happiness like none she had ever known before bloomed in her heart.

  ‘You are my true wife. Even if you left me and I married someone else from duty, I would always long for you. For the other half of my heart. I thought having you as my wife would be the only practical solution—now I know it was only because I love you that I need you so much.’ Jamie raised their linked hands, and Catalina saw that he had put her sapphire ring back on her finger. ‘Will you marry me again, Catalina? Will you stay with me for ever, even as broken and scarred as I am?’

  ‘Jamie, Jamie,’ Catalina said. She was crying in earnest now. She couldn’t stop the tears from falling as she threw her arms around his shoulders and held on as if she would never let him go. And she would not, never again. ‘I would marry you a thousand times over. You are my miracle.’

  ‘And you are mine.’ Jamie held her against him, and to her shock she felt his own tears on her skin. ‘We have been parted for much too long. I am never letting you out of my sight again. My wife, my love. My Catalina.’

  ‘My Jamie. Mi amor.’ And as they embraced each other, a ray of bright sunshine pierced the rain outside and the golden light shone down on Castonbury.

  Epilogue

  ‘Happy is the bride the sun shines on,’ Catalina heard Lily’s grandmother, Mrs Lovell, say as the doors of St Mary’s church were thrown open and the bride appeared in a cloud of ivory satin and fine lace, pearls in her dark hair. The light that poured in after her could not rival the brilliance of her joyful smile as she looked down the aisle to her groom.

  The church was filled with summer flowers gathered from the estate, brilliant bursts of white, yellow, pink and red that scented the air with the perfume of the Castonbury gardens. Every pew was filled, and there were even people standing in the side aisles, for no one wanted to miss the long-awaited marriage of Giles and Lily.

  Catalina studied the congregation around her. The duke and Mrs Landes-Fraser sat in the front pew with Lily’s beloved grandmother, while Phaedra and Bram held hands beside them. Phaedra did not wear her riding habit, but a stylish gown and bonnet of pale blue and yellow. The duke’s niece, Araminta, was there from her new home in Cambridgeshire with her handsome husband, Lord Antony. His sister, Claire, whose husband, the renowned chef and hotelier André du Valière, had come to make the grand wedding cake, sat behind them. Adam Stratton and his wife, Amber, a new-found Montague, sat with his mother Mrs Stratton, who also cried just a bit as she watched Giles marry at last.

  All the Montague family was there to celebrate, except for Lady Kate, who had written her congratulations from Boston—along with the news that she was expecting her first child.

  The vicar Reverend Seagrove, Lily’s adoptive father, beamed from his place at the altar as Lily and Giles joined hands and stepped before him. The music from the organ swelled, but the bride and groom only had eyes for each other.

  ‘Oh, Mrs Moreno, isn’t it beautiful?’ Lily whispered. Then she gasped. ‘Oh, no! You are not Mrs Moreno now. You are Lady Hatherton.’

  Catalina smiled as she felt Jamie, who stood on her other side, reach for her hand. Jamie—her husband, married twice now. They had said their vows by special licence last night in the drawing room at Castonbury, in a ceremony much quieter than this one. The duke, still in shock at the news of their ‘betrothal,’ had stayed in his chamber, but Lydia and Jamie’s siblings had witnessed their vows.

  Another marriage had also taken place, even quieter and more secret, in the vicarage. Mr Everett and Alicia had been wed, and were already gone to the far north of Scotland where Jamie had obtained a position for Everett at an estate. Alicia was forgiven by the Montagues in thanks for how she had helped Jamie catch Webster, but they did not want to see her ever again.

  And after all the wedding festivities were concluded, Jamie was planning to travel to London to endorse Mr Hale’s suit for Lydia’s hand with her guardian. The young rector smiled at Lydia now from across the aisle, making her giggle and blush.

  It was a lovely day indeed, Catalina thought as she watched the sun come through the windows. Mrs Lovell was right—happy was the bride the sun shone upon.

  She smiled up at her husband, and he squeezed her hand as Lily said, ‘I do.’

  ‘I love you, Lady Hatherton,’ he whispered.

  ‘And I love you, Lord Hatherton,’ she whispered back. ‘Always and for ever.’

  * * * * *

  We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin ebook. Connect with us for info on our new releases, access to exclusive offers, free online reads and much more!

  Subscribe to our newsletter: Harlequin.com/newsletters

  Visit Harlequin.com

  We like you—why not like us on Facebook: Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks

  Follow us on Twitter: Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks

  Read our blog for all the latest news on our authors and books: HarlequinBlog.com

  Turn the page to find out more about Joanna Fulford and the Castonbury Park series…

  Amanda McCabe wrote her first romance at the age of sixteen—a vast epic, starring all her friends as the characters, written secretly during algebra class. She’s never since used algebra, but her books have been nominated for many awards, including the RITA®, Romantic Times Reviewers’ Choice Award, the Booksellers Best, the National Readers’ Choice Award, and the Holt Medallion. She lives in Oklahoma, with a menagerie of two cats, a pug and a bossy miniature poodle, and loves dance classes, collecting cheesy travel souvenirs, and watching the Food Network—even though she doesn’t cook.Visit her at http://ammandamccabe.tripod.com and http://www.riskyregencies.blogspot.com

  Previous novels by the same author:

  TO CATCH A ROGUE*

  TO DECEIVE A DUKE*

  TO KISS A COUNT*

  A NOTORIOUS WOMAN +

  A SINFUL ALLIANCE +

  HIGH SEAS STOWAWAY +

  THE SHY DUCHESS

  THE TAMING OF THE ROGUE

  THE WINTER QUEEN

  TARNISHED ROSE OF THE COURT

  And in Harlequin Historical Undone! eBooks:

  SHIPWRECKED AND SEDUCED +

  TO BED A LIBERTINE

  THE MAID’S L
OVER

  TO COURT, CAPTURE AND CONQUER

  GIRL IN THE BEADED MASK

  UNLACING THE LADY IN WAITING

  ONE WICKED CHRISTMAS

  * The Chase Muses trilogy

  + linked by character

  Author Q&A

  Apart from your own, which other heroine did you empathise with the most?

  That is such a hard question! I was really fascinated by everyone else’s characters and the way they developed—both in their own stories and as characters in the series as a whole. I did really admire Phaedra in UNBEFITTING A LADY—she seemed like such a free spirit, determined to follow her own heart and passions wherever they would lead her. Plus, she was my hero’s favourite baby sister!

  Which Montague do you think Mrs Stratton the housekeeper let get away with the most?

  I loved Mrs Stratton! She almost seemed like a second mother to the Montague children, watching then grow up and showing them affection when their own parents could not. I think maybe she had a soft spot for my hero, Jamie—he was the oldest, and the most solemn (even when he was a child!), and she might have felt just a bit sorry for him...

  Which stately home inspired Castonby Park and why?

  We decided to take Kedleston Hall as our model for Castonbury. It’s a large, grand, built-to-impress house, unusual in many of its architectural features, and has extensive and beautiful grounds (with lots of places for secret romantic meetings!). There is a great deal of information and many images available, and also several of the authors had visited, so it seemed like a good spot for our characters. (And in spirit it’s a lot like Downton Abbey, a place that has its own character.)

  Where did you get the inspiration for Jamie and Catalina?

  I love the idea of wartime romance—a whirlwind, passionate affair surrounded by danger and uncertainty—and when Jamie first came into my mind I could see him as a man who would be surprised to find love at such a time, and would be even more passionate for that. I also love the country of Spain, its landscape and turbulent history, so I loved it when a Spanish heroine appeared who was perfect for him.

  What are you researching for your forthcoming novel?

  I am starting another Regency series, centred around a family at the centre of a small, almost Cranford-esque village! I can’t give away too much about it yet, but I am loving the characters and the trouble they can get into in such an unexpected place...

  What would you most like to have been doing in Regency times?

  I think I would have loved to be doing just what I do now—writing stories! I have always loved the image of Jane Austen devising her stories in the midst of a busy Regency house, finding inspiration in the people and environment around her. But probably I would be scrubbing pots in the scullery...

  AUTHOR NOTE

  When I was first asked to take part in this project I was so excited! I loved the one collaborative project I’d done before (The Diamonds of Welbourne Manor with Diane Gaston and Deb Marlowe), and this one was even more extensive and involved. I would get to try a new writing method, as well as work with authors I’ve admired for a long time. Also, I am a huge Downton Abbey and Upstairs Downstairs fan! The challenge and fun of creating a similar world in the Regency —a family and a house caught up in the tides of enormous change and scandal—was too much to resist. It was one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve found in writing to help build such a world.

  I got the job of wrapping up the series with the last book: the tale of Jamie, Marquess of Hatherton, whose reappearance in his home after a mysterious absence of years throws Castonbury into chaos once again. I was worried about doing justice to the other characters, but I loved working with everyone else to bring their characters into my story and making them a part of Jamie’s tale. And I have to admit I adored Jamie! I have always had a weakness for dark, tormented, complicated heroes who carry secrets in their hearts, and when I found out that one of his secrets was a lost love —well, I just felt for him all the more. I loved seeing him find his way back to his family and his home, and discovering how his experiences in wartime had changed him.

  I was very inspired by diaries and letters from the time of the Peninsula campaign, where many British soldiers found romance with Spanish ladies. It was a turbulent, passionate time, and Catalina was very much a part of all that. She was also more than a match for Jamie! It was the hardest thing I’ve ever written to tear them apart—but that just made it more fun to bring them back together again at Castonbury...

  9781426876783

  Copyright © 2013 by Amanda McCabe

  All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

  ® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.

  www.Harlequin.com