A Bluestocking for a Baron : Book 3: Rose: Clean Regency Romance (A Duke's Daughters - The Elbury Bouquet)

by Arietta Richmond

  Rose dabbed at her lips, and sipped some tea to soothe her throat, then stood as Lord Wrenton entered the room.

  <<<>>>

  The journey to London in his comfortable barouche, with the top up and well-sealed against the weather, had given Evan time to think. He was not sure if that was a good thing or not, for it had left him painfully nervous about the conversation to come, whilst equally determined to declare himself, regardless of what reception that declaration might receive.

  Now, as he rapped the knocker on the door of Elbury House, he felt almost ill with the stress of the moment.

  The door opened. Evan proffered his calling card.

  “Might I speak to the Duke of Elbury?”

  The superior looking butler read the card, then stepped back, waving him to enter.

  “This way, my Lord. Please take a seat in this parlour, and I will enquire as to the Duke’s availability.”

  The room he had been shown into was obviously designed for just this use – a space for visitors to wait, or for basic discussions to occur, which had no place in the rest of the house. It was furnished in deep blues, with highlights of a very pale duck egg blue for contrast, and it was, although simple, a rather restful room. But not restful enough to ease Evan’s mind. What if the Duke denied him? He paced its small confines, wondering if any of the words he had prepared would remain in his mind long enough to employ them with the Duke. Probably not. He would have to hope that his sincerity would be enough.

  The butler returned, and Evan spun towards the door as he entered.

  “Follow me please, my Lord.”

  Evan stepped forward, and the butler led him down a corridor, and up the stairs to the door of a study. He tapped on it, and when the Duke responded, the butler opened it, and announced him.

  “Lord Wrenton.”

  Evan stepped through the door, which the butler closed behind him. The Duke stood near some armchairs, which were set about a fireplace. For a moment, there was no sound beyond the crackle of the fire, as the Duke observed him. Evan swallowed.

  “Come in Wrenton. May I offer you a brandy, to chase off the chill of the day?”

  “Thank you, Your Grace.”

  Evan went forward, and the Duke waved him to a seat as he stepped to the sideboard and poured two glasses from the decanter which stood there. Moments later, Evan held the glass in his hand, as the Duke dropped into the chair opposite him.

  “So, Wrenton, what can I do for you?”

  The brandy burned a trail of warmth down Evan’s throat, and he swallowed again. As he had suspected would happen, every coherent word deserted him. He forced himself to speak – what would the Duke think, if he could not even manage that?

  “I… I would like your permission to court your daughter.”

  It came out bluntly, in a rush.

  The Duke smiled, as if amused, and Evan wondered if he had been a complete fool.

  “Before we go any further, please confirm for me… which daughter?”

  “Oh! Lady Rose, Your Grace.”

  “Good, I thought that was your intent, but its best to be sure. Does she know that you’re asking me?”

  “N… no Your Grace. I thought it wisest to ask your permission first.”

  Now the Duke did laugh. “Well, that’s a first. The gentlemen who married my two eldest daughters had progressed rather further before asking me. But, tell me – do you love her?”

  Evan almost choked on the brandy he had just sipped. That the Duke asked that question, before any discussion of his wealth or ability to support a wife, spoke volumes for the man’s priorities in life. All of it good, by Evan’s reckoning.

  “Er… yes, Your Grace, although I have not told her so… yet.”

  The Duke sipped at his own drink, smiling, then gave a nod.

  “I suppose that you expected me to quiz you about your finances, and your plans for the future, before any mention of love?”

  “Yes, Your Grace. Most men would, in your situation.”

  “I am not most men. From what I have seen, and heard, you are an astute man, who is well on his way to making a solid fortune from business, in addition to the fortune you might have inherited. Even if you were not, my first care would be for my daughter’s happiness.”

  Evan took a deep breath – it seemed as good a moment as any to ask the most pertinent question of all, from his point of view.

  “And… you are not… concerned… by the fact that much of my wealth comes from business. A business in which I take an active part?”

  “If you are asking whether I subscribe to the common belief that touching trade in any way sullies a man’s nobility, then the answer is no. I don’t give a damn whether a man has a title, whether he owns and operates businesses, or whether he is loved by the rest of society. I care about the kind of person he is, about his character, far more than all of that. And where my children are concerned, I would see them happy, and loved, with whoever they can find that happiness with. I have enough money to be able to assist them, if the person they conceive an affection for is less well off, and therefore, I do not take that sort of thing into account. The fact that you do have funds, and that much of that is derived from business, only demonstrates to me that you are astute, and intelligent enough to survive association with one of my children.”

  “Then…?”

  Evan’s heart was beating thunderously in his chest, and his mouth was dry. For, if he had interpreted it correctly, the Duke’s words meant that he approved…

  “Yes, you may court Rose, with my blessing. My only stipulation is that you make her happy. But enough of that. Whilst I have you here, I want to speak to you on a very different matter. I am looking to diversify my investments. And your business seems the sort of thing that I might put money into.”

  “Your Grace…?”

  “Are you open to having me as an investor, Wrenton? Because from what I’ve heard, you have a talent for business which almost meets that of one of my closest friends – and he is, in business terms, a genius.”

  Evan’s head spun. This was more than he could conceivably have hoped for. To be allowed to court Lady Rose, and to find an investor of the calibre of the Duke…

  “I am most flattered, Your Grace, and would be honoured to have you invest in the business.”

  “Excellent! We can go into detail later. For now, I expect you’d best proceed to the parlour, and make it clear to Rose that you’re serious about courting her.”

  Evan swallowed the last of the brandy, then rose and bowed.

  “Thank you, Your Grace.”

  Chapter Nine

  As the footman announced him, Evan surveyed the parlour. Lady Rose sat to one side, a half-eaten cake in her hand, her eyes closed, and a blissful expression on her face as she savoured the cake in her mouth. The expression made him smile. The whole moment was so typical of what he knew of her!

  But that expression was dramatically disrupted when his name was announced. She snapped upright from her more relaxed pose, her eyes open wide, and spluttered inelegantly, in shock. As she dabbed her lips with a handkerchief, he stepped into the room, hoping desperately that the shock was just surprise at his presence, and not anything more negative.

  He bowed to the room in general, before going to Lady Rose.

  “Good afternoon, Ladies, Wildenhall. It is a pleasure to see you all again. I do hope that my calling unannounced has not inconvenienced you?”

  Her brother, Thorne, Evan believed he was named, the Marquess of Wildenhall, cast a quick glance at Lady Rose.

  “I do not believe so, Wrenton, although my sister may not forgive you for disrupting her ritual of tea and cakes.”

  Lady Rose glared at her brother, and he subsided, turning away. Evan wondered just what that was about. He turned his attention to Lady Rose, who had risen to greet him. He took her hand, and bowed over it, the warmth of it sending heat to his core. When he rose from the bow, she regarded him with bright eyes, her cheeks flus
hed.

  “I trust that I did not discomfort you too much with my unexpected arrival?”

  “No… I… would you care for tea and cakes?”

  She dropped back onto the couch as she offered, and he settled beside her.

  “Yes, that would be delightful, thank you.”

  “Let me send for fresh tea and more cups.”

  She offered him the plate of cakes, and he took one, then she called for a footman, and asked for the tea. He waited until she turned back to him to bite into the cake, which he did carefully, and, with conscious intent, he closed his eyes and savoured the taste, just as she had done with her cake.

  When he opened his eyes again, it was to catch her fixing her brother with a triumphant look. Wildenhall appeared to repress laughter, then turned to look away. One day, he hoped to know what that interaction portended. The tea arrived, and the moment passed. They settled to quiet conversation, and soon he found himself telling her about the progress on his experiment, and his hope of finding investors while in London. But he could not say the words he wanted to.

  Not here, surrounded by her siblings.

  “Lady Rose, might I take you for a drive about the Park? I have my barouche, so we can proceed with the top down, for propriety, and the day is fine, albeit somewhat chilly.”

  She stilled where she sat, so deliciously close beside him. For a moment, the room as utterly silent, and he felt as if every person in the room was studying them from under lowered lashes, no matter what they ostensibly were doing. Her eyes met his, and something deep within them spoke of hope, and uncertainty. Then she looked down for a moment, her tongue unconsciously slipping out to capture a cake crumb from the corner of her lips.

  In that instant, he ached to kiss her.

  “That would be delightful, my Lord. I will just fetch my pelisse.”

  She rose, and left the room. He followed her, to wait in the foyer. As he closed the parlour door behind him, he heard the rapid whisper of discussion begin in the room he had just left. He had best become used to it, if he hoped to spend his life with Lady Rose.

  Soon, they were moving through the London streets, and then the expanse of Hyde Park. The park was little attended, so late in the year, and the starkness of the leafless trees against the winter sky made it seem colder, yet Evan found himself not noticing the chill. The woman at his side was enough to make him feel heated through. His coachman set a slow pace along the roads through the park, and he turned to Lady Rose, suddenly heart in his mouth, and utterly unsure what to say. Yet surely, he could manage the words?

  Her hazel eyes met his, filled with uncertainty.

  “Lady Rose… I called at Elbury House today, not just to see you, but also to speak with your father.” She gave a little gasp at his words, and he reached out to take her hands in his. She did not pull away. Emboldened, he went on. “He… he has given his permission for me to court you, Lady Rose. Might I dare to hope that you will allow me to do so?”

  <<<>>>

  Shock, and great happiness, ran through Rose at his words. He wanted to court her – and he was serious enough to have asked her father first! She had been so unsure of his feelings, and now, this!

  “I… yes. I would be delighted. I had hoped… but I was never sure…”

  “I was a fool not to speak sooner, not to tell you of my feelings. But I hesitated – after all, you are a Duke’s daughter, and I am but a Baron, and one sullied by trade as well. Yet the more time I spent with you, the more I wanted to spend, and the more I missed you when we were apart. Not just our wonderful conversations, but simply your presence.”

  She looked at him in delight – this was everything she had hoped for, and more.

  “I was equally foolish, my Lord, for I was tempted to tell you of my affection for you, but did not, for fear that you saw me as just a friend, with whom to have fascinating conversations. But now that we know… let us proceed as if we had never known fear!”

  He lifted her hands to his lips, and pressed a gentle kiss onto her knuckles. Even through her gloves, it sent heat shooting to her core, causing an odd quiver deep inside her.

  “I agree. And, might I also share something else, which I hope you will be as happy with as I am?”

  Rose looked at him, a little uncertain – what could possibly be anywhere near as important as the fact that he wanted to formally court her?

  “Ye…yes…”

  “When I spoke to your father, I had half expected him to refuse me, because I am involved so deeply in trade. Instead, he has asked to become an investor in my business. That investment will almost certainly permit me to expand the experiment considerably.”

  “Oh! That is wonderful. But I knew that Father would not look down on you for being in trade – after all, the Earl of Porthaven is one of his friends, and has been so since before he was ennobled. The Earl is the richest merchant in England, with a trade empire than spans the world. My father does not, in any way, regard touching trade as bad. He respects the skill that is required to succeed in business. Oh dear! If I had confessed my feelings earlier, you might have known that, and had his investment earlier too!”

  “It does not matter – what matters is that now we know, and can go forward from here.”

  “True. And I have things to tell you, as well. I was despairing of how I might get the information to you, for it would not have been proper to write to you…”

  “But now you will be able to!”

  “Yes! But let me tell you. I wrote to Mr Stanford again, and carefully asked him if he hoped to carry out his experiments on a larger scale in the future. He said that he could hope to do so, but that both the funds and a suitable location were not currently available to him. I thought…. I thought that I might introduce you to him, in correspondence, and that you might be able to work with him…”

  “But that is wonderful! Not as wonderful as the fact that you care for me, but wonderful still. Today has become one of the best days of my life!”

  Rose smiled at his enthusiasm, and again, he lifted her hand to his lips. Her eyes met his, and as he kissed her fingers, she could think of nothing but how those lips would feel if they were pressed to her own, rather than to her hand.

  <<<>>>

  “Father told us that he has given Lord Wrenton leave to court you! You have been very quiet about this, until now, Rose.”

  “Really, Camellia, I don’t have to tell you my thoughts on every matter. And, truth be told, until now, I was not entirely sure of the depth of his feelings. I am still somewhat uncertain, but the next few months will tell, I suppose. And I pray that all of you leave me alone about this.”

  “As you wish, Rose. I am just happy for you. After all, I have never seen you able to converse with a man as you can with Lord Wrenton.”

  Rose frowned at Camellia. She could not deny that Camellia was right – she had never been able to converse with anyone else as she did with Lord Wrenton. In the end, she settled for being gracious.

  “That is true. Thank you for wishing me happiness. But nothing is set yet – we will see what happens. Perhaps I will manage to meet Hyacinth’s challenge after all.”

  <<<>>>

  Evan drove out with Lady Rose every few days for the next two weeks, whilst he remained in London to discuss business opportunities with other possible investors – a task which had become far easier, after the Duke of Elbury had introduced him to the Earl of Porthaven, who seemed to know everyone worth knowing when it came to business dealings.

  But, eventually, the time came when he must return to Wrenton Hall. Tomorrow, he would leave – today, he was spending with Lady Rose. As they drove into Hyde Park, he was full of conflicting emotions.

  They halted near the Serpentine, and, leaving the carriage with the coachman, walked across the grass and along the banks of the slow-moving watercourse. In a sheltered spot, where a small copse of evergreen trees provided respite from the wind, they stopped, by unspoken consent. They turned to each
other, and Evan felt the irrepressible urge to kiss her. Before he could act on that desire, she spoke.

  “I have had another letter from Mr Stanford! He has given me more detail on the fact that what holds him back from a larger experiment is both space and money.”

  “Then what will you do?”

  “I have already written back to him, suggesting that he contact you – ‘my dear friend’ as you have both the money and space that he lacks, and the genuine interest in the research needed to move this forward. I did not tell him that you already have an experiment in progress. But… hopefully, you will receive a letter soon…”

  Evan could not help it, he swept her into his arms, spinning her around, and brought his lips to hers. When he lowered her to unsteady feet, he did not stop kissing her, and she clung to him, returning the kiss with fervour. Eventually, they drew back from each other breathing hard.

  “You, my dear Lady Rose, are positively wonderful in every way. If Stanford contacts me, you will have achieved something which I thought impossible. And I have wanted an excuse to kiss you, for a very long time.”

  She looked at him, and raised an expressive eyebrow.

  “An excuse? And why, pray tell, is an excuse necessary? On this matter, I do not give a fig for propriety – I far prefer kisses to good behaviour.”

  He laughed, delighted with her yet again. Then he sobered – he had not yet told her that he was to return to Wrenton Hall on the morrow.

  “I am glad to hear you say so, although I will pay due care to your reputation, nonetheless. But I have something to tell you, as well – something I doubt that you will be happy to hear.”

  Her brow furrowed at his words, and he reached a gentle finger to smooth it.

  “What is it, that I will not be happy to hear?”

  “Tomorrow, I leave London. I must return to Wrenton Hall, and to managing my business, and the experiment. I have left Hugh with it for longer than I had planned already. I will not be back to London for quite some time, as the Christmas season also brings with it the freezing of the lakes and the busiest time of the year for my ice houses. I will miss you terribly, but I have no choice.”