The Valet Who Loved Me
Valerie Bowman
June Third Enterprises, LLC
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
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The Valet Who Loved Me, copyright ® 2020 by June Third Enterprises, LLC.
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All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
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Print edition ISBN: 978-0-9893758-8-7
Digital edition ISBN: 978-0-9893758-5-6
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Book Cover Design © Lyndsey Llewellen at Llewellen Designs.
For my aunt, Dr. Ramona Shires.
The Footmen’s Club wouldn’t be here without you.
With love.
He’s on a top-secret assignment
All of London knows Beau Bellham as the Marquess of Bellingham, but only a trusted few know he also works for the Home Office. His specialty? Scouting out traitors to the Crown. So, when one of his friends pretends to be a footman at a house party in order to find a wife, Beau decides posing as a valet at the same gathering will be the perfect cover for him to spy on the men he suspects of treason. What Beau doesn’t count on, however, is butting heads with a far-too-certain-of-herself maid who gives him hell at every turn.
She’s about to blow his cover
Miss Marianne Notley is a lady’s maid with more secrets than hairpins. When she meets her employer’s new valet, she distrusts him immediately. Never mind his dashing good looks and irrepressible charm, he’s a bit too sure of himself and asks a few too many questions for her liking. She’s on a mission to reveal the mysterious valet’s true identity, and she’s not above wielding her own considerable charms to do it. But before long, all the pretending Marianne and Beau are doing feels alarmingly real—and a lot like falling in love. When they finally discover the truth about each other, will it spark a face-off for the ages or a love that lasts for all time?
The Players
Lucas Drake, the Earl of Kendall
Dark-brown-haired, green-eyed, former navy hero turned earl, who needs to find a lady to make a countess. His friends cook up an insane plot to help him.
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Rhys Sheffield, the Duke of Worthington
(aka Worth)
Black-haired, dark-blue-eyed, devil-may-care rake and gambler with a love of horses. He’s tall, dark, and handsome and has a past with a certain lady, who may just be bent on revenge when the perfect opportunity presents itself.
Beaumont Bellham, the Marquess of Bellingham
(aka Bell)
Blond-haired, light-blue-eyed, in control of everything in his world. Bell is a spy for the Home Office, and nothing misses his notice, that is until he just might meet his match in the most unexpected of places.
Miss Marianne Notley, lady’s maid to Lady Wilhelmina Copperpot
Red-haired, vividly-blue-eyed, Marianne is savvy, intelligent, and entirely used to relying upon herself. When she meets her employer’s new valet, she immediately distrusts him. He may be handsome. He may be charming. But he’s absolutely hiding a secret. She ought to know—she is too.
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Miss Frances Wharton, daughter of Baron Winfield
Brown-haired and eyed, she’s determined to fight for the rights of the poor, has a tiny dowry, reads too much, and is too particular according to her mother. Frances has no interest in marriage until she meets a footman who just might change her mind.
Lady Julianna Montgomery, daughter of the Duke of Montlake
Blond-haired, light-green-eyed Lady Julianna is gorgeous, rich, and comes from an excellent family. Once considered the best catch of the Season, she’s happily engaged to the Marquess of Murdock. But when she finds her ex-flame, Worth, pretending to be a groom in the stables at a house party, she decides it’s the perfect opportunity to pay him back for jilting her.
Ewan Fairchild, Viscount Clayton
Boon companion to Kendall, Worth, and Bell, and host of the infamous summer house party. Married to his true love, Theodora, whom he met when she broke her leg trying to sneak into his stables.
Author’s Note
The Footmen’s Club Trilogy consists of the stories of the Earl of Kendall (book 1, The Footman and I), The Duke of Worthington (book 2, Duke Looks Like a Groomsman), and the Marquess of Bellingham (book 3, The Valet Who Loved Me). The prologue of each book is the same scene written from each hero’s point of view. Rest assured, with the exception of the prologue, no other content or scene is repeated. If you haven’t read the other books, the prologue will help you understand the infamous bet. If you have read the other books, the prologue will give you a bit more insight into the hero of that book.
Contents
Prologue
1. Chapter One
2. Chapter Two
3. Chapter Three
4. Chapter Four
5. Chapter Five
6. Chapter Six
7. Chapter Seven
8. Chapter Eight
9. Chapter Nine
10. Chapter Ten
11. Chapter Eleven
12. Chapter Twelve
13. Chapter Thirteen
14. Chapter Fourteen
15. Chapter Fifteen
16. Chapter Sixteen
17. Chapter Seventeen
18. Chapter Eighteen
19. Chapter Nineteen
20. Chapter Twenty
21. Chapter Twenty-One
22. Chapter Twenty-Two
23. Chapter Twenty-Three
24. Chapter Twenty-Four
25. Chapter Twenty-Five
26. Chapter Twenty-Six
27. Chapter Twenty-Seven
28. Chapter Twenty-Eight
29. Chapter Twenty-Nine
30. Chapter Thirty
31. Chapter Thirty-One
32. Chapter Thirty-Two
33. Chapter Thirty-Three
34. Chapter Thirty-Four
35. Chapter Thirty-Five
36. Chapter Thirty-Six
37. Chapter Thirty-Seven
38. Chapter Thirty-Eight
39. Chapter Thirty-Nine
40. Chapter Forty
41. Chapter Forty-One
Also by Valerie Bowman
Let’s Keep in Touch
About the Author
Prologue
London, July 1814
Beau Bellham, the Marquess of Bellingham, was on alert. He was always on alert when he went out drinking with friends. As the only one not imbibing, he took the responsibility of ensuring nothing untoward happened. Beau didn’t drink. But he also didn’t fault his friends for doing so. He merely wanted to ensure they all made it home safely.
They were sitting at a four-person table in an alcove near a window at The Curious Goat Inn, and Beau was waiting for the perfect opportunity to introduce an idea to his friends that they might just find…ludicrous. He’d been mulling over the various ways one might introduce a ludicrous subject to one’s closest friends when Kendall sat down his mug on the rough-hewn tabletop and said, “I think it’s time I find a wife.”
Beau’s head snapped to face him. Apparently, Kendall would be the first to introduce a ludicrous notion tonight.
Worth and Clayton were also staring at Kendall as if the man had lost his mind. Now, this stood to be an interesting conversation. An interesting conversation
, indeed.
As usual, Rhys Sheffield, the Duke of Worthington, was the first to speak. Despite his late father’s influence, Worth was a good man. A bit of rogue when it came to ladies and a dedicated gambler, Worth enjoyed a good competition, and while he did his best to pretend as if he was devil-may-care, Beau knew that Worth would sacrifice his life for his country if it came to it. He nearly had once.
Shaking his head vigorously in response to Kendall’s statement, Worth winced and sucked in his breath. “A wife? Good God, man! There’s no need to rush into anything so…permanent.”
“We’re not getting any younger,” Kendall replied.
“On the contrary,” Worth continued, “at nine and twenty, we’re pups. My father was over fifty when I was born.”
Kendall was dedicated to his role as a new earl after the death of his brother from consumption. He took the title and its responsibilities quite seriously. Specifically, he’d taken up the cause of the Employment Bill his brother had been so dedicated to getting passed in Parliament before his death. But with this talk of marriage, Kendall was clearly forgetting what had happened the last time he’d been betrothed.
Beau decided it was time to speak. He narrowed his eyes on Kendall. “Are you certain you’re ready? It’s only been two years since…” He allowed his sentence to trail off. No need to open the scab that had healed over the man’s heart. Unlike himself and Worth, who’d both always been far more aloof when it came to dedicating oneself to a member of the opposite sex, Kendall felt things deeply. He’d been devastated when Lady Emily Foswell had tossed him over—just before they were set to marry—for a man with a title.
Worth was dedicated to a bachelor lifestyle, while Beau considered himself married to his position at the Home Office. He’d even attempted to renounce his bloody title to serve in the Army, but the idea of him traipsing across Europe being shot at hadn’t pleased the Crown. Instead, they’d allowed him to use his talents in another way. As a spy for the Home Office, his specialty was scouting out traitors, and there was honestly nothing he enjoyed more.
“Thank heavens,” Clayton exclaimed, jolting Beau from his thoughts. “I cannot wait until I’m no longer the only one of us with the parson’s noose around his neck.”
Ewan Fairchild, Viscount Clayton, had recently married and was just back from his honeymoon. The viscount loved his wife, politics, and science (in that order). Wealthy, friendly, and loyal, Clayton clearly adored his wife Theodora, and married life appeared to agree with him.
Beau pushed his mug full of questionable-looking water around the tabletop as he contemplated each of his friends. The four of them had met as lads at Eton and remained dedicated to each other through the years. Each of them played a unique role in their group.
Kendall was preoccupied with duty. A loyal Navy man, he’d promised his brother on his death bed that he would ensure the Employment Bill was passed by Parliament, and he’d promised his mother the same day that he would see to the business of begetting an heir. The man carried heavy burdens. But Kendall didn’t relish the idea of having to find a wife, not after the Lady Emily debacle.
Worth served as the comic of the group, making astute comments with the type of sarcastic humor he was known for. He liked to think he was a ne’er-do-well, but with his title and fortune, he wasn’t a particularly convincing one. Still, the man was loyal to a fault. He would never forgive Lady Emily, for instance, for tossing over his good friend, Kendall.
Beau himself was always preoccupied with his latest mission, and he was currently obsessed with his hunt for the Bidassoa traitor. Someone in Parliament who was privy to the plans of Wellington’s force in Spain last autumn had betrayed the British army at Bidassoa by writing a letter to the enemy, revealing the strategy.
The plan had been foiled, thank Christ, and the British had won at Bidassoa, but it didn’t make the act of the traitor any less dastardly. There was nothing more important to Beau than finding the culprit and turning him over to the authorities for justice. Hence the ludicrous notion that was currently bobbing in his brain while they discussed Kendall’s want of a wife.
“I’m entirely serious,” Kendall continued. “I must look to secure the earldom. I fear I’ve been too preoccupied with the Employment Bill. I’ve been remiss waiting this long to find a bride.”
“I certainly won’t disagree with you that you’ve been too preoccupied with the Employment Bill,” Worth replied. “Obsessed is more like it.”
Kendall shrugged. “Well, now that the Lords have tabled the vote until the autumn session, I have more time to rally the votes I need. I might as well get about the business of looking for a wife in earnest.”
Beau narrowed his eyes. A thought had just occurred to him. Another ludicrous thought.
“I never bother to vote in Parliament,” Worth said. “Don’t happen to care for the hours. And all the arguing is downright exhausting.”
Beau gave Worth a long-suffering look and shook his head. “God forbid you take an interest in your seat or any of the issues the country is dealing with.”
Worth responded by providing them all with his most charming grin. No doubt that self-possessed smile had been the downfall of quite a fair number of ladies. “I’m entirely confident you chaps can handle it,” Worth replied, clapping Beau on the back.
“When the time comes for the vote for my brother’s law,” Kendall continued, addressing his remarks to Worth, “I’ll drive to your town house and drag you out of bed myself.”
Beau laughed loud and long along with Clayton.
“Let’s not talk of such unpleasantness,” Worth replied with a sigh. “You mentioned finding a bride, Kendall. That’s much more interesting. Now, how old are you again?” The duke shoved back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest, narrowing his eyes at Kendall.
Kendall arched a brow. “The same age you are, old man.”
Worth was only teasing Kendall. They were all the same age, save for a matter of months.
“Well, then,” Worth declared. “You’ve plenty of time to find a wife as far as I’m concerned.”
“That’s easy to say, coming from a man who’s never given a toss about securing his own title,” Kendall shot back with a grin.
Worth returned the smile. “I cannot argue with you there.” He gave the barmaid a wide smile and ordered another round of drinks for the table.
“Yes, well, if you’re seriously looking for a wife, Kendall, the Season has just ended,” Clayton interjected. “It seems you’ve missed your chance. The entire ton is about to retire to the country as soon as Parliament closes next week.”
“I’m well aware,” Kendall replied with a curt nod. “The Season makes my skin crawl. Full of simpering maids and purse-eyeing mamas eager to show off their best behavior in the hopes of snaring a rich husband. I don’t want to find a wife that way.”
“How else do you intend to find one?” Beau asked. Yes, his ludicrous idea just might work if this conversation took the turn he thought it might.
“I don’t know how exactly.” Kendall took another drink. “But this time I intend to find a lady who loves me for myself.”
There it was. Kendall’s only allowance to Lady Emily Foswell.
“Yes!” Worth pounded his fist against the table. The duke’s normally jovial voice had filled with anger. “I think we can all agree that Lady Emily is the lowest of the low. There’s no excuse for what she did, tossing over one man for another with a better title. As far as I’m concerned, she no longer exists.”
Leave it to Worth to name the lady. Though it was true that Worth had been the angriest of all of them over Lady Emily’s behavior. And the most interested in ensuring Lady Emily knew that she’d inadvertently tossed over a future earl for a baron.
“Can we not discuss Lady Emily, please?” Kendall groaned and covered his face with a hand.
Worth’s good humor returned with the arrival of the barmaid who’d appeared with their drinks. “Keep ‘em comi
ng, love,” he said to her, before turning back to Kendall and adding, “I’m merely pointing out that if you want a lady who loves you for yourself, the Season and its ridiculousness are the last place you should go.”
“Yes,” Kendall replied with a sigh, lifting his mug into the air in salute of Worth. “Didn’t I already say that? The Season and its fetes are the last place I should go, which is why I’ve avoided it like the pox for the last two Seasons.”
“Oh, is that why you haven’t attended the boring balls at Almack’s?” Worth replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “I thought it was the tepid tea and small talk. That’s why I steer clear of them.”
“You avoid them because they don’t serve brandy and we all know it,” Beau said, staring fixedly at Worth, his arms crossed tightly over his chest.
Worth winked at him. “That and they won’t give me the bank that Hollister’s will.”
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