Ladies and Their Secrets: Regency Romance Collection

by Alec, Joyce

  “Will you let me handle this situation?” he asked softly. “I want to bring an end to it all, for good. I want to make sure that they will never have a need to come near to you again, my dear. I want us to be able to consider our future without fear, without worry about what they might do.”

  Our future?

  Sophia could not get her breath; she could not form words. Her heart skipped wildly, filled to the brim with sheer happiness. She had gone from frustration and upset to overwhelming joy.

  “My dear Sophia,” the duke said quietly, a small smile lingering on his face. “Will you trust me with this?”

  She nodded slowly, her mind still somewhat dazed. “I will, your grace.”

  A chuckle escaped him, his lips tipping into a broad smile. “My name is Matthew. I would be honored if you called me by my Christian name. After all, I did just kiss you.”

  “Matthew,” she managed to repeat, her world suddenly bursting into life. “Thank you, Matthew. I do trust you, whatever you intend to do.”

  His smile grew tender. “Thank you, Sophia. I promise you that, by this time tomorrow, it will all be over.”

  16

  The following morning, Matthew sent for his brother almost as soon as he was awake, telling the footman to insist that he come at once. He could not help but chuckle at the frustration on his brother’s tired face as he stumbled into Matthew’s study, clearly a little worse for wear.

  “Good evening last night, was it?” Matthew asked, with a small chuckle. “You appear to have had a very good time.”

  “It is far too early,” Arthur groaned, sitting down heavily in an overstuffed chair. “Whatever is the matter?”

  Matthew waited for the butler and footmen to set down the trays on the table, seeing his brother reach for the coffee almost at once. Once the room was quiet, he turned to his brother who was now adding cream to his dark coffee, muttering under his breath.

  “It is about Miss Weston and her dear brother,” he began, seeing Arthur look up with a sudden frown. “All is not well.”

  Arthur’s frown deepened. “Lord and Lady Brookridge were not particularly happy with you last evening, that is for sure,” he said, sitting back in his chair. “Once you left, they huddled in a corner for a good half hour, talking together. I had very little idea as to what they were saying, but there were a lot of dark looks from them both. Whatever did you say?”

  “They want to take Miss Weston back with them,” Matthew said calmly. “I told them they could not.”

  That woke his brother up a little more. Arthur pushed himself up a little straighter in his seat and frowned at his brother. “What do you mean? I didn’t think they knew she was here.”

  “By unfortunate coincidence, they managed to meet,” Matthew replied, sipping his coffee. “Regardless, Miss Weston then came to speak to me to say she wished to leave. I soon discovered that her reasons for doing so were not because she truly desired to leave, but more that she was being forced to.”

  Arthur’s eyes widened all the more.

  “Lord Brookridge has said he will do all he can to disrupt my daughter’s future by spreading the most vile and vulgar rumors about me,” Matthew replied, aware of the hot rush of anger that spread through him still. “I do not take such things lightly, Arthur. This must be dealt with.”

  For a few minutes, Arthur simply stared at him, his mouth now ajar as he attempted to think of something to say in response. It had clearly come as quite a shock, especially since he had been previously acquainted with Viscount Brookridge before he had gained his title.

  “I am sorry I ever invited them,” he stammered eventually. “Truly, Matthew, I had no idea that Brookridge was this kind of man.”

  Matthew sighed and shook his head, feeling somewhat weary of the whole business. “Indeed, Miss Weston has said much the same. I believe the woman he married is more a serpent than anything else. Poisoned him slowly until he is no longer recognizable as the man he once was.”

  Arthur blustered for a moment or two, clearly now quite awake. “Well, what are you going to do about it? The man cannot be allowed to take his sister back with him, not when he is clearly both cruel and vindictive, but neither can you let him say anything of the kind about you!”

  “Calm yourself, brother,” Matthew replied firmly. “That is precisely why I have woken you so early. I need you to go to the seamstress in town – the one a few miles away from here. It is a good distance away, which is why you must go with as much urgency as you can. Find the seamstress and ask her for the best gown she has in her shop. I do not care about price. In fact, I want you to buy a good number of gowns, although you need only bring a couple back with you. I had the maid come up with a few measurements earlier this morning, which should be contained in this note.” He handed the scribbled note to his brother, who took it without a word. “Then return here as quickly but as carefully as you can. That gown is to go straight to Miss Weston. Once she has been prepared, Miss Weston will join us for dinner.”

  Arthur nodded slowly, aware that the rest of the household guests would not rise until the early afternoon, if not later. “You intend to introduce Miss Weston to the rest of the guests?”

  “More than that,” Matthew replied firmly. “I intend to ensure that her so-called family will be shown the error of their ways. They will be thoroughly shamed, and Miss Weston will never have reason to fear them ever again. I intend them to be as lowly as they have tried to make her, to the point that they dare not show their faces for the shame of it.”

  His voice had grown louder, more resounding as he finished his speech, his blood already beginning to boil as his thoughts settled on Viscount Brookridge.

  “By Jove,” Arthur muttered, getting up from his chair. “You have it all worked out, do you not?”

  “I do,” Matthew replied firmly. “I do not intend to let Miss Weston be treated this way.”

  His brother nodded but paused, his eyes lit with curiosity. “Does this mean that you are now willing to admit that there is something of an affection in your heart for Miss Weston?” he asked quietly. “I swear I shall be greatly delighted if that is the case.”

  Matthew paused for a moment, wondering whether or not to tell his brother all that he had planned but choosing at the last moment not to do so. “I care very deeply for Miss Weston,” he admitted, “and she for me, I think.”

  Arthur grinned, thumping the top of the chair in delight. “Wonderful. I am very glad to hear it. There’s something more to her than there ever was with Elizabeth, if you do not mind me saying so.”

  Not able to disagree, Matthew smiled and lifted his shoulder. “I have a real and true affection for her, which I never had for Elizabeth. Our match was one of consideration, practicality, and tradition. Nothing more. That is entirely absent with Miss Weston. I feel none of the coldness nor experience any of the distance I had with Elizabeth.” Hoping he was not coming across as callous, Matthew let out a long sigh. “I hope I do not sound cruel, Arthur, but I barely knew my wife. She was a veritable stranger, who kept to her own rooms and who I took to my bed only the once. Of course, I mourned her, but there was no real pain there. When it comes to Sophia – to Miss Weston, I mean – just the thought of her leaving my home brought me such agony that I could not bear it!”

  Arthur’s smile spread, clearly delighted. “Well, may I say how glad I am to see you in love at last, brother. It is a wonderful state of being and one I very much hope to be in again, whenever the time comes.”

  “Thank you,” Matthew replied, not sure what else to say. He had said more than he had meant to but with the truth of his feelings came a sudden feeling of relief. He did love Miss Weston, even though it was only the very first fruits of such a feeling, and he was quite sure that, whether she loved him yet or not, such an emotion would soon be returned. It was just as he had said to his brother: he had never felt such emotions before, and it was opening up a bright new world to him.

  “I’d better go if I am
to return on time,” Arthur said, making his way to the door. “Make sure not to start dinner without me!”

  Matthew laughed, waving his hand to shoo his brother out of the door. “I do not think we can!” he called, sitting back down at his desk. “Now do be quick about it! It all depends on you.”

  17

  Sophia was busy preparing for the first lesson of the day with Sarah when a knock at the door came. Looking up, expecting it to be the nurse or a footman, she was astonished to see none other than the duke step inside the schoolroom.

  “Your grace,” she exclaimed, blushing furiously, as he took her hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it. “I mean, Matthew…” She trailed off, the name still sounding unfamiliar to her lips whilst a rush of heat shot up her arm and pooled in her core. She looked into his blue eyes and saw them almost glimmer with something like excitement or anticipation. His promise to ensure that her difficult situation would come to an end by this evening had been like a candle held up in the midst of darkness, giving her hope when everything had seemed black. She could not help but give him both her trust and her heart. He had treated her with more respect, more consideration than her own brother, despite her lower place in his household.

  “Sophia, how are you?” he asked softly, reaching for her hand and pressing it gently. “I have some news. Are you able to speak with me for a moment?”

  “Of course,” she breathed, finding herself growing more and more nervous as she looked up into his face. What was it he intended? How was he to resolve the situation?”

  His expression grew solemn. “I regret to inform you, Sophia, that I can no longer keep you on as governess.”

  Sophia stared at him in shock, her face paling as he held her hands tightly.

  “I cannot let the woman I love be a hired worker in my house,” he continued, as she closed her eyes in relief. “Sophia, we have to consider the future.”

  Her legs were weak, making her sway slightly, as she tried to regain her composure. For a second, she had thought he intended to push her from his house, that she would have nowhere to go, but then the reassurance had returned to her heart. Of course, he would not do such a thing as that.

  “Sophia,” he said again, looking down into her eyes. “I believe myself to be falling in love with you. You have brought delight and happiness into my home and made my daughter an even brighter star than she already was. I cannot think of my home without you.”

  Confusion reigned. Shaking her head, Sophia frowned, her forehead creasing. “But I cannot remain here if I am not employed by you,” she said slowly. “I will have to go back to–”

  “No,” he interrupted firmly. “You will never have to go back to your brother. Sophia, if you will accept, I intend to make you the Duchess of Harrogate.”

  She blinked, her legs refusing to hold her weight for a moment. The duke caught her tightly, her hands curling around the edge of his waistcoat as she held onto him tightly. The words he’d said resonated in her mind over and over, until she had no choice but to accept them.

  The Duke of Harrogate wanted her as his bride. As his wife.

  “I will have the banns called this Sunday, and we shall be wed in a fortnight,” he whispered in her ear, his arms holding her tightly. “What do you say, my love? Will you have me?”

  It had all happened so quickly that, for a moment, Sophia was struck dumb. To become his wife would be the happiest moment of her life thus far, and she could not even think of refusing.

  “Are you sure, Matthew?” she whispered, her throat aching with a sudden yet wonderful ache of happiness. “We have not been all that well acquainted.”

  “Something I fully intend to rectify in the next few weeks,” he assured her, smiling. “Sophia, I did not love my first wife. She was, by all accounts, a genteel, proper lady, but that was all I knew of her. We did not spend time together; we did not so much as converse on a regular basis. When she found she was pregnant, we spent even less time together. I never had the urge to know her more, and she did not feel that for me either. It was all very convenient, very neat. That is not the case with you. I feel such a fire burning whenever I see you, and my desire is only to be with you. I want to spend hours talking with you, to have you in my company as my wife and not the governess. I know that my love will grow all the more, for I do not think I have ever felt such happiness in my life before.”

  Sophia closed her eyes to stop her tears from escaping, her lips curving into a beautiful smile. Her arms wrapped around his neck, a sigh of contentedness escaping her.

  “Does this mean that you accept?” the duke asked softly, his lips whispering across her forehead. “You will have me?”

  “I will,” Sophia whispered, her lips finally meeting his for a brief, gentle kiss.

  They stood there for a long time, wrapped in one another’s arms and simply considering the life that now lay out before them. Sophia did not think she had ever been so happy, her very being seeming to come alive with sheer joy. She would be wife to a man she loved and mother to a girl she had come to care for so very deeply. Her brother and sister-in-law would have no grounds to come to her, to insist that she do whatever they say. She had nothing left to fear. The duke had taken care of it all.

  “Now,” he murmured, finally taking a step back. “I have already had your things moved. You are to have a proper bedchamber, as becomes your new station as my betrothed, and there is a bath being drawn for you. A maid will come to dress your hair, and Arthur is returning this very moment with a few new gowns for you. Although, you shall order yourself as many as you wish once the guests have left us. I think you more beautiful than anyone in your governess’s dress, but I do not think it will be appropriate for dinner tonight, do you?”

  Blushing furiously, Sophia laughed softly. “I do have some of my other gowns with me from home. Just a couple I could never bear to part with.”

  “That does not matter,” he replied firmly. “You are to have a brand-new gown of the highest fashion so that I may present you this evening to the rest of my guests as my betrothed.”

  The thought had her worried for a moment, but he brushed it away with a gentle kiss to her forehead.

  “Arthur will stay on with us until the wedding, so you need not worry about lack of propriety,” he said gently. “Sarah will be delighted, I am sure. Although, now I realize I must find her a new governess!” He chuckled, as she opened her mouth to protest, patting her hand. “Come with me, my love. I will show you to your new rooms so that you might begin to get ready. Tonight is the night when all shall be revealed, when your brother and his devious wife will realize that their schemes will no longer be tolerated.”

  A flash of anger crossed his face, and Sophia felt a shiver creep up her spine.

  He kissed her again, a little more firmly this time, and it was all Sophia could do not to melt into his arms. Within a few minutes, they had left the schoolroom behind, walking together to her new rooms within the main part of the house. She was no longer a governess. She was Miss Sophia Weston, the bride-to-be of the Duke of Harrogate. Sophia felt herself practically glow with happiness.

  * * *

  “Is this all right, miss?”

  Sophia blinked at her reflection as the maid finished putting the last of a few incandescent pearls into her hair. It had been washed and dried and was now pulled up onto the top of her hair in an elaborate style, with a cascade of curls falling down onto her neck whilst still away from her face. A few gentle golden tendrils curled around her ears, reaching down to where a stunning diamond necklace lay. Sophia barely recognized herself.

  “Thank you,” she breathed, pressing one hand to her chest as she struggled to keep her composure. “You have done a marvelous job.”

  “And just in time too, miss,” the maid replied, as a quiet knock sounded at the door. “I think you are quite ready.”

  Standing up carefully, her feet in soft slippers, Sophia made her way to the door and opened it, finding the duke standing ther
e with his back to her. He turned around at once, his eyes widening and his mouth falling open as he took her in. Blushing furiously, Sophia saw him swallow hard, his mouth closing as he let out a long breath.

  “My goodness,” he muttered, shaking his head. “How am I meant to speak coherently with you by my side, Sophia? You take my breath away.”

  Looking down at the emerald gown that encased her frame, Sophia spread her arms wide. “Your brother chose wonderfully, Matthew.”

  The duke chuckled and offered her his arm, which she took at once. “Do not think that Arthur had anything to do with it, my love. Most likely, the seamstress chose for him.”

  “I will be sure to send her my thanks,” Sophia murmured, as they made their way down the staircase, one hand pressed lightly against her middle, as she fought to keep her nerves at bay.

  As though he knew what she was feeling, the duke stopped at the bottom of the stairs, reaching for her free hand and taking both in his. “My dear, you have nothing to worry about. You will be the talk of the town, I am sure of it, whilst your brother will scuttle back to his manor house in disgrace. I cannot tell you how proud I am to have you on my arm. You have made me the happiest man in England.”

  Pressing his lips to her cheek for a moment, he smiled into her eyes, giving her the courage she needed. Lifting her chin a notch, she took his arm and began to walk forward toward the drawing room where the rest of the guests would be waiting to go through to dinner.

  The door opened for them, and Sophia felt her stomach tighten as she walked inside. The small gathered crowd turned as one to look at them both, and Sophia felt her smile become fixed. She had no idea what any of them were thinking and did not dare ask.