The Hazardous Gamble of the Alluring Duchess: A Historical Regency Romance Novel

by Hamilton, Hanna

  Selina cringed under the weight of her father’s words. She felt guilt for her existence, although it was entirely outside her control. Her father had three children, all girls, and the Viscount was obsessed with discussing the futility of his life without an heir. Early in his marriage to Lady Downe, optimism dominated his daily life. They were young and, in his mind, destined to have sons. Marianne’s birth had been a setback. Rebecca’s had been a shock. Selina’s however, had been his biggest disappointment. Being with child at such a late point in Lady Downe’s life had been miraculous, and Lord Downe interpreted it as a sign of his son’s arrival. Another daughter had been a cruel trick against him. If there had been justice, a son to inherit would have sprouted from the family tree, but Lord Downe was denied that luxury, and it wounded him deeply.

  “Yes, well,” Lady Downe said, clearing her voice, “some things in life just cannot be changed.” A chill entered her voice, and Selina was heartened to know she did not carry the burden of her father’s opinion alone. It was one of the few things she shared with her mother.

  “Is Marianne still expecting to return next month?” Rebecca asked, as eager as her mother and sister to change the subject.

  “I’m not sure,” her mother replied, scanning through the letter. “There are some business concerns Percy would like to address while they are in Florence, so they may remain a month or so longer.”

  “Even when they do return to England,” Selina said, “they won’t return to Berkshire. Marianne said they will be settling in London.”

  Rebecca took her hand and squeezed it. She looked to her sister and saw the same sadness. Selina was not mourning for her sister, she was suffering the loss of their childhood together. Marianne was the first to enter the adult world, taking on the role of wife, and eventually, mother. It was the future the three of them were trained to enter, but it meant relinquishing the freedom of childhood and their dependence upon each other, which cannot survive outside the nursery forever.

  “That may be,” her mother said. “I, too, wish they would settle here, but it is not to be. I will, however, feel much better having my daughter in the same country.”

  Lord Downe opened his mouth to comment, but was interrupted by the appearance of the footman.

  “Yes, Ford?” he said.

  “This just arrived for you, My Lord,” Ford bowed as he presented a letter on a silver tray.

  “Thank you,” Lord Downe said, as he opened the letter. A smile played at his lips as he read. “I hope you are not offended by the summer solstice, my darling,” he said to his wife.

  “Whatever are you talking about, Lord Downe?”

  “In honor of their son’s return, the Duke and Duchess of Langley are hosting a ball celebrating the longest day of the year.”

  “Lord Northfolk is home?” Selina asked, her eyes widening.

  “It appears so,” her father said. “Does that interest you, Selina?”

  Her father laughed as her milky skin again reddened under his teasing.

  Selina had not seen Elias Weston, Lord Northfolk, in several years, although he had been the center of her childhood. When he did not return to Berkshire after completing his studies at Oxford, she taught herself to stop expecting his return.

  “Not particularly, Father. I’m just surprised,” she said, avoiding her father’s gaze. “I thought his move to Scotland might be permanent.”

  Her father waved the invitation as he spoke. “Luckily for our little society, it wasn’t.”

  “He is a fine young man,” Lady Downe said.

  Selina inspected the petals filling her basket to hide her blushing face. She agreed with her father’s estimation of Elias. She judged every man she met against his character, by which they all fell short.

  “He will do his father and his title proud, I’m sure,” her father muttered before hiding behind his paper.

  Lady Downe narrowed her eyes at her husband, but continued to speak to her daughters with an airy voice. “Naturally, we shall attend. It would be an unforgivable slight not to.”

  Selina’s heart rose. Meeting him again in a crowd would be much better than encountering him alone. She feared her face would betray her and give away too much of her emotions. Her heart could adjust to seeing him from a distance at the ball, and by the time she would have to speak with him, she would be fully in control of herself.

  Selina forced attention to her father, who was speaking to her mother. “If you are still taxed from Marianne’s wedding, I’m certain that the Duchess of Langley will understand.”

  “Stuff and nonsense,” Lady Downe said, waving away her husband’s words.

  “If we are to attend the ball at Langley Hall, I’d like to have a new gown for the occasion,” Rebecca said, smiling at her sister. “I need something a bit lighter for the summer season.”

  Her mother tucked the invitation into its envelope. “I imagine we could all do with something fresh. I’ll send word to Mrs. Hotchkiss.”

  “Not Mrs. Hotchkiss,” Rebecca moaned. “Her work is so slow, and she’s a bit old fashioned. I like something more modern. Louisa Miller just returned from abroad, and she is quick as a whip with a needle. Couldn’t you hire her to make a gown for me?”

  “I’ve used Mrs. Hotchkiss for years. I would hate to insult her.”

  “She can still make yours, Mama,” Selina said, trying to please her mother while secretly agreeing with Rebecca.

  Her mother rose from the table and smoothed her skirts. “I suppose there wouldn’t be any harm in allowing Miss Miller to make something for the younger generation, although I believe Mrs. Hotchkiss has always delivered remarkable work. We must support all enterprises; isn’t that right, dear?” she asked her husband.

  “I don’t know if one or two gowns will make a difference, but I suppose it is in the spirit of progress.”

  She dismissed his teasing and chose to take an innocent view of his words. “Quite right,” she said, before going to the drawing room to handle her correspondence.

  “Well, now that I’m an informed member of society,” her father said, tucking his paper under his arm as he stood, “I must attend to more provincial matters.” He bowed to his daughters before taking his leave.

  An oppressive silence spread between Selina and her sister as they remained at the table. Rebecca watched Selina with a smile of the cat who ate the cream.

  Once Rebecca’s stares became too intrusive to ignore, Selina put down her tea cup and turned to her sister. “Why do you continue to watch me? You make me feel like a criminal.”

  “How odd,” Rebecca cooed, “when, according to your morning adventure, you are really more of a saint.”

  Selina’s back stiffened, but her face remained placid. If only her mother could see how she restrained herself from clawing her sister, it was bound to impress even her. “What do you want, Rebecca?”

  “Nothing, at the moment,” her sister said coyly. “Just remember that I, your loving sister, said nothing to Mama or Father about your imaginative rescue mission, and in the future, if I require your discretion, you will return the gesture.”

  This was not her first negotiation with Rebecca. She narrowed her eyes and studied her sister’s smirking face. “Fine,” Selina said after a moment’s consideration. “Just be sure that it is a proportional request. My crime was only a soiled hem, remember.”

  “Agreed,” Rebecca said, dropping the condescending air. “What is your interest in Elias?” she asked, her voice devoid of the venom it had dripped during breakfast.

  Selina poured herself more tea and took a sip before responding. “I have no interest in him,” she said, trying to sound bored by the question.

  “Oh my, how things have changed,” her sister said. “I seem to recall you having a rather intense interest in young Lord Northfolk when we were children.”

  Heat rose in Selina’s cheeks. “Don’t be ridiculous,” she snapped. “We played together as children, and I thought of him as a brother.”
The lie rang false in her own ears, and she doubted it convinced her sister.

  Rebecca rose from the table and patted her sister’s shoulder. “Of course, I’ve never had a brother, but you never looked at me, your loving sister, with the same eyes you turned to him.”

  Selina opened her mouth to respond, but her sister was too quick. She disappeared into the house before Selina could utter a response.

  It was true - Selina had been a little in love with Elias when they were children. It was difficult not to be. He had been handsome, even as a child, but his appeal went beyond looks. Despite the wealth and status of his family, he used his influence to protect others, rather than for his own gain.

  Once, when she and Elias were hiding from her sisters, they stumbled upon the groom’s son. He, too, had been hiding, but not for amusement. The village bully had given him a routing for no other reason than his diminutive size. Elias took the loose navy ribbon hanging from Selina’s small braid and tied it around the boy’s wrist.

  “If you give him the power to hurt you, it’s because you don’t value your own worth. You trust his harsh words more than the voice in your own heart,” he had told the boy. “Keep this as a reminder of your own value. When he taunts you again, because that is what brutes like him do, remember that not everyone thinks of you as he does. You choose which of us to believe.”

  At first, Selina was prepared to scold Elias for giving away what belonged to her, but then she saw the impact his small gesture had.

  The groom’s son ran a finger over the soft fabric. “Thank you, My Lord, My Lady.” His eyes full of gratitude, the boy bowed before running off.

  In that moment, and all the moments that followed, Selina had adored him, but they were children no longer. Elias’ family sent him to university, then he assisted his father with their responsibilities in Scotland, and it had been years since she saw the sun shine off his auburn hair, but the memory οf it remained vivid for her. However, she believed whatever sway she had over him to induce their friendship must have fallen away over time. Holding out hope for his affections was foolish, and she knew that. Still, she looked forward to the ball and a chance to meet with her old friend, even if it was to say goodbye to their youth before they moved into their adult commitments.

  A light breeze blew across the veranda, and Selina picked up her basket and turned her thoughts to the flower arrangement she must make for her mother. She hoped, without much conviction, that the end result would give her mother pride.

  Chapter 2

  It was already late in the morning when Elias awoke. He stretched, catlike in the sun, desperate to loosen his tight muscles. Being confined to the carriage all day and well into the night had been physically and mentally exhausting. He looked around his room, and was surprised by the easy familiarity which engulfed him. For years, he had dedicated himself to the role of student, and then to that of Lord while in Norwich, but he instantly allowed himself to return to that of son.

  Elias quickly dressed, and by the time he descended the stairs and joined his mother in the morning room, he felt as though he had never left Langley Hall. He found his mother, the Duchess of Langley, seated on the divan surrounded by swatches of silk and brocade. Thompson, the butler, uncovered a tray, bowed to Elias, then left the room.

  “Elias,” she said, holding out her hands to her son. “Thompson told me that you arrived last night. I wish you would have woken me.”

  He clasped his mother’s hands and leaned down to kiss her cheek. “It was so abominably late, I was not heartless enough to pull you from your bed when all I could think about was my own. I was exhausted, and I would not have been any company for you.”

  His mother looked the same as he remembered. Time did not have the power to change her, and he attributed it to the beauty of her spirit. In his travels, he had never met anyone who could compete with his mother’s generosity and kindness. “I would have been a very poor companion.”

  “Nonsense. I would have been content to watch you sleep, as I did when you were a baby. My heart rests easier when you are under this roof.”

  He laughed, but the warmth of her words reminded him how isolated he had become. Working with his father on the Norwich estate was educational but not comforting. Work dominated his father’s life, and there was no room for conversation outside business.

  His mother was so different, all love and affection, and it nurtured him in ways he did not realize he had been missing. However, it was unacceptable for a man to admit he liked being mothered. “Even birds allow their young to fly from the nest, Mother. You will be forced to do the same someday,” he teased as he sat in the chair opposite her.

  She batted away his words with a flick of her wrist.

  “It seems that I slept away the morning,” he said, taking in the project engrossing his mother. “I suppose it is too late to ask for breakfast?”

  She raised her eyebrows and attempted to conceal her smile. “If you are lucky, you might find a few pastries tucked away on the table Thompson set up for you.”

  Elias jumped up from the chair, fueled by his hunger, and hurried to inspect the food. “Splendid, Mother. You think of everything. Why, there’s enough for both of us.” He put a scone and cream on a saucer. “I was so exhausted, I was certain I slept the day away. I cannot believe I roused myself out of bed first.”

  “Did your father come home with you last night?” the Duchess asked, clasping her hand to her chest. “The poor man. I had no idea.”

  “No, Mother,” Elias shook his head. He had suggested that his father accompany him, but he was reluctant as ever to abandon his work. “Father will be along next week or the week after. I’m sure he will return in plenty of time for your ball,” he said, as he poured a cup of tea.

  She blinked away her disappointment. “Well, if your father did not accompany you on your trip, whom did you bring with you?”

  Elias smiled as if he were about to share a wonderful surprise. “Uncle Kenneth,” he said after swallowing a bite of scone. “He had been staying with Father at the house in Galloway.”

  Elias expected her to be pleased. She always greeted guests with sincere hospitality, but her reaction lacked enthusiasm. Elias understood that she was struggling to hide her disappointment over his father’s delay.

  “Oh,” the Duchess replied. “I had no idea Lord Lonsdale was planning to stay. I would have made arrangements to accommodate him.”

  “I don’t believe he knew he was coming until he boarded the coach. He’s gotten eccentric, but I truly enjoy Uncle Kenneth’s company. He spent the entire trip telling tales of Father when he was a boy. It made me believe that I must have been an angel in comparison.”

  The Duchess picked up a swatch of burgundy brocade then laid it down without resting her eyes upon it. “You always were a good son.” She smiled at him. “However, do not believe everything your Uncle Kenneth tells you. He prefers story to the truth.”

  “I do not believe that is fair,” a deep voice remarked from the doorway.

  The Duchess closed her eyes as she took a deep breath. Once she exhaled, her smile was again balanced on her face. “Fair is a matter of viewpoint,” she said “Perhaps you need a new perspective.”

  “As long as I can see your beauty, I will be content.” Lord Lonsdale took her hand and bowed to kiss it.

  Elias watched the exchange between his mother and uncle. Over the years, his mother’s easy cordiality with everyone she met deeply impressed him, but she did not seem interested in verbal banter today. Elias wondered how long his father had been away from Langley Hall. It was obvious to him that carrying on without him was taking a toll on his mother.

  “Insincere flattery has gone out of fashion, Lord Lonsdale. Save your charm for an audience less familiar with your antics.” She turned her eyes from him and studied the silks.

  “This is a cool reception for my uncle,” Elias said, “but I did warn him that you abhor surprises.” He returned his empty plate to the serv
ing table before sitting beside his mother on the divan. “I assume you have a reason for this patchwork of silks,” he said.

  “I’m having new linens made for the Summer Solstice Ball, but I haven’t decided upon the fabric,” the Duchess said. “I think something light would be best for the occasion. Perhaps this green?”

  She handed the lightly embroidered square to her son. He wondered if the ball was a celebration of his return or a distraction from his father’s absence. This was a familiar scene. As a child, he spent most of his time with his mother. It was only when he became involved in the affairs of running the estates that he got to really know his father. While that was good management of the estates, Elias was beginning to understand the damage done to his parents’ marriage.

  “I think it is a marvelous choice. Trust your instincts, Mother,” Elias said, handing the fabric back to his mother. He wanted to tell her that she did a remarkable job running Langley Hall, and that she was more capable than most of the men that he had met. However, he had no idea how to say all of that to his mother, so instead he said, “You have excellent taste.”

  “Thank you, darling,” his mother replied, patting her son’s hand. “Have I mentioned how pleased I am to have you home?”

  Elias laughed heartily. “Only ten or twelve times, but it is nice to hear.”

  “Good. I do not want you to forget,” she said as she caressed her son’s cheek. “Now if your sister, Constance, were here, I believe my heart would be complete.”

  “I was surprised that I did not see her. Where is she hiding herself?” Elias asked.

  “She is spending time with your Aunt and Uncle Abbot. However, I would imagine she is spending most of her time following your cousin Julia around. I am craving to have my family all under one roof.”