Falling for the Mysterious Viscount: A Historical Regency Romance Book

by Bridget Barton

  Lady Beaumont pouted. “A shame!” Then she smiled. “No, I am only teasing you! I do not wish to pinch your cook, my boy. But your mother will miss her when she returns to London, will she not?”

  Samuel nodded. “Indeed, she will. But I think Mrs Emmett is the only thing she will miss, about Hillgate Manor, and Nottinghamshire.” He paused. “Her heart has always been in London, and she insists it is time for her to go back there, now that the manor has a new mistress.”

  Lady Beaumont nodded approvingly. “She does not wish to be dowager at Hillgate Manor, and she will have her own household again, at your London residence.” She paused. “She is a remarkable lady, my boy. She has been through quite a lot, with the loss of your dear late father, but is determined to find her feet again.”

  Lavinia drifted off, as Samuel and her mother kept chatting. They got along so well. Mama almost couldn’t be kept away from him, whenever they were together, seeking him out at every opportunity. And her father – after having recovered from his shock of having not one, but two daughters, about to wed – was equally fond of his new son-in-law. Together, they had hatched a plan for Samuel to attend the annual hunt at Jonty Hall in a few months.

  “I never would have guessed my girls would marry the way they have,” said Lady Beaumont to Samuel, in an almost conspiratorial whisper. “Sophia was so intent on making a prestigious match, you see. And Lavinia was quite intent on ignoring status altogether. It was quite a shock, for both my husband and myself, the way that things have turned out, I do assure you.”

  Samuel smiled. “And are you happy with the way that things have turned out, Lady Beaumont?”

  Her mother leaned forward a little, towards her son-in-law. “I can tell you, dear boy, that I am very happy that my girls have married for love,” she said, her eyes moist. “They both are so stubborn, in their own ways, but it has turned out admirably on all counts, would you not agree?”

  Out of the corner of her eye, Lavinia watched her husband slowly nod.

  “Yes, Lady Beaumont. I would agree. Love is a powerful thing.” Samuel paused, glancing over at Walter and Sophie, who were giggling together, as they fed each other wedding cake. “And I promise you that Sophie will be in good hands with Walter. I know that my friend will make sure that she is happy, no matter what it takes.”

  Lavinia smiled to herself, warmth spreading through every limb, as she listened to her husband’s words. He was so very sincere. But then, he was a sincere man, wasn’t he?

  It had taken her a while to figure the truth of that out. It had been touch and go, for a while, as to whether she could ever forgive and forget his initial deception. But since she had taken that risk, he had shown her in a million different ways that it had been the right decision to take that leap. Every day that she spent with him solidified her belief in him.

  She turned to her husband, and her mother, her eyes wide with mock shock.

  “Have you been telling all my secrets to Mama, dearest?” she asked.

  They both laughed. They all chatted comfortably together, as the wedding breakfast continued.

  It was a perfect day, thought Lavinia. Another perfect day, to add to all the rest, now.

  ***

  Lavinia watched her sister, on her new husband’s arm, as they strolled towards the open-air carriage, which would transport them to their new home. The carriage was festooned with white roses, an interlaced chain around the top of the vehicle.

  Lavinia sighed with happiness. The carriage looked like it was fit to transport a fairy princess and her beau to Fairyland itself. Sophie was Queen Mab, and Walter her consort, about to be spirited away to a life beyond anything that they had experienced before.

  Sophie broke away, just before they set foot in the carriage, coming towards her. Her sister’s eyes were bright with over excitement, and her cheeks were flushed. The high colour suited her, contrasting with the creamy silk and lace of her wedding gown.

  “I couldn’t set off before saying a final farewell to you,” whispered Sophie, clutching her arm.

  Lavinia smiled. “Good Lord, Sophie, you are only going to Carew House, not the other side of the country!” Her smile widened. “We shall see each other very soon, after you have returned from your quick honeymoon in Scotland. We only live miles away from each other, now. Are you setting off tomorrow, then?”

  Sophie nodded. “Walter has booked us rooms in Edinburgh. He has been there before, and says it is a most wonderful city to explore.” She paused. “I am excited to go, of course, but I am almost reluctant, as well. It seems such a shame to leave my new home when I will just be getting familiar with it.”

  “You will have so much time to explore it after the honeymoon,” replied Lavinia. “Please, my dear, just relax and enjoy this precious time together. It is only days, after all, and the house will be there when you get back, to start your life together.”

  Sophie’s eyes swam with tears. “I still cannot believe it, that I am now Mrs St Clair,” she said, in an amazed voice. “That it all ended well, and Walter and I finally found each other … I have you to thank for that, Liv. Without your insistence that I should follow my heart, I might be married now to a man I do not love, locked into a life I should despise, forever.”

  Lavinia felt tears pricking behind her eyes, too. But she was determined that she wouldn’t cry. There had been enough tears, in this whole affair, and it was a happy day, today. A day of celebration.

  “You did this,” she said, in a fierce whisper. “It was not me, Sophie. You were brave, to follow your heart. You were only living the way that society expected you to, after all. And it was you who found the courage to live another way …”

  “Any advice?” whispered her sister, her eyes wide. “Any advice from one new bride to another on my wedding night?”

  Lavinia laughed. “No, my dear. Just enjoy being with your new husband. It is a revelation, what married life can bring. Relax, and all will be well.”

  Sophie trembled a bit. Lavinia could see that she was nervous, and she didn’t blame her at all. She had been the same way when she had ridden off with Samuel to their new home. As much as she desired it, she had been anxious about what married life entailed. A whole new, unfamiliar life, so different to the old.

  “My love,” called Walter. “The carriage is waiting.”

  Sophie turned around, smiling, and nodded.

  “Thank you, Liv,” she whispered. “Thank you.”

  She turned away, running back to the carriage. They both climbed into it, and the next minute, to the sound of cheering, they were away, racing down the country lane towards their new home, and a whole new life.

  ***

  That night, back at Hillgate Manor after the festivities had concluded, Lavinia sat outside, enjoying the evening air. The season had changed; summer had gone, and autumn was here. The trees had almost shed all their leaves, scattered on the ground, a bright mess of red and yellow that the gardener would rake up in the morning.

  She sighed contentedly. It was beautiful here. In the garden, she could hear an owl, hooting into the night, and beyond were the grounds, a thick woodland that spread out in every direction.

  It was a world away from the busy sights and sounds of London. She basked in the silence and solitude, so very grateful that she was here, and she never had to have another London season again.

  Oh, she knew that she and Samuel would visit London from time to time, but it would be a far different experience to the one she had just had. She would no longer be paraded for view, a part of the matrimonial hunt.

  “May I join you?” whispered a deep voice behind her. “Or are you enjoying your solitude, my love?”

  She smiled, turning around. Samuel was standing there, gazing down at her warmly.

  “You do not even need to ask,” she said slowly. “You are always welcome to join me.”

  He sat down beside her, and for a moment, they were silent, wrapped in a companionable rapport, both staring out at th
e beauty of the night.

  “A full moon,” he said, eventually, taking her hand. “Are you tired? It was a very long day.”

  She shook her head. “Strangely, I am not. I feel deeply content, but almost thrumming with an odd exhilaration …”

  “It was a relief, and a joy, to see them wed,” said Samuel. “To witness the start of their lives together, in perfect unison.” He paused. “I have never seen Walter as happy as he is now. It is as if he has come into himself; as if he is finally the man he was always meant to be.”

  Lavinia nodded. “It is the same with Sophie. She is over the moon, and so very grateful that she trusted her heart. She has blossomed in the most unexpected of ways. It has been a joy to witness her coming into her own.”

  “Should we be grateful then?” he asked, impishly. “Should we be grateful to Samuel Hunter, for bringing us all together? I fear that without him, none of us would be at this point in our lives …”

  She swatted him lightly on the arm. “It is still too soon to joke about it,” she said, in an amused voice. “But when the time comes, I will let you know, and then we may make merry at poor Samuel Hunter’s expense for as long as we like.”

  He scowled, rubbing his arm. But his green eyes were still bright with mischief. Suddenly, he jumped to his feet, holding out his hand.

  “Let us walk,” he said. “Let us walk in the moonlight, just because we can, my Lavinia.”

  They strolled down the garden path, under the light of the full moon, hand in hand. When they got to the edge of the gardens, where the woodlands began, they paused, turning to each other.

  His face was darkened, in the night, but the moon illuminated his hair, a bright mass of curls. Tenderly, she reached out a hand to stroke them.

  “I much prefer the way you wear your hair now,” she whispered. “That foppish style you wore as Samuel Hunter did not really become you, my love.”

  “This is the real me,” he whispered back. “And I am where I belong. I am no fashionable London dandy; the country has always been my home, and always will be. I hope that you feel the same way, my Lavinia.” He paused, gazing down at her with shining eyes. “I hope that you will always be my woodland maiden, standing at the edge of the garden, with moonlight on her hair.”

  “I will always be her,” she whispered, tears in her eyes. “I promise you that I shall always be your maiden fair …”

  He leaned down, kissing her tenderly, cradling her face in his hands. She became breathless, for a moment, leaning into him, never wanting it to stop. But eventually, he pulled away from her, gazing deep into her eyes.

  “My Lavinia,” he whispered. “She who must be loved.”

  Suddenly, he yanked her hand, running through the garden, pulling her with him. She laughed breathlessly, as they ran, weaving in and out of paths, her heart beating wildly with exertion and joy.

  She wished that she could bottle this moment. She wished that she could be here, forever, running with him beneath the moonlight, the breeze whipping her hair from her face. The feel of his hand, warm and hard, in her own, pulling her ever onwards. The adventure of just being with him, unfurling like a ribbon, before her.

  She had found her soul mate, in the unlikeliest of circumstances. A soul mate, that she had never been expecting, wrapped up in the package of someone else entirely.

  He had challenged her assumptions about people and life and society, in the most refreshing of ways. She knew now that it was a lesson that she had needed to learn.

  The time was almost near that she could joke about it. The time had almost come that she could put it behind her forever, and it became merely a story, an anecdote that they would tell other people, about how they found each other. About how it was always fated to happen, exactly as it did.

  THE END

  Can't get enough of Lavinia and Samuel?

  Then make sure to check out the Extended Epilogue to find out…

  What could be worrying Lavinia one year later? Why could she be concerned about the London Season once again?

  What will be the surprising revelation that Lavinia makes to Samuel, sometime after their beautiful wedding?

  How would a “reunion” between our heroes end up and what wonderful stories will they have to tell?

  Click the link or enter it into your browser

  http://bridgetbarton.com/lavinia

  (After reading the Extended Epilogue, turn the page to read the first chapters from “A Lady Defying All for Love”, my Amazon Best-Selling novel!)

  A Lady Defying All for Love

  Introduction

  Eliza Steele is the only daughter of a respected clergyman in a quiet English town. Her life has always been simple and peaceful until, one day, a new family moves to town and her world is about to get upside down. After she realizes she has started falling for the new family’s eldest son, things will inevitably get more complicated than ever. When she finds out that the newcomers are hiding something, will she find the courage to get to the bottom of the mystery, and the compassion to handle what she finds lying there?

  Benedict Flynn is the eldest son of a highly respected family. When his father, a particularly outspoken member of the House of Lords, gets accused of having widely misused his wealth, Benedict’s family doesn’t really have a choice…Disappearing from London’s social scene seems to be the only way to protect themselves from the malicious rumours. However, when a past acquaintance finds out about them, Benedict needs to take immediate action to preserve his family’s reputation. Will he be brave enough to share his secret with the charming lady he meets in town, and ask for her help? And will he dare to admit his feelings for her?

  Eliza and Benedict soon find themselves in the middle of a web of scandal and confusion; a situation they could have never imagined. Will the chemistry between them be strong enough to help them fight anything that comes into their way? Will Eliza find the strength to defy everything in the name of love?

  Prologue

  A Letter to the Public on Recent Rumours of a Baron’s Ill Deeds

  June 10th, 1810; No. 7, Vol. 78

  We invite you, dear reader, to peruse the following disturbing, but not altogether surprising, facts about a certain Baron Baldwin, well known in his own London circles and even amongst certain merchant people who would otherwise not move in the circles of a formerly respected lord and businessman such as himself.

  Our object in the publication of the following story is the speaking of plain truth, which we see as both a duty and a privilege, considering the circumstances at hand. Perhaps the story we tell is not so new to you after all—we have found that triumph of the truth often happens in whispered parlours before it even reaches the written page—but regardless, we proceed.

  This very Baron, a man who previously held a place of high esteem in the government and society alike, has been caught, as it were, in any number of frivolous, and, it appears, at times criminal schemes.

  You may deem such matters to be merely the expected course of men embroiled in the workings of public government, but the good editors here at The Herald beg to differ. Hear our case, and determine whether or not you think this Baron to be as blameless as he would make himself out to be.

  This very Lord Baldwin, a member of the Fitzgerald family and thereby sullying a formerly-respected name in the county, has always been a passionate politician and outspoken member of the House of Lords. Now, we lay at his doorstep another crime entirely.

  An anonymous man in his employ, who will, for the source’s safety, remain unnamed, has accused him openly of misusing his wealth in scurrilous schemes and bribing fellow politicians and laymen to vote in alignment with his own scandalous schemes in the House of Lords. This anonymous source also states that his employer bought silence from opposing parties and took money that belonged to the betterment of the people for his own personal gain.