Enchanted by the Mysterious Marquess: A Clean & Sweet Regency Historical Romance

by Fanny Finch

  Myles clapped a hand over her mouth and leaned in to whisper to her.

  “Miss Bronson! It is me. I did not mean to scare you.”

  “Please do not scream,” the Marquess said before taking his hand away.

  “You… my lord, you do choose the most awkward ways to approach me!” Lavinia said in a harsh voice. He flinched at the sound of it. “You gave me such a fright!”

  Myles nodded, lowering his head. She was right. He did not know why he did not think first before he sought her out.

  “I do apologize, Miss. It was not my intention. I simply wished to speak to you where no one would see us.” He let go of her arm and took a step away from her.

  Lavinia straightened the wrinkles on her dress with furious motions. “I am surprised at you, my lord. Why do you treat me in such a brash manner? I realize my father asked you to do something for him but your manner of approach leaves much to be desired. Tell me, do you know how to greet someone and speak to them directly or do you shock everyone you speak to with your sudden presence?”

  Myles could feel the heat on his face as he blushed. He regretted his aggressive way. He had no explanation for his behavior. Perhaps the ways of a soldier was so deeply ingrained in him that he did not know another way to act. He had simply seen her and reached out for her. She was alone. He did not know how she could be alone when the stakes were so high.

  He had seen her dancing with Sir Franklin. He had watched her walking around with him before the dance started. It angered him that she would be so careless, when he had already warned her that Sir Franklin was up to no good.

  He did not have a good reputation. Myles did not want to see Lavinia’s tarnished by the likes of Sir Franklin. It would be a disgrace on her father’s name, as well as her own.

  “You ought not to be spending time with Sir Franklin, Miss Bronson,” he said, with an alarmed tone. “After what I have told you, how is that you feel safe to walk out here alone?”

  Lavinia frowned at him. “It is not your place to tell me whether I should or should not be alone. I do not care what promise you made to my father. It does not give you the right to tell me what to do or watch my every move.”

  “I must do what I must to keep you safe. I repeat, you should not be spending time with Sir Franklin. Perhaps the warning I gave you about him is why you are so on edge. You know you are not doing the right thing.” Myles could not help himself. Her words might have been true but his deep sense of obligation and duty told him he was doing what was right. She was a careless, foolish girl who did not realize the danger she was in.

  “I should not…” Lavinia responded with a shake of her head and a slack jaw. “You will not stop, will you? You were watching me tonight?”

  “I was not the only one watching you dance with Sir Franklin. And mingling with him beforehand?” Myles shook his head. He did not know how Lavinia could be so naïve. The man might as well have been the one who shot him. He had warned her. She should heed his warnings. “I have warned you about that man. Why must you persist in being so stubborn?”

  Lavinia exhaled sharply. “My lord, I am simply trying to determine the truth. If he is not suitable for me, my mother needs to know it. Besides, I cannot bear to be suspicious of every man who approaches me. It is no way to live. Unless you wish to tell me otherwise? Is there a reason I should be suspicious of them and their motives?”

  The Marquess sighed. Of course. She was an intelligent woman. Of course she would have understood by now that there was something he was hiding from her. ”You should heed my warnings and stay away from him and men like him.”

  Lavinia spoke in an exasperated voice. “My lord, if you will not tell me what I need to know, I will find out on my own. My opinion of Sir Franklin should be based on his character, not a vague warning from a stranger my father never even mentioned.”

  “And how do you find his character?” Myles was curious to know. He had ill feelings toward Sir Franklin, having read the reports from Mr. Gentry about his behavior with women for the past couple years. Since he came to London for the seasons. The very beginning.

  Lavinia lifted her chin and gazed at him. “I find his character to be quite lacking in good qualities,” she replied with great dignity, unwilling to openly admit to agreeing with him.

  Myles wanted to laugh but he kept his face neutral. He nodded curtly. “As well you should.”

  “You have been here all this time and did not approach me before?” Lavinia asked incredulously. He could see her temper was still bubbling under the surface.

  “I was speaking with Sir Henry Astor when you and his sister, Anna, arrived. I was here, you just did not see me.”

  Lavinia frowned. “Why would you hide yourself from me?”

  “I was not hiding from you, Miss Bronson. You were preoccupied with Sir Franklin at the time if I remember correctly.”

  Lavinia suddenly looked sad. Myles wondered what was going through her mind. She had a slightly guilty look. He could only assume she had not wanted him to see her with Sir Franklin.

  “I have asked your friend, Miss AstorAstor, to keep an eye on you, Miss Bronson. I do not wish to see you do anything stupid.”

  Lavinia’s face went through a variety of emotions before it landed on anger. The Marquess was taken aback. He looked at first confused, then he realized what he had done and looked embarrassed. That was when her face turned to anger, her eyes becoming narrow slits.

  “How dare you, sir!” she whispered, angrily. “You have taken liberties that were not yours to take!”

  “I only wish to see you safe, Miss Bronson. Your father would…”

  “My father would what?” Lavinia took a step closer to him so she could speak in a very low tone that only he could hear. “My father would allow a stranger to dictate my life, who I can and cannot speak to, bringing my friends into the mix? How do you know what is best for me, my lord? Why do you presume to have so much authority over my life? You are neither my father nor my brother nor-” She blushed. “Nor my family,” she said, both knowing that was not what she originally had started to say.

  “I am only trying to protect you, Miss Bronson.” Myles used the sternest tone he could. He had to get it through to her. Despite her reaction to his words, he knew what he was doing was right. She needed to be protected. If she was foolish enough to put herself in harm’s way by allowing Sir Franklin to dance with her and walk with her, she needed to be watched.

  Myles was certain Anna would do a fine job taking care of her friend. Miss Astor had seemed less than pleased when he spoke to her about Lavinia and Sir Franklin.

  “I think he is a vile man,” Anna had told him, her voice betraying how upset she was to see Lavinia walking around with Sir Franklin. She leaned forward and spoke in a hushed tone. “I have had my experience with him and his machinations. I do not wish to see Lavinia caught in that same web.”

  Myles had nodded his agreement. He could not help but wonder to what experiences Anna was referring. His heart went out to the girl, if she had been the brunt of any of Sir Franklin’s machinations. “I only wish to keep her safe. Will you join me in keeping an eye on her? Her father would not want her in harm’s way.”

  Anna had looked up at him with curious eyes. “Do you think Sir Franklin would harm Lavinia? Other than hurt her heart?”

  Myles could only shake his head. “I have no knowledge of what Sir Franklin is capable of. I do not wish to give him a chance to show us.”

  Anna was in total agreement with him. He was glad to have the woman on his side. Sir Henry had stayed remarkably quiet during their conversation, though Myles knew he was listening. Mr. Gentry had given him no new information about Sir Henry and Myles thought of him as generally harmless.

  The Astors were not poor by any means. This gave Myles pause when he thought about Sir Henry’s true intentions. He was focused more on Sir Franklin. Someone was trying to eliminate rivals for Lavinia’s hand. If neither Sir Henry nor Sir Franklin had been
threatened, didn’t it stand to reason it was one of them? Or the fiend simply hadn’t started plotting against them yet?

  He was brought out of his thoughts when Lavinia took a step closer and was now directly in front of him.

  “My lord, you have stepped over the line. I did not ask you to do any of this for me.”

  Myles shook his head, looking directly into her eyes. “Miss Bronson. You did not have to. Your father did. I do not wish to anger you, but you fail to see the gravity of your situation and what has recently occurred. This simply cannot go without being addressed. While the answers are discovered, you must keep yourself safe.”

  “No one is threatening my safety, my lord,” Lavinia said, stubbornly.

  Myles frowned. “I do hope you are not thinking as selfishly as that sounds, Miss Bronson. Men’s lives are being threatened because of your status as an eligible woman. It is imperative that you remain safe so that the person responsible can be discovered without harm to anyone.”

  Lavinia dropped her head, looking a bit ashamed. “I do not wish to have someone else running my life, my lord.”

  Myles shook his head. “I do not wish to do that. I only wish to keep you safe. You are a… stubborn woman. You can be… reckless. I am only trying to do what I believe is the right thing.”

  “You are infringing on my privacy,” Lavinia insisted.

  “To keep you safeMyles retorted, nearly at the end of his rope with the woman. Why did she not see his intentions were honorable? Why did she insist on objecting to everything he wanted to do for her?

  “I am not a little girl,” Lavinia said. “I am a grown woman. I can take care of myself. I do not need constant supervision.”

  “And you are not under constant supervision, Miss. But when you are out in public, I must insist on keeping you as safe as possible.”

  Lavinia looked away from him, shaking her head. “I do not want your protection.”

  Her voice sounded so weak, Myles could not help thinking she was lying just a little. “Miss AstorAstor has informed me that she has planned a trip. You will go with her.”

  Lavinia looked up at him sharply, a shocked look on her face.

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “She has informed me that you will be going with her on a trip she has arranged for the near future.”

  “What do… what do you mean? I was not informed of any trip.”

  Myles raised his eyebrows. “I have no knowledge of whether she told you about it or not. She mentioned it tonight during our conversation. I do believe she is planning to visit the northern countryside. I cannot say where exactly. Travel should be quite appealing to you.”

  Myles thought Lavinia might be just a moment away from throwing herself on the ground and pounding her hands and feet in anger. Her face was scrunched in anger. He could not help thinking it did not take away from her beauty.

  “I do not wish to go on a trip!” she said, balling up her fists and squaring her shoulders. Myles tilted his head to the side, watching her face.

  “Miss Bronson, it is the best thing for you to do. I am sure your mother will approve when Miss AstorAstor mentions it to her. You will have a relaxing, peaceful time and I will discover who is causing trouble.”

  ”A trip might take time,” Lavinia continued to object. “My mother will not agree in me spending so much time away from her. She needs me.”

  “She will not necessarily object,” Myles responded. “She might regard it as an opportunity for you to meet more eligible gentlemen. Ones that do not have nefarious purposes toward you.”

  Lavinia shook her head. “I will not go. I refuse to go.”

  “You will have to tell Miss Astor that yourself, Miss Lavinia. And I do know she will be so very disappointed if you do not go. She is counting on you to be there to keep her company. ” He gazed at her through dark eyes. Anna’s warning about Sir Franklin had solidified the matter in his mind. It was vital that she go with Anna. “I must insist that you go. I cannot tell you the benefits you will find from a relaxing trip to anywhere other than home.”

  Lavinia did not like his answers, he could tell. He was going to insist. Anna had said she would insist. The only thing Myles would object to was if Sir Henry asked to go along, as well. When Anna mentioned the trip to Myles as a solution, Sir Henry had said nothing. Anna did not mention whether he would be going, too.

  “I must speak with Anna,” Lavinia said. “Right now. If you will pardon me, my lord.”

  She curtsied, turned on her heel and hurried toward the veranda steps.

  Myles watched her go, admiring her shape in the gown her mother had surely made her wear. She was a stubborn woman and reminded him in some ways of her father. He would have to tell her that sometime. It seemed whenever he spoke with her, there was always a negative outcome.

  That would have to change, if he wanted to truly convince her to listen to his warnings. One of the reasons she did not listen to him was because of his brash approach. She would have to learn to discern his honest intentions from the manner he presented.

  He would have to work on that.

  Chapter 15

  Lavinia was only mildly relieved to hear that the trip they were taking was not abroad. It would not be months before she returned.

  She placed some extra clothing in a trunk and sat on the edge of the bed to think. Anna was on her way in a coach with Sir Henry at her side. Lavinia was unsure what to think about going on a trip with Sir Henry along, after his advances toward her had become so obvious.

  She found it impossible to talk her way out of going on the trip. She had pleaded with Anna, saying that she was in the middle of the process of finding a suitor and she simply could not see going away right then.

  Anna was insistent.

  “I think it would be best for all of us right now, Lavinia,” she’d said, taking long strides down the hallway toward the parlor. “It certainly seems important to the Marquess of Kent.”

  “I am surprised you spoke with him about me, Anna,” Lavinia said, resentment clear in her voice. “I do feel he is overstepping his boundaries.”

  Anna looked at her like she was losing her mind. “The Marquess seems very genuine to me, Lavinia. I do not see any indication he is doing anything wrong. He is concerned about you. To what danger there might be, he did not say. He alluded that you might be in danger and I decided then and there we would be taking this trip.”

  Lavinia resigned herself to her fate. She’d thrown her hands up in the air and given in.

  The Marquess had more power than she thought. He could be charismatic, she knew, but whenever it was the two of them alone, he came off as rude and brash.

  And yet she still thought of him with fondness.

  It was a strange feeling.

  She stood up just as she heard the sound of footsteps on the stairwell. She turned her head, expecting to see Anna come through the door at any moment. With her eyes still on the door, she picked up a set of stockings and put them in the trunk.

  She heard a light knock on the door and smiled. “Come in, Anna,” she called out.

  The door opened and Anna stuck her head in. “Good morning, Lavinia! How did you know it was me?”

  Lavinia laughed. “Who else would it be but my dear friend? Thank you for coming to meet me here. I am so pleased you are willing to help me choose what to take with me. You know I am never good at packing to travel.” Both women laughed. She moved across the room to exchange air kisses to each cheek. “You are looking refreshed this morning.”

  “Yes, I slept well. I am excited about the trip but I was just so tired last night! Henry had visitors and they stayed up late in the game room playing cards. I thought they would never leave.” She leaned toward Lavinia, her eyes sparkling mischievously. “You should see Henry. He is quite tired this morning.”

  Lavinia laughed again, returning to her bedside to pack the rest of her clothes. She was not taking a great deal. They would not be gone long, she hoped. She would
be curious the whole time, wondering what was happening here in London.

  Anna followed along after her, talking excitedly. “I just know we will have a lovely time, Lavinia. I miss traveling. I did enjoy it so! I do not plan to stay in London forever. I wish to see the world!”

  Lavinia nodded. She knew what Anna had planned. Since their first meeting, it was something Anna had mentioned repeatedly. Lavinia was not sure if she wanted to see the world. She was not as anxious to get away from stability as her friend.

  “I know, Anna. You have mentioned that before. I know you will someday.”

  “Well, I am ready to start now. I am glad we are going. I do not wish to alarm you but I must tell you something before we go.”

  Lavinia latched the closed trunk and then pulled it from the bed, setting it next to her. “What is it?”