He walked out of the town house, mumbling to himself about what young ladies were being taught these days, while Alex stared after him with his jaw hanging open.
Valera retreated to the gardens. The gravel beneath her slippers crunched as she hurried along the path. Tears blurred her vision, disorienting her for a moment. When the heavily laden arbor came into focus, she broke into a run. Her humiliation weighed on her like the thick blooming vine covering the wooden structure. She wanted to hide forever among the spindly white flowers, but her parents would come for her eventually and expect her to return to the ballrooms as if she hadn’t just been scorned by the man she loved.
Reaching the bench, she sat and pulled her knees to her chest. Thoughts of facing Alex again made her crumble inside and fresh tears filled her eyes. She swiped at the wetness with her fist.
What was he doing here? He had made his preferences known last night at the ball. He’d chosen Lady Pitsford. Not only didn’t Alex have tender feelings for Valera, he held her in disdain. His criticisms rang in her ears, mingling with memories of her sister’s sharp words from when she was a girl.
If Val has any hope of finding a husband, he will have to be an old man with failing eyesight. I’ve never seen such a plain girl.
Mama, Val is reading father’s books again. Why don’t you learn something useful, mopsey? Your pianoforte is atrocious and your needlework is no better.
Oh, do be quiet, Valera. No gentleman will care what you think, and neither do I.
She hadn’t wanted to believe her sister. Valera had set her hopes on finding a man who would welcome her thoughts and engage her mind as Papa always had. The duke and Alex had proven how naïve she was. Gentlemen didn’t want a wife who could converse on a variety of topics. They married ladies like Janine, blonde beauties with delicate features, blue eyes, and useless talents.
“Vallie?” It was Papa.
Sitting up straight, she wiped the tears from her cheeks and sniffled. She didn’t want him to know how hurt she was.
His footfalls grew silent as he left the gravel path and crossed the grass. He cautiously peeked around the trellis overgrowing with Old Man’s Beard. His lips thinned when he saw her. “May I join you, pumpkin?”
She nodded. Her father slowly lowered beside her with a soft groan, showing his age for the first time. Maybe it would be best if she remained unmarried. Papa would need someone to care for him in his old age. Mama, too.
Papa pulled a handkerchief from inside his jacket and passed it to her.
“Thank you.” She dabbed at her nose and blinked back fresh tears.
“I thought you might like a moment to set yourself back to rights before allowing Lord Ravenswood an audience. He would like to explain.”
What required an explanation? She had heard him plainly enough. He didn’t find her suitable as a wife for all the same reasons her sister had named.
Papa reached out to pat her shoulder. “I see you hardening your heart against him, but perhaps you should give the young man a chance.”
Her face burned at the thought of seeing Alex again, but a flicker of hope refused to extinguish. “Did he tell you what he wants to say?”
Papa nodded. “If you are not satisfied after you have heard him out, I will have him escorted from the premises.”
“Very well.” She passed the handkerchief back to her father. “I must look like a mess. Let me visit my chambers first.”
“I don’t think you should keep the poor man waiting, Val. Trust me.” Papa hugged her and placed a kiss at her temple. “Lord Ravenswood, you may join us.”
He was here? Her heart kicked against her ribs.
Papa stood when Alex reached the arbor. “After Lord Ravenswood has said his piece, show him to my study. I expect we will have a few matters to sort out.”
That sounded very much like Alex had asked for her hand. Papa left them alone before she could object.
Sunlight filtered through the canopy of a nearby apple tree and highlighted Alex’s hair with streaks of auburn. His blue eyes seemed darker and more somber.
Desire swelled within her chest, creating an ache that threatened to consume her. Why must she want him so desperately?
“Your father said this was your hiding place when you were small. May I join you?”
She wanted to say something nonchalant with the breeziness Janine would employ to show she didn’t care, but Valera had never been good at pretending. Steeling herself for the conversation, she waved to the place beside her. If he offered marriage, she would decline. She wouldn’t accept a proposal driven by guilt rather than desire.
“Val.” Alex sat, his nearness unnerving. She scooted away and bumped against the trellis. He slumped on the bench. “I’ve made a muck of everything. Only an hour ago I was walking on air with the thought of asking you to become my wife. Now you cannot stomach the sight of me.”
Valera’s heart stalled. Had he truly come here with the intention of proposing? She didn’t know whether to trust her hearing.
“I understand the reason. I just hope you can forgive me someday.” Alex pulled a hand down his face. He looked weary and resigned. “Langley said you refused him. I don’t understand. You had set your heart on marrying a duke.”
She shook her head. “No. My heart was set on marrying a man who loves me.” She met Alex’s gaze, silently pleading with him to be that man.
He reached for her hand, his warmth enveloping her fingers and invading her heart. “It’s funny, but I never equated love with marriage.”
His response left her wilted. She tried to pull her hand free, but he held tightly and scooted toward her.
“Valera, it’s important that you understand how I grew up. My parents always respected one another, but I never knew there was love between them until yesterday. I expected to follow the same path as my father, my grandfather, my great grandfather, and several more before him. Arranged marriages have been a tradition in my family for many years. Love had nothing to do with it, and I know I am not alone in my thinking.”
Perhaps her dream was rare, but love was real. She’d seen it between Elle and Mr. Farrish. What was Alex implying? That he didn’t love her but he had come to propose out of… What, exactly? Duty? “Why are you telling me this?”
He gently lifted her chin to meet his gaze, his fingers sliding to cradle her nape. “Because when the impossible happened, I didn’t know what to make of it. I began to fall in love with you the very moment you fell flat on your bum in the corridor. One look into your big eyes, and I was lost. I just didn’t know how hopelessly until last night.”
Valera’s heart lodged in her throat and beat wildly.
“I could have told you from the beginning the gentlemen weren’t interested in you because of me. You were radiant and irresistible, but if I had told you the truth, then you might have sent me away. And I can’t stay away from you any more than I can stop my heart from racing right now.”
He swallowed hard as his thumb traced the rim of her ear. “I love you. Every delightful quirk about you. I cannot fathom spending another day without knowing you will be by my side for the rest of our lives.” He slowly lowered to his knee and held her hand, his deep blue eyes beseeching. “Will you marry me, Valera?”
Joy bubbled up inside her and escaped on a laugh. “Oh, Alex. I never expected— I’m at a loss for words.”
A charming smile spread across his lips. “Say you forgive me and you love me too.”
“I do. I forgive you.” She smoothed her hand over a lock of his unruly hair. “How am I to stay angry when you are capable of such magnificent speeches? With the exception of you mentioning my bum, that is.”
His thick brows arched in question. “Is that a yes?”
She captured her bottom lip between her teeth. She wished she had been brave enough to mention her feelings for Alex to his sister. Elle had given her no reason to think she would disapprove of their match, but Valera felt a twinge of guilt for hiding her feelings
from her dear friend.
Tiny wrinkles lined Alex’s forehead. “Maybe? I can accept maybe.”
Her heart lurched to think she’d made him fret. Elle would forgive her for not being forthcoming, but never for hurting her brother.
“There’s no maybe in love, Alex. You are either in it or not.”
“But—”
“Yes! My answer is yes, you silly man. I’m mad about you.”
His broad smile was but a flash before his mouth found hers. He pulled her into his lap. She surrendered to her desire, allowing the kiss to venture past chaste into dangerous. He urged her lips apart with the tip of his tongue and gently swept inside her mouth. Capturing his face, she pressed her body against his, eager for more.
His fingers tunneled into her hair and knocked loose several pins. Strands of hair slipped around her shoulders. He pulled back leaving but a scant space between them. His breath churned and stirred a curl at her temple. “Your fire will consume me someday, my love, and I will be glad for it. But your father will have my head if I don’t stop us now.”
Heat spread up her neck and into her cheeks, rapid like wild fire. Her wanton behavior was shocking and embarrassing. “Yes, of course.”
She tried to retreat, but Alex held her in place, his hands finding and playfully kneading her bottom. “Where do you think you are going?”
She squealed and wriggled, trying to evade his hands without success.
He kissed her soundly then grinned. “And what is wrong with mentioning your bum? It feels quite lovely.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck, her smile matching his. “So it was my bum that won your heart. How romantic. I cannot wait to share that when I pass along the pendant.”
She was teasing, of course. She would never mention a word to her friends, except to say how ecstatically happy she was.
His smile faded as he touched a finger to the spot above her cleavage. “You aren’t wearing the necklace today.”
She shook her head. “Let someone else have the duke’s heart. I have everything I want right here.”
And to prove her words, she kissed her future husband like she wanted to every day for the rest of their lives.
Epilogue
Valera’s dearest friends were gathered around her in her bedchamber, declaring her the most stunning lady in all of London. It was her wedding day. For the first time in her life, she accepted their compliments as her due rather than secretly believing they were just being kind. Through Alex’s eyes, she had come to see herself as beautiful. A ruby, he had once called her.
She touched the precious ruby necklace adorning her neck. It was a gift from Alex on the eve of their engagement. Her heart was so full she thought it might burst.
Elle linked hands with Valera and held their arms out to the sides to view her gown more closely. “You look breathtaking, Val. My brother will be speechless as soon as he sees you.”
Alison stood beside Elle, beaming, her cheeks extra rosy. “Lord Ravenswood best find his voice if he hopes to make her his wife.” She gathered Valera in a squeezing hug. “I am so happy for you.”
Valera returned her hug with vigor. It meant the world to her to be surrounded by her most special friends. “Some day soon I will be gushing over each of you on your wedding days.”
As Alison released her, there was a knock at her door. Valera’s mother peeked her head inside. “The carriage has arrived. We should go, Vallie.”
“I’m coming, Mama.”
Elle gave her a quick hug too. “If you need tips on keeping Alex in line, you know where to find me.” She gave a cheeky wink then hooked arms with Alison and headed for the door.
Charlotte waved shyly before trailing after her older sister.
Only Aldora remained behind, perched on the side of Valera’s bed. She had been uncommonly quiet this morning. Valera retrieved a small jewelry box from her dressing table and joined her on the bed.
“Is everything all right, Aldora? You don’t seem yourself today.”
Her friend blinked, her chocolate brown eyes twice as large behind her spectacles. “Everything is splendid.” Her voice rang with falsehood.
Valera bit her bottom lip. Clearly everything was not splendid, but she wasn’t sure there was time to delve into her friend’s troubles. Alex would be waiting for her, and she had promised not to be late.
A soft smile spread across Aldora’s lips. “Look at you worrying for me. It’s your special day, Val. I swear, everything will be all right.”
“So something is wrong.”
“No, it’s just…” Aldora shook her head. “Do you think I will find a husband this Season? Not every lady will, and if I don’t…”
Tension drained from Valera’s shoulders. Her friend’s worries were the same ones every debutante had. “Not every lady has the advantage of a lucky charm.”
She opened the lid to the jewelry box so Aldora could see the gold heart pendant winking up from a bed of blue velvet. “You cannot fail with this necklace. Look how happy Elle and I are. Love will find you too. Just have faith.”
Aldora’s slender fingers reached for the necklace and held it aloft. She smiled ruefully. “Love would be nice, but it’s not the most important factor in finding a husband.”
Valera scrunched her nose at her friend. “You say that now, but just you wait. Some gentleman will come along and knock you on your bum too. Then you will remember this day and laugh at how silly you sound.”
Aldora chuckled softly. She was the only friend Valera had been brave enough to reveal the true story of how she won Alex’s heart. “If that comes true, you may feel free to say I told you so.”
“Oh, do not think I will not.” She took the gypsy necklace from her friend and offered to fasten it for her.
With the pendant securely clasped, Aldora swiveled around so Valera could see it. The golden heart was a little tarnished, but it caught the light as Aldora moved. Such a small thing, it was. A joyful reminder of who awaited Valera at the church, the man who held her heart, just as she held his.
“I am marrying the man of my dreams today, Aldora. And that necklace is going to lead you to the man of your dreams, too. I know it.”
Her friend’s smile widened and a hopeful spark lit her eyes. “Well, let’s not keep your dream man waiting. I have a feeling he will come looking if we don’t arrive soon.”
Valera laughed and clasped her friend’s hand to haul her from the bed. “How I love knowing that is true.”
About Samantha Grace
Don’t let Regency romance author Samantha Grace’s sweet smile fool you. She has a wicked sense of humor, and she’s not above embarrassing her characters for a good laugh. Part-time hospice social worker, moonlighting author, and pilates nut, she enjoys a happy and hectic life with her real life hero and two kids in the Midwest. Find her at http://www.samanthagraceauthor.com
Christi Caldwell
Chapter One
She wasn’t exactly sneaking. No, the rather brisk pace she’d set for herself would hardly be conducive to a clandestine meeting.
Nor for that matter did well-bred daughters of late earls sneak. Why, she was merely…
Lady Aldora Adamson frowned and drew to a stop, glancing down the long row of hedges.
She was sneaking. There was no way around it.
Her heel sunk into a particularly moist patch of soil, and she wrenched her foot free. If she weren’t so out of breath from chasing after her quarry, she would have groaned aloud at the reward for her efforts. With the precarious financial state she and her sisters found themselves in, it didn’t do to go about ruining anything—especially a costly pair of slippers. Aldora studied her muddied soles and bit back a curse. The ivory silk would be ruined beyond repair.
The sound of morning birds chirping replaced the normal cacophony in Hyde Park, the sweet song the soothing balm she needed.
Aldora swiped the back of her hand across her brow and giggled as she imagined the horror in her mother
, the Countess of Adamson’s, eyes if she saw her eldest daughter. She could all but hear the high-pitched squawk in her mind.
Aldora, ladies do not run…
And they most certainly did not dash around until moisture marred their skin. For the better part of her life, the rules of proper decorum had been drilled into Aldora’s ladylike head, but then in the span of a moment, her life had changed and other things had begun to matter more.
Survival.
Aldora had run out of time.
Or rather, they had run out of time…her entire family: one mother, two younger sisters, and one brother whose security rested on her rather diminutive shoulders. It hadn’t been until her father died two years ago that she’d learned of his penchant for gaming tables…or more specifically, his tendency to lose at the gaming tables.
And for nearly two years she and Mother had done an admirable job of holding off the unknown man who possessed Father’s vowels while also keeping at bay the many creditors her wastrel father had left them indebted to. Thankfully, the truth of their circumstances was not known by the ton.
Not yet. It was only a matter of time before their carefully constructed world fell down around them.
Aldora pulled out the slip of paper and strained to read it. Fortunately, she’d committed the words to memory.
The Marquess of St. James. Black hair, dark eyes, two inches past six feet. You can find him riding in Hyde Park at dawn.
She sighed and slipped the note into her cloak pocket. It was hard to say which was more humiliating; pursuing one’s future husband or receiving information about said future husband from his chambermaids.
She’d risen at an ungodly hour, dressed in her finest gown, and then sought to run into the mighty lord. Where her dearest friends had their hearts and minds set on a duke, Aldora had altogether different, more realistic goals in her quest for a husband; goals that included the Marquess of St. James. She had done extensive research, the level of which would have impressed her scientific friend, Lady Alison.
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