A Merchant's Extraordinary Lady: A Historical Regency Romance Book

by Aria Norton

  “I need to last just a few more days, and then I’ll have every right to control her behaviour.”

  Leaving his room, he kept his eyes peeled for any evidence of the young woman’s work, ready to bolt if needed. Everything appeared to be clear, but one could never know.

  “I never thought that getting a wife could be this much work. What are the odds of marrying the craziest woman in England? Possibly the craziest in the world!”

  Slim, the chances were slim. If more women were like Aurora, many men would never marry for fear of losing their minds. They would have to keep looking around corners just as he was doing to make sure that no ambush awaited them.

  “Not even my servants have been able to exercise some sort of influence on her. If only her father could do something about it, but he’s as useful as a table without legs.”

  The man couldn’t control his daughter and preferred to keep away from any strife with her. Carlos could understand why, but that didn’t help him one bit. If not for the man’s connections, then he wouldn’t bother sweet-talking the baron. The man was still somewhat concerned about his daughter, never ceasing to ask hundreds of questions he had already answered in some way or the other.

  “From what I’ve heard about him and his estranged relationship with his daughter, he was absent for much of her life, if not all of it. No wonder the woman wants nothing to do with him!”

  He had done a little digging into the family’s history, using his charm around with the female servants to gain inside knowledge on the daughter of the house.

  “They haven’t told me as much I would like to know, but it’s clear that they love and adore her.”

  That meant she couldn’t be as terrible as she was making herself out to be. It was his experience that servants were not inclined to love their masters and mistresses unless treated well. From the amount of care and attention they lavished on the young woman, she had to be a good woman, but he couldn’t see that side of her right now.

  “Well, I have seen her deal kindly with them, often laughing with them and helping with their chores. That is certainly not usual for a baron’s daughter.”

  Or any other woman of her class. If only she would give him some of her kindness! It was evident that the woman despised him and wished him gone, but he could not fulfil her wishes, not at the expense of reuniting with his father.

  “There is too much riding on this marriage happening. How else can I expose my aunt for who and what she really is? My mother’s death has gone unavenged, and Lydia has had to stay away from her own home country just to protect me. I cannot allow a spoilt woman to deter me from my plan.”

  And she certainly was spoilt; there was no denying that. Aurora was far too accustomed to getting her own way, but that would soon stop.

  Making his way downstairs, he noticed how the servants greeted him with strained looks on their faces. Some he saw whispering to each other, their gazes worried. What on earth had happened now? Had Aurora planned something so terrible for him that even they were concerned?

  “Heaven help me,” he muttered.

  Entering the dining room, he found all seemed to be in order. Last night, the baron had ordered a servant to keep an eye on the food at all times, especially when Aurora was in the room.

  “He seems to be more affected by the appearance of insects in my food than I am. Yesterday, I truly believed that he would lose all his food on the dinner table after he saw the maggots floating in my soup.”

  To tell the truth, his stomach had turned as well, but Aurora had remained happily spooning her soup into her mouth, watching him with much amusement. It had taken everything within him not to cry out and demand she give him her bowl instead.

  “Good morning, Carlos,” the man said as he walked into the room, his newspaper under his armpit. “I trust you slept better today? Or did my daughter do something else to harass you?”

  “Beyond finding cow dung at the foot of my bed, I slept marvellously well, My Lord.”

  The baron grimaced. “Cow dung? Your room must reek. Would you prefer to move to another one?”

  And have his fiancée believe that she was winning the war? Certainly not! She needs to know that I am not a weakling who will run at the mere sight of animal faeces. Or maggots, frog’s eggs, sand, ants, bathwater, cockroaches – had he left anything out?

  “The smell is not terrible, My Lord. One of your servants changed my bed linen last night and placed lavender under my pillow to kill the stench. I’m confident that with a few hours of airing the room will be perfectly all right come the evening.”

  “Well, if you’re certain.”

  “Quite.”

  A servant served him eggs, ham, and toast, putting various jams and preserves within his reach. As he buttered his toast, it occurred to him that Aurora had not come down for breakfast.

  “My Lord, will your daughter not be joining us today?”

  “Your guess is as good as mine. I do not put any restrictions on my daughter as you have witnessed. Perhaps she will take her meal in her room, or even outside. Sometimes she sits with the servants in the kitchen.”

  The baron didn’t seem particularly bothered, but Carlos’ instincts told him that something was wrong. I cannot put my finger on it, but there is undoubtedly something amiss.

  “Should we not ask one of the servants? Perhaps she is not feeling well.”

  “Aurora is as healthy as an ox, or a shark, or a bull – take your pick. She rarely falls ill, and even then, you can still find her playing about outside. My daughter is unlike any other woman you will ever meet.”

  The baron returned to his meal, forking a sizeable piece of ham into his mouth, his eyes following the words of his newspaper. Carlos detected a tinge of pride in the man’s words, surprising him. One would think that he is happy about his daughter being so different, but that was not how he felt several weeks ago. Perhaps the man had had a change of heart, or he had simply come to accept his daughter’s eccentric ways.

  I cannot have such confidence in her whereabouts, not when I know that she is ready to do everything to stop this wedding. There is nothing in my meal; I did not wake up with anything in my bed, and I have not found any creatures in my clothes. What is there left to do? The answer struck him so hard that he stood up, startling the baron.

  “I say!” the man said, dropping his fork.

  “Forgive me, My Lord, but I have the strongest feeling that your daughter has run away.”

  “Run away, you say? Well, that wouldn’t surprise me.”

  It clearly didn’t because he started eating again, only giving Carlos a brief look of pity as he sipped his tea.

  “Well, should we not do something about it?”

  The baron sighed, rolling up his newspaper. “What would you have us do? I did warn you often enough that Aurora has a mind of her own. You said that the presence of your servants would ensure that she doesn’t run away, but as I initially believed, she has thwarted your best intentions and disappeared.”

  “Are you not concerned about her?”

  The man snorted. “My daughter knows this estate like the back of her hand, and everyone loves her, including the animals. Nothing will happen to her, that I guarantee you. Perhaps ’tis better that you give up this plan to marry her. I should have given up long ago and allowed her to live her life, but I thought it my duty to see her married. Now, I am merely grateful to have my daughter.”

  The man had undoubtedly had a change of heart! What on earth had happened in the last two days?

  “Are you no longer concerned about your daughter’s future?”

  “Of course, I am, but Aurora has given me much to think about. I have done my daughter wrong, Carlos, and I know that I cannot make up for it. I would like to see her married and settled, which is why I have supported this engagement, but if you cannot marry her, then that is that. You cannot expect me to do any more damage than I’ve already done. I trust that you will be a good husband to her and treat he
r better than I ever did, but I will not force Aurora beyond what is necessary.”

  Carlos wanted to cry out in frustration but kept his reaction to himself. This meant he was on his own. He picked a fine time to have a change of heart. But perhaps he was worried for nothing, and Aurora was indeed having breakfast elsewhere. I highly doubt that, but the least I can do is question one of the servants.

  “Will you excuse me, My Lord?”

  The man lifted an eyebrow. “Do you intend to look for her?”

  “If I must.”

  “Then good luck to you.”

  “Thank you, My Lord.”

  After a short bow, he went in search of the female servants that were usually around her. Virginia, Aurora’s nanny, would surely know where she was.

  “If not Virginia, then the housekeeper or the cook. She spends a lot of time with them.”

  If they could not tell him, then the children might know. However, they might not be so forthcoming about her whereabouts; therefore, his last resort would be to look for her himself. I’ll search for her as far as the heavens if need be! I will not let her get away from me. He hadn’t come this far to allow a spoilt woman to ruin his plan.

  Several hours later, Carlos found a tree stump to rest a while. His search had proved fruitless, and no one was willing to help him. He had asked every servant and the children, but none could reveal Aurora’s location.

  “I wouldn’t be surprised if they knew where she was but simply refused to tell me.”

  He didn’t blame them as they clearly did not want her to go, but he wasn’t such a selfless man to end the engagement.

  “I need her, or I wouldn’t be here. If they knew the reasons for this marriage, they might be more inclined to help me. But alas, I cannot reveal anything to them.”

  Lydia had been surprised to hear that he had chosen a bride so quickly, and even more so that the woman was a baron’s daughter. More than anything, she was happy to see him settle down and was likely still preparing the house for Aurora’s arrival. Carlos wasn’t sure about where they would live, but he was hoping that his fiancée wouldn’t have a problem staying with his mother for some time.

  “Mother would appreciate that. I hope Aurora does not take her anger against me out on my mother, or she will have me to deal with.”

  Something told him that she wouldn’t, but Carlos would remain watchful. He wanted nothing and no one to hurt his mother, least of all a woman hell-bent on getting her own way.

  “But if I fail to find her, there will be no marriage and thus no need to worry about how she will treat my mother.”

  And no father, and no vengeance. Carlos hung his head, pressing his fingers into his brow. A headache was building up and would likely grow worse if he did not find the darned woman.

  “Perhaps if you tried to understand her, you would have more success,” came a woman’s voice.

  His head jerked up, looking for the source of the words. He found Virginia standing before him, her hands clasped in front of her.

  “Oh, I did not hear you approach.”

  She smiled. “I had gathered as much. I see that you haven’t found our Aurora yet.”

  That much was obvious. “Yes. Unfortunately, I do not know this land well.”

  “And no one wished to help you, yes?”

  He nodded, saying nothing. What was the point? The woman knew all the answers already.

  “They all love her and do not wish to see her go, but sometimes we have to let go of the ones we love for their own good.”

  His ears piqued. “Does this mean to say that you will help me find her?”

  “Perhaps, but first, I wish you to understand her.”

  “I would if I was but given a chance to. No one wishes to tell me much about her, and Aurora refuses to speak to me.”

  “Our young lady can be rather ... difficult at times, but she means well. If you were not trying to force marriage on her, she would likely treat you better.” She lifted her hand when he tried to say something, effectively silencing him. “I am not saying that she is correct either, but you must admit that things cannot continue in this way, yes? At least one of you needs to come to an understanding, and since you are older and her husband-to-be, I expect you to take control of the situation.”

  He needed to be more understanding? The woman’s words held merit, but that didn’t mean that he liked hearing them.

  “I would if I knew how,” he said a little sulkily.

  “Then allow me to tell you a little about our ray of sunshine. Are you willing to listen? Not just to hear, but to take these words to heart. This might be your only way to unlock her own heart.”

  Carlos wasn’t looking for love, but if this woman could help him better control Aurora, then he was all ears.

  “Yes, I am willing to listen.”

  “Good. You must understand that Aurora has a fear of marriage and losing her free will. You see, her mother died at childbirth, and she believes the same thing will happen to her. Do you follow?”

  Carlos didn’t understand at first, his head tilting in confusion. “What do you ... oh.”

  The woman meant things of an intimate nature, a matter between man and wife. Aurora was afraid of the marital bed and the consequences of it. His cheeks reddened.

  “Yes, I follow. Do continue.”

  “That is just one aspect of her aversion to marriage. Not only did she grow up without a mother, but without a father and brothers as well. They did not wish to deal with her because she reminded them of a beloved wife and mother. Poor Aurora was quite alone, but we looked after her with the baron’s approval and gave her all the love we could possibly give. We ensured that she received the proper education of a person befitting her station, but she also learnt our ways by observing us. Unfortunately, she identifies with the servants more than she identifies with people of her own kind, and that has caused some challenges in her life.”

  No wonder she had acquired such a reputation with the people of her own class. She likely thinks them all self-centred and frivolous and does not wish to be a part of their world. Carlos held a similar view of the aristocrats, but not all were the same. We both suffered loss at a young age. In some ways, her situation was worse than his. No wonder she rallies against marriage and anything that might take her freedom away. She has become accustomed to living her life differently from the norm, only to deal with the possibility of being forced to fulfil the requirements of all women of age.

  She had likely believed that she would continue her life as it was, living amongst her servants and being free. Well, as free as any woman can be. But what if her father should die? Would her brothers allow her to remain on the land? The baron might give her an inheritance that would allow her some financial freedom, but the estate would likely go to her brothers.

  “Mr Fernandez, will you deal kindly with Aurora?” the nanny asked. “We would not be able to bear it if she were ill-treated.”

  The woman wanted to know if their mistress would be in good hands once she left her home. Carlos never intended to treat Aurora unkindly, but now that he knew more about her, he decided that he needed to try and bridge the gap between them so they could live in peace.

  “I will treat her with respect and kindness,” he said. “She will have all she desires except for her freedom.”

  “Fair enough. Now, do you still wish to find her?”

  “Yes, but I do not know where else to look.”