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

by Aria Norton

  “What is happening to me? Have I truly accepted him as my husband?”

  Aurora didn’t know, but she had to find out. She needed just a little more time with Carlos to see where her feelings lay, and then ... Well, then she would have to deal with whatever the outcome was. For her own sake, Aurora hoped that it was a mere slip of the tongue and not her heart speaking.

  Finally, after she had pondered the thought as much as her mind would allow, she roused herself from her stricken state and readied for the day.

  ***

  Aurora stood by the mantelpiece some hours later, her stomach in knots. On the outside, she was the picture of calm perfection in a white silk dress with touches of lace along her bodice and sleeves. Her headdress had been expertly woven into her luscious blonde tresses, piling most of it atop her head with pearl pins that caught the light as she moved.

  More pearls circled her graceful neck and one slender wrist, and some lay in the centre of artfully arranged rosettes on her white kid shoes. The only bits of colour came from her light pink reticule and the natural hue of her flushed plump cheeks. Aurora knew that she appeared refined and every bit the daughter of a baron, but she did not feel it.

  “I feel rather faint. I may not make it further than our front door!”

  She dabbed her upper lip, hoping that her perspiration would not mar the pristine condition of her gloves. Fortunately, Aurora wore no cosmetics to enhance her features, not wishing to bring any attention to herself.

  “My appearance may be what is expected, but my mind remains the same. As soon as I open my mouth to speak, I feel I shall reveal myself for who I am.”

  “And they will love you,” said Carlos walking into the drawing-room. “Or suffer my wrath.” He said the last bit with a smile, coming to a stop a few feet away from her. His eyes glided over her form, his gaze appreciative. “You are enchanting, Aurora. I do not think that there shall be another woman at the ball who will come close to sharing your beauty.”

  Aurora couldn’t bring herself to agree or disagree. Why would she care about her appearance when the very thought of attending the ball filled her with such dread? She pressed her fingers to her lips, feeling bile rising up her throat. Carlos’ brow puckered, a look of concern crossing his handsome face.

  “Do you not feel well?” he asked.

  She shook her head and then nodded, uncertain about which gesture would communicate her physical state. Carlos immediately came to her, hesitating only a second before putting his arms around her shoulders and leading her to a seat. Aurora did not refuse his help and found herself leaning into him. When he moved away, she felt a tiny sense of loss.

  Crouching down before her, Carlos looked straight into her eyes. She thought to tell him to move away, but his sincere concern for her well-being disarmed her.

  “Do you have a headache?” he enquired. “Or is it your stomach?”

  Surely I can muster up the strength to push back this horrid weak belly and answer him? Aurora swallowed hard several times before answering.

  “’Tis but a mild case of feeling green around the gills.”

  Understanding dawned in his eyes. “I see. ‘Tis the ball that worries you, yes?”

  She nodded. “It seems I cannot overcome my fears.”

  Carlos slightly tilted his head, one side of his mouth lifting. “What has happened to the woman I first met? The one who didn’t care a smidgen about what others thought about her?”

  Aurora looked down, her hands tightly clutching each other. It was true that she had convinced herself that she did not care what others thought about her, but spending time with Carlos and Lydia had made her rethink her initial opinions and views about the people of her class.

  It was no secret that she disliked them intensely and avoided them like the plague, but a few weeks of living a life where she could not get her way in everything had given Aurora some food for thought. It had forced her to look at life from another viewpoint, and while her dislike for the inequality between classes and the ever-ruling patriarchal society had not changed, her approach to them had.

  Forcefully stilling her hands, Aurora gave a half-smile. “It appears that the woman has grown up, or perhaps she has always been afraid but hid it behind her stubbornness.”

  “You are overthinking once again,” Carlos declared. “I have come to realise that I am not your arch-nemesis, but your constant thinking is. I have never met another woman who can exhaust herself on one problem before it has even happened. Why are you so adamant that the evening will go terribly?”

  “I know it will go terribly simply because I am there. You will be better off attending without me.”

  “Nonsense!” he objected. “You are my wife, and your place is by my side. Only fools judge those things they cannot understand. Even I did not understand you at first.”

  And now? Aurora wanted to ask but said nothing. Did he feel that he understood her? Oddly, I feel that he does. Despite our short time together, he reads my mind better than anyone else who has ever known me.

  Lydia was always trying to get them to spend more time together, but they often came up with excuses. The older woman had, however, succeeded on some occasions, but even those moments had been filled with stretched silences. Aurora and Carlos did tend to study each other, though, and those observations had revealed more than words ever could.

  “What if I were to disgrace you?” she questioned. “I know that you hope to enter into this high society for your own reasons, but surely you must know that you have married the wrong woman?”

  If only she were in her own childhood home right now, feeding the chickens or playing skipping stones with the servants’ children.

  “My mother does not think so,” he said grinning. “She believes that you are the perfect wife to keep me on my toes. Besides, people can change, and if people wish to judge you on your past actions, then perhaps they are not worth knowing.”

  Aurora frowned. I know that he married me to gain entry into my world, so I can’t imagine that he wouldn’t be concerned about his wife being ostracised by society. He must be saying this for my benefit.

  “You do not need to say that for my sake.”

  Taking a deep breath, Aurora stood up and moved away from him. Her stomach still felt somewhat queasy, but it was far better than it had been moments before. Carlos stretched to his full height, his eyes following her.

  “Is that what you believe?” he asked.

  “’Tis what I know,” she answered. “You needn’t be worried about me. I merely had a moment of weakness, but now I am perfectly fine. When do we leave?”

  He eyed her sceptically, briefly glancing at his pocket watch. “We have another half an hour or so. Are you confident that you will make it through the evening?”

  If she said no, would he agree not to go? I can tell that going is important to him. He has seemed more agitated these last few days, even arriving in London far sooner than was needed. I see his eagerness to go, and I find myself wanting to attend just to please him. Perhaps in a small way, I wish to be accepted by the very people who rejected me; if not for myself, then for Carlos. He has indirectly taught me that ’tis far better to have the ear of influential people than to fight against them. Look at how he managed to marry the daughter of a baron. He had to have known some important people to come within talking distance of my father.

  It was also common knowledge that the upper classes got into all sorts of scandalous situations, but they were hardly ever ostracised for these indiscretions simply because they kept to their class parameters. It seemed one could deviate from morality but not class.

  “Quite certain,” she finally said. “Perhaps they will set aside their prejudices and allow me to make a more positive impression.”

  Which, in turn, could prove advantageous in the right situation. Even if I am not all they wish me to be, then at least I can go there with my head held high for my mother’s sake. She deserves to have a worthy daughter, although I m
ight never reach the position she held among our people. From the accounts of the servants, Aurora’s mother had been a lady of the highest regard and had been loved by everyone. Perhaps it was time that her daughter tried a little harder to fit in.

  Chapter 19

  Carlos was not ashamed to admit that he was hovering around Aurora like a mother hen with her chicks; neither did he care who saw him do it or what they thought of him. Every fibre of his being was alert, waiting for someone to say anything remotely sarcastic or hurtful to his wife, but it turned out that he didn’t need to remain so close to her. The Grand Totnes Ball – as guests were calling it due to its opulence and grandeur – was proving to be an evening of surprises for Carlos and Aurora, and his father had yet to appear!

  The Earl and Countess of Totnes had set the tone from the very beginning by warmly greeting them and congratulating them on their recent nuptials. Carlos had still been trying to overcome his awestruck wonder at the sheer magnificence of the ballroom, never expecting to find such beauty on an English estate. It reminded him of the Palace of Versailles with its gold accents, including massive glass chandeliers that hung suspended from the ceiling and filled with dozens upon dozens of candles that illuminated the room.

  Gilded statues of scantily but tastefully clad women in various poses lodged in the four corners of the room. If Carlos didn’t know any better, he would say that the women bore a striking resemblance to the countess. I do not think that I would have such subtly daring pieces in my wife’s likeness out on display. He would probably do away with the man that looked at his wife with anything but a mild appreciation of her beauty.

  The earl and countess are undoubtedly at ease with one another and love each other to distraction. I rarely see them apart, and even when they are, they seem to search for each other in the crowd. Carlos had briefly watched them after they had moved on to another couple, feeling a longing within himself for their relationship. If things had been different between him and Aurora, perhaps they might have had that kind of relationship. What am I saying? Had things been different, I would have never met her.

  A light touch on his sleeve caught his attention, drawing him to his wife’s clear green-eyed gaze.

  “Do you think we could find a place to sit?” Aurora asked him. “Or if you would rather socialise a little more, I can find somewhere and rest a while.”

  For the hundredth time since leaving home for London, Carlos felt shame fill him. He was putting Aurora through this event for his own sake, knowing perfectly well that it must be difficult for her. However, he had justified himself with the belief that she would eventually get over her discomfort and forget about this ball in time to come, but he would miss the chance to meet and speak to his father. I don’t know if such an opportunity will ever come my way again. And yet, for all of his justification, Carlos still couldn’t shake off his guilt.

  Aurora stared up at him expectantly, awaiting his answer. No, he wasn’t ready to sit down, but he had to take her feelings and desires into consideration. She was doing well so far, and no one had said something with a clear intention to hurt her or appear condescending.

  “I am ready to sit as well,” he lied. “Perhaps we can take up rest on those chairs?”

  He pointed at several seats set in the corner of the room. They would be ideal as he could still see the doorway from there. Carlos wanted to be ready and prepared to get to his father the moment the situation was provided.

  Aurora narrowed her eyes for just a second, searching for the chairs. “Oh, yes. Those will do.”

  Holding out his arm, he waited for her to take it before making their way through the throng of guests. Looking around, Carlos felt torn between looking to see if anyone was whispering about Aurora and watching for his father’s entrance. It put him on edge.

  “Carlos, are you well?” Aurora asked as she took her seat.

  He followed suit, one eye on the doorway. “Yes, why?”

  “You seem ...” her brow puckered, looking at the floor as though searching for the words on the wooden floorboards. There were beautiful drawings all over the dance floor, but most of them had been ruined by stomping feet.

  “Yes?” he pressed, still looking at the doorway.

  She shrugged her shoulders. “I suppose you seem preoccupied with something other than the ball. Do you hope to see someone?”

  Carlos turned sharply to her. “What do you mean? We’re here for the ball, yes?”

  “Why, yes. Pay me no mind – it was only an observation.”

  Her eyes shuttered as she looked away, observing a group of women looking their way. Carlos’ attention was diverted from the doorway when the same women started to walk towards them, holding their fans to their mouths as they communicated with each other. His body tensed, his eyes narrowing as he observed the women. Carlos was ready to defend his wife, but he hoped that it wouldn’t come to that. They had so far been received well by the guests that had approached them, which seemed to surprise Aurora. She didn’t tell him as much, but Carlos could see it by the loosening tension in her body.

  Aurora’s hands had been curled and held tightly against her body when they had entered the ballroom, and she had hardly been able to greet people beyond a nod and a ‘good evening’. Carlos had done most of the talking, greeting those who stopped them for a word. Some had appeared surprised to see Aurora, but their comments had favoured rather than criticised her. However, he wasn’t about to let that lower his guard; he was still wary of any wrongful intentions.

  The four women approaching them wore smiles, but Carlos wanted to see what lay behind the smiles. As he and Aurora stood up, he could feel the tension emanating from her.

  “Do not let them intimidate you,” he whispered. “You have as much a right to be here as they do.”

  She nodded, but the hunted look in her eyes remained. Carlos wanted to encircle her waist and give her some support, but he couldn’t overstep his limits. Aurora may legally be his wife, and by law, she belonged to him, but he wouldn’t betray the little trust she had in him. He hadn’t demanded his marital rights, and that had somehow earned him her trust. It wasn’t much, but it was something.

  “Aurora, is that indeed you?” a yellow-haired woman asked. “Oh, my! We have not seen you in some time! Juliet, Cassandra, Meredith and I were pleasantly surprised when we saw that you had left your little town and come to London. How are you?”

  The women’s eyes flickered to him, their curious gazes observing him from top to toe. Am I on sale that they look at me so daringly? Carlos shifted his gaze to his wife, wondering if she would answer.

  “Samantha, it’s lovely to see you again,” Aurora said, her words slow and measured. “My husband and I were invited by the earl and countess, so we thought it best that we come.”

  “Your husband?” Samantha asked, slightly choking. “Goodness! We have missed out on so much, haven’t we, ladies?”

  The other women readily agreed, nodding their heads while their eyes remained on him. Carlos decided that this was the time to step in.

  “I took one look at Aurora and felt that I just had to have her as my wife,” he said, his charming smile on full display. “Although I had to put in some work to get her to agree. A simple man like me does not meet a woman of her calibre every day, but I eventually won her over.”

  Carlos said a little prayer before taking Aurora’s hand and kissing it. Her lips parted on a sharp inhale, her eyes widening as she looked at her hand lying limply on his palm.

  “You don’t say?” Samantha drawled, observing them with interest. “Aurora, do introduce us to your husband. ’Tis only right that your old friends get to meet the man that married you.”