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

by Aria Norton

  “I can’t reject you; that would mean rejecting a part of myself.”

  “So, this is our new beginning?” Carlos asked.

  “Yes, of course.”

  “May we seal it with a kiss?”

  Aurora ducked her head. “Right now?”

  “There’s no time like the present. Just a small peck to mark this new chapter in our lives.”

  Aurora felt terribly shy about it. This would be her first kiss, but who better than the man she loved? Perhaps I’ll feel better about it if I do not look.

  “Aurora? We can wait if you prefer it.”

  Aurora closed her eyes and raised her head, shaking it. “You may kiss me, but I will not look.”

  Carlos chuckled. “I suppose that will have to do for now.”

  Aurora felt Carlos take her into his arms and straight to the heavens, not releasing her until she felt as though she were floating. Oh, she could definitely do that again.

  Epilogue

  One Year Later

  Aurora was surrounded by women chattering away in Spanish, each of them talking over the other as they helped her get ready for her wedding. Carlos had finally convinced her to have another wedding, but this time with all their family. I can’t believe that I said yes. Carlos promised me that a fuss wouldn’t be made, but he clearly does not know his family very well. When the topic had first come up, Aurora had refused, saying there was no need for it. However, everyone started to pester her about it, assuring her that it would just be a family affair.

  “I just didn’t know how big his family was,” she muttered in English.

  “Eh?” said Elena, Carlos’ aunt on his father’s side.

  “I said that this dress is beautiful,” Aurora responded in Spanish.

  “Yes, of course! It belonged to Maria, and she was half-English. You are just as beautiful as she was on her wedding day, if not more beautiful. Carlos is blessed to have you, hija.”

  Aurora smiled, looking around the room. Netty, Nanny, and Millie were due to arrive any minute, and Lydia was waiting to welcome them and bring them to the room. The wedding was being held in the count’s home, a lavish mansion almost rivalling that of the Earl of Totnes.

  “Hija, when will you give us a grandchild?” Isla asked, yet another aunt.

  Aurora bit the inside of her cheek, uncertain of what to say. She had never discussed this topic with Carlos, and he had never pushed her about it.

  “Do not worry her, Isla!” Elena scolded. “They will have them when they are ready.”

  Aurora gave the woman a smile of gratitude, thankful that she did not have to answer. Perhaps Carlos has explained my situation to her. Childbirth had been a frightening prospect for Aurora, but she was slowly coming to terms that not all pregnancies ended in death. It was a process, but she was getting there. It helped to have such a supportive husband who wanted nothing but her happiness, even if that meant he would never have an heir.

  There was so much love in the room, and it was all directed at Aurora. She could hardly believe that these people had accepted her with open arms and as one of their own. Not once have they criticised me, and my father-in-law cannot stop singing my praises. Whenever Aurora was around the count, he would start gushing about her, leaving her embarrassed but pleased.

  “Which necklace will you wear, hija?” Elena asked.

  “Oh, Carlos has given me a tiara to wear. It’s in that case by the bed.”

  “I will get it,” Isla offered.

  While Carlos’ aunt fetched the tiara, the other women sat Aurora down and fiddled with her hair until they felt it was just right. Some tried to give her earrings to wear, but she declined it in favour of wearing only the tiara. Aurora knew that it belonged to Carlos’ mother, and it was important to him to see his wife wear it. Aurora was not a jewellery lover, but she had agreed to the tiara because it was indeed magnificent and unique.

  Finally, she was done, and none too soon because her father asked to have a word with her in private. The women left the room, kissing Aurora and pinching her cheeks on the way out.

  “Come in, Father.”

  The baron looked unsure of himself as he walked in, first looking around the room before his eyes finally landed on her. Their relationship had grown over the past year, but they still had a long way to go before feeling comfortable in each other’s presence.

  “You look beautiful, child,” he said, his eyes misty.

  “Thank you.”

  “I, uh, um,” her father stammered. He cleared his throat, trying again. “I just wanted to say something to you before I give you away for the second time. It’s something that I need to get off my chest.”

  “Yes, I am listening.”

  He nodded, pulling at his necktie. “Yes, yes, Well, uh, I guess what I want to say is that I am sorry for everything that I put you through. I wasn’t the father you needed me to be, and I have no excuse for that.”

  Aurora was taken aback. This was the first time her father had admitted this to her.

  “I have made so many mistakes with you,” he continued. “And it wasn’t fair to you. I made you feel unloved and unwanted, and I never gave you the attention you deserved. You were the daughter your mother and I had so desperately wanted, but when you needed me, I rejected you.” Her father’s voice broke and thickened as fat tears rolled down his cheeks. “I have always loved you, Aurora. I just didn’t know how to deal with a motherless daughter. I didn’t know how to be a father without your mother. I was a broken man, but that doesn’t justify what I did to you. I don’t know if you will ever be able to forgive me, but please know that I love you and always have.”

  Aurora’s father hung his head and turned away, heading for the door.

  “Wait, Father.”

  He paused, turning around. The dejected look in his eyes finally broke through the last barrier Aurora had kept between them.

  “I forgive you,” Aurora said with tears in her eyes. “I forgive you.”

  She walked into his arms, crying harder when her father returned her embrace, weeping into her hair. It took some time to compose themselves enough to leave the room, but Aurora felt different, lighter when they did. She was an entirely different woman, and it could not have happened at a better moment. Aurora’s father led her downstairs, stopping at the large doors that led into the Great Hall.

  They were opened, and everyone stood up, all whispering as they gazed at her, but Aurora only had eyes for one man. Carlos stood at the end of the aisle, grinning from ear to ear as he watched Aurora make her way to him. The minute they were within touching distance, Carlos took her hands, bending his head close to hers.

  “You look ravishing, Wife,” he whispered.

  “And you look handsome, Husband.”

  “I’ll never get tired of you calling me Husband. Have I told how fortunate I am to have you in my life?”

  She chuckled. “At least a dozen times a day.”

  “So few?” he said, giving a mock frown. “I should increase that to two dozen.”

  Aurora was kept from saying anything when the priest cleared his throat, drawing her eyes to him. As the ceremony began, Aurora wondered how every one of her dreams had come true. Carlos was all she had ever wanted and more, and to top it all off, her family had grown to include Carlos’ family. Everyone loved and accepted Aurora for who she was and not for who they thought she should be. I couldn’t have asked for any better.

  THE END

  Can't get enough of Aurora and Carlos? Then make sure to check out the Extended Epilogue to find out…

  While celebrating Carlos’ birthday with their family, what wonderful surprise will Aurora have for him?

  What will Carlos and Aurora’s first visit to Spain look like and how will they be received by everyone?

  How will Aurora’s fear of being pregnant affect her relationship with Carlos in the years to come, and will she ever overcome it??

  Click the link or enter it into your browser

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sp; http://arianorton.com/aurora

  (After reading the Extended Epilogue, turn the page to read the first chapters from “Loving a Forsaken Earl”, my Amazon Best-Selling novel!)

  Loving a Forsaken Earl

  Introduction

  Miss Abigail Staton leaves a quiet country life behind and travels to London to live with her brother after their father’s tragic death. As an inexperienced politician, her brother has struggled in running for a seat in the Commons. Abigail, however, is exceptionally astute and has a particular knack for politics. When a stranger shows up on their doorstep asking for assistance with an unusual scheme of revenge, Abigail’s life is turned upside down. Despite her misgivings, she is unable to resist the opportunity to work with this handsome stranger and possibly save her brother’s career and livelihood. With powerful feelings overwhelming her, will she manage to navigate this precarious situation without ending up with a broken heart?

  With a wedding to his childhood sweetheart just a few weeks away, Lord Thomas Brampton feels he has found love and is on his way to having the family he has always dreamed of. When his fiancée suddenly leaves him for another man, Thomas’ world falls apart and he decides to make this man pay. Setting out to accomplish his plan, he finds himself working alongside a hopeful politician and a captivating young woman who surprises him every step of the way. Will Thomas choose to stay focused on his goal or will his heart unwittingly open up to entirely new, wonderful possibilities?

  As Abigail and Thomas are thrown together by fate, she starts to see what a caring and kind man he really is, and he can’t help but be drawn to this extraordinary young woman. Feeling they are in an impossible situation, neither of them dares to hope for a chance at something unimaginable... With all their plans gradually taking shape, will this risky plot succeed, or will it turn out to be the ruin of them all? Will Thomas and Abigail ever allow themselves to see each other in a new light and go after what their hearts truly want?

  Prologue

  Abigail Staton stood beside her weeping mother as her father's coffin was lowered into the grave. She sniffed back tears, lifting her chin to try and maintain a brave front. Her brother, Joshua, stood on their mother's right, holding her elbow should she faint.

  Abigail glanced over at him, seeing his face set in a somber frown. Joshua and her father had never been particularly close. His demands over her brother's life had been too constricting to allow any warm feelings to blossom between them.

  It had been the same for her and her father. As a doctor who treated the county's high-class citizens, Doctor Elias Staton had rarely been home. Even when he was, Abigail and Joshua found that they could never live up to their father's exacting expectations.

  He had always pushed Joshua to better himself, and the family’s standing, by distinguishing himself in the political arena. For Abigail, he had had plans of a triumphant marriage to an earl, or maybe even a viscount.

  Abigail turned away from the grave, steering her mother down the stone path leading back to the church. Joshua followed a few paces behind, his head hung low. Neither of them had accomplished their father's visions for their lives before he passed away. The memory of his last words to her haunted her dreams and dogged her every waking hour.

  "You should have married when you had the chance. And now you and your mother will live in squalor for the rest of your days…"

  The disappointment in his eyes was worse than his cruel words. Fear for an uncertain future, combined with her mother's grief, had made the last few weeks of her father's life nearly unbearable. If not for Joshua, she would have distended into madness by now.

  "Don't worry about us, Father." She had tried to comfort him during his last hours, "Joshua will look after us."

  He had given a derisive laugh. "I can't trust that boy to put one foot in front of the other, let alone make a name for himself in politics. No. It will be up to you, Abigail. You must marry well and save the family from ruin. Promise me…"

  She had promised to help put his mind at ease as he drifted from their world and into the next. However, she doubted a man of means would be tempted to take her as a bride: untitled, a modest dowry, the sister of a lowly politician.

  "Come, Mother. We should get out of this weather. I believe it is going to rain." Abigail turned her towards the coach, and Joshua helped her in. Their mother seemed hardly able to walk on her own, drifting through the days like an apparition. Despite all their father's shortcomings and coldness towards his children, their parents had loved each other.

  Climbing in and sitting down alongside her mother, she grasped her mother's icy hand. Her mother glanced over at her after several seconds, as if seeing her for the first time that day. "Your father loved you," she whispered, barely audibly. Abigail met her brother's gaze, who wore the same pained expression. Why could her father have not said it when he was alive? Why had he been so cold towards them, if what her mother said was true?

  "I know, Mama." Abigail gave her a weak smile. Now was not the time to voice her questions, not with her mother so frail. Why did people always wait until it was too late to tell those closest to them how much they loved them?

  ***

  The next few days were a whirlwind for Abigail. She oversaw preparations for their moderately large home to be rented out. With the stipend her father had set aside for her mother, the larger house was no longer within her means.

  "We shall be perfectly comfortable living with my sister at her seaside cottage," her mother had explained. Her nose and eyes were still red from the constant onslaught of tears.

  Abigail had rebelled against the idea, though. A quiet country life was not to her liking.

  "You may come and stay with me, sister, if ever you have need of some excitement." Joshua had raised an eyebrow at the idea of her living in the country. He knew her temperament, knew that she would go mad twiddling her thumbs while their aunt prattled on endlessly about her 'dear, departed Francis'. Their uncle had died nearly fifteen years before. Their aunt had yet to stop talking about the funeral or relay what 'dear, departed Francis' would have said. Oh, no. A country cottage was the last place she wanted to be.

  "You would not mind me going to live with Joshua, would you, Mother? I could help him run his home and play hostess for his parties." Her brother was as yet still unmarried. At three and twenty, he had plenty of time to find a bride. However, Abigail did not. At one and twenty, her father had made her out to be an old maid, a veritable spinster in the making.

  Her mother had looked up at her surprise. "I would not mind at all, my dear. Joshua could benefit from a woman's touch around his house.” It had become immediately apparent in their few visits to his London home that he was not the best at hiring servants or ordering meals. "He will need to make a good impression on his guests if he is to gain any clout as a politician."

  Abigail let out a sigh of relief at the memory. Thankfully, her mother and aunt got along well. Her mother listened to her aunt's endless reveries about Francis without complaint. And her aunt coddled her mother in her 'nervous complaints' and random crying spells.

  It would be a pity to see the old house go to renters. She had grown up in this house and had shared some wonderful childhood memories with Joshua. They had practically raised themselves since the luxury of a governess had not been something their parents could afford.

  She now walked the halls, ensuring that every room was cleaned to perfection and the essential family heirlooms were packed away. All her father's paintings and books would stay with the house. Sighing, she sat down heavily in one of the chairs in the library, relishing the smell of the musty books and the memories of the many happy hours she and Joshua had spent there. She stood and went to a poorly lit shelf near the back of the small library, dug behind a few large volumes, and brought out her secreted copy of ‘The Rights of Man’ by Thomas Paine. Had her father known she had been reading such a book, he would have burned it immediately and forbade her from ever reading such 'rubbish' again. />