by Aileen Fish
His Impassioned Proposal
Prologue
June 1803
Cheshire England
Fourteen-year-old Jane Marwick smoothed her palms down the crisp fabric of her pale pink gown with embroidered rose buds and narrow lace trim and sighed, feeling so grown up. She was certainly more grown up than Lady Hannah Lumley, whose eleventh birthday they were celebrating. Mama let Jane wear her hair up for the party, but refused to allow her maid to pin jewels among the forced curls.
“In a few years when you’re invited to dance in someone’s ballroom you shall be adorned with diamonds and pearls, but in a garden, one must restrain one’s desire to overdress. You’ll be more to your advantage allowing your natural beauty to show.”
Natural beauty. If Mama could see it, Jane hoped others could, too, but it certainly didn’t show in the reflection in her mirror. In particular, she hoped one Stephen Lumley, cousin to her best friend and neighbor Lady Hannah, had noticed. Just the thought of Stephen gave her butterflies, and the sight of him sent those butterflies dancing in the wind. He was so handsome. His thick black hair picked up the sunlight in streaks of silver, and his deep brown eyes were so very expressive. She had to admit the emotion she was accustomed to seeing there was laughter, and often at her expense, but it made his eyes sparkle.
Spying him playing lawn bowls with Hannah’s brothers, Jane skipped across the neatly trimmed grass. “Hello, Stephen.”
“Jane.” He nodded his greeting, not looking away from where his ball rolled. “Knightwick, I vow you won’t beat that pitch.”
Lord Knightwick prepared to toss his ball toward the smaller one that was their target while David and Stephen watched. Jane refused to be ignored. That might have been fine in the past, but she was nearly a grown woman now. While she didn’t expect the boys to suddenly fawn over her, at least Stephen could notice her new dress. “May I join in the next game?”
“Of course,” David answered. “Why don’t you see if Hannah would also like to play?”
Knightwick and David were Hannah’s older brothers, and were as handsome as their cousin, but Jane didn’t feel the same response when she spoke to one of them. Knightwick was much too old to even consider as a possible beau at twenty-one years old. Only a few months older than Stephen, David was closer to her own age, but none of the three demonstrated they felt anything for her beyond that of their sister’s friend.
Mama said she was too young to think about beaus, but as much as she tried, Jane couldn’t convince her heart of that. Hannah understood how she felt, but was likely only humoring her desperate need for attention. Hannah still enjoyed playing with dolls in the nursery with her younger sisters.
Determined to spend time with Stephen, she said, “That’s a lovely idea. Hannah and I could team up with you and David. It wouldn’t be fair for Hannah and me to play against the two of you, since you’re older and have sharper skills, so Stephen and I could be one team and Hannah and David the other.”
“David and I play equally well,” Stephen said, “so the resulting difference in score would be no different than if you girls played without us.”
He was such a stubborn boy. She might allow him this win, but she had the rest of the afternoon to be close to him.
Nothing anyone said would keep Jane away from Stephen’s side whenever they were both at Bridgethorpe Manor, Hannah’s home and Jane’s closest neighbor. In recent months she’d admit she visited there as much in hope of seeing him as her best friend.
When the party moved inside for cakes and lemonade, she made certain she sat close to him. “What is that you’re eating?” she asked, setting down her dish at the small table where he and David were.
“Strawberry trifle. Surely you can see that.”
She swiped the tip of his nose with her napkin. “If I had, I would have been careful not to embarrass myself with the whipped cream.”
His grin made her want to find Hannah and giggle over how his smile affected her. She fisted her hands in her lap to refrain from doing something so childish. “Will you be playing cards later?”
Stephen looked askance at David, who turned to stare out the window while biting back a smile. “I haven’t decided what I’ll do next. Doesn’t Hannah want to play with you?”
“Hannah is a mere girl and I’m a young lady now.” How could he not see the obvious truth of that? “I should associate with the older people now.”
David coughed and stood to leave. “Ask Mother what activities she has planned for the older guests, Jane. Although since it’s Hannah’s birthday, I’m sure she would enjoy your company.”
Jane twisted her lips with guilt and her stomach burned, realizing her rudeness. She’d almost forgotten the party was for Hannah. Her friend sat in a small gather of other girls, so at least she wasn’t alone, but Jane was her closest friend and she needed to be more considerate. And she would be, just as soon as she was bored with Stephen’s company.
Since he and David were gone most of the year at school, she looked forward to spending as much time as possible with him during the summer. The older they got, however, the more he and David stayed away from the girls, making it quite clear they didn’t want their company. It hurt to be set aside like an old toy.
Studying him from the corner of her eye, Jane reached for her glass, only to tip it over. Lemonade spread on the lovely damask linen tablecloth almost as quickly as heat rose on Jane’s face. She jumped to blot the spill with her napkin. Stephen rose to help, and between them they had most of the mess cleaned by the time a footman appeared to finish the work.
Jane stepped closer to Stephen, folding her arms across her chest in frustration. “Drat. I shall never learn to deport myself as a lady. Mama keeps telling me that, but I refuse to listen. I’m determined to accomplish this before we go to Town for my Season.” If she couldn’t carry herself with elegant style, she would never find a husband. Even an old friend such as Stephen would look beyond her for a wife if she couldn’t move with grace.
“When are you travelling to Town? There might still be enough time.”
“In four years, when I’m eighteen, of course. I hope Papa will let me go when I’m only seventeen, but he is adamant I wait.” Papa was her biggest frustration when it came to matters of becoming an adult. Mama was much more agreeable to letting Jane act mature, but Papa still called her his little girl.
Stephen choked on his lemonade and set down his class as he fell into a brief coughing fit. When he found his voice again his lips twitched when he spoke. “You have plenty of time to practice.”
“Will you be in Town for the Season?”
“In…four years?” His brown eyes laughed at her, but it didn’t matter. He loved to tease, and since it meant he was paying attention to her, she accepted it.
“Yes.” Was he being obtuse? “Why would I care if you’re there before then? I hope to dance with you.”
“As it happens, it’s likely I won’t be in London for many years. More than four, to be certain.”
Her heart sank until she realized that meant he would be at home, which would allow her to see him year-round, or as often as he visited Bridgethorpe Manor. That would be much better than a few months in London, although she would be dressed in finery at the balls in Town and he would see how lovely she’d become. “Mayhap I can convince Mama to have an assembly here in the autumn when the weather is still fine, once I’m old enough to attend.”
“I won’t be available to attend. I’ve joined the cavalry. I leave next week for the Continent.” He tore his gaze from hers and plucked a button on his coat so she couldn’t read his expression.
Jane’s mouth went dry and her head grew light as her blood pooled in her feet. He couldn’t have done something as…as foolish as that! Surely he was jesting. “That can’t be true. The cavalry? Why would you do something like that?”
“Why?” He looked at her as if she had two heads. “To protect king and country, of course. Isn’t that why most men
go to battle?”
“Well, no. Some do it because it’s expected of them as a younger son. But you are your father’s only son. Don’t you plan to farm like he does?”
Stephen’s condescending smile made her feel like a child. “My father is young still. I don’t plan to make the cavalry my living forever. I’ll take over the farm when I return from the Continent.”
Living. She knew he meant income, but in the context of battle it meant something completely different to her. “You don’t know that you’ll come home. You might…die.” The word created a painful lump in her throat but she was able to keep her tears at bay.
Laughing softly, Stephen plucked at one of the curls her maid had worked so hard to create. “I have no intention of dying in some field so far from home. I’ll be back before you even notice I’ve been gone.”
That was far from the truth. In her heart she would feel the moment he left. She would have an empty place in her heart that wouldn’t be repaired until he returned. “I will wait for you.” Her voice was barely above a whisper, her words meant for him alone.
Tipping his head to one side, he held her gaze and she wondered what he was thinking. Most likely he thought her a childish ninny. Yet his lips spread in a warm, kind smile. “Then I look forward to calling upon you when I return. And to standing up with you at that dance.”
About the Author
Aileen Fish is a multi-published author under several pen names, with stories ranging from historical to paranormal, or both, and heat levels from sweet to scorching. She is also an avid quilter and auto racing fan who finds there aren't enough hours in a day/week/lifetime to stay up with her "to do" list. There is always another quilt or story begging to steal away attention from the others. When she has a spare moment, she enjoys spending time with her two daughters and their families.
Stay up to date with book releases at her website http://aileenfish.com or on Facebook
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Other Books by Aileen Fish
Excerpts and buy links are available at http://aileenfish.com/books.html
Regency Romance Novellas
A Bride for Christmas
The Mistletoe Mishap
The Viscount’s Sweet Temptation
Her Secondhand Duke
Chasing Lord Mystery
His Heart for Christmas
My Sweet Scoundrel Series (Regency)
The Rake Takes a Wife
Kissed by a Scoundrel
The Bridgethorpe Brides Series (Regency)
His Impassioned Proposal
The Incorrigible Mr. Lumley (print and ebook)
Charming the Vicar’s Daughter
Her Impetuous Rakehell
Captivated by the Wallflower
One Last Season
Captain Lumley’s Angel
Love’s Promises series (Victorian America)
The Lieutenant’s Promise
Anthologies
A Christmas Courtship
Regency Christmas novellas: The Viscount’s Sweet Temptation, A Bride for Christmas, and The Mistletoe Mishap.
Beaux, Ballrooms and Battles
A Celebration of Waterloo. 9 Regency romance novellas of love tested by war. Includes Captain Lumley’s Angel.
A Summons from the Duke of Danby
The Duke of Danby summons his unmarried children home for Christmas with an ultimatum. Marry, or he’ll choose a spouse for each one. Include The Viscount’s Sweet Temptation.
The Duke’s Christmas Summons
The Duke of Danby is at it again, only now he’s working on his grandnieces and nephews. Includes A Marquess for Christmas.
Contemporary Romance
Anthologies
Sweet Christmas Kisses
14 Sweet Christmas Kisses, a bundle of G- and PG-rated contemporary romance novels and novellas from USA Today, national bestselling, and award-winning authors. Includes Christmas in White Oak.
Sweet Christmas Kisses 2
19 heartwarming and wholesome novellas from New York Times, USA Today, national bestselling, and award-winning authors. Includes The Cowboy’s Christmas Bride.
The Small-Town Sweethearts Series
Cowboy Cupid
The Cowgirl and the Geek
Christmas in White Oak
The Cowboy’s Christmas Bride
Young Adult
Cat’s Rule (In the anthology Wild at Heart Volume II)
Outcast (Apocalyptia Book One)
Paranormal
The Lives of Jon McCracken (print and ebook)
Children’s Picture Book
My Cousin has a Broken Heart (all proceeds are donated to the American Heart Association through Reid's Roundup)
