Loved by the Viscount

by Ellie St. Clair

  “I do not suppose I have every thought of it quite like that,” he said, though her words did beg an interesting question, one he had never considered.

  “Oh, I am being foolish,” she said, waving a hand in the air with a nervous laugh. “Do not mind me. I suppose I am just being overly emotional.”

  He wondered if perhaps she had resigned herself to the fact she would spend her life alone, that she was mourning the loss of the opportunity to have children with her husband, or, perhaps, even reflecting on her own childhood. Whether it was a happy one, he wasn’t sure, although she had always seemed content enough when she visited with Olivia’s family. He didn’t know what to say to her now, to ease her fears or her tension, and she seemed to sense the awkwardness that filled the air as much as he.

  “Well, good night William,” she said, a look of regret in her eyes. “One more day until the house party, I suppose, is it not?”

  “Yes,” he said, suddenly regretting that he had invited all of these people to stay at the house with the two of them. He enjoyed having her to himself. “One more day.”

  She climbed the stairs, alone, and he wanted nothing more to follow her, but instead he sent his booted feet back toward the library.

  11

  Rosalind smiled as she looked at the tiny pups, squirming as they searched out their mother. She had not even stopped for breakfast before running out to the stable to see them. Friday had left his master’s side to stand guard in front of his family, and she laid a quick kiss on his head before sitting down to provide her attention to the mother and the puppies. There were five of them, and she determined that they needed names, though she wasn’t sure if she should be the one to provide them. That right should go to the owners, should it not?

  She was tickling a puppy under the chin when the door of the stable slowly opened, and she looked up with a smile on her face, expecting William. Her smile slowly fell when the light silhouetted Alfred instead. He leaned against the doorjamb, taking her in with a look in his eye that made her shudder.

  “Well, well, Lady Templeton,” he drawled out slowly. “What a surprise, to find you here alone.”

  “Leave me be, Alfred,” she muttered, angry that her current circumstances meant that this man should continue to be a part of her life when she wanted nothing more than to be rid of him forever.

  “Ah, but you would like that, wouldn’t you, darling?” he said, and she closed her eyes, willing him to leave. “However, you are a guest here at my family’s home, and therefore have no right to make demands of me.”

  “You kidnapped me,” she said angrily. It was true, she abhorred conflict, but she was also not willing to back down when she believed so strongly that she had been wronged.

  “That I did,” he said with a mock sigh. “Though you were not worth it at all.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him. “Do you expect me to apologize for that?

  He laughed. “You have more backbone than I originally thought, Lady Templeton.”

  “Why will you not leave me alone?” she said, no longer caring that she showed him the exasperation she felt. “I want nothing more to do with you.”

  “So why have you not told anyone about me and what I did?” he asked, and her eyes dropped to her lap, as she didn’t want to show him any inkling of what she was feeling. “Would it, perhaps, have anything to do with the fact that you would prefer no one know where you are?”

  “What are you talking about?” she gritted out, unsure of what he knew of her situation.

  “I know that your parents referred your ransom to Lord Templeton. I know that good ol’ Bart had no money to pay your ransom. However, he was also rather interested in your whereabouts. I was holding out for a payment before I told him, but I certainly could, if I so chose.”

  “You wouldn’t dare,” she seethed.

  “I would,” he said, “if you were to do anything stupid, such as try to win my brother’s affections. I cannot have you here, Lady Templeton. You are a constant reminder to my brother of my actions, and he already seems to want to be rid of me as it is. No, you have to go.”

  “I have been invited to the house party,” she said, trying not to betray any emotion.

  “You have,” he said. “And I will give you a week before I send word to Lord Templeton. But in the meantime, you must realize that whatever flirtation you think you have with my brother is just that — a flirtation. You know, as well as I do, that he will always be in love with your best friend, Lady Olivia, though she is now, of course, the Duchess of Breckenridge. In fact, there is a delightful young woman coming to our house party, Lady Diana Watson, who I’m sure William will find wonderfully lovely and so like your friend Lady Olivia. Her father is an earl; however the lady is somewhat outspoken, which has scared off many a gentlemen. Unless, of course, said gentleman appreciate such qualities.”

  He leaned back with a smirk. “Well, then. Good day, Lady Templeton.”

  As he walked off, she didn’t want to admit that he had a point, but in truth he certainly did. William might be showing her attention at the moment, but there was nothing and no one else to currently distract him or occupy his thoughts. He had kissed her, true, but would he again, when he had other events and people capturing his attention? She wasn’t sure.

  Rosalind was trying to put thoughts of her time in the hunting cottage behind her, but it was difficult when she was constantly reminded by Alfred’s presence. She had, however, chosen to remain here, so she would have to deal with him.

  In truth, her ordeal in captivity could have been much worse. The men — Alfred and Richard, she now knew — had actually left her alone for the most part. It was her own fears that had been worse than anything. She had been afraid they would come back, force themselves on her, or be rid of her when their attempts at ransom proved futile. Fortunately, neither man seemed to have the stomach for anything so particularly vile.

  She sat back now against the hard timber of the stall door, unable to hold back a smile as she watched the mother lick her pups with affection. Her parents had never allowed her to have dogs, and oh, how she loved them. They had a country home, of course, but her mother had hated it, finding it “ever so dull and dreary,” and therefore even when her father was attending to business at their estate, Rosalind and her mother had often stayed in London. She hadn’t realized how cloying the city was until she got out of it. Even at Harold’s estate, as much as she had disliked it, she still felt a sense of freedom that she never found in the city.

  Rosalind wondered what William was doing at the moment. She knew his affairs were no concern of hers and yet … she couldn’t keep him from occupying her thoughts. He had seemed to warm to her the past couple of days, despite his initial shortness with her. If only the house party could stay away, she thought with a sigh. But that was part of life, wasn’t it? Embracing all the moments, even those you dreaded.

  The stable door opened, and the man who had occupied her thoughts walked in, his boots shuffling through the straw.

  “Rosalind!” he exclaimed upon coming across her on the floor of the stable, and she wondered whether she actually heard some pleasure in his voice, or if he was simply surprised to find her amongst the dogs.

  “Hello, William,” she said rising after moving the puppies off her lap to their place with their mother. “How are you this morning?”

  “Just fine,” he said. “I say, did I see Alfred leaving here?”

  “You did,” she sighed. “He came in for a … visit.”

  “My apologies,” he sighed, running a hand through his hair, leaving it tousled, and she felt an urge to reach her hand out to fix it, though she knew she never would actually do such a thing. “That must have been difficult. In truth, I am unsure exactly what to do in this situation. It is not one that is particularly … common.”

  “It’s fine,” she said, not meeting his eye as she wasn’t being entirely honest. “Are you here to see the dogs?”

  “I am checking
on them, yes, but I am actually fetching my horse as I must be on my way to visit a tenant,” he responded.

  “Oh, lovely. It is a beautiful day for a ride,” she said wistfully.

  “You ride, then?” he asked, a bit surprised, and she felt herself blush.

  “Not well,” she said. “I have not had much opportunity. When I have, though, it has been quite enjoyable.”

  “Come along then,” he said with an impish grin, and her heart melted. Why must he be so charming?

  “I likely shouldn’t,” she found herself saying despite the anticipation his words had brought her. “I would only slow you down.”

  “Ah, I am in no hurry,” he said with a wave of his hand. “What do you say? I’ll even have Cook pack a picnic lunch.”

  “A picnic? Oh, that is tempting,” she said, wanting so badly to accompany him and yet knowing the closer she came to him, the more she would want what could never be hers.

  “Say yes,” he said, and she knew, deep in her heart, that she could never truly say no to him.

  “I — all right then,” she smiled. “When do we leave?”

  Rosalind was right about one thing, William realized. She could not ride very well. His stables weren’t large, but he had saddled an older mare for her, one who actually wasn’t ridden near often enough. She was a good fit for Rosalind, slow and steady, though William could practically see the horse rolling her eyes at Rosalind’s feeble attempts to direct her one way or the next.

  “With a little more force, Rosalind,” he called over to her, trying to suppress his grin. “Let her know that you’re in charge.”

  She nodded and tried again, but her heart wasn’t in it, and eventually William rode ahead, while Rosalind’s horse was content in simply following along behind. They took a very leisurely pace, but the tenant wasn’t too far and soon they arrived at the small stone building, which had pens filled with animals out back. As they led their horses up the small lane, a group of young children ran out to greet them, calling out to William by name. While he had a steward, he enjoyed getting to know many of his tenants personally. He found his estate could be lonely at times, and he liked having the opportunity to converse with others.

  “My lord!” A woman came out of the house, wiping her hands on a cloth. “Lovely to see you. I will find my husband for you. Children! Leave Lord Southam alone, please.”

  “Not a problem, Mary. I quite enjoy the children,” he said truthfully. He rarely had the opportunity to spend time with children. It was another reason he enjoyed these visits. He knelt down in front of them. “Now, let’s see what we may find in my pockets. Hmmm. Oh look, sweets! Now, these wouldn’t interest you, would they?”

  The children shrieked and laughed, clambering for a piece of chocolate, and William laughed along with them. He looked up at Rosalind, who was standing over his shoulder with a wide grin on her face and a look in her eyes that he couldn’t quite decipher.

  “Ah, children, even more important than candy, however, is my guest. Meet Lady Templeton. She is staying at our manor and was very interested in coming to visit with you. Lady Templeton, this is Mary Baker.”

  “Welcome, Lady Templeton,” said the woman, who had just returned, and gave her a quick curtsy. “We are honored to have you here.”

  “Oh, please, none of that,” said Rosalind with an embarrassed wave of her hand. “And Rosalind is fine.”

  “Lady Rosalind,” said Mary with an incline of her head, reaching out a hand to her husband, who had rounded the corner. “My husband, Tom.”

  William exchanged pleasantries with the man then followed him inside to discuss business dealings. He looked at Rosalind and she gave him a bit of a nod as if to say she was perfectly fine with being left alone with Mary and the children. He smiled at her and continued on.

  Their business concluded, William shook hands with Tom then went to find Rosalind. He looked around the front yard of the house, but finding no sight of her, he continued around back. He stopped short when he saw her in the distance. She had unpacked the picnic Cook had put together. And now she sat in the middle of the blue checkered blanket, the five children of various sizes sitting around her and Mary. They were laughing as they ate, and as he took them in, his heart swelled. Who was this woman? He knew she had been raised Rosalind Kennedy, the daughter of an earl, and yet she sat now in the middle of a field with one of his tenants and her multitude of children, not only sharing food but also stories and laughter. Here, she seemed more at ease than he had ever seen her before at an event held within Society.

  Interesting, he thought, and he wasn’t sure what to do with the feelings that were growing inside him when he looked toward her. Could she be the partner he was looking for? He needed a woman who would help him, who would be accepted by his peers and his people. He had always loved women with backbone, who would stand up for what they believed in. She wasn’t that woman, but did he truly need that in a wife? He admired her, that was true, and he knew he could get along well with her. Was that not enough?

  And yet she now did not exactly have the best history with his family, and he wasn’t sure they could ever all live together in harmony. Was she more important than his mother and brother?

  He didn’t realize how long he had been standing there, until he heard Rosalind call out to him.

  “Will— Lord Southam!” her voice rang out, and he began to approach them, taking in her rosy cheeks, mussed hair, and wide smile showing her perfect teeth. “I must apologize, but I have shared our picnic lunch. I hope you do not overly mind?”

  “Mind? Of course not. As long as you little imps have saved me some of Cook’s delicious scones!”

  He grabbed a pastry and popped it in his mouth with a grin, to which the littlest of the children started laughing at him.

  William watched Rosalind out of the corner of his eye as she smiled at the lot of them. What was he to do with her?

  12

  “Come on, girl, let’s go,” Rosalind tried her best to coax the horse along, but in truth the mare was a stubborn sort, and seemed determined to go along at her own pace. Rosalind sighed and decided to simply accept it. Neither she nor the mare would be winning races anytime soon, that was for certain. Ah, well, not that it mattered, she thought.

  As they came closer to William’s manor, Friday came running out to meet them.

  “Hey there, boy!” William said with delight. “Leaving your family, are you? Well, we all need to stretch our legs now and then, do we not?

  Rosalind laughed at the way he spoke to the dog, as if Friday was human and understood every word he said. Although, if she were being honest, she did the same. She supposed that one could truly judge the character of another by the way he treated an animal. And William, clearly, had a very worthy heart.

  He was quite a hands-on lord, not one who entrusted most of the responsibilities to his steward. She found that admirable. In fact, there wasn’t much about him that she didn’t admire.

  If only she was the type of woman that a man like him would want, she thought with a sigh. But no, she didn’t fit with his life, nor his family, nor his idea of the perfect woman.

  “’Tis rather warm for the season, is it not?” he asked her, cutting through her thoughts, and she smiled at the idle chatter he made with her.

  “It is,” she agreed. The sun was warm, and despite the light gown she wore, she felt a trickle of perspiration slide down her spine.

  “I have an idea!” William said suddenly, and she caught the impish grin that spread out over his face, the type of smile she remembered from her visits with Olivia as children. Usually it meant he had found trouble, though the adult William had seemed to embrace the responsibilities he had inherited.

  “Yes…?” she asked cautiously.

  “How would you like to visit my favorite fishing hole?”

  “A fishing hole?” she repeated.

  “Yes,” he said. “It’s down the hill beyond those trees, to where the river runs. It offers
plenty of shade and perhaps we could even dip our toes in the water, if you’re up for it.”

  “I suppose,” she said with a shrug and a smile. It did sound lovely.

  As he had told her, it wasn’t far, and she was awestruck when they broke through the trees to the lovely little spot.

  “I told you that this was my favorite fishing hole,” William said, dismounting and coming over to give her a hand down. “I suppose I should have mentioned it was my only fishing hole as well.”

  He laughed then, a rich, warm chuckle that was contagious, and Rosalind found herself laughing along with him.

  “Do you fish often?” she asked him.

  “I do,” he replied with a nod. “Though to be honest, it isn’t so much the fishing that draws me as the peacefulness. No one usually knows I’m out here. My brother never comes here, my steward cannot find me … it’s the one place I can leave any worries and responsibilities behind.”

  “You usually come alone then?” she asked, moving to stand beside him as they looked out over the water.

  “I do,” he said, turning to her with a smile. “But with you, I know the peace will not be broken. There is something about you, Rosalind, that makes me feel … comfortable. I do not have to pretend, nor put on a show for you. I enjoy that.”

  Rosalind dipped her head, embarrassed by his words. She supposed it was a compliment, but she wasn’t entirely sure how to respond.

  “Thank you, William,” she finally murmured.

  “Now, come!” he said, breaking the silence and walking to the shallow water. He sat down on the edge, took off his shoes, and began rolling up the legs of his trousers. Rosalind simply watched as he lowered his feet into the water, leaned his head back, closed his eyes, and basked in the sun on his face. She swallowed hard, even though he had simply removed his stockings.

  “Is the water cold?” she asked.

  “Not at all,” he said, keeping his eyes closed, now lying backward in the long grass. “If you wanted to try it yourself, I promise I will not look.”