Regency Romance: Loving The Reluctant Viscount (The Fairbanks Series - Love & Hearts) (Historical Regency Romance & Mystery)

by Jessie Bennett

  “Yes, that is quite true.” Lady Dowling nodded. “It is wonderful news, my lord.”

  “Thank you, Miss Dowling. I am very excited about it.”

  “Will you build your own home on Duck’s Row also, Lord Gray?” Janelle asked. He wondered if the anxious look on her face meant what he hoped it meant. He was keen to court her and eventually marry her. He had already decided as much. Her initial interest certainly seemed genuine.

  “That is also in the plan. Would you like to be involved in the project? I can use a lady’s eye when it comes to certain things.”

  “Oh? What would I be able to help you with?”

  “Designs and arts, I’m sure. Whether it is due to a vigilant brother or a mother who desires for her daughters to hold intelligent conversations, it is obvious to me you would be of great assistance in many areas.”

  “I would be glad to offer my advice.” Janelle looked as happy as Allan felt. He wanted to take her in his arms and squeeze her close. If he did so at that moment, however, he would not want to let go.

  He gazed at her beautiful face and was only distracted when Lady Dowling posed a question to him.

  “Will you be providing Mrs. Bell at the orphanage with any type of compensation for her years of service?”

  He blinked rapidly. “Mrs. Bell? Does she need a hike in her pay?”

  “She is not paid.”

  Allan was confused. He could not imagine the esteemed Duke Worthington forcing sweet Mrs. Bell to work with no pay. “I do not understand. Is she not being paid?”

  “She has not been paid from the very first time she volunteered to run the orphanage for the Duke. Please do not take my words out of context. She is not slave-labor. She has been volunteering from the first day, to maintain a roof over her head when her husband suddenly left.”

  “Shawn has tried to get her to take pay but she refuses.”

  “What makes it any different for me?” He asked. “I am willing to pay her but why would she refuse the Duke and not me? I would not know how much she should be paid or how much she wants to be paid.”

  “These are things to discuss with her and with the Duke,” Lady Dowling smiled at him. “Here we are at home. Come in and have some tea and biscuits, Lord Gray.”

  “Thank you, miss, I will.” He stepped out first and helped the older lady down. She walked toward the front porch. Allan turned back and as Janelle stepped down, he kissed the top of her hand. It was all he could do to resist pulling her to him to put a kiss on her beautiful rose red lips.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  ELIZABETH SPOTS A DOG

  ELIZABETH SPOTS A DOG

  One of Duchess Elizabeth’s favorite things to do was take her children to the park on a bright Saturday afternoon…when there was one. There was always the chance of a rainstorm in the middle of the day, even if the morning had appeared with a clear sky. She kept a rain parka for Teddy, an umbrella for herself and a canopy for Anna’s pram with her always.

  That Saturday was bright and beautiful. The sky remained beautiful. Teddy played in a sand pit near the pond. He threw sand up in the air because his baby sister, who was sitting in the grass nearby, thought it was funny. Her baby laugh rang through the air each time, making everyone within hearing distance smile. Elizabeth and Anna were seated on a large quilt Elizabeth had spread out over the grass. On the other side of Teddy, neighbors roamed back and forth, chatting and splashing in the water.

  A week had passed since the Grays and Steven Miner had first arrived at Worthington Manor. They were all at the park with Elizabeth and the children today. Shawn had insisted on a trip since the weather was holding out so nicely.

  “We must take advantage of it!” He’d announced at breakfast.

  “But, my lord, the weather could turn at any moment.” Abe teased him.

  “I know that, my dear sir. According to what I’ve experienced in my 37 years on this planet, living in Fairbanks for much of it, it will turn very soon and will remain cold and wet throughout the holiday season, as it usually does. We must take advantage of every opportunity to see the sun until it is hidden behind the dark clouds nearly all the time.”

  “I agree, Shawn.” Elizabeth spoke up. “I want the children to enjoy the nice weather, too. Let’s go to the park.”

  “Yes, that is the perfect idea, Liz. Have you been to the park yet, Lord Gray?”

  “No, I haven’t.”

  “Lord Miner?” He turned his attention to Steven.

  “No but I would like to go.”

  “Everyone meet on the porch in one hour. We will all squeeze into a carriage and go to the park. It has a pond. We will bring the dogs.”

  “If we bring the dogs, Shawn,” Elizabeth said. “We will need to take two carriages. We cannot expect our guests to be squeezed together and dealing with three rambunctious pups, a baby and a four-year-old.”

  Laughter rumbled around the table as the group chuckled at the picture that suggested.

  Shawn nodded and said through his laughter, “All right, Elizabeth. Two carriages it is.”

  She looked around, coming out of her memory sharply. Shawn was standing by the pond talking to a man Elizabeth only vaguely remembered. He was not a regular visitor to the manor. After a moment, she realized it was one of the vicars from the church they attended every Sunday. He was having a serious discussion with Shawn, whose previous jovial mood seemed to have disappeared. He stood with his arms crossed, his eyes intent on the parish priest. His jaw was set and he said not a word while the vicar went on and on.

  She wondered if Shawn would confide in her what the priest could have been saying. Sometimes he revealed private matters to her but most of the time, she did not find out he had resolved an issue or that one even existed until well after the situation was over. Whatever was being discussed, she was confident her husband would do what was right, even if it was not the popular opinion to do so.

  To her right, she saw Allan and Janelle sitting under a tree on one of the other quilts they had brought along. Janelle was upright while Allan was stretched out across the blanket, one hand shielding his eyes from the sun. Elizabeth couldn’t help but smile when she realized Janelle was moving back and forth so that she was casting her shadow over Allan’s face for a moment and then suddenly releasing the sun’s rays upon his face. Allan appeared to be light-heartedly complaining about it, laughing softly all the while.

  She moved her eyes to the other side of the pond and saw Abe in the water near Emiline. She focused in on the young woman. It was the first time she could remember seeing Emiline with what appeared to be a genuine smile on her face. Whatever Abe was saying to her amused her. The two of them splashed around for a time before suddenly Emiline’s attitude changed. Her smile disappeared. She stopped splashing and made for the shore. Elizabeth frowned in confusion. She could see Abe was also confused because he stayed in the water but watched Emiline leave with a confounded look. Elizabeth couldn’t imagine her old friend saying something that would have offended Emiline to the point of desertion.

  She looked out onto the shore, watching Emiline pick up a towel and begin to pat herself dry. She kept looking up in the same direction.

  At the same time, Abe and Elizabeth followed Emiline’s line of vision to the outline of the trees that grew on the other side of the pond. Steven Miner was sitting under one of them. Elizabeth could not see his face clearly. She wondered if Abe could see what type of look Steven was giving Emiline. As if they were of one mind, Abe turned and looked at Elizabeth, just when she looked at him.

  He began to walk out of the water, picking up the towel from where he’d dropped it before entering the pond and dried himself as he came closer to Elizabeth and Anna.

  “Liz.” He said.

  She nodded. “I saw what just happened, Abe. But I don’t understand why it happened. I cannot see Steven from here. Was he giving her a disapproving look?”

  “It was not a pleasant one, I mu
st say.”

  Elizabeth shook her head. Abe sat an appropriate distance from her, leaning over to smile at Anna and touch her tiny nose. She giggled and flapped her arms. “Hello, little one.” Abe said.

  “Does it seem to you that Emiline and Steven are more closely acquainted than we had thought?”

  Abe shrugged. “It is always a possibility. I do believe that Allan would have mentioned it, if this had been the case.”

  “Perhaps he doesn’t know.” Elizabeth watched Emiline as she spread a blanket and sat down. Steven didn’t move from where he was.

  “Perhaps he doesn’t.” Abe agreed. He folded his hands in front of his knees, keeping his back to both Emiline and Steven.

  “She looked as though she was happy in the water.”

  “She was.”

  Their conversation was interrupted as Teddy came running over. His wet feet were covered with sand. Elizabeth held out one hand to prevent him from stepping onto the blanket. “Be careful, Teddy.”

  “Yes, mama.” Instead of running to her, he veered off and ran through the grass toward his father. When he reached Shawn, he wrapped his arms around one leg. Shawn looked down at him and then back to the vicar.

  “I will do what I can, vicar.” He was saying. “Let me get back to my family. I will send a messenger to you with my thoughts later today.”

  “Thank you, Your Grace. I appreciate all of your help.”

  As he walked to the blanket where his wife was sitting, Shawn lifted his son in the air and wiped his feet with his hands. Teddy giggled with delight, swinging from his father’s arm and kicking his feet attempting to help clean off the sand.

  They both sat near Elizabeth.

  “What did the vicar want to talk about, Shawn? It looked very serious.”

  Shawn nodded. “It was.” He moved his eyes from Elizabeth to Abe and back again. “We have a thief in Fairbanks.”

  Elizabeth frowned. “How can this be? Are there travelers we do not know about?”

  “I am quite sure there are some people who drift through Fairbanks without our knowledge, my dear. But this one has expensive taste.”

  “What’s happened, Shawn?” Abe asked.

  “There have been several items stolen from the church. Just last night someone went in. The vicar didn’t notice until this morning.”

  “What can be done?” Elizabeth asked. She couldn’t remember a time in her life that she’d heard of such a thing happening.

  “That is the question.” Shawn replied. “I am to ponder that very question and send the vicar my thoughts. I believe right now I may be too shocked to think straight. I find it hard to fathom that anyone would do such a nefarious thing here in Fairbanks. We have never had a problem with such things.”

  Elizabeth shook her head. “I would not believe it if it had not been you who told me.”

  “What are your thoughts, Abe?”

  Abe sighed. “I fear the first thought that comes to mind is to look at what we know right now.” He said. “You have three visitors who have never stepped foot in Fairbanks before. You do not know them well. As we have not heard of anyone else visiting, we must first look at those we know of.”

  “I cannot see Viscount Gray doing anything immoral or deceiving.”

  Instinctively, the three of them glanced to where Janelle and Allan were talking. They looked comfortable and happy.

  “I agree,” Abe nodded. He was amused when both Elizabeth and Shawn looked past him to Steven and Emiline.

  “Emiline does not seem to have the character to be suspected of such behavior.” Shawn said. “She seems almost child-like to me sometimes. She relies on Allan a great deal and he often guides her in both manners and thinking.”

  Abe nodded again. “That leaves Lord Miner.”

  Shawn looked at him. “You do not care for Lord Miner.”

  He waited a moment before he answered. “I am not as comfortable with him as I am with Lord Gray.”

  “An appropriate response.” Elizabeth said. “Shawn, we should keep our eyes open for anything that might cause us to doubt his sincerity. Abe and I have already witnessed a troubling scene between him, that is Lord Miner and Emiline. She was enjoying herself in the water until she looked up and saw him staring at her. She left the water and has been sitting on that blanket on the shore ever since. She did not even come over to speak to us or to sit with us.”

  “I see that.”

  “He has not moved from his place under that tree. I do not know what to think of it. However, his atrocious behavior toward Emiline does not make him a thief.”

  “Perhaps not, my lady,” Abe said. “But it does make him a more viable suspect than Lord Gray or his sister.”

  Elizabeth looked at Shawn. “What will we do?”

  “It is a good question, Liz.” Was all he could say.

  “I am tired, Shawn.” Elizabeth looked frustrated, as well. The thought that there was a thief in Fairbanks did not sit well with her. If it was Steven who was guilty, she wanted to know as quickly as possible so that the situation could be dealt with immediately.

  “Are you ready to go back to the Manor?”

  “Yes.”

  Shawn stood up and lifted Teddy off the blanket. He leaned over and picked up Anna, resting her on his side. She clung to him tightly. He held his hand out to Elizabeth, who took it and pulled herself to her feet.

  As they gathered everything together, Shawn walked to Allan and Janelle.

  “Elizabeth has grown weary. We are going back to the manor. If you would like to stay for a while, we will leave one of the carriages here for you.”

  Allan looked at Janelle, before looking back to Shawn. “We will stay for a while longer. Thank you.”

  Shawn nodded and turned away from them, noting in his mind how much happier his sister-in-law was than she had been just eight days ago. Her smile was radiant.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  ALLAN MAKES A FRIEND

  ALLAN MAKES A FRIEND

  It was still dark out when Allan woke up the next morning. He expected the sun would rise soon enough but whether it did or not, he didn’t expect a lot of sunshine. Their discussion from the day before had proven true when clouds rolled just after they left the park and it began to rain. He could hear the rain still falling outside his window. The moon was unable to provide light through the thick clouds covering it.

  He rolled over and felt the table next to the bed until he found a tinder box. He used it to light the lantern so he could see his way. It was chilly in the room. He took his robe from the chair beside the bed and pulled it on.

  He sat back on the bed, setting the lantern down on the table. He lowered his head and enjoyed the quiet sound of the rain on the window. Emiline had stopped coming in his room at night. Her behavior during the day had not changed significantly but he was glad she was no longer invading his privacy at night. He didn’t know why she had stopped but when he thought about it, he didn’t know why she had started in the first place.

  He pulled in a deep, refreshing breath. He thought about Janelle. Her face in his mind made him smile. She was the perfect woman, in his opinion. They had discussed their childhoods, their dreams for the future, even having children. He told her what type of house he was intending to build, describing it to her in detail. He told her about the money he would be donating to the orphanage, on top of the money being invested to build additions and strengthen the house that was already standing.

  Their discussion by the pond had gone on for a long time. Today, he planned to visit with her again. Lady Dowling had asked him and Lord Miner to stop by for lunch. She’d heard about the plan for Duck’s Row. He wasn’t sure exactly what she wanted to discuss with him but he had an idea she would be putting some of her own money into the project, as well. It excited him that many people were taken with his idea. It helped when he was not the only one making decisions.

  While they were there, Allan planned to ask Lord Miner
if he would like a position in the company, helping with the building. He hadn’t had many discussions with Steven and had no idea what the young man would or could do. But he was strong and able-bodied. There would certainly be a job open for him if he wanted it.

  If he planned to stay in Fairbanks.

  As he thought about it, Allan realized he didn’t know a lot about Lord Miner. Emiline seemed to know him. Before lunch today, he would make it a point to draw his sister aside and ask her questions about him.

  He heard a commotion outside his door and looked up sharply. He picked up the lantern, slipped his feet into a pair of slippers and moved to the door quickly. When he pulled it open, he saw a tiny figure pass in front of his door. He pressed his lips together to suppress a grin, realizing it was Teddy, running down the hallway. Moments later, an adult passed by, not noticing his door was open. It was the child’s nanny, Amelia.

  “Teddy! Come back, young man. Why are you out of bed? It’s the middle of the night.”

  “I’m hungry, Amy, hungry!” Teddy hissed in a stage whisper. “Hungry, hungry, hungry…” He repeated the phrase continually, dodging Amelia’s groping hands. Allan stepped out into the hallway.

  “Teddy.” He said aloud. The little boy stopped abruptly and stood stock still, staring at the big man who had suddenly appeared. “Come with me. I’ll get you something to eat.”

  Amelia looked up at Allan with a mixture of fear and gratitude. “I apologize, my lord. We did not mean to wake you.”

  Allan shook his head, approaching Teddy and holding out his hand for the child to take. “Do not worry yourself, Mrs. I was already awake and heard him come running down the hallway. I will take him to the kitchen.”

  “Thank you, my lord. I believe cook is already making breakfast. She may have something for him to eat. A biscuit with butter perhaps.”

  “You may go back to your room. I will bring Teddy to you after we have satisfied our stomachs.”