Dangerous Games of a Broken Lady
A Historical Regency Romance Novel
Emma Linfield
Edited by
Robin Spencer
Contents
A Thank You Gift
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Epilogue
Extended Epilogue
The Dukedom of Deception
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Also by Emma Linfield
About the Author
A Thank You Gift
Thanks a lot for purchasing my book. It really means a lot to me, because this is the best way to show me your love.
As a Thank You gift I have written a full length novel for you called The Betrayed Lady Winters. It’s only available to people who have downloaded one of my books and you can get your free copy by tapping this link here.
Once more, thanks a lot for your love and support.
With love and appreciation,
Emma Linfield
About the Book
Adelaide has it all. Youth, a loving family, an unconventional personality and a serious misconception about true love that makes her betroth a very dangerous man, the Duke of Bradford. However, shortly after her betrothal, she discovers she is in love with her friend since childhood, Jasper Fitzwilliam.
Jasper, the handsome Viscount Gillet, tries to warn Adelaide about the Duke but his efforts are fruitless: it’s too late now to call off the engagement. The evil Duke knows a well-kept secret — the financial ruination of Adelaide's family — and threatens to destroy everyone she loves if they don't comply with his sadistic wishes.
In this quest for salvation, where the stakes are high and time is his enemy, Jasper is the only one who can save her family...by offering his own sacrifice.
Chapter 1
Lady Adelaide Colborne lounged on a chaise, flicking absently through a book. A fire roared in the grate, keeping out the bitter chill of October. The clock on the mantelpiece chimed eleven o’clock at night. Outside, carriage wheels clattered past the window.
She glanced across at the others in the drawing room and wondered when she might be permitted to make her excuses and leave the Gilletts’ house. There were far more exciting exploits out there to enjoy. London was her oyster and yet, she was being kept in domestic drudgery. If she had wanted that, she would have stayed at her family’s Yorkshire estate.
“Planning your escape, Lady Adelaide?” a voice murmured. She turned to see Jasper Fitzwilliam, Viscount Gillett, the only son of the Earl of Richmond, watching her closely.
“And what if I am, Jasper?” She mimicked his tone, flashing a mischievous smile. “As you see, my father is in deep discussion with yours, Miss Green is attempting to gain my mother’s favor, and your mother has already retired for the evening. Undoubtedly, out of utter tedium for the company and conversation herein.”
Adelaide looked towards her dear father, Ephraim Colborne, the Earl of Leeds. He drank animatedly from a brandy snifter, whilst Jasper’s father, Milton Fitzwilliam, the Earl of Richmond, nodded uncertainly at everything being said.
Adelaide smiled at the scene. No doubt, her father was discussing some new business endeavor. The Earl of Leeds had a passion for commerce, though his success did not always hit the mark. And most of the time, no one had any clue what he was talking about. Lord Richmond seemed to be enduring such a bout of confusion, at that very moment.
Adelaide’s mother, the Countess of Leeds, on the other hand, seemed to be fielding the excitable chatter of Miss Leah Green. Adelaide liked the girl well enough, but a distance remained between them that had yet to be traversed. All her life, Adelaide had hoped to find a genuine confidante. Thus far, Jasper was the only one she felt she could speak freely with on most subjects. But, being short on close female friends, she kept Leah around, just in case true closeness blossomed.
The problem was that a competitive streak existed between the two young ladies. Adelaide had power and wealth, and a way of wrapping anyone around her little finger. Leah had enthusiasm and a lack of responsibility. She did not have a title to lose if she put a foot wrong. In truth, Adelaide envied her somewhat for that. Not that she would ever admit such a thing to Leah herself.
“You are so severe on your talent for conversation?” Jasper quipped.
Adelaide flashed him a look, “You know very well that your mother finds me an absolute delight. Were she here, she would seek me out as the only worthy conversant in the room.”
“Ah yes, I had forgotten how highly you place yourself above others.”
“That is most untrue and deeply unfair of you to say, Jasper.” She gave him a hard stare, feeling stung. “As you see, I have been forced to retreat into the pages of a novel. Everyone seems perfectly occupied without me. I would not intrude where I am not needed, nor speak for the sake of speaking.”
“Perhaps you might find the evening more interesting if you were to involve yourself, instead of slinking to the shadows like a petulant feline.”
“And seek to interrupt your stolen words with dear Miss Green? I would never do such a thing,” Adelaide teased. She had noticed the way Jasper looked at Leah. It would take a blind man not to see how fond he was of the enthusiastic young lady.
“I have not stolen any words with Miss Green,” he remarked stiffly. “She is here as your guest. She is no acquaintance of mine. Why should I have reason to steal conversation with her? There is no current affection between her and myself. Indeed, I hardly know her.”
“Methinks the admirer doth protest too much,” Adelaide chuckled. “Indeed, methinks the admirer would very much like to get to know Miss Green better. Is that why you have come over to me, Jasper? Do you seek to make the poor girl green with envy?”
He flushed furiously—a sight that amused and pleased Adelaide in equal measure. She knew there had long been a distant flirtation between Jasper and Leah. They were not closely acquainted, but their paths often crossed. Each season, they dabbled a little more. As Adelaide’s London home neighbored with that of Jasper and his family, whenever Leah was invited to visit, they invariably ended up bumping into one another. Adelaide had often teased Jasper that he likely watched from his window like a desperate sentinel.
“I know you seek only to tease me, Lady Adelaide. I shall not rise to your taunts,” Jasper said coolly. “I might ask why you are so eager to make your exit, however? Is there a secret admirer lingering in the dark halls of the Assembly Rooms, awaiting your clandestine arrival?” His tone mocked her, but she did not care. He could mock all he liked.
“Whom I choose to acquaint myself with is none of your concern. Though, if you must know, I seek only to find m
ore stimulating entertainment. Why must I read and sit on the periphery of stuffy conversation when I might be dancing and conversing with the other shining young creatures of London?”
“The delights of London society calling to you, are they?” he mused. “You know, they are naught but mere façade and performance. None of it is real—it is all a fantasy, created to amuse the young ladies and gentleman of our day.”
“Perhaps fantasy is what I desire,” Adelaide shot back, arching an eyebrow. She chuckled at the sudden flush of his cheeks. She had a way of inducing men to heated discomfort. It was not a trait in herself that she always enjoyed, but she and Jasper had long been friends. She knew she could never induce him towards romantic thought. He was immune where other gentlemen were not. Indeed, a humorous understanding existed between them, perpetuating their mutual jest of one another.
“If you do not enjoy these evenings with my family, why do you insist on partaking of them?”
“I should never wish to appear rude,” she offered with a shy smile.
He sighed in evident frustration, “Then, maybe you ought to make your excuses and leave?”
“You see, now you agree—that is the only solution,” she said, chuckling softly. “Although I believe you have an ulterior motive. You wish me to leave so you might have the pleasure of Miss Green’s company, a little more intimately. My mother shall retire when I do. If I were to remove myself in such a manner, by the merest law of averages you would have to garner the courage to speak with Miss Green. Otherwise, she would be left quite alone. And then, who would appear to be the uncouth one?”
“That is not why I am suggesting such a thing,” Jasper remarked sharply. “I would not see you in discomfort or boredom, that is all.”
“Of course.” Playful amusement rippled from Adelaide’s words, “Ever the selfless knight, charging in on his white steed.”
Jasper narrowed his sea-green eyes at her. “If you will not be serious, Lady Adelaide…”
“Then what?” she interjected.
“Then… perhaps, as we have both said, it would be best if you pursued your alternative endeavors.”
“And I must have your permission, must I?”
“Why must we do this, every time we meet? What is this constant dispute between us?” Jasper sighed wearily. “As children, you and I were dear friends. Our families have spent summers and winters in one another’s company. Where did this perpetual defensiveness come from?”
Adelaide shrugged, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. “I do not know what you speak of. As far as I am concerned, you and I remain the best of friends.”
“You behave this way with all of your acquaintances?”
“You have seen the way I interact with Miss Green. It is no different to the way I behave with you,” she paused. “Anyway, I thought you enjoyed our witty repartee? You once told me it brightened your days. Is it not what we have based the foundation of our acquaintance upon?”
He made a small, strangled noise. “I had forgotten those words to you. Indeed, do not misunderstand, I do enjoy our jests when it is appropriate. It is the constancy that I struggle with. May we not sometimes be plain and pleasant with one another, as lifelong acquaintances ought to be?”
It was Adelaide’s turn to blush, “I suppose we may.” She did not often feel embarrassed, but he had touched on a particularly sore subject. People often thought of her as aloof, mistaking shyness for loftiness. Jasper had never been one of those people. He had always known what lay beneath the sometimes-frosty surface. Truthfully, she had not realized her behavior irked him so. As her sole true friend, she did not wish him to find her obnoxious. Wounded pride lodged in her throat, preventing her from apologizing.
“With regards to Miss Green, she fears your sincerity on occasion,” Jasper continued, oblivious to Adelaide’s distress. “I am well-versed in your irreverent ways, where she does not quite comprehend your manner of teasing. She does not always know that your words are never cruelly intended.”
“Ah, so she has been telling tales now, has she?” Adelaide replied defensively. It was her favored means of self-preservation, oft used when she felt backed into a corner.
“Nothing of the sort.” Jasper leapt to Leah’s defense, “I mention it only so you may remedy any issue before it blossoms into something unpleasant. I should hate to see the two of you break up your friendship.”
Adelaide smiled, “Why? In case she no longer visited and you no longer had reason to peer longingly from your window for her arrival?”
“You see, this is what I speak of. This coldness. I do not understand it.”
“You claim to understand my manner of jest, dear Jasper. Alas, it would appear you do not. I do not mean to seem cold in any way. Indeed, perhaps I ought to remedy the situation if she claims to feel troubled by me.” Another twist of remorse gripped her suddenly, prompting her to rise. As strange as their friendship was, Adelaide did not wish anyone to think her cruel. Least of all a well-meaning girl like Leah. She smoothed down the front of her ruby-red bombazine gown. The matching choker at her throat began to itch.
“What are you—?”
She cleared her throat, cutting him off, “Mama, I was wondering if I might retire for the evening? Lady Francesca and her mother have invited me to the Assembly Rooms tomorrow evening and I should hate to seem fatigued.”
The room felt oddly claustrophobic. Jasper’s curious gaze did little to alleviate her discomfort. Her gaze drifted across to Leah for a moment.
How may I prevent her from finding me cold and aloof? she wondered. In truth, she did not know. Making lasting friendships had never come easy to her.
Margaret, Adelaide’s beloved mother, raised her head. A handsome lady of forty, the years had been kind to the Countess of Leeds. Her figure was still shapely, her features barely lined by age, her raven hair hardly touched by strands of gray. Meanwhile, her eye for fashion remained second-to-none. She could not walk into a room without gentlemen admiring her from afar but Adelaide’s father was not one of those gentlemen. Married as two strangers in a fortuitous match, theirs had been a cautious romance. Over time, any passion that might have stirred within their relationship had developed into something far less fiery. A friendship and a partnership, no less admirable for its longevity and fidelity.
“The Countess of Gaumont has invited you to the Assembly Rooms?” A tremor of excitement bristled in Lady Leeds voice.
“She has, Mama. Well, her daughter has, but she is rather eager to meet with me,” Adelaide replied. In truth, there was an ulterior motive to the invitation. It was not something she wished to discuss with so many ears listening in.
“Goodness, then we must ensure you get your beauty sleep.”
“We must, Mama.”
“Husband, shall you join us?” Lady Leeds asked.
The Earl of Leeds shook his head, “I shall remain a while longer. Lord Richmond and I were just discussing the intricacies of the East India Trading Company and I should like to hear more of his views.”
Adelaide noticed a flash of disappointment cross Lord Richmond’s face. Evidently, he had hoped that her departure might entice Lord Leeds to leave, too. Alas, he would have to endure another hour or so of in-depth conversation on the subject of commerce.
“Very well, then we must bid you all a goodnight,” Lady Leeds insisted, before turning to Leah. “Miss Green, might you follow us outside where we may ensure your safe departure in the family carriage?”
The young lady gazed at Jasper. “I thought I might remain here whilst the carriage came.”
“Nonsense, I will not hear of it. You shall accompany us and I will see to it that you are safely taken home.”
“As you wish, My Lady.” Leah stood reluctantly and rearranged the skirt of her lavender muslin gown. Adelaide thought she looked rather pretty in the firelight—a bittersweet notion. For Adelaide was dark-haired, slim and somewhat taller than most young ladies, with a striking appearance. The overall
image she presented was not always found instantly desirable. Meanwhile, Leah was petite and slender, with a typical flaxen beauty that could not be ignored. There was nothing remarkable about her but Adelaide knew that gentlemen did not always seek that in a wife.
She did not envy the affections that Leah had garnered from Jasper, or from other gentlemen. Far from it. It was more that she felt covetous of a simpler appearance, a beauty that was easier to comprehend, and more effortlessly appreciated by others.
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