Loving a Forsaken Earl: A Historical Regency Romance Book

by Aria Norton

  ***

  Thomas and Abigail walked out of the church amidst cheers and applause. People tossed rice in the air over their heads as they passed. She squealed and climbed into the carriage, her joy overflowing.

  As the carriage pulled away, she leaned into his arms and watched the cheering crowd. "Why have they all come out for a simple doctor's daughter?"

  "Everyone loves a wedding," Thomas replied. "And how does it feel to be the new Lady of Harborough?"

  "Simply wonderful," Abigail said, enjoying the few moments of calm before their guests arrived at the Brampton mansion. They greeted their guests at the door, thanking them as hearty congratulations were given.

  As everyone was seated at the table, Thomas and Abigail made their way to the head. Before the meal was served, Thomas stood to give a toast. "I want to thank you all for coming to share in our joy this morning. Your friendship and good-wishes mean the world to us. And I would like to thank my beautiful wife. I know it has not always been an easy road, but I promise to love you forever, 'til death do us part. You are the light of my life, Abigail. I love you." He turned to the guests and raised his glass to her. "To the bride!"

  "To the bride!" everyone echoed. "A kiss! A kiss!" Someone said from the crowd. Thomas turned and took her face in his hands.

  "Gladly." He leaned down, sealing their wedding day with a kiss for all to see.

  THE END

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

  How will Abigail’s fraught relationship with her mother change over the next few years?

  With everything that’s happened between them, how will Sarah and Abigail’s friendship develop over the next few years?

  After escaping from her marriage to Filmore, will Sarah have a chance at a new love?

  Click the link or enter it into your browser

  http://arianorton.com/abigail

  (After reading the Extended Epilogue, turn the page to read the first chapters from “The Secret Plan of Dazzling Ladies”, my Amazon Best-Selling novel!)

  The Secret Plan of Dazzling Ladies

  Introduction

  Emmeline and Juliana, twin sisters and daughters of the Earl of Baxter, are identical in looks, but polar opposites in personality. Juliana is stubborn, adventurous and deeply in love with a Lord who has a questionable reputation. Emmeline is quiet in nature and shier than her fun-loving sister. When they discover that their parents are planning to marry Juliana to an eligible and affable son of a Duke she has no interest in, they concoct a plan to secretly take each other’s place. With Emmeline having misgivings about the subterfuge, and navigating her unexpected feelings for this kind hearted newcomer, will the sisters manage to find love and avoid the trouble they’ve caused?

  Lord Cale has recently returned to his stepfather's estate to acquire more responsibilities after completing his education. He has known the twin daughters of the Earl of Baxter his entire life and has fallen deeply in love with Lady Juliana. However, due to his family’s troubling reputation preventing him from being able to court her, he leaves determined to clear the family name. When he eventually returns vindicated and seeks out Juliana, how will he handle his dismay at thinking Juliana is already happy with another Lord? Will the two Lords come to an understanding about each other’s place in the twins’ lives or will the strong feelings involved render this impossible?

  With every passing day Emmeline’s and Juliana’s lives become increasingly complicated and intertwined and the pretense more difficult to keep up. However, the foggier the truth becomes, the clearer their growing feelings emerge. After all this time and the endless lies, will they manage to untangle this mess without hurting the men they care for, or have they taken this ruse too far? Will both sisters finally get the happily ever after that they long for?

  Chapter 1

  Juliana looked across at her twin with a mischievous smile. Opposite her, Emmie raised a thin eyebrow. They shared no words but Juliana suppressed a laugh, tingling with excitement.

  It’s working!

  At the end of the table, spectacles on the end of her nose, Mrs. Markham, their governess, let out an appreciative breath.

  “Why, Juliana!” she addressed Emmie rapturously. “You have completed that task so well! I have never seen you make such fine embroidery! What a great improvement.”

  Juliana suppressed a snort. Emmie was looking up at the moulded ceiling, her green eyes half-focused dreamily. Juliana knew her well enough to see that she was trying not to laugh.

  The previous day, Emmie had sewn her own sampler and Juliana had practiced drawing – her favourite of all their accomplishments. Today, they were supposed to have swapped tasks: Juliana was meant to sew, which she hated, and Emmie was meant to be drawing.

  By the simple expedient of swapping their dresses before going downstairs, Emmie had sewn Juliana’s embroidery, saving her from her hated task, and Juliana had spent the afternoon drawing.

  “Thank you, Mrs. Markham,” Emmie said in a soft voice. Emmie was always softly-spoken. “May we go outside to play now?”

  “Oh,” Mrs. Markham frowned, reaching into her pocket for her pocket-watch. She pulled it out and scrutinised the hands carefully, then put her head on one side. “Well, you were meant to stay until four o’ clock; but since you have both done so well this afternoon, of course you may go a little earlier.” She smiled glowingly at both the girls.

  “Oh!” Juliana burst out before she could stop herself. “Thank you, Mrs. Markham! Hurray!”

  Mrs. Markham raised a brow. “Why, Emmeline,” she said, with some surprise. “You are in high spirits today. It must be the lemon cake you had at dinner…it’s quite unusual for you to be so lively.”

  “Oh…yes,” Juliana nodded quickly, glancing sideways at her identical sister who was looking carefully out of the window at the gardens below. “Yes, it must be that. Thank you, Mrs. Markham.”

  Turning quickly away so that she wouldn’t burst out laughing, Juliana ran out into the hallway. Emmie followed her and they ran down the stairs and out to the garden, suppressing their laughter as they ran. Outside, they collapsed into helpless giggles, arms around each other.

  “Oh! Oh…did you see her?” Juliana laughed, feeling her sides ache with laughter.

  “Yes! It was so funny,” Emmie said, pressing her hand to her mouth to hold back her mirth.

  “I wish we could tell Cale,” Juliana said wistfully. Cale, the stepson of Viscount Barton, was their neighbour, and Juliana shut her eyes dreamily, thinking of his wide blue gaze and imagining telling him about their funny trick.

  “Cale’s as fond of risks as you. He’d probably have kept it up for longer than we did.”

  Juliana laughed, feeling a tingle of delight at the thought. “Yes, he probably would.”

  They both flopped down under the big oak tree, relieved to be outside once again. While it was certainly against propriety for two ten-year-old daughters of an earl to lie about on the grass, nobody could see them from the windows of Baxter House.

  They lay in the shade and Juliana looked up at the swaying branches, feeling happy and at peace. She ran a hand down the white muslin of her gown – Emmie always dressed in pretty dresses – and then rolled over onto her side, regarding her twin where she lay in Juliana’s own dress – pale green, patterned with an intricate design of flowers and leaves.

  “I want to climb this tree,” Juliana said impulsively, tucking a strand of brown hair out of one eye. She could see a big branch up above, the ideal shape for lying on. It would be grand to be up in the air, lying there among the leaves…

  “No, Jules,” Emmie said seriously. “You know that tree isn’t safe. Mr. Burroughs, the head gardener, said that it has rot in the trunk. He said the branches are liable to crack, even if they look sturdy.” She put her head on one side, regarding her sister with tranquil green eyes.

  “A fig to Burroughs,” Juliana said, then giggled. �
�I promise I won’t go far, Emmie…just up to that big branch. It looks quite safe. And it’ll be so much fun up there! I’ll be able to see for miles!”

  “Jules…” Emmie said hesitantly, then shrugged. “If you must. But please, only stay up there for ten minutes?” she asked.

  “I promise,” Juliana said kindly. “Now, up I go!”

  Hoisting her skirt up out of the way, she set her foot to the knotted place on the trunk and heaved herself up towards the fork in the branches. Climbing trees was a forbidden pastime, but one in which they indulged whenever they had a spare moment. Juliana loved it. Emmie, true to her more cautious nature, tended to do it only when she was sure it was safe.

  “There!” Juliana said rapturously, reaching the big branch she’d set her eyes on. It was around three times her ten-year-old height from the ground and from up here, she could see the spire of Baxley Church and the roofs of the village houses. It was a fine day and the bright sun made the sky a little hazy. Under the carpet of leaves around her, it was cool and hidden and Juliana felt her eyes droop shut, wishing she could stay there for just a bit longer.

  “Jules! Watch out!” Emmie screamed, just as Juliana heard a terrible cracking noise. She shrieked as the branch cracked and she plummeted down, straight for the ground.

  A searing pain shot up her arm, and she cried out as she tried to put her weight on it to help her stand. She looked down and saw a mess of blood that made her feel sick and light-headed with fear.

  “Jules! You’re hurt!” Emmie shouted, running over to her. “Mr. Burroughs! Mr. Burroughs! Please, help!”

  As her sister ran to find help, Juliana felt her consciousness drifting, her head hazy with pain. She was too frightened to look down at her arm again; too scared to see the shattered mess of blood that she had seen there. Her mind was drifting and she felt her eyelids droop. The last thing she recalled, as Mr. Burroughs reached down and carefully lifted her up, was the sound of his voice.

  “She’ll always have a scar on that arm.”

  Chapter 1

  Juliana looked down wistfully at the scar on her forearm, recalling the day she had been marked with it. Ten years later, it seemed less impressive than the vast and jagged tear it had been on her ten-year-old arm. Even so, it was a reminder of the risk she had taken. She tucked a strand of dark brown hair behind one ear, narrowing her green eyes against the bright sunlight outside as she looked about.

  Not that it ever put me off risks.

  She reached down to pat the neck of her horse, Stormburst; a roan thoroughbred, and as spirited as her rider. The horse snorted and Juliana grinned.

  “Easy, girl. We’ll run back all the way back.”

  “It’s too hot to race, Jules,” Emmie protested. She was riding alongside her on Starlight, her white thoroughbred. “We’ll probably lose consciousness if we try and exert ourselves overly today.”

  Juliana made a face, “With these tight stays, you’re probably right. Who invented riding-dresses which require you to wear stays? Ridiculous!”

  Beside her, Emmie blanched at the mention of underwear in a public place, and Lord Cale chuckled. He smiled at Jules, showing very white teeth in a tanned face.

  “I imagine so, Lady Juliana.”

  Her heart beat faster to see his swift grin.

  He is so handsome.

  She looked away, knowing that she was staring.

  Cale – or Lord Cale, as she must think of him now – had grown up considerably too since their childhood frolics. He was four-and-twenty years old now, and he had recently returned from Cambridge to manage his father’s estate. Juliana was delighted to see him again, though she was trying to hide that fact from him – it would make him insufferably arrogant if he thought she was interested in him.

  And we can’t have that – he’s arrogant enough as it is.

  She hid a smile as he rode a little ahead of her, his horse prancing with an eagerness to be off. He was showing off and she knew it. He grinned at her and raised his top-hat, a feat which required him to remove both his hands from the reins.

  Showoff, she thought with a small grin.

  “Lady Juliana! Will you race me back to the house?” he asked, riding alongside her, his horse tossing his head.

  “Lord Cale,” Juliana said, and crooked a brow at him. “You know my sister does not care to race.” It would be unfair to make Emmie feel so discomforted. She shot him a strict glance.

  “Yes, of course,” Lord Cale instantly replied. “My apologies. Should we walk along the riverbank? It’s much cooler there, and our horses could cool off too and drink some water.” He smiled winningly.

  “That sounds nice,” Emmie commented.

  As they rode over to the river that ran between their estates, Juliana watched Lord Cale admiringly. He was broad in the shoulder now, his brown hair lightened a little by the sunlight, and his skin darkened to a high contrast with his bright blue eyes. He’d certainly grown up a great deal; his face had hardened into a lean, firm-muscled one that still had the cheekiest smile she’d ever seen. He looked across at her and caught her looking and her heart skipped a beat.

  “Lady Juliana?” he called, falling into step beside his horse. “You will be attending the season?”

  “No,” Juliana said curtly, jumping down from her horse to join him. “You know I cannot bear it,” she added with some drama. He grinned.

  “You do like London sometimes,” Emmie reminded her, walking beside her and leading Starlight by the bridle. “She did say that, didn’t she, Lord Cale?” she added. Juliana grinned at them. Emmie treated Lord Cale like a brother and always had done, while she herself had loved him from their childhoods.

  “I do like London. In the freezing cold, at Christmas, once a year,” she said.

  They all laughed.

  “It smells better in winter,” Lord Cale added. They all laughed harder. The smell of London was one of the main things that Juliana hated about it: that, and the Ton.

  “I’m surprised they notice,” she said mildly. “Everyone there seems to be so horribly dandified that they probably put up with that stench, just because they think it’s fashionable.”

  Emmeline laughed, “Oh, Jules…they can’t be that bad.”

  Juliana made a face and Lord Cale laughed.

  “Look,” he said, pointing towards the slight rise where Baxter House stood, “a rider. Is he bringing a message?”

  Juliana stared at the road opposite. “Probably is,” she agreed after watching the rider for a while. He rode with the casual ease of a dispatch rider, and she wondered idly what news he brought with him.

  Probably letters for Father from his accountant in London.

  She fell into step beside Lord Cale, who was talking about his stay in Kent. Both girls listened with interest, asking questions now and again. They reached the fence and mounted up, returning to the house.

  When they reached the drive leading up to Baxter House, Lord Cale rode back to rein in beside Juliana. Emmie rode on, giving them a moment alone together.

  “I would like to invite you to ride with me to the hill there,” he said, blue eyes twinkling with mischief. He indicated a distant hill, one that rested on the furthest boundaries of their estates.

  “Lord Cale…you know we cannot,” Juliana said a little impatiently. “Mama would never allow that – it’s too far. We’d at least have to take Mrs. Sedgely as a chaperone, and you know how tiresome that would be.”

  “Very tiresome,” he teased. His grin made her tingle inside.

  “Lord Cale…”

  “I know, I know… and you are right to be careful of your reputations,” he said with a grin. “Thank you for the ride. It was most enjoyable.” He bent and pressed his lips to her hand. Juliana thought her heart might burst.