The Daughters of Devonshire: Clean Regency Short Story Box Set

by Elaine Hart

  Lady Diana placed her hand against the cool glass of the window and as tears streamed down her cheeks, she watched as the carriage pulled away, taking the only man she had ever loved, and the only man who made her feel safe and loved, away from her, simply because he was a stable hand.

  August 1815

  Winhope Manor

  Raignton

  Devonshire

  England

  Hudson had spent the last few weeks consuming himself in his work, trying his hardest to forget about Lady Diana. He had attempted anything and everything in his power, but he still spent every single moment of every day thinking of her. He wondered whether she had already married the Duke, and whether she was happy. He was aware that she was not the one who ordered him to leave and if she could have stopped her father from doing what he did, she would have.

  Hudson truly believed that to be true.

  After he had restocked the stalls with hay bales and ensured the horses had enough water to last them the day, he stepped out of the stables and noticed Lord Stanley approaching.

  “My lord,” Hudson said with a soft tone.

  “My apologies for disturbing you, Hudson,” Lord Stanley said.

  “Not at all. I have finished for the day,” Hudson answered, “unless there is something that I can possibly help you with.”

  “In fact, there is,” Lord Stanley said and motioned for Hudson to follow him to the manor.

  Hudson did as he was told and followed Lord Stanley into the manor and into the downstairs office. Once inside, Lord Stanley closed the door, allowing them the privacy he felt they required, and said, “Please, Hudson, have a seat.”

  Hudson nodded and sat down on the leather chair in front of him. “Is something the matter, my lord?”

  “I could certainly ask you that very question, Hudson,” Lord Stanley answered.

  “Nothing is the matter.”

  “I do not believe that. You are somber and quiet. Isolated and detached. Why is that?” Lord Stanley asked.

  “I thought I had a good reason for feeling the way I do, but it is rather foolish,” Hudson admitted.

  “Tell me.”

  “I developed strong feelings for Lady Diana,” Hudson revealed.

  “Is that so?”

  “Indeed.”

  Lord Stanley suppressed a smile and glanced at Hudson. “Did she reciprocate your feelings?”

  “Indeed she did, but her father learnt of this, hence why I am back here at Winhope Manor,” Hudson answered.

  “Was His Grace not thrilled of your feelings for Lady Diana?” Lord Stanley asked. “He seemed like a very open-minded man.”

  “Clearly a facade,” Hudson muttered. “I do not deserve a woman as wonderful and titled as Lady Diana, according to His Grace.”

  “Did he say that?”

  “To my face,” Hudson answered.

  Lord Stanley’s jaw clenched and he shook his head in disapproval. “That is terrible.”

  “What is even more terrible is that there is nothing I can do regarding this situation. Lady Diana is to marry the Duke of Newton and I am powerless to stop it from happening.”

  “Perhaps not.”

  “What on earth do you mean by that, my lord?” Hudson asked.

  “Hudson, what if I informed you that you are not merely a stable hand?” Lord Stanley asked.

  “I do not understand.”

  “How much do you remember of your mother?” Lord Stanley asked.

  “Not very much at all.”

  “That does not surprise me at all.”

  “I mean no disrespect, my lord, but would you please tell me of what relevance this is?” Hudson requested.

  “Have you ever wondered where you attained your impeccable vocabulary? Your use of such rich language?” Lord Stanley asked.

  “My father?” Hudson asked, clearly unsure.

  “You were born from a noble man, Hudson.”

  “I beg your pardon?” Hudson asked.

  “My father visited Scotland when I was a few years old. I do not remember it, but he brought me a leather belt back when he returned home. I still have that belt. It was from the same town in which your mother lived.”

  Hudson’s brow furrowed and he shook his head. “That cannot be.”

  “Indeed it can. Hudson, you are my brother, and that would make you Lord Hudson,” Lord Stanley said with a smile.

  “That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard,” Hudson chuckled and shook his head. “It also makes sense.”

  “Indeed, Hudson.”

  Hudson sighed and shifted his weight to one side. “That still does not fix the situation with Lady Diana.”

  “Not yet,” Lord Stanley answered with a smirk.

  Hudson glanced at Lord Stanley and his brow furrowed.

  “Perhaps it is time that you are to be announced as Lord Hudson, with a special ball to celebrate the occasion,” Lord Stanley said with a smile.

  “Would you invite Lady Diana?”

  “She is already on the list,” Lord Stanley chuckled.

  “Thank you,” Hudson said softly and glanced at his hand on his lap, trembling as he attempted to process the information which was given to him by Lord Stanley, who was now his brother.

  In fact, Lord Stanley had treated him with the kindness he deserved ever since they met, and he could not help but wonder whether Lord Stanley had known about him from the very beginning.

  It did not matter any longer, as now he could possibly win Lady Diana’s heart, as well as convince the Duke and Duchess of Glastonbury to not allow their daughter—the woman of his dreams—to marry another man.

  The ballroom was filled with many guests, elegantly dressed in beautiful gowns in an array of colours, but Lady Diana seemed unfazed by the festivities that occurred around her. She had been in a desolate mood ever since Hudson was forced to leave Powderham Estate, and not even a ball at Lord Stanley’s stately home could rectify her mood. She was heartbroken, and there was no one who could possibly put her heart back together again. Lady Diana was also afraid that she might see Hudson there, but Lord Stanley assured her that Hudson would not be anywhere near the ballroom.

  Lady Diana felt the stuffy ballroom made her feel light-headed and she stepped out onto the terrace, in dire need of fresh air. It was warm outside and lanterns flickered in the garden, casting a dim light across the estate. Lady Diana’s eyes filled up with tears once again, but she willed them away. She most certainly did not wish for anyone to see tears running down her cheeks. The rumour mill would be churning out even more falsehoods if anyone had to see her crying on the terrace of Lord Stanley’s estate. She wiped away her tears and walked along the railing of the terrace, wondering where Hudson was, and whether he thought of her as much as she thought of him.

  The door leading to the terrace opened but Lady Diana did not pay it much notice. It was probably the Duke searching for his runaway betrothed, who disappeared to the terrace.

  “I merely require a few moments before I...” she said and as she turned around, her voice trailed off.

  The man who stood before her was straight from a daydream, and Lady Diana blinked a few times to ensure that she was not dreaming, or mad, for that matter.

  “Hudson?” she asked and stared at him.

  He was impeccably dressed in a dark grey formal suit. His hair was shorter and styled to perfection, and even though he looked like an entirely different person, his eyes possessed the same warmth that only he could bestow onto her.

  “My lady,” he said with a smile and bowed slightly.

  “What are you doing here? Lord Stanley informed me that you would be nowhere near the house!” Lady Diana exclaimed.

  “Well, Lord Stanley and I decided to take matters into our own hands,” Hudson said gallantly.

  “You look very dashing, I must confess.”

  “Thank you, my lady. You are still the most beautiful woman I have ever seen,” Hudson said with a smile.

  Her
cheeks coloured, but she did not dare break their gaze.

  “There is something I must tell you, my lady.”

  “Clearly there is much to say, or you would not be here dressed in such a way,” Lady Diana pointed out.

  “Lord Stanley is my brother,” Hudson said.

  “What?” she blurted out rather tactlessly.

  “We have the same father, the Earl of Winhope. He travelled to Scotland and met my mother. She had never had the time to tell me of my father, my real father. Lord Stanley found his father’s journals of his travels and put the pieces together.”

  Lady Diana clasped her hands together and shook her head. “That is the most extraordinary tale I have ever heard in my entire life.”

  “That was precisely what I said to Lord Stanley when he told me,” Hudson said with a chuckle and watched her expectantly.

  “I am very happy for you, Hudson,” she said and frowned. “Lord Hudson. But that does not change the fact that I am still set out to marry the Duke of Newton.”

  “Perhaps not, but if I am not mistaken, Lord Stanley is talking with your parents as we speak, regaining control of this entire situation.”

  “Regaining control?” she asked with raised brows. “You are rather dramatic.”

  “Apparently it runs in my family,” he shrugged modestly.

  “Apparently,” she said with a chuckle.

  “I have missed that laugh,” he said and approached her.

  “As have I,” she said with a nod. “I am sincerely sorry about what my father did to you, and whatever he may have said to you. He was not angered by you. I angered him and he took it out on you.”

  “There is no need to apologise, my lady,” Hudson said with a smile and took her hand. “Nothing your father could do, or you, for that matter, can change the way I feel about you.”

  Tears filled her eyes and she shook her head. “I do not deserve someone as kind and as wonderful as you.”

  “Of course you do, my lady. You showed me kindness and treated me the same as you treated everyone, titled or not. That is one of the things I truly love about you.”

  “You love me?” she asked with a smile and cocked her head.

  “Of course I love you. I loved you from the moment I saw you. You were strong-willed and stubborn, and I admired you for that. The more time I spent with you, the more I knew that you are the woman I wish to spend my life with. It was more complicated when I was still only a stable hand. I knew I could never compete with the dukes and the earls and lords whose company you would find yourself in on a regular basis. I did not stand a chance,” he said with an earnest look on his face.

  “My lord,” she said with a twinkle in her eyes, “titled or not, you had the best chance of them all.”

  Hudson smiled and caressed her cheek lovingly. “I love you very much, my lady.”

  She pursed her lips briefly and whispered, “I love you very much, my lord.”

  Hudson leaned in and kissed her tenderly on the lips.

  As she wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders, everything around them faded into the background. She felt safe and loved and that was all she had ever wanted for herself. Even more, she now knew that both she and the new Lord Hudson were deserving of a love which would truly last a lifetime.

  Table of Contents

  Lady of His Dreams

  A Heart of a Lady

  A Lady’s Melody

  Worthy of a Lady