The Earl's Regret: Regency Romance (Brides and Gentlemen)

by Joyce Alec

  He was an hour from Kingsfield when he noticed something very strange. There was a young girl up ahead on the street, her maroon traveling cloak pulled up over her head. She was walking as if she had been travelling for miles.

  He slowed the horse and watched her closely. Some of the girl’s long hair peeked out from under her hood, and it was dark and curling as the ends. Her hands clung onto her arms as if she were freezing, and she wore traveling boots that looked far too expensive for an ordinary village girl.

  It was not until he noticed the emerald ring on her middle finger on her right hand that he knew who it was.

  “Harriette?” he asked, almost to himself, feeling as if the wind had been knocked out of him.

  The girl, who was just on the other side of the road, stopped walking. She looked up, the hood falling off of her head.

  And their eyes met.

  “Harriette!” he exclaimed, throwing himself off the back of the horse, and running across the street to her.

  She looked as if she had seen a ghost, and when the recognition finally dawned on her, she burst into tears.

  “Oh, Lord Henry!” she cried, and without hesitation, she threw herself into his arms.

  He felt his own eyes well with tears as he grasped her as close to himself as he could. The smell of her hair, the sound of her breathing, the feel of her heart hammering against his chest…it felt as if the piece of his life that was missing had been made whole again. In that moment, the only thing that could have ever mattered was that she was there, right there, with him. And he was never going to let her go again.

  A violently frightening thought struck him, and he pulled her away from himself for a moment.

  She looked startled, her eyes still streaming with tears.

  “Are you married?” he asked, realizing his face must have looked very stern.

  She shook her head, her bottom lip trembling.

  “And you are unharmed? Untouched?”

  She nodded, her eyes blinking away more tears.

  He said nothing, but pulled her once more into his arms, and her crying begun once more.

  They stood there for a long time, in the middle of the quiet road, simply enveloped in one another’s arms. It took some time before she was calm enough to speak to him.

  “I left him at the inn early this morning,” she said, trying to calm her breathing, which was coming in quick gasps. “I told him I could not go through with it, no matter what it cost me at home. I said I would rather live alone for the rest of my life instead of being married to someone I felt had…betrayed me.”

  Lord Henry hesitated, a flurry of questions flooding his mind. He decided on one. “What did he think? Did he fight you?”

  “No,” she said, rather quietly. “He didn’t know I left. I assume he was still asleep, but he seemed to understand that I was leaning this direction last night. I went back and forth about it. I had spent so much time in my life infatuated with him to know who he truly was…an immature, impulsive young man who needed something like this to happen in order to force him to grow up.”

  “Will he accept whatever punishment he is given?”

  She nodded her head. “I believe he would. I spent much time thinking about it, and I will ensure that father does not deal with him too harshly. He never meant me any harm. And he did think that we would make a good match. He just…he was too rash, and I was too swept up in the romance of it all. So it is just as much my fault as it is his.”

  He smiled down at her. He could see that her composure was returning, and he felt a rush of affection toward her.

  “Dear Harriette, in your letter you said…” he felt lightheaded, but pushed forward. “You said that you didn’t believe that anyone would take you if you were to return home.”

  “Well, of course,” she replied, her sadness returning. “No one will take me. It won’t matter what I tell anyone; they will assume that I am a defiled woman since I ran away with a man who was not my husband. I know—”

  “I will marry you,” he interrupted.

  For a moment, the only sound between them was the rush of the wind. She could only stare at him, her mouth hanging open.

  “You…what?” she breathed finally.

  He could only beam at her. “I will marry you. Happily!”

  “Why?” she asked, bewildered.

  “Because who could love you more than I could?” he asked plainly. “I will tell you now that I had planned to ask you to marry me after you were to come out into society. I intend to tell your father as soon as we are back home, and then we will hush this whole fiasco up. That way your reputation, and the reputation of your family, will be saved.”

  “What about Mr. Barnes and his father?” she asked.

  Lord Henry smiled. “He will agree to remain quiet knowing he can keep his pride, and the forgiveness of his son. He wishes to brush this under the rug just as much as your family does.”

  She smiled up at him, the tears returning. “You would do this all for me? Just to ensure that my reputation is upheld?”

  He shook his head. “I am a selfish man, dear Harriette. You and I have been friends for a long time…and I have loved you almost as long.”

  He saw her cheeks flush scarlet, and she looked down. “…what did you say?”

  “I said I have loved you with an unconditional and unending love. I realized I had made a huge mistake not telling you sooner when I arrived at your house a few days ago, to hear that you had left.”

  She looked ashamed. “I will never be able to apologize to my family enough.”

  “Trust me; they will be more than forgiving when we get you back home.”

  She looked up into his face, and she smiled. “Lord Henry, I have loved you for a long time as well. I just didn’t realize that this is what true love feels like. Affection, acceptance, understanding, and familiarity. It’s…it’s so much easier than anything I ever felt for Mr. Barnes.”

  “So you no longer care for him?” he asked her.

  She laughed lightly. “No, of course I do not! It took all of this to make me realize that, but no…and I feel much better because of it.”

  He took both of her hands in his, and she squeezed them tightly.

  He knelt down in front of her, in the middle of the street.

  “Oh come now, Lord Henry. You will dirty those nice slacks.”

  He looked up into her face. “Lady Harriette, allow us to start this the right way, in the midst of recovering from such a difficult few days.” He cleared his throat. “Lady Harriette, will you make me the happiest man in England and marry me?”

  She clenched his hands even tighter and beamed down at him.

  “This is better than anything I could have ever imagined, Lord Henry. Yes. Yes I will marry you.”

  He jumped up and picked her up, spinning her around, her feet off the ground.

  She nestled her head into his shoulder, and whispered, “Thank you for protecting me, and thank you for rescuing me.”

  The weight of her words were not lost on him.

  And so together, they made their way back to her horse, and from there, began their journey back to the Pangborn estate, both far happier and far more at peace than when they had begun that morning.

  THE END

  Part VIII

  Diamonds and Earls

  By Caroline Johnson

  1

  The Gift of Friendship

  When a woman nears the day of her wedding, she often finds herself without sense or caution. Much was the same for Lady Henrietta Boyle, who was so delighted with her circumstances that she was unaware of any strife or struggle that might be happening around her.

  “Lord Pembrooke,” she said, smiling as wide as can be, “I am quite delighted about this dinner this evening. How wonderful it will be to enjoy some time with our friends before our wedding.”

  Henrietta was a tall, slender woman with wide blue eyes and hair the color of straw in the middle of a summer's afternoon. She sto
od beside her brother, Lord Boyle, with the very same hair color, but eyes the color of clovers.

  “It is quite hard to believe our wedding is in less than a fortnight,” a dapper gentleman replied. Unlike his betrothed, The Earl of Pembrooke’s hair was as dark as night and slightly curly, and he had eyes the color of stormy clouds. He reached for Henrietta’s hand and squeezed it. “I wish that it was tomorrow, if I could be so honest.”

  “I do too, darling,” Henrietta replied.

  Lord Boyle rolled his eyes dramatically. “Now, now, you two. Let us ensure you reserve your passionate exchanges for the wedding, shall we?”

  The couple smiled at each other and then laughed.

  “So let’s see these fabled jewels you have told me so much about,” Lord Boyle stated.

  Lord Pembrooke smiled and turned to the cabinet set into the wall behind him. They stood in a smaller sitting room at the back of the house where the warmest afternoon sun reached, full of comfortable armchairs and bookshelves stacked high with more books than one could ever count, and a place that Henrietta greatly looked forward to spending time in when she and Lord Pembrooke were married.

  The cabinet looked inconspicuous, made of a beautiful polished walnut, yet as Lord Pembrooke opened it wide, Henrietta had to stifle a gasp at the sparkling gems that were revealed when he stood aside.

  Even her brother, Lord Boyle, seemed rather impressed. “My heavens, I have seen nothing quite like this in the whole of my life,” he said, smiling at Lord Pembrooke.

  “Indeed,” said Lord Pembrooke. He grinned at his bride-to-be and said, “What do you think, my love? Can you imagine yourself wearing such fine jewels on the day we are wed?”

  Henrietta took a tentative step towards the cabinet and peered more closely at the jewels.

  There was a beautiful set of gems, a necklace made of five large diamonds, the middle stone larger than the rest, nestled in gold settings with a matching ring of considerable size, surrounded entirely by tiny emeralds.

  The way the sunlight shone on them, they appeared to be glowing as if they were tiny stars in the dark cabinet. She longed to reach out and touch them, and at the same time, feared that they were far too priceless to be held.

  “Dear sister, you will be as ravishing as a princess in these stones,” her brother said, patting her on the shoulder.

  Henrietta beamed. “I don’t know about that…”

  “Nonsense,” agreed Lord Pembrooke, nodding to Lord Boyle. “I am certain that there has never been a princess alive who has been, or who will be, as beautiful as you will be.”

  There was a knock on the door, and Lord Pembrooke said, “Come in,” in response.

  The door pushed open, and Lord Pembrooke’s butler, Mr. Hughes, stepped inside, bowing his head. “My lord, your guests have arrived.”

  Lord Pembrooke and Lady Henrietta smiled at each other.

  “Thank you, Mr. Hughes. We will join them shortly in the drawing room.”

  Mr. Hughes smiled, his bushy mustache tilting up at the corners, and excused himself from the room.

  “My dear Lady Henrietta, I have a request for you,” Lord Pembrooke said, looking down at her. “I wondered what your thoughts might be to show your jewels to our friends this evening?”

  Henrietta furrowed her brow. “Why do you need my permission?”

  Lord Pembrooke shrugged his shoulders. “You will be the one to wear them, and I don’t wish to spoil the surprise if you wish to keep it as such.”

  “I think it would be wonderful for our friends to share in our joy,” she replied. “I am certain they will feel just as in awe of them as we are.”

  Lord Boyle nodded. “I think they will greatly appreciate seeing them, for they are quite priceless pieces of your family’s treasure.”

  There was another knock on the door.

  “Mr. Hughes, I told you that we would join you all momentarily.”

  The door opened, and the three turned to look to see who had come in.

  Another young man with dark hair, slightly shorter than his older brother’s, strolled in the room. His high cheekbones and gentle eyes scanned the three standing beside the cabinet.

  “Oh, it’s only you, William,” Lord Pembrooke said, turning to close the cabinet to the jewelry, looking relieved. “I wondered if perhaps Mr. Hughes had decided to be his typical assertive self.”

  “Nonsense, brother,” said Lord William, smiling at them all. “Ah, Lord Boyle, and Lady Henrietta. How wonderful it is to see you once more.”

  “A pleasure,” Lord Boyle replied, nodding his head and shaking his hand. “How have you been, friend?”

  “Quite well, quite well. Attempting to avoid my brother in his fierce preparations for this wedding that is so quickly approaching.”

  “Not fast enough, if you ask me,” replied his brother, grinning. “Shall we join our friends in the drawing room?”

  "Indeed we should. They are all waiting anxiously to see you," replied Lord William.

  The four of them made their way from the room, and Lord William hung back to stroll beside Lady Henrietta.

  “How are you feeling, Lady Henrietta? Still certain you wish to marry my brother?” He asked, winking at her.

  Henrietta laughed. “Oh, Lord William, your games always amuse me so. I do hope that one of my children will inherit your wit and charm.”

  “Do you not think that my brother is charming? Perhaps we should keep that between you and me.” He laughed, and she joined in.

  They stepped into the sitting room and were greeted by the faces of their friends. At once, Henrietta approached the beautiful Lady Charlotte, who had been Henrietta’s closest friend growing up. She embraced Henrietta tightly.

  “Oh, dear cousin, how glad I am to see you!” She cried, pulling away from her, beaming. “It has been far too long.”

  “Hasn’t it only been a week?” Henrietta replied, laughing.

  “Still, far too long!” Lady Charlotte said in response.

  There was another face that appeared beside her cousin’s with thick mahogany hair and piercing silvery-blue eyes, a broad smile on her bright red lips. Henrietta’s face lit up.

  Henrietta embraced the new woman as well. “Oh, Lady Mary! I am so pleased that you are here.”

  Lady Mary hugged her tightly in reply. “I would not miss this dinner for the world!” She answered, still smiling.

  Henrietta looked back and forth between her two friends. “I truly cannot share with you how grateful I am that you have come to help me prepare.”

  “What good are friends if we are not helpful as well as beautiful?” Lady Mary replied, fluttering her eyes and brushing a hand over her lovely hair.

  Lady Charlotte and Henrietta laughed.

  “Darling, let’s not forget our other guests,” she heard Lord Pembrooke say to her, not unkindly. He smiled at her. “We will have plenty of time to catch up with everyone.”

  “Of course,” Henrietta replied, smiling at her betrothed.

  She turned to see a couple sitting upon the settee, a lovely pair that Henrietta recognized at once. She curtsied to them. “My lord and Lady Wingfield. How wonderful it is that you could join us this evening.”

  “Dear Lady Henrietta, we are most pleased to be able to!” Lord Wingfield replied. “It has been far too long since the ball at Frostfield Park, and we are so honored to be able to join you for your wedding and all of the festivities prior.”

  “Thank you so much for thinking so highly of us to invite us to your celebratory dinner this evening,” Lady Wingfield said, her voice quiet and smooth.

  Henrietta beamed at the pair of them. “We would never think of leaving you out!” She took a step closer to them and said, “Truly you both are some of the few whose company we truly find enjoyable.” She turned to look up at Lord Pembrooke, who was speaking with the other couple on the other side of the room. “I was overjoyed when he suggested a dinner with our closest friends to celebrate our marriage before the big cerem
ony.”

  “It is just an excuse to have a social gathering,” Lord Wingfield replied, smiling at Lord Pembrooke’s back, and his wife tittered. “Your betrothed would throw a ball in celebration for his great uncle’s, niece’s, uncle’s, brother’s, son’s newest born child.”

  Henrietta laughed out loud.

  “Darling, Lady Wilds just shared something with me that you will be most interested in,” Lord Pembrooke said, gently touching Henrietta on the shoulder.

  She smiled at Lord and Lady Wingfield before turning to the other couple.

  Newly married, Lord and Lady Wilds stood beside the window, holding hands and gazing lovingly into each other’s eyes.

  “Good afternoon, Lady Henrietta,” the man with a tall stature and a brightly-colored kerchief said, his bushy brows and pointed nose smiling at her.

  “Good afternoon, Lord and Lady Wilds,” she answered. “Thank you so much for coming to our little dinner.”

  “We have been so looking forward to this evening,” Lady Wilds said. “Your future husband and my husband would never miss an opportunity to get together and act like schoolboys once more.”

  Henrietta smiled.

  “Tell Lady Henrietta what you were telling me, Lady Wilds.”

  Lady Wilds smiled up at them. “Well, we would like to offer you a wedding gift,” she paused, looking straight at Henrietta, “A fine stallion. We just inherited one of my father’s horses, the offspring from a strong and wild beast that he used for breeding. We believe he will be a great racehorse.”

  “Your horse has won many races recently. Is that correct, Lord Wilds?” Lord Pembrooke asked, his hands behind his back, an eyebrow arched.

  Lord Wilds nodded his head. “Indeed. We spoke about it and agreed that it would be great fun to attend a race together and watch as our horses, or their offspring, compete against one another, wouldn’t you agree?”

  Henrietta smiled as she watched her betrothed’s face in response. “Why, that’s a marvelous idea. You are far too kind, dear friends. We are very grateful for your generous gift.”