The Scandal of the Deceived Duchess: A Historical Regency Romance Novel

by Hanna Hamilton

  “And now?” Amelia bit her lower lip. She no longer felt the cold. It was as if an inner heat had claimed her like a hot volcanic pool. The wait for his answer felt as if a thousand winters had gradually turned into springtime, again and again until nothing was left to do.

  Jonathan smiled crookedly. “Nothing has changed, Dearest. I still feel the same. These past days have shown me that. No matter how far away from me you were, the burning desire to be with you never subsided.”

  Amelia smiled when she heard him call her dearest again. It reminded her of that night at the hotel when she was but his imaginary fiancé for one evening. “I know…I have suffered for my mistreatment of you, dear Jonathan. I sought out forgiveness, but it eluded me. I…”

  He stepped forward, narrowing the space that separated them – two paces remained, and they would be in each other’s arms. “There is nothing to forgive. I came at you without warning. How else were you supposed to react?”

  “Like this,” said Amelia. She no longer cared about the repercussions. She did not care that Anna and Jake and all of the slaves stood nearby.

  Before Jonathan realized what was afoot, he felt the simmering warmth of her lips pressed against his. She was cautious, careful even, but her desire was apparent in the way she attempted to lure him in.

  Soon, her timidity, if it could be called that, disintegrated into hunger, as she, like him in the carriage, parted his lips with hers. Amelia was once more how he remembered her: forceful, full of will and desires, and the mistress of her destiny.

  Jonathan reciprocated by wrapping his arms around her and dipping her body lower a notch. He needed to claim this woman, this witch turned fairy and make her his. At that moment, they were all and everything. The sound of the crunching feet of the people around them as they dispersed to give them some privacy was but a mere happening, a trifle that bore no more meaning other than that it took place.

  The warmth of their mouths, the feel of their arms and bodies encircling and touching and the power of their union at last confirmed was all that mattered to both of them. The abject pain to which they had subjected themselves because of him not fully claiming her and because of her venting stubbornness and misplaced ladylike grace expelled from their bodies like steam from a searing rock.

  All there was, was two people in love – not ashamed, no longer the prisoners of different lands and patriotic beliefs, no more doubt and above all the heavy chains of mislaid pride; all of it was gone. Those things were no longer important for a kiss shared in truth and for all to see, is the beginning of that which man and woman so cherish – being in love and loving that special person no matter what.

  “You will stay with me as my wife,” breathed Jonathan into her mouth as he slowly and reluctantly broke away from the contact. He slid his arms from around her body to take her hands in his.

  “Was that a proposal, Jonathan Mitchell?” Amelia’s eyes twinkled in the spirit of a woman who had heard exactly what she wanted to hear.

  “That it was, dearest.” Jonathan lowered his heavy frame until he came to a rest on one knee. “Amelia Carlyle, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife. You are my woman and I your man…I knew that from the first day I saw you on board the HMS Capricorn.”

  “Now, that cannot be true. If I remember correctly I was absolutely obnoxious to you.”

  “That was what I loved about you. Does that not bode well if I can love you when you treat me so?”

  Amelia laughed. “I will endeavor not to do so again.”

  “Can I take that as a yes to my proposal?”

  “Oh, my Jonathan. Of course, it is a yes. I can imagine nothing more wonderful than to be Mrs. Jonathan Mitchell or maybe even Mrs. Jonathan Mackinnon of Mitchell.”

  Jonathan chuckled. “Trust you to bring that up. But let’s stick with Mitchell. Such long names offer too much room for confusion.”

  “I can live with that,” said Amelia, her cheeks gushing redness as her body vented its pleasure at what was transpiring. “Oh, my Jonathan.”

  He smiled as he removed her glove and slid a ring onto her finger. The golden band with a bed of white diamonds sparkled back at her. “It was my mother’s before she passed it to Mammy for safekeeping,” he said with a trace of sadness in his voice. “She would have wanted my bride to have it in the same way my grandfather wanted his bride to have it. It is the ring of a lady of Scotland.”

  “Jonathan, this means so much…I am so honored to wear it. I don’t know what to say.” Tears seeped down Amelia’s cheeks, and for once, unlike the days past, they were sourced from an infinite spring of joy. All traces of her onetime melancholy had vanished into thin air. Her man was there, and he wanted her to marry him – it was the best day in Amelia’s life.

  “I could imagine no finer woman to wear it,” said Jonathan, standing up to his full height.

  He bent lower to kiss his fiancé once more. This time, their kiss did not last as long. However, what it lacked in duration, it made up for in sheer emotion and meaning – it was their first kiss as man and wife to be.

  “This does feel so much better than having to playact being betrothed,” said Jonathan, breaking away.

  “Oh, it does…but that other thing was a lot of fun too. Not to mention how right it felt…oh, Jonathan, I am so sorry I pushed you away. I wanted you so badly that I didn’t know what it meant. I was so confused.” Amelia stared back at Jonathan with wide eyes, their moss-greenness, like emeralds, sparkling at him.

  “Love follows many paths until it reaches its final destination. We just decided to make things difficult for one another. All that matters is that we are here, now, and together. I will love you always, Amelia…never once doubt that. No matter what might happen, I will never stop loving you.”

  Again, the tears threatened to overwhelm. Amelia swallowed deeply. “It does me good to hear that, my sweet love. For, there is no other man from whom I would wish to hear that…I love you now and forever, Jonathan Mitchell.”

  As if they had read the moment to perfection, the other people around the half-finished camp sprang into action. Anna was the first to reach out to Jake in hot pursuit.

  “Amelia, ye finally have yer head screwed on in the right place. Now, had ye said no to this fine specimen of a man, I would have let ye go to England all by yerself.”

  “You wouldn’t have,” protested Amelia, accepting her embrace eagerly.

  “Oh, I would…there is nothing I can abide less than stupidity in the face of a love so perfect.”

  “Well done, Jonathan. If I may say so, I am proud of ye. Ye came back with flying colors like the true captain of the Triton ye are,” said Jake, shaking Jonathan’s hand vigorously.

  “We never lost a fight yet, eh? And I was not about to begin,” said Jonathan, beaming at his powerful friend.

  After both Anna and Jake had congratulated Jonathan and Amelia to exhaustion, the slaves joined in the fray. A silent spectator, standing by the side, would never have construed that it was a master and his possessions. Such was the harmony and happiness surrounding the camp.

  Love had been declared, a proposal accepted, and friends and others cheered on that one thing which transcends all – love.

  Chapter 17

  Love Lost

  Lake Champlain, The United States of America, close to the Canadian Border March 1814

  “It was about time ye and Amelia got hitched. I had nearly lost all hope,” said Jake. He slurred slightly. The occasion had merited the opening of a cask of whiskey Jonathan had insisted they take along on the journey when they were still back at Fair Weather Heaths’.

  “Yes…we did do a merry dance. All that is in the past now,” said Jonathan, casting a fond eye at the back of Amelia’s head. She sat in front of him, nicely embedded in his strong arms.

  The fire before them hissed and sizzled as the occasional bit of wood shifted in the flames. The four people surrounding it had orange tints on their faces that flickered along in harmony
with the lively dance of the fire.

  “Does that mean we can turn back?” asked Anna. She looked at Amelia whom she knew was the one who would ultimately decide on that matter.

  “Yes,” said she without a moment’s hesitation.

  Jonathan pulled Amelia in closer to his frame when he heard her response. “Had you answered differently, we would have left you here for the wolves.”

  Amelia laughed. “Would you now – most ungentlemanly behavior if you ask me.”

  “Stupidity must be punished,” said Jake, who continued to enjoy his whiskey more than the others.

  “We are still not out of the woods quite just yet. There is a British outpost not that far from here. Judging by what I heard on the way up here, the British do not shy away from venturing south onto American soil,” said Jonathan, getting serious.

  “Always the captain,” said Amelia. Hearing his words did not scare her. She had never felt safer in her life. His arms around her were like a fortress.

  “I prefer to be prudent. I will not lose you again because of some ill-fated decision.” Jonathan spent a moment to gather his thoughts. “We leave on the morrow at daybreak with great haste.”

  Everyone nodded their agreement. All of them were keen to get as far away as possible from the hostilities. The longer they stayed where they were camped, the more chance existed that they would fall victim to a British scouting party. If that happened, they would not have a chance no matter how martially adept both Jake and Jonathan were.

  “What happens when we get home?” asked Amelia. She turned around so that she faced her betrothed.

  “I will send word to your mother and father about your change in circumstance. It is only fair to inform them about your whereabouts and that you are well.”

  It was not what Amelia wanted to know. She was more interested in the good captain’s intentions concerning the war. She was aware of the fact that his ship was ordered to remain in port. But knowing Jonathan, Amelia was certain that he would not sit out the war acting out the gentleman plantation owner. He was far too patriotic and manly for that. Jonathan would most certainly seek out a commission in the land forces.

  “I still wonder to this day why your family in Canada never responded to my letter.” Jonathan pleated his brow. “I did not word it too insolently. I was courteous and frank. They sent nothing; it was as if they didn’t care.” He shook his head. “Even if the letter never reached your family, someone official in Montreal should have sent it on to England to inform your parents…we should have had word by now.”

  Amelia shrugged. She had turned back to face the fire, resting her back, like before, against Jonathan’s torso. She decided that she would ask Jonathan about his intentions concerning the war when they got back to Fair Weather Heaths’.

  “I might have something to say about that,” said Jake, looking the soberest he had all evening.

  “What, about the letter?” Jonathan glowered at him. He looked almost wraithlike in the fire’s light.

  “Aye, about that.”

  “Out with it, man.”

  Anna shuddered at the force of Jonathan’s voice. She snuck furtive glances at Jake who looked as if he was attempting to pluck words from the night.

  “I might’ve redirected that letter to which ye refer, Jonathan,” said Jake at last.

  “Redirected it?” Jonathan shifted his weight forward so that he looked over Amelia’s shoulder.

  “Well, ye see when that letter arrived from Canada, I sort of hid it from ye.”

  The expression on Jonathan’s face was incredulous. “Hid it…what on earth for?”

  A smile flickered into action on Amelia’s face. She had understood immediately what Jake meant. However, she did not vent her suspicions, preferring to see the two men hash it out themselves.

  “Do ye want me to be frank?” asked Jake, taking another swig of whiskey to fortify his resolve.

  “Please do, Jake…and pass that over; I have the niggling feeling that I might be in need of a taste of whiskey once you start shedding some light on the matter.” He gratefully accepted the vessel containing the drink and took a hearty gulp. “Go on,” he said, smacking his lips.

  “Ye sees, I knew that ye wished to ransom off the ladies to Amelia’s family…and judging by the contents of the aforementioned correspondence, they agreed to yer proposal.”

  “I see,” said Jonathan, still looking very serious. “So, you read a letter addressed to me?”

  “Aye…they offered a fair penny too. The Duke of Brandon’s son was very insistent on the matter that the ladies in question be returned to him as soon as possible.” Jake cleared his throat. “I didn’t want that, and neither did ye for that matter. So, I burned the damn thing, and ye were none the wiser.” He shrugged. “It was for the best. Think if ye had sent them back; we wouldn’t be sitting here right now.”

  “Don’t you think I should have been the judge of that?”

  “NO!” chimed in both of the ladies.

  “I would never have agreed to it,” said Jonathan with authority.

  “Poppycock – you would’ve sent me packing the moment you saw the amount my former betrothed was willing to offer,” said Amelia, turning to look at Jonathan again. “I suppose it was significant?”

  A playful grin materialized on his face. “That depends on the amount…how much was it Jake?”

  Jake furrowed his brow in thought. “About ten thousand pound if I am not mistaken.”

  “Mm…a substantial sum, indeed.” he mumbled some words that were incomprehensible. “Does that offer still stand do you think, Jake?”

  A few heartbeats passed before Jake hooted his mirth like a grizzly bear sow in gestation. He rolled onto his back hooting his hilarity.

  “You wouldn’t?” said Amelia. Her gaze never left Jonathan’s face the entire time. She could not hold the disbelieving expression on her face for long when she saw his features collapse into laughter. “You scoundrel, you.” She hit him in the chest with her fists, inducing him to even greater hilarity. “You nearly had me there.” She squealed when he flipped her onto her back and held her down.

  “I may have entertained the matter for a sum such as that back then, but never now. You, my love, are beyond money; you mean the world to me and I could never part with you.”

  “You mean that?” asked Amelia, no longer squirming. She was lost in his piercing gaze that oozed sincerity.

  “Of course, I do, dearest.” Jonathan kissed her on the lips before he helped her back up. When they were seated again, he refocused his attention on Jake. “I am grateful to you, my friend. However, in future, I would like to receive my mail without it going amiss because my loyal first lieutenant deemed it unfit for my eyes.”

  Jake nodded. “It won’t happen again, Jonathan.”

  “Glad to hear it.”

  After that, the conversation returned to other matters which are not important to us at this juncture for they came to an end quickly when Jonathan urged everyone to bed because of their early start the following morning.

  “So, you expect to share my tent this night?” asked Amelia playfully.

  “Yes, I do. But do not worry, I only wish to hold you in my arms and not let you go until the morrow. That other thing will have to wait until we are married proper,” said Jonathan holding up the flap to their tent.

  “In that case, I have no reason to decline such a tempting offer,” said Amelia with the biggest smile on her face.

  “Oh, it was the most magical night, Anna. Jonathan held me until dawn when we awoke. I just can’t believe I denied myself that pleasure for so long,” said Amelia with dreamy eyes half clouded over because of the memory.

  “I know – there is nothing better.” Anna thought a moment as she rubbed a cloth with soap. “Did you…you know?” she asked.

  Amelia frowned. “Do what?” she asked, innocently. When she saw her friend struggle with her words, her eyes opened wide as understanding dawned on her. “Oh, my
goodness, Anna, most certainly not. We are not man and wife yet.”

  “Oh,” was all Anna managed to say. After thinking some more on the matter, she added, “I thought that did not matter in the New World.”

  Amelia rolled her eyes as she lowered herself into the stream to continue her washing. Somehow, she wished she was just as free-spirited as Anna. No, she countered in her mind. I wish to be married to Jonathan before we tread down that road. She lost herself more and more in the world of love as she washed in the creek that was not far from the camp.