A Ravishing Lady For The Rebellious Marquess (Steamy Historical Regency Romance)

by Violet Hamers

  Hopefully, Leonard was going to be reasonable enough to accept the letter and deliver it to the Marquess.

  If anyone wondered at Elsa’s absence, then Rose was going to tell them that she sent her lady’s maid on a small errand since she didn’t need to be waited on whilst entertaining Lord Rockgonie.

  Hopefully, if all went according to plan, she would be retiring to her chambers with Elsa in tow, hearing the soothing news that her letter had in fact made it to the Marquess.

  She winced as another pain stabbed at her chest at the memory of how she had handled things with the Marquess. She turned slightly to look behind her and noticed that Elsa was conspicuously absent. Her lady’s maid had slipped out already according to plan.

  Good luck, Elsa.

  “You must have heard a lot about me,” Lord Rockgonie said finally, resuming their conversation.

  “Not necessarily, My Lord. In fact, I must say I have heard absolutely nothing about you,” she lied.

  Two could play that game after all. If he was intent on being vague about his business, she could also be vague about what she knew of him. Not that she knew much, if she was honest with herself.

  “Really? And here I was thinking the apprehension I’m feeling from you is as a result of what you might have heard about me.” He chuckled.

  “There is no apprehension, My Lord. I just do not know you as well as I think I should for someone I’m supposed to be getting married to,” she responded.

  “You are certainly right,” he said, and for the first time there was a change in his demeanor. “What would you like to know?” he asked, with a serious look on his face.

  Now that she could ask him anything, she didn’t know how to proceed or what question to ask.

  “Well, My Lady? Is there anything you would like to know about me?” he asked again.

  “Well, even though there are so many questions I would like to ask, it would be nice to know why you made a deal with my father to marry me without seeking to court me first, My Lord. It will also be nice to know what this deal was.”

  There was a pause which only served to raise her anticipation levels.

  “But, My Lady, I didn’t make a deal with your father to marry you,” Lord Rockgonie sounded confused.

  “I beg your pardon?” Rose exclaimed in confusion. She didn’t know what to make of what he had just told her.

  “I didn’t make a deal with your father to wed you, My Lady,” he repeated himself.

  Am I dreaming or is he playing games with me? If he didn’t make a deal with Father, why am I being forced to marry him?

  “So how did I end up betrothed to you? I was told my father made a deal with you, My Lord,” she queried in confusion.

  “Oh, my!” he exclaimed. “That wasn’t me, My Lady. That must have been my father,” he responded, his eyes wide with shock.

  “Your father?”

  “Yes, my father. I personally can count how many times I have met your father. I most certainly did not come to a deal with him for your hand in marriage,” he responded.

  “I am still unsure of what you are saying, My Lord.”

  “Well, my father and I have been at odds with each other for quite a while now. Part of our reconciliatory deal was that I was to get married as soon as possible.”

  “So how does my father come into all this?”

  “I honestly do not know. All I was told by my father when I raised my objections of how there was no one I could get married to as soon as possible, was that you, My Lady, were available and ready to marry me.”

  “Excuse me?” she exclaimed again.

  “Yes. I only began meeting your father after I gave my consent to be married to you as well, in order to appease my father.”

  His eyes were still wide with shock even as he made his confession. She, on the other hand, was confused as to what she was hearing. The only certainty she could arrive at was both of them had been thrust into this betrothal by their parents.

  As she opened her mouth to speak again, she spied Elsa from the corner of her eye, standing in the clearing. Her lady’s maid had returned too soon from her errand.

  What happened? She couldn’t have gone and returned already, or could she?

  “I do not know what to make of everything you are telling me, My Lord.” After a brief pause, she continued, “I suddenly feel faint from walking and would like to retire for the day. Perhaps we could continue this chat at a later time?” she requested politely, trying to end Lord Rockgonie’s visit immediately so she could go find out what had happened to Elsa and the letter.

  The truth was, even though she needed to get to the bottom of this betrothal story, there was something else that was of a higher priority to her.

  Did Elsa succeed in getting my letter to the Marquess already?

  Ten minutes later, both she and Elsa were back within the safety of her chambers.

  “What happened?” she asked expectantly.

  “I almost ran into Lady Somerholm on my way out. I had to turn back immediately before she saw me,” Elsa responded. “I’ll try again in thirty minutes.”

  Chapter Twelve

  Kenneth stood still, a look of shock on his face on hearing that there was a letter from Lady Rose.

  And yet, Leonard stood in front of him holding a letter from her. He had no idea how the letter had arrived, seeing he had already ended correspondence with Lady Rose, coupled with the fact that he hadn’t sent Leonard on the usual errand of retrieving her response.

  Why is there a letter from Lady Rose?

  He stretched his hands slowly and collected the letter from Leonard.

  “An old letter?” he asked finally, when he thought he had made sense of the situation.

  Could she have sent this out already before receiving mine this morning?

  “No. Most recent. Just arrived,” Leonard responded. “Her lady’s maid went through considerable effort just to get the letter to you.”

  “How did she manage such a feat without discovery?” Kenneth asked.

  “There is a whole other world of servants and help you do not know about, Kenneth. And in that world, impossible tasks like delivering a letter with the utmost secrecy are a piece of cake,” Leonard snickered.

  Kenneth simply began unfolding the letter without responding. If she went to great lengths to have it delivered, the least he could do was read it. At least that was what he was telling himself, and not that he was eagerly waiting to see what she had written.

  “Also, she didn’t lie to you.”

  “Yes, she didn’t lie to me. She just forgot to tell me that she was getting married. That isn’t a lie at all, Leonard. I most certainly forgive her for the error of omission,” Kenneth responded with dry sarcasm, causing Leonard to chuckle slightly.

  “She simply didn’t know how to tell you. She really did try on so many occasions but never could muster the courage. And for that, she is truly sorry,” Leonard remarked. “That was the message her lady’s maid said to tell you.”

  Kenneth gazed at Leonard once more before he began reading the letter. By the time he was done, he was even more confused than in the beginning.

  “What am I supposed to do with this? All she has told me is the circumstance surrounding her betrothal. However, she is still betrothed to someone and that is something that won’t change.”

  “Well, isn’t it obvious that she has no say about that?”

  “And I do?”

  “You might,” Leonard said in a suggestive tone.

  There was a brief pause in which Kenneth understood what Leonard was suggesting.

  “Are you suggesting that…no, Leonard. That cannot happen,” Kenneth responded.

  “Well, if not that, what are you going to do?” Leonard asked.

  There was another brief pause.

  “Nothing. I will do nothing. Her letter changes nothing,” Kenneth replied.

  “Well, there is something else that I think you need to know,” Leonard conti
nued.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  “Remember the Cyprian that was murdered and the commoner that was blamed and arrested?” Leonard reminded him.

  “What about them?” Kenneth responded.

  He had promised Leonard he was going to check on the situation. However, with his busy schedule and preparing for the reading of his bill in parliament, he hadn’t had much time nor made much headway with his personal investigation.

  He made his way to his seat as Leonard came to stand in front of the table.

  “Well, there are tales of a revolt coming through the grapevines. The common folks are getting antsy and restless. Someone or some group is also stirring them up and fanning the flames of an uprising.”

  “Wait! An uprising? Like France?” Kenneth asked confused.

  Even though Kenneth hadn’t been born during the revolution that occurred in France, the stories had remained. He was well aware of the progress of it all, as was the rest of Europe. What was once thought impossible had been done in France.

  But it isn’t as bad as it was with France, or is it?

  “Why? To what end?” Kenneth asked.

  “Really? You have to ask that question? For years, the ton has been treating everyone else as inferior. The lower classes have always been oppressed by Britain’s high society. They’ve been subjected to unfair treatments, and poor living conditions.”

  “But an uprising is still serious business. Innocents would not be spared,” Kenneth gasped.

  “Well, the deplorable conditions the commoners have been subjected to have definitely ensured that they won’t be reasoning rationally.”

  “Well, isn’t that what I was trying to address in my bill?” Kenneth queried.

  “Your bill? Of course it has good intentions, Kenneth. But no one is waiting around for your bill. The problems the common folks face aren’t taking a break for your bill to be passed. It is real out there and good intentions aren’t going to help them out of their predicaments.”

  “But this isn’t just good intentions. I am actually taking action,” Kenneth protested.

  “Your actions are too slow. By the time you would have made any headway, most of this people would have fallen victim to society.”

  “Well, violence is not the answer, now is it? A lot of innocent people would get hurt in the process. There is always a peaceful and diplomatic way to resolve any situation.”

  “Well, violence was the answer for France. Let’s face it, Kenneth. Sometimes change can only be gotten through force. This might be one of those times.”

  “You are justifying their vision of a revolution, Leonard? You certainly sound like it.”

  “Not at all, Kenneth. I’m only telling you what is being whispered in the dark streets of London and the cause of such whispers. I, in no way, am trying to justify it or side with these rebellious groups. By the way, what came of your investigation into the Cyprian’s murder?”

  “Why do you ask?” Kenneth questioned in a bid to deflect. He hadn’t done much about it, after all.

  “Well, that seems to be the trigger for this particular dissenting faction.”

  Kenneth simply stared at him waiting for him to continue.

  “All right, there have always been dissenting factions preaching revolt and uprisings down the years. However, this particular faction seems to have acquired an extra force the others didn’t have.”

  “An extra force?”

  “Yes. Rumor has it that they are spurred on by the illegitimate children of the gentlemen of Britain’s high society.”

  “Excuse me?” Kenneth exclaimed.

  “You heard right. The bastards of Dukes, Earls, and the rest of the ton are spearheading the cause.”

  “You can’t be serious. How many could they even be to amount to a sizeable force?” Kenneth asked.

  “You would be surprised how many there are. Britain’s gentlemen have been busy,” Leonard chuckled.

  “And what is their grievance?” Kenneth continued, not pausing to entertain Leonard’s joke.

  “Besides their fathers rejecting them in favor of their half-brothers and sisters? The commoner blamed for the murder of the Cyprian is one of them; the bastard son of an Earl.”

  “Oh dear,” Kenneth remarked, smacking his forehead.

  “Exactly. Not only were they rejected, they are now being blamed for gruesome crimes, all in a bid to get rid of them. Well, that’s the way they see it. And if they are the ones leading such a charge against their fathers, the commoners are bound to follow.”

  There was a brief silence between them.

  “How can we stop this? Do you have any ideas now that it is only but a whisper in the streets?” Kenneth asked, his voice laden with worry.

  “I really do not know.”

  Kenneth mulled over the information Leonard had given him.

  “Well, is it possible to identify the chief instigators amongst these groups? So I can meet with them and quell their rage. Show them the bill I’m trying to get passed in parliament and have them know that violence isn’t the answer,” Kenneth asked.

  Before Leonard could respond, the Duke walked into the study and cleared his throat. Kenneth simply stood to his feet while Leonard turned around to face the Duke.

  “Your Grace!” Leonard greeted.

  “Leave us be. My son and I have matters to discuss,” the Duke announced, dismissing Leonard without acknowledging the valet’s salutation.

  “Of course, Your Grace,” Leonard said, and walked out of the study, leaving both of them behind.

  “I thought you were entertaining friends to dinner,” Kenneth remarked.

  “Well, they are currently having dinner downstairs. I came here to invite you to join us.”

  “You came up here to invite me to dinner? Personally?” Kenneth sounded shocked. “Come now, Father. What is the exact reason for your visit?”

  Of course, his father was lying about his exact reason. Any number of servants, including Leonard, could have been sent to summon him to dinner. “So I heard what happened in parliament,” his father said.

  Kenneth simply stood and watched his father without a response.

  “You should have listened and done exactly what I told you to do. Now, not only have you gone and made a complete mess of yourself in parliament, you have embarrassed this family,” the Duke asserted in a stern tone.

  I beg your pardon? An epidemic on our hands that I am trying to avert and you are worried about family reputation?

  If only his father knew what Leonard had just told him and how important this bill was.

  If only the rest of the Lords in parliament knew as well.

  They would have been running wild to get the bill passed. If what happened in France a few decades ago was being whispered in the streets, Britain’s high society had a serious problem on their hands. An uprising was scary business.

  And they aren’t even aware.

  “Really, Father? That is all you have to say? That I embarrassed you? Well, I’m sorry if I have ruined your family’s stellar reputation in place of actually trying to do some actual good in this world,” Kenneth retorted in disgust.

  “You know exactly what I mean, Kenneth. Don’t change this into a morality debate for goodness sake,” the Duke said in exasperation.

  “But I didn’t make this a morality debate. You did when you placed family reputation above the good of the common folk,” Kenneth fired back.

  “I did not turn down your bill in its entirety, Son. I only asked you to change a few things in it in order for it to get passed in parliament.”

  “No. You asked me to change a few things to get your continued support, Father. There is a huge difference. Not to mention that what you asked me to change would have transformed the bill totally, into something I didn’t recognize. How will that have accomplished what I originally intended it to?”

  “My goodness!” the Duke exclaimed while rubbing his temples to relieve stress.

&n
bsp; “Here we go,” Kenneth remarked knowing fully well what came next. They had similar arguments so many times he knew a tirade came after his father’s temple rubbing.

  “You know what the problem is? You are too stubborn for your own good! Too obstinate to realize that you are the one standing in your own way! Too thick-headed to get over this ridiculousness of caring what happens to common folks. Get over this fantasy, Kenneth. The common folks are the common folks. You are a Marquess and son of a Duke. Start acting like it,” the Duke railed.