Unleashed Desires 0f A Noble Lady (Steamy Historical Regency)
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Unleashed Desires of a Noble Lady
A Steamy Regency Romance
Scarlett Osborne
Contents
A Thank You Gift
About the Book
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Epilogue
Extended Epilogue
Preview: The Scandalous Secret of the Tempting Duchess
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Also by Scarlett Osborne
About the Author
A Thank You Gift
Thanks a lot for purchasing my book. It really means a lot to me, because this is the best way to show me your love.
As a Thank You gift I have written a full length novel for you called Seduced by the Brooding Duke. It’s only available to people who have downloaded one of my books and you can get your free copy by tapping this link here.
Once more, thanks a lot for your love and support.
With love and appreciation,
Scarlett Osborne
About the Book
He chose to be her friend, but falling in love with her was out of his control...
Lady Emma Weston, daughter of the Earl of Westfolk, lives with a guilty secret.
Silently in love with her best friend, she has longed for his affection for years. But to be with him means to betray someone close to her.
After many years of yearning for Lady Emma from afar, Donald Stafney, Marquess of Stapleton and a successful businessman, is ready to proclaim his feelings. Desperate not to lose her to her other suitors, he is willing to fight for her heart.
Their friendship soon transforms into a smoldering passion and every doubt melts away under their delirious lust...
When an unexpected incident reveals that Emma is leading a double life, Donald must pay the ultimate price to discover the truth: his life. The sound of the lethal shot awakens Emma to the dreadful realization that the person she was trying to protect all along is the one pulling the strings to destroy them...
Chapter 1
“Do you think she forgot?” Donald asked, unable to hide the small bit of concern, bordering on fret, that crept into his voice.
“Perish the thought, Donald,” Matthew practically laughed the words at him. “Overslept is more like it.”
The two gentlemen sat at a special dining table Matthew had set up for their breakfast in his garden. While Matthew’s garden was far from the most exquisite, its veranda made it an excellent place to share a meal.
The gentlemen seemed to be almost completely opposite. Donald’s mother used to say that the two boys must have been brought together to complement each other.
Donald Stafney, The Marquess of Stapleton, was tall and muscular, his red coat often straining against his broad shoulders if he moved the wrong way. His dark hair fell in tight curls just above his eyes. For being only of three-and-twenty, his handsome face wore many worry lines. He was a notorious fretter among his friends, which was part of the reason he got on so well with his companion, his best friend Matthew was often the only one to lift him from a dour mood.
The gentleman next to him might have been missed if you approached the table from the wrong angle and he happened to be hidden behind Donald’s stature. Matthew Bowles, the Earl of Thetmont, was a slight gentleman, strong but lithe, and a full head shorter and two stone lighter than Donald, despite being the same age. His fairer features made the contrast between him and his friend even greater. With short bright-blond hair and blue eyes he was often quick to draw the attention in a group, and his good humor and hearty laugh would usually hold it from there.
“She will be here,” Matthew reassured his lifelong friend, “there is no way she would miss my going-away breakfast.”
“You are right. We’ve all just been so busy lately,” Donald continued to let his melancholy demeanor shine through, “I don’t want the friendship to suffer due to our business.” He was surprised how much he had missed Emma’s continued presence, but chalked it up to not knowing you missed something until it was gone.
“Our incredibly successful business, Donald. You should give us the credit we deserve,” Matthew laughed and Donald couldn’t help but return at least a smile, which eventually forced itself into a grin.
Matthew was right, they had done extremely well for themselves in a relatively short time. Truth be fully told, the idea of the two young gentlemen being successful business partners surprised no one. And it didn’t hurt that the fur business favored a particular mix of social and business acumen, which suited them just fine. If you were attending an important social function in London, then you were going to see clothing made by furs traded by Donald and Matthew.
Donald and Matthew had been friends since they were both eight-years old. They had met at a holiday party, the Earl of Hannich’s annual Christmas ball, or so their parents had told them. They had little recollection of that social event. All they could remember was an instant and intense sense of fraternity with one another. One that their families had recognized and fostered. The first letter Donald had ever sent had been to Matthew, which still lived in a drawer somewhere on the lavish Thetmont Estate.
Their parents had seen it fit to have the boys educated together and the friendship was forged into something far stronger. Childhood friends to schoolboy companions to business partners. The only person who had come to know the boys as well as they knew each other just so happened to be the same lovely young lady they were waiting on.
“The Lady Emma Weston and The Lady Henrietta Puron,” the butler announced and both gentlemen smiled, a knowing smile from Matthew and a relieved one from Donald. They stood to greet the ladies who would be joining them.
When Emma passed under the flowered gable that lead to the outside dining area, Donald felt his breath catch in his throat. She was accompanied by her dear friend, Lady Henrietta, and their two lady’s maids in close step behind them. But his eyes were, as always, drawn to Emma.
It had been several weeks since they had last seen each other, although they frequently corresponded. They had missed their usual socializing due to all the work that had come with getting the business up and running. That being said, no matter how long between visits, Donald was always a little speechless from her beauty.
The beams bouncing off the white blossoms softened the light and made the flourishes and bunches of Emma’s cream-colored dress look as though they were blooming too. The soft white of her dress was offset by her own pale and delicate complexion, and both we
re complimented by long silky tresses of dark hair. Donald was always hesitant to admit to himself how strikingly beautiful Emma had become, but he couldn’t deny the quickening of his pulse.
Both gentlemen were delighted by the smiling eyes of their dear friend. She had been there at that holiday party as well and, according to the accounts of their parents, the young girl had followed the two boys around all night. Admittedly, none of the children had any recollection of this, but they had certainly all grown to be close friends in the years to come.
Emma Weston was the daughter of the Earl of Westfolk, and a lady with an active social schedule. It made friendship an effort, to be sure, but it was considered well worth the reward by all of them. Emma’s education had been separate, but they had made every effort to spend their breaks with one another. Their friendship may have ridden the line of socially inappropriate at times, boys and girls being kept properly separate in many regards, but under the watchful eyes of their families, the friends were happy to enjoy their time together.
Donald bowed lightly first to Emma and then to Lady Henrietta, as they gracefully walked over to the table. Lady Henrietta carried herself with less grace than Emma, which she would often attribute to her height. She was one of the tallest ladies that he had ever known and woe to anyone who would point it out in the course of criticism. She was an angular beauty, contrasting her friend almost as much as Donald contrasted Matthew. Her long, loosely-tied hair was a light oak, too brown to be blonde but far too light to be considered a brunette.
Matthew moved to pull out her chair while Donald offered a chair to Lady Henrietta with a smile and made a sweeping gesture for her to sit. Their lady’s maids, Josephine and Selena respectively, were seated at a servants table nearby. It was only proper that their chaperons be close at hand to make sure all behavior was kept proper.
“I hope this morning finds you well, Lady Emma,” Donald began.
She laughed at this, “If I told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times to call me Emma, Lord Stapleton. Surely we have known each other long enough to justify that.”
“My Lady, that would be extremely inappropriate. Our dear Stapleton would hate to do something so flagrant,” Matthew playfully scoffed.
“And what is your excuse, Lord Thetmont?” Emma bent and stooped gently down into her seat, allowing herself to be moved to the table. Lady Henrietta likewise, assisted by Donald. Both gentlemen returned to their seats before Matthew answered. A bowl of fruit sat at the table, but out of the corner of his eye Donald saw the servant’s signal the cooking staff that they were ready for their breakfast.
“With the young lord leading by example,” Matthew said gesturing to Donald, “I refuse to be the one seen as uncouth.”
“Of course, how foolish of me to insinuate that you would put yourself in such an obtuse and unflattering position,” Emma retorted, stifling a giggle. “Though you might be too late, being seen as the more proper gentleman compared to Lord Stapleton is a struggle few will overcome.”
“How true. Allow me, then, to put myself in an obtuse and unflattering position by asking what kept you from arriving on time?” Matthew asked, causing Donald to sputter in secondhand embarrassment at such a forward question. Lady Henrietta let a smile creep up on her face.
Emma waved a white gloved hand at Donald, hoping to placate his indignation on her behalf. “Lady Henrietta wouldn’t leave the house until she was fully satisfied with her outfit. She is very picky when she goes out into public.”
Lady Henrietta cleared her throat lightly. “I am sure it has nothing to do with how similar getting you out of bed is like rousing a cat on a hearth.”
“And how many times had you changed by the time I had finally risen?” Emma retorted and the four of them had a good laugh.
The four of them enjoyed a delightful breakfast; the meal was as well prepared as it was rich. And the good meal was only improved by the best of company. They reminisced about old times as they ate, talking just as much about fun youthful pranks as they did their teenage escapades. The three friends were too well socialized to let their additional guest feel like an outsider, filling her in on much of the context.
There was a heavy feeling hanging over the meal, however, and they did the most they could to delay talking about matters of the present. So they all chose to dwell in the past instead, a place that brought them great comfort.
“And these two! They were covered in flour and getting scolded while I was crawling out of the cupboard behind the cook!” Emma was struggling to keep her laughter to a civil volume. Donald could tell she was desperately trying not to snort. He had heard her do it once before and she swore him to secrecy. That had been many years ago, but he hadn’t told a soul. Not even Matthew.
“Made all the more demoralizing by the fact that raiding the pantry was your idea to begin with,” Donald pouted playfully, a move so surprisingly out of character that Matthew allowed himself to crack up a little more wantonly while the ladies laughed.
When they had all caught their breath Matthew let out a sigh, “I suppose we shan’t put off the topic any longer. It is what has brought us together this morning.”
“But our friendship is the topic, My Lord,” Emma offered.
“You are continuing to procrastinate, My Lady, but you are correct though. We are to talk about my departure,” he said with a smile.
“The first time we have all been so far apart,” Donald crossed his arms across his chest and leaned toward the table, “Your company will surely be missed. Are you certain I could not convince you to let me come along?”
“And leave our business completely unattended to on one side of the ocean for more than nine months? I think not! Besides, then we would be leaving another one of our friends completely alone,” Matthew chided his male companion.
“Alone? I think not,” Lady Henrietta remarked and Matthew gestured apologetically before turning back to Donald.
“I will be fine. Remember this is a good trip. Our business is doing well, this should be a celebratory breakfast, not a sad farewell.”
“Of course, Matthew. You are absolutely right. How selfish of me to not see the blessing before me.” Donald nodded and forced a smile that slowly became genuine. He was truly grateful that he and his best friend could have so much success in working together. It made the work they shared almost feel like no work at all.
“Are there any affairs you will need attending to while you are away? I am sure Lord Stapleton and I can make sure you don’t miss out on anything,” Emma offered. Donald knew it was entirely a gesture, but a necessary one.
“No, no, nothing that my staff cannot handle. If anything this will be a welcome holiday from social obligation. You know how suffocating I find such things.” Matthew leaned back and stretched lightly, casually. Donald knew that was anything but true. Whenever they would go out, Matthew loved being the life of the party.
“Don’t know how they will be passable without you there to enliven the mood,” Donald said while he struggled to cheer up.
“Don’t you worry, My Lord. I am sure you will find a way to make these dreary months passable.” Emma smiled at Donald reassuringly and Donald felt his heart flutter. Rather than feeling better, the butterflies simply confused and fuddled him more. The thought of being with Emma, just the two of them. The light blush of her skin, the light trail of her breath while she laughed.
How soft her lips must be.
He wanted to make her laugh, maybe even snort again, if she was only willing to do it for him. He struggled for a reply before Matthew stepped in.
“You have to promise not to mope the whole time I am gone, Donald. The only regret I have is being on a ship that is leaving early. Evening drinks would have been a much more appropriate send off to my dear self.” Matthew gently raised his fine cup of tea off its saucer. “Shall we toast to my safe voyage?”
“Proposing a toast to yourself, do you know no shame, Thetmont?” Donald asked as he finally lift
ed himself from his lament in an effort to give his friend a proper farewell. He raised his own cup, “To your prosperity,” and with an afterthought and a wider smile, “and the prosperity of our business.”
Lady Henrietta raised her own cup. “Oh good, now they are both doing it. What shall we add, Lady Emma?”
Emma smiled at the antics and raised the last tea cup. “To our enduring friendship. It has lasted through the years, may it last the distance of an ocean and anything else.”