“I, also, am quite sure that Rose will find a man who takes her fancy – all in her own good time, of course. He will need to be a man who cares about food, in all its subtleties – but I am certain that there must be one out there, somewhere.”
Rose spluttered, and half choked on the cake.
“Really, Hyacinth, caring about food is not so unusual. And I mean about more than simply being a glutton. Why I met a man recently, who actually…”
She trailed off, suddenly realising that all other conversation had ceased, and that every one of her sisters had fixed her with a curious look. Hyacinth forced herself not to laugh at the consternation on Rose’s face.
“Do go on, Rose – you met a man who…”
Thorne’s voice was amused, and he smiled, waiting for her response.
“Nothing. Forget that I even mentioned it.”
“My dear Rose, you know quite well that I have an impeccable memory – I could never forget a thing like that.”
Rose glared at him. Hyacinth felt some sympathy for her, and decided to divert the conversation, a little.
“Rose… I have a suggestion – one which Thorne will, almost certainly, struggle with. You see, I, like Kevin, am required to wear mourning colours until January. And as, when you do eventually get married, I would truly prefer to attend in a colourful gown, rather than drab mourning colours, I do believe that gives you six months in which to find a man you like. So, my suggestion is this. Thorne agrees not to tease you, about spinsterhood, or finding a husband, for that six months, and, in that time, you do actually try to find a man you like… If, come January, nothing has happened, then Thorne will be free to tease you again.”
Thorne spluttered a little in mock outrage.
“Hyacinth! You are cruel – how do you expect me to go a full six months without teasing Rose!”
“I am sure, my dear brother, that you are capable of such restraint. It will be good for your soul.”
Rose looked at them both, and Hyacinth wondered what thoughts were passing behind her hazel eyes. After a moment, she nodded, and gave them a hard smile.
“Is that a challenge, Hyacinth? If so, I accept. Six months without Thorne teasing me will be a welcome respite. And perhaps, who knows, I will find a man I can care for…”
<<<< O >>>>
That night, as Kevin led Hyacinth to their bedchamber, he cast his mind back to the conversation in the parlour. It was so typical of Hyacinth’s family – the good-natured teasing, which was underlaid by care. For he had seen what Hyacinth had done, with that last challenge to both Rose and Thorne – she had, most carefully, defended Rose, by ensuring that Thorne left her in peace, to chose her own path – at least for a few months.
It was so typical of Hyacinth, and what he loved about her – that aspect which he had noticed, right from the start – the kind heart, hidden behind the sharp toothed words, the tendency to care deeply for those she loved, and to defend them, tooth and claw, if needed, yet to do so in ways that were sheathed in subtlety.
As he had thought then, she was like a vixen – clever, cunning, able to hide in plain sight, and ferocious when defending her own. That he now ranked in that category was a delight and an honour – one he intended to be worthy of.
They reached their chambers, and entered, closing the door behind them. Hyacinth sighed, turning to him. As she spoke, he reached up to unpin her hair, enjoying the silken feel of it.
“I love my family, but really, sometimes… but I meant it when I said that I hoped that Rose found someone, and soon. I would not wish her to miss out on happiness, like this happiness we have.”
He dropped the pins onto the bedside table, and turned his fingers to the matter of undoing her gown.
“Everyone should have this kind of happiness, my darling. And everyone should have a sharp toothed, sharp tongued vixen to defend them from the world.”
She looked up, laughing, and he drew her into his arms to kiss her. She came willingly and they lost themselves in each other, and the delight of love found.
The End
I hope that you enjoyed
‘A Vixen for a Viscount’
You’ll find a taste of the next book in the series, ‘A Bluestocking for a Baron’, just after the ‘About the Author’ section of this book.
About the Author
Arietta Richmond has been a compulsive reader and writer all her life. Whilst her reading has covered an enormous range of topics, history has always fascinated her, and historical novels have been amongst her favourite reading.
She has written a wide range of work, from business articles and other non-fiction works (published under a pen name) but fiction has always been a major part of her life. Now, her Regency Historical Romance books are finally being released. The Derbyshire Set is comprised of 10 novels (8 released so far). The ‘His Majesty’s Hounds’ series is comprised of 17 novels, with the last having just been released. The ‘A Duke’s Daughters – The Elbury Bouquet’ series is comprised of seven books, with the second having just been released.
She also has a standalone longer novel shortly to be released, and four other series of novels in development. She lives in Australia, and when not reading or writing, likes to travel, and to see in person the places where history happened.
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Here is your preview of
A Bluestocking for a Baron
A Duke’s Daughters –The Elbury Bouquet - Book 3 Clean Regency Romance
Arietta Richmond
Chapter One
Evan Shoreham, Baron of Wrenton, looked about the room, wondering why he had come. He did not know Lord Kevin well, and, whilst he had dealt with his father, Lord Chester, a few times, the family were barely acquaintances. Yet he had been invited to this wedding, and had felt, for some reason, the need to attend. Beside him, his brother, Hugh, nudged him.
“Choose somewhere to sit, Evan. We’re blocking the doorway.”
He moved into the room, and chose one of the scattered tables at random. The room filled up around him, and he watched as people filed in. Quite a gathering for this wedding breakfast, for their small part of the country. Not many he knew well, at all. As was inevitable, his attention turned to the long tables against the wall, where a large quantity of food was laid out, and servants waited to deliver it to guests, as required.
Food fascinated him. Not in the sense that he was a glutton, but in all other aspects – its provenance, preparation, and preservation.
Mentally, he catalogued the items present, assessing how much was seasonal, and easily available in the local area, and how much had to have been brought some distance, or preserved for some length of time. And how much might have been supplied through the vendors who used the ice houses that he owned.
Hugh sighed, obviously aware of where Evan was looking.
“Can you get your mind off business for a while, and actually celebrate the man
’s wedding, brother?”
Evan forced his eyes and mind away from the food tables, and turned back to the table he sat at. Opposite him, hazel eyes met his, from the most beautiful face that he had ever seen.
Everything else faded away but that face. Softly rounded, with rosebud pink lips set below a small nose, that face was impossible to look away from. Topped by wispy pale gold hair, which was determinedly escaping its pins, it was enchanting. He felt an intense urge to reach out and touch that soft hair.
He resisted, swallowing hard. At that moment, two other people sat down at the table. He forced his eyes away from that beautiful face to see who had just taken a seat. It was Lady Maria, Lord Kevin’s sister, now Lady Wareham, and her new husband, Charles, Viscount Wareham. Maria smiled at him, and indicated him with her hand.
“May I present to you, Evan Shoreham, Baron of Wrenton, and his brother, Mr Hugh Shoreham. Gentlemen, this is Lady Rose Gardenbrook, a sister of the bride.”
Evan swallowed, wetting his lips.
“Delighted, I’m sure.”
It was all that he could manage to say. Beside him, Hugh nodded.
“I’m pleased to meet you, Lady Rose. Your sister looks truly the picture of a happy bride.”
“Oh she is – very much so.”
Lady Wareham smiled again, and looked at Evan.
“How are your business interests progressing, Lord Wrenton? I gather that some of the delicacies we have today, we would not have had without your ice houses?”
“That is true, Lady Wareham. Nearly all of the merchants who supply specialist foods in the area use them now. I am looking to expand, and add more locations.”
“Wonderful! There are so many things that my mother particularly loves, which we could never get when I was a child.”
Lady Rose made a little noise, and he turned back to her, caught again by her clear hazel eyes.
“You are in the business of ice houses, Lord Wrenton? How fascinating!”
Evan was shocked – fascinating was not a term that any woman had ever before used, with respect to his business. Generally, they were completely ignorant of the existence of ice houses, and had no wish to discover more.
“Errr, yes, I do find the whole process of preserving and storing food fascinating. That is what led me to investing in the business to begin with. My father thought me mad, then, but it has proven to be most profitable.”
Hugh nodded beside him.
“Yes – at least our father saw that success, before he died. I think he was proud of what you’d achieved.”
Evan paused a moment – their father had been gone two years now, but there was still a whisper of grief in him, when he thought too closely of the man.
Lady Rose regarded him a moment, a little hesitantly, as if making a choice, then she sat a little straighter, and spoke.
“My Lord, might I assume that you are following, with great interest, the research of those men who are attempting to create effective mechanical or chemical refrigeration techniques? If they succeed, the impact on food preservation will be enormous – think what you could do, with an ice house that did not require the collection of huge blocks of ice each year!”
Evan’s head spun. This picture of feminine beauty before him knew about refrigeration research! And found it interesting! He must, of a certainty, be dreaming, for the improbability of it was beyond belief. But she was looking at him, waiting for an answer. He swallowed, hard.
“Yes, Lady Rose, I am very aware of it. I am hoping to invest at the first opportunity to create a commercial product from that research. That is, sadly, some years away, I believe. But the implications…”
“…are enormous. I can imagine a world in which all food can be kept far longer, in a far better state, and in which things that currently cannot be kept more than a day or so, might be preserved for weeks!”
Her eyes were bright, and her face animated.
Lady Wareham watched her with an expression of fond amusement. Apparently, Lady Rose was known to be rather a bluestocking on the matter of food related science, if that expression was anything to go by. But Lady Wareham then surprised him – she turned to him with a question of her own.
“Lord Wrenton, do you believe that such devices for refrigeration might one day be small enough to be installed in the larger homes, rather than being restricted to commercial ice houses? For I must admit that I would find such a thing most wonderful, for storing medicinal tisanes and possets.”
“What a wonderful idea!”
Lady Rose positively beamed. Evan found himself smiling at her in return, completely captivated.
At that moment, a servant came to the table, carrying a plate of cream filled, pink iced, tiny cakes. He offered the plate to them, and Lady Rose reached out immediately to lift one from the plate, popping it into her mouth. She sighed – a sound of intense pleasure, closing her eyes for a second, and her tongue slipped out to lick the last of the icing from her lips. For an instant, Evan’s imagination inserted that tongue, and that sound of pleasure, into an entirely different scene. Shocked at his response, he turned his eyes away from her. But the image was burned into his mind.
They allowed themselves to be distracted by food, as more was brought around, and the conversation shifted to more mundane things at times, but somehow, always kept coming back to his business plans. He permitted himself to indulge in the pleasure of speaking of his interests, with no need to simplify things.
The afternoon passed in the most pleasant conversation that he had enjoyed, ever. He was excessively glad that he had accepted the invitation to the wedding celebration. Lady Rose Gardenbrook was not only the most beautiful woman that he had ever met, she was the most intelligent, and intriguing. And she had exquisite taste in cakes.
<<<< O >>>>
The long summer twilight had slipped into evening, and still they sat, talking. Rose was in heaven. Finally, she had met a person who not only cared about the details of food, but who understood the technicalities of it all. A man who owned businesses which were dedicated to food. She had never had such a wonderful conversation in her life. And beside her, Maria had brought ideas to it as well – things that Rose had never considered, in the application of the same tools and preservation methods to medicines.
Her head spun. And, making it all the more perfect, the person involved was a man, not too many years older than her – a man so handsome that, when she had first seen him, it had quite taken her breath away. When she had arrived at the table with Charles and Maria, Lord Wrenton had been staring at the food tables, a small crease in his brow, as if he was puzzling something out. It had endeared him to her, instantly.
And everything had simply got better from there. When Maria had mentioned that his business was in ice houses, Rose had barely been able to conceal her excitement, and all thought of ladylike decorum had deserted her. It was only once she had asked him that question about refrigeration research, that she had paused, suddenly afraid that she had gone too far.
For, if a young lady showed too much interest in science, or studiousness in any way, she was like to be labelled a bluestocking, and avoided by the men of the ton. Rose had worked hard to avoid that label, by restricting her comments on any matters which might lead others to suspect just how much time she spent studying the things that intrigued her. Even her family were not completely aware of the depth of her interests.
Yet this man had, within moments of her meeting him, so disarmed her, and fascinated her, that she had forgotten all caution, and simply spoken. After her question, he had paused, and her heart had near stopped as she waited for his reaction – but then, he had answered her, seriously, with no sign of horror at the fact that a young woman even knew of such things.
From there, the conversation had become a thing of its own, and she had found herself finishing his sentences, and he hers, as they spoke of all of the remarkable discoveries of the last thirty years, and of the potential they held for the future. There were sh
ort pauses to eat, as various foods were brought around, and she had found his obvious conscious appreciation of the food as utterly intriguing as his intellect and scientific knowledge.
Now, the twilight sky slipped into the cobalt blue of evening, and they paused, as Maria yawned, then looked embarrassed.
“Oh, I am sorry! It is not that I find our conversation uninteresting – it is simply that I am most tired, after all of the preparations and the long day. And I do believe that most people have departed, or are preparing to do so. We have been so caught up that I had not noticed until now.”
Rose looked around – it was true, few people remained.
Lord Wrenton and his brother rose from their seats, and the others followed their example. He came to Rose, and took her hand, bowing.
“Lady Rose, I can categorically say that this has been quite the most intriguing conversation of my life. Whilst we must take our leave now, and allow our hosts and their house guests their rest, I do hope that I might see you again, soon. For I would very much enjoy continuing this discussion.”
His fingers had held her hand a little longer than was appropriate, and now they tightened a moment, before he released her. Her heart beat a thunderous tone, and her body seemed to have forgotten how to breathe for a moment. Then sense reasserted itself, and she drew a deep breath.
“Lord Wrenton, nothing would give me more pleasure. We will be staying here at Chester Park for at least a week – as you reside locally, perhaps we will have the opportunity to speak again, in that time.”
“I will be certain to call, Lady Rose. Thank you, again, for a wonderful day.”
Continued…
Read the rest of ‘A Bluestocking for a Baron’ as soon as its released! Sign up for Arietta’s newsletter at https://www.ariettarichmond.com to be the first to know.
A Vixen for a Viscount: Book 2: Hyacinth - Clean Regency Romance (A Duke's Daughters - The Elbury Bouquet) Page 15
