Winning Lady Jane: A Christmas Regency Romance (Ladies of Bath Book 0)

by Isabella Thorne

  Why then was she crying?

  “Mademoiselle!” It was Jacqueline on the stair. “If you must go, it is not seemly that you go…” She paused, struggling for the word. “Tout seul,” she said. “If you will have me, I shall ride with you.”

  Jane was surprised, but happy. She liked the young French girl displaced by Napoleon’s rampages. She could have been in much the same position if she were French instead of English.

  “What of your mistress?” Jane asked.

  “Lady Charlotte will understand,” she said, and Jane nodded.

  “Thank you,” she said, and the coachman handed Jacqueline into the carriage, but Jane paused looking back at the manor.

  She dashed at her tears with a gloved hand and turned toward the carriage, steeling herself for the inevitable fear that she usually felt when about to step into any conveyance. But her body was at peace on this fine and beautiful day. For the first time in years she thought nothing of the simple act of going somewhere. She laughed in shy wonder, drawing looks of confusion from the coachmen which in turn only caused her to laugh harder.

  “Miss Bellevue?” She knew that voice. It was his gentle baritone, the same voice that had calmed her when she was at her worst. Lord Keegain.

  She paused in the act of placing one foot upon the step up into the carriage. She stiffened and had to remind herself how to breathe. Her body seemed to have forgotten how. Would he always have that effect upon her?

  “Lord Keegain,” she said softly and turned to face him.

  He stood on the steps, without hat or coat though the air was cold enough that his breath formed white clouds as he spoke.

  “You would leave us so soon?” he asked, and her heart wrenched at the pain that lay within his tone.

  “I do not belong here. I think that has been made abundantly clear.”

  “You are still my guest,” he said, reaching her side, and then reaching for her, as though to draw her away from the carriage.

  “I think it is time I went home.” She replied, trying to make the words gentle, for one of them had to say it. “I find I want to be with my family for Christmas and you should be with yours.”

  The earl swallowed hard, and for the first time she saw how pale his face was, how urgent his expression. His voice was so soft she barely heard it. “And what if I told you that I am no longer engaged?” he asked suddenly and she gasped, stepping away until her back was against the carriage itself.

  “No. You cannot do that!” she said, though the protest was automatic. In truth she was remembering being in his arms, feeling his lips pressed against hers. Her heart throbbed within her breast, each beat painful in her ears. “Tell me you have not been so foolish! Lady Margret is a fine lady.”

  “You are a fine lady, and the foolish thing would have been to let you go.”

  Jane shook her head, denying his words. “No. Please, stop. This is not right. You have a commitment to Lady Margret…”

  “Who never wanted to marry me any more than I wanted to marry her. My father wanted me settled. He never wanted to trap me in a loveless marriage. I see that now. You have made me see how untenable that would be. You have helped me to find my strength.”

  “I?” Jane questioned looking at him with wonder.

  “Jane, please. Darling, listen to me” the earl took both her hands in his.

  The endearment stopped her in her tracks.

  “I have loved you since I first saw you.”

  She had felt the same. Was there truly such a thing as love at first sight?

  “And last night when I thought you would die, I wished to die myself. When I came upon the wreckage, I never saw that man rising up to shoot me. I saw only you. I saw your body, still and lifeless among the debris. Never have I felt so helpless, so terribly useless in my life. If I could not save you, then what value could I possibly have as a man? Then when I saw you rise, when I heard your shout, I realized that God himself had given me a second chance, an opportunity to make things right.” He brought her gloved hand to his lips that he might kiss it. “Let me make this right. Please.”

  Tears were streaming down her face. “I do not know how….”

  “It is the simplest of things.” He knelt in the wet snow at her feet and she was stunned.

  “I know I must speak to your father first, but say you will entertain my suit. Nay. Say you will marry me, Miss Bellevue. Here, now, today if we could. I know this is sudden. I am not an impulsive man, but please understand the thought of losing you, has made me bold. The thought of losing you is too much to bear. Miss Jane Bellevue, will you be my Lady Keegain, as you are already the Lady of my Heart.”

  Jane had never heard poetry more beautiful than those few words honestly spoken. Never could there be a partner who would be a better fit for her than the man who knelt before her in the snow and asked her to be his. Truly, there was nothing left to say, but what was in her heart.

  “I love you,” Jane admitted shyly, as he looked up at her with adoration shining in his eyes. She felt the emotion reflected in her own gaze, proof of her affection laid bare for him to see. “I would be honored to become your wife.”

  “My lady, my love, my dearest Jane, it is I who am honored.” The earl stood, and whether he reached for her, or she for him, it was hard to say.

  He kissed her with a gentle passion and Jane was transported. He held her in the cradle of his arms. “This is what my father wished for me,” he whispered against her lips. “Love and true happiness.”

  Jane smiled. “I wish my Mother was here,” she said softly. “She would love to see our wedding day. At last I shall be a lady.”

  “Oh, Jane,” Keegain said. “You have always been a lady,” he said. “Only soon, you shall be my lady.”

  His lips claimed hers again and she knew that truly she had come home. Keegain was everything she had wished for, and more.

  Jacqueline leaned out of the carriage window. “I shall have your things brought back into the house, Mademoiselle, yes?”

  “Yes,” Jane said laughing through tears and Keegain himself helped Jacqueline from the carriage and the footmen began untying her bags.

  “Has the other villain been found?” Jane asked Keegain as he started to escort her into the house.

  He frowned. “Not yet, but I promise you, I will keep you safe. I swear by my life that it will be so.” A smile touched his lips. “Though I daresay you are well equal to the task of managing any villain entirely on your own.”

  She blushed, biting her lip and looking away. “You heard about that?”

  “My love, I was there. But you told Charlotte. Which means, I believe by now, everyone at breakfast will have heard about your heroism. It shall be the talk of the Ton,” Lord Keegain said and lifted her chin with his forefinger. “Now let us go in before I must steal more of your kisses to keep myself warm.” He gathered her close and kissed her fingers, her forehead, the tip of her nose, and then her lips, first gently and then with more passion.

  “We shall be the talk of the Ton,” she said, with an impish smile.

  Keegain caught Jane’s hands in his. “So long as they remember the most important part of the story,” he said.

  “And what would that be?” she asked, looking up at him with a sort of shy wonder.

  “They lived happily ever after,” he said, and kissed her again to prove that they would.

  Epilogue

  A few days later, when the snow melted, Jane and the earl along with a suitable entourage went to bring Mr. Bellevue and Julia to Kennett Park for the Christmas holiday. Jane was not sure her father would make the trip, but Keegain promised to stay with her family for the holiday if her father did not want to travel. Jane knew what a sacrifice that would be for him.

  “But you so love Christmas and your house is all decorated,” Jane said, “Besides the Christmas choir would miss your voice at the service.”

  “They shall have to do without me,” the earl said. “I belong at your side.”
Keegain assured her that he would have a happy Christmas anywhere as long as they were together.

  As it happened, when Lord Keegain asked for Jane’s father’s permission to marry her, Mr. Bellevue decided he should meet the whole family. They packed post haste to arrive back at Kennett Park in time for Christmas.

  “Christmas!” Julia cried. “I shall not have to have Christmas without you!” She threw herself into her sister’s arms and hugged her fiercely.

  “You shall not, little sister,” Keegain said. “And you shall forever be welcome at Christmas and any other time.”

  Christmas day dawned and at last Jane’s soon to be sisters found out what their presents were. Apparently, the Keening family often made one another gifts. Jane humbly passed out the small tokens she had chosen for Lady Charlotte and her sisters and Keegain’s mother. That of course, was before she realized that they would one day be her own sisters, but the girls did not seem to mind the humble gifts.

  Jane was surprised that Helen had a gift for her as well as her own sisters.

  It was a lovely embroidered handkerchief and Jane had to exchange a glance with Keegain. The best handkerchief belonged to her gentleman and was still wrapped around her mother’s pearls, but the violets embroidered on this handkerchief would always remind her of the violet dress that had changed her life. Perhaps in some small way, even the villains had played their part in bringing Lord Keegain to the realization that he loved her. Jane could not hold any malice in her heart on this holy day.

  After various handcrafted items were exchanged, her father said, “My own best Christmas gift has always been and always will be your happiness.” He looked from one daughter to the other and then toasted Lord Keegain. “I am glad to be certain that my eldest daughter will be in good hands.”

  “I wish only to devote myself to her safety and happiness,” the earl promised.

  They raised a glass of Christmas cheer and toasted each other wishing all the joy of the season.

  Today there were no traitors in the house, only friends and family and Jane was content. It seemed that nothing could be better than this moment. Eyes sparkling, Jane looked at Keegain.

  “I do have a gift for you,” Jane told him and he wondered aloud what it might be. In the tradition of the family, she led him to the kitchen where a pan of his favorite cinnamon rolls was kept warm. “I baked them myself,” she confessed.

  “I do believe these are better than Mrs. Muir’s,” he said dutifully and when everyone begged for a taste he flatly refused. “These are all mine,” he said.

  “If you eat them all, you shall be fat as Father Christmas,” Helen teased and while they were still laughing, Charlotte came dancing into the room.

  “It’s snowing,” she cried as they had all just settled in to enjoy the peace of a family Christmas. Without another word, she turned towards the staircase. She took the stairs two at a time in her hurry to get her riding outfit. “Come on, Jane. Let’s make tracks!”

  “Charlotte. Walk,” her mother said in a long suffering voice.

  “It’s Christmas, Mother,” Keegain said with a kiss to his mother’s forehead. “Do not scold her.”

  Alice hurried to follow her sister, but turned at the bottom of the stairs. “Are you coming riding?” she asked Julia.

  Jane’s little sister frowned. “I’d rather not,” Julia admitted.

  “Perhaps you would like a tour of the house,” Helen offered. “Jane said you like to paint. We have several paintings by Johann Winckelmann and another by his student, Angelica Kauffmann. Have you heard of her?”

  “The lady painter?” Julia questioned, and Helen nodded.

  “I would like to see that.”

  Comforted that Julia was in good hands, Jane hurried after her friend, Charlotte, to don her new riding outfit

  The snow was falling softly turning the lane into a fairy land, and Keegain caught her hand and tucked it into the crook of his elbow as they walked to the stable where Keegain introduced her to her very own mare. “Happy Christmas,” he said.

  “She’s mine?”

  “She is. Now, you must ride with me every morning,” he said.

  “For every day of my life,” Jane said as she turned her face up for his kiss.

  “And every night,” he whispered making her blush as he lifted her up onto her mare, and Jane, with her intended and her new sisters rode out to make new tracks across the park.

  Don’t Miss The Ladies of Bath…

  The Ladies of Bath Collection

  by Isabella Thorne

  Includes:

  The Duke’s Daughter ~ Lady Amelia Atherton

  The Baron in Bath ~ Miss Julia Bellevue

  The Deceptive Earl ~ Lady Charity Abernathy

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  The Baron in Bath ~ Miss Julia Bellevue

  by Isabella Thorne

  Part of

  The Ladies of Bath Collection

  1

  Miss Julia Bellevue and her older sister Jane traveled from London to Bath with a large party; all of whom were her sister’s friends and not Julia’s own. Although the seats were plush and the steeds were swift, such accoutrements could not make the travel pleasant.

  Julia knew that she should not complain. Her sister’s connections, through her husband the Earl of Keegain, meant that Julia was traveling with the Beresfords’ party in all manner of comfort, but the three days travel from London felt interminable. She could not wait to be freed from the carriage even if it meant meeting the gentleman who was the main cause of her worry: her intended.

  Since most of the Ton retired to Bath to get out of the heat and smell of Town, it was easy for two young women of quality to find a party with whom they could travel.

  When Julia had asked Jane to hire a private coach for them, her sister had been perplexed. Jane only reiterated that they would be in good company and dismissed Julia’s misgivings about traveling with the large group; saying they would be safer from highway men with the earl’s coach and several members of the Royal Navy along with their sisters and ladies.

  It seemed to Julia that most of the Royal Navy fleet was outside the window of the coach. The men were rather loud, laughing and joking with one another, excited for their summer holiday in Bath. Several had chosen to ride astride and others rode up front with the drivers.

  The men made Julia nervous. Their presence only reminded her of the gentleman she was traveling to Bath to meet. Men in general made her tense, and gentlemen in particular, tended to cause her to lose what little poise she had. Perhaps it was her mother’s blood which too often seemed to come to the surface and with it, a most unladylike interest in indelicate thoughts.

  Although Julia was not much of a horsewoman, she thought the gentlemen looked much happier outside of the coach. She admired the masculine cut of their jackets as they rode. She let her mind wander from one to the other, and although she was already warm in the close confines of the coach, she felt a familiar heat fill her face as she admired the form of one of the men who had loosened his jacket and stood in the stirrups to stretch. Ladies were not supposed to have such thoughts, she admonished herself especially not betrothed ladies.

  She tore her eyes away and turned back to the interior of the carriage where her sister was conversing with the other ladies of the Ton. Julia brought up her fan to hide her blush, but she also needed it to move the otherwise stifling air in the carriage.

  Even her sister Jane’s normally perfectly coifed dark hair was clinging to her brow in damp ringlets, albeit neat ringlets. Julia looked like a wilted mess. Both Julia and Jane were brunettes, but that was where the similarity between the sisters ended.

  Jane looked like a princess; Julia was more likely to be mistaken for a knight. Jane was regal, whereas, Julia was large and awkward both in form and speech. Jane was ever t
he countess. She shined at parties. Her words were kind and men sought to please her; women to emulate her. Julia was blunt to the point of rudeness, and often managed to unintentionally insult someone important. Men found her uncouth and she found them overly filled with pomposity.

  Unlike Julia, Jane had looked forward to this trip and time sharing a carriage with the other ladies. Julia knew the traveling party would be rather boisterous and she had dreaded the trip before it actually happened. The reality did not disappoint.

  Now, Julia sat quietly in the corner of the coach, picking at a string on the plush upholstery while her sister’s friends talked around her. Julia would have liked to remain invisible, but it was hard to be inconspicuous when one’s breeding and stature were so obvious.

  Some said she was an unnatural Amazon. Julia towered above the other women, including her sister. It made her uncomfortable and self-conscious. In an attempt to alleviate this fault she shifted downward in the corner. At least she was sitting in the coach, so her monstrous difference in height was not so apparent.

  Before they departed Julia had admonished her sister that under no circumstances was she to try to draw her into conversation with the other ladies, and Jane had reluctantly agreed. In polite company, Julia tended to make one gaffe after the other, so she tried to be silent. Jane was quite the realist and knew trying to converse with her sister in the coach would be a disaster. Julia would have nowhere to flee if she made some faux pas. Sometimes however, her tongue seemed to have a mind of its own.