Extraordinary Tales of Regency Love: A Clean & Sweet Regency Historical Romance Collection

by Fanny Finch

  She liked to take in the castle as she got closer to it, amazed by the way it seemed entrenched in the side of the mountain so precisely, so neatly and yet jutted out as if the mountain had given birth to it… she was always fascinated by it. How creative Camilla’s ancestors had been! And how skilled in the craft of architecture and design. The castle had remained intact and in place, sheltering nearly sixteen generations of Camilla’s family.

  The story never ceased to amaze Emma.

  It had been two short days since the dinner party with the dukes. The Duke of Rabney seemed unsuccessful in convincing the duchess that he would be no more than friends with Katherine. At a loss, Katherine had gone to bed that night crying, though her mother did not know it.

  Emma knew her sister felt obligated to do whatever her mother wanted. But the more she spoke to Emma about it, the more she convinced herself the Duke of Rabney was not a compatible match for her. Despite his wealth and good looks, Katherine could tell the man’s heart was already taken.

  “He is distracted at times, Emma,” Katherine told her during their dinner party. “It is as though he goes into his mind and closes himself away, even for only a minute or two. It is very disconcerting.”

  Emma wondered if the Duke of Rabney was distracted by thoughts about Camilla.

  It was amazing what one dance could do.

  The carriage pulled up next to the front doors but Emma’s carriage was behind another, and two young ladies were being helped down by young men. She and Katherine would have to wait their turn, even though they were closest in kin and friendship to the young lady of the castle.

  Emma did not really mind but she was feeling anxious. She wanted to talk to Camilla about what her step-mother was plotting. If Camilla felt the way Emma suspected she did, she would want to fight for her opportunity to marry the Duke of Rabney.

  She waited on the edge of the bench seat, one hand on the door of the carriage. When the carriage stopped moving and the footman reached up to open the door, she already had it pushing out toward him and was grasping for his hand so she could get down.

  Katherine noticed Emma’s hurry and suspected she knew why the girl was acting the way she was. It did not sway her. She had told Emma so that word would go immediately back to Camilla and she had done it for one reason. She knew Camilla showed interest in courting the Duke of Rabney and she knew there was nothing she herself could do to stop her mother from doing whatever she wanted.

  The only way the situation could change was if Camilla captured the attention and heart of the Duke of Rabney before the Duchess of Corning could have her own way. Katherine was not interested in taking the heart of a man Camilla longed for. She wanted a man of her own and did not want to ever question his loyalty to her.

  At the same time, Katherine wanted a man who had a heftier purse. Like her mother, she put a great deal of stock in how much the man made annually. It would need to exceed her expectations if he were to be considered.

  The Duke of Rabney was well off, to be sure. But he was not in the range Katherine had her sights on. She was more apt to run off with a ruffian with a great deal of money than a refined gentleman with a comfortable pension.

  Emma hurried up the steps, trying not to be distracted by the enormous pillars to her left and right, the etchings in the outer walls of the castle, the statues and other artifacts that remained in place even after hundreds of years.

  At times, she had wondered why Camilla ever left her castle. It was too beautiful for normal human imagination. It was the thing of storybooks and fairy tales.

  She was holding up her skirts as she swept up onto the porch and headed for the front door. It was standing open and the butler was to the right, greeting those who came in and telling a young man behind him the name of the guest being announced.

  There were more people here than she had thought there would be already. She had thought it was just a get-together of friends, a luncheon to be enjoyed, not another ball where she was expected to dance and flirt. She was hoping for a more relaxed time.

  Feeling a bit disappointed, she glanced at the butler, who ushered her in without giving her name for an announcement. He knew she was there for Camilla. The young man assisting him had not returned from announcing the guest who had come in before Emma.

  She did not feel the need to wait for him and dashed toward the parlor, where she was sure Camilla would be, standing near the pianoforte, waiting for someone to ask if she would play. She did so love to play but never did so without being asked first.

  She passed the young announcer, who only glanced her way and continued on. She was well known in Cooksey Castle.

  She heard the butler giving Katherine’s name to the announcer just as she went through the door to the parlor.

  With some relief, she noticed there were not as many people there as she had thought. The parlor was a large room, suitable for several hundred people if need be but there was only a handful scattered around the room, talking in polite low tones. Camilla was near the pianoforte but she was not waiting for someone to ask her to play.

  She was seated in a cushioned chair by the instrument, turned to the side, speaking with the Duke of Rabney. Emma felt an adrenaline rush pass through her. It did not seem she would be needed when it came to matchmaking in this situation. The two looked as though their conversation was intense. Emma could not help her curiosity.

  She crossed the room and was about to step up to them when a voice near her said her name. She turned and looked at Lord Carne. Her heart nearly stopped.

  “Oh! My lord! I did not see you there!”

  He nodded. “That was quite obvious, my lady. I do believe you may have jumped three feet in the air. Allow me to apologize. I did not mean to frighten you.”

  Emma could not help collapsing into a fit of giggles. She did not know why seeing Lord Carne surprised her. “Oh no, do not apologize. It was a simple error. I feel remiss in not seeing you there in the first place.”

  “Would you care to take a turn about the room?”

  Emma felt a tension slide through her but glancing at the Duke of Rabney and Lady Fielding changed her initial instinct to deny a walk around the room with Lord Carne. She considered him a friend. She would just be cautious not to give him any false hope.

  “Yes, that would be fine.”

  She turned and walked beside him as they surveyed the paintings on the walls and the fine artwork that decorated the room. He walked with his shoulders back and his hands clasped behind him. She scanned the room, searching for the Duke of Lox. He was on the other side of the room, speaking with two other gentlemen. He was sipping from a glass, which he raised when he caught her eye. She looked away, flushing.

  “You seemed in quite a hurry to reach your friend, Lady Fielding. I do hope there is not some emergency I am keeping you from?”

  Emma shook her head. “No, no,” she said in a low voice. “I… I was happy to see her speaking with the Duke of Rabney. He seems a fine gentleman.”

  “I have not met the man. She is quite taken with him?”

  “Yes, she is.”

  “Then what is there to fear?”

  “I heard something that made me afraid there would be no connection between them and I do believe Lady Fielding is hoping for one,” Emma could not help speaking in a low tone, as if she was telling a secret. She looked around, intensifying the impression and continued in a dramatic stage whisper, much to Lord Carne’s amusement. “My step-mother, the Duchess of Corning, is attempting to arrange a marriage between the Duke of Rabney and my younger sister, Katherine. This is not a good thing.”

  “Oh, my,” Lord Carne used the same dramatic whisper, playing along with her. It reminded Emma why she thought of him as a friend. “And how does Miss Katherine feel about this arrangement?”

  Emma shook her head, a serious look on her face. “She is not happy. She does not want to marry the Duke of Rabney.”

  “Does Miss Katherine have something against the Duk
e of Rabney?”

  Emma stopped, smiling up at him. “I suppose she is not in love with him. She barely knows him, is but sixteen, and does not want her mother to arrange a marriage for her when she has time to find a man she does love.”

  He nodded, becoming serious again, turning back to face the front and resuming the walk. “This does make sense to me. I do understand how a young lady would want to be wooed and courted properly before marriage. An arranged marriage is not something I would enjoy myself.”

  Emma was glad to hear that. It meant she did not need to fear him making an arrangement with the Duchess of Corning. Then again, when she turned her eyes up to him, she began to wonder if he was telling the truth or just saying what he believed she wanted to hear.

  “Although if it was necessary, I suppose it would be something I would consider,” Lord Carne said, taking a turn. They were heading toward the Duke of Lox. With each step, Emma’s heart beat harder. Would he say something to her?

  She almost stopped listening to Lord Carne but his words made her give him her attention. “An arranged marriage is sometimes necessary, you know. Especially when one party is obliged to marry and has not found a partner of note.”

  Emma stared at him for a moment and then looked away. There was something strange in the way Lord Carne was speaking. She shook her head. He was just a mysterious man. She was sure he meant no harm.

  They were getting closer to the Duke of Lox. He looked up at them and met her eyes.

  The memory of their time talking in the library flooded through her mind. It was a pleasant feeling. She wanted to talk to him, instead of Lord Carne.

  She glanced up at her companion and then back to the Duke of Lox.

  As if on cue, the Duke of Lox broke away from his companions and approached them. Emma’s skin tingled and she struggled not to feel nervous. Lord Carne would surely not appreciate the interruption of their walk and conversation.

  “Lady Wentworth.” The Duke of Lox stopped in front of them and bowed, halting their movement forward. Emma dared to glance at Lord Carne and was amused by the look of disappointment on his face. The Duke of Lox turned to him. “Lord Carne, I believe?”

  “Yes. And you are the Duke of Lox, Lord Baldwin. Correct?”

  “That is correct, sir. I would be so obliged if I could take Lady Wentworth off your hands for a few moments to walk with me?”

  Emma tried not to smile too wide.

  Lord Carne looked down at her. The look on his face said everything. He did not want her to walk with the Duke of Lox instead of him. But could she blame him for that?

  “I am flattered, your grace,” Emma said. “That would be very pleasant, yes.”

  Emma was amused by the satisfied look the Duke of Lox instinctively gave Lord Carne. Lord Carne looked like he would rather die a horrible death than let the Duke of Lox take Emma’s attentions away. But he nodded politely, bowed to Emma, turned on his heel and walked away, reminding Emma of a dog with his tail between his legs.

  The Duke of Lox turned his eyes to her, his handsome smile lighting up his face. “Shall we?”

  She had nearly forgotten about Camilla when they turned back and she caught sight of her again. She was laughing about something the Duke of Rabney was saying. His grin watching her smile spoke volumes.

  An instant smile crossed her face.

  Emma pulled in a deep breath and looked around the sunlit room as they began walking. “Is this not the most magnificent castle you have ever seen?”

  The Duke of Lox nodded. “It is. And I have traveled, as you know. I have seen other castles. I have been to Ireland and Scotland and Germany. There are some of the most amazing structures you will ever see in those places, and others. But none like this. Built into a mountain.” He shook his head. “Never have I seen anything like this.”

  “I feel the same way,” Emma agreed. “I feel as though I have stepped into a storybook when I come here. I do not attempt to understand how they made something like this sustainable for human life.”

  “I am sure details have been added over the years to make it so.”

  The two turned and continued walking, making a wide circle around the room.

  “Did the Duke of Rabney accompany you on many of your travels?” Emma asked, her eyes straying once more to her cousin and the Duke of Rabney. She was surprised by the way they were talking, if only because it was so relaxed and constant. There seemed little to no awkwardness between them, which surprised Emma.

  “I met Christian in the academy when we were about fourteen. We became instant friends. When we left the academy, we parted ways for three years. It was during this time that I traveled alone. I was with my father, that is. He introduced me to some of the most prestigious men in politics and religion, diplomats I never would have had the opportunity to meet if it had not been for him.”

  “Was your father an amiable man?” Emma tried to keep her voice pleasant.

  “He was. Very much so, in fact. He acquired his wealth himself, it was not inherited from his own father. They were destitute when my father was growing up, the title he carried meant nothing. But my father was a smart businessman and a… a humorous character. A man people enjoyed being around.”

  “I am sorry I never had a chance to meet him.”

  The Duke of Lox looked at her and nodded. “Yes. It is a shame. But if you speak to anyone who knew him and knows me, they will tell you I am just like him. So in a way, you are meeting him.” The Duke of Lox gave her a warm smile that covered her like a blanket of sunshine.

  She sighed, making the Duke of Lox grin wider.

  “I am still disappointed that I did not meet your father those few nights ago when I came to Corning Manor,” the duke continued. “I pray that his health is recovered and that I will have that opportunity. Tell me, how is he faring?”

  Emma tilted her head to the side, picturing her father. “He is always very ill. He is in a lot of pain. But he still lives. I fear for him. I do not want him in pain but I do not want him to leave me. So I am caught in the middle.”

  “I imagine it is heartbreaking for you. You have my sympathies.”

  “Thank you, my lord.”

  “I do not wish to darken your mood, Lady Wentworth,” the Duke of Lox said. “Do you have any hobbies other than reading? What do you like to do with your time?”

  Emma was drawn to the conversation, glad to have an excuse to look at his handsome face. “Well, that is a good question, my lord,” she replied. “I am done with my studies, so I do not have any schooling to do unless I choose to learn more. I do have an interest in art and painting. I find working with a clean fresh piece of canvas can be very soothing to the soul.”

  Emma did like to paint but doing so reminded her that Lord Carne was a painter. She instantly decided to not show any interest in painting, in case he heard about it. He might ask to paint a portrait of her. Sitting for hours with Lord Carne staring at her sounded like a day in the depths of Hell to Emma.

  “I believe that depends on whether the artist is any good at the task,” the Duke of Lox was saying. “I myself cannot draw a circle, much less a portrait of any kind.”

  Emma smiled. “All people are artists in a way. I am sure there is something creative you can do that I cannot.”

  “Perhaps.” The Duke of Lox seemed to be thinking about it. She found it amusing, considering he had brought up the topic in the first place but yet he had nothing prepared to say when asked the same question.

  “I… I am fond of archery. I am quite good at fencing.”

  Emma nodded. “Two pastimes appropriate for a man of your stature, my lord.”

  He looked at her solemnly. “I have been known to write a bit of prose.”

  Emma’s face lit up. “I knew it! There had to be something, my lord. I would love to read something that you have written.” She was delighted when color rose to his cheeks. He was blushing. He was very handsome when he blushed. She bit her bottom lip gently and looked away fr
om him.

  “My lady, I will have to find something or pen something new, as I have saved only a few things I have written in the past. I cannot guarantee the condition of the scrolls I wrote them on.”

  “If you should find one, I would be glad to read it.”

  He nodded. “Thank you, Lady Wentworth. It was quite an enjoyable time in my life. I enjoy learning. I have been to many places around the world because of that love. I like to add new facts to my brain every day if possible. There is always something new to learn.”

  “I suppose the longer we live, the less there will be that is new and interesting.”