The Mysteries of A Lady's Heart: A Clean & Sweet Regency Historical Romance Collection

by Abby Ayles

  “Your father will want to hear of this,” her mother replied. “But I see it as a particular sort of compliment that they wish to have you both there with them. And his mother will be there with you?”

  Noelle nodded her head. “Yes, to ensure that things remain proper, of course. And we would do well to have a feminine companion who lives there.”

  “Yes,” her mother said thoughtfully. “Very well. I approve but do go and inform your father so that he may also give his approval and blessing.”

  At first, Noelle was almost too overjoyed to move. Then she smiled and gave a nod to her mother before turning on her heel and vacating the sitting room doorway.

  She found her father in his study. He was nearly always occupying his study for one reason or another. The family was grateful to have him working at home if he must work.

  “Good afternoon, Papa,” she greeted him, stepping to where he was seated behind his great oak desk. She pecked his cheek.

  The Duke of Salisbury smiled at his eldest daughter. Though her mother found quite a lot to complain about in regard to Noelle, her father clearly had nothing but pride and affection for her.

  This shouldn’t be so very difficult, she thought, heartening herself. “I’ve just received an invitation from Mr. Edwards and his cousin Lord Edwards. They, along with Mrs. Edwards, would like Kitty and me to spend a few days with them at Wildhill.”

  Noelle found that she had a much easier time wording things when she spoke with her father.

  He regarded her with a smile and nodded his head without giving it much further consideration. “That sounds like a marvelous idea,” he replied. “You shouldn’t have to wait for the advent of another ball before you two may see the men again.”

  Truer words had never been spoken. Noelle was delighted that at least she and her father could see eye-to-eye on the subject. Even if he hoped for her to marry the Marquess of Fairfax, he was good-natured enough to allow her some friends.

  She knew that her father did not bow to the whims of the ton for no reason. He felt it necessary for his daughters to marry well – especially Noelle – so that they may secure their futures for when he was gone… He didn’t wish for her to be unhappy, but he also knew that she’d be unhappy indeed to be left poor and desperate.

  Such a life was simply not befitting for the daughter of a duke. This was why even Emily must eventually make a good match for herself. But fortunately for her, there was still time.

  With their plans thusly approved, Noelle made her way back up the staircase so that she could inform her sister and prepare a suitcase for herself, with the help of Edith, of course.

  “Oh, how exciting!” Kitty cried in joy and amazement. “Even Mother approved?”

  Noelle nodded her head. “She certainly did. I think it pleased her most to know that Lord Drake would likely be joining us at Wildhill there for a spell.”

  Catherine smirked at her sister. “The same thing that pleases her is what most vexes you, isn’t it? We should be able to avoid him as much as we like because she won’t be there to boss us!”

  Noelle was grateful indeed that she was going to be going to Wildhill with her sister and not their mother. She didn’t know what she would do if she was forced to spend all of her time with the marquess just because their mother saw Mr. Edwards as less-than.

  “It’s sure to be a lot of fun,” she said with a grin. She sat down at her desk and swiftly wrote a letter to Mr. Edwards so that he would know ahead of time that they were coming as he requested.

  Once this note was sent off in the hands of a servant, Noelle and Edith got to work packing her things. Catherine and her lady’s maid did likewise in her room. “You don’t suppose that it will be rainy during this time, do you?” Noelle asked her maid.

  “I’m not sure,” Edith replied. “One never can tell what the weather may be like. But I think that if you and Lady Catherine stay indoors as much as possible, it shouldn’t matter if it is raining or sunny.”

  Noelle nodded her head. “I think I should like to bring along my green velour spencer jacket just in case it’s a bit chilly when I go out of doors,” she said. It is very nearly the same color as Mr. Edwards’s eyes.

  She wondered if he would even notice such a thing. Still, it made her happy just for her to know it herself.

  Mr. Edwards had made no mention of how long he wished for the ladies to stay at his manor house, so Noelle instructed Edith to pack for a two-night stay. That would be a respectable amount of time that would make sure their parents didn’t miss them.

  Their father ordered a carriage to be readied so as soon as the trunks were packed and the ladies were dressed for their journey, Noelle and Kitty were able to just walk out and be helped into the carriage out in front of their townhouse.

  “Write to us if anything should go wrong,” their mother bade Noelle. She could tell that the duchess was nervous for them now because she clung to her handkerchief and fidgeted with it a bit in her fingers.

  “Fear not, Mother,” Noelle said to her before stepping up into the carriage. She leaned out of the open window and gave her mother a beautiful, confident smile. “After all, there is a rather high chance that I or Catherine shall come back as someone’s fiancée!”

  Their mother laughed a little at this. She knew that it was mostly all talk from her eldest daughter. “I should be so lucky.”

  “We’re at least well on the way,” Kitty added from her seat in the carriage. “Ladies don’t get invited to gentlemen’s homes for no reason!”

  Together, their parents stood there on the front porch, arm in arm, and watched as the hackney carriage rolled their daughters away from them.

  Chapter 12

  “Message for you, my lord,” Smyth informed Rodrick. “From Lady Noelle Fletcher.”

  Rodrick’s eyes lit up at once and he quickly rose to retrieve the parchment from his butler. “Thank you, Smyth.”

  The butler bowed out of the room. Rodrick’s mother looked up curiously from her sewing.

  Carefully opening the letter, Rodrick read it and then reread it, his smile only growing on his face. “Lady Noelle writes that they have been granted permission to stay with us and they are on their way!”

  His mother set aside her sewing, beaming excitedly at him. “Oh, how wonderful!” She stood up from the couch and headed out of the room at once so she could prepare the guest room for the sisters’ arrival.

  Mr. Edwards and his mother did not have other servants besides Smyth and the cook. Occasionally, they were able to borrow Lord Edwards’s maids – and indeed they would be needing their assistance once the ladies were there with them – but for the most part, other servants weren’t required.

  Rodrick held onto his hope that the next few days would be enjoyable and full of promise. He couldn’t wait to spend time getting to know Lady Noelle better. He knew that her mother meant for her to marry Alphonse, but he dared to dream that the lady might prefer him instead.

  He let his mother take care of preparing the room – she enjoyed such things and always got a bit agitated if he got in the way while she tidied and organized things – while he went off to find James at the estate house, Westwood. It had been a while since he’d last visited his cousin and uncle there anyway, so it was the perfect opportunity.

  The estate house was quite a bit larger and grander than his own manor house, made of columns of white marble russet bricks. Though Rodrick was a little jealous of his cousin’s title at times, he was never envious of the mansion in which James dwelt. After all, a bigger house was bound to swallow a fellow up.

  Bachelors like us don’t need such grand palaces, Rodrick thought as he walked onto the massive front porch and knocked upon the door. The men who once lived here had great big families to share it with them.

  If his mother had her way, James would have such a thing soon enough. And Rodrick would fill up his manor with a family as well. Eleanor was at a stage in life where all she dreamt of was young love and
plenty of grandbabies.

  Rodrick was greeted by one of the Earl of Montgomery’s butlers and led inside. He admired the opulent foyer and hall as he was brought into a drawing room to sit and wait until his hosts deigned to meet with him.

  He sat on the dark green chaise lounge in the room and regarded the tall pair of bookshelves, wondering who had the time to read the books there.

  Suddenly, he was greeted by James. Rodrick rose as soon as he saw him. His cousin smiled broadly at him as he came into the room and clapped him on the back.

  “My dear cousin, how are you?” Lord Edwards asked him. “I’m terribly sorry to have kept you waiting. I was out shooting with my father on the grounds.”

  “It’s no trouble at all,” Rodrick replied. “I should’ve sent word of my arrival before coming. I only thought that you would want to know about the guests that are due to arrive soon!”

  James looked surprised. “Lady Catherine?” he asked, his look of shock quickly giving way to quite an excited grin.

  Rodrick nodded, grinning as well. “And Lady Noelle, of course. They’ve been given permission because they knew that my mother would be at my home as well.”

  “Well, yes,” James said knowingly. “A bunch of bachelors can’t be trusted to be alone with ladies without a chaperone.” He was a proper gentleman and would never have agreed to the visit otherwise.

  He quickly brightened from this more serious reaction and beamed at Rodrick again. “They must be arriving soon! Let me go change out of these dirty clothes and alert my father as well.”

  “Yes, do,” Rodrick agreed. “They will likely be wanting to see as much of your estate as possible while they’re here.”

  He left the mansion so that James could handle things there. His mother would likely need him now that she’d had a chance to tidy the guest room. As soon as he was back at Wildhill, his mother was there to meet him at the front door.

  “Oh, Rodrick, there you are,” she said, a bit exasperated. “I didn’t know if you wanted the blue linens or the white, so I went with a little of both.”

  He chuckled, smiling appreciatively at his mother. “That sounds perfect, Mother. I hardly think that Lady Noelle and Lady Catherine mind one way or another, as long as they have a good bed on which to rest.”

  “I also sent the cook out to fetch some things,” his mother went on. “You know that we’re going to need some good dinners on the table.”

  “I trust that our cook knows what she’s doing.”

  His mother smiled at him as if he didn’t quite know what he was talking about. Rodrick came inside, past her, and walked back into his sitting room, taking his place in one of the wing chairs so that when the ladies arrived, he might look like he was relaxing at home in expectation.

  Eleanor, for her part, returned to the couch and took up her sewing again. “Do you really suppose that it was my presence here that allowed them to come and stay?” she asked, liking this newfound power that she held.

  Rodrick nodded his head, pouring himself a fresh cup of tea from the silver kettle on the table. “Perhaps they would’ve had to bring along a chaperone of their own otherwise,” he said. “But this way, you can get to know them as well.”

  His mother was greatly excited about that prospect, he could tell. The ladies hadn’t gotten a chance to really meet each other at the ball, so this was the perfect opportunity for that. He recalled how gracious their mother, the duchess, had been towards his mother.

  “James is taking care of things at Westwood as well,” he informed her. “Even if they’re not staying at his house, they can certainly pay a visit and explore the surrounding grounds.”

  The more he spoke about all of the things they could do with the ladies, the more excited he became. He hoped that their carriage would be swift and safe for their travels there.

  For several minutes, Rodrick sat there sipping his tea whilst his mother sewed beside him. It felt like a normal day at Wildhill. But then, at last, Smyth came into the room and announced the arrival of his cousin.

  James came into the room and Rodrick rose to greet him. They clapped each other on the shoulders, smiling at one another. Then he served himself some tea and sat down in the wing chair opposite Rodrick.

  “I see that you have become the waiting committee here,” James teased with a nervous sort of smile. The corners of his mouth were a bit twitchy. “I suppose it does take a while for a carriage to arrive in Hertfordshire from London.”

  Rodrick nodded. “Indeed. Every time I think that I should start performing some task, I know that it will only appear as though I’m busying myself when they arrive.”

  James laughed. “Yes, it is far better to simply patiently wait than it is to try and seem occupied. They shall see right through that.”

  Rodrick chuckled and then began pantomiming holding a book, seeing someone and then putting it down. His mother joined in the laughter, shaking her head and tutting a bit.

  “You would do far better to just be yourselves than to try to put on any pretenses,” she advised.

  He knew that his mother spoke the truth, but he found it difficult to just ‘act natural’ when he knew that something out of the ordinary was about to occur. Still, he did his best to simply sit there with his tea and discuss hunting with James.

  Right as he was beginning to get bored with the topic, Smyth suddenly appeared to save them all. “My lords,” he announced with more grandeur than usual. “Lady Noelle and Lady Catherine Fletcher.”

  He bowed out of the way and then the two young ladies entered the sitting room. Rodrick and James stood from their chairs to greet them, but in his excitement, James forgot to replace his teacup in its saucer so he stood there awkwardly holding it as he bowed to their guests.

  Rodrick tried to contain his amusement so his cousin wouldn’t feel more awkward. He stepped over towards Noelle and, bowing a bit, offered his hand to her. “My dear Lady Noelle,” he said. “How good of you to come and stay with us.”

  She smiled at him, as rosy-cheeked and vivacious as before. She graciously took his hand and watched as he gently kissed the back of her gloved hand. “It was indeed an honor to be invited here, sir,” she replied.

  In the interim, James successfully placed his teacup down onto its saucer and stepped towards Lady Catherine. The other girl was giggly as he took her hand and bowed to her. “I hope that the season has been treating you well,” he said.

  “Oh, about as well as any other,” Catherine replied coyly, batting her lashes at him and showing off her Fletcher dimples. “It is wonderful to be able to get away from the city for a while.”

  “Just so,” Rodrick said. “I was remarking to Lord Edwards here that some time out in the country would be splendid for you both. I don’t doubt that your townhouse is comfortable, but there is quite a bit to be said for the forests and fields in Hertfordshire.”

  “Oh, to be sure,” Noelle agreed affably. “I was admiring the land as we came in and I thought that it should be such a delight to live out here away from so much hustle and bustle except when one wishes to be near all that.”

  Rodrick nodded, gazing into her sparkling blue eyes. Then he realized that he really must be more of a host. “Please, won’t you sit down?”

  He gestured over to the couch, where his mother now stood, beckoning them with a smile and an outstretched arm which showed off the two cushions beside her.

  “Thank you,” Noelle replied. She nodded to Catherine and they sat down on either side of Mrs. Edwards.

  “It is so wonderful to make your acquaintance,” the older woman said sincerely to them. “Would you like some tea or coffee, perhaps? You’ve had a long journey.”

  “Are you hungry?” Rodrick asked them, sitting down once more in his chair as James sat across from him.

  “Some tea would be lovely, thank you,” Lady Noelle replied with a smile. “And if it’s not too much trouble, our bags…”

  Rodrick rose up out of his chair once more like a shot
. “Quite right, how silly of me.” He walked out of the room and went with Smyth to retrieve the suitcases from the waiting carriage. He also gave the driver a few shillings for his trouble and for the wait.

  It wasn’t appropriate for the Viscount of Easton to trouble himself with something such as retrieving bags, unless of course, he was the host, which he wasn’t. Rodrick would treat James as a guest, especially now that the ladies were there to witness. The last thing he wanted was for them to go back home and report to the duke that he forced his cousin to take part in such matters.

  Rodrick thought. I must show them a good time so they may wish to return someday in the future.

  Carefully, Rodrick carried a heavy trunk up the stairs alongside Smyth, who carried his bag as if it were nothing. The butler was used to such chores and he betrayed no emotion at all about it.