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

by Abby Ayles

  At least old Smyth is here to make me feel like less of a pauper.

  He didn’t know where such self-consciousness came from. He always tended to feel worse about himself whenever wealthier people were with him. It didn’t help that things like class and societal rules had been beaten into him since birth.

  But surely, I’m not alone in this, he thought. These ladies live in the same place as me, even if they lead different lives.

  As soon as the bags were placed onto the floor of the guest room, Rodrick returned to the sitting room and his waiting chair there.

  Chapter 13

  It felt a little strange to Noelle to be staying at Mr. Edwards’ home. The best kind of strange, but still unusual and a bit difficult to get used to right away. After she and Kitty drank their given tea, they took their leave to go off to the guest room so they could rest themselves from the road.

  “It’s rather unusual to have to undress oneself,” Catherine complained, removing her day dress and changing into her white nightgown.

  Noelle didn’t even bother with all that. She knew that she wasn’t going to be wearing her day dress later on for dinner, so she just decided to keep it on and nap in it. “Really, Kitty, you needn’t be so entirely helpless,” she chided.

  Catherine got comfortable in their bed, fluffing up the blankets and pillows to her liking. Then, for added measure, she stuck her tongue out at her sister. “I’m not helpless, it’s just how we were raised.”

  Noelle couldn’t help but laugh a little at that. She got into bed, making much less of a show of it, lying on her side so she could look at her sister. She didn’t even bother putting the blankets over herself.

  It wasn’t going to be a long nap, after all. She just wished to rest her body and her thoughts for a few moments. Being in a new place was overwhelming. She knew that, upon waking from their brief respite, she was going to be all bubbly with interest and enthusiasm for Wildhill.

  “What do you think so far?” she asked Kitty. “Do you like this place? Isn’t Mr. Edwards a good and friendly host?”

  “Yes,” Catherine agreed, closing her eyes as she spoke. She sounded far sleepier than Noelle felt. “This home is rather small, more like a cottage than a mansion, but it is pleasant enough. I wonder what Mother would say about it.”

  Noelle rolled her eyes. “Oh, I don’t care what Mother would say. I already know, in fact; she would wonder why we weren’t staying at Westwood, and she wasn’t there with us.”

  “Well, it is a good question,” Kitty pointed out. “Why isn’t Lord Edwards our host? Surely he has plenty of room in his estate house.”

  Noelle worried her lower lip a bit in consternation. Nothing ever seemed good enough for the Fletcher ladies.

  I wonder if Mr. Edwards is fretting about the very same thing. Surely not, or else he would’ve recommended that the duchess come down from her high castle and join us.

  She didn’t know how, but soon enough sleep overcame Noelle. She and Catherine napped in their new, temporary lodgings for all of an hour. Upon waking, she realized that it had grown rather dark outside and the sound of crickets filled the air.

  It really is like living in a cottage, she mused happily. Only I think it is a magical thing. I envy them their sights and sounds of nature when all we should ever hear are the noises of people talking and carriages rolling past on cobblestone streets.

  Stretching her arms, Noelle got out of the bed and changed out of her day dress, putting on the pretty green gown that she’d chosen because it matched the color of her host’s eyes. She also took the time to reach back and tighten the strings of her corset first so that it wouldn’t be too loose after a long day in use.

  The stays really weren’t all that loose, which was a relief. Noelle sat at the little vanity table and gazed at her reflection in the mirror. Her hair was in need of some fixing up.

  She pulled out the pins and let her light brown waves come tumbling down. Then she ran a brush from her trunk through it. I wonder if it’s really necessary to wear it up all of the time…

  Noelle didn’t think that she’d be able to get away with such a thing, so she hastily brought her hair back up onto her head and pinned it all neatly back into place. Only at night should she really wear her hair down and give it a chance to be free.

  “Kitty,” she called her sister next, turning from the mirror to look at her sister, still abed. “You should wake up now, Kitty dear, before we are terribly missed downstairs.”

  Catherine grumbled a bit in the bed but she got up and, blinking, looked out the window at the darkened scene that greeted them now. “How long was I asleep for?”

  Noelle laughed softly. “Welcome to the country where the time of day is a lot more noticeable,” she teased. “It really can’t have been more than one hour.”

  “Goodness,” Kitty replied, pulling off her nightgown at once. She changed into a pretty, yellow gown with a pattern of little white flowers. Sitting down at the vanity now, she waited as Noelle took down her hair and gave it a gentle brush-through as well.

  “Isn’t it a bit odd that no one ever came for us,” she said. “They let us sleep a whole hour without coming to call?”

  “I think that the family here takes great pride in their freedom for leisure,” Noelle said. “There’s no reason to rush things. I like that.”

  “Why, it makes me think that they’ve quite forgotten about us,” Kitty complained. “I’m nearly starved, too!”

  Noelle made a face at her sister. “No, you’re not. Besides, I have a feeling as soon as we go downstairs, we shall see that a nice dinner has already been laid out and waiting for us.”

  Indeed, as soon as the ladies left their room and walked downstairs, they found the rest of their group still in the sitting room, awaiting their arrival, with the smell of their dinner ready to greet them as well.

  “Ah, splendid, there you are,” Mr. Edwards said good-naturedly to them. “We were just wondering which one of us might find it necessary to go and rouse you.”

  There was a smile both on his face and in his eyes as he gazed at Noelle. She could feel her cheeks lightly reddening as she smiled back at him. “Nay, sir, I’m a rather light sleeper.”

  “Dinner is ready if you’re hungry,” his mother cut in. “I hope you’re in the mood for ham.”

  They were escorted into the dining room then and invited to take a seat at the wooden table there. It had upon it a burgundy-colored cloth and all of the silverware and place settings that Noelle often found at banquets, except there was much less of everything. The table itself only had chairs enough for the five of them – perhaps six if another were to pay a visit.

  She sat in a chair next to the head of the table, hoping by some miracle that this would belong to Mr. Edwards so that she could be near him and her sister could be near Lord Edwards. Mrs. Edwards sat across from her and smiled.

  Mr. Edwards sat at the head of the table and James sat across from him. The butler came into the room then with a bottle of wine and carefully poured it into each of their glasses. He then came back a few moments later with a tray of ham and vegetables, which he served onto each of their plates.

  Noelle’s stomach growled a bit. She was unaware that she was so hungry until she smelled the food that was placed before her. Before she could start eating, Mr. Edwards stood from his chair and held up his glass.

  “To Lady Noelle and Lady Catherine,” he said, toasting them. “May your visit here with us be joyful.”

  Everyone else held up their glasses. “To Lady Noelle and Lady Catherine,” James and Mrs. Edwards intoned.

  Noelle felt her blush return – indeed, had it ever truly gone away? She sipped her wine as the rest of them sipped theirs, then Mr. Edwards sat back down in his chair.

  The meal passed pleasantly enough. Noelle was so hungry that she feasted on her ham and vegetables and really gave no thought to worrying about much of anything. Catherine, meanwhile, picked at her food and seemed far shyer about t
he situation. This struck Noelle as odd because Catherine was usually not shy about anything.

  “How are you liking Hertfordshire so far, my lady?” Mr. Edwards asked her with another friendly smile.

  Noelle made sure to fully swallow and dab at her face with a napkin before answering. “I like it very much,” she replied. “I was just remarking to my sister that one can really sense the time passing here… See the sun as it sets and the like.”

  He nodded his head. “Quite right,” he replied. “I do like that nature sort of grasps one out here and makes you remember the world we are living in.”

  “Yes,” she replied enthusiastically. “Everything seems more alive here instead of being all stone and harshness.”

  Kitty was looking at her quizzically now. “But this house is made of stone,” she pointed out.

  “I think what Lady Noelle is trying to say,” James offered, “is that nature is really right outside the front door here instead of one having to go out looking for it.”

  Noelle nodded to him, giving him an appreciative smile. “Yes, that’s it.”

  “But surely you don’t live all of your life in London,” Mrs. Edwards said with a surprised look on her face. She held her fork midair, a bit of broccoli caught by its prongs.

  Shaking her head a little then, Noelle turned her smile on Mr. Edwards’ mother. “No, indeed, ma’am. We have a house in Essex where we go in the wintertime. But it is another great, stone structure; not a homey cottage like this.”

  Mr. Edwards was regarding her with keen interest. The smile surely hadn’t left his face once since she’d arrived back downstairs. “I’m glad you find Wildhill ‘homey’.”

  “Oh, but I don’t mean to suggest that it would be preferable to my family’s home,” Noelle added. “Rather, it’s the sort of place that would be preferable to me. I think I should like to have a home like this for the season instead of living in a cramped old townhouse.”

  Laughing, Mr. Edwards nodded his agreement with her. She didn’t quite know what she’d said that was so funny, but she appreciated that they seemed to understand one another. How tedious it would have been for her to discover that he was still, on the whole, much like the others.

  “You see, Mother,” he said. “I told you that we didn’t need to rent out a townhouse. We’ve got quite a prime location right here.”

  Though his tone was playful, Noelle just knew that he was serious. She didn’t think that one had to own a city property if one lived close enough to come to London whenever the need or desire arose. This way, the Edwardses could enjoy the comforts of home as well as the sights of the city whenever they chose to.

  There was also, of course, the added benefit of living so near his cousin and uncle. He could spend as much time with Lord Edwards as he wished. She had a feeling they saw each other quite often.

  But as for his uncle, the Earl of Montgomery… I wonder if we shall get the chance to meet him while we’re out here. He must be an amiable sort of gentleman as well if he has a nephew and son as pleasant as Mr. Edwards and Lord Edwards are.

  She had to wonder why he wasn’t there dining with them this evening. She supposed that the older gentleman had his own life to lead. There’d never been any rumors about him…

  There’d never really been anything said about him.

  Noelle couldn’t decide if that made him a mysterious individual or a boring one.

  Chapter 14

  Rodrick enjoyed having the two Fletcher ladies at his house. Noelle proved herself to be every bit as charming and witty as she’d seemed at the ball. It pleased him immensely, too, to hear her compliments towards Wildhill.

  After they’d had a night to sleep and rest up fully from their travels, he thought it would be a good idea to show them around the Westwood estate. James supported this plan; it was just a matter of making sure Uncle Alexander, the Earl of Montgomery, agreed to see them all.

  I don’t see why he wouldn’t, Rodrick thought in the morning before he planned for this to take place. He used to love entertaining guests at Westwood.

  The earl had gotten a bit aloof in his later years, especially in the absence of James’s mother, who died some time ago after a brief illness. Rodrick couldn’t blame the man for being rather lonely without his wife. Rodrick was lonely in his want of a wife.

  He got out of bed and quickly got dressed, going downstairs to see what was happening. He was amazed to discover his mother and the ladies already sitting at the table for breakfast, enjoying morning tea and eating cakes. “Well, good morning,” he said, chuckling.

  “Rodrick!” his mother said to him with a smile. “I was just telling Lady Noelle and Lady Catherine about how delightful it was to see you grow up alongside your cousin as the best of friends.”

  Blushing in spite of himself, he smiled back at his mother. “Indeed?” he asked her, coming over to take his seat at the head of the table. “And did you tell them about how Uncle Alexander had to ban us from his paddock because we were always disturbing his hunting horses while they tried to get a wink of sleep?”

  The ladies giggled a little at the thought. “I’m sure you were just terrible to those poor horses,” Lady Noelle said, grinning and batting her long lashes at him. The white and blue day dress that she wore was quite becoming, though it was nothing compared to the lovely olive-green gown she’d worn the night before.

  It was as if she chose it to somehow match my eyes, he thought. Normally, gentlemen didn’t think of such things but Rodrick knew that his unique shade of green was one of the few things that he had in his favor aside from his good humor and kindness. He always did his best to be affable.

  “No, my lady,” he said with a laugh. “We were never terrible. We always made amends to them with sugar cubes and pats on their rumps.”

  This caused the two young ladies to break out into further giggles.

  Rodrick winked at them impishly and poured himself some tea. “As a matter of fact, I was just thinking that it might be a good day to pay a visit to James’s estate house,” he told them. “He’s had more than enough time to alert his father of it.”

  His mother brightened. “Oh, what a wonderful idea! I suspect that Alex – the Earl of Montgomery – would greatly appreciate the company.”

  He wasn’t so sure of that, but it did give him confidence to know that his mother shared his opinion. The old man had pined alone in his castle long enough. It was time for him to greet the new day.

  Lady Noelle and Lady Catherine seemed quite delighted at this idea as well. There was quite a lot more to do and see at Westwood, and they would have a better time of exploring the grounds there than they would at Rodrick’s home. As nice as Lady Noelle found it, it was smaller than his cousin’s home and as such her sister would grow bored of exploring its land.

  As soon as they were finished breaking their fast together, they prepared for their departure. “Shouldn’t you call for a carriage?” his mother asked him as he put on his boots and top hat for the walk through the fields and hills that separated the homes.

  “Whatever for?” Rodrick asked her with a gentle laugh. “It’s not very far, and Lady Noelle did express a desire to explore the land here.”

  His mother seemed uncertain, but she rushed off to change from her slippers into her more suitable, outdoor shoes.

  To his delight, when Lady Noelle appeared, she was already wearing her little, dainty nankeen half-boots. She’d clearly packed her valise for walking in the great outdoors. Her sister, on the other hand, walked down the stairs beside her in delicate slippers.

  “Oh! Are we going riding?” Lady Noelle asked him excitedly as soon as she noticed the boots and hat on his person. “I thought we might just as easily go for a stroll.”

  Rodrick smiled and nodded at her. “I was thinking the same thing. It’s nice weather for it, and this way you can better familiarize yourself with some of the features of Westwood.”

  He knew as well as anyone that the real attraction to co
ming to stay at his home was that it lay on his uncle’s property. He wasn’t fooling himself.

  She smiled a dimpled smile at him. “That will be lovely,” she agreed. Aside from her half-boots, she was also wearing a dark green spencer jacket and some pale-yellow gloves.

  She really does manage to look beautiful in everything she wears…

  As soon as his mother returned in her own little boots, they were off into the green and in the direction of Westwood. Rodrick did so hope that they would find the mansion appealing, but he believed that they would. There was very little to not like about it, with the exception of the grumpy old man who lived inside it.

  Rodrick walked beside Lady Noelle as much as he could, of course keeping his eye on his mother as well as retaining an appropriate amount of space between him and the young lady. Whenever he hazarded a glance over at the lady, she was grinning in delight, seemingly fascinated by everything she saw.