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

by Abby Ayles

  She wished that they could stay there longer – something that she previously would not have thought possible for her to think – but the family had other places that they wished to visit. They were having a tour of the country now that they had a wedding to prepare for.

  “You’re of course invited,” she said to Kitty before they left. “Both of you. I do hope that you can make it!”

  “We shall certainly try our best,” Kitty replied with a smile, gingerly touching her stomach.

  Noelle recalled how concerned she had been about this couple, but they surprised her now in how well they got on together. They really did seem to be deeply in love with each other. I suppose that I judged them both too harshly, but it has miraculously all worked out.

  She wished that she could say that their mother felt the same way. The entire coach ride to Hertfordshire was spent listening to the duchess complain about Catherine being with child so soon and how it had never been a proper match by any stretch of the imagination. Noelle ignored her as best as she could.

  Their coach arrived at last at Wildhill and Rodrick’s mother was so overwhelmed by the sight of them all as they came inside one after the other, being introduced hurriedly by Smyth. “Yes, yes, I know who they are!” she chirped, going at once to curtsy and hold each of them graciously by the hand.

  By now, of course, she had received word from Rodrick that the proposal had been accepted, so she knew that they were all going to be a part of her family now but she hadn’t anticipated the arrival of all of them at once. “It is so wonderful to see all of you again, but where on earth will you all be staying?”

  Rodrick grinned. “I have it on good authority that the old man on the hill a few miles away has a few extra rooms,” he said with a wink.

  And so, it was that the Duke and the Duchess of Salisbury stayed at Westwood and visited a little with the Earl of Montgomery whilst Noelle and her sisters stayed at Wildhill. It would be far easier to plan for the wedding there if she had her sisters right there on hand.

  There had been such a flurry of excitement in the days leading up to the wedding that Noelle hadn’t quite been able to find a dress for herself, but Rodrick’s mother had a solution. “The sweet little town of Hertford has a dress boutique, I do believe,” she told her. “I am sure that you may find a nice white gown there.”

  She, Noelle, Noelle’s sisters, and her mother went to Hertford the day after their arrival in town and Noelle was able to find herself a sweet and flattering white dress. It had what looked like little flowers in the lace fabric. She was fortunate to find a veil for herself as well.

  The morning of the wedding came on the third day there at Wildhill. The ceremony was to take place inside, in the sitting room, and then there was to be a reception in the back, in the lush fields that Noelle loved so very much. She was quite nervous as one of the lady’s maids helped her into her dress.

  I shall have to send for Edith, Noelle thought as she was dressed. I cannot abandon her to become a lady’s maid somewhere else. Besides, this home could certainly use another servant.

  Already she was making plans for when she was the lady of the house. She didn’t ask for much, but she longed for her maid and friend to join her.

  As she was walking into the room for the wedding ceremony, she saw Edith sitting there in the front row, along with several other of the household staff.

  Noelle beamed at her as she walked past. Now it would be much easier to keep her here at Wildhill.

  The ceremony went by so quickly yet so beautifully at the same time. A minister from the town of Hertford performed the ceremony for them and Noelle’s nervousness turned into giddiness as she beamed at Rodrick and he placed the gold band onto her finger.

  The wedding banns were read in Hertford the day before and everyone in town seemed to be thrilled that the handsome and charming son of the late Mr. Edwards was marrying the beautiful Lady Noelle Fletcher. No one in his town thought anything was strange about the union.

  As soon as the ceremony was over, Noelle and Rodrick rushed out of the cottage as everyone cheered and applauded them. They went into the garden where there was dancing and light refreshments. Noelle was incredulous that she had finally married the man of her dreams and she could live with him in his sweet little fairy tale cottage.

  She still felt as though any moment she was going to wake up and all of this happiness was going to be proven false. But of course, such a thing did not happen.

  After the reception ball, Noelle and Rodrick got into a coach and rode off for a nice short holiday in Derbyshire. As much as she loved and appreciated her family, it was exciting to finally be able to get away from them for a while and focus all of her attention on her new husband.

  She felt like singing when they came back after their brief holiday and Noelle found all of her dresses – and her drawing board – lovingly placed in Wildhill. Edith was there to greet her at the door with a friendly smile and a hug.

  “Welcome home, Mrs. Edwards,” Rodrick said to her sweetly, holding her hand as he led her to the couch in the drawing room.

  “Welcome home, Mr. Edwards,” she said with a giggle. “What shall I call your mother now, if I am to be called Mrs. Edwards?”

  Sure enough, his mother came into the room and gave each of them a celebratory hug. “You may call me Mother now,” she replied with tear-filled eyes. It seemed as though she’d been looking forward to telling Noelle that for some time.

  Noelle had never had a mother like her before, of course, and she was more than happy to be able to speak of her in that manner now. “Very well, Mother,” she said with happy tears of her own.

  Moving in with Rodrick was an easier than expected adjustment because she had never lived with a young gentleman before and she also had never lived in a cottage – her family always owned grand manors with many rooms for their many daughters. But all of these seemed to not matter at all. This house was a home full of love and warmth for her and Rodrick was in it.

  “It still tickles me to think that Mother had a change of heart about all this,” she said to him. “That is just not the sort of thing she usually does… Oh, but I shall never forget it as long as we both shall live!”

  Epilogue

  Being married to Noelle was so much more amazing than Rodrick had ever thought possible. At first, it had been all about the difference in living with the young woman rather than just seeing her around at balls and other functions. And then once he got more or less used to finding her in his home, he still had to keep his heart from racing whenever he saw her there.

  He had lived with his mother for his entire life, so he didn’t need to adjust to sharing his home with another person, which helped things. Noelle, on the other hand, seemed to be getting used to living with fewer people, plus a smaller house. He was quite happy for her when her beloved maid showed up inside Wildhill when they had returned from their trip

  That had been a rather sweet surprise from her family.

  Another sweet surprise came in the form of an announcement from Noelle’s sister Catherine a few days after they’d returned from their trip: Catherine was going to have a baby. Noelle had apparently suspected as much but now it was confirmed and she cried with love for her little sister and her future niece or nephew.

  “I knew that her doctor thought she was with child, but he wasn’t sure yet and was hesitant to let her tell everyone,” Noelle told Rodrick.

  “How wonderful! You’re going to be Auntie Noelle soon.” He smiled at her.

  She smiled back at him. “And you’re going to be Uncle Rodrick, you know.”

  He chuckled. “Oh, that’s right; we’re married,” he teased her.

  Rodrick put his arm around her and gave her a soft kiss. She melted against him and felt so warm and perfect. He simply couldn’t get enough of her.

  The Edwardses had a lot of things to look forward to. It was also announced that James and Miss Tate were to be married in a few weeks. “Is it just me or i
s this the most active Season we’ve had in some time?” Rodrick asked Noelle and his mother.

  “It is most likely because you’re getting older,” his mother replied with a grin and a wink. “Now that you’re a happily married man, you shall see a great many of your friends following suit.”

  It struck him as odd that he hadn’t witnessed more of his friends getting married, but Rodrick supposed it was mainly because he didn’t have that many friends. I suppose Alphonse got married, then I did, and now Jamie, he thought, feeling rather sentimental when he thought about the three of them hanging out as bachelors.

  Not that he longed for the days when he wasn’t married to Noelle, of course.

  Being married to her was everything he had ever wanted out of life. He would marry her again if he could and it made sense!

  The London Season ended in the autumn, but that did not mean that there weren’t still parties and balls for people to attend if they so wanted. After all, Hertford had a large number of residents and then there was the even larger span of Hertfordshire. And they were not limited to parties in their own area either.

  James and Rosalyn enjoyed hosting parties and get-togethers at Westwood; meanwhile, Alfie and Catherine were always inviting Rodrick and Noelle over for visits. Because they were expecting a baby, they did not often host balls at Stone Hill Manor but they hosted smaller gatherings of family and friends.

  Rodrick noticed that Noelle seemed quite at home with all of these smaller get-togethers of friends and family. She didn’t seem to miss the bigger, more lavish balls of London.

  “You know, I never really cared for that sort of thing,” she said to him. “I know that Catherine probably misses being able to go to something like that, but by next Season she will likely be a little preoccupied.”

  She smiled and for a moment Rodrick wondered if perhaps she was envious of her sister. There didn’t need to be any rush in that area, of course. Rodrick wondered if their manor house would be big enough for a family should they ever have children, but he supposed that it had been big enough for his mother and father…

  “By next Season, we shall probably all be preoccupied,” Rodrick said. “As Mother pointed out to me, now that we’re married, we’re considered too old for the ton to care about us.” He chuckled and shook his head.

  It didn’t really matter to Rodrick that going to London no longer held much charm for them. The weather was not really nice enough for traveling all the way to the city, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t have a good time in their own sweet little town. Hertfordshire had a lot of heart to it; that was why it had ‘Hert’ in it, he imagined.

  When his cousin Jamie finally announced his first big ball of the off-season, in celebration of their recent nuptials, Rodrick was excited to be able to have some fun with their neighbors and friends. It would be good to see some familiar faces from London as well, though he didn’t believe for a moment that anyone would give him a second glance unless it was to look at the beautiful woman on his arm.

  Jamie chuckled when he stopped by and Rodrick said as much to him. “Really, cousin, you are far too modest. Everyone who knows you likes you far more than you give them credit for.”

  Rodrick smiled and shrugged.

  James shook his head at him. “Upon my word, Rodrick, you are worth ten of me. Would that I had your grace and charisma.”

  Rodrick blushed a little bit, not fully able to believe his cousin was speaking for others and likewise not believing that James was telling him anything that was true about how he felt about him either. He knew that his cousin was much shyer than he was.

  Despite his modesty and wariness, Rodrick went to the ball at his cousin’s mansion with Noelle. They were delighted to see Rosalyn as well, and before long the two ladies had rushed off to sit and chat on a dais together. Rodrick smirked a bit as he watched Noelle excitedly go off to speak with James’s new wife.

  It does make me happy to see her with another new friend. The two ladies were essentially cousins-in-law now and Rodrick hoped that they might end up being like sisters, as Noelle’s sisters all lived quite a distance away from her now. Rosalyn, the new Viscountess of Easton, didn’t come from a large family so she was quite pleased to have Noelle as a new sisterly friend as well.

  Before long, several more guests arrived and the two ladies came back over to stand beside their husbands and help greet everyone. Noelle’s family was invited, obviously, and Rodrick appreciatively said hello to each member, starting with the duke and going all the way to Lady Beth. “You look well, sir,” the duchess complimented him with a smile.

  Rodrick beamed a bit back at her. “Thank you, your Grace. That’s because I have this lovely lady in my life.” He turned his smile to Noelle.

  “He always likes to flatter me,” she said with a soft giggle.

  “As he should,” her mother replied.

  James and his father had spared no expense for this ball. It was a bit like a delayed reception, so when the small orchestra arrived and set up in one corner of the ballroom, Rodrick wasn’t surprised so much as he was delighted. As soon as the music began, he and Noelle joined in a Scotch reel.

  They laughed a lot and had a grand time at James and Rosalyn’s ball. It felt wonderful to be relaxed about such things. Now that they were married, they were free to be who they really were.

  “I have to say, Mrs. Edwards, that not having to call you Lady all the time has made things so much easier,” Rodrick quipped as they strolled home together after the ball.

  She surprised him by taking her slippers from her dainty feet and walking through the grass without them. “I never really thought that it suited me.” She smiled at him and scrunched up the bridge of her nose a bit as she did so.

  Every time Rodrick looked at Noelle, he felt like he fell in love with her all over again. Surely this is the way that it’s meant to be.

  “I think this life suits you, though,” he told her, leaning in as they strolled so he could give her a kiss.

  The following morning, Noelle met him and his mother at the breakfast table with a proposition. “I haven’t seen my friend Lady Andrews in a great while,” she said. “Do you think that I can invite her here?”

  Rodrick knew that Noelle had a lot of pride in her new home. She was always excited about showing the cottage off to anyone who came to visit, so it made sense to him that she wanted to show Wildhill to Lady Lydia. He smiled at her and nodded his head.

  “It’s your home, my dear, you may invite whomever you like,” he replied. “But I appreciate you asking me.”

  She smiled at him and took his hand. “This was your home first. That’s why I love it so much.”

  There was a relaxed attitude to Noelle now and Rodrick really liked it. He’d adored her proper, ladylike manner, of course, but he felt that she’d really flourished now that she was living at Wildhill with him. It wasn’t as if she was a different person, but she was somehow more herself.

  Likewise, Rodrick felt whole now that he was married to her. He was Mr. Rodrick Edwards, married to the love of his life.

  Also, it seemed strange to him but, in some way, his status in the ton had changed. He had not gained a title, but he had gained respect and admiration just the same. He didn’t worry about such things, but it was nice all the same to be given friendly smiles and nods as he walked by in society.

  Lady Andrews came over to visit in the afternoon one day. Rodrick heard the knock at the door and watched as Noelle set aside her most recent drawing – of her sister Catherine with her ever-growing belly – and she went to answer the front door herself. Smyth didn’t even get exasperated about such things anymore.

  The butler could focus on other matters such as introducing guests that they weren’t familiar with or helping them send and receive mail. Rodrick didn’t think the old butler would mind not having to open the door all the time anymore.

  “My, this is a beautiful home,” Lydia complimented, gazing around Wildhill Manor. She smil
ed from Noelle to Rodrick.

  He went to her and took her hand, giving it a polite kiss. He smiled back at her. “It’s lovely to see you again, my lady.”

  Noelle and Lydia sat in the drawing room for a bit with a tray of tea. Rodrick sat with them but he didn’t bother them so they could gossip in peace. He almost wished that Lady Lydia had brought her husband with her just so he would have another gentleman to speak with.

  I suppose that I shall always be surrounded by ladies, he thought. That’s not such a terrible fate.

  “Would you like to tour the land?” he heard Noelle ask Lydia. “This really is a beautiful estate, even if I do say so myself. And we’ve got the best home on it.”

  “I still find it amusing that she prefers this little cottage to my cousin’s mansion,” Rodrick said, standing up when they did so. He strolled outside with them while the ladies happily chattered away.