A Bewitching Lord of Her Own: A Historical Regency Romance Book

by Lucy Langton

  “Well, we will surely miss the two of you,” Dowager White said as she stepped forth to embrace the two of them one at a time. Then Flynt embraced his mother, lingering for a moment as he thought of how dearly he wished he had acted differently as not to have put her through such trials.

  “We will see you both in a month’s time. Do try to enjoy yourself,” Dowager Statham said as the butler stepped forward and pulled open the door. Ada donned a beautiful white hat with dark feathers to match her gown. She hugged Dowager Statham once more before stepping out of the house and towards the carriage.

  “Make sure you take good care of her, Flynt,” his mother said in a hushed voice, grabbing his arm to stop him a moment. “She is an innocent after all. Please do good by her.”

  “I promise, Mother. I will be the perfect gentleman even though we are married. I will not take advantage of that kind woman,” Flynt promised, leaning down and kissing his mother’s cheek before following after Ada.

  At the carriage, Flynt offered Ada his hand and helped her up into the carriage because he knew it was the proper thing to do for his wife. Then, he stepped in after her and sat across from her in the carriage. The moment the door was closed, he tapped his knuckles against the carriage to signal that they were to be off. With the carriage carrying their trunks for the month-long trip to Bath, the driver flicked the reins and sent them off down the cobblestone road of Town and towards the dirt roads of the countryside.

  Chapter 13

  Ada found the countryside of Bath to be breathtaking during the spring month. The flowers were in bloom, filling the air with a lovely fragrance. The healing waters felt amazing, and when she soaked in them, she felt more relaxed each time.

  She met several lovely ladies during her time in Bath, even joining a few of them for tea throughout the month that she and Flynt were staying in the area. And by the time it was time to return to Town, Ada was quite looking forward to it.

  Married life had not been everything Ada had always imagined it would be. While travelling to Bath, she and Flynt had made idle conversation about the landscape, the people they met along the way, and what they thought the widowed sisters were up to that day. Sometimes they would make jokes, but after a time, their conversations became very minimal as they both seemed to be nervous and awkward around one another.

  Furthermore, Flynt had arranged separate bedchambers for both of them. It meant that Ada hadn’t had the opportunity to know what it was like to be a married woman because Flynt wouldn’t give her the chance to discover it for herself. She found Flynt very attractive, and she was certain he thought the same about her. But he had yet to make any intention towards her in consummating their marriage.

  As the days went on, Ada felt like she saw less and less of her husband. They often made different plans and would only see each other during the morning and evening meals. Sometimes they would dine with other families when they received the invitation to do so. Ada always had the hopes that such social outings would bring them closer together, but it only gave each other excuses to talk to other people.

  The only thing that seemed to bring her any peace from the constant tension between them was when she was out of the house to do as she pleased, or playing the pianoforte in the drawing room. She would do so when she was alone or knew that Flynt would be out of the house. She would play and sing to her heart’s content, finding music to be one of the few things that seemed to put her at ease.

  From time to time, she would rest her hand on Flynt’s to see if she could coax a response out of him. But each time he would only look at her and smile, never returning any sign of the affection she tried to show him. After a while, she stopped doing so altogether and only sought to occupy her time until her husband would one day seem to have use of her.

  Ada felt real joy in her heart only when they finally made it back to Town. She couldn’t wait to see how the sisters were doing and to return to some sort of normalcy. At least with Dowager Statham and White, she would have good company and be as she used to be.

  Though she could at least say that Flynt seemed to be behaving himself and was no longer a drunk or a man who frequented gentlemen’s clubs, he appeared to neither progress in his title as Earl or as her husband.

  “I am excited to see the family,” Ada said as the familiar rumble of the cobblestones could be felt in the carriage, telling her that they would arrive soon.

  “I am sure that you are,” Flynt said with a chuckle. “You’ve become quite a social butterfly and will certainly fit in with Mother and her friends.”

  Ada looked at her husband then and observed him to decide how sarcastic he was being. Sometimes she couldn’t tell when he was teasing her or being a bit standoffish. His moods fluctuated so often that she had a hard time determining how he truly felt based on his words.

  “I can imagine you will look forward to the company of your acquittances as well. You have spoken fondly of Lord Peterson in the past,” Ada said, thinking that their conversations had been so few that she best remember the important details he had been willing to share.

  “Yes, I can at least agree to that. I do miss my old friend,” Flynt mused as he looked out the carriage window and sighed. Ada watched him, trying to think what she could do or say to gain the attention of her husband. Despite how sour the honeymoon had been and how unproductive their relationship had been so far, Ada still hoped that one day things could change, and she would be able to love the man she had willingly married.

  “Ah, there they are!” cried a familiar voice when the carriage came to a stop. Ada smiled as she heard the Dowager Statham’s voice. The moment the footman opened the carriage door, she alighted in a hurry, almost jogging up the path to the front porch where the two women stood with grand smiles on their faces. She hugged them both dearly, not truly realizing how much she had missed them until that moment.

  “Flynt has kept you all to himself for too long,” she exclaimed. “Come in and make yourself comfortable.” Ada followed after Dowager White as her mother-in-law waited to greet her son. Ada felt at ease as she chatted away with the older woman, telling her all about Bath and the company she had kept.

  “It sounds like you enjoyed yourself,” Dowager White remarked as Dowager Statham entered the drawing room with her son. Ada looked up at Flynt and saw the bright smile on his face. She thought that he looked happier than he had in weeks, and perhaps he had only missed home as well.

  The rest of the afternoon was spent in excited chatter as they all discussed how the honeymoon had gone. Thankfully, the widowed sisters did not tease them over their romantic relationship, and there was no reference to the fact that she and Flynt had yet to consummate their marriage.

  The conversation changed quickly when a young lady Ada had never met before stepped into the drawing room carrying a tea tray. At first, Ada just assumed it was a new maid, but when the lady sat next to Dowager Statham, Ada wondered who she could be.

  “Lord and Lady Statham, may I introduce you to my new companion. This is Miss Regina Butler,” Dowager Statham explained. At first, Ada felt a pang of jealousy as she looked at the woman with auburn hair and dark green eyes.

  She smiled happily at the two of them as Ada came to terms with the fact that it was only natural for Dowager Statham to hire another lady’s companion. Though, she felt like she had been replaced when Ada had assumed she would return to caring for the older woman and accompany her on all sorts of social gatherings. After all, they were family now.

  “It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance,” Flynt spoke up when Ada didn’t say anything right away.

  “Yes, truly,” Ada added once she recovered from her thoughts.

  “Dowager Statham has told me so much about you, Lady Statham, that I feel as though we are already acquainted,” Miss Butler said with a kind smile on her luscious lips. She was a very attractive young lady that Ada was certain she would receive many suitors if Dowager Statham intended to introduce her to society as she had
herself.

  “That is lovely to hear,” was all Ada could think to reply.

  “Ada, I know you must be exhausted. But would you play and sing for us?” Dowager White asked. “I have truly missed your music.”

  Ada smiled happily as she stood and approached the pianoforte. She knew what type of music the ladies listening to and thought it would be nice to relax with some music after travelling for so long. She was further surprised when Flynt turned his chair to face her, seeming to like the idea of her playing as well.

  Ada settled for a familiar piece of music that she no longer needed to read the notes to be able to play. Her fingers ran over the keys, hitting the notes as she had done what felt like a hundred times before. And as her voice rose with the music, she felt like she was transported to a whole other existence as she became lost in the piece.

  The room applauded as the song came to an end, far sooner than Ada would have liked. Though exhausted from their travels, being able to play the piano and sing openly did her more good than resting for the rest of the afternoon before dinner. She smiled happily as she stood and curtsied before returning to her seat.

  “Lady Statham, you perform better than Dowager Statham had explained. It is no wonder that she took such great interest in you as a lady’s companion,” Miss Butler said.

  “Thank you. I love music so much that I’ve been lucky to have such good stewardship to encourage me to play and sing often,” Ada replied.

  “And I’m sure Lord Statham encourages you just the same,” she said, looking towards Flynt. He nodded his head in reply and seemed to be avoiding her gaze. Flynt had never requested that she play or sing, something she had missed since they had been married.

  “Dowager Statham, I think I’ll go and rest for a bit. These last three days of travelling have really been exhausting,” Ada said as she stood, thinking an hour or two by herself would do her some good.

  “Of course. Flynt’s old room has been prepared for the two of you,” Dowager Statham said with a smile. Ada tried not to look surprised but felt she did very little in succeeding. She thought about the Dowager’s words and realized that the woman had only had one room prepared for them to use.

  It was reasonable for a married couple, and at that moment, she wasn’t going to refuse. As she dipped her head and left the room, she smiled to herself. She left the conversation to be finished by Flynt himself as she went in search of their bedchamber to rest.

  Chapter 14

  Flynt wasn’t about to argue with his mother on the first day back in Town. He hadn’t had the forethought to write to his mother, explaining that they would need two bedchambers upon their return home. And now that Ada had gone up to their room, his heart twisted in anxiety at the thought of having to share a bed with her. He had been avoiding it at all costs, and it seemed he couldn’t put it off any longer.

  Ada was still resting when Lord Peterson came by the house to join them from dinner. Flynt found him a good distraction since he had grown tired of speaking with his mother and aunt, and there was something oddly familiar about Miss Butler that made Flynt rather uncomfortable because he knew for certain that he had never met her before.

  Flynt led Lord Peterson out into the gardens to have the opportunity to speak more freely with him than in the drawing room with the rest of his family and his mother’s new lady’s companion. They walked for a bit, and then when Flynt was finally ready to talk, he let out a deep sigh.

  “I have never been more bored in my life,” Flynt declared as they stopped together at the fountain and looked towards it as though observing a piece of fine art.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever heard a recently married man say such a thing,” Lord Peterson scoffed. Flynt looked at him without smiling to show how serious he was. “Statham, you can’t be serious. You’ve married a beautiful young lady. I would have expected you to say how exhausted you are from all the lovemaking you’ve been doing.”

  “We haven’t been intimate yet,” Flynt explained, looking back at the water.

  “Are you blind?” Lord Peterson scoffed again. “How can you keep your hands to yourself when you’re married to such a beauty?”

  “Because I am terrified of having children,” Flynt said. “I will admit that Lady Statham is beautiful. But my fear is stronger than any natural urges.”

  “Statham, part of being married is having children. You surely can’t put it off forever. And that’s rather unfair to Lady Statham to deny her the pleasures of being married,” Lord Peterson said, his voice becoming stern. “You’ve done her an injustice.”

  “Don’t say such things to me,” Flynt pleaded, turning towards his friend. “I need wise counsel, not to be scolded like my mother often does.”

  “Fine,” Lord Peterson said as he placed his hands on his hips. “Then why don’t you tell me what is stopping you from having a happy marriage.”

  “I … I feel trapped. I feel this pressure to be an Earl and a good husband. Yet, I’m terrified of making big, important decisions. I’m worried I’ll make the wrong choice and ruin what fragile marriage I already have,” Flynt admitted. “I feel tense around Lady Statham, and I know she feels the same around me.”

  “Have you tried showing her signs of affection?”

  “How can I when I don’t feel that way about her?” Flynt asked.

  “You have to try somewhere, Statham. Perhaps you should try courting Lady Statham as a man should do before marriage. I know you were rushed into this marriage to save your neck. But now that you do have a beautiful wife who seems to have all the patience in the world, you should be doing your best to get to know her personally instead of pushing her away.”

  Flynt sighed again, knowing that Lord Peterson was speaking good reason. He looked at him, wishing he possessed the same grace and experience as Peterson did.

  “Speaking of courting, how are you doing with the young lady you were courting the last time we saw each other?” Flynt asked, trying to rid his body of nerves as he focused the conversation on his friend.

  “Unfortunately, the young lady became more infatuated with another man that was much more wealthier than I,” he confessed, turning his eyes to the ground. Flynt could see how saddened the man appeared at the mention of the young lady. He wished he hadn’t said anything at all then.

  “What do you suggest I do with Lady Statham to court her then since you have had the experience that I lack in life?” Flynt asked then, hoping that by enlisting the help of his friend he might learn a thing or two about women and their hearts.

  “You need to find a common interest,” Lord Peterson said as he looked back up at him. “There has to be something that both of you like.”

  “Music,” Flynt declared. “She plays the piano beautifully, and her singing voice is unlike any other. Lady Statham really came alive when we attended a concert together.”

  “And have you asked her to sing for you during your time in Bath?” Lord Peterson asked.

  Flynt shook his head, feeling foolish for not having thought of the idea sooner. “I had not,” he confessed. “I was so focused on the boredom of the countryside and the lack of ways to distract myself that I no doubt pushed Lady Statham away instead of taking the time to actually get to know her better.”

  “You had a beautiful young lady all to yourself, Statham. There should have been no reason to be bored. You let your own fears get in the way of what could have been a very happy time,” Lord Peterson said as he rested his hand on Flynt’s shoulder, forcing Flynt to look up at the man.

  “If you ever need assistance in making any decision, big or small, do not fear or try to push it under the rug. You may always call on me or write to me about any such matters. I will help you make the best decision for the situation,” Lord Peterson said in the most serious of tones. Flynt mustered up a weak smile as he nodded, appreciating Lord Peterson more than the man could ever comprehend. For the remainder of their time together walking the gardens, they talked of different ways that F
lynt could court Ada to the point where he was actually becoming excited about the idea.