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

by Lucy Langton

  “You are still giving yourself a very hard time, Lady Statham. You must remember that Miss Butler plotted for a very long time to upset your marriage. It was her doing that led to the chaos,” Lord Peterson pointed out.

  “Yet it was my choice not to believe Flynt when he said that he hadn’t married her, even in a stupor. I should have believed him instead of a piece of paper. I knew better than to ignore what my heart was saying,” Ada said, feeling tears pinprick her eyes once more. Every time she thought she was done crying, more tears seemed to spring forth.

  “Tomorrow you’ll see Dowagers Statham and White once more,” Lord Peterson pointed out.

  “Yes, it will be truly great to see them again. Even though we had not parted on such good terms,” Ada said. Mrs Dencher came into the room then, steering the tea cart. She lifted a silver tray from upon the surface and laid it on the table between the two of them. She even took the time to serve them both tea the way they liked it.

  “Thank you, Mrs Dencher,” Ada said as she accepted her hot cup of tea.

  “My pleasure, My Lady,” she replied with a happy smile. “The biscuits are heavenly. You must try them all.”

  “I will do my best,” Ada replied with a chuckle. The woman’s happy nature was quite refreshing. It was good to be around people again after the week of loneliness she had endured.

  “I suspect you are to be treated, Lady Statham,” Lord Peterson said once the housekeeper had left the room. He took a sip of the tea and sighed happily.

  “Mrs Dencher seems to be rather happy that I am here and that there are people in this house once more,” Ada admitted.

  “I don’t blame her. It’s been a very long time since the Statham family has resided here. Probably not since Lord Statham went away with the navy,” Lord Peterson reasoned.

  “That is truly a long time,” Ada agreed.

  “Probably not as long as it feels since you have last played the pianoforte,” Lord Peterson said, gesturing towards the instrument on the far side of the room. Ada was surprised that she hadn’t noticed it before.

  “Yes, it has been quite some time since I’ve had the opportunity to play. Though, I wouldn’t want to bore you with all my playing,” Ada said with a chuckle. She took a sip of her tea, thinking it had been perfectly made.

  “Statham has spoken much about your musical ability. And, since we are to entertain ourselves until the rest of the travelling parties arrive, might as well make the best use of our time,” Lord Peterson said.

  Ada finished her biscuit before finishing her tea and making her way over to the pianoforte. She lifted the small stack of papers from the stand, thumbing through the sheet music to discover what types were available. However, the one song she wanted to play the most wasn’t amongst the others. Instead, she settled down at the pianoforte and began to play a song she had memorized a long time ago.

  Ada had forgotten how much she loved to play the instrument. She found it fairly well-tuned for the lack of use the instrument had received over the years. The melody filled the air, taking Ada away to somewhere that wasn’t in that room.

  She envisioned being with Flynt again, playing for him, and feeling the comfort of being in his arms again. Sometimes she worried if he’d ever forgiven her, but as she played his favourite song, she liked to think that their love could continue.

  “Lovely! Absolutely lovely!” Lord Peterson said as he stood and applauded her.

  “It is Lord Statham’s favourite,” Ada admitted. “I don’t even need to read the music any longer to play it.”

  “I can tell that you love your husband very much,” Lord Peterson said from where he sat.

  “I do … and I hope to tell him so when he arrives,” Ada said as she looked down at her hands on the keys. She wanted her fingers to be laced with Flynt’s once more, to feel the warmth of his touch, and the way his lips felt when he pressed them against hers. She was starting to realize just how much she truly missed Flynt at that moment.

  “How about another song while we wait for dinner to be announced?” Lord Peterson suggested. Ada focused once more on the task as she picked a song from the choices of sheet music. For the rest of the afternoon, she enjoyed playing the piano while Lord Peterson lost himself in a good book.

  Chapter 29

  Ada was pacing back and forth in the drawing room the next day, trying to patiently wait for Dowager Statham and White to arrive from their travels from Town. She was worried about them because of their age and having to travel so far to reach the country house.

  As the morning progressed, she sometimes worried about their health. And other times, she worried about what their conversation was going to be because they were both so furious with her when she had last seen them.

  When she heard the front door open, and the familiar chattering voices of the widowed sisters fill the house, Ada’s heart started to pound against her chest. The time had finally come when she would have to face these women, two ladies that she very much looked up to.

  Lord Peterson could be heard greeting them, and their friendly voices were heard in response to seeing him at the home. As their voices drew near to the drawing room, Ada started to wring her hands together, her nerves seeming to get the best of her.

  As Dowager Statham stepped into the room, closely followed by her younger sister, they instantly stopped speaking. Ada froze, her mind racing to know what she should do or say. Slowly, Dowager Statham came over to Ada, reached out her arms, and embraced Ada. She was so surprised by the gesture that it took her an extra minute for her instincts to kick in, and she hugged the older woman back.

  “Oh, Ada. I am so sorry that we were so cross with you,” Dowager Statham said softly into her hair. “We just didn’t know what was happening … and then we read about it in the papers.”

  “So, she really did go through with it?” Ada asked as she leaned back from the woman and dropped her arms once more.

  “Yes, she certainly did,” Dowager Statham said, her voice thick with concern. “And I don’t understand why Flynt had no memory of doing such a thing.”

  Dowager White came over to Ada then and gave her a big hug. It felt good to see them both and to know they were no longer angry at her. “We understand why you left, Ada,” Dowager White said. “I just wish it never had to happen.”

  “Indeed. You have been sorely missed, though it has been a short time since we last saw each other,” Dowager Statham said as she sat down on a high-back chair. “It has been but a mere few weeks. Yet, it has felt much longer.”

  “I have felt the same way,” Ada said. “After what Miss Butler had shown me, my heart was so instantly broken that I couldn’t remain any longer in Town. Now, I wish I would have given Flynt the opportunity to listen to his plea.”

  “Come now, Ada. Do you really believe him now that he has no memory of it, so therefore it couldn’t have possibly happened?” Dowager White asked as she sat down next to her sister.

  Ada smiled at them both as she came to sit close to them, and Lord Peterson soon joined them as well. “There is much I must tell you,” Ada said. “You are going to be surely surprised when you hear the truth of the matter. And you won’t find any anger in your hearts towards Flynt.”

  “After all that he has done, my dear, I surely doubt I shall ever forgive my son now,” Dowager Statham said as she rested both hands on her cane.

  “Don’t worry, Mama. You’ll truly enjoy this story, and what is planned to be done by the matter,” Ada said with a chuckle. Dowager Statham raised a grey eyebrow at Ada as she and Lord Peterson started to tell the tale that would truly change everything.

  ~*~

  The last three days had been utterly horrifying for Flynt. He knew that Miss Butler could be a mortifying person based on everything she was capable of doing and had done, but she had turned utterly vile during their travels to the country estate.

  Everything that could be complained about, Miss Butler managed to say. From the comfort of the carriage,
to the condition of the roads, from the weather and even the sound of birds singing as they flew by the vehicle. There was not a single thing right in the world when it came to Miss Butler’s opinion. And even further annoying was how often she tried to show him affection.

  “Come now, Flynt. We are husband and wife, after all,” she would say.

  “Your marriage license means very little to me, Miss Butler,” was always Flynt’s reply. “I would never dare touch a woman like you.” These types of responses always caused Miss Butler’s anger to rise, and she would return to complaining about everything under the sun.

  Flynt knew that it was her ploy to make him as miserable as possible. He could see the way she tried hard to make him feel uncomfortable or annoyed, no doubt all a part of her plan to seek out her revenge on him. He wasn’t sure how far she would go to annoy him, and perhaps she even sought his life. So even though they were travelling together, and he was doing his best to keep his distance, he remained mindful of her in case she tried to do anything to him while they were together.

  The most dreadful part about travelling with Miss Butler was when they were forced to stop in the evenings to rest at an inn. Her complaining often continued inside each establishment, causing many people to stare at them while they dined in the common room.

  Miss Butler was a fairly rude person, and Flynt could only guess that she acted this way to embarrass him. She certainly hadn’t acted like this when she was pretending to be his mother’s lady’s companion. So, he did his best to ignore her in return while he enjoyed his dinner and made sure to compliment the innkeeper and his wife.

  The only rest he received was during the nights when he would be in his own room. He’d make sure to lock the door and even press a chair up against the knob so the door could not be forced inward or the lock picked to gain access. He slept facing the door, ready to take action if anyone did try to force their way in. Therefore, by the third day of travelling to Vayle Manor, Flynt was very exhausted.

  The only thing that kept Flynt awake and alert during the carriage ride was the knowledge that soon he’d be reunited with Ada. He couldn’t wait to see her, to know for himself that she was faring alright. His plan would finally come to an end, and Miss Butler would be no longer great trouble for them. He and Ada could start their relationship over and hopefully rekindle the love they once had.

  Flynt had yearned for Ada ever since she had gone away. He missed hearing her laugh, and especially her singing voice. At night, he would close his eyes and try to picture her lying beside him, singing to him softly. Flynt missed the comfort of having her in his arms and feeling reassured that he would be able to wake with her near because they had fallen asleep together.

  Flynt knew how lucky he was to have married a woman such as Ada. She might have been confused by what Miss Butler had done, but Flynt hoped to prove himself that he could be thoroughly trusted and that no more demons of his past would ever be able to hurt them again.

  When the view of Vayle Manor came into sight, Flynt leaned forward with anticipation. If his plan had all gone as planned, the right people would have already arrived at the estate and would be waiting for them. He couldn’t wait to see Ada and finally be rid of Miss Butler.

  “I can’t believe that I am the mistress of such a large estate,” Miss Butler said in a soft voice, the first time she hadn’t complained about anything. Flynt chuckled as he shook his head, wanting to keep his mouth shut, so he didn’t ruin the grand surprise he had in store for the woman.

  “Though I detest the idea about having to leave Town, I’m certain we could have some fun exploring this great house together,” Miss Butler said in a seductive voice. But Flynt simply ignored her.

  The moment the carriage came to a stop in front of the house and the door was opened for him, Flynt alighted from the carriage and didn’t even bother turning back to help Miss Butler down. He quickly made his way inside, practically dying to lay his eyes on Ada and ensure for himself that she was well.

  As Flynt stepped through the grand entryway, his boots clicking on the marble floor, his heart began to pound with anticipation as he made his way into the drawing room. As he stepped into the room, he looked at everyone who had gathered. He searched the faces until he found hers. Flynt should have known he would find Ada at the pianoforte, playing a song softly. He didn’t even bother greeting anyone as he crossed the room to approach the woman he loved dearly.

  Ada stood to her feet, seeming to be surprised that he had suddenly appeared. He didn’t wait for any sort of conversation or words to be spoken as he wrapped his arms around her and pressed his lips down on hers. When she didn’t resist, he deepened the kiss and savoured the taste of her mouth as their tongues danced together. Her arms slowly came up and wrapped around his shoulders, helping him to know that she truly did love him still.

  “What is the meaning of all of this?” screeched Miss Butler as she finally made it into the drawing room.

  With a smile on his lips, he turned towards her, his fingers laced with Ada’s. It brought such comfort to know that she was standing by his side and that he could touch her. He knew he was with his wife again, and the time had come to be rid of Miss Butler.

  “I’m sure you’ll remember Lord Locke,” Flynt said, gesturing towards the man as he led Ada over to where the others in the room were gathered. His mother and aunt were seated together on the settee, dressed in cotton gowns of crème and outlandish hats with tall feathers that only Dowager Statham would dare wear.

  Lord Locke stepped forward from where he’d been standing next to the mantel, speaking with Lord Peterson. As Miss Butler’s eyes focused on the man, they grew very large, and she stiffened immediately.

  “Good afternoon, Miss Butler,” Lord Locke said as he dipped his head as though speaking with a real lady of society. But Flynt knew that he was simply mocking her.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked, trying to whisper. But she appeared so angry that it was easy for anyone to hear her screeches.

  “I am here to let you know that I told them everything. Lord Statham has paid me back his debt, and you have done a fantastic job of ruining his reputation. But I won’t let this go on any further than that,” Lord Locke explained.

  “How could you do this to me when I was just getting started?” Miss Butler pouted.

  “Because my cruelty only goes so far. I’ve already notified the papers of the real story to clear Lord Statham’s name. And I would highly suggest that you return to Town with a new name in mind,” Lord Locke said.

  Miss Butler crossed her arms as she stared at Lord Locke, clearly upset with the idea. Then she stepped around him and pointed a finger at Flynt as she said, “My brother deserves a proper revenge after what you did to him.”

  “Garry wanted to kill many innocent men in order to become a pirate. I couldn’t watch as my one friend killed all my other friends for a greedy means,” Flynt replied.

  “What do you mean? I was told that Garry tried to stop you from mutiny, and you had it all blamed on him in the end,” Miss Butler exclaimed, her face becoming rather pale.

  “No, Miss Butler. That is not true at all. It was Garry who was the one who was plotting and putting into action a plan to kill anyone who would not join him. He saw all the riches the English took from the French in the war, and he thought he could just steal it all with a strong crew.

  “At that point in our journey together in the Navy, I couldn’t stand to see anyone else die that I cared about so dearly. And even though I knew that death would come to Garry once I told the captain, I still did so because I knew it was better for one man to perish than an entire crew.”

  As Flynt finished speaking, silence rang throughout the room. This was the most people he had told at one time about the demons that often plagued him. Tears were trickling down Miss Butler’s face as she slowly shook her head, seeming to be unable to contemplate what he had just said.