A Charming Lady for the Intriguing Baronet: A Historical Regency Romance Book

by Bridget Barton

  “Why must you do things like this?” she asked.

  “You have beautiful hands, Selina. I simply wanted to kiss them.”

  Strange man. She frowned, watching him make circles on the backs of her hand with the pads of his thumbs. The action was highly inappropriate, but the sensation was comforting.

  “Are you attempting to bewitch me?” she asked.

  “Is it working?”

  She looked at him, struggling to focus her gaze. The proximity of their bodies, not quite touching, created a cocoon of heat that made her strangely drowsy. Selina had never experienced such a thing before. His eyes were pulling her in, and she began to lean forward. What was she doing? Was she about to kiss him? The thought stopped her cold, instantly removing the fog that had clouded her brain.

  “What is it, Selina?”

  She began to pull away. “I cannot do this.”

  “Wait,” he begged. “Just wait a moment, please.”

  She stilled. “Why are you doing this?”

  “I cannot understand it myself, Selina. I just know that I wish to be around you, to touch your skin, to be near you. This is a first for me, but at least I do not deny what I feel for you.”

  Selina took a step back, breaking all contact with him.

  “Perhaps you should try to deny it, for both our sakes.”

  She walked away from him then, and he didn’t try to stop her.

  Lavinia waited for Alex to return to the house before stepping out of the shadows. What she had just witnessed had been the final nail in the coffin for whatever was going on between Selina and Alex, she would make sure of it.

  “This relationship will never be, not while I still draw breath in this body. Alexander will be mine.”

  Her entire body was tense, painfully so. She raised a hand to her face, wanting to lightly touch the throbbing in her cheek. That was when she realised that her hands were balled into fists, and her nails had dug into her skin. She released her hands, hissing as she did so. They must have been in that position for long as they felt stiff and painful. Her opened hands revealed the half-moon marks of her nails on her palms. Some areas had tiny pools of crimson drops, a testament to the anger she had felt while watching them.

  “They will not make a fool of me, especially not you, Selina. You will not get the best of me, not again.”

  But what could she do to keep them apart? It seemed that telling her foe about the unsavoury rumours surrounding Alex was not enough for her to stay away from her future husband. It was no use trying to make Alex come across as being any more unsuitable as he already was for it would affect her own chances of marrying him.

  Lavinia was not about to lose the title and wealth that came with being the baronet’s wife. Let Selina marry her pig farmer, it would suit her well. Lavinia centred her thoughts on Selina, as she knew that was the key to putting a wedge between the two ... No, I will not even entertain the idea of them being lovers.

  “I must ruin her reputation, it is the only way. But how?”

  What rumour could she start that would sound believable to those that were gullible? It had to be realistic, or it would all have been for nought. She thought about the conversation she had eavesdropped on. They had been continuously arguing about a meeting by the river, both of them disagreeing with the events surrounding it.

  “Selina is apparently concerned about her reputation, especially that of her sister. I am certain that she did nothing inappropriate with Alex, but if she had ...”

  Lavinia knew precisely what she would do. All she needed were a few eager ears and a willingness to gossip.

  “That shan’t be hard to come by. Most of the women I have invited are great gossipers. I would sooner take another slap from my father than tell them a secret.”

  She didn’t have to say much really, just enough to plant a seed in the fertile minds of her guests, and they would do the rest. Lavinia could then just sit back and watch Selina’s demise. Alexander would be hers in no time at all.

  “It is time that I return to my guests. After all, I have a plan to execute before the night is done.” Lavinia entered her house, going straight to the parlour. As she had hoped, the countryside gossipers sat in one corner, no doubt gossiping about some unfortunate soul. Selina sat far away from them, keeping to herself. Alexander was stationed at the opposite end of the room, his stance cool and collected. Neither Selina nor Alex looked at each other, except for the stolen looks that they gave when they thought that no one was watching. But I am, and I hate it. Lavinia looked at the conspiring heads of the women, knowing just what she had to do. Desperate situations called for desperate missions.

  “Beatrice, Mary, Henrietta, and Sarah, you ladies must simply include me in the conversation that you are having. It looks interesting indeed.”

  Sarah, who had weak eyes, squinted at her. “Where did you go off to, Lavinia? You were gone for some time.”

  “Oh, I just needed some fresh air. It does you wonders, you know.”

  Mary snorted. “Not in this bitter cold. One would think that winter was already upon us!”

  Beatrice sighed. “I do love winter. Mother has finally agreed to let me decorate the house for Christmas. I am most eager to start new traditions.”

  Henrietta, the heavier one of the lot, but also the ringleader, clapped her hands.

  “Focus, ladies. We have not yet concluded with our conversation.”

  Lavinia decided to plant her seeds. “Well, I have a story that might interest you.”

  All four ladies stared at her, their faces eager to hear what she had to say. She lowered her voice, drawing closer to the women.

  “I don’t really know if I should, in fact, be saying this. It may not be true at all.”

  “We are all friends here, Lavinia,” Henrietta said. “The story will not go any further than the five of us.”

  Lavinia could have laughed at that statement. By tomorrow afternoon, Selina’s world would be turned upside down.

  “It turns out that our own baronet and Miss Seymour had an interesting adventure just the other day.”

  “An adventure?” Sarah asked. “What kind of an adventure?”

  Lavinia shrugged her shoulders. “The facts are not quite clear, but people say that she looked rather dishevelled when she returned to her aunt’s house. The servants were the ones to see her first.”

  Excited smiles lit up their faces. Prepare to be ruined, Selina.

  “This is a story, indeed,” Mary said. “To think that she always acts so proper, but this has proven otherwise. People are certainly not who they first appear to be.”

  That’s right, ladies. Take this false rumour and run with it.

  Chapter 10

  Selina sighed as she looked out of her bedroom window. The leaves had turned a warm shade of red and orange, hardly any green remained. Soon, the woods would be almost bare, welcoming the first coat of snow. Several days had passed since her encounter with Alex at the dinner, but she was still greatly affected by it.

  Confusion had been her constant companion, and it had taken a toll on her. Beneath her eyes lay dark circles, a tell-tale sign of her insomnia. Ophelia had become quite worried about her, seeking to raise her spirits and get her sister back, but Selina was simply not in the mood.

  “If only he had not followed me into the garden. My head and my heart are at war with one another, and I cannot begin to come to a decision to reconcile them.”

  Even her poor father had tried his best efforts to cheer her up, but not even a conversation about her favourite books was enough to draw her out of her melancholy state. A knock sounded at her door. Why could they not just leave her alone? She didn’t need company but solitude. However, neither could she chase them away.

  “Yes?”

  “Selina, do you mind if I come in?” her mother asked.

  That was strange of her mother to ask that. Usually, she walked into her bedroom with little warning. I have likely caused them to fret over me.


  “Of course, Mama.”

  Her mother walked in, taking a look around her bedroom. It was much neater than even Selina was used to. Usually, she had books scattered across the room, her sketching materials would be out, and there would be papers placed on nearly every surface of the furniture that graced her room.

  “Your room is neat and tidy, Selina. I would normally be happy about this, but under the circumstances, I am worried. Is there something wrong? You have not been your cheerful and talkative self these past few days, not since your return from the dinner. Did something perhaps happen at the Mostyn home?”

  There had been a time when Selina would have confided in her mother, but she had been a young girl then. Now she was a woman, and there were just some things that she could never tell her mother. She would not understand. I do not understand it myself! I was quite content before meeting Alex, but now I am in perpetual confusion. My peace has been shattered, and I want it back. She would never get it back if she insisted on obsessing over every little exchange between herself and Alex. Selina decided to put on a brave face and pretend to be happy until she actually was. She stretched her mouth into a grin, feeling the pull on her cheeks.

  “There is no need to worry about me, Mama. I find that I am perfectly all right and content. Forgive me for my melancholic mood–I do not know what came over me. In fact, I think that I should like to sketch something.”

  Her mother looked at her carefully. “When I came into this room, your face spoke of great discontentment, and yet now you tell me that you are happy? Are you unwell, Selina?”

  Her mother reached over and laid her palm on her brow, the slim hand feeling cool against her skin.

  “You are not with fever; that is a relief. But something ails you, child, I just know it. I am your mother, it is my duty to ensure that you are well physically and in yourself, or I have failed my God-given role. Are you sure that you are all right? If you are not physically sick, perhaps what plagues you is an ailment of the heart?”

  Selina looked at her mother sharply. What does she know? Surely Ophelia would not have betrayed her confidence? No, her sister would never do that. They were devoted to each other; neither of them would hurt the other. Then what could her mother possibly know?

  “The heart, Mama? I am afraid that I do not know what it is you are saying.”

  “Oh, child, I was not born yesterday. I too remember the burn and confusion of first love, but I was younger than you. You have maturity on your side–that matters a great deal when you need to come to terms with rejection.”

  Her mother thought that she had been rejected! Relief entered her being. For just a moment, Selina had worried that she knew something about her problem with the baronet that lived on the next property. If only it was something as simple as being rejected, Mama.

  “I certainly have not been rejected, Mama. But please, do not fret so over me. As you can see, I am in heightened spirits. As it is, I am itching to collect my sketching equipment and find a lovely patch of land to gain some inspiration.”

  Her mother took this as her cue to leave, but not without a few parting words.

  “I am always available should you wish to confide in me, Selina. I may be your mother, but I was also a young woman once. Remember that.”

  As soon as her mother had left, Selina gathered up her sketching materials and marched to her door, determined to stop dwelling over a matter that had done her no good.

  “I have been quite foolish to put so much of my energy in trying to understand this gentleman. I have always prided myself on leading a simple and yet fulfilling life, and yet I have spent pointless days obsessing over Alex’s actions and words.”

  But no more. She turned the handle of her bedroom door and took a large step outside, taking in a deep breath as she did so, and slowly expelling it.

  “No more drama, and certainly no more Alex. Just my sketchpad, chalk, and I. And of course whatever or whoever I find to draw.”

  Alex had confined himself to his study, wishing to focus his attention on matters of his estate and businesses, but he couldn’t seem to control the direction of his thoughts. Thoughts of Selina had continued to plague his mind despite all his intentions to diminish the time spent wondering about how she was and what she was doing right at that moment. It had been days since their last interaction, but time seemed to have no bearing on the frequency of his thoughts of her.

  “She insulted me, and yet that has done nothing to take away my interest in her.”

  If anything, he was more so intrigued by her now than ever before.

  “I must be a glutton for punishment.”

  Alex looked down at the papers before him, trying to make sense of them, but to no avail. They might as well be gibberish to him because he couldn’t connect a word or a figure. An image of Selina came to his mind. Her facial expression when he had held her close had been his undoing; sweet abandonment as she had looked into his eyes, her smooth skin flushed from the special moment they had shared. It amazed him as to how quickly she had turned into a warm, yielding woman when she had just been hurling accusations at him. It was his touch that had done that, and he felt a strutting peacock. It had been a hardship returning to the dinner party afterwards, especially as he had had to keep his distance.

  “I do not understand why she denies the connection between us. I did everything I possibly could to make her realise that she feels the exact same thing as I do.”

  If Selina would but forget this ridiculous idea that she had of him, they could further explore the chemistry between them. Alex would never try to compromise her or force her into a situation that she did not want, but he had plans to court her, to publicly declare his interest in her. Doing so would also have Lavinia stop her pursuit of him. The woman was relentless, finding every excuse possible to engage him in conversation and hold his attention.

  “I have no interest in her, nothing in the slightest. She is a beautiful woman, of that no one can deny. But another woman has grabbed my attention. A woman who says that she wants nothing to do with me but is quite affected by me as I am by her.”

  But was it worth his time to focus his attention on her?

  “She may never come to her senses and admit her feelings towards me.”

  At least Thomas seemed to be having better luck. He and Ophelia seemed almost joined to the hip during most of the dinner. The two blonde heads had been absorbed in their own world, having eyes for no one else but each other.

  “If only Selina would be as open with her own feelings.”

  Why was he so willing to overlook her insults and accusations, and yet she was not willing to revise her beliefs about his character? If she would just set aside her pride and see him for exactly who he was, then there would be no need for unnecessary arguments. Following her into the garden had been his chance to finally confront her about her cold attitude towards him, but it certainly had not resolved anything. Instead, it had made things more challenging and confusing. Alex was more so sure now than ever before that he wanted to pursue a courtship with Selina, but neither did he want to encounter the bite of her words.

  “This is probably why the men of my time do not want a woman of intelligence. They are outspoken, not easily tamed, and stubborn as a mule.”

  But they were also full of life, passion, and wisdom. Alex had long since decided that he did not want a passive and docile wife. He wanted a wife who would stand as his equal, voice her own opinions, but still support him where it mattered. He wanted a wife who could have meaningful conversations with him and yet still laugh at life’s little silly moments. He didn’t want a church mouse, but a partner in every sense of the word. Most of all, he wanted a connection with her, a chemistry that would last past the need for physical intimacy. Alex had a gut feeling that Selina would be the woman who would fulfil all his hopes of finding the right wife for him. However, there was still a chance that he could be wrong.