Scandals of Lustful Ladies: A Historical Regency Romance Collection

by Meghan Sloan

  He was a fool to think that someone would stand by him when something bad happened. Gabriel had gotover it a while ago. Jessica just made it worse by coming back all the time.

  “I’m done with you.” Gabriel shrugged her away and stepped out of reach. He wasn’t about to put his hands on her and have claims made against him. “Get off my property.”

  “Gabriel?”

  Jessica blinked, momentarily startled. Did she really think if she plastered herself up against him that he would want her again? Gabriel glared at her.

  “I don’t desire you anymore, Jessica. You betrayed me as much as my parents did when they disowned me. I was left on my own. The fact I’m still allowed to live on their land is nothing short of a miracle. I don’t even have an allowance, so I’m scrimping with whatever money I’ve got. I’m not going to mess it up by having a woman who isn’t my wife in my bed.”

  Jessica arched an eyebrow.

  “You weren’t bothered by it before. And who said we had to be in a bed?”

  She had a point. They had made love outside before, right where anyone could have seen them. Gabriel had always felt a rush at the thought of being caught like that. Now it just made his stomach churn.

  “Your shameless behaviour was attractive before, Jessica. Now, it’s just horrific.”

  “Come on, Gabriel,” Jessica reached for him again, “why don’t we go inside and talk?”

  “And why don’t you get it into your head that I don’t want you near me?” Gabriel shot back. “Go! Now!”

  That did have Jessica pulling up. He had never spoken to her like that before, and it had clearly startled her. Jessica blinked a few times, and then she pulled herself together.

  “We were meant to be together. You know that.”

  “No, I don’t.” Now Gabriel was beginning to realise that Jessica was just not going to listen. “I didn’t do relationships back when you and I were fooling around, and I’m not going to start now because you keep pestering me.”

  At some point in their fling, Jessica had ignored the fact that their affair was only short-term a bit of fun for both of them. She had let her feelings get involved. A few women had experienced this before, but they understood not to push the issue. Gabriel was somehow on decent terms with the other women he had seduced over the years. He never lied to them, and they were not looking for anything permanent. They understood everything. Except Jessica. She was the type who believed love conquered all.

  If only he had noticed that before he finally gave in to Jessica following him around and offering him flirtations. Now it was coming back to haunt him.

  There was a movement at the gate behind Jessica, and Gabriel heaved a sigh of relief when he saw the middle-aged man coming through the gate and up the path. Finally, his valet was home.

  “Allen!” The older man slowed, his eyes catching Gabriel’s across the garden. “Get Miss Gibson out of here. She shouldn’t be here alone.”

  “Yes, Mr. Gabriel.” Allen changed direction and headed towards Jessica with a blank expression. He reached for her arm. “If you’ll follow me, Miss Gibson?”

  “Get away from me,” Jessica smacked at his hand. “I want to talk to Mr. Tattershall.”

  “And he doesn’t wish to speak to you.” Allen barely batted an eyelid. “Let’s get you home, Miss Gibson, before your parents wonder where you are.”

  For a moment, Gabriel thought that Jessica was going to argue. But then she huffed and drew herself up to her full height.

  “All right. I’ll go. I’ll be back in a few days when you’ve calmed down.” She lifted her chin defiantly at Gabriel. “I still want to talk.”

  Gabriel didn’t respond. He simply turned his back on her, concentrating on the rose bush. There was no need to give Jessica what she wanted and look at her as she left. She would want him pining for her, wishing that he could swallow his pride again. Gabriel had swallowed his pride a long time ago when he’d realised he was going to be out on his own. He had also counted his blessings that he was allowed to live on the estate, but as far away from the main house as possible.

  If he was honest, the place wasn’t too bad once the mould had been scrubbed away and the cobwebs had been cleaned off the furniture. It was just Gabriel and his valet - that was it - so just one living room, a kitchen and two small bedrooms was enough.

  Their garden was surprisingly spacious, once it was cleared up properly, and they were right on the edge of the countryside. The view just beyond the fence was spectacular. Gabriel had come to appreciate such a wonderful view when he woke up in the morning.

  He still wished he was back in his father’s home. The place he had been born in; had grown up in. That was his home, not this cottage. But Gabriel knew he had done too many bad things, and this was the punishment he had to accept.

  If this would, and if he would be accepted back into the family, he highly doubted. His father had made it clear that he had done far too much for anyone to forgive him. His mother had been horrified by witnessing Gabriel in bed with Jessica, calling both of them several names Gabriel had never thought she would know. The only one who even spoke to him now was his younger brother, now the heir to the title of viscount. It was like his parents had tried to wipe him out of their lives, refusing to help pay his debts and his finance his hefty lifestyle.

  All he had been given was a hunk of money as he was leaving, with them saying that was all he would get from them and he would be wise to spend the money on what he needed, not on what he wanted. It had been so tempting to go out and gamble it all away, but Allen had managed to persuade him not to. The man was a steady influence on Gabriel, for the most part.

  At least he wasn’t alone. But Gabriel wished he was back with his family. He wanted to go back to how things were, without the debt problems. But he doubted that would ever happen.

  He missed his parents. Not that Gabriel would admit it.

  “Mr. Gabriel?”

  Gabriel turned. Allen had come back and he hadn’t even noticed. Gabriel then noticed he had snagged his thumb on a thorn and it was bleeding.

  “Allen.” He sucked his thumb with a wince. “Did you get Miss Gibson back to her chaperone?”

  “I did. The young lady was frantic on the main road trying to find her.” Allen frowned. “Did she slip away again?”

  “Miss Gibson is very good at that. She is…” Gabriel tried to find the words, but couldn’t. “She’s something.”

  A slight smile twitched at the older man’s mouth.

  “I won’t argue with that, sir.”

  At least he had a loyal manservant. Allen had been in Viscount Tattershall’s employ since before Gabriel was born as a boot boy. He had worked his way up and now he was Gabriel’s personal valet of three years. Gabriel valued the man more than he realised, especially after a few weeks living with just Allen at the cottage.

  He was never lonely with his servant, who he was nowconsidering more of a friend than anything else. If he had to live out his days here with just Allen for company, Gabriel could handle that.

  “I’m going to have to have a word with her parents about her behaviour.” Gabriel moved towards the table nearby, fishing his handkerchief out of his pocket. His thumb would not stop bleeding. “She can’t keep doing this, and I won’t be accused of leading her on any further.”

  “They don’t want you on their premises, Mr. Gabriel.” Allen pointed out. “Mr. Gibson has threatened to castrate you if you went near his daughter.”

  “What if his daughter comes near me? I won’t be seen as the bad one here. Not this time.” Gabriel frowned at him. “Anyway, what’s wrong with you? You were breathless and red-faced when you came back earlier.”

  “I’ve just heard some news. It’s all over the village now. Probably all over Ipswich by the evening.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Thomas Montgomery.” Allen’s eyes were bright now. “He’s dead.”

  Gabriel froze. Thomas Montgomery wa
s dead? He could hardly believe it.

  “What?”

  “He was found dead in his bed this morning. Ice cold.”

  Gabriel felt the ground tilt and he reached out for the chair, sagging onto it heavily. Thomas was gone. The owner of Montgomery Hall was a close friend. Even after Gabriel had been forced to stop going to the gambling hall due to lack of funds, Thomas still kept in touch. They spent a lot of time sitting in the cottage just talking and swapping stories.

  He was a supporter of Gabriel, even though he had lost a frequent customer. He was a good man, and he had been suffering from some health problems lately. After the influenza epidemic two years before, Thomas Montgomery had been struggling a little with his breathing. His physician had warned him to take it easy.

  But he was dead? Gabriel couldn’t get that to sink in. It felt like a void had opened up and he was flailing. His friend was gone, and Gabriel was feeling cold.

  “Mr. Gabriel?”

  Gabriel looked up. Allen had been watching him closely with a worried expression. Gabriel blinked and rubbed at his eyes. God, that news had hit him hard.

  “Will you send a message to Mr. Gibson that I want to see him tomorrow after he’s finished work? You know the place I prefer.”

  “Of course.”

  Gabriel was going to get his things in order. Thomas had told him that he should have done that a long time ago. Maybe now he would take the old man’s advice.

  #

  Cassandra could feel the atmosphere building as she and Alice entered the house. She had been looking forward to getting home and telling her father all about the holiday she and her aunt hadspent on the Norfolk coast. It was just the tonic the two of them needed. After both women had fallen unwell with pneumonia, Ernest Seton had told them to head up to Hunstanton to recover and take time for themselves. Cassandra had complained about leaving when her father needed her at the gambling house, but Ernest had been insistent.

  Now Cassandra was glad she had gone. It had been a little over two weeks of recovering in the lovely weather with the smell of the salty sea in their nostrils. Aunt Alice had certainly improved immensely. Cassandra felt like she could breathe properly for the first time in over a month.

  A break was just what they had needed. Cassandra was ready to get back into helping out at Seton Hall. Her father could take care of things, but Cassandra didn’t want to be kept out of the loop. She loved helping out, putting her own touch on things. It had certainly made sure they were successful in their own right.

  Cassandra loved going to Hunstanton, but she was glad to be back in Ipswich.

  But the atmosphere was odd. The servants were somewhat subdued, barely smiling as Cassandra greeted them. Now Cassandra was scared. Was something wrong with her father? Had Ernest taken ill himself? His health hadn’t been the best lately, which had made Cassandra fuss over him. Was he unwell?

  Leaving the servants to take her bags upstairs with Alice supervising, Cassandra hurried to her father’s study. Ernest Seton was there, sitting in his favourite chair by the fire, staring into the flames. He was alive, but he wasn’t his usual self. There was a tinge of sadness around him.

  “Father?”

  Ernest looked up. He blinked and straightened up when he saw her.

  “Cassie. I didn’t realise you had returned.”

  “We’ve just walked through the door.” Cassandra hurried to him, pressing a kiss to his iron-grey head before kneeling and taking his hand. “The servants were very quiet. What’s happened? You’re not getting worse, are you?”

  “No, it’s not me.” Ernest rubbed his free hand over his face with a heavy sigh. “I’ve had some bad news today and I’m still coming to terms with it.”

  “Bad news?” Cassandra nudged his knee. “Please, Father, talk to me. You’re scaring me.”

  “Thomas Montgomery is dead.”

  Cassandra gasped. Old Man Montgomery was dead? She had never expected that. He had been unwell, but the man had the strength of an ox. He couldn’t be dead.

  “When?”

  “Died in his sleep last night. The poor maid who was bringing his breakfast found him.”

  Cassandra’s heart ached for the girl who had found the body. That wasn’t something anyone should have to find. She swallowed back the hard lump building in her throat.

  “I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised. He has been unwell for some time.”

  “But he was barely sixty,” Ernest protested. He pulled his hand away from his daughter. “I know he wasn’t the best when it came to looking after himself, but he had plenty of life left in him. So many years. And now…”

  He broke off, and Cassandra was sure that the sound that came out of his mouth was a sob.

  “Father?”

  It took a moment for Ernest to recover. He rubbed a hand over his face, his hand trembling.

  “Forgive me, Cassie. I was going all morbid. Just losing a friend…”

  “It’s fine, Father.” Cassandra reached for his hand again. “You know you can always talk to me.”

  Especially now Ernest didn’t have Thomas to talk to. Even though they were rivals and had gambling halls that were in competition, they were friends. Thomas always took the time to come over once a week to play cards with Ernest and have dinner. He made Cassandra laugh.

  It was a strange relationship they had with someone who had initially tried to put them out of business when Cassandra was a little girl, but Thomas had shown himself to be a good businessman who looked after everyone, even those who were supposed to be rivals. It was hard not to like him or his son Norman.

  Norman. Cassandra wondered how he was coping with all this. He loved his father, but he spent almost all his time in Great Yarmouth. Had he heard about this yet?

  “I suppose Thomas’ death is making me think of my own mortality,” Ernest went on. “People around me are dropping like flies. Your mother dies, then my parents, and now Thomas. I’m just beginning to think what will happen to me if I end up succumbing.”

  “Don’t talk like that,” Cassandra pleaded. “You’re not going anywhere.”

  She was still suffering from losing her mother and her grandparents in the space of two months. They had all suffered in the influenza outbreak. It had made Cassandra feel lost. Very lost. It was only recently that Cassandra had managed to find a better footing.

  “How do we know that?” Ernest shot back. “Death doesn’t discriminate, Cassie. And I know I’ll be nearer the top of the list.”

  That just made Cassandra feel cold. She huffed and rose to her feet.

  “Would you stop it? You’ve got so much more life left in you. You’ll be here when you’re nearly a hundred, I know it.”

  “A hundred?” Ernest grunted. “You’re very optimistic.”

  “I have to be. Who’s going to keep me in line if you’re not around?”

  Ernest stared at her. Then he threw back his head and laughed, just as Cassandra wanted him to. She knew how much her father was suffering from losing a friend, but having him talk so openly about his numbered days wasn’t going to do either of them any good.

  “When have I ever kept you in line?” Ernest rose to his feet, pressing a kiss to Cassandra’s forehead. “Anyway, I’m sure you’ll be able to manage. You’ll have Aunt Alice with you, and I know you’re strong enough to take care of things. Hopefully, by the time I pass you’ll be married and I won’t have to worry about you so much.”