The Second Season (Regency Romance)

by Heather Chapman

  “Ah, Lucy, I am so pleased to see you enjoying a moment of reverie.”

  Lucy’s eyes shot open, surprised at the sound of Mrs. Jasper’s voice.

  “Mrs. Jasper, I had not seen you. Please forgive me,” Lucy said, straightening her gown.

  Mrs. Jasper smiled, revealing her jagged teeth. “Oh, think nothing of it. We neighbors must always make special allowances for one another.” She paused, hacking a loud cough into her handkerchief. “We have always, after all, been the greatest of friends, yes?”

  Lucy nodded uncomfortably. “Why of course, Mrs. Jasper, the greatest of friends.”

  Mrs. Jasper began hacking again. “You must excuse me. The London air has never agreed with my disposition. I am afraid I should not have come tonight, especially without my Charles to accompany me.”

  “Charles is not with you?” Lucy asked, her brow furrowed. Mrs. Jasper seldom did anything without her son. In fact, Lucy could not even remember one time her neighbor had attended any public function without Charles.

  Mrs. Jasper closed her eyes and shook her head spastically. “This is not the place for Charles. He would never fit in such a circle.”

  Lucy bit her lip, fearing her repulsion for Charles might betray her to the mother. “Then you are quite alone?”

  Mrs. Jasper coughed once more. “Yes, my dear. Perhaps you would be so kind as to escort me to my carriage? I do not think I can manage the stairs without support.”

  Lucy glanced toward the ballroom. Mr. Frandsen was conversing with another gentleman. Lucy felt her spirits fall. “I would be happy to assist you,” she lied, standing up and offering her small arm to the round woman.

  “Oh, thank you. You have no idea the trouble I’ve been dealing with. I knew I could count on you to help,” Mrs. Jasper said with a crooked smile.

  Lucy only nodded, confused at the woman’s forced politeness. Mrs. Jasper was never one to offer kind words unless there was something she wanted in return. Lucy hoped Mrs. Jasper’s polite efforts were made only out of gratitude and not in an attempt to reconcile Lucy and Charles. It would never happen, Lucy determined. She would not ever speak to Charles Jasper again, if she could help it.

  The odd pair made their way down the stone steps carefully. Lucy could not help her staring at Mrs. Jasper. The woman seemed to miraculously improve, not even stopping to cough once. Even more surprising was the fact that Mrs. Jasper seemed to lean on Lucy’s arm less with each step. Lucy thought she saw the hint of a smile spread across Mrs. Jasper’s pointed features as the two stepped toward the carriage. Lucy felt an uneasiness begin to rise in her chest. She glanced around the dark street nervously. Dark carriages lined the cobblestone street, and the only sound she heard was the quiet breathings of horses.

  “Do you think you can manage from here, Mrs. Jasper?” Lucy asked, taking a step backward. “It is very cold tonight, and I seemed to have forgotten my cloak.”

  Mrs. Jasper clutched Lucy’s arm tighter, pulling her forward quite forcefully. “Just a few steps more, darling girl.”

  Lucy felt her pulse quicken and her mind race, and she saw the outline of a dark figure emerge from the opposite side of the steps. She dared not turn her head to look closer, fearing it might indeed be Charles. The street began spinning around in her head. Run, she commanded her body. Run! Yet, to her surprise, nothing happened. She could not even open her mouth to scream. Panic had set in, and before she knew it, Mrs. Jasper and Charles had lifted her into the carriage.

  They rode in silence for some time. Lucy was wedged between the mother and son, each of them holding one of her arms tightly.

  “Where are you taking me?” Lucy finally asked, shaking.

  Mrs. Jasper pulled back the carriage flap, glancing out in the dark. “Not much farther,” she mumbled to herself. Lucy waited for a more pointed reply, but found neither Charles nor his mother intended to address her, at least not yet.

  As the carriage continued, Lucy was sure she was not near anything familiar. The odors of the street had become fouler, the lanterns dimmer. At last, Mrs. Jasper scratched her chin, an animated smile appearing. She raised her voice to the driver. “You may pull off here, Mr. Worsley. And if you would be so kind as to go for a small walk, we’d be much obliged. This should only take a few moments.”

  “Aye, my lady,” the driver answered, dismounting the carriage.

  Mrs. Jasper laughed to herself, as she moved across the carriage so she could face Lucy. “I must thank you for obliging me so. I have arranged this meeting so that you might reconsider your answer to my dear Charles. Charles?” She said, turning to the son.

  Lucy had not heard a word from Charles. Now that the carriage had stopped, his grip on her arm had loosened, and he allowed Lucy to scoot a few inches away from his side. She dared to look up at him.

  Charles was swallowing breaths at an alarming rate, his face redder than Lucy had ever seen it. Unlike his mother, Charles lacked her excited posture and looked almost as frightened as Lucy.

  “Yes, Charles, what do you have to say to me?” Lucy asked impulsively, summoning all the courage she had. She would not allow him the ease of having his mother answer for everything. If Lucy was going to be ruined, she wanted Charles to admit his part in it.

  At the sound of her voice, Charles seemed to soften. His face fell, and he let out a small sigh. “Miss Lucy, I do not want to hurt you. Please spare you and me the pain. Accept my proposal, and be my wife.” His voice was even higher pitched than normal.

  Lucy gritted her teeth. “And what will you do if I refuse?”

  Charles looked toward his mother.

  Mrs. Jasper clapped her hands together, squealing. She pointed out the window at the small and dirty structure. “You see, my dear, we are at the entrance of a most despicable inn. We only have to check you and Charles in for the night. I have it on good authority that this is the inn that all the gentlemen of rank go when they do not wish to be discovered. But then again, no lady of any standing would ever be caught dead in such a place. And with a young man, unaccompanied? And for the whole of the night?” Mrs. Jasper’s eyes widened as she shook her head reproachfully. “The idea! It is quite enough to ruin a duchess, let alone the daughter of a simple baron.”

  Lucy’s eyes began to fill with tears. Never had she thought the Jaspers, her own neighbors, capable of such cruelty and shamefulness.

  Charles turned and without looking down at her, asked more firmly, “Well, Lucy? Will you have me?”

  Lucy shook her head to herself, clasping her hands together. “It sounds as if I have no choice, Mr. Jasper.”

  Mrs. Jasper began laughing hysterically. “That is the point, yes, but we must hear it from your lips.”

  The idea of being scandalized was so horrific for Lucy for she had always cared so much what others thought of her. She knew such a turn of events would ruin her chances entirely of making a good match, but the idea of marrying Charles Jasper did not seem any more promising.

  A sudden tap at the carriage door interrupted Lucy’s thoughts. Mrs. Jasper held her arms out, commanding Lucy and Charles to stay silent. Mrs. Jasper peeked out the carriage flap.

  The old woman giggled softly. “ ‘Tis only the driver.” She opened the door a crack. “We are almost finished, sir. If you would be so good as to give us just a few more minutes—”

  “I think not,” the driver said, pulling back the door and removing his hat.

  To Lucy’s surprise, there stood Lord Searly with Mr. Clark a step behind.

  Lucy shook as the tears poured out. “Lord Searly! Mr. Clark!” She flung herself toward the duke. “But how did you—?”

  Lord Searly caught her in his arms, pulling her out of the carriage and handing her off to Mr. Clark. Mr. Clark grasped her shaking hand, pulling it into his arm.

  “Never mind all that, Lucy,” Lord Searly said, still staring into the carriage. “We can address that some other time. At present, I want to speak to these people.” He paused, waiting for a respo
nse from Charles or Mrs. Jasper.

  Lucy watched in horror as Mrs. Jasper perked up, offering a small giggle. “My lord, there seems to be some mistake.”

  Charles dabbed at his forehead. “Yes, of course, Your Grace, nothing amiss here.” He laughed, though his voice shook and his face began sweating even more profusely.

  “Is that so?” Lord Searly asked the pair, tapping his finger against his chin. “For Mr. Clark and I heard much darker threats than what is customary for a friendly reunion. Tell me, Mr. Clark, do you often hear young ladies being threatened with ruin if they do not accept a proposal of marriage?”

  Lucy looked up at Mr. Clark, her hand still in his arm. He shook his head and answered in a deep voice. “Certainly not, Lord Searly.”

  Mrs. Jasper began laughing hysterically. She swatted a hand at Lord Searly’s lapel. “Oh, dear,” she said, breathing heavily between laughs. “It seems you have it all wrong, my dear duke.” She grabbed at her side, as if the laughing was causing her pain. “What a joke we have played!”

  Lord Searly’s expression remained serious.

  “Oh come, Your Grace. You must see the humor in all this,” Mrs. Jasper was saying, her face reddening more with each moment that passed. The woman was clasping her hands together so tightly that Lucy could see some of her fingers turning a deep shade of purple.

  Mr. Clark cleared his throat loudly.

  Lord Searly turned and nodded at Mr. Clark. He looked back to the Jaspers. “Enough,” he hissed. “It does not take much to see what you are after; you are a scheming woman and your son is reprehensible. Miss Lucy would have been better off ruined than forged with the likes of Charles Jasper and his mother.”

  Mrs. Jasper and Charles fell silent. Lucy had never seen Mrs. Jasper looking so ill. The distress upon being discovered had caused the woman to sweat at her hairline, sending small frizzed curls in a fan around the old woman’s face. Her powder and blush were now running down the sides of her cheeks, and her raspy cough had returned.

  Charles looked no better. His shoulders were hunched over his belly, his face sunk into his chest. His hair was completely soaked, and slobbery drool pooled down one side of his chin. For once his face was pale, instead of its usual shade of red, and his protruding teeth rested on his bottom lip, completely covering it.

  Lord Searly sighed. “With Mr. Clark and myself as witnesses, the pair of you should be sent off to the gallows for kidnapping this woman.” He stopped, shaking his head and stretching his arms out. “But I might be inclined to keep silent about this whole affair, if—”

  “If what, my lord?” Mrs. Jasper asked in a desperate tone. Lucy was glad to see the old woman honest at last.

  “If you never come near this young lady or her family again. Mr. Clark and I will, of course, take precautions. We will each make written statements that will be collected by my lawyers and put away for safekeeping. If I hear a word about you harassing this family again, or if I see you, you will be ruined, my dear Mrs. Jasper. Every column of every paper will declare your misdeeds. I swear it.” He took a deep breath, and with the hint of a smile, he added, “And as a word of caution, do not ever get into a carriage without checking your driver. Fortunately, I had your Mr. Worsley follow in my carriage. He will now escort you home in yours.”

  With that, Lucy watched as Lord Searly slammed the carriage door shut.

  A

  When Caroline had received the note to return home immediately, she had not expected to find Lord Searly and Mr. Clark in the sitting room with her mother, father, and Lucy. By the looks of things, Lord Searly and Mr. Clark had only just arrived. Mr. Clark’s nose was still pink from the cold, and Lord Searly was rubbing his hands together, as if to rub out the chill. Caroline immediately detected a look of alarm on everyone’s faces.

  “I came as quickly as I could. What happened?” Caroline asked, looking from face to face.

  Lucy’s shoulders caved as she ran toward Caroline. “Oh, it was absolutely horrible, Caroline! If it wasn’t for Lord Searly and Mr. Clark, I am afraid I would be ruined!” She was speaking much too quickly and she had to stop to catch her breath.

  Lady Hopkins stood from her chair, shaking her head. “Mrs. Jasper, our neighbor and friend of so many years, lured Lucy into her carriage by taking advantage of her sympathy, only to threaten her with ruin if she did not accept Charles’s offer of marriage.”

  Caroline startled, clutching her sister’s hand tightly. “You are not serious?” she asked, though she could see the answer in each of the faces staring back at her.

  Lady Hopkins’s eyes were filled with tears. “Oh, Caroline, nothing could be more true. If it wasn’t for the way in which Lord Searly,” she paused, turned, and reached for the duke’s hand, “intervened, I am afraid our Lucy would have either been ruined or forced to endure the most horrific of marriages imaginable.”

  Lord Searly shook his head. “Your mother exaggerates my role, Caroline.”

  Lucy’s hand flew to her chest. “She most certainly does nothing of the sort, Lord Searly! Why, to see the way you spoke to them, put them in their place.” She turned to Caroline. “He was brilliant. He came to my rescue just as I was beginning to lose all hope.”

  Lord Searly’s eyes were fixed on Caroline, and she could not help but feel the whole room was watching the pair. He smiled, pulling back his shoulders. “I admit my involvement, though I must not take all the credit. Mr. Clark was the one to first inform me of the scheme.”

  Caroline turned her head toward Mr. Clark, who stood seemingly forgotten behind Lord Hopkins. “Is it true, Mr. Clark?”

  Mr. Clark shrugged. “I am only grateful Miss Hopkins has been spared such humiliation.”

  Lord Hopkins nodded. “Yes, as we are all, Mr. Clark. I cannot tell you both how indebted we are to you. The thought of the Jaspers threatening my girl …” Caroline’s father’s face was red, as he shook his head back and forth. His fists were clenched, and Caroline saw he was struggling to maintain his composure. Lord Hopkins was seldom angry and certainly not like this.

  Lucy’s shoulders began to tremble as she let out a small cough.

  Caroline looked at her sister in concern. Her mother must have sensed Lucy’s affected state as well for Lady Hopkins announced, “Gentlemen, we are most grateful, but I am afraid I must retire and care for Lucy. She has been through quite the ordeal tonight.”

  Lucy did not protest in the least, caving into her mother’s outstretched arm. Together they left, Lucy bursting to tears as they reached the stairs.

  Mr. Clark was the next to leave, offering a small bow to Caroline. Lord Hopkins escorted him to the door, leaving Caroline alone to face the duke.

  Caroline took a seat on the sofa, her hands running across the soft velvet fabric. She had not been able to meet Lord Searly’s eyes for a while, sensing his ardent and penetrating glances at her. She fidgeted with the fringe on one of the throw pillows. “Lord Searly, you must know how grateful I am for the service you have provided my family, and especially, Lucy. I could not bear to see her so unhappy.”

  The duke came to her side, knelt beside her, and grasped her hand. He stared up into her eyes. Caroline blushed, her eyes darting back to the pillow in her hand.

  “You must know I did it for you, Caroline. Of course I care for your sister’s happiness, but it was with you in mind that I intervened without a second thought.” Lord Searly tugged at her hand as if to gain her gaze once more. Caroline nervously glanced back at him. “Please tell me you are still considering my offer?”

  Caroline slowly pulled her hand back to her lap and smiled softly. “Of course I am considering your offer, Lord Searly.”

  A

  Thomas stood in front of the window, glancing at the pair. He felt as if he did not even exist, watching as Lord Searly knelt beside Caroline. Thomas leaned against the street lamp, shaking his head wearily at what was inevitably to come. He contemplated how long it would be until he heard of the engagement between Lord Searly a
nd Caroline, especially after the events of the night. It seemed certain to him now, but try as he might, he could not escape a sinking, miserable feeling.

  A

  CHAPTER 27

  Ten Years Earlier

  Six-year-old John was sitting on his father’s lap. His face was soiled from playing in the gardens, and his newly pressed white shirt had streaks of mud across the front, but the boy seemed determined to learn to fold his father’s cravat. Lord Hopkins had spent the last hour in amusement as he attempted to teach his son the gentlemanly art. He laughed out loud at John’s most recent attempt.

  “My little sir, you have done it all wrong! I shall never be admitted to tea in such a condition. Are you trying to discourage my chances of gaining your mother’s favor, Johnny?”

  John smiled at his father, revealing a small tooth that wiggled against his tongue.

  “I suppose you are growing up. We must call you Lord John soon.”

  Lady Hopkins entered the library, carrying a book of accounts. She tossed the book down, her hands flying to her hips. “Phillip, your cravat is monstrous. Tea is in a quarter of an hour. And, I will not have you coddling the boy. I thought you knew my feelings on the matter. He is to be the heir, and he must learn as early as possible the truth of his responsibilities. John, come, let’s get you cleaned up.”

  John obediently followed his mother, offering an attempted wink at his father. Lord Hopkins pressed a finger to his lips, his eyes shining with pride. He then opened the account book in front of him. The accounts had just been balanced, and he found he smeared a few of the newly inked numbers in finding the recent page. His accountant had been at work, and as was customary, Lady Hopkins had looked everything over prior to him.