The orchestra was now set up in the gallery where they had just been seated and the leader counted them in with his bow to a lively tune. Those with dance partners began to pair up in the middle of the floor while those without moved to the edges of the room. Maryanne was among those without a partner for this first dance. She watched as her friends danced, their happiness written all over their faces. How easy it had been for all of them to forget.
“Would you like to join them?” Freddie said, handing her a glass of punch. “Or are you too old and world-weary to wish to do so?”
“You are dreadful,” Maryanne told him. She took a sip and almost spat it straight back out. “Goodness, whatever has he put in there?”
“Gin, I believe,” Freddie said, taking a sip of his own drink. “Hmm, it is rather strong. There will be many an outraged mother here tonight.” He winked at her.
Maryanne sighed, but she couldn’t help smiling. “You are incorrigible,” she said. “It is no wonder you are friends with Prinny. You are both reprobates.”
“You should not say such a thing about a man not in his own house,” a booming voice said.
Much to Maryanne’s chagrin, the rotund figure of Prinny appeared from behind Freddie. He was beaming and he took her hand before kissing it gallantly. “I am so very sorry, Your Royal Highness,” she said, feeling mortified.
“Oh don’t be,” Prinny said, clearly amused by her comparison. “I rather like having my name linked to this one.” He slapped Freddie on the back affectionately. “He’s one of the best men I know. And I’ve always rather liked the idea of everyone thinking me a dashing rake.”
“Sir, I am...”
“No, no. I mean it,” Prinny assured Maryanne. “I am just glad that we have the pleasure of your company.”
He moved away from them, and Maryanne turned to the wall, to hide her blushes. “I cannot believe I could say such a thing and for him to hear it,” she wailed.
Freddie chuckled. “He truly was flattered, so don’t be so hard on yourself,” he said. “Now, this is another of those things that is not your fault, nor is there any fault to be claimed, as far as I can see. So, I suggest we put down the punch before the gin makes you say anything else you regret, and we go to dance.”
“I cannot, Freddie. The next reel is promised to James Heelis,” Maryanne said, genuinely sorry. It would have been nice to have a dance with Freddie, but, as he had not claimed his spot on her card, she had no spaces free except the one they had just missed.
“Have you not checked your card?” Freddie enquired, taking her glass and putting it down along with his upon a nearby table. “I am fairly certain that you will find that my name is down for this reel.”
Giving him a puzzled look, Maryanne looked at her card. She knew he had not been in the throng and, unless he was a magician, there was no way he could have gotten his name upon her card. Yet, when she looked, his name was listed against every single dance. “However did you do that?” she gasped.
“Well, with a little forward planning and a large number of bribes,” Freddie said, as though it was nothing to have gotten other men to put his name down upon her card.
“I cannot dance with you all night. People will talk,” she protested.
“Let them,” Freddie said nonchalantly. “I am fairly certain that my reputation can bear the scandal.”
“Mine cannot,” she said, aghast that he could even joke about such a thing. “I am a respectable woman, even after the debacle with Mr Callender, there is no way I can dance all night with you. It would ruin me.”
“What if it wouldn’t? What if dancing with me all night could perhaps make your reputation?”
“What as? A scarlet woman?”
“Well, you chose the red gown, I cannot take credit for that,” Freddie teased, “but, in all seriousness. Wouldn’t you like to be known as the woman that tamed Frederick Kerslake, Duke of Cumbria? The one woman beautiful enough, witty enough, clever enough to make him give up his rakish ways and settle down to marriage?”
“No, I would not,” she exclaimed, “because everything you just said is nonsense. We don’t even like each other and I could certainly never trust you. So, what on earth makes you think that I would ever agree to marry you?”
“Because you love me,” Freddie said simply, “and I love you. I always have, even if I tried to deny it to myself for far too long.”
“But...” Maryanne did not know what to say. How did you respond to that? When a man looked at you with eyes full of hope. and love. Those eyes which belonged to the man who stole your heart before you were even old enough to realize it had happened.
“Maryanne, dear, wonderful Maryanne. I am sorry. I was an idiot. But, in truth, I know of no nineteen-year-old boy that isn’t.”
“I don’t understand...”
“Whilst you were in Switzerland, there were rumors swirling everywhere I turned,” Freddie admitted. “People talked of your being affianced, that you would never return. You hadn’t written to me in weeks, months, and I suppose I presumed the very worst. By the time you returned, I was angry and had started out along a path I did not know how to return from. I convinced myself I was happy and that my life was better that way, but these past few weeks have changed everything. I never thought you would forgive me. I never thought we could even be friends. Yet, here we are.”
“You believed gossip rather than asking me the truth?” Maryanne clarified.
He nodded. “I was an utter fool, I know it. I knew it then, but it hurt so much to even think of you with another man. I couldn’t bear the thought of you telling me it was true,” Freddie admitted, utterly unafraid to bare his soul.
Maryanne couldn’t help but wonder where this had all come from, but it made sense in a perverse and ridiculous manner. Freddie had always been stubborn. Once he had set out on his path, it would have been so hard for him to retreat. That he was doing so now seemed almost unreal. Maryanne pinched her arm fiercely. “Ow,” she exclaimed.
“Why ever would you do that?” Freddie asked, reaching to take her arm and audaciously pressing a kiss to the red marks left upon her pale skin.
“Because this has to be a dream? I cannot possibly be happening,” she said.
“Is it a good dream?”
She looked into his eyes, and felt his love and passion flooding over her, overwhelming her. She nodded, suddenly unable to speak.
“Can I dare to hope?” he begged.
She nodded again. “Oh, Freddie,” she sighed. “I came home, and all I had longed for was to see you. I missed you so dreadfully, but I didn’t write, because I didn’t know what to say. My life was so dreadfully dull and I had nothing to tell you. I didn’t want to bore you with the ward rounds and enforced time spent in the fresh air, out on the terrace, whatever the weather. I was so sure you would have found someone else.”
“So, we were both fools,” Freddie said tenderly, moving closer and taking her hands. “Shall we stop being fools?”
“I think we should,” Maryanne said. “We have been that way for too long.”
“So, you will marry me?”
“I will,” she said and did not care what everyone present might say when he swept her into his arms and kissed her passionately. “I have no choice now, do I?” she whispered in his ear as he finally set her back on her feet.
“No, I suppose you don’t,” Freddie said, looking for all the world like a cat that got into the dairy and feasted on all the cream.
Epilogue
The church bells rang out over the village. Maryanne glanced up the hill to where Elmesley sat then to her own childhood home a little further along the valley. Papa offered her his hand, and she descended from the carriage. “I always hoped this day might come,” he said, a tear in his eye.
“I always feared it would not,” Maryanne said. “I was so sure that he would find someone more interesting, prettier, and more ladylike than me. I never thought I was good enough for him.”
“
Oh, my darling girl, however, did your mother and I raise you to think so little of yourself? It is Freddie who is blessed to be chosen by you. You have always been the most exceptional young woman.”
He offered her his arm proudly, and they walked through the lychgate and into the churchyard. The grass had recently been cut and there was a fresh smell of mown grass. Maryanne smiled at the daffodils that peered out at her from under the trees. “He truly has changed, hasn’t he?” she asked her father.
“No,” Papa said. “He’s become himself again. The bit between, none of that was the Freddie we knew. He’s just found out who he always was because of you.”
The organ began to sound the wedding march as they entered the side door of the church. The congregation stood. She and Papa made their way slowly down the aisle to where Freddie stood with Harry by his side.
“Who gives this bride to this groom?” the vicar asked.
“I do,” Papa said proudly as he raised Maryanne’s veil and kissed her cheek tenderly. Turning to Freddie, he shook his hand before he put Maryanne’s hand in Freddie’s then took his seat.
Freddie looked perfect. His tall frame filled out his perfectly tailored coat well and his pristine white breeches accentuated his muscular legs. Maryanne knew that there were many women who would be happy to be stood where she was today, many hearts that Freddie had broken over the years. But, she trusted him when he said that he was no longer that man. He had pledged his love to her and he had insisted that they marry, something he had never considered with any other woman.
Freddie had hurt her terribly before, but as he spoke his vows clearly and proudly, Maryanne knew that he would never do that to her again. His eyes sparkled with love as she spoke hers in return and it seemed that no time at all had passed when the minister announced that they were now man and wife. Unable to contain himself, Freddie picked her up and whirled her around before bringing her gently down to her feet. He bent his head ever so slowly and kissed her on the lips.
The kiss was sweet and soft, his lips pliant and yielding. Maryanne felt herself melt into him, and parted her own lips at the gentle caress of his tongue. He smiled at her and gave her a smoldering look that told her that their wedding night would be a night to remember as they turned to face their guests.
Prinny was cheering, Mama had tears in her eyes, and everyone was standing on their feet applauding them. Weddings were usually such somber affairs with the protocols rigidly followed. In a way, Maryanne was glad that their wedding was not such a dull and dowdy event. After all, she had married a peacock and he deserved to be able to crow.
“I have a little surprise arranged,” Freddie whispered. “I do hope you will like it.”
They walked down the aisle, accepting the congratulations and affections of everyone present, out of the church, and across the street to the village green. A maypole stood erected at the very centre, and the same young girls and the troubadours from Prinny’s ball began to dance. Maryanne laughed. “It is perfect,” she said happily. “Absolutely perfect. We will make our own luck, and our own rules.”
“You worked that out quickly,” Freddie said, admiration in his voice. “I knew you would. My clever, wonderful woman. I love you, I always have, and I always shall. Whatever the month may be, you will always be my Queen of the May.”
THE END
About Kelly Anne Bruce
Kelly Anne Bruce has enjoyed reading about the Regency period since her teen years. Intrigued by the society mindset, the elaborate dress, and the lovely parties, she couldn’t get enough. The people of the era are fascinating! And then there’s the romance. With the fancy dresses, dashing men of royalty, and the lavish social events romance absolutely has to be part of the picture.
Writing sweet and clean romance started as a hobby and has since become Kelly Anne’s passion. Life as an author has been an adventure and Kelly Anne always believes the best is yet to come.
Kelly Anne is an American, married to an English man who thinks her love of the Regency period is all about him. She hopes you won’t let that cat out of the bag.
If you’re interested in a free book from Kelly Anne, find out how to get it here:
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Secluded with My Hellion
Linked Across Time
Book Ten
By Dawn Brower
Prologue
SNOWFLAKES FLUTTERED to the ground, swirling together to make a white wall in the wind. Lady Odessa Lynwood stared out the window, watching as the lawn around Kingsbridge Castle became blanketed underneath of them. She wanted to go out and play, but her mother had forbid her from doing so. Killian and his friend, Gavin, were still out there somewhere. Ire furrowed inside of her. It wasn’t fair that she couldn’t enjoy the snowfall but her brother could. Why did things have to be different for boys?
“Mama,” Odessa called across the room. “Why can’t I go outside?” None of the answers the countess had given her made any sense. If it was safe for the boys, it should be for her too. “I want to run in the snow.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” her mother chastised. “Girls do not frolic in the snow.”
Odessa rolled her eyes at her pronouncement. That made things rather clear when her previous answers had not. It wasn’t about her safety at all. Her society-driven mother was concerned about propriety. Well, Odessa was almost ten and six. That, in her opinion, was old enough to take a walk in the cold snowy climate. Killian and Gavin were four years older than her. She didn’t see any reason not to take advantage of it. The hard part was distracting her mother long enough to escape.
“May I be excused?” Odessa asked.
“No,” her mother replied. “If I let you out of my sight, you’ll sneak out and try to find your brother.”
Odessa narrowed her eyes and glared at her mother. She was the most unreasonable person in all of England. That, and she must be able to read Odessa’s mind. Of course, she was going to go outside at the first opportunity. Finding Killian was also at the top of her list, but mostly she wanted to see Gavin. He didn’t know it yet, but one day she planned on marrying him.
“I’d never disobey you,” she said and crossed her fingers behind her back. “I intend to retrieve a book from the library. It will help me keep my mind off the snowfall.”
Books—ugh. Not one of them in the library’s collection was worth reading more than once. She should know as she’d already been through most of them. Was it too much to ask for a book with adventure, excitement, and a happy ending? She’d do almost anything to find a tome that displayed all three of those elements. Unfortunately, her mother didn’t see the need to expand their current selection. Killian was the earl now. Perhaps she could sweet talk him into buying her some new reading material.
Her mother sighed. “Very well,” she agreed. “But don’t tarry long. If you force me to come looking for you, I promise you’ll regret it.”
No doubt she would, but it would be worth it. She nearly skipped out of the room, heading toward her bedchamber. Reading could wait until later when she was locked in her room without her dinner. She was well versed in her mother’s forms of punishment, which was why she kept a book in her room at all times. Her stubborn streak ran wild, and she often found herself in the midst of some sort of reprimand. It paid to always be prepared...
She slid into her room and opened her armoire, then snatched her winter cloak. It was in pristine condition because her mother rarely allowed her outside in inclement weather, but Odessa loved the wrap’s velvety softness. It was dark green velvet with white fur trimmed around the hood and in the front. She slid it over her arm and grabbed a warm pair of gloves. Once she was outside, she’d slip both on. It would give her away much faster if she traipsed through the house wearing them.
Odessa opened her door and peered out into the hallway. She took a deep breath and headed for the servant�
��s stairs. If she was lucky, no one would see her, but getting by a servant was easier than encountering her mother. The stairs creaked as she slowly made her way down them. So far so good... At the bottom of the steps, she went to the back of the house and slipped out the garden entrance. No one came to this side of the house in winter, and she was now free and clear to enjoy the snow.
She shivered and realized she still had to put on her winter garments. After donning them, she ran across the back lawn, grinning each step of the way. The cold wind burned her skin, but she loved every moment of it. What should she do now that she’d disobeyed her mother and went outside? What would Killian and Gavin do?
They’d go to the river...
The River Tweed ran near their home, and in the summer, Killian and Gavin often went swimming in it. Something else Odessa wasn’t allowed to do. Sometimes it was awful being female. Now though, it was her chance to defy everything and do what she wanted for a change. When else would she have the opportunity to feel this much exhilaration? Never. One day she’d marry and have children of her own. This was her chance to be free of rules and obligations. An adventure all her own during the Christmastide season.
With the cold wind blowing, would they still go down to the river? Her mother rarely allowed her outside during the winter months, so she wasn’t positive where she might find them. She nibbled on her lips a little bit and contemplated what her next move should be. The river was the only place she knew for sure they went to. It was a good a place to start as any... Decision made, she headed toward the river. Once there, she wasn’t certain what she’d do, but that didn’t matter. Going there and being bold did.
At the top of the hill, near the river’s edge, she threw her arms out and leaned her head back, allowing her hood to fall. Snow trickled over her skin and saturated her hair and clothes. Odessa stuck her tongue out and tasted the cold snowflakes. They hit her mouth and melted immediately on contact. Her giggles echoed through the valley. Never would she feel this much freedom again. When she went inside, her mother wouldn’t let her forget it either.
Unwrapping a Rogue: A Christmas Regency Boxset Page 41