Perfectly Flawed

by Shirley Marks

  Perfectly Flawed

  Gentlemen Of Worth [2]

  Shirley Marks

  Montlake Romance (2011)

  * * *

  Rating: ****

  Tags: Historical Romance, Love Story, Regency Romance, Romance

  Finding a husband proves difficult for Lady Charlotte Worth, second daughter of the Duke of Faraday. Charlotte has every desirable attribute of a young Regency miss making her entrée into society.

  Eligible gentlemen cannot wait for her to make her London debut and arrive at her country house, Faraday Hall. They all speak to her of their undying love and promise a lifetime of devotion. But for Charlotte, who sees the good in everyone, this makes the decision all the more difficult.

  Lady Muriel, the youngest Worth sister, is not convinced by words alone. She plans to put these gentlemen to the test, hoping there is one among them who is worthy of her sister's affection. It will take a true man of quality to look beyond Charlotte's exterior perfection and treasure her for her inner beauty.

  A Gentlemen of Worth Historical Romance

  An Agreeable Arrangement

  Geek to Chic

  His Lordship's Chaperone

  Honeymoon Husband

  Just Like Jack

  Lady Eugenia's Holiday

  Miss Quinn's Quandary

  The Gentlemen of Worth Historical Romance Series:

  The Suitor List

  May 1813. Bloxwich village near Faraday Hall, Essex.

  It is the height of the Season and there are no desirable, eligible gentlemen in Town. I cannot say where they have gone.

  Lady Charlotte Worth recalled her aunt Mary's words from the letter she received just that morning. Charlotte leaned forward to peer out the chintz-draped window of the coach to see a throng congregating at the front door of the local assembly room.

  The crowd of gentlemen, for they were all men with not a lady among them, blocked the entrance. All manner of carriages lined both sides of the main street. Charlotte had never seen so much activity in their little village before.

  Could this be where the gentlemen who were supposed to be in London for the Season had migrated?

  The Faraday-crested coach rolled past the front of the assembly room and turned the corner before coming to a stop. The carriage door opened. Mr. Ogden helped the Duke of Faraday's family disembark.

  Her younger sister Muriel stepped out of the coach first, followed by their aunt, Mrs. Penny Parker. Finally, Charlotte emerged and drew her cloak snugly around her. She thought it odd that they should arrive at the rear of the establishment when they had never done so before.

  "Did you see how many people were out there?" Muriel remarked to no one in particular.

  "That's sure enough a riot at the front portal, ladies. Best you steer clear," Mr. Ogden told them.

  "I think that is the wisest course." Aunt Penny motioned for her nieces to follow her, and they stepped back from the carriage before it pulled away.

  "Don't know why the gents have all flocked to our fair Bloxwich when they might roost in London." Mr. Ogden limped to the door. "It'll be standin' room only tonight, I'm afraid. Half of them will be turned away, for sure. Never saw such a crush as this in all my days!"

  Charlotte noticed the worried expression creasing her aunt's brow and turned to Mr. Ogden. "Why do you suppose there are so many guests this evening?"

  "They all come to meet you, Lady Charlotte." A kind smile brightened his full, round face. He held the door open for the three newly arrived guests. "Somehows they know you've been attendin' the local assembly since a few months back, and all of them want to dance with you, I s'pect."

  "All of them?" Charlotte felt the blood drain from her face. "That's quite impossible." There were not enough dances in one evening to accommodate the men lined up in the street and congregating at the front door.

  "Aunt Mary did say Town was thin of men," Muriel unnecessarily reminded her sister. "I suppose we have discovered their whereabouts."

  "Perhaps we should not go inside," Charlotte suggested. The crowd she'd seen gathering in front of the establishment frightened her.

  "Oh, don't be so hen-hearted, Char-Char," Muriel scolded, pulling her cloak over her shoulders as if readying herself to march into battle.

  "Not all of us can have the courage of the great Roman general Alexander the Great, Moo." Aunt Penny made the appeal by referring to Muriel's admiration of the Roman hero and her fascination of all things Latin.

  "Alexander was Greek, not Roman. Besides, Scipio Africanus had half the army and bested him at the Battle of Zama," Muriel informed them both.

  "The fact remains that each general had a dozen or more legions behind them for support. Char-Char has only the two of us." Aunt Penny would no more push Charlotte into facing her fear of the growing crowd than allow the fifteen-year-old Muriel to win this argument.

  "They were at war," Muriel replied, nearly staring down her aunt, "not facing an adoring crowd. I cannot see how it is a reasonable comparison."

  No matter how well Aunt Penny had argued on Charlotte's behalf, Charlotte herself decided they had both been correct. She could not very well have them climb back into the carriage and return to Faraday Hall simply because she did not wish to face the men who waited to dance with her.

  No matter how many there were, after all, there could not be legions of men as Alexander had. That would be very silly indeed.

  "Very well, we must go in," Charlotte said, putting on a brave front, but her insides quaked, and she hoped her fear did not show. "I thank you for accompanying me, Moo. I know how you detest attending these gatherings."

  "Good for you, Char-Char." Muriel held her head high, approving of her sister's bravery. "You know I will always be near if you should need me."

  "Aunt Penny? We will continue on, if you please." Charlotte pulled the fingers of her kid gloves taut, a nervous habit. She could tear the delicate stitching if she were not careful.

  "If that is what you have decided, dear." Supportive Aunt Penny would see that no harm ever came to either niece.

  The smile her aunt offered told Charlotte she had the right of it and they should push onward. Her aunt and her sister were her legions marching by her side.

  "If you need anythin', my lady, you call ole Ogden to come, alright?"

  "Thank you, Mr. Ogden." In gratitude, Charlotte matched the nod of his head with her own. She led the way through the back door of the assembly room.

  Charlotte came to an abrupt stop in the main corridor upon hearing the male shouts and the violent thumps shaking the adjacent walls.

  "Do you think those are sounds from an adoring crowd?" Charlotte whispered, glancing about, looking for the source of the noise. "Just listen."

  The voices became louder, slashing through the air around them, turning angry. Aunt Penny winced at the scuffling noises and the sound of splintering wood. Muriel startled at a sudden shatter of porcelain, perhaps occurring in the very room next to where they stood.

  "Let us continue, shall we?" Aunt Penny led the way to the cloakroom, where they removed their outer garments.

  "Do not worry, Char-Char," said Muriel, straightening Charlotte's puce overskirt rather than her own green muslin. "One can always count on a good deal of chaos and unrest when too many men are about."

  Charlotte arranged her sister's ringlets, allowing them to lie more attractively around her face. Attending the local assembly would benefit her sister as well. In a few years' time, Muriel will have changed her mind regarding the opposite sex, and will wish to make a favorable impression upon young men.

  "Are you ready, girls?" Aunt Penny asked, continuing down the corridor. Just around the corner, they'd enter the main room where the guests gathered to dance.
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  Charlotte linked her arm in Muriel's and pulled her sister near as they followed their aunt. "I remember when Gusta's suitors came for the house party. There were many gentlemen in attendance. I know it was so she could become better acquainted with each of them-as did we all, far more than we expected. They were all so tall and handsome."

  "But not always well-behaved," Muriel added.

  Charlotte had to agree. The house party had been two years ago and she, now eighteen, was the same age her elder sister Augusta had been. Charlotte hoped she was less naive, having learned some things when it came to being in the company of adoring suitors.

  The trio reached the door and, after they were announced, the once noisy room hushed. Every eye, from every man, focused upon her.

  Charlotte smiled and gazed about the room, taking in the finely dressed young men. At first glance these gentlemen appeared far better turned out than the males who'd attended the previous months' assemblies.

  The print of their waistcoats and the fit of their jackets were far superior. But though the cut of their clothing was much improved, the men looked a bit creased and had an overall rumpled aspect about them.

  Upon closer inspection, the gentleman in the exquisite blue superfine jacket not only had a darkened eye, he seemed to be missing two shiny buttons from his garment.

  The gentleman next to him sported a large bruise on his cheek in addition to missing the left pocket from his waistcoat, which he tried to hide, unsuccessfully, by holding the front of his jacket together.

  The music struck up for the interval before the first dance. Charlotte led her sister by the arm, keeping to the path behind their aunt.

  Muriel, whom Charlotte considered far more observant than herself, must have also noticed the unsettling appearance of these gentlemen.

  "Although they are, on the whole, handsome," Charlotte whispered to her sister, gazing at the men, "they're not very pretty, are they, Moo?"

  Looking across the room and down the whole line, she further noticed swollen, lopsided lips and reddened jaws among most of the male guests. A good number of them exhibited torn jacket seams, crumpled shirt points, and cravats gone askew. The state of their attire was a crime against man! How could these men appear in public dressed this way?

  "Gracious me!" she finally realized. "I do believe these men have resorted to fisticuffs."

  Muriel had almost not recognized Sir Thomas Granville. It had been years since she'd seen him, but his fine aquiline nose seemed to have been recently broken. She was quite certain tomorrow he would be sporting the blackest of eyes of any gentleman present. And that was quite something, for she spotted no less than half a dozen men contending for that honor.

  What were these men about? Fighting at the assembly room? Make no mistake, she had heard them, and so had her aunt and her sister. Charlotte had commented as much upon their entrance.

  Muriel noticed a man with wavy blond hair, one of the few faces without a blemish, approaching Charlotte.

  "Please, Lady Charlotte," he uttered with a sigh and bowed. "I beg you remember me, Lord Carlton Wingate. Do you recall our meeting nearly two years ago?" He did not pause long enough for her to reply. "I remember as if it were yesterday. You were merely a young lady of sixteen. Now, at eighteen, you are even more lovely to behold."

  If Muriel was not mistaken, his eyes were filling with tears.

  "I cannot imagine how it is possible that you have grown more beautiful since last we met" He gazed upon her face, her hair, and her dress with admiration.

  "I recall watching him being escorted from the Music Room at Faraday Hall during Augusta's house party," Aunt Penny told Muriel in a soft voice, the comment meant for her ears alone. "He became quite emotional over Charlotte's harp playing."

  "I have been waiting for this day for a very, very long time," he continued, clearing his throat and blinking aside the emotion that threatened to overtake his voice. Lord Carlton made a cursory glance around and then straightened. "I see there is no one brave enough, or perhaps worthy enough, to step out with you. May I have the privilege of asking for your first dance?"

  Muriel realized that her sister could not very well turn him down if she wished to dance at all tonight. Surprising as it seemed, Charlotte accepted, appearing entirely delighted for the opportunity.

  Lord Carlton had never looked happier as he led Charlotte to the dance floor.

  Muriel regarded Charlotte's flawless visage. In the sunlight her radiant blond hair appeared guinea gold. In the flattering candlelight of the assembly room, it might have appeared she wore a shimmering halo about her head. How could any man resist such beauty?

  Charlotte with Lord Carlton, both flaxen-haired, made quite the golden couple. The sight of them seemed to spur the other gentlemen into action. They wasted no additional time in approaching Aunt Penny, asking for an introduction and a dance with the fair Charlotte.

  By evening's end, there would be many unhappy men and one exhausted sister who conversed with more gentlemen than she could count on both hands and who took part in every dance. Unfortunately, there would never be enough dances for every young man who wished to partner Charlotte this night.

  At promptly ten o'clock the next morning, Muriel followed Aunt Penny down the main staircase to the Grand Foyer. Her aunt paused, watching the butler pull the front door open wide, which revealed a very presentable Lord Carlton Wingate.

  "Is Lady Charlotte at home?" Lord Carlton handed his calling card to Huxley.

  The butler accepted the card and admitted the visitor. "I shall inquire, my lord."

  Aunt Penny motioned for Muriel to stay while she continued forward. "It is not as if I am not pleased to see you," she said. "I am merely surprised because I wasn't expecting anyone quite this early."

  It was quite early for a morning call. Aunt Penny must have excused his impertinence because they were in the country and not keeping Town hours.

  "I do beg your pardon." He bowed. Despite the hour, Lord Carlton had not neglected his appearance. Immaculately dressed in a dark blue jacket, gold-striped waistcoat, and buff trousers, his blond hair gleamed, giving him the appearance of a very serious suitor who had taken great pains in dressing for his visit. "If I had not arrived now, I may not have been fortunate enough to have the audience with Lady Charlotte that I desire."

  "I am sure there is no need to rush," Aunt Penny said, sounding nearly as nervous as Lord Carlton appeared. Muriel could see his hands gripping and crushing the brim of his hat, in nervousness, she supposed.

  "I had hoped that-" He stopped and blinked, looking uncertain. "Well, that is to say-" He broke off again and cleared his throat. "I wish to express my affection and make my intentions known to Lady Charlotte."

  "Do you not think it a bit soon for that, sir?" Aunt Penny snapped at him. His declaration shocked Muriel as well.

  "I would like to discuss an offer of marriage." Lord Carlton stood very tall with newfound confidence, making it evident he would not be dissuaded.

  "You cannot!" Aunt Penny told him. "It is impossible to accept your offer, in any case, since the Duke is not present. I suggest you delay your proposal until such time as you can speak to His Grace."

  "Wait? I have been waiting for these past two years ... I have been most patient and faithful. I beg that I have a chance to win her heart!" Lord Carlton's voice rose, although it held a slight emotional quaver.

  "There is nothing for it, sir. You will have to wait. You have no choice." Aunt Penny stood up to him, not allowing him to bully her. "The offer for marriage must be put forth to the Duke. If you wish to see Lady Charlotte, you must remain belowstairs until she awakens."

  "Very well." He strode to the wall of Sheraton chairs on one side of the Grand Foyer and lowered himself onto the seat with great dignity and an air of stubbornness. "I shall remain fixed here until Lady Charlotte arrives."

  Charlotte sat in bed having her morning chocolate. She had had such a splendid time last night, dancing every dance an
d talking with so many gentlemen, that she could not remember who was whom after the long evening. Even after a full night's sleep, she felt fatigued. She still had a few days to rest before leaving for London at the end of the week.

  There was a light rap on her bedchamber door before it was pushed open. Muriel leaned in and called to her, "Char-Char?"

  "Moo?" Charlotte leaned forward. "Come in, please. Oh, and Aunt Penny ... Is there something wrong?" For both to arrive before she had risen must be an indication of some trouble indeed.

  "Dear, I do not mean to cause you distress," her aunt told her. "But Lord Carlton is belowstairs and insists upon seeing you"

  "Lord Carlton Wingate?" Charlotte handed her cup of chocolate to her aunt and readied herself to rise from the bed. Charlotte felt terrible. Here she lay idle, wasting Lord Carlton's time, making him wait for her. "Why has he called so early?"

  Muriel stood at the window, gazing outside, and remained silent.

  "Lord Carlton may not be your only visitor today, Char-Char," said Aunt Penny, as she set the Dresden china cup aside to help her niece out of bed. "There were so many gentlemen and not nearly enough sets to accommodate them. Since they could not all dance with you last night, I told them they should feel free to call during the next few days."

  "Exactly how many did you say this to?" inquired Charlotte.

  Muriel spoke over her shoulder to her relatives, transfixed on the view before her. "There are a good two dozen or so gentlemen on their way here now, I'd say."

  "What?" Aunt Penny left Charlotte's bedside, moving to the window.

  "There's a long line of carriages, and many more men on horseback, coming down the road in our direction." Muriel need not have described the unusual sight, as Aunt Penny was standing next to her in a thrice. Charlotte flung her covers aside and leaped out of bed to see for herself.