Rescuing Lord Inglewood: A Regency Romance

by Sally Britton

  “As long as we come together after each separation, all will be well,” Silas said, taking Esther’s hand in his.

  After their guests left, and Isaac retired to his rooms, Esther and Silas went up to the balcony joining their rooms. They stood together, his arm around her, watching for glimpses of the stars between the clouds. The sound of distant waves soothed Esther’s heart.

  “I have always loved our North Sea,” she said, laying her head against him.

  “As have I.”

  “Silas?”

  “Hm?”

  “I am so glad Hermes almost killed you.”

  He chuckled, the sound rising from deep within his chest. “I am glad you were there.” He kissed her temple. “And you will always be there to rescue me. Esther, I was so lonely until that day. I did not even realize how empty my life had become until you filled it.”

  She kissed his cheek. “We will weather all future storms together, my darling. You need never be alone again.”

  Tomorrow, she decided, she would start a new picture of Inglewood Keep for Silas, bathing it in golden sunlight. They would take the painting with them when they went back to London. Parliament was still in session. He was needed there. But they would carry Inglewood Keep with them, wherever they went. It was part of their hearts. Where they had known each other as children, spent every happy summer moment, and finally fallen in love.

  Whatever came next, as long as she stood by her husband’s side, joy and laughter would accompany them to the end of their days.

  ∞∞∞

  Thank you for reading Silas and Esther’s love story. If you would like to pre-order the next book in the series, Discovering Grace, you can find it here. A sneak peek of the first chapter can be found on the next page.

  If you would like to read my complete Regency Romance series, Branches of Love, you can see those books here.

  And you’re always welcome to join Sally’s Sweet Romance Fans on Facebook, or keep up with her by subscribing to her newsletter. Thank you!

  Sneak peek: Chapter One of Rescuing Lord Inglewood

  Please note that this sneak peek is a rough draft, unedited, and here purely for your enjoyment.

  Somewhere in the house a door slammed. Grace winced but otherwise did not react to the evidence of her twin sister’s displeasure. She kept her hands busy with embroidering a blue silk shawl.

  Soon enough, Hope would come barreling into the morning room to interrupt Grace’s peaceful occupation. The Everly twins, known throughout the neighborhood for their opposing temperaments despite their identical appearance, had developed something of a pattern when it came to Hope’s rather outrageous behavior.

  Hope would come up with a scheme, tell Grace all about it, then enact her plan. Sometimes it would be something as simple as arranging a picnic or musical recital for their friends, other times it would involve somewhat more scandalous behavior. Most recently, Hope had taken to racing her phaeton against others with similar carriages pulled by ponies. Inevitably, when Hope did something that the local matrons frowned upon, news of it came to their parents.

  “I did warn her this time,” she whispered into the quiet of the room, breaking the silence before her sister could.

  The rumors of the races had evidently reached Papa, given the shouting heard moments ago. The door slamming meant the conversation had ended, not in Hope’s favor, and she would appear at any moment to bemoan whatever punishment she had been given to Grace.

  Grace found her scissors and snipped the pink thread, completing the rosebud. She put her needles back in their box and tucked everything into her sewing basket. Then she folded her hands in her lap and waited.

  She did not have to wait long.

  The door to the morning room burst open as though forced by an explosion. Hope stormed in directly and slammed the door shut again, her blue eyes flashing. “I cannot understand why Papa must be so sensitive to Mrs. Keyes’s opinions. I know perfectly well that other young ladies race their ponies. It is not as though I am stampeding about on a great big hunter.”

  As usual, it fell to Grace to placate her twin. “Yes, but it is a matter of propriety. Simply because other young ladies do such things does not mean Papa wants his daughters to do the same.”

  Upon first meeting the twins, people often expected them to be as similar in personality as appearance. They both had the same black hair, even if Grace preferred more mature styles over the giant curls her sister favored, and the same deep blue eyes. Yet Hope’s eyes were more likely to flash with passion while Grace’s remained as tranquil as forest pools. Even their sizes had remained mostly the same as they matured. If one looked carefully, they might note the slightest difference in height. Hope was a quarter of an inch taller, and three quarters of an hour older. Both facts she had used in the past to get her way when they entered into one of their rare disputes.

  Hope snorted in a most unladylike manner. “It is astoundingly boring to limit myself to what Papa and Mama think are appropriate activities. It is all very well and good for you to sit here and practice domesticity, but I wish for something more stimulating. We are twenty-four years old this summer and nothing of interest has ever happened to us.”

  “What is it that would suit your desire for excitement?” Grace knew the answers, of course. “There are no highwayman to stop your carriage, no pirates to come ashore and rob you, and no hidden treasure for you to stumble upon in the woods. You must learn, dearest sister, that most people have ordinary lives.”

  “I hardly wish for anything so drastic.” Though Hope spoke with a wrinkled nose, her tone was more weary than scornful. “But why can we not go to London for the Season? Or Bath to take in the waters. Or to the Continent now that the war has ended.”

  Mama did not like to travel, and Papa had no desire to go anywhere without her. They had spent most of their lives in their village of Aldersy. As Mama and Papa were considered to be pillars of the community, and their friendships included such people as the Earl of Inglewood, the Barnes Family, Sir Isaac Fox, and every other member of the gentry within fifteen miles, they were quite content that neither themselves nor their children go wandering.

  Grace did not bother pointing all of this out to Hope, as her sister knew well enough. But she did offer a commiserating smile. “You need not go too far afield for adventure. You have proved that time and again.”

  “And suffered rather severely for it,” Hope muttered. She went to the window and stood there, chin jutting out and brows drawn down into a scowl. “I cannot understand why you are like them rather than like me. Why don’t you want to experience something grander? Or different.”

  Oddly, that was not a question Hope had ever tossed at her before. They had always accepted their disparity in personality, without complaint or judgment. Perhaps because they tired of everyone else around them asking inane questions about their twinhood.

  Grace considered her answer before giving it.

  “I do not think I am necessarily like them. I am only myself. I enjoy our village, though I know it to be small. I find no lack of entertainment in the slow pace of our life here in the country. I have never thought to want more than what I am presently grateful for.” Except for one thing. There was one single thing that Grace had wanted, and even wished for, but it was not something she could discuss with Hope.

  “You are as good as your name.” Hope flicked the gauzy white curtain away from the window, peering down the lane. “Someone is coming to visit. I cannot tell who…”

  Grateful for the change in subject, Grace rose to peer out the window as well. Hope stepped aside, pulling the curtain open wider.

  When they stood next to each other, as they did to study the approaching gig, people had an easier time telling them apart. Grace wore subdued blues and greens, sometimes lavenders. Hope put on brighter colors, in yellows, peach-like pinks, and occasionally a daring shade of red. When they were younger, their mother had dressed them alike until they were old enough to
settle on their preferences. Even in that, they diverged most naturally.

  “I think it is the Carlburys.” Grace pointed at the distinctive dappled gray horse. “See, that is their father’s horse.”

  “Oh, lovely! And two women in the gig. Mrs. Carlbury must have Hannah with her.” Hope bounced up and down, her earlier scowl no longer in evidence. “Come, let us go down and meet them.”

  Miss Carlbury and her family had settled in the neighborhood half a dozen years before and had almost immediately found favor in the Everly household. Though three years younger than the Everly twins, they formed a fast friendship. Hannah’s family had lived in the Caribbean, on an island called St. Kitt’s by those who knew it best, which immediately endeared Hannah to Hope. Miss Carlbury had come to England with the hopes of becoming refined and genteel, which endeared Grace to her.

  On many a day of the week, the three could be found together with their heads bent over ladies magazines or else walking along the beach and speaking of what they thought to be high-minded things.

  Grace followed her sister down the steps and to the small hall off the main entrance to the house. While Grace enjoyed the quiet of the house, her siblings being away at school did leave things to be a little too peaceful at times. They were not too far, of course, but at enough of a distance that they boarded during the week and road home every Saturday.

  Garrett, their butler, was just opening the door when Hope and Grace stepped off the stairway.

  “Mrs. Carlbury, Hannah, how good to see you both.” Hope offered her curtsy and Grace followed with her own. “I am very glad you have come to call.”

  “Ah, but I think you shall be even gladder when you have learned the reason,” Hannah said, a grin bursting onto her cherubic face. She was built slightly stouter than the Everlys, and had a bright exuberance for life that Grace forever admired. Where Hope was wild and passionate, Hannah was much more measured yet still found excitement.

  “Hush now, my dear. We must share our news with Mr. and Mrs. Everly as well.” Mrs. Carlbury had caught her daughter’s infectious grin but worked harder to keep it at bay. “Where might we find your parents this lovely afternoon?”

  “Father is in his study,” Grace answered, studying their guests carefully. “Mother might be in her garden, given the mild weather.” The Carlbury ladies exchanged a meaningful glance.

  “I will fetch Mama,” Hannah said, turning to go without a thought for properly seeing to the guests.

  “And I will show you both to Papa,” Grace added, making up for her sister’s forgetfulness. She did not mind. It had become something of a habit over the years for her to smooth over the ripples caused by her sister’s propensity to hurry about.

  She went before her guests, who were still exchanging their secretive smiles, and took them to her father’s study. She knocked politely on his door and waited for permission to enter before stepping inside. “Papa, Mrs. Carlbury is here and she would like to have a word with you and my mother.”

  Papa sat behind his desk, his spectacles perched somewhat precariously on the bridge of his nose. He held a book in one hand and a sheet of paper in the other, obviously in the midst of work of some kind. He laid both items down and stood.

  “Please, show them in.” His study doubled as the family library. Their collection was not large, but it consisted of volumes dear to the whole family. Because the room was used for reading as well as business, there was more than enough furniture to hold everyone.

  Papa stepped forward to bow to their guests, then kindly led Mrs. Carlbury to the most comfortable of the chairs. He was always thoughtful, even in the smallest details Grace saw evidence of his kindness. Once their guests were seated, Papa removed his spectacles and tucked them into his coat pocket. Grace made note of it, as her father often lost his reading glasses, even upon his very person.

  “Hope has gone for your mother?” he asked, his graying eyebrows raising. Grace knew her father well enough that she saw the question he would ask if the two of them had been alone. Is she still upset?

  Grace shook her head only slightly to answer the silent inquiry, while aloud she said, “Yes, they will be with us momentarily. Shall I send for refreshment?”

  “No need.” Mama’s rich alto filled the room, her beautiful voice bringing a smile to Papa’s gentle face. He loved her voice. Loved when she sang. Grace had not inherited that ability from her parents, at least. They were both quite musical. Hope, on the other hand, could likely sing the birds from the trees if she wished too. But she was contrary enough to dislike singing. Likely because she had been forced into any number of duets with Grace when they were younger.

  Hope never liked being made to do anything.

  “Oh, I am glad to see you, Mrs. Cadbury. It has been too long since we last visited. Has your husband’s business in London concluded at last?” Mama asked, coming into the room to sit near her friend.

  “Nearly. Mr. Cadbury is still in Town.” Though near the same age as their mother, Mrs. Cadbury always seemed several years younger, given her excitable nature. She continued to stare at them all quite as if she had a secret ready to burst from her at any moment. “He is finalizing our removal to Saint Christopher’s Island.”

  Grace reached for her sister’s hand, as they sat in chairs next to one another, her stomach tightening with disappointment. Most likely, Hope’s disappointment at such an announcement would be the same.

  “Oh my,” their mother breathed.

  Their father leaned forward in his chair, scrutinizing the women before him. “I did not think you wished to return to the West Indies. I thought your family had finished with the place.”

  “We do not go back to take up permanent residence,” Mrs. Carlbury said. She continued beaming, as though she had announced plans for a party rather than a removal. “We escort one of Mr. Carlbury’s friends, a member of Parliament, to look in to the conditions of the plantations and the workers. He is a man with an eye for reform. As associate of Mr. Wilberforce, if you can believe it. Our trip is somewhat diplomatic in nature.”

  “How long will you be away?” Hope asked, her voice quavering. “We shall miss you so much.”

  “Perhaps a little under a year.” Hannah moved closer to the end of her chair. “But I hope you shall not all have cause to miss us, as I have asked Mama for permission to bring a friend.”

  Grace’s discomfort increased. Hannah had to mean one of them. She meant to take one of the two sisters to visit the Caribbean with her. With her throat constricting, Grace did not see how that would be of benefit to anyone. No matter which sister was chosen, the other would be left behind, disappointed and alone. Rarely did Hope and Grace part with one another for more than a few days. If Hope went away, Grace would not be nearby to smooth her sister’s path. And if Grace had been chosen, she must decline. Her, set sail for such a far away place? Never. The prospect made her heart shudder and her lungs close up.

  “If your family is amenable to the idea,” Mrs. Carlbury said in a quick manner. “We have secured three berths. One for myself and Mr. Carlbury, another for our son, and of course for Hannah. Albert will find amusement enough for himself, of course, but we should like Hannah to have a companion for the voyage as well as our time touring the islands. Of course our youngest, Richard, is busy with his studies and will not accompany us.”

  “Dear me. This is quite the adventure for your family.” Mama tucked her hands in her lap and looked to Papa, tiny wrinkles giving away her concern. “And such a long way to travel, so soon after the war’s end. Do you not fear privateers?”

  “Not in the least.” Mrs. Carlbury waved her hand before her as though she could brush the idea of sailing thieves away as one might a gnat. “Our ship is to be escorted by a militaryship, for one thing. And for another, it is as you said, the war is over.”

  Hope moved to the edge of her chair and still leaned forward, as though she could not get close enough to the conversation. “And who is it you wish to accomp
any you on your journey?”

  Grace’s eyes darted to her sister’s, and she barely stifled a gasp at the naked longing in her twin’s eyes. Did Hope not understand what it would mean to go on such a journey? To be away for nearly a year, whatever the adventure might be, with the uncertainty of travelling over an entire ocean in a small boat—No. Even Hope could not be so reckless a spirit as that.

  “I thought it best to let your family talk it over amongst yourselves,” Mrs. Carlbury said, turning to look from Mama to Papa. “They know their daughters best, and surely Hannah could not be pressed to decide between her two closest friends.”

  “It is true,” Hannah admitted, lowering her eyes momentarily. “You have both been so kind to me since we came to the neighborhood. I love you equally, as I must, and I would be grateful to have either of you on this adventure. I wish I could bring you both.”

  Her mother patted her daughter’s hand in a soothing manner. “And we did discuss the possibility of such, but the expense and strain of travel is not to be taken on lightly. I could not possibly deprive you of both your daughters, either.”

  “A wise thought.” Papa met Grace’s eyes and she saw his lips turn downward, then he looked to Hope and the frown made itself manifest. He saw the light of adventure in her sister’s eyes too, it would seem. Given he had only just lectured her on improper conduct, the prospect of letting her out of his sight could not be a happy one. “We shall discuss it as a family. When do you need a decision?”

  “The sooner, the better. We need to leave in a fortnight, after packing and securing the house. Then we shall go to London to buy up what we need for travel. As I have made the voyage there and back before, you can be certain I know exactly what is needed.” Mrs. Carlbury stood. “And, of course, I am happy to answer any questions you may have about the voyage. I assure you, whichever of the Miss Everlys makes the journey, I will look after her as if she is my very own.”