An Accidental Affair

by Heather Boyd

  AN ACCIDENTAL AFFAIR

  by

  Heather Boyd

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

  AN ACCIDENTAL AFFAIR

  Copyright 2014 by Heather Boyd

  Published March 2014

  LLD Press

  ISBN: 978-0-9875614-7-3

  Edited by Anne Victory

  Cover Design by Heather Boyd

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without written permission.

  For more information visit:

  www.heather-boyd.com

  London’s ballrooms and bedrooms thrive on scandal and decadent pleasure and the summer of 1814 will be no exception for the Distinguished Rogues in Heather Boyd’s latest Regency romance.

  An Accidental Affair

  Widowed beauty, Arabella Lawson, Lady Farnsworth, knows the value of independence after being trapped in a marriage that left her unfulfilled. Although she longs for a lover at last, she’s expected to chaperone her flirtatious niece during her first season. However, given the way the girl keeps disappearing every chance she gets, there is little hope of a good or speedy result. While searching for her charge yet again, she blunders into one of Lord Rothwell’s scandalous assignations. This time it’s Arabella’s turn to be on the receiving end of his hungry kisses, and she’s far from prepared to make the most of the opportunity.

  Gossip may paint Merrick Bishop, the Earl of Rothwell, as a notorious scoundrel when it comes to women, but this season his intentions are honorable. Duty bound to marry, he’s determined to discreetly court an open-minded bride and prove the gossipmongers wrong by being on his very best behavior… until in his frustration, he mistakenly kisses the wrong lady and discovers that everything about the encounter feels so very right. Merrick never once believed he had a chance with shy Arabella, and when the unthinkable happens, she turns to him not for an affair or hopes of marriage but for his friendship and protection from her own family.

  Can a rogue with a reputation for breaking hearts convince a widow who only hopes for an affair that their feelings are not only the stirrings of desire but the beginnings of the deepest and truest love?

  DEDICATION

  For Crystal.

  Because you made me want to write this story so very badly.

  Thank you for your continued support and generosity.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Being good was a damned nuisance. Merrick Bishop, Lord Rothwell, steered Lady Harrison away from curious onlookers for a moment’s privacy.

  When they were alone and safe from prying eyes, Louisa’s eyes lit up with mischief. “I thought you came to my ball to further your search for a wife, Rothwell?”

  “I did.” He sighed at her suggestion that he was after more than just information from her tonight. Louisa might be very lovely and have curves enough to tempt a man away from honorable intentions, but she had connections he needed to make use of first. Merrick wanted a wife this season, not a potential scandal. He’d put the decision off long enough. He was thirty and at an age when the future, not just his but others, preyed on his mind. “There is still much you can tell me about my quarry. What did you discover?”

  She smiled at him fondly and ran her hands over his forearms. “A pity it must be so, but I agree it is high time you married. With your connections and wealth you should have had even the most cautious of fathers lining up to offer up their daughters for marriage to you by now.”

  He frowned. “That has not been my experience. I only need one.” If he wanted to find himself the right sort of wife, then he needed access to information about the candidates and their families before he approached them. Louisa had her ear in the right circles, and the wrong ones too. Merrick cast an anxious glance along the hall, hoping no one was lingering close enough to overhear their conversation. He didn’t want to ruin what he’d started before he’d truly begun. “Where is your husband tonight?”

  “Oh, the card room, I imagine. You know how he is when there are high stakes involved. Except”—her brow furrowed and her head turned toward the hall door—“he did seem rather interested in the guest list, so I think he may have his eye on someone I invited tonight. I do hope it’s not one of your possibilities.”

  Merrick studied her face, wondering if Louisa had it in her to be the least bit jealous of another woman. “Does that disturb you? That he might be meeting with a lover of his own even now?”

  She made a face and then laughed. “Only if he chooses someone I dislike. I do not like to share with my enemies.”

  He laughed along with her, but he wasn’t the least bit amused. Marriage was a serious business. When he found the right woman, Merrick would not share. He knew his own mind well enough to believe that when he found a woman who matched his criteria and married her, he would be entirely possessive about her company. “Tell me.”

  Louisa’s gaze softened. “It is as you feared.”

  He cursed under his breath. “Why?”

  “I’m not entirely sure.” She frowned. “The old rumors about your father’s frequent dalliances are circulating again, as well as whispers of your own more recent affair with that dreadful actress. I warned you anyone who named herself after fruit would be trouble. But she has cried so convincingly over the loss of your affection and everyone thinks you were a monster to her.”

  Merrick scowled at the memory of his last affair with Josephine Peach. He was not sorry to have ended things as abruptly as he had. “I found her in bed with not one but two grubby stage hands when she’d claimed to be indisposed for dinner. I brought her flowers for heavens sake to brighten her bloody room.”

  “Well, she is an actress and they do lie for a living.” Louisa shrugged. “Couple that with your new interest in balls and even attending the odd picnic, and your behavior has taken on a wholly different light than what you wished for. I imagine every father with a daughter fresh to the marriage mart is watching you closely, and they don’t believe you intend to marry. It’s no wonder there’s a chill greeting you.”

  Merrick slumped against the wall. “I’m nothing like my father.”

  “I know. We’ve been friends a long time and that is why you have me on your side. I’ll help ease your way into their good graces, though I’m not sure how much good it will do. You’ll have to prove you have honorable intentions, at least for a while.” Lady Harrison eased closer, her hands caressing his chest fleetingly. “So, the Howard chit is rumored to prefer books to balls, and there is Lady Cecily, who seems meek and mild at first glance, but she has more spirit than most beneath the well-polished exterior.”

  She paused for a moment, thinking. “You also asked about Miss Milne’s family. Her father has built a reputation as a shrewd businessman, thanks in no small part to the weight of his pocketbook, though that also makes her less appealing when compared to other young ladies coming out this year. The girl is quiet but always the first to supper. Nerves, I expect. Some women eat when they are anxious. She will regret that later in life, I believe.”

  Merrick nodded. “The Howard girl clings to her mama’s skirts at balls and will not leave her side, so we have not spoken more than a few words.” He would never consider Lady Cecily, though he did not mention that to Lady Harrison because he didn’t care to fuel the gossips as to his reasons. Miss Milne was a possibility, though with her common background and lesser connections, she had not been invited to tonight’s ball. Louisa’s remarks about her appetite did explain why he could never find her at other events she
attended though. He’d avoided the supper room in the hopes of striking up conversation away from prying eyes. He wasn’t keen to single out any one woman yet, but if he wanted to speak with Miss Milne, he was looking for her in the wrong places. “Thank you for the information.”

  “It must be rather tedious to court a proper girl, given your past preference for naughtiness. Everyone expects you to continue as you always have, and there have been more than a few long faces this season, I can tell you.” Louisa’s gloved fingers curled around his. “You should stick to your own kind, Rothwell. You want a wife with an adventurous manner, not a frumpy mouse who’ll clear the sideboard in one sitting. I think Lady Cecily deserves a longer look. She has come into her own in terms of fashion, thanks to her aunt’s excellent influence. If you would simply tell me your exact requirements the pain might be done already. You’re holding back something, I can tell. If I knew all it might make finding the right wife for you easier. I hate to see you unhappy and I know just the way to make you smile again.”

  Her hand slipped lower to brush across his groin, tempting him away from his plans for the night. A romp with Louisa would do his body good, though getting caught in an affair, no matter how fleeting, was the surest way to lose ground. The ball underway was in part a way to help him find a wife. He had spoken with Lady Mary tonight, though he still had doubts they would suit. Her mother and father had seemed ill at ease when he joined them, almost frightened, which he found utterly ridiculous. He did not make a habit of seducing virgins, though it was highly likely he would end up married to one. Observing Miss Milne’s behavior around others would require planning on his part and would await another evening.

  “What I want precisely is my business to know.” Merrick eased back from Louisa, offering an apologetic smile. “I do appreciate whatever advice you can offer, my dear.”

  She pouted. “Whoever you marry had better deserve your skills in the bedchamber. You will find you sacrifice much freedom in a marriage.”

  “That is true.” And it was also not. The lady he married would be the one to sacrifice much. The rumors of his father’s misdeeds had plagued Merrick his entire life. His mother had fled society eventually, humiliated and hurt because it was all too true. Once Merrick married, he feared that his wife could be subject to the same sort of speculation.

  Yet he needed a son—a legitimate heir to take responsibility for the estate and all those who depended on him.

  So in return for taking him on, and the burden of his father’s legacy, Merrick would make his own pledge. Fidelity. His wife would be the only one to bear his children. There would never be a bastard child bearing his likeness. He would not cause the same pain as he had witnessed in his parents’ marriage. He had told no one of his thoughts on the subject because in truth, he expected to be disbelieved. However, he had come to the decision that the woman bound to him for the rest of her life deserved the same consideration. “I should return to the ball.”

  “A pity.” Louisa’s gaze searched his, and then she smiled, proving there were no lingering hard feelings about his unavailability for a romp in the foreseeable future. “There is a dinner at Lady Berry’s this week. I shall endeavor to have you invited so you might meet Miss Milne in simpler surroundings. Her parents will be guarding her as carefully as usual, which would get in the way of any seduction, but I am sure your charm alone will win her over the dinner table.” She looked up at him from under her lashes. “And if you change your mind and want my company in private, I’m only too happy to oblige.”

  “Thank you.” Miss Milne was at the top of a short list. There were still questions in his mind about her nature to be satisfied, and although she stirred no great passion in him now, Merrick had no doubts he could bed her successfully if they married. He had scant enough new information for tonight, but what he had would have to do.

  Louisa flicked her fingers in an intimate wave and departed, leaving Merrick to make his way slowly back to the ballroom. As he returned, he mused at the gamble he was taking in confiding in Lady Harrison and placing so much faith in her information. The one thing in her favor was that she was no friend to his wider family, having locked horns with his aunt, Lady Penelope Ford, on several notable occasions.

  Louisa was also very critical. She frowned upon indiscretions in the very young and unmarried set, an amusing contradiction for a woman whose dalliances were as scandalous as any he’d heard. But not for the first time did he fear that the names she’d supplied him were what she might want in his wife and not what he needed. It was clear she expected him to continue their assignations once he was married. It was altogether likely the names she’d provided were for women whose morals matched hers and who would turn a blind eye to indiscretions.

  He caught the eye of a servant and secured a cup of punch. Not his favorite beverage, but his aim was to appear innocuous and no threat to a good woman’s virtue. As always when he thought of a good woman, his eyes turned to one in particular. Tall, slim, and perfectly poised. Arabella, Lady Farnsworth, stood well above those around her, wrapped in pink, tasseled muslin and a feathered turban hiding her pale hair. He had a slight acquaintance with her through a mutual friend, but while he knew much about her from shared confidences, he had actually spoken very little to the lady. Arabella might be a widow, but she wasn’t the kind to invite a gentleman to get to know her better. She was much too straightlaced to give him more than a cursory glance when they met. Judging by her frequent high color, his reputation with the ladies made her distinctly uncomfortable. She would never give him the time of day, so Merrick kept a distance and enjoyed the view from afar.

  He frowned now though, his eyes flickering to her unexpected companion. What the devil was she doing in Lord Parker’s company again? Her niece, Lady Cecily, a debutante whose behavior bordered unacceptable, wasn’t even there to be paraded before the man. Parker, an older bachelor like himself, might have the distinction of being received everywhere, but there was something about him that didn’t sit well with Merrick. He wasn’t worthy of standing so close to the very respectable Lady Farnsworth, but Merrick couldn’t pinpoint why.

  “Ah, Rothwell.” A pleasant male voice interrupted his musing. “Are you making the rounds again tonight?”

  He turned to find Lord Louth, an earl he’d not spoken to in close to a year, looming beside him. Louth was extremely tall and broad and well-muscled. He dwarfed most gentlemen and tended to keep to himself. Merrick shook hands with him. “I seem to be. I’m surprised to see you here tonight.”

  An unhappy grumble left Louth. “Keeping up with recent events.”

  Merrick glanced at his face and laughed. “Your mother’s suggestion?”

  “Something like that.” His gaze scanned the room slowly, as if looking for someone. His next words confirmed he was. “Have you seen Taverham of late?”

  “Last week, I think. Passed him on Bond Street. Why?”

  “Was he with anyone?”

  “Only Lord Acton and his widowed sister. They’re thick of late, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Taverham is ready to give up on his wife’s return and find a new one.”

  “That’s what I heard, too.” Louth smiled grimly. “Well, so good to see you again. My thanks again for the lease of your Yorkshire property.”

  “My pleasure.” Merrick grinned. “Did you and your lady friend enjoy the winter there? I’m told it’s quite lovely if one doesn’t leave the bedroom.”

  “I don’t know.” Louth scowled . “The lady threw me out in a fit of temper the very first night.”

  He hurried off, leaving Merrick to puzzle over that final remark. After all the trouble Louth had gone to in leasing the property and practically begging for absolute discretion, he must have blundered quite badly to not spend even a single night with the woman.

  He faced Arabella again and froze as Lord Parker, being taller than the lady by several inches, cast a lascivious eye over Arabella’s perfect breasts. The man was practically drooling over h
er. In fact, as Merrick watched on, Parker’s hand rose to play with the tassel hanging from her loose-fitting sleeves. The touch was protracted, and yet Lady Farnsworth did not slap his hand away.

  Merrick took a moment to suppress his surprise and then checked the room to see if anyone else had noticed the proper Lady Farnsworth being seduced so publicly. Unfortunately, Louisa had noticed. Her little fists were clenched tightly at her sides, her eyes narrowed. Louisa certainly wasn’t the sort to guard the virtue of another lady, so he was convinced she wasn’t outraged on Lady Farnsworth’s behalf. Was she engaged in an affair with Lord Parker too?

  A cunning smile flittered across Louisa’s face, and it seemed a distinct possibility she was engaged to some degree with Lord Parker. When she glided slowly toward Arabella and Parker via a circuitous route, Merrick moved to better view the encounter, heart sinking with dismay. Louisa clearly had no love for the situation and Lady Farnsworth seemed unaware she was in the line of fire. It wasn’t in Louisa’s nature to make a public spectacle of herself, but as she had told him on more than one occasion, there was always a first time for everything.

  However, when Louisa insinuated herself into the conversation, Arabella engaged her in a protracted conversation, leaving Parker at a distance from the pair and largely out of the conversation. Indeed, they spoke so exclusively together that when Parker went on his way, neither paid much attention except to bid him farewell. Perhaps he’d been wrong about Louisa and Lord Parker. But whatever the situation might be, it seemed Arabella’s knack for avoiding awkwardness with other women was as strong as ever. Her ability to appease others was a skill she employed effortlessly. No matter what happened around her, Lady Farnsworth continued on as if any untoward behavior had never happened.