Regency Romances for the Ages

by Grace Fletcher

  Christabel was aware she was treading a line that she was starting to wobble on and pulled back a little. “Once in a while is nice. But so many in such a short space of time is a little uncomfortable. It says the man is trying too hard to impress.” Then she realized they had stopped and Albie was openly staring at her. Christabel tried not to squirm. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

  “You’re not like the other women I come into contact with,” Albie said thoughtfully. “For someone so young, you seem to have both feet firmly on the ground.”

  Christabel grinned. This was a compliment she could take. “I should hope so. I fall over my own feet as it is.”

  Albie blinked. Then he threw back his head and laughed. That laughter had Christabel wanting to swoon. “A young lady with a sense of humour. That goes a long way with me.”

  “Really?”

  “Really. I like to have a bit of wit in a woman. Makes them a lot more interesting.” Albie grimaced. “But I do hope I’m not going to be talking about fashion all evening.”

  Christabel giggled and squeezed his hand. “As long as you don’t talk about politics, I can promise that.”

  “It’s a done deal.”

  Albie turned, about to lead them towards the dining hall, when he stopped. Christabel felt his whole body tense up, seeing the smile fade on his face, his eyes dulling. Then she saw why. A beautiful woman in her early twenties was walking towards them. Light brown hair was curled around her face and fastened to the nape of her neck, looking fitting with the French-style blue dress she was wearing. Everything about her exuded wealth and beauty.

  She was beautiful. But from the way Albie was reacting, Christabel had a feeling he didn’t think the same way. The woman purposefully ignored him, focusing on Christabel with a bright smile.

  “Miss Townshend, isn’t it?”

  “Yes?” Christabel was aware of Albie dropping her arm but then the woman was practically in her face.

  “I’m Clarissa Carstairs, Countess of Norwich.” She held out a hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  Christabel didn’t know what to say. Here was a countess introducing herself, and Christabel could only think about how to get away. That wasn’t a normal reaction, was it? “How do you do?” she squeaked.

  Clarissa laughed. It was a tinkly laugh that seemed to grate on Christabel’s nerves. What was it about this woman that had her uncomfortable? “Would you like to come along with me?” Lady Norwich slipped her arm through Christabel’s. “I have a couple of young male friends who would be delighted to see you.”

  Christabel wondered at the sudden interest in her. She had seen Lady Norwich around before, but never had she approached her. She managed to keep herself still as Lady Norwich attempted to tug her along. “I’ll come along in a while.”

  Lady Norwich’s smile twitched a little. The mask started to slip a tiny bit. “How about now, Miss Townshend?”

  Christabel winced as she felt nails being dug into her arm. The woman had such sharp nails. “Countess, you’re hurting my arm.”

  “Forgive me.” Lady Norwich dropped her arm almost like it was on fire and stepped away, smoothing her trembling hands down her skirts. “I have been known to be a little too forceful at times.”

  “I can tell,” Christabel muttered. Aloud, she said, “When I’ve finished conversing with the Duke of St Albans, I’ll come and greet your party. I do not wish to be rude and walk off now.”

  “From the look of it, you’ve had someone walk off on you already.”

  Christabel looked away from the triumphant smirk on the older woman’s face and saw that she was right. Albie had disappeared. Christabel couldn’t see him anywhere.

  Then she saw him moving out onto the terrace, disappearing into the fading light. What was he doing? Why would he do something as rude as that? It wasn’t him, or so Christabel thought.

  Then she saw the smirk getting bigger on Lady Norwich’s face. Had she done that deliberately? Why would she do that? Christabel wasn’t about to confront the woman in front of a crowd of people—she seemed the type of person to cry loudly and accuse her of being mean.

  Barely giving Lady Norwich a curtsy, Christabel hurried away. She heard the huff of surprise and annoyance behind her but ignored it. Now was not the time to pander to a spoilt woman.

  Chapter 5. Confession

  A lbie was at the far end of the terrace overlooking the west side of the estate when Christabel found him. He sat on the wall staring out at the sun lowering below the horizon. There was something angry hanging over him, something that made Christabel hesitate to approach him.

  But there was something that did have Christabel approaching him, regardless. A sense of loneliness. The duke was lonely.

  Had Lady Norwich done that?

  “Your Grace?”

  Albie looked up. He didn’t stand up as Christabel approached him, giving her a wry smile. “Miss Townshend. I thought you were busy.”

  “Not really.” Christabel cast a rueful look over her shoulder at the doors to the terrace. She could hear the dance music but it was muted compared to inside. “But I think the countess wanted me to be busy.”

  Albie grunted. “She certainly did.”

  Christabel knew she was going to push the boundaries of familiarity with someone she had only just met. But there was nobody here and Christabel was more concerned with Albie’s demeanour. She sat on the wall beside him, smoothing her skirts out. “Is there a particular reason she dislikes you so much?”

  “Surely you’ve heard all the gossip about us.”

  “What gossip?” Christabel’s eyes widened. “Do you mean you two used to court before she married?”

  “I was once engaged to Lady Norwich.”

  Christabel had been half-expecting for the duke to be a former suitor of the now-countess. But she hadn’t expected that. “I…” She swallowed. Why did the thought of Lady Norwich being with the Duke of St Albans make her feel like she had a heavy weight in her stomach? “I can see why. She is a beautiful woman.”

  “A bit sharp, though, isn’t she?”

  In more ways than just her personality, Christabel mused. Her arms still stung. “Was she always like that?”

  “No, not really.” Albie stood and paced, his hands behind his back. “She was fun when we were younger. Sweet, kind. We were happy. I proposed to her on her twenty-first birthday. I thought she was looking forward to being the Duchess of St Albans.” He made a face. “It turns out she was seeing me and the Earl of Norwich at the same time. Keeping her options open, she called it. She wanted to see which one was the better offer.”

  Christabel snorted. “Considering the only people in Society above your rank are the royal family, I can’t see how you wouldn’t be the better offer.”

  Albie gave her a slight smile, his expression softening a little. “Thank you for trying to make me feel better, Miss Townshend. But it didn’t work that way for Clarissa… Lady Norwich.”

  “You didn’t mind her seeing another man?”

  “I would have objected had I known.”

  Christabel stared. “She didn’t tell you that she was seeing two men at the same time?”

  “Of course she didn’t. She knew I wouldn’t like it.” Albie rubbed his hands over his face. “She wrote a note to say she couldn’t marry me. Later that day, I was riding by the church on my way to the club, and I saw her coming out with her new husband.”

  Christabel’s heart hurt. She couldn’t begin to imagine how it would have felt for Albie to see that, to see the woman he thought he was going to marry in someone else’s arms with a title that wasn’t his. “She ended your engagement on the morning of her wedding?” That woman was intrepid, Christabel was sure of it. “And nobody’s called her up on her conduct?”

  “Surprisingly, no. I’ve been the one who’s a laughingstock, and she’s got away with enjoying her honeymoon period with the earl.” Albie cast a scowl towards the ballroom. “Now she’s taking grea
t pleasure in watching me squirm and making sure nobody talks to me, especially beautiful young women.”

  Did he just call her beautiful? Christabel blushed. She coughed and rubbed at her arm. She could still feel the indentations of Lady Norwich’s nails in her skin. “Well, she’s not endeared herself to me at all. Not after leaving me a couple of mementos.”

  Albie frowned. Then he saw the marks. His face fell. “Forgive me, Miss Townshend. I had no idea she would do that.”

  “It wasn’t your fault. You have nothing to apologize for.”

  “Really?”

  “Really.” Christabel stood and gave him a smile, touching his arm. “It’s nothing to do with you. She is a fool for believing she could treat you the way she did and get away with it.”

  Albie was looking at her like he had never seen her before. Then his hand took hers and gave her fingers a gentle squeeze. “You’re too good for anyone, Miss Townshend. You’re certainly too good for me.”

  Christabel didn’t know what to say to that. She coughed and nodded towards the doors. “Shall we go back inside? It’s getting a little chilly, and I won’t wander away unless you tell me to.”

  Albie chuckled.

  “I think I might need your company over a drink.”

  “A strong one?”

  The twinkle in his eye made Christabel’s breath catch in her throat.

  “You know me so well.”

  ***

  “Are you sure about this?” Portsmouth asked.

  Albie rolled his eyes as his friend repeated his question for the tenth time since Albie had broken the news that morning. “Of course I’m sure. I’ve never been so sure about anything in my life. Not even with Clarissa.”

  That was saying something. When Albie proposed to Clarissa, he was sure that this would be his one and only proposal. But nothing compared to approaching Christabel after three weeks of meeting with her under the watchful eye of a chaperone and asking her for her hand in marriage.

  They hadn’t been courting as such. Nobody had said a thing about it. Albie had simply been turning up to Christabel’s residence and asking to take Christabel out, under Baroness Laurie’s watchful eye or with Portsmouth in attendance. He didn’t know if it was an unspoken agreement between them, but Albie was sure that Christabel saw them as going out together.

  He did enjoy time with her. She was funny and kind, sweet and generous. Albie couldn’t think of anyone better to spend her time with.

  It hadn’t been difficult to fall in love with her over the past three weeks. And Albie knew he wouldn’t be satisfied until he had Christabel wearing his ring. Even if his best friend was driving him mad asking him over and over if he was really sure as they made their way across the park to the little café Albie had arranged to meet Christabel at.

  “But you’re really going to propose to her?” Portsmouth was almost running to keep up with Albie’s long stride. “You haven’t even figured out the identity of the man she was meeting.”

  That was another point. Albie knew there was another man involved, and he wanted to make sure he was going to be a better contender to be Christabel’s husband. He did everything he could to make sure she chose him over her other lover. But it wasn’t easy competing with someone Albie had never met and had no desire to meet.

  “I keep asking her about that man, but she talks around me. It’s frustrating but I can handle it.” Albie twirled his cane as he walked. “But I miss her when she’s not there with me. When she’s not anywhere close, I miss her.”

  Portsmouth sighed and shook his head. “You do have a habit of falling in love with women very quickly,” he said darkly.

  “Can you blame me?”

  “No, I can’t but… Albie, Miss Townshend is a lovely girl, but do you really think proposing to her when you’re not officially courting will do any good? What happens if she is engaged to this other man as well and strings both of you along?”

  Albie had thought about that. He didn’t like the idea of being in the same situation that Clarissa had dragged him into before, but this was Christabel. Albie knew what he wanted, and that was Christabel Townshend. He wasn’t leaving until he had an answer.

  The thought that she could be engaged to another man did pop up from time to time but Albie shoved this away. He shrugged.

  “I don’t think she’ll risk her status once I propose.”

  Portsmouth snorted. “You think so? Because you’re thinking mighty selfishly right now.”

  “I’m a duke. I think I’m allowed to be selfish.”

  They reached the road and waited for it to clear. Portsmouth was not looking happy. He scowled at his friend. “Well, don’t blame me if she turns you down.”

  “She’s not going to turn me down.”

  “Are you sure about that?”

  Albie was sure. Christabel wasn’t about to turn him down. He knew she would accept. If she didn’t, he would have to have done something seriously wrong. Albie couldn’t think how she would run away from him after a proposal.

  He was being selfish, yes, but there were times when he deserved to be selfish and this was one of them.

  Chapter 6

  A Proposal Rejected

  C hristabel and Baroness Laurie were sitting in the café by the window. Albie had written to the baron to notify of what he intended and Baron Laurie had given his consent. If anything, he was delighted that his ward had some interest from a duke. Baroness Laurie knew to wait until Albie and Portsmouth arrived and then she would head off, leaving the three of them alone. After the proposal, Portsmouth would chaperone them and make sure Christabel got home.

  Although Albie wasn’t about to let his future wife walk away moments after the proposal. He wanted to have her a bit more to himself before she went home.

  Christabel looked up as Albie approached and gave him a smile. Baroness Laurie stood and curtsied.

  “Your Grace. I will leave you three in peace.”

  Giving Christabel’s shoulder a squeeze, the baroness headed towards the door. Portsmouth was still scowling as he sat at a nearby table.

  Christabel stood and curtsied to Albie, bowing her head. “Your Grace.”

  “Miss Townshend.” Albie took her hand and urged her to sit, sitting beside her. “I’m glad you could see me on such short notice.”

  “It’s not a problem. I was planning on being in town today, anyway.” Christabel looked from him to their hands, which were still joined. “Is there something you wanted from me?”

  Albie was staring at Christabel. She was lovely today. And she didn’t seem to realize it. His chest tightened as he thought of being married to this girl for the rest of his life. It was a good feeling. Even better than when he proposed to Clarissa.

  He wasn’t going to think about Clarissa anymore. Albie pushed that woman’s image aside and focused on Christabel.

  “I had a question to ask you and I wanted to see you as quickly as you were able.”

  Christabel raised an eyebrow. “What sort of question? I thought you had run out of questions already.”

  Albie’s mouth twitched. “I never run out of questions. Not when I’m talking to you.”

  “You may not run out of questions but you haven’t stopped being so cryptic.”

  “I think I’m being too subtle rather than too cryptic.” Albie took a deep breath. “And I’m trying to find a way to do this without it sounding pathetic.”

  “I wouldn’t call you pathetic.”

  “You might in a minute.” Albie braced himself. He hated sounding trite, but he just had to say it. Women didn’t believe men when they said what Albie wanted to say unless it was flowered. “I… I’ve fallen in love with you, Christabel.”

  He had thought Christabel would be delighted. That she would be smiling with giggles and kissing him. But her smile started to fade a little, her eyes widening. “What?”

  What was wrong? Albie ploughed on, hoping that he could get what he wanted to say out before Christabel got up
and ran. She would have bolted if Albie hadn’t got a hold of her hand.

  “I know it sounds foolish, but it’s true. Being around you makes me feel better. I always smile when you’re about. And I want it to be permanent.” He smiled and raised her hand to his mouth, kissing her knuckles. “Will you marry me, Christabel Townshend?”

  Now he certainly wasn’t expecting Christabel’s smile to fade even more and her face to go white. She looked like she was about to faint. “Me?” she squeaked. “Marry you?”

  “Yes.” Albie was beginning to panic. This wasn’t the reaction he wanted. He glanced at Portsmouth, who was also frowning at Christabel. “Don’t leave me wondering, Christabel.”

  Christabel looked like she wanted to burst into tears. She pulled her hand away and made fists in her lap. “I can’t be worthy of your love, Albie,” she said quietly. “I can’t be worthy of you, full-stop.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I…” Christabel blinked hard, but a tear still trickled down her cheek. “I can’t love you.”

  Albie sat up. What was she talking about? Had he read her completely wrong? Then he realized what she had said. He narrowed his eyes at her. “Can’t?” he demanded. “What do you mean you can’t love me?”

  “I can’t. Not just yet.” Christabel swallowed hard. “There are several things I need to do first before I can commit to marriage with anyone.” She looked up at him pleadingly. “Please, can you ask me again in a few months?”

  “What? A few months?” Albie could feel this getting out of control. She wouldn’t accept his proposal now but maybe later? He didn’t know what to think about that. He jumped when Christabel gripped his arm.

  “If you love me, Albie, you would do that for me.” Her fingers tightened on his arm so Albie could feel the nails digging through his jacket. “Please, Your Grace.”

  What was going on? Albie was confused. She wanted to wait a few months? Albie didn’t know if he could wait that long. Or why Christabel wanted to wait, or why she was so desperate. Before he could answer, Christabel was up, grabbing her bag and fan.