Regency Romances for the Ages
Page 141
“Do you remember, Caroline, when I asked you to unburden your troubles on me, and that I would make it alright?” Huntingdon asked.
“I do, dearest.”
“Well now that you have done so, let me tell you what the next year will bring. First, Julia and James are going to be reconciled. We will begin by telling them both the truth, for they deserve to know.”
“But Julia is delicate….”
“She has survived the loss of her family. She was willing, for her honor, to sacrifice true love. No, Julia is not the delicate flower you think her.” Huntingdon said firmly. “After all, she is like her sister, a brave woman through and through.”
“Oh!” Caroline said, blushing.
“We will next tell the authorities and provide them all the proof you have provided me,” Huntingdon said.
“Very well,” Caroline said. “I am prepared to take what punishment they will hand to me.”
“A very severe punishment,” Huntingdon said. “For, you see, you will be exiled from England for a year for deceiving the crown.”
Caroline bowed her head. “I do deserve it.”
“You will also receive a life sentence, my dear.”
Caroline looked up, startled, “Do you really think so?”
“Absolutely,” Huntingdon said. “You will be sentenced to spend the rest of your life married to me.”
“Oh, Huntingdon!”
“It is a severe sentence, I agree,” Huntingdon said, “And we will try to cushion it by sailing for a year in my yacht. Perhaps along the coast of Greece, or the coast of Spain.”
“But your duties as an earl?” she protested.
“Can wait for a year,” Huntingdon said. “My dear, I have not finished reading Gulliver’s travels, and now I shall live them!”
“Will it really be as you said?” Caroline asked, wonder in her voice. “Do you really think the crown will not punish me at all?”
“As I said, a year away will solve all things,” Huntingdon said. “After that, I’d be willing to gamble that people will call you a heroine for all the sacrifices you have made.”
Huntingdon may have been a soothsayer with how exactly his words came true. When Caroline’s tale was told, the scandal swept over all of England. Most felt that Felton met with the fate he deserved and that Caroline was to be celebrated, not punished for what she had done.
Julia recovered soon enough from her fever. James, refusing to hear any more excuses, carried her to a chapel, and they were married. The ceremony was so full of pomp that every nobleman in London recalled it fondly even years later.
As for Caroline and Huntingdon, they married and lived a long and prosperous life, traveling the world and yet simultaneously being at home, because they always had each other.
*** The End ***
A brief note of thanks:
Thank you, dear reader, for picking up this collection. It's my sincere wish that you had as much fun and enjoyment reading these stories as I did in writing them. All my books are wholesome romances suitable for all to enjoy.
If you liked this box set, could I ask you to kindly leave a review on Amazon? That would be most appreciated. Please leave your review here.
About the Author
Grace Fletcher loves everything about Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Her name, Grace, is synonymous with pleasing words such as elegance, dignity, and decency. These are the same values she upholds in her books as she writes only clean, wholesome Regency romance.
Each of her books has an agreeable mix of intrigue, romance, and overcoming obstacles that will capture your interest right to the last page.
Sign up here, to receive new book release notifications.
Please feel free to visit her Facebook page.
Or contact her directly at gfletchercpg@sasktel.net
Visit her Amazon Author Page for the compete list of books.
Books by Grace Fletcher:
Box Sets - Your Best Values:
Regency Aristocrats Stories of True Love 20 Book Box Set
Other Recent Releases:
The Duke’s Family Restored
The Earl & Miss Abigail’s Christmas Delight
A Christmas Concert for the Duke
Copyright © 2018 by Grace Fletcher.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
Publisher’s Note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Locales and public names are sometimes used for atmospheric purposes. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or to businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is completely coincidental.
Book Layout ©2018 BookDesignTemplates.com