Passion Regency Style

by Wendy Vella

  “Oh, dear, he is here,” Livvy whispered, grabbing his hand.

  “He can’t hurt you anymore, love, remember that.”

  Nodding, she let his hand go with a final squeeze and tried to look calm.

  Lord Langley walked into the parlor and then stopped upon seeing Will standing beside Livvy and the Duke at the rear.

  “What are you doing in my house?”

  Neither of the brothers rose to their feet.

  “Waiting for you, Langley,” Will said calmly.

  Olivia’s cousin looked foolish, dressed in lavender breeches and matching waistcoat with a neckcloth that was tied in so many folds he looked like a puppy. He was fat and sweaty and the thought of him touching the woman he loved had him clenching his fists.

  “Easy,” Joseph whispered.

  “I demand to know the meaning of this!”

  “I don’t believe you addressed me correctly, Langley,” the Duke said. He, like Will, had a dark, implacable gaze leveled on the man. Langley must have seen something that gave him pause because he quickly slipped into a clumsy bow.

  “Your grace, pardon me. I was merely surprised to see you here.”

  This man had dared to touch Livvy, threaten her and her sisters, and were it not for the lecture about winning this battle with words that Joseph had given him just moments ago, he would have planted his fist in the man’s face by now.

  “You will listen to what I have to say, Langley, and not speak,” Will said. “You need not concern yourself over your cousins any further as they are no longer your worry and are now under my care.”

  “I care for my cousins!” Langley declared, taking a step closer to Olivia.

  “Step back, Langley,” Will said quietly. Something in his voice had the man doing just that.

  “I have heard disturbing things about you this day, Langley, things about murdered girls, gambling debts, bungled investments, and more.”

  “T—tis untrue, Lord Ryder!”

  “I think not, Langley,” Will said. “In fact, my man is, as we speak, on his way to London to buy up every one of your markers.”

  “What? Why would you want my markers? They can be of no interest to you,” Lord Langley said, darting a look from Will to Livvy and then finally, Joseph.

  “You will be indebted to me, Langley, for some time, if not the rest of your life,” Will added. “And make no mistake that I am bluffing, because I am a very wealthy man and your debts will cause me very little discomfort and a great deal of control.”

  “Why?” Langley asked again. He was clearly baffled by the animosity in the room. “What have I ever done to either of you?”

  “The Langley sisters are very, very good friends of ours, Langley. It is my belief you have not treated them as a family member should have.” Will climbed to his feet and walked closer to the man. “You have neglected to care for them and left them to fend for themselves.”

  “’Tis untrue! Would you believe their word over that of a nobleman? If she has spoken against me, it is slander, I tell you, and jealously that I inherited and she did not,” he said, pointing at Olivia.

  “Liar,” she hissed. “You are a weak, gutless man who failed in his familial obligations and, furthermore, you suggested vile, horrible things to me when I visited you in London.”

  “Be quiet, Olivia,” Will said.

  “I will not. He is an abhorrent, perfidious man who deserves a thorough thrashing, and I want you to give it to him, Will!”

  Will heard Joe cough to cover his laughter while he struggled to keep his features calm. She was fiery, his beloved, and he couldn’t wait to have all that fire centered on him.

  Lord Langley’s eyes bulged and his fists clenched as he took a step towards her, which foolishly put him in Will’s path.

  “I tell you, those bitches lie if they have slandered me. They are the worthless daughters of a man who took his life and I can prove it. You will not want to associate with them when I produce proof!” Langley cried. “She propositioned me in London, came calling and begged me to take her. She’s nothing but a little slut!”

  “You can’t stop me, Joe, no one can,” Will said calmly, taking a step forward and reaching Langley. Gripping the man’s collar, he shook him like a bed sheet.

  “Just the one, Will, and not the face,” the Duke said from behind him.

  Will planted his fist in the man’s soft stomach and forced him backwards into the door he had recently entered. Hauling him to his feet, he then shook him again.

  “Never again speak of my fiancée, do you understand, Langley, nor her sisters. Were we alone I would frighten you like you did her, you gutless coward.”

  Dropping him to the floor once more, he took a few steps backward, putting himself out of striking range. He felt Livvy’s hand slip into his and then she was leaning against him. Lifting his arm, he tucked her into his side.

  “It’s all right now, my love,” he whispered.

  Langley floundered about on the floor like a landed fish while he tried to haul in a breath.

  “Here is what will happen, and if you do not comply with what I say, Langley,” Will said when he knew the man could once again hear him, “I will have you before the magistrate for the deaths of those two innocent girls your name is linked to. “You’ll be leaving England for America on the next available ship, coincidently owned by me. Someone will escort you to London and retrieve any and all evidence you have on the Langley family and then they will help you pack and take you to the docks to meet your ship.”

  Will looked at the man and thought of the pain he had caused Olivia. He had never wanted to hurt someone so much before. This is what love did to a person.

  “You will sleep at Rossetter House in a room that locks from the outside. There will also be a guard stationed outside the door so there is no possibility of escape, Lord Langley. Do I make myself clear?” Will added.

  “Yes.” He was a beaten man and Will was happier knowing that fact. They were safe from him now, Livvy was safe.

  ***

  Livvy watched the Duke light the Yuletide Log in the hearth with the embers from last year’s log. The Popplehinges stood arm in arm, Mrs. Popplehinge resplendent in deep forest green with matching red trim on her hat and coat. Bella stood chatting with Thea and Penny, while Luke, Freddy and Jenny stood at the rear. Phoebe was having a heated debate with Lord Levermarch about the correct way to shoot a pistol.

  “Are you happy, my love?”

  Livvy’s smile was full of love as she turned to the man who was responsible for the joy inside her.

  “So very happy, Will, and it is because of you.”

  He looked down at her for long seconds and then a slow smile spread over his lips.

  “Will you spare me a few minutes of your time, Miss Langley?”

  Nodding, she let him lead her from the room and out towards the front doorway. He bundled her into warm clothing and then they were outside. Pulling her into his side, they walked slowly down towards the lake.

  “It’s so beautiful out here, Will.”

  He didn’t speak, just led her down to where the willows stood silently. Tugging her beneath, he then kissed her. Livvy melted against him, seeking his warmth and the magic of his kiss.

  Lifting his head he looked at her.

  “I first kissed you here, love, under these trees and I remember thinking that no other woman had touched me as you did that day.”

  “Oh, Will.”

  “I promise to cherish and love you until I draw my last breath, Olivia Langley,” he said, framing her face with his hands. “Marry me, sweetheart; only with you can I truly be someone I’m proud of.”

  “No, Will, you always had the man you are today inside you. It just took time for you to find him,” Livvy whispered against his lips. “Let me hold you close now, my love, and I promise to never let you go.”

  “Yes,” Will sighed, drawing her closer. He was home, finally, and this is where he would always stay.

&nb
sp; EPILOGUE

  Will looked down the aisle at the assembled guests and then across to where Livvy stood. She looked beautiful in pale blue, with her hair woven in matching satin ribbons. The worry was gone from her eyes now and he saw only happiness and love every time she looked at him, as she was now.

  “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to marry this man to this woman.”

  As the Reverend started talking, Will felt his chest fill with love. Around them were friends and family, all here for this special day, people that he had never let into his life before, yet now he could not live without. Their people, his and Olivia’s. Giving her a final look, which she answered with a soft smile, he then focused on the service.

  “Do you, Frederick Stanley Blake, take Jenny Elizabeth Bell to be your lawfully wedded wife?”

  The bride cried softly beneath her veil and managed to say yes when the question was put to her a few moments later, while the groom looked down at her with love shining in his eyes.

  Will looked at Livvy as he heard her sniff. In one month, this would be them. They would marry and then they would live out their days together and that day could not come soon enough for him. He wanted to spend hours talking with her and when they weren’t talking then they would be making love. She had breathed life into him. Her love had made him finally believe in himself and that he was someone worthy of that love.

  Will watched Freddy lift his new wife’s veil and seal their union with a kiss. The new Mr. and Mrs. Blake would take up residence at Willow Hall as now the Langley sisters all resided at Rossetter house while Will finalized the purchase of the house they would all then relocate to.

  Will swallowed his smile as Phoebe glared at Finn as he held out his arm so they could follow Freddy and Jenny from the church. Luke and Bella came next, and then Will held out his arm to Livvy.

  “Come, sweetheart.”

  Together, they followed the others out of the church and into the cool, clear winter’s day.

  “I can’t remember a time when I have felt this happy, Will.”

  Wrapping an arm around her waist, he pulled Olivia close to his side.

  “And your happiness has only just begun, my love.”

  “Our happiness,” she corrected.

  “Our happiness,” Will repeated, and then together they went to congratulate the married couple.

  THE END

  THANK YOU

  Thanks so much for reading Lady In Disguise

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  • If you want to read Finn and Phoebe’s story too, then here’s a sneak peek at Lady In Demand – (The Langley Sisters – Book 2)

  LADY IN DEMAND – available now

  “Oh, do be careful, Lord Levermarch. Those crab patties are a trifle rich, especially if one tends towards ill-humor.”

  Finneous Barrick, Marques of Levermarch paused with the aforementioned crab patty inches from his lips. Lowering it to the table, he took a deep steadying breath and then turned to face the woman who stood at his back.

  “Miss Langley,” Finn said, running his eyes over her perfect features but stopping before he reached her equally perfect breasts. “Such concern for my well-being, it warms my heart to know that you care.” He bowed in response to her curtsy.

  “I care for the well-being of any person who is advancing in years, my lord.” She looked up at him beneath long lashes. Her expression appeared concerned yet there was a wicked twinkle in the depths of her brown eyes.

  He smiled, although Finn wasn’t sure how genuine it appeared. He always felt off balance around this woman, and that was not Finn. He was controlled and in control of every aspect of his life, and had been since becoming guardian to his brothers at a young age.

  “My aged heart is quite touched at your show of concern, Miss Langley, and may I add that the sugar-coated almond biscuits would suit your untutored palette. They do not have much substance…” He let that word hang in the air for several seconds before adding, “And are easily digested.”

  That should keep her quiet for a few seconds, Finn thought, as her perfectly straight white teeth snapped together.

  He and Phoebe Langley had verbally sparred with each other since the day he had met her and, loathe as he was to admit it, he almost looked forward to their encounters, as not many people talked to him that way. He never quite knew how to take her. She was outspoken, and appeared to flaunt the rules most of society, including him, lived by. She was unlike other debutantes, and he hadn’t decided if he admired her or resented her for her ability to be herself when, around her, so many played a game. She was rarely coy, nor held her tongue if she felt something needed to be said. Often she was snickered or sneered at, but it never appeared to worry her, duly. What was it about Phoebe Langley that unsettled him, he wondered, other than her physical attributes, which, if he was honest, were disturbing enough.

  Because she’s like your mother.

  Looking down into the beautiful face, he realized the truth in his thoughts. She was like his parent, and Finn had vowed long ago to stay well away from any woman who even remotely resembled his mother.

  “Substance is a word that has many meanings, Lord Levermarch. Don’t you think?”

  Luscious was the only word he had ever been able to find to describe the woman before him. She was taller than most and her hair was a warm golden brown, thick and full. Usually by the end of the evening at least one lock always came loose to draw his eye. He had imagined it unbound in various forms, curls or straight, coming to rest half-way down her back. He’d imagined it fisted in his hands as he took her mouth beneath his own. Her skin was smooth and creamy and beneath her feathered eyebrows, her eyes were large and the color of cognac. Framed with ridiculously long curling lashes, the woman drew men like bees to a honey pot. Dresses did not sit on Phoebe Langley; they draped and caressed the bountiful curves beneath. For a debutante, she showed far too much of her chest, Finn thought, wanting to loosen his necktie as his eyes passed over the swells of her creamy breasts as she briefly looked away. The woman was a walking temptation; however, he would never be tempted, he continually told himself. She held none of the traits he wanted in his future wife. She would be sweet and mild mannered, everything the woman before him was not.

  “It certainly does, Miss Langley. I believe the dictionary states it can also mean the quality of having a solid basis in reality or fact.”

  She pursed her lips, which immediately drew Finn’s eye to the pout of her lower lip.

  “Something you struggle with, Miss Langley?”

  The brown eyes flashed, and then she lowered her lashes. When they rose, the languid look was back in them.

  “Not at all, my lord. Like your sturdy soul, mine is solidly grounded in both reality and fact.” Her voice was a breathy purr, which made the hair on the back of his neck stand.

  “You do surprise me,” he drawled, enjoying himself now his initial reaction to her had passed. It always took him a few minutes of exposure to settle down. She was beautiful but there was something more to her that he reacted to, a vitality that was lacking in others.

  “I see you once again favor the colors of mourning, my lord?”

  Finn looked down at his jacket and the front panel of his waistcoat that she could see.

  “Appearances are deceptive,” he said, opening one side to show her the thin ice blue thread of silk than ran in a subtle stripe down the side.

  She laughed. Not a trill or titter, a genuine laugh that made her eyes light and those bewitching lips tilt at the corners.

  “So you are not quite the stiff-necked peer I had always believed you to be, my lord.”

  “Not all of us wish to be peacocks, Miss Langley.”

  “Nor peahens, my lord.”


  Want to read the rest? Lady In Demand is available now.

  OTHER BOOKS BY WENDY VELLA

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  The Lake Howling Series

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  The Texan Meets His Match

  How Sweet It Is

  Historical Romances

  Regency Rakes Series

  Duchess By Chance

  Rescued By A Viscount

  Tempting Miss Allender

  The Langley Sisters Series

  Lady In Disguise

  Lady In Demand

  Lady In Distress

  The Lady Plays Her Ace

  The Lords Of Night Street Series

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  Lord Valiant

  Stand Alone Titles

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  For John

  Prologue

  The Honourable Earl of Hamilton flung his brown, exquisitely tailored buckskin breeches over one shoulder and leaped out of the window.

  He landed on a prickly bush.

  Curtailing an urge to squeal as the sharp thorns dug into his flesh. He scrambled up.

  "He jumped, ma!" A whiny feminine voice floated down from the first-floor window.

  After a quick worried glance upwards, the Earl somersaulted over the grass and with practised ease slipped behind a looming tree.

  "Blast it! He has escaped," a more mature voice growled, poking a grey head out of the window.

  The Earl smiled grimly. Yet another unmarried lady had set her cap on him. She had used an age-old trick of trying to seduce him and then having her mother discover them in a compromising position.