Enchanted by the Mysterious Marquess: A Clean & Sweet Regency Historical Romance

by Fanny Finch

  Jasper nodded. “Yes, I am sure of that.”

  “You have much to say for a man who is also a bachelor and never makes an effort.”

  This time, Jasper chuckled. He shook his head and sat forward. When he sat down, he had resumed his slouched, comfortable position. But what he wanted to say was important and he wanted to have Myles’ full attention.

  “There is no need for insults. You do know that I would not speak ill of you or steer you in the wrong direction. But you, being so close to this situation that has been created, cannot see the forest for the trees.”

  Myles listened closely.

  “It does seem to me that you merely played right into your enemy’s hands. How did Miss Bronson look when you confronted her? I am assuming you have already spoken to her about it?”

  “I have. She did not look happy.”

  “Did she deny the article was true?”

  Myles shook his head. “She said she was at Sir Franklin’s for a specific reason and it was not to embrace him.”

  “But she would not tell you what it was or why she has been seen around town with the most dangerous person she could have been with?”

  “She would not say.”

  “Does she not know about the threats? Does she know he is the one sending them?”

  Myles shook his head. “She does not know it was him sending you the threats. Nor that he is the one I have suspected from the beginning. You have not said how I am playing into my enemy’s hands.”

  “Someone had to have said they were seen around town to start those rumors. When has the community section been right about everything that is printed? In fact, I must say 90% of what is written in those pages is what people are talking about, not what is really happening.”

  Jasper shook his head. He stopped talking when the maid came in with the pastries and a hot pot of tea with two cups. “Thank you, Millie,” Jasper said, flashing a smile at the young woman.

  “You are welcome, my lord. I will be cleaning on the other side of the room if you need anything else. Or would you like for me to clean another room?”

  “We need privacy, Millie, thank you.”

  “Yes, my lord. I will be in the foyer if you need me.”

  “Thank you.”

  The young girl turned away. Jasper waited until she was gone before he continued. He poured himself a cup of tea and picked up a pastry as he spoke.

  “What I see has happened is that Sir Franklin posted that article or sent in the information for it so it would be printed. You are his main threat. It is quite possible that he has either paid someone to start these rumors or is spreading them himself.”

  “That does not explain why she went there last night.”

  “Perhaps she went to confront him about the rumors going around.”

  “She looked surprised when she read the article.” Myles shook his head. He did not see what possible explanation the young woman could have.

  Jasper looked contemplative. “I am sure she was surprised when she read it. I am sure she was hoping such a thing would not be so prominently displayed for all to see. But the only person with a reason for making up lies in this situation is Sir Franklin. You and Miss Bronson are a good match. I like you both. It would be a shame to see this relationship fall to the wayside.”

  “But she did go there last night,” Myles insisted.

  Jasper nodded. “Yes, yes, I know she did. But she also told you there was a reason and it was not to be embraced by him. He seems the kind of man who be forward if he so chose. He does not have a good reputation with women, as you know.”

  Myles nodded, sitting forward and listening to his friend.

  “You must think about this, Arlington,” Jasper said, keeping his voice even. He was looking directly in his friend’s eyes. “Lavinia would not have agreed to marry you if she did not love you. That is what she has been looking for all her life. You are the only one she was going to choose. She was not going to choose me and there is little chance she would choose Sir Henry or Sir Franklin. Sir Franklin is the one making threats.”

  He sat back, throwing his hands up in the air.

  “It seems to me the obvious choice is to ruin her reputation so that she will never be worthy of you or any man above her station. It clears the path when you reject her because of this scandal. He is at the back of the line and he knew he would never get to the front. Therefore, he must have planted the information, knowing you would see it. Or hoping you would anyway. And that would make you break off any ties with her.”

  Myles was beginning to see things from Jasper’s point of view. He and his friend both knew Lavinia well. Jasper had known her longer in person. And he never spoke ill of her. In fact, he was trying to get Myles to reconsider her.

  “Do you not trust her?” Jasper sounded a little disappointed in his friend.

  Myles sighed. “I have never had a woman to use as reference about trust, Federline. I do trust her. But this has me reeling.”

  “You should trust her more, Arlington, if you plan to marry her. Otherwise, you will always be jealous and suspicious of her. Women do not like that. Trust me. I know.”

  Myles did not have time to wonder how Jasper, a bachelor himself, could know such a thing. He laced his fingers together and placed them in front of his mouth.

  “I suppose I need to apologize to her. I should not have lost my temper about the rumors. There have been rumors being spread about her since the death of her father.”

  Jasper nodded. “Yes, and some of them linked the two of you together.”

  Myles sighed, nodding back at his friend. “That is true.”

  “And they were not true, were they? At the time.” He added the last part with a sly grin.

  His positive personality made Myles lose even more of his aggravation. He felt himself relaxing some. He would apologize to Lavinia. He would ask her nicely to explain herself. He would believe her denials that she had been walking about town with Sir Franklin.

  But he had to know why she went to Sir Franklin’s the night before.

  “You should probably hurry if you want to apologize to her. It has been three days now, has it not? If you do not quash the rumors about her and Sir Franklin soon, she may be forced to marry the only one left who will have her. And we both know who that will be, do we not?”

  Myles felt a sense of disgust slide through him. The unwanted image of Sir Franklin and Lavinia kissing passed through his mind again. He shook his head to clear it.

  “I must think of the right thing to say,” he said. “I… I lost my temper, Federline, I do admit to that.”

  Jasper shrugged, his casual demeanor returning. He sat back in his chair after picking up another pastry. “You will find the right thing to say.”

  “Do you have any suggestions?”

  Jasper grinned wide. “I apologize, Miss Bronson. I am an idiot. How is that?”

  Myles could not help but chuckle. “I suppose I could be that blunt.”

  “You usually are. It is a trait we have in common, my friend. It is not a surprise we have been taken for brothers in the past.”

  Myles grinned at Jasper. “We are taken for brothers because we both have dark hair and are built the same. I do not believe we have been told we have similar personalities, too.”

  “Oh, but if they were to only spend more time with us, they would see that we are much alike,” Jasper said in a humorous tone. “That is, if they can get either of us to speak to them at all.”

  Myles laughed aloud at that. He was fond of the quiet time he often spent with Lord Federline, when they were engaged in reading or a different activity but were in the same room. It was a comfortable friendship. They both knew they were not required to speak every minute they were together.

  “What are you still doing here, Arlington? It has been three days. You have no idea what that woman could have been thinking or doing during this time. Why, she may already be married to someone else!”

  They both
laughed, though the thought made Myles feel a streak of jealousy slide through him. As far as he was concerned, Lavinia was his woman and would be his wife.

  Now he had to be concerned as to whether or not she would accept his apology. And that apology still came with the requirement of an explanation about her involvement with Sir Franklin. She had no need to ask him about anything. She was not still searching for the secret Sir Edward had left with Myles.

  Why had she gone to Sir Franklin’s?

  The question was etched in his mind as he left Jasper, who wished him the best of luck.

  Chapter 29

  Lavinia could not find the words to say. Her mother was dictating her future for her and she had no way to respond.

  The article in the paper had spurred on more rumors that piled one on top of the other until it seemed to Lavinia everyone in the ton was talking about her. Several suitors had withdrawn their names from the list her mother had compiled.

  Livid, Mrs. Bronson told Lavinia that because of this scandal, she would be marrying Sir Henry.

  The thought of marrying Sir Henry instead of the Marquess made Lavinia sad. She was devastated enough to lose the man she had fallen in love with, who had finally admitted to loving her back. To have to marry a man she had always thought of more as a brother made Lavinia feel a little disgusted with her life.

  It would be very awkward playing the role of wife to a man she did not love in that way.

  She knew that Sir Henry offered to marry her to save her reputation. Once they were married, the rumors would cease and the people of the ton would realize their mistake. Some of them might even search for the source of the rumors, though Lavinia thought it was very egotistical for her to think they would go to such lengths to find out the truth.

  She was curious, though, who could have planted the rumors. The more she thought about it, the more she realized it had to be Sir Franklin. He was the only one with an ax to grind and he knew exactly what had happened.

  He had done it as a way to ruin her so that she would be forced to marry him when the Marquess sent her away.

  But Sir Henry would change that. She was grateful to him for offering but it was still in a state of dismay that she agreed to her mother’s instructions.

  Mrs. Bronson seemed a little surprised that her daughter was giving in so quickly. Lavinia did not feel she had any other choice. When the marriage banns were completed, she would marry Sir Henry.

  Lavinia sat in the library of her home, a large book open on the desk in front of her. She was not reading it, it was just there so she could look like she was doing something. She had her reading glasses on but the words in front of her seemed to have no meaning.

  She could only think about the Marquess of Kent. She missed him much more than she thought she would. She had not realized how deep her love had become. She dreamed of him for the past three nights, her heart racing when she woke up to realize he was no longer hers.

  She would never even speak to him again, it was likely. He wanted nothing to do with her.

  The four days that had passed since the Marquess broke off their engagement passed like molasses from a tree trunk. Every day was just another day of heartache. He was there in her dreams, he was in her mind during the day, she could not shake him.

  Her heart longed for him. The passionate kiss they had shared lingered in her mind. She wanted more of those. She wanted his arms around her. She wanted to hear his heartbeat and listen to the smooth sound of his commanding voice.

  Lavinia sighed. How she missed him.

  The door to the library was pushed open and she looked up from her book.

  Anna and Sir Henry entered. Anna smiled at Lavinia but she was certain there was a sadness in her friend’s smile that she had not seen before. It touched her that even though they would be sisters, Anna was aware that Lavinia’s heart was not with her brother. It saddened her that Lavinia could not be with the man she truly loved.

  Lavinia stood up and smiled at the two of them.

  “Anna. Sir Henry. How lovely to see you both.” She strode across the room toward them, her arms outstretched. She and Anna exchanged air kisses on both cheeks. She curtsied to Sir Henry, who bowed to her.

  “Please come and sit with me. Or would you rather go to the parlor?” Lavinia shook her head, not waiting for them to voice their opinions. “Let us retire to the parlor. It is much more comfortable there. I am surprised to see you this early. I was led to believe you would be coming for dinner. That will not be served for several hours.”

  “I wanted to come and see you sooner,” Anna said as they turned to go back out the library door. Sir Henry allowed them to go in front of him and brought up the rear, closing the door behind him. “I have missed your delightful face.”

  Lavinia had to laugh. There had been nothing delightful about her face since Sir Franklin nearly attacked her. She glanced over her shoulder at Sir Henry, grateful that he had saved her.

  Not grateful enough to fall in love with him, though.

  When he looked back at her, his eyes were soft. A small smile lifted the corners of his lips. She returned it and turned to look where she was going.

  “I am a bit parched,” she said. “We need a nice cuppa and some little biscuits or pastries. Would you like some? A bit of a snack before dinner?”

  “Will your mother mind it?”

  Lavinia chuckled. “I think the cook might be a little more put off than mother would be. I will get a maid and have some brought to us.”

  “Why would the cook be upset?”

  “She is a woman of nutritious, delicious meals, Anna. She does not like to have any snacking going on in between meals. She says it will make us less appreciative of her work and is not good for our health.”

  Anna laughed. Sir Henry chuckled behind them.

  Lavinia pushed open the door to the parlor and let her friend in. There was a specific chair she liked the most in the large room, that had matching furnishings placed all around the room. Each one was a distinct dark color of burgundy with gold trimming on the edges of the cushions. The drapes matched the furniture, burgundy with gold trimming and gold tassels hanging down the sides.

  It was one of Lavinia’s favorite rooms in her home. Her grandfather had decorated it that way. Lavinia doubted anyone would be trying to redecorate it anytime soon. It was a calm, warm atmosphere that anyone could enjoy.

  Sir Henry and Anna took seats near Lavinia, after she pulled on a cord to notify someone in the kitchen to come up.

  “I must apologize to you, Lavinia,” Anna said quietly, giving her friend a solemn look. “It does seem I have ruined everything for you. That was not my intention. I hope you know that.”

  Lavinia shook her head. “What has happened is not your fault, Anna. I am the one who chose to go to the Ashdown estate. And you did not spread the rumors about me that were mentioned in the paper. I am certain it was he himself who did that.”

  “You believe Sir Franklin spread those rumors?”

  Lavinia nodded. “I do.”

  “There is nothing that can be done now, though,” Sir Henry added, his voice smooth and low. “I do hope you will be happy with me. You and Anna will be sisters. That must be a benefit you did not expect.”

  Lavinia smiled but there was a level of sadness in it that she could not avoid. “I am grateful for what you are doing, Sir Henry. It is noble of you.”

  Their tray of refreshments came and they chatted for half an hour. When the pastries were gone and the tea was settling in their stomachs, Sir Henry proposed a walk through the garden to help digest their food before dinner.

  “We do not want to upset Cook, do we?” He grinned.

  Lavinia accepted the invitation, taking hold of Henry’s arm. She would have to get used to that. His arm was not as muscular as the Marquess’ was. He had a different scent about him, too, one that made Lavinia long for the deep, musky scent of the man she loved.

  She did not get the thrill of excitement wh
en she touched Sir Henry. She knew that when they eventually kissed, the passion she had felt from the Marquess would not be there.

  She felt the light breeze brushing against her cheeks like soft fabric. The day before had been nothing but storms. Those who were smart stayed inside. She turned her face up and let the sun shine on it.

  “You are a beautiful woman, Miss Lavinia,” Sir Henry said softly. “I am glad we are to be married. In time, you will learn to love me.”

  Lavinia could not reply. She had nothing to say. She could not agree with him. She did not want to love another. She only wanted the Marquess. His love was the only thing that would fill her heart with joy.