The very thought sounded unbelievable to him, but it seemed as if he was going to do it nevertheless. He did not have any choice but to accept defeat and face reality. On the other hand, it was not the working part that troubled him. Francis was worried about the reactions of his peers. The close-minded British society was going to cause him problems.
It was hard to face, even for a man of his strong character. Francis Turner was only twenty-two years old, witty and charming, with a lot of friends to lean on. Still, all those friends knew him as Viscount Francis Turner, the heir of the marvelous Turner estate. The estate, however, was going to be lost unless he found a way to pay the creditors.
The horse quickened its step and Francis’ thoughts were interrupted. The nature around him was beautiful and familiar to him. This was his home, his land, his everything. He loved it and wanted to be a part of it for the rest of his life, no matter what. The big Turner’s estate had belonged to his family for hundreds of years, and it was his duty now to make sure that it remained intact for at least a hundred more.
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“You don’t expect me to go and ask some gentleman to marry me?”
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CHAPTER FIVE
THE SHY SISTER
“Sense will always have attractions for me.”
Jane Austen
Moreland House
Jane Roberts turned the page of the book she was reading and smiled happily. Despite what her mother liked to say about women and books, Jane believed firmly that education was crucial part of who she wanted to be. Jane wanted a lot of things, most of which were hard to have in the world she was living in.
The thick book of Fordyce’s Sermons almost slipped out of her hands. Jane quickly adjusted her position. The evening was peaceful and she enjoyed her time alone after a rather noisy family lunch.
Jane Roberts was the second daughter of Baron Roberts. She was sweet, charming and very pretty. Her dark blond hair and big brown eyes made her beautiful face shine with a golden hue. Jane was not as tall as her older sister Charlotte and did not have the determination and strong will of her younger sister Emma, but she possessed the open mind and understanding of someone who could make her own decisions.
“Jane, Jane…” Emma called from the house. Jane closed her book but did not answer her sister. She wanted to enjoy a few more moments of quiet before returning to her life. The last few days had been especially hard on her, and Jane dreamed of some time away from it all. “What are you doing? Why didn’t you answer me?”
Emma was standing in front of her now, her blond hair falling freely over her shoulders and her eyes shining like gold in the evening light. Jane smiled, thinking that the two of them were like twins, if not for their facial features. Emma had a rounder and softer features that made her look a lot younger than her nineteen years.
“I was lost in thought,” Jane admitted. “I did not want to return to the house.”
“I hate it when you fall into one of your melancholy moods, Jane,” the younger sister complained. “Papa is talking about you again, and Mother wants you to come inside and speak to them.”
“What are they talking about this time?” Jane stood up, sorry that Emma had interrupted her quiet time.
“The usual,” said Emma. She raised her shoulders and then sat down with a heavy sigh. “Who you should marry and who is the most eligible gentleman in the area. Mother is already dreaming about you becoming a Countess or a Duchess or who knows what else.”
“I don’t understand her,” Jane whispered. “Why is she in such a hurry to see us all married?”
“To see us all married well is our mother’s biggest wish,” Emma explained sadly.
“Fine,” Jane tugged Emma up. “Let’s go back in.”
“Don’t worry so much,” Emma tried to console her. “Our parents love us and they want what is best for us.”
Jane smiled, but her heart was heavy and full of sadness. The truth was simple. She was not against marriage, but she did not want to marry someone she did not love. She also understood her parents – after so many years of fear for their daughter’s future, Baron and Baroness Roberts couldn’t wait to see all three girls married. But, that was not her dream. Jane’s dream was to meet someone great, fall in love with him, and only then marry him.
The two young women walked up the stairs and into the house together, their hands are intertwined. Their parents were sitting in the big downstairs living room, waiting patiently for their daughters to return. The door to the room was slightly opened. Jane was able to see them sitting side by side, looking very much in love. The Baron and Baroness had been married for more than thirty-five years, but their love was just as strong as the day they wed.
“Papa? Mama? You wanted to see me?” Jane said from the door. She walked into the living room and sat on the armchair that was facing them. Emma followed her in and quietly found a chair in the back.
“Yes, my dear Jane,” Lord Roberts said solemnly. “We need to talk to you.”
“You should stop being so shy, my dear,” her mother added. “The gentlemen these days like the ladies to be more open and sometimes even to make the first step from time to time.”
“Mama, what are you talking about?” Jane asked, exasperated, already knowing where the conversation was going. “You don’t expect me to go and ask some gentleman to marry me?”
“No, no. Don’t be silly, dear,” the Baroness protested. “All I am saying is that you should give them a chance to prove to you their worth.”
“Papa,” Jane decided to change her approach. “What do you think?”
“Jane,” her father said with a sad smile. “We only want what is best for you. Your mother is right. There are a lot of gentlemen who have shown interest in you during the last several months. You, however, don’t seem to be interested in any of them. What your mother is trying to say is that if you don’t learn to be less quiet while in their company, you might never secure a husband.”
“Papa, I am only twenty-two years old,” Jane protested. “I need to know a person first before I even consider him for a husband.”
Jane spoke the words softly. She had never liked contradicting her parents, even about something as important as choosing the man she was going to spend her life with. From the corner of her eye, she could see Emma moving uncomfortably in her seat, too worried to speak. Jane was also worried, but she was determined to make them understand her point.
“I want to fall in love, Papa,” she tried once again.
“Oh, Jane,” her mother answered instead of him. “We want that too, but I am afraid that we don’t have the time. Our estate is not big enough to sustain all of us for long, and we don’t have much to give you when you eventually marry.”
“I know, Mama,” Jane lowered her head, her eyes filling with tears. “I know, but I wanted to dream for a while longer.”
“I am sorry that you have to grow so quickly, both of you,” the Baron said with sadness. “It is something we cannot control.”
“I will do whatever you want, Papa.” Jane did not look up when she spoke, afraid that they would see her tears.
A heavy silence descended in the room, oppressing all of them, and filling Jane’s mind with pictures of a sorrowful future.
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“I haven’t even met a woman I like. How I am supposed to fall in love?
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CHAPTER SIX
LIFE GOES ON
“The very first moment I beheld him, my heart was irrevocably gone.”
Jane Austen, Love and Friendship
Bunting Manor
“Judging by the names, you’ve invited half the country,” George said to his friend the next day when the two of them were making the final preparations for the upcoming ball. James had made an extensive list of t
he people he had invited. George read through it to see if he still remembered some of them.
“Yes, I know half of them, but there are a lot of people I have never met before,” James admitted. “I wanted to extend our circle of acquaintances, especially now that we are both staying here for good,” he continued.
“That sounds interesting…”
“It is, especially now that you need to look for a wife.” James suddenly became deadly serious. “You have to fulfill your father’s last wish.”
“For God’s sake, James,” George said exasperatedly. “My father not only wants me to marry, but he also wants me to fall in love with the woman I am going to make my wife. I haven’t even met a woman I like. How I am supposed to fall in love?”
“Oh, my firm and cold hearted friend,” James joked, “why can’t you see that all it takes to fall in love is to open your heart and wish for it.”
“Really? You believe that?” George laughed sarcastically. “I am not like you, James. I cannot will myself to fall in love with every beautiful woman that catches my eye.”
“I am not like that,” James complained. “I simply let myself feel and the rest comes quickly…”
“It is very fortunate for you, then, that you are no longer fighting in His Majesty's army,” George continued to tease him. “It was never easy to meet people while moving from camp to camp.”
“Yes, life was difficult then,” James agreed, “but now we have other priorities. Do you know that who Baron and Baroness Roberts have three daughters who, according to my butler, are famous local beauties.”
“Roberts? I have never heard of them,” George answered.
“Oh, the family is from the area, but the girls only recently came of age. That is why we’ve never met them before.”
The news didn’t particularly interest George, other than the fact that it meant that he was going to meet a lot of women at the ball.
Back at the Roberts’ estate, the three sisters were getting ready for the ball at Bunting Manor, excited about meeting some new people. All three of them loved dancing, but there were rarely occasions for them to enjoy that particular exercise lately. Many of the young men had chosen to become soldiers and had gone to fight for the Great British Empire all over the world. The few that were still home weren’t numerous enough to provide dance partners for all the ladies that went to the balls.
“Did you hear about Marquess James Bunting?” Jane asked while doing Charlotte’s hair. “Anne Lincoln said that he just returned from the continent where he fought bravely. He also has a lot of young friends just like him.”
“Are you gossiping again, Jane?” Charlotte laughed, looking at her reflection in the mirror and admiring how her dark hair was making her skin seem white like snow. “You know how much I despise gossip. And what does it matter if you know everything about the man, who invited us to the ball beforehand? We are going to meet him in a few hours, after all.”
“Don’t be like that, Lottie,” Emma joined their conversation from her place in front of the window. “We need to be prepared for this evening. Who knows? Maybe we will meet our future husbands tonight.”
“You are too young to talk about marriage, Emma.” Lottie disapproved of her words. “Don’t be in such a hurry, my dear.”
Charlotte hated it when her sisters thought that marriage was the only future for a woman and looked at every young man as a possible husband. She was raised to believe that every young lady needed to prepare for marriage and to find a good man once the time was right, too, but she didn’t see marriage as a duty. She had learned everything a young lady needed to know in order to be considered accomplished and ready for the next step in her life, and yet, Charlotte felt that marriage without love was just something that needed to be done.
“Wanting to fall in love and get married is an entirely natural thing to dream about, Charlotte,” Emma complained. “I don’t understand why you are so afraid of falling in love.”
I am not! Charlotte wanted to say to her sisters, but before the words could leave her mouth, the door of the room opened, and Baroness Roberts walked in. Their mother was already dressed in one of her most beautiful gowns. Charlotte admired her light complexion and beautiful smile.
At fifty-one, Lady Elizabeth Roberts was still a very lovely woman and that evening she was uniquely beautiful in her elegant ivory dress, decorated with French lace. Her hair was arranged in a rather conservative style, but it suited her just right.
“Are you ready, girls?” she asked, looking around at the mess in the room. “Charlotte, why haven’t you buttoned your dress yet?”
“Oh, Mother, you look magnificent!” Emma exclaimed.
“Thank you, dear. You are quite charming in that dress.” Baroness Roberts approached her younger daughter and adjusted the ribbon around her waist. Emma was wearing a light pink silk gown and her blond hair was left loose over her shoulders. She had only a single string of pearls around her neck and a matching pink ribbon in her hair. Jane and Charlotte were dressed in yellow and blue gowns, and both had their hair arranged in complicated-looking hairstyles.
“Charlotte, why aren’t you ready yet?” the Baroness asked her eldest daughter once again. “You have to look perfect this evening.”
“I am almost ready, Mother,” Charlotte sighed deeply. “I was helping Jane with her hair.”
“I know that you disapprove of this, my dear,” Baroness Roberts said as she sat down beside her daughter on the sofa, “But your father is right. You have to consider marriage with some well situated young gentleman who can make you happy. I also would prefer for it to happen gradually, for you to have time to fall in love and chose well the man you are going to spend your life with, but neither of us is given that chance.”
Charlotte wanted to disagree with her mother, but her father was lying sick in his bed, and the future of all of them was at risk because of some old family law that stated that the heir of the estate could be only a male, leaving all the female children powerless in front of it. Therefore, her mother was right. If there was going to be a future for her sisters, Charlotte needed to marry well, so that she could help them to do the same when the time was right.
The drive to Bunting Manor took them almost an hour, but no one complained. The weather was warm and the scenery along the way was magnificent. Emma and Jane kept themselves busy with the local gossip, while Baroness Roberts gave her final recommendations to her daughters, wanting them to behave appropriately for the occasion.
The four of them arrived at the ball together with many other local families also invited to the ball. It wasn’t difficult to get lost in the crowd that was already filling the big ballroom of the Bunting Manor, but what impressed Charlotte was the architecture of the manor. The house was old, but well preserved and spoke of the wealth of the family.
All guests were welcomed by Marquess James Bunting and his mother, Marchioness Eleanor Bunting. Charlotte immediately liked Marquess Bunting and disliked his thin and bitter looking mother. The young gentleman was dressed in a perfect black evening jacket and dark brown trousers, his dancing shoes shining in the light of the chandeliers. His mother, on the other hand, was wearing a black dress, as if trying to look thinner than she already did.
“Baroness Roberts and her three daughters, Charlotte, Jane, and Emma,” the butler announced. They bowed elegantly in front of their hosts.
“It is nice to see you, Baroness Roberts,” Marquess Bunting said. “I hope that you and your lovely daughters will have a nice time in our home.”
“Thank you, Marquess Bunting,” her mother thanked her, and the four of them entered the ballroom, leaving their hosts to take care of their other guests.
Charlotte walked in beside her sisters and looked around the room. She knew most of the people who were present and was about to go and talk to her friend, Rebeca when her gaze met the most amazing green eyes she had ever seen. For a moment, she felt like losing herself in those eyes, but then she realized w
hat she was doing and looked down. When she looked back up, she found the owner of the eyes was still watching her.
She didn’t recognize the gentleman, but he was the most handsome man she had ever seen. He was dressed in black. The only other color on him was his white shirt. The gentleman was standing by the window, alone and somehow separated from everyone else. Charlotte gathered her courage and looked once again into his eyes. When their gazes locked across the ballroom, a tremor went through her body. Whoever the gentleman was, he was someone special.
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“May I at least ask for your name, my lady?”
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CHAPTER SEVEN
THE FIRST ENCOUNTER
“I could easily forgive his pride, if he had not mortified mine.”
Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice
Bunting Manor
Lord George Geoffrays, the future Duke of Graystone, could not believe his eyes. At the entrance of the ballroom stood the most beautiful woman in the world. The lady by the door was taller than most women and dressed in a light blue evening gown, decorated with a few dark blue elements around the waist. The dress was lovely, but it wasn’t so different from what the other ladies in the room were wearing. It was her gaze that caught and held his attention.
The mysterious lady had the deepest gray eyes he had ever seen and her hair was unusually dark for her pearly white skin. The lady was not very shy, either. She returned his gaze boldly. George watched her for another ten minutes, following her around the room, and noticing how she greeted and talked to the people in the room.
Regency Romance: To Love A Viscount (CLEAN Historical Romance) Page 3