by Regina Darcy
“I deserved that,” Lord Blackwood said. He looked her in the eye and added, “But I have no intention of apologising, because quite simply, I am not sorry.” With those final words he walked away. Emmeline was left shocked and confused.
Lord Blackwood walked away frustrated and angry with himself. What had he been thinking? He had behaved like the worst cad. Despite admonishing himself, the memory of Emmeline’s sweet innocence against his lips lingered with him. She would never trust him again. He had broken all norms set by society and the lady herself. Though their kiss would linger with him, for her it would be but an unpleasant memory. He clenched his fists in frustration. He was wondering if there would be no end to his torment.
After a long night of pondering, he realized that he had no choice. If he truly loved Emmeline, he would have to reveal her plans to the Knights. The only thing that would matter to him was the fact that she was safe.
Hence, the following morning he travelled to the residence of the Knight family and called on Mr. and Mrs Knight.
“Lord Blackwood,” Mr. Knight said, coming down the stairs. “What a pleasant surprise. To what do we owe the visit?”
“I am afraid that this is neither a matter of business nor pleasure,” Lord Blackwood replied. “I must speak to you of a thing of utmost importance. It is a matter most urgent, else I would not have come calling on you at such an early hour.”
“I see,” Mr. Knight replied, regarding him pensively. “Do come and sit down. Tell me more about this urgent matter.”
Lord Blackwood sat down in the sitting room and spoke. “Mr. Knight,” he began. “As you probably know by now, your daughter has begun to greatly admire the Count de Coligny. Based on his behaviour you might have the impression that he feels strongly towards her as well. However, I overheard him and another Frenchman conversing. He spoke of a long standing rift against someone, and how he is slowly planning to execute a plan of revenge. He spoke of how he was going to make sure that his vengeance was swift, and that his plan is already under way. I have reason to believe that the family he plans to avenge himself against is your family, and that he is going to do so through his attempted courtship of your daughter.”
“Lord Blackwood,” said Mr. Knight, his voice full of concern. “These are very serious allegations that you are making. I do not doubt a gentleman’s word, but what makes you think that we are the people he wishes to seek vengeance against? And what makes you think that courting Emmeline is part of this alleged plan?”
“Because courting Emmeline is all he has done since he came here,” said Lord Blackwood. “And I overheard him and Emmeline speaking in the garden last night. They were speaking of eloping.”
Mr. Knight looked alarmed.
“She is young, and she does not understand how dangerous the Count is. If he truly seeks vengeance against someone why would he run off with Emmeline unless this is all part of his plan?”
Mr. Knight looked as though he was lost for words, and Lord Blackwood could not blame him.
Mr. Knight called Emmeline down and confronted her about what she had been planning to do. Emmeline burst into tears.
“Lord Blackwood, how could you?” she exclaimed. She sobbed and ran outside. Lord Blackwood and Mr. Knight followed her, but she had run off into the green before they could catch her.
Lord Blackwood wondered if he had misjudged the situation. Perhaps the confrontation with her parents had only exacerbated the situation. Maybe he should have kept her secret.
How could he have done that, though? He truly cared for Emmeline. He loved her so much he was willing to never speak to her again to ensure she would not have to get involved in a plot that would undoubtedly ruin her life.
He had to find her, and he had to make sure that she stayed safe.
CHAPTER 9
Emmeline did not know where she was going. Just that she needed to get away. The anger that had overcome her was now dissipating and she could think more clearly.
She was loath to admit that it was only partly fuelled by her parent’s discovery of her plans to run off to Gretna Green. The main reason was Lord Blackwood. Confused, she chewed on her lower lip.
She had barely slept a wink the previous night. Her thoughts kept wandering back to the moment Lord Blackwood had kissed her. She had yet to decide if that was a good or a bad thing. She had wanted to mull over it for the next couple of days. How? When you are eloping? She ignored the stray thought.
When she had seen Lord Blackwood standing there, next to her parents, the only thought in her mind was “did he tell them about the kiss?” Instead, she had faced the humiliation of being treated like a child.
She was now on her way to the Count’s residency. He would provide her with a true home, a home in which she would always be happy, a home where no one would question her judgment and treat her like a child.
Just as she started regretting the folly of running away from home on foot, she heard a carriage driving down the country road. She turned around and was relieved to see it bore the livery of the Count de Coligny.
The Count stepped out of the carriage and held her as she sobbingly explained that her parents were against their union and knew about their plans.
“My dear, once we are married in the natural beauty of Gretna Green, you will forget about all these minor disagreements. I assure you that I will do whatever it takes to make you happy. There is nothing that I would not give you.”
“Oh my lord,” said Emmeline, “You are truly a generous and understanding man.”
“Afterwards we shall of course go for a romantic honeymoon,” said the Count. “I would take you anywhere you wish to go.”
“Can we go to France?” Emmeline asked. “I have always wanted to see Paris. I have rarely ever been outside of Berkshire, let alone as far as France. I would so love to go and look at all the wonders that Paris has to offer! It seems a city of such romance, a city so free from the trappings of propriety. Oh, how I would love to live in Paris, among the artistes and the poets and the musicians, in a city that seems built on the back of those who seek to create rather than busy themselves tutting at the impropriety of all those who do not follow some sort of unnecessarily strict moral code!”
The Count smiled at her and said, “Indeed, we shall visit Paris. Very soon.”
Emmeline looked at the Count and something in his smile unsettled her. It seemed not the smile of a lover, or one who admires you. It seemed more akin to the smile of a wolf with its sights set on an unsuspecting sheep. She was disconcerted, but she struck the thought from her mind. She was sure she had been influenced by the lies that Lord Blackwood had been trying to whisper in her ear.
And yet, it seemed so odd.
Emmeline shook her head and smiled back at the Count. She shouldn’t think such silly thoughts. There really was no reason to.
“Shall we leave at once?” asked the Count. “I would like to be married as soon as possible. I cannot spend a minute longer than I have to not being one with the woman I love so deeply.”
“I guess we should,” Emmeline replied hesitantly.
They got into the carriage and the driver began to take them away from Berkshire, take them away from all the things Emmeline had always known. She felt bad in that moment. She was abandoning her parents, abandoning all the people who had always cared about her.
“My lord,” Emmeline queried, “Can we not wait a little while before we get married? I would so like my parents to attend the wedding. They have always loved me so deeply; it feels wrong not to have them attend. If you explained to them your honest intentions, I don’t think they would object to our union.”
The Count gave her a look. His entire demeanour was changed. Never had anyone regarded her in such way. It was a look that frightened Emmeline. It spoke of cold, icy rage.
“Emmeline,” the Count replied in a curt tone, “if you are to be my wife, you must learn to do as you are told. I am to be your husband, so I will expect obedience from you,
is that understood?”
Emmeline was taken aback. Never had she been spoken to in a similar manner. Only then did she notice, he had a horse whip across his knees.
“My lord,” she said tentatively, “I am to be your wife, not your servant. I want my parents at my wedding, is that so wrong?”
“We will be married and then we can return to Berkshire and win your parents’ approval,” said the Count. “But we are not going to stop this carriage until it has taken us all the way to Gretna Green.”
Emmeline was starting to panic. This was not at all the man who had been showering her with his admiration for the last week. She decided it would be more prudent to disembark from the carriage now, whilst they were still in the countryside. The horses were not at a full gallop yet. Before she got the door open, she was violently pushed onto her seat.
“Count de Coligny, please stop the carriage at once. I wish to go home!” Emmeline stammered.
“Non, my little bird," said the Count. “You will stay here in this carriage and we will be married. You are going to obey me or find out the consequences of disobedience.”
All the while he spoke he tapped the riding crop against his leg. What had she gotten herself into?
In England, a wife was subject to corporal chastisement from her husband, short of bodily harm. It was a dirty secret known by all, but spoken by none. Especially among the gentry. The Count could whip her and she would have no recourse and nowhere to run. Emmeline cried silently.
Suddenly, they heard the sound of horses galloping outside. Emmeline parted the curtain that covered the window and saw that it was Lord Blackwood! She had never been happier to see anyone in her life.
Another horse was on the other side. The Count parted the curtain of his window and Emmeline saw her father galloping valiantly. The two men forced the groomsman to stop the carriage. Shortly after the door opened violently.
“Emmeline!” Lord Blackwood called. Emmeline scrambled out of the carriage and into his arms. “Oh, dear Lord Blackwood!” Emmeline sobbed. “You were right all along; I should have listened.”
“It is alright,” Lord Blackwood said, gently brushing the back of her head. “It is alright; it will all be alright.”
Emmeline turned to her father and hugged him.
“I am sorry, Papa” she sobbed.
“There, there my darling. I am here now.”
The Count exited the carriage.
“Merde! You know nothing of the wrong that has been done to me, to my family! Your family has ruined me! It is my turn to ruin you!” he shouted.
“Whatever my wife’s father did,” Mr. Knight replied in a cold and stern voice, “this is not the fault of anyone present here, least of all my daughter, you scoundrel. You are unworthy of the title gentleman.”
“I will have my revenge,” the Count continued to rant. “I swear it.”
At this point, Lord Blackwood did something out of character. He struck the Count across the face, hard, with the back of his hand.
“That is quite enough from you, sir,” Lord Blackwood said. “You are lucky I am too much of a gentleman to teach you the lesson you so sorely deserve!”
The Count looked like he was going explode. Instead he jumped into his carriage and ordered his groomsman to drive off. His plan was ruined, and there was nothing to be done about that.
CHAPTER 10
2 Weeks Later
Emmeline was feeling quite overwhelmed with everything that had happened. The events of the past few weeks felt like something out of a bad dream or nightmare.
She was walking with Lord Blackwood in the garden behind her home, discussing his latest discovery of the Count de Coligny’s motivation to harm her and her family.
“As it turns out,” Lord Blackwood explained, “my contacts have found out a fair bit about the Count de Coligny’s background. His father and your grandfather had been in business together. When the business failed, they lost a lot of money.
Your grandfather was a rather intelligent man and had many other investments, but the Count’s father had not been so shrewd, and he lost a lot more than your family did. He did not take this well. He blamed your grandfather for taking away his family’s wealth and decreasing it significantly, and he fed this poison to the Count. This was what he was trying to avenge. Something that, frankly, did not deserve to be avenged at all.”
“What an awful man,” Emmeline said. “I can’t believe that I fell into his trap. I feel like such a dimwit. I am so utterly embarrassed.”
“You have no reason to be,” Lord Blackwood replied. “He is a very manipulative man; he has a way of making people see him the way he wants them to see him. I am just grateful we arrived in time.”
“How did you even find us?” Emmeline asked.
“We went to the Count’s estate, assuming that was where you were most likely to go. Upon reaching his residence, we discovered from the manservant that he had left just recently. I remembered that he had spoken of getting married in Gretna Green. Hence, your father and I started to ride in that direction at once.”
Emmeline stopped walking and looked at Lord Blackwood.
Ever since her near ruin, she could not converse with any man besides her brother and father. Behind each face all she saw was deceit. Her nerves had been in tatters. All that time though, Lord Blackwood had been at her side. Visiting her every day until she regained her spirits.
She appreciated his silent strength and pleasant disposition.
“Lord Blackwood,” Emmeline said. “I cannot thank you enough for all that you have done for me. You were always there; you were always trying to protect me. Even when you had no reason to, you chose to protect me. I am sorry for treating you so horribly when you only had my best interest in mind. Will you forgive me?”
“There is nothing to forgive, Miss Knight,” Lord Blackwood replied. “And I would not be so presumptuous as to think that now I shall be the recipient of your affection. I assure you, what you are feeling right now is gratitude.”
“I beg to differ,” Emmeline replied passionately. “I have never been more certain where my true feelings lie.”
Lord Blackwood looked at her, and Emmeline realized this was the look that she had been waiting for all her life. This was the look of a man who truly loved you.
And in that moment, Lord Blackwood was hard pressed to resist the enchanting sight of Miss Emmeline Blackwood. The feelings she had so cruelly rejected surfaced like a tidal wave. He decided to behave with uncharacteristic boldness; he kissed her softly on the lips.
It was the sweetest thing that Emmeline had ever experienced.
EPILOGUE
The following year turned out to be a rather eventful one. Before anyone could approach the Count and seek an explanation for his behaviour and retribution for what he had tried to do, he returned to France where the privilege of his station would protect him for the remainder of his life. His plot was foiled, however, and that was what mattered.
Emmeline and Lord Blackwood were married within months of realizing their mutual feelings of attraction and admiration. It was a wonderful marriage, and all of their friends and family were in attendance. Emmeline was quite glad that she hadn’t eloped, for she realized that a wedding is meant to be a happy affair. An event where you celebrate eternal love with all of the people that you care about. It is not meant to be something that is done in secret, or approach in a hasty manner.
The year was not all happiness and cheer, however. Lord Blackwood’s father died shortly after the wedding. His health had been failing for quite some time, and after seeing his son happily married he finally found the courage to move on. It was a sad occasion.
Lord Blackwood became the Earl of Dingby, a full member of the peerage. He was afforded a number of privileges that had not been available to him before, and his and Emmeline’s social status was increased dramatically as a result.
The year was filled with much happiness, so the sad demise of Lord Blackwood�
�s father did not spoil the mood all that much, particularly since his declining health had lead most people to expect it to happen at any moment.
Emmeline remained glad that she had seen sense and opened her heart to seeing the good qualities of Lord Blackwood. She realized that after all this time, she was going to be able to be with a man that truly loved her for who she was, someone that would not harm her or force her to do anything that she did not want.
Sometimes she wondered what would have happened if she had not been saved. The Count would have ruined her, and she would have become unmarriageable. But this was not what happened, and she put such thoughts out of her mind whenever they came about.
Instead, she thought of the future. She thought of children, and the prospect of watching them grow. She thought of her children getting married, and them having children of their own. And she thought of the joyous fact that throughout all of these moments, she would have Lord Blackwood by her side, the man she had always been meant to love but had simply been to childish to realize it.
And so, in a way, her near catastrophe with the Count had been a good thing in a way. It had forced her to grow up a little and see the world in a different way. It had been part of the road that had led her to the man that truly was of her dreams, and as a result she was glad that it had happened, and she regretted nothing at all.
The End
BONUS CHAPTER 1:
BEWITCHING THE VISCOUNT
CHAPTER 1
Lord Nathaniel Hughes, the Viscount of Wiltshire was bored. Ever since his close friend, the Duke of Staffordshire had tied the knot with the beautiful Miss Georgette Danford, he had been questioning his own bachelor status. The loving bliss the couple exuded had him longing for something other than his current, temporary liaisons with married women. He was by no means looking for a love match, far from it. However, the issue of an heir was of outmost importance. The only problem with his new, inexplicable, yearning was that he did not trust women at all.