A Lady in Danger: A Suspenseful Regency Romance

by Eliza McGrey

  We continued along the path, trying to outdo one another with good natured insults about the other’s future spouse, my heart already feeling somewhat lighter.

  Chapter 3

  “And this is where I bid you adieu, my lady,” Jonathon said with a sweeping bow. All he was missing was the top hat, and he would have made the perfect gentleman.

  We were standing at the top of the stairs leading back into Lord Rupert’s estate. I had spent the last five minutes or so kneeling down to scratch behind George the sheepdog’s ear while Jonathon played fetch with Leo, using a stick we’d picked up on our trek around the grounds.

  “Must you?” I asked, standing to my feet, frowning at him.

  Jonathon nodded, looking equally disappointed. “Unfortunately, yes. My bride to be is supposedly coming for dinner tonight.”

  “How long have you known about this and not told me?” I asked.

  “I just found out this morning,” Jonathon said defensively. “Don’t worry, I haven’t been keeping this from you.”

  I sighed. “Well, that’s rather inconsiderate of them, isn’t it? Letting you know the morning of?”

  “It is,” Jonathon said, throwing the stick once more. Leo chased it as it flew through the air before striking the ground, bouncing and rolling down the small knoll where it landed. “My mother has also informed me that under no circumstances am I allowed to let the month pass before proposing to her.”

  “That’s rather soon, is it not?” I asked.

  “When are you to marry the Colonel?” he asked, turning back to me.

  “I…well, I’m not really sure, to be honest,” I said. “They didn’t tell me anything other than we were to be married.”

  “Well, do not be surprised if it is happening far sooner than you are prepared for,” Jonathon said. “I don’t imagine that the Colonel will want to wait.”

  My stomach twisted in knots. “Do you really believe that?”

  “I do, unfortunately,” Jonathon said, looking over at me. “Just be prepared that you could be married off in the next fortnight.”

  I bid him and the dogs goodbye, waving at them from the top step as they headed back down the path that we had walked along for most of the afternoon. I couldn’t shake the sadness that was hanging on me after our conversation. We always knew that this day would come, but now that it had, why did it feel as if we were trading the lives we had for those that were of lesser worth?

  I sighed as I turned to head inside, and was surprised to find the door already open, the smiling Mr. Barrow standing aside for me to pass by him back inside.

  “Mr. Barrow,” I said, with a smile. “What are you doing here?”

  “I thought you were out for your walk,” he said with a smile. “How is Lord Jonathon doing today?”

  “He’s had an eventful day, just as I have,” I said, lifting my skirts as I crossed the threshold back inside. It was best that I did make my way indoors; the clouds were starting to look a bit ominous once more.

  “Oh? And how do you mean, my lady?” he asked.

  “It seems that he, too, is betrothed to someone now,” I said.

  “How very interesting,” Barrow said. “And how is the young man taking it?”

  “About as well as you would expect,” I said with a smile. “Apparently the young lady and her family are coming for dinner this evening. He seemed about as pleased as he did that summer when he went swimming and ended up covered in leeches.”

  “That was a dreadful day indeed,” Barrow said. “The poor lad was covered in welts for weeks.”

  I smiled. It was a wonderful thing to know that he remembered those things. If I had said the same thing to my mother, she would have dismissed me with a wave and not remembered a thing. She never did, though, unless it involved her personally.

  “I brought your tea to the library,” Barrow said. “If you wished to enjoy it alone today.”

  I breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank you, Barrow. It is as if you read my mind,” I said. “I don’t think I can handle mother hounding me anymore today.”

  “I know that this all has been a bit of a shock to you,” he said. “I thought you would appreciate some time to think on everything that’s happened.”

  “I agree,” I said. I looked over at Barrow. “Barrow, do you know the Colonel?” I asked. “Personally?”

  Barrow scratched at his chin, his blue eyes steadily watching me, just as they had for many, many years now. “I have met him a few times, yes. And Lord Rupert speaks highly of him – ”

  “But what do you think?” I asked. “Please, I need to know the man I am going to be marrying.”

  We had arrived just outside the library. It was quiet in that part of the manor. The servants were likely bustling around to get the fires lit for the night, or setting the table and preparing for the evening meal. We were all alone, which is how I preferred it anyway.

  “Let’s step inside,” Barrow said, gesturing through the doorway into the library. “I don’t want your tea to get cold.”

  “You’re avoiding the question,” I said, following after him inside.

  I saw the tea tray on the table beneath the large window overlooking the gardens. Rain streaked the windows, and a distant rumble of thunder echoed in the distance.

  “I was not avoiding, per say,” Barrow said, pulling a seat at the round table out for me. “I suppose I was just choosing my words carefully.”

  “I don’t exactly appreciate that tone,” I said, turning to look up at him. “Choosing your words carefully? It is as if you do not wish to tell me what you really think.”

  Barrow lifted the steaming teapot from the tray and began to pour the floral tea into the teacup in front of me. “Colonel Richard is a very curious man. There are not many people who understand who he truly is. He tends to keep his personal life and his work life very separate. I think there is hardly a man who has ever seen the inside of his home.”

  “Why?” I asked. “Doesn’t that seem…strange to you?”

  “Of course,” Barrow said. “But it is not as uncommon as you think. Some men are just very private.”

  “Surely you must know something,” I said. “Please, Barrow…I have been troubled all day by this.”

  He lifted two sugar cubes with a tiny spoon and gently lowered them into the teacup, the sweet aroma reaching my nose.

  “I think that he has been through a great deal,” Barrow said with a sigh. “He was a soldier, after all. He was given highest honors upon his return from the war against the French, and was declared a hero. But…”

  “But what?” I asked.

  Barrow gave me a long, leveling look. “You do not become a hero without having experienced the depths of human depravity.”

  I sat there, stunned. It was something that I hadn’t ever considered. “I knew he had been a soldier, but never thought about what his time as a soldier had been like.”

  “Some men come back very different,” he said. “Broken, scarred. It would not surprise me if that was part of the reason that very few people truly know who he is.”

  I sat in my chair, staring at the smooth, wooden surface of the table in front of me. “I suppose I should have been kinder in my thoughts of him…” I said.

  Barrow smiled at me. “It is perfectly reasonable that you would be nervous about a union with a man you didn’t know. But cheer up. That could very well mean that he will end up being very kind and gentle with you, the woman who he has chosen to marry.”

  “I hadn’t thought of that…” I said, smiling up at him. “Thank you, Barrow. You have helped put my mind at ease.”

  “Good,” he said, offering me a small plate of tea cakes. “Now, I have some good news for you.”

  My eyes widened. “You do? What sort of good news?”

  He smiled down at me, his eyes twinkling. “Today was the first day in almost two weeks that you haven’t asked me a certain question.”

  I pursed my lips, searching my mind for anythin
g that was out of the ordinary. Then it hit me. “The post,” I said, almost breathless. “Did the post bring anything for me today?”

  “Indeed it did,” he said, pulling a bundle of parchment from the inside of his suitcoat, and set them down on the table in front of me.

  My heart was in my throat as I lifted it up and drew it closer. It was addressed to a Lord Theodore, the penname I had adopted. I quickly broke the seal and unfolded the letter eagerly.

  To the honorable Lord Theodore,

  The London Gazette thanks you for your most recent submission. Unfortunately, we will be unable to publish the story. Due to our excessive numbers of stories we receive, we have to be very selective about the content we release. Perhaps you should consider sending the story again at a later date when our numbers are not quite so high.

  Sincerely,

  Lord Randolph

  I sighed, setting the letter down on the table.

  “Another rejection?” Barrow asked.

  I nodded.

  Barrow sighed as well, taking the seat beside mine. “Well, that’s all right. You still have a few others to open.”

  I did, and each one of them said the same as the first.

  “Rejections, all of them,” I said, crumpling them up in my hands and rising from my seat. My blood boiled with anger as I crossed to the fireplace and tossed the parchment inside. I folded my arms and glared at the flickering flames.

  “I’m sorry, Maryanne,” Barrow said, coming to stand close by me.

  “That is the third round of rejections I’ve received in six months,” I said, shaking my head. “I am never going to have my writing published.”

  “You will,” Barrow said. “Don’t lose heart.”

  “How can I not?” I said, exasperated. I collapsed into one of the wingback chairs beside the fireplace. “I have tried and tried…”

  “But that doesn’t mean you should give up,” Barrow said. “You are a very talented writer, and one day, the whole world will have a chance to see that.”

  I looked up at him. “You don’t have to give me false hope just to make me feel better,” I said.

  “Why would I lie to you?” he asked. “I imagine there have been many great writers over the centuries who had been turned down time and time again before they managed to have the right person read it at the right time.”

  “Perhaps my story is just not the right kind,” I said, resting my hand on my chin. “I wonder if I should have gone with something more exciting. A mystery, maybe. Or an adventure.”

  “There is nothing wrong with practicing your craft and striving to improve oneself,” Barrow said. “But do not allow those letters to discourage you.”

  “I suppose you’re right,” I said, looking up at Barrow. “Oh, Barrow. I don’t know what I am going to do without you in my new home.”

  Barrow smiled at me, but his smile was sad. “I will miss greatly, my lady. It will certainly be lonely around here without the brightness that you bring to each day.”

  My eyes began to well up for the second time that day. No one had told me that marriage would be quite so sad. As difficult as my life was at home, there were two people who I would miss dearly when I was gone.

  “You are going to make a wonderful wife, Maryanne,” Barrow said. “The Colonel will be so pleased with his choice.”

  I smiled, my cheeks flushing pink. “Thank you, Barrow. You are far too kind.”

  That night, as I tried to calm my heart enough to sleep, I stared out the window at the darkness outside. It reminded me of my future, of the uncertain things that I would encounter and experience. Who was this mysterious man that I was soon to call my husband? And another question…would I ever be able trust anyone besides Barrow with my secret submissions and dream to be a writer?

  These were the questions I was not going to answer that night, and so I set them aside and closed my eyes.

  As I finally drifted off to sleep, my mind was filled with the images of a man with a shadowed face, always just out of my reach, no matter how far I chased after him.

  Chapter 4

  I had only been to London three times in my entire life.

  The first time was when I was introduced to society as an eligible woman. I attended a grand ball, met with some members of the royal family, and wore the prettiest dress that I had ever seen. It was been a glamorous and fascinating couple of weeks.

  The second time in London was when I had come with mother and Lord Rupert during the London Season. That was only a year after I had come out into society, and so expected to attend all sorts of fancy parties and balls. To my great disappointed, I didn’t have the pleasure of experiencing anything like that. Most days, I was forbidden from leaving the house, and unless I was accompanied by both my mother and step father, I did nothing expect read and work on some writing in my room.

  This was my third time in London…and it was to be married and move into my new home.

  The house was a beautiful townhome that took up most of the city block. There were many windows that would look out onto the bustling London streets. Balconies jutted out from French doors that were open, letting in some of the unseasonable warmth that was filling the city. Gardens decorated the front of the house, giving the impression of a home in the countryside with all the conveniences of the city.

  I peered out of the carriage up at the place was my new home.

  A small chill passed down my spine, despite the heat in the air.

  The door to the carriage swung open, and a young footman looked up at me. “Lady Nash, welcome home.”

  Lady Nash. That was strange, wasn’t it? It was going to take some time to get used to that.

  “Thank you,” I said.

  The footman lifted his hand and helped me down out of the carriage.

  It was hard to believe that this morning had already come and gone and that I was here. I had risen before dawn, and been dressed and ready at the church before eight. The wedding ceremony happened and was over before nine. Before my new husband and I had a chance to speak with each other, we were whisked away to a celebratory luncheon thrown by my step father. Everyone congratulated us, and to my dismay, I hardly recognized anyone. Mother barely said two words to me, instead spending most of the luncheon speaking with some of the Colonel’s friends.

  I knew that he was my husband now, and it would be best for me to call him by his first name…but I hardly knew the man at all, and yet I shared his surname now. I knew that my life was changing, but I hadn’t really realized just how much.

  The footman released me as soon as my feet hit the pavement of the sidewalk. Without another look at me, he turned and made his way to the back of the carriage.

  I stepped away, and the carriage started rolling down the road toward the carriage house at the end of the Colonel’s property.

  I swallowed nervously, turning to look back up at the house. The Colonel lived here in this enormous house all by himself? That seemed so lonely…

  Two servants greeted me with a bow at the front doors, both of which were made from a dark walnut. The brass knobs were clean and polished.

  “Good afternoon, Lady Nash,” said the one servant on the left.

  “We hope that your day has been most pleasant,” said the other servant on the right side of the doorway.

  “Yes, thank you,” I said.

  They didn’t lift their heads until I stepped through the doors, which they promptly closed behind me.

  I found myself in a grand foyer, with a sweeping staircase of polished wood and lush carpets. Paintings hung on the wood paneled walls, and sculptures and statues sat on tables or beside tall archways leading further into the manor.

  My footsteps, however soft, echoed loudly in the large, open room.

  “Lady Nash?”

  It took me a moment to realize that the voice I’d heard from the top of the stairs was calling out to me. I looked up and saw a rather stern looking woman making her way down to me. She had the face of a bi
rd, with a pointed nose, a narrow chin, and a small, pursed mouth as if she had eaten something sour. The monocle she wore over her left eye was connected to a gold chain that trailed over her shoulder.

  “Yes?” I asked, smiling up at the woman.

  “My name is Mrs. Brian. I am Colonel Richard’s head housekeeper, and I am the one who runs this household,” she said. Her voice was clipped and sharp, and the way her nose wrinkled when she spoke to me did anything but make me feel welcome. “I understand that you arrived here alone?”

  “Yes,” I said. “The Colonel had some urgent business to attend to at the office that couldn’t wait.”

  “Ah,” said Mrs. Brian, her hands clasped tightly behind her back. “Very well. I shall show you to your room.” She turned and headed straight back up the stairs.

  I hurried to keep up. “Does Colonel Richard take many unexpected trips into his office?” I asked, staring around at the grandeur around me. For a man who kept mostly to himself, the Colonel certainly had impeccable taste. Art graced every surface and wall, and every candelabra seemed to be made of the finest metals, mostly silver and bronze. The townhouse seemed to have as many rooms, if not more, than Lord Rupert’s house.

  “Oh, yes,” said Mrs. Brian. There was a hard line where her brow should have been as she looked over at me. “There are some nights where he doesn’t even come home.”

  “I see…” I said. “I had heard he was a busy man.”

  “There are few who are busier,” said Mrs. Brian, somewhat sharply. “And you would do well to remember that. He wanted to have a wife to come home to, someone who would be able to make him happy, help him relax. I should not have to tell you that you will not bother him with your petty problems as soon as he walks in the door. You will be expected to be at dinner with him every evening, as well as to take tea with him in the parlors when he is home. He expects you to fulfill every one of your wifely duties, in private and in public, with not so much as a frown.”

  I stared at the back of her head, where her greying hair was tied up in a very tight plait and pinned at the nape of her neck. She stood straight and with purpose as she walked. Was I meant to be his wife? Or just another one of his servants?