A Lady in Danger: A Suspenseful Regency Romance

by Eliza McGrey

  “In other matters, you will do well to follow every instruction I give you to the letter,” Mrs. Brian continued. “The first and foremost would be that the Colonel’s things are the Colonel’s. He deals a great deal with private affairs of others, and you are, under no circumstances, allowed to ask him about it.”

  “All right,” I said, the dread in my heart growing more with every passing moment.

  We turned a corner and I caught a glimpse of the city streets outside through the windows along the walls.

  “Second, you are not to enter any rooms that you have not been given permission to enter,” Mrs. Brian said. “That goes for the Colonel’s office on the third floor, his library, his personal parlor, and his personal living quarters.”

  “His personal living quarters?” I asked. “But I am his wife, am I not given certain permissions that his staff is not – ”

  “Absolutely not,” said Mrs. Brian, rounding on me, the hard line in her brow deepening. “You may not go anywhere or do anything that you have not been permitted to. Do I make myself clear?”

  “Y – yes,” I said, staring up into the woman’s frightening features. “Yes, I understand.”

  “Very good,” she said. She slowed her steps outside a room at the very end of the hall. “This hall is where your personal quarters are. Here you will find your sleeping chambers, your bathing room, your own personal study, and drawing room for visiting with guests. Dinner shall be at six o’clock sharp.”

  “Thank you,” I said, trying to stir up as much gratitude as I could.

  Mrs. Brian gave me a leveling look before partially curtsying at me, and then turning and walking back down the hallway the way we had come.

  I stared after her, my heart caught in my throat. What a beast of a woman. Immediately, I yearned for Mr. Barrow and his kindness.

  I pushed open the door and stepped into the room that was now mine.

  It was a lovely space, with a bed easily twice as large as the one I had left back home. A changing screen fashioned out of the finest wood and softest silk stood in one corner, and an enormous armoire took up most of the opposite wall. A gilded mirror that was taller than I was hung on the wall, and my heart skipped as I recognized the French doors leading out onto the balcony.

  I closed the doors behind me and breathed a sigh of relief. It was as if I had retreated into a sort of safe haven. The room itself had a very different feel from the rest of the house. Everything was so beautiful, but everything almost seemed too perfect. Everything had its place, yet everything appeared untouched. How infrequently did the Colonel actually visit his home?

  And what was all that about being unable to enter certain rooms of the house? What sort of man would forbid his wife from going into these rooms? What did he keep in there? What did he not wish for me to see?

  Perhaps Mrs. Brian had been mistaken.

  I thought of Barrow, saying how private the Colonel was. He hadn’t seemed worried or concerned at all. He had given me peace about it. I wished he was here right now to give me further help and encouragement.

  Why couldn’t I explain this feeling? This uneasiness. The house was beautiful. It was my own. I was out from under the thumb of Lord Rupert and my mother. There was so many new possibilities…and yet, something didn’t feel quite right.

  The most unsettling thing I’d noticed were the darting gazes of the staff. None of them looked at me for long, or did everything they could to avoid my eyes entirely. Were they all nervous about a new mistress in the house? It was almost as if they were unhappy about my presence…

  Not only that, but how dare that Mrs. Brian speak to me the way she did. I was the daughter of a noble, and yet she spoke to me as if I were nothing more than a handmaiden. I wondered if the Colonel was aware of her tartness, and if he would do anything to ensure she was more respectful of me. I had never feared earning respect, but I had not expected the head housekeeper of my new husband to be quite so curt.

  There was a soft knock at the door, and I turned around, staring at the double doors I had walked through only moments before.

  “Come in,” I said, finding my voice was tight and hoarse.

  The door opened and a young woman stepped inside, her head ducked as she stepped inside. She curtsied from just inside the doorway. “My Lady. I am Isabelle, your lady’s maid.”

  “I am pleased to make your acquaintance,” I said.

  Isabelle didn’t look up; her gaze was fixed on a spot on the wooden floor. “The pleasure is all mine, my Lady. I thought I might come and ask you how you take your afternoon tea.”

  “Oh,” I said, my heart sinking somewhat. She couldn’t remember the last time she had told anyone how she took her tea; she was so used to Barrow just knowing her preference. “Well, I like two lumps of sugar and some cream.”

  “Very good, my Lady,” Isabelle said with another curtsy. “I shall go and fetch that. When it is ready, I will come retrieve you and take you to your drawing room.”

  “Yes, all right,” I said.

  Before I had another chance to speak with her, she hurried from the room.

  Once more, I was left alone.

  I lowered myself into a plush chair beside the window and peered out into the vastness of London. It was such a different view. It was going to take some time for me to get used to, that was certain.

  It couldn’t be coincidence. Even my lady’s maid was cool and distant with me, albeit polite.

  I was allowing myself to be swept away by fear. Everything was so new, and nothing was familiar. It made perfect sense that I would be confused and uneasy.

  I had hoped that I would have been more excited than nervous, though.

  I sighed, unable to shake the sense of foreboding that settled over me like the first cluster of dark, stormy clouds.

  This was my life…and I was going to have to try and make the best of it.

  Chapter 5

  I spent a good portion of the afternoon exploring the house…at least the parts I was able to. The hallway where my personal rooms were was very nice. I was informed that the Colonel had chosen some of the furnishings especially for me, to hopefully remind me of my home. He had given me a vast library in my personal study, and even though they were mostly scholarly, I was pleased to see some classics that were fictions. I spent easily an hour perusing the shelves, pulling tomes out and paging through them. There were a decent amount that I had never heard of, and so I was pleased to have the chance to read them all. There was also ample space to expand my collection, as well, so that was good to see.

  Isabelle was continuing to be as timid as a mouse. I wasn’t exactly sure why; it was almost as if she was afraid of me. There was a long stretch of time when we were in my drawing room together, and she was entirely silent the whole time. Even as I tried to get to know her, she gave me very muted responses that were no more than a few words strung together.

  Once I was able to get away from her, though, I found my curiosity outweighing my nervousness.

  The house was four or five stories tall, with windows on all sides, allowing ample light to enter the long halls and cavernous rooms. I discovered balconies on all sides, giving me different views of the lovely city around.

  I wandered through a glorious ballroom, a lavish dining room, and a parlor that was twice the size of Lord Rupert’s. I had great joy when I managed to discover an observatory, with windows all around, warm air despite the coming winter. Dozens of different kinds of plants were thriving inside it, drenched in the afternoon sunlight.

  I had nearly forgotten all of my uneasiness when I wandered onto the fourth floor. I was somewhat confident that I was learning my way around the whole place, and realized I didn’t recognize the hallway that I’d found myself in.

  I hesitated just before it, peering down its length. The candles in the brackets down the walls were flickering, but there were shadows between where I stood and the window at the far end. Doors lined the hall on either side.

  “M
y Lady.”

  I jumped, nearly dropping the book I held in my hands. I whirled around to see Isabelle standing there. “Oh, Isabelle. You frightened me.”

  “My apologies, my Lady,” she said, curtsying. Her eyes were still fixated on the floor. “This is Colonel Richard’s private quarters, and he has asked us to make sure that you do not accidentally wander down here.”

  I sighed, gazing down the hall once more. “Isabelle, can you tell me why my new husband has forbidden me from going to some places in my new home?”

  “I was only asked to pass along that information to you,” Isabelle said rather sheepishly. “Anything aside from that is not something I was privy to.”

  “Fair enough,” I said, turning my gaze from the hall. “Well, I suppose I will just have to ask my husband myself.”

  Isabelle curtsied. She was rather fond of that action, wasn’t she? “Very well, my Lady. Would you care to dress for dinner?”

  “Is it that time already?” I asked. “Oh, all right. Let’s make our way back to my quarters then.”

  Isabelle pulled a number of handsome dresses from the armoire, dresses more beautiful than ones I had ever owned living with Lord Rupert. “Did the Colonel purchase all of these for me?” I asked Isabelle.

  “Indeed,” she said, fluffing the skirts of a rather smart blue dress with white lace I decided to try on. “He thought his new wife might look handsome in them.”

  I walked over to the large, gilded mirror and peered at myself. Isabelle had adorned my hair with some silver clasps that were set with rubies, and it was loosely held in place at the nape of my neck. Even I had to admit that I looked rather stunning. “This is a prettier dress than any I’ve ever worn to a ball,” I said, twirling this way and that, admiring how the dress looked from all angles.

  “The Colonel sent this as well for you to wear,” Isabelle said, lifting a small, wooden box from a small table. She brought it across to me and flipped open the golden clasp.

  Inside lay a beautiful string of pearls, all with varying pink hues.

  “A gift,” Isabelle continued.

  I was stunned. They were absolutely gorgeous. I was somewhat moved by the romantic gesture. “Could you help me put them on?” I asked.

  “Certainly, my Lady,” Isabelle said.

  When she’d clasped them behind my neck, I turned to look at myself in the mirror once more. My eyes were wide with surprise, and the pearls hung elegantly at my throat. I reached up and touched them. They were smooth and cool beneath my fingers.

  “How thoughtful of him…” I murmured. Perhaps he wasn’t as stodgy as I had originally thought.

  A knock at the door drew my eyes from the pearls, and Isabelle scurried across the room to answer it. Another maid was waiting on the other side, and her eyes widened as she saw me standing there in front of the mirror. “My Lady Nash, the Colonel has just returned home.”

  My heart skipped a beat. “Has he?”

  The maid nodded, her blonde curls bouncing. “Yes, and he has requested your presence in the drawing room.”

  The nervousness returned. My heart pounded and my mouth went dry. “Yes, of course,” I said with a tight smile. “Then we shouldn’t keep him waiting.”

  Isabelle followed after me as we made our way to the staircase. We went all the way down to the first floor together before I turned to her and frowned. “My apologies, Isabelle, but I am not certain which drawing room the Colonel might be in.”

  “This way, my Lady,” Isabelle said, glancing down the hallway. I fell into step behind her as I went.

  My trepidation grew with each step. He was home, finally…it was hard to believe that we had been married only that morning. It felt as if weeks had passed since I had seen him last.

  Isabelle stopped at a door and bowed to me as she pushed the door open.

  I took a deep breath, put a smile on my face, and walked through with my back straight and my head held high.

  Colonel Richard Nash was standing beside the windows overlooking the front gardens with his back to me. He was still wearing his dark suit from the wedding that morning, and held a small crystal flute in his hands, already filled with some amber beverage. He turned when he heard me enter the room.

  He may have been twice my age, but he certainly did not appear to be so. He had thick dark hair that was cut closely to his head, and thick brows on a broad forehead. His jaw was wide as well, his nose narrow and pointed, and his cheekbones high and well defined on his handsome face. His eyes, a bright blue, watched me as I swept across the marble floors toward him.

  He was still very well built for his age, with muscles that pulled at the shoulders of his jacket, as well as flexed and tightened in his legs as he turned himself around to face me fully. He was the very definition of a dashing, handsome man.

  It amazed me how much I’d forgotten since that morning.

  “Good evening, Lady Nash,” the Colonel said, inclining his head to me.

  I curtsied as low as I possibly could. It was only right to show my new husband the proper respect he deserved. “And to you, my Lord.”

  “Please, Maryanne. We are married. We should address each other in familiar terms,” he said.

  I swallowed nervously. “Of course,” I said. “…Richard.”

  He smiled at me. “I see you are wearing the pearls I purchased for you.”

  A wave of warmth passed over me as I remembered them. I reached up and touched them once more. “Oh, yes. They are lovely. You were very kind to present me with such a generous gift.”

  “It is the very least I can do for my lovely bride,” he said. “Especially after my sudden disappearance this morning. On today of all days…” He walked over to a round table beside the piano and lifted a crystal carafe from a silver tray laid atop it. The amber liquid inside was the same as the drink in his glass. He splashed some more inside before lifting a second glass and filling that one halfway. “Would you care to join me in a drink before dinner?” he asked.

  “Oh…” I said, my cheeks turning pink. “I suppose that would be all right.”

  I crossed over to him and took the glass from his outstretched hand. I looked up at him and our eyes met for a moment.

  A chill ran down my spine as I stared up into his blue eyes. There was a clear distance there between him and I. I could feel no warmth from him, no sense of intimacy.

  That was normal, though, I told myself as I lifted the glass to my lips, taking a hesitant sip. The liquid burned as it went down my throat, but it warmed me from the inside. We had only met a few days ago. We had barely had any chance to get to know each other. It made perfect sense that we were still strangers. For me to expect otherwise was foolish.

  Besides, he had been so kind already by sending me these beautiful pearls.

  “I feel I must apologize for my absence today,” Richard said, almost as if he was reading my emotions on my face. “I know that must have been quite upsetting for you to be delivered to your new home without your husband at your side.”

  My mind went immediately to the servants of the household who had been rather cold with me, but I pushed the images aside. Everything was still new. I was new. It was not that they didn’t like me. “I understood,” I said. “I was informed before we were to be married that you were a very busy man and held a very important place in government.”

  He sighed heavily. “Indeed I do. Up until now, that has been quite easy to deal with. I haven’t had a wife to worry about, nor any children to come home to. Staying at the office late was always far too easy, and happened far too frequently. I’m hoping now that I have you in my life that it will keep me a little more accountable and I can come home at a reasonable time.”

  I appreciated the thought, though I wondered how much of it would actually come to pass. “Is everything all right, then?” I asked. “At the office, I mean.”

  “Oh, yes,” he said with a dismissive wave. “I am always the one putting out fires…metaphorically speaking, of cour
se. Yes, they would surely fall apart without me there.”

  “I see,” I said. I wasn’t quite sure how that all made me feel. Part of me was relieved to hear that he was so busy, as it would give me more time for myself. On the other hand, as his wife, I was not incredibly thrilled with the idea of hours and hours spent in this monstrous house all alone.

  “But let’s not discuss the matters of my work this evening,” he said, looking down at me with a broad smile. “I would much rather spend the evening getting to know my new bride. Tell me, what do you think of your new home?” he asked.

  “Oh, its just lovely,” I said.

  “And your new personal quarters?” he asked. “How did you find them?”

  “Marvelous,” I said. “It was as if I had picked everything out myself.”

  “Very good,” he said, his smile growing. “I spoke with your father about some of the things you kept in your own room, and he shared some things with me.”

  “My father?” I asked, my brow furrowing. “Oh, you must mean Lord Rupert.”

  “Yes, of course,” he said. “Who else would I mean?”

  “My mother remarried,” I said. “My father passed away when I was only five years old. She married Lord Rupert less than a year later.”

  “My, that is something I didn’t know,” he said. “How very interesting.”

  “But everything is wonderful,” I said, smiling, hoping to move away from the subject. “My lady’s maid, Isabelle, is rather quiet. I think this must be as big of an adjustment for all the staff as it has been for me.”

  “Oh, yes, certainly,” Richard said. “Especially for my head housekeeper, Mrs. Brian. I’m sure you had the pleasure of meeting her?”

  I am not certain it was much of a pleasure…I thought as I took another small sip. It warmed my cheeks. “I certainly did meet her,” I said. “She met me at the door and showed me around…”