What a Wicked Duke Demands
A REGENCY ROMANCE NOVEL
EMILY HONEYFIELD
Copyright © 2020 by Emily Honeyfield
All Rights Reserved.
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Table of Contents
What a Wicked Duke Demands
Table of Contents
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What a Wicked Duke Demands
Introduction
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Nothing Like a Ravishing Governess
Introduction
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
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What a Wicked Duke Demands
Introduction
Unlike her sister, who ran away with a duke's son and disgraced herself for life, Beth Campbell has always been the careful one…until she passionately kissed a stranger who saved her life in a lover's lane. This kiss threatened to ruin her reputation, and the dashing Beth vows she will not let passion rule her ever again. Even though she strives to never see him again, their paths will cross shortly after. Will she be able to stay true to her word when they meet again?
The one thing Gerard didn’t expect, when he rescued an attractive young woman who was being mugged, was a burning kiss in return. He had not felt such tension for years, after having mourned his wife for a long time...When fate intervenes and Beth comes back into his life, Gerard knows he needs to do everything in his power to keep her. Will this undeniable desire end up destroying his life once again?
The desire that sparks between them cannot be denied, but soon their lives will turn upside down. He knows about Beth's family and her sister's disgrace, but he doesn't know that the mysterious man she ran away with is a lot closer to home than he realized... When the shadows of the past threaten their future, will Gerard and Beth find their way out or will the threatening darkness destroy their passionate affair once and for all?
Chapter 1
“Beth!”
Beth Campbell jumped with a gasp, the needle jabbing into her finger. Flinching, she put her embroidery aside and sucked on her finger. That really hurt. She glared at the tall, slim young woman who was hurrying towards her from the house.
“For goodness sake, Flora, don’t do that! You scared me!”
“That’s only because you weren’t listening.” Flora Campbell huffed, planting her hands on her hips. “How else was I supposed to get your attention?”
“Not by shouting my name at the top of your voice,” Beth shot back.
“I was not,” Flora scowled. “I said your name three times, and you didn’t even twitch. You were so engrossed in that ridiculous embroidery again.”
Beth said nothing to that, sucking on her throbbing finger. Flora was not one to sit still and do a simple ladylike task; she preferred to be up and about, on the move. She was a social animal, and having to be confined to the house after her previous actions was driving her mad.
It was driving Beth mad as well. Her younger sister just would not stop. She kept coming to Beth with ideas on what to do, most of them outrageous. Beth did relent on occasion and say they could go to the park with Beth’s maid Tatiana chaperoning them, but that went as well as could be expected.
People stared, people whispered, some of the older women came up to Flora and told her she should be ashamed of herself for showing her face after what she did. Flora was a confrontational person when angry, and Beth ended up having to drag her sister away. Those were not days Beth enjoyed.
Flora had to have known what she was doing when she ran off with the second son of a duke. She had really believed they would get married. But that hadn’t happened, and she had been left alone in a tavern, touched by more than just scandal. Their mother and father had brought Flora back, but she was under strict instructions. Instructions Flora often broke.
It was like losing a man she believed that she loved had changed something. Flora just didn’t seem to care what she was doing. Beth was worried every time Flora came to her with another thing to do that wasn’t sitting staring at four walls.
Beth preferred to stay still and read. If only Flora would do that.
“I’ve just heard of something from Mary the between maid,” Flora declared as she dropped heavily into the chair across from Beth at her little table. “There’s a celebration going on in Vauxhall Gardens right now. Hosted by the Prince Regent himself. I think she called it something like a grand fete.”
Beth sighed.
“I know about that. It’s been in the newspaper. It’s for the Battle of Vittoria victory last month. That’s no secret.”
Flora pouted.
“If it’s no secret, why haven’t I heard about it?”
“Because you don’t read the newspapers.”
Beth knew all about it. She pored over the papers every morning once her father had finished with them. The Battle of Vittoria was a triumphant campaign against the French, and the Prince Regent had immediately started planning a celebration upon hearing about the victory. It wasn’t the Season; everyone had gone back to their country estates, so the nobility had to travel back to London so they could drink champagne and celebrate beating the French in war.
Beth and her family were only in London because it meant enjoying the capital with fewer people around. It was quieter, and therefore fewer people to openly stare at them and whisper. The whispers would continue, but the summer months were quieter, calmer. Beth liked them. She didn’t mind being in their home in Suffolk, but she loved London. Flora had tainted it with her actions, so Beth wanted to make the most of it.
Even then, with that scandal and Edward Campbell’s financial situation, they weren’t invited to the fete. Both of those problems closed doors and a lot of them.
“Well, how about we go and have a look around there?” Flora suggested. Her eyes were bright. “Have a bit of fun? It’s a beautiful day, and I’ve heard there’s a lot of entertainment there. Clowns, jesters, magicians, and lots of food stalls. I want to go and soak it all up.”
“You want to …” Beth sat up. “What did Father say about this?”
“I haven’t told him.” Flora waved a hand carelessly. “Besides, he and Mother have gone out to have lunch. They won’t notice we’ve gone.”
“We?”
“You’re coming with me, of course.”
Beth stared. Her sister actually
wanted her to go into a crowded place, people practically pressed up against each other, and try to have fun. Flora knew that Beth didn’t like big crowds or confined spaces. It was why Beth preferred to be at home reading instead of dancing with everyone. It wasn’t something Beth was comfortable with.
Flora had to have gone mad. She really couldn’t …
“Flora, you know why we can’t go to the celebrations!” Beth hissed. “Besides, I hate big crowds.”
“That’s because you’ve never given it a chance.” Flora pouted and folded her arms. She was looking less like a twenty-five-year-old woman and more like a five-year-old child who had been told she couldn’t have any sweets. “I want to have a bit of fun. It’s a gorgeous day, and we’re stuck in here. We can have some fun at this fete. Meet some people and catch up on some old friends.”
“I’m surprised you have any friends now.”
“I still have a few. They write to me.”
“But I’m sure that won’t be the same when you’re out in public.” Beth sat forward. “Flora, you’re the reason we can’t go there. Everyone in the ton knows exactly what you did and what it did to this family. Add to that Father’s financial ruin …”
“Everyone has monetary problems. Why is Father’s any different?”
“Father’s is different because it’s tied to your scandal,” Beth pointed out. “You really want to go and mingle with people who have openly called you a harlot?”
Flora’s face went red. It was true that Flora running away with a duke’s son meant that Edward Campbell’s business deals dried up. No one wanted to be associated with his family after that. And Flora knew it.
“But I need to do something, Beth.” Flora’s voice came out in a whine. “I can’t sit at home twiddling my thumbs all day. I’m bored.”
“How can you be bored when there’s lots to do?”
“What is there to do except stare at the walls?”
Beth gestured at her embroidery on the table, along with her newest Jane Austen novel.
“You can read – Miss Austen’s new book is really good – you can do some sewing, some embroidery, or even play the piano …”
Flora snorted rudely.
“I’m not for any of those, Beth. You know that.”
“You play the piano,” Beth pointed out. “And you loved to play it. You were a natural.”
“I played the piano because Mother told me to. She said it would grace me better in Society. Besides,” she added, “playing the piano reminds me of ... him.”
Him. Flora had met the young man she ran off with a few months before when she had been playing the piano at one of her friend’s soirees. He had been there and had been captivated. The two of them had even played a duet to their delighted audience. Beth could understand why Flora flinched whenever the piano was mentioned; she had lost her love for it after having it tainted.
“But what about the other things?” Beth asked. “Surely, on a lovely day like this, you can just sit out here and read. You don’t need to do anything and just soak up the sunshine.”
Flora rolled her eyes.
“I’ve already told you, Beth, but your little ears don’t seem to be taking it in. I don’t do anything with a needle, and I hate reading.”
“You loved it once.”
“Only when I had no choice. Books are boring.”
Beth bit back a response. Flora was a sociable person, and she loved to go out and talk to people. To her, books hindered her social calendar. Although her social calendar had virtually disappeared after what had happened. No one wanted to associate with someone who would willingly run away with a young man she wasn’t married to or promised to.
Flora may have declared the two of them were on their way to Gretna Green to get married, but they never even got past Leicester before the young man ran away. That was embarrassing to anyone, and Flora was sorely reminded of it whenever anyone in Society gave her a wide berth.
Beth felt pity for her sister over the way everyone was treating her. But she had brought it upon herself.
“Look, I missed the chance to be a married woman because the man I believed I was in love with was a coward.” Flora lifted her chin defiantly. “But if I can find another gentleman who sees me for me and not the reputation others have given me, all the better. Everyone who is anyone is going to be there, and that would be beneficial.”
“Beneficial to whom?” Beth asked. She shook her head. “As if any of them will converse with you. Everyone knows what happened.”
“It’s been six months now.”
“And it was a big scandal due to who your young man was,” Beth shot back. “It’ll still be fresh in their minds. I doubt you’ll even be let in. The Prince Regent is going to be there, and he sent out the invitations.”
The thought of being in the same place as the Prince Regent was something to be proud of. He wasn’t very much liked at all, but people still fawned over him because he was royalty. Beth wasn’t one of them, and Flora certainly wasn’t one, either.
“Just because the Prince Regent will be there doesn’t mean I’m going to talk to him or be in the same space. In any case,” Flora said grinning, “who said anything about going in the regular way with everyone else?”
Beth stared.
“You’re going to sneak in uninvited? Flora, I know you’ve been reckless lately, but this is getting ridiculous.”
Flora rolled her eyes and shook her head in disappointment.
“You’re such a bore now, Beth. I remember a time when you were actually fun. And you were a good sister.”
Beth bristled.
“Don’t be rude, Flora. Besides, after what happened with you and Lord Thinesley, I think there is a need to be cautious. Mother and Father are suffering from both financial ruin and your scandal. They don’t need me to add to them as well.”
“That’s because you’ve always been a little mouse.” Flora sneered. “You wouldn’t say a word even when you needed to. You’re more of a wallflower than I am.”
Beth said nothing to that. Flora was a wallflower by design, through fault of her own, whereas Beth was a wallflower through choice. She didn’t like going out to meet people, and the few times she had courted it had turned out badly because Beth became tongue-tied and forgot herself.
It was difficult to be yourself when you were trying to impress a potential future husband. Becoming a spinster was not something Beth liked, but it was less hassle than trying to show that she would be a good wife for anyone casting their eye over her.
And after Flora’s scandal, there would be little to no chance of getting a husband for herself. Beth had resigned herself to that a long time ago. Flora clearly hadn’t.
“If you keep talking like that about being cautious and refusing to take risks for your benefit, you’re never going to find yourself a husband,” Flora went on.
Beth rolled her eyes and reached for her glass of water. She took her sip, looking away and over the garden. For their modest-sized house, it was a beautiful garden. A place where Beth wanted to escape and soak up the world. Not so much in the winter months, but Beth loved to be outside. She made the most of it whenever she could, although the only place outside they could go was their garden until the whispers of Flora’s scandal died down.
That wouldn’t happen anytime soon, she was sure of it.
“Flora, after what you did, I have no chance of gaining a husband who wants to marry the sister of a scandalized woman with no prospects or dowry.” Beth put her glass back on the table. “I resigned myself to being alone a long time ago. And I’m not that lucky to find someone who’s prepared to look past all that.”
Society was far too shallow. It didn’t make it very exciting for Beth. Flora sighed and reached over, taking Beth’s hand.
What A Wicked Duke Demands (Historical Regency Romance) Page 1