A Lady’s Choice: A Clean & Sweet Regency Historical Romance Book

by Fimch, Fanny

  The Duke of Lox felt a little sick to his stomach. His friend smiled and waved back at his cousin before leaning forward and saying in a serious voice, “You must take a few deep breaths, Baldwin. You are turning green. We will handle this woman.”

  “But I live here, Christian. I live here. Now she knows where I live.” The Duke of Lox groaned and slid down in his seat a little, covering one side of his face with his hand.

  “She is coming, Baldwin, straighten yourself quickly,” the Duke of Rabney hissed.

  Reluctantly, the Duke of Lox sat up straight and by the time Lady Christian appeared at the carriage door, he had painted a smile on his face.

  “Well, I cannot believe this luck!” Without asking, Lady Christian opened the door of the carriage and climbed in, plopping herself next to her cousin. She turned to him and began talking rapidly. The two men said nothing, just staring at her, blinking.

  “Why, I have been looking for the two of you for so long now. It seems as though no one in the family knows where you are, Brucie, and I had to keep asking friends upon friends and getting the word out that I was trying to find you. Of course, you know why I wanted to find you. I just knew you would be with my favorite man in the world. Or at least you would know where he is.”

  She giggled and fluttered her eyelashes at the Duke of Lox. He had sat in silence, listening to her speak so quickly he sometimes lost track of what she was saying and had to catch up in his mind. He caught the part about being her favorite man in the world just like he caught the flinch Duke Christian made when Lady Christian referred to him as “Brucie”. It was the most disrespectful thing the Duke of Rabney could think of and it made him detest his cousin even more.

  He would not be disrespectful toward her, though. It was not in his nature nor would it be the gentlemanly way. And she was technically family. The woman would have to be dealt with another way.

  “It is lovely to see you, Lady Christian,” he said, interjecting his words into her conversation when it looked like she was going to pause to take a breath. “His lordship and I were on our way to view an old plot of land I am intending to buy. It will be very hot and dusty. Would you like to stay here and rest, perhaps wait for us in the parlor or on the veranda? I am sure we can provide refreshments for you after your long journey.”

  “Oh, thank you, no, cousin,” Lady Christian replied much to the dismay of both men. “I am refreshed. I arrived early this morning and had breakfast in town before coming out here. I needed to meet with a friend.”

  The men wondered how she managed to breathe when she was talking nonstop.

  “The friend I mentioned told me you were here! I am so grateful! Now we are together again. You must tell me all about your adventures since we last saw each other. And cousin! You are planning to buy land? You know you will not be able to if you are not married by the end of the season. Does this mean you have a lady in mind? Am I going to welcome someone new to the family? You must come to the inn and see our great-auntie. You simply must. She is not going to be with us much longer, you know. You must pay your respects to her very soon, while she’s alive.”

  The Duke of Lox was exhausted just from listening to the woman speak. He knew the Duke of Rabney did not want to tell Lady Christian all his business. Half of it would turn into gossip and the other half would be speculation and rumors she would add in for embellishment.

  The Duke of Lox also knew that once Lady Christian was finished with her cousin, she would turn her sights on him. He would not be able to win the heart of Lady Wentworth with Lady Christian trailing along. He looked at the Duke of Rabney with pleading eyes.

  The Duke of Rabney looked at a loss. He shrugged and whistled to the driver to go on. The servant turned and looked down at him.

  “To Cooksey Castle, my lord?”

  “Yes, Arthur. To Cooksey Castle.”

  Arthur looked skeptical as he turned around. Arthur had acted as driver for the Duke of Lox for many years, traveling with him when he settled in a new home. He had met Lady Christian the year before. The Duke of Lox assumed she had made herself known to anyone and everyone as soon as they met eyes with her, never to be forgotten.

  He tried to zone out and not listen to her droning voice as she scolded her cousin for losing touch with her and for traveling with the Duke of Lox for a year “sowing your wild oats.” He knew she meant before settling down to a married life. With her.

  He shuddered.

  Halfway through the ride to Cooksey Castle, Lady Christian stood up and noisily moved to the other side, sitting down next to the Duke of Lox. Instead of taking the seat comfortably, as she had done with her cousin, she sat as close to the Duke of Lox as she could. She barely left enough room between their thighs. He knew she did that so that when the carriage rocked back and forth, they would be forced to touch.

  Again, he felt sick to his stomach. He did not want this woman around Lady Wentworth. Things were difficult enough for him to understand. There was no way he could explain his way out of this.

  He stared out at the passing scenery, giving up on any chance at happiness. He wanted to throw himself out of the carriage and plead with God to take him away. The longer he listened to Lady Christian’s droning compliments and flirting, the more he wanted to jump from the carriage and run away.

  It went on and on until they saw Cooksey Castle in the distance. The fact that the Duke of Lox had ignored nearly everything she had said, grunting every now and then as thanks for a random compliment, did not stop her from talking. When she saw the castle in the side of the mountain, she pulled in a sharp breath.

  “Oh my! Oh my! What is this? Such beauty! This is where we are going? You are going to buy this? You are definitely getting married then. There is no way you can purchase this without a hefty income. I did not know you were getting so much! It must be much more than I thought.”

  “Lady Christian,” the Duke of Rabney interrupted her, lifting one hand. “This is not a discussion I wish to have with you. I am not purchasing Cooksey Castle. I am picking up two young ladies who will be accompanying us on the drive to and from.”

  This brought a halt to Lady Christian’s incessant talking. She stared at her cousin and moved her eyes to the Duke of Lox. Both men reveled in the abrupt silence, thanking God for even a moment of it.

  “I see. I did not realize. Well, you know I always believe the more, the merrier. Am I not right? We will have a lot of fun. Yes, I am a very friendly woman, you know that. I am friends with all sorts of people, no matter their station.”

  The Duke of Lox was overcome with remorse. He did not want Lady Wentworth to meet Lady Christian. The woman had been obsessed with him since they had danced together the first time at least five years ago.

  He did not want to go back to the way it was before, dodging her, trying to get her to understand he was not interested in making her his wife. She told everyone they were engaged to be married for months and it had taken twice as long for him to unravel the confusion she had caused.

  He braced himself for the impact as the carriage got closer. He knew Lady Wentworth’s reaction to Lady Christian would not be a good one. She already questioned him and seemed irritated by him. How could he ever possibly hope to win her heart when another woman claimed to have his already?

  Lady Christian continued to remark on the beauty and uniqueness of the castle. She could see the two ladies waiting on the porch and as the carriage drew closer, she stood up, just as she had in her own carriage and waved at them, calling out to them.

  The two men exchanged exasperated looks. The Duke of Lox did not want to look at the reactions of the women. He knew they would be friendly with Lady Christian because both were refined individuals. But the questions would be there.

  When Lady Wentworth found out Lady Christian considered the Duke of Lox to be “her future husband”, there would be some explaining to do.

  When would he find the time?

  He finally turned his eyes to see how the ladi
es were taking the presence of Lady Christian. It appeared both women were trying not to laugh, transforming their giggles into welcoming smiles for the stranger.

  Lady Christian stepped down from the carriage and went to both the women, leaning forward and placing kisses in the air around both of them.

  “Hello, hello. I am Lady Christian, second cousin to the Duke of Rabney over there, my Bru…” She stopped midsentence, catching the warning look on the Duke of Rabney’s face. “My brutal young cousin who is so very strong and handsome.” She turned back to the women. “I do not know either of you. Who are you and do you live in this astoundingly beautiful castle?”

  “This is my family home,” Camilla said, extending one gloved hand to the woman. Lady Christian took her hand and squeezed once before letting go. “I am Lady Camilla Fielding, and this is Cooksey Castle. My father is the Duke of Cooksey.”

  “It is a pleasure to meet you, my dear. And you are?” She looked at Emma.

  Emma felt oddly amused and more than a little shocked by the woman’s outlandish behavior. She could not help wondering who had raised the woman to be that way. The woman’s accent gave her away as American but she claimed relation to the Duke of Rabney. She was curious to know the story behind that. “I am Lady Emma Wentworth, daughter of the Duke of Corning.”

  “It is wonderful to meet you, as well. And to be invited to this beautiful castle was a pleasant surprise.”

  Camilla turned her eyes up to the Duke of Rabney, who was looking down at her from the carriage. He and the Duke of Lox were still seated there, staring at Lady Christian in dismay. He shook his head at her.

  “I do apologize for this sudden appearance of another person, my lady,” the Duke of Rabney said. “It was not intended.”

  Camilla shook her head. “There is no harm done. Let us all go see this land you want to purchase, my lord. I am sure we will all have a lovely time.”

  The women loaded up into the carriage. They waited until the Duke of Cooksey, who was riding along with them, came alongside the carriage on his large horse. Camilla looked proudly at him and he smiled at her.

  Emma sat across from the Duke of Lox when Lady Christian resumed her spot next to him. She gazed into his eyes, wondering what he was thinking. He apparently had changed his mind about pursuing her. It surprised her. It hurt her.

  But it was expected. She should have known something like this would happen to her. Now she was once again stuck with the only two choices left on the table… Lord Archibald and the Duke of Andryse.

  Neither of which she had any desire to love.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Lady Christian never seemed to run out of things to say. Her four companions barely got a word in as the carriage took them to the land the Duke of Rabney was considering. She didn’t seem to notice that the four of them looked about as uncomfortable as they could get. Whomever she was looking at would smile politely and nod if needed.

  When Emma tried to start a conversation with the Duke of Lox, Lady Christian interrupted her with a story of her own that somehow related to what Emma was beginning to say but then trailed off into other topics she thought were more interesting.

  Emma narrowed her eyes and avoided looking at the Duke of Lox after that. She did not know if he was being polite by not shushing the loquacious Lady Christian or if he was interested in listening to what she had to say. From the look on his face, Emma did not think he was enjoying himself as much as Lady Christian appeared to believe he was.

  At one point, Camilla moved her hand just enough to wrap it around Emma’s and squeeze as the two looked at each other, trying not to reveal their shared embarrassment for Lady Christian.

  When the land came into view, the Duke of Rabney pointed to it. He had to interrupt Lady Christian. “There it is.”

  His companions looked in the direction he was pointing. A long gravel road led up to a dilapidated mansion with overgrown foliage all around it. The short hill that led up to the large, old house was overgrown with grass. The green reached up at least four feet all the way up the hill. There were trees scattered over the front lawn. Behind the house, which they could see as they made their way up the curving road, was nothing but trees. The woods started there and the end of them could not be seen as far as the next hill over.

  The house itself was not in terrible shape but it was obvious it had not been occupied for some time. Emma looked over at Camilla and gave her a look of appreciation. “I like it so far,” she said.

  The Duke of Rabney smiled at Emma. “I do, too. I am impressed with the look of the land. It has been ten years since the previous owner moved out but he has maintained it over the years as he attempted to sell it. That is why the grass is not higher than it is.”

  “It will not be hard to get the land back under control,” the Duke of Lox said, scanning the land. “But we must also see what the inside of the house looks like.”

  “Ten years is not a very long time,” Camilla said. “Surely…”

  “I have seen many homes that are completely unlivable after ten years of emptiness,” Lady Christian interrupted Camilla. The four of them turned their eyes to her in amazement. Emma wondered if the woman was being rude on purpose. If so, why? “The people who lived in them did not take care of them even when they lived there.”

  “That is most likely the reason for their poor condition after a short period of time, Lady Christian,” the Duke of Rabney said. “I met the previous owner of Lockwood Estate and he was… is not the type of man who would let his estate go to ruin. He has been maintaining it, as you can see but has not been here in several months. If I decide to purchase the estate, he will bring his men to take down the tall grass and trim the trees, bushes and other foliage. There is a garden over there.” The entire carriage turned once again when the Duke of Rabney did, pointing to another side of the house they could not see yet.

  “I plan to replenish it and have gardeners make it as beautiful as it can be. Unless my future wife decides to take over that part of the house.”

  “Surely you will have a housekeeper,” Lady Christian said hurriedly, as if she thought she would not have time to get the words out. Emma looked at her curiously, sliding her eyes to the Duke of Lox, who looked nothing short of miserable. She wondered what his relationship was with the woman. She was obviously enamored with him, as she had complimented him and brought him up as a topic nearly their entire ride up to that point.

  She could think of only two things. He was not interested in courting her and her mere presence made him miserable. Or he was upset that her presence showed his lack of loyalty and honesty. She vowed to find out. With Camilla growing closer to the Duke of Rabney, she was sure to be spending a lot more time with the Duke of Lox, as it appeared the two dukes were joined at the hip.

  They reached the front of the house. The Duke of Cooksey dismounted from his horse, leaving it to stand by the front steps of the house. He went to the carriage and opened the door, holding out one hand for his daughter. Camilla took it and stepped out of the carriage, thanking him.

  He did the same for Emma and Lady Christian. He let the dukes get out themselves, though he did jokingly ask if they needed a hand. Both the men smiled at him and shook their heads.

  The group turned to look up at the mansion.

  The Duke of Rabney was the first to go up the stairs. He used a key to let himself in the front door.

  Emma looked around as she went up the steps onto the porch. Two very tall pilasters flanked the steps. They had once been white. Now, the portion that could be seen through the vines that had grown up around them was gray. It would need to be polished up and the vines cut down.

  Certain parts of the wood that surrounded the front windows looked like they were weather-beaten. The windows were dirty. The front door was a bit creaky when the Duke of Rabney pushed it open.

  He went in first, letting the Duke of Lox take up the rear behind the women and the Duke of Cooksey. Emma followed Camilla who went i
n right after the Duke of Rabney. She looked around, feeling a bit strange to be in such a huge empty house. It was not really in that bad a shape. She did not think the Duke of Rabney… or Camilla… would have a hard time decorating it.

  “It needs a few repairs,” the Duke of Rabney said, walking through the long front room to the curving stairs that would take them up to the second floor. “As you can see, a few of these stairs have cracked. There are several door handles that will need to be replaced. The front windows should all be replaced. There are many decisions that will need to be made.”

  Emma noticed that the Duke of Rabney looked at Camilla when he said that. She also noticed that Lady Christian was standing just behind the Duke of Lox, looking up at him adoringly. He, for his part, had his back to her and was completely unaware that she was practically breathing down his neck. She felt a minor annoyance in her chest and looked away from the two.

  She went to the curving stairs and put one hand on the railing, admiring the etchings in the wood. She looked up the stairs.

  “It would behoove you not to take those stairs to the second floor, my lady,” the Duke of Lox said, taking a few steps toward her. She glanced at him over her shoulder, once again noticing that Lady Christian kept up with the duke, as if she was attached to him by a rope.

  She pulled in a deep breath and held her chin up. “I was not intending to go up the stairs, my lord,” she said in a polite but bland voice. She turned away from him once again, not noticing the confused look on his face.

  “Duke Christian, come look at this,” the Duke of Cooksey said from one of the open doors. The entire group gravitated toward the door, with the Duke of Rabney arriving first. He went through the door with the rest of them behind him.

  Emma was taken aback by the beauty of the ballroom in front of her. It was empty but the pine floors were spotless and perfect, as if they had just been cleaned. The other side of the room was nothing but glass from floor to ceiling. The long drapes that closed off the windows had been pulled back to reveal them.