by Wendy Vella
“But I will miss her so much, Finn, and can’t help but wonder what will happen if she needs me.”
“Will and I have already paid one of the staff to keep an eye on her.”
His joke made her smile and that made him feel as if he had scaled the largest mountain.
He caught her as she threw herself at him, which she did regularly and for no other reason than she wanted him to hold her, which he was more than happy to do. In fact, he had become addicted to his wife and the feel of her pressed against his chest.
Lifting her chin, he took out his handkerchief and wiped her eyes. “Remember, my love, Bella needs your strength now.”
She nodded and Finn kissed her softly before opening the carriage and stepping down. Holding out one hand, he took Phoebe’s and retained it as they moved to where the others now stood.
The building before them was large and rambling and around the edges were rows and rows of flowers. Flat areas of grass held seats and tall trees provided shade for those who decided to sit beneath them. To Finn’s eyes, it looked welcoming.
Livvy wore the same look as Phoebe, her belly now a gentle swell beneath her dress as she approached the birth of their first child. Will, like Finn, had a calm look that told nothing of the worry inside them. They had talked about this, leaving Bella here, and neither was happy about it. They had looked thoroughly into the clinic and its staff and had heard only glowing recommendations. In fact, it was run by a wonderful couple who, along with their children, shared their large home with those in need of rehabilitation. Will had tracked down several guests who had stayed here, and all talked in glowing terms of their time spent within these walls.
As they made their way to the bottom of the steps, an elderly lady walked outside, smiling. Finn studied her and could see nothing to dislike.
“Hello, you must be Miss Isabella Langley. We are delighted to have you with us.”
Introductions were made and Finn watched Phoebe force a smile onto her face as she chatted with the woman.
“Of course you are all welcome here whenever you wish to visit, to follow your sister’s progress,” the woman said, which Finn already knew. He wouldn’t be leaving Bella here if he couldn’t check on her often. Will also had friends who lived not far from here that would visit, when they couldn’t, just to make sure Bella was alright.
“Well then, darling, your trunks are inside and it is time for us to leave.” Livvy was putting on a brave face as she spoke.
“Yes.” Bella nodded. “I want this, Livvy, very much.”
“I know that you do, love, and I want it for you, too. Although it is but a short time you will be here, it is still hard to let you go,”
Finn could see Bella was nervous now the moment had come to leave them. She hugged Will first, and then Livvy, whose shoulders shook briefly as she closed her eyes and clutched her sister close. Finn was next and he crushed her to him, murmuring in her ear that they would return soon to visit.
“I shall look forward to it, but until then just look after Phoebe and I shall be happy.” He nodded as a lump caught in his throat.
Phoebe wrapped her sister in her arms and then rested her head on her shoulder, and Finn watched the silent tears and felt her pain deep inside him. It was such a brief time they would be parted, yet he knew the bond these sisters shared was strong.
Bella gave them all a last smile and then started slowly for the steps with the woman who would care for her over the next few months. Leaning heavily on her cane, Finn watched her stop before she started up them. She then said something to the woman at her side and turned and made her way back to the carriages.
“Wh—”
Finn grabbed Phoebe’s arm as she moved to intercept her sister, shaking his head as she looked up at him. He pulled her back against his chest and held her as they watched Bella limp up to where Luke stood beside the carriage. His eyes were shadowed, feelings hidden as he watched her approach.
Bella climbed to her toes and kissed Luke Fletcher on the cheek. She then said something, but he could not hear what. Luke’s head snapped upright, his hands reaching for her as she backed away from him, only to drop to his sides as Bella turned and started back to the clinic. The man looked like he had been punched in the stomach, his face pale, eyes wide.
Bella made her way up the stairs slowly until she reached the top, and then with a brief wave, she walked in through the doors. They then closed and the crying began.
Finn simply picked Phoebe up and carried her into the carriage, as Will did the same with Livvy, and soon they were on their way home.
“Sssh, Phoebe. She is safe, love. Surely that knowledge alone helps you? They were very nice people, and it is only for a few months.” He hated her tears, and in truth she did not cry much, yet lately—
“Dear God, you’re pregnant!”
She cried harder and Finn thought that he could perhaps have phrased that better.
“Phoebe, my love, are we going to have a baby?
“Y-yes. I had thought to tell on the return journey as in truth I was not sure myself until I realized I had become very emotional and I have not bled in a while.”
“A baby,” Finn said stunned. “Christ, I love you.”
That stopped the tears. Lifting her head she looked up at him. “You’re happy?”
“So very much,” he whispered, kissing her.
“I miss her already.” Phoebe nestled into his chest as she usually did when she was about to close her eyes. “But had I not you then our parting would have been far worse.”
“We will never part, love.”
“Never,” she whispered after a long yawn.
Finn held her as the carriage carried them back to England and wondered what he had done to end up so happy. Sending good thoughts Bella’s way, he too closed
his eyes and was soon asleep.
THE END
Thank you!
Thanks so much for reading Lady In Demand
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• If you want to read Will and Livvy’s story too, then here's a sneak peek at Lady In Disguise
– (The Langley Sisters – Book 1)
Lady In Disguise : Excerpt
Available now
Lord William Ryder woke suddenly as he flew across the carriage to land face first on the opposite seat. Shaking his head in an attempt to clear the sleep-induced fog, he wondered what the hell Luke was thinking, pulling his horses to a halt so quickly. Slapping both hands on the seat, he levered himself upright.
“Stand and deliver!”
Hands still braced on the seat, Will shook his head again; surely he hadn’t heard those words correctly.
“Those within the carriage step down at once or I will blow a hole in the side!”
In the past few years, Will had been shot, stabbed, held hostage and forced to leap from a burning ship, and now he had arrived, to what he believed the safety of his homeland, and within hours he was being robbed. If rage weren’t nipping at his heels, he’d laugh.
“I will give you a five-count!”
“I’m coming!” he bellowed, reaching for the door. Pushing it open with enough force that it banged loudly against the carriage, Will stepped down. Cooler now that dusk had settled, he could smell the trees and earth of his homeland.
“No risks, Luke,” he cautioned his driver quietly as he looked at the riders before him. “Well?” he then questioned the two masked men, waiting for one of them to speak; curiously, both seemed almost unnaturally still. “Are you robbing me, or did you want to take tea?” His drawled words had the required effect, as one of them spoke.
“Throw your money over here, or I will shoot you!”
“You had better make that shot count, because
you can be assured if you miss, you won’t get a second one,” Will stated calmly, looking at the two riders. Both wore black hats pulled low to cover their eyes and scarves hid the lower half of their faces. Pistols were pointed at him and his driver. They looked menacing, yet not overly big, he thought, eyeing the slender thigh of the one closest to him.
“The penalty for robbing a peer is death I believe,” he added, reaching into his pocket and removing a money pouch.
“The penalty for starvation is the same, my lord!”
With the coin pouch now in his hand, Will looked at the man. His words were muffled, yet he could hear the desperation.
“You’ll end up with your neck stretched by the hangman’s noose if you don’t rethink your choice of career, young man.”
“Spoken like a cosseted nobleman, Lord Ryder. Now throw me that purse and we shall be on our way.”
Will paused, holding the highwayman’s gaze, and then slowly threw the purse in the air, the coins making a chinking sound as they resettled in his palm.
“It appears you have me at a disadvantage, sir. You know who I am, yet I am at a loss to remember you. Of course, that could be because you have your face covered and a pistol pointed at my head.”
Will watched the horse lift its head as the man’s hand tightened on the reins. Interesting. It was dark, and the moonlight was weak, but the highwayman had recognized him immediately, if that reaction was any indication. He’d seen the worst life could offer, yet it saddened him that someone who had crossed his path would need to steal to survive.
“This is not a social call, Lord Ryder. Just hand over the pouch and we shall leave you to continue your journey.”
“And if I say no, will you kill me where I stand?”
“We don’t want to kill you!”
“Then turn your horse around and leave,” Will said, his voice now low and menacing. The gun wavered and then steadied as the man transferred the reins into the same hand as the gun, the empty one he now held out to Will.
“Throw me that pouch.”
“No.” He watched the two highwaymen look at each other after he spoke. A suspicion formed in his head as the leader raised a shoulder in a gesture that looked far too feminine for a man.
“I will shoot your driver.”
Will had not survived the last few years to be shot just miles from his home, and he realized that a young, desperate man aiming a gun at his head was a situation that could get out of hand quickly.
“Here.” He threw the bag at the leader, who caught it easily.
“Now go, before I decide that you two need to be taught a bloody good lesson in manners,” Will added, scowling at them.
They turned their horses and began to leave.
“I’ll stop them!”
“No, Luke!”
Too late, Will watched his driver’s knife sail through the air and lodge itself in the shoulder of the lead highwayman. The scream that filled the air told him his original guess had been incorrect. They weren’t youths; in fact, they were women. He took a step towards her as she lurched sideways in the saddle, but she saved herself by gripping the horse’s mane, and soon they were gone from his sight.
Want to read the rest? Lady In Disguise is available now.
•Here’s a small unedited excerpt from my current work in progress. Book 3 in The Langley Sisters Series – Lady In Distress:
Chapter One
Luke Fletcher knew he looked outwardly composed as he maneuvered the horses into the driveway of the clinic. He concentrated on the smooth turn, making sure the four horses made it through in unison and only when they were trotting up the drive did he allow himself to look at the building ahead of him. His stomach clenched and the palms of his hands inside his gloves began to sweat.
Bella would step from it in a matter of minutes, and he would see her again. These past months without her, had been a combination of heaven and hell for Luke. He'd not seen her daily, not felt the jolt of longing that always made him start as she appeared before him. Then, there was the constant worry of not seeing her. Was she well, did she cry with longing for her family or him? No, not for him, she'd made that clear when she'd left all those long weeks ago.
‘I have loved you my entire life, Luke Fletcher, but you will never allow yourself to reciprocate that love. Therefore, from this day forth the only thing I can offer you is friendship.’
The joy at hearing Bella declare her love for him had soon been dashed as she had added the rest. She'd then turned around and walked away from him, and he'd let her. There could be no future for them, he knew that. She was the daughter of a Lord, and he, the son of a stable-hand. However, at that moment, he'd wanted it, wanted it more than he had wanted anything in his life before.
Pulling the carriage to a halt, he turned to the man who sat beside him.
"Jessie, go and open the door, and I'll stay up here and look after the horses."
Jessie was eighteen and eager to please so he hurried to do as Luke asked.
Luke then heard the deep rumble of voices as Bella’s brother in law’s, Lord Finneous Levermarch and Lord William Ryder, stepped from the carriage. His hope that Will would ignore him and simply make his way inside was of course futile.
“Will you not get down and greet her, Luke?”
Finn and Will moved to stand beneath him, both looking up. Both were dark haired. However, Finn’s was liberally laced with silver. Big and strong, they were men who understood their place in the world, a place dictated to them by birth. He envied them that. Luke straddled both worlds and fitted in neither.
Bella didn't look at the carriage, didn't check to see if Luke Fletcher was driving. Will had told her he was there, but she wouldn't be confirming it. She nodded to Finn as she reached the bottom step and began walking toward the carriage; she could feel Luke's eyes on her but hers remained focused on her brother-in-law. Only when she stopped beside the carriage did she glance up at him. She had practiced this smile many times, cool and calm. It did not offer intimacy nor did it suggest they were familiar with each other. He had chosen not to acknowledge what lay between them, so she would respect his wishes, even if it broke her heart.
Tall and lean, Bella could recall Luke Fletcher’s face even with her eyes closed. He had eyes the color of a clear summer’s day and thick brown hair that curled around his head and was usually streaked with gold by the end of summer, as often he worked outside without a hat. He had a small blonde patch behind his right ear that he loathed, but Bella secretly loved. Did once love, she corrected.
Nodding her head, she said nothing further and then climbed into the carriage. He’d looked shocked that she did not speak to him, but from this day forth, this was how it would be between them.
Other Books by Wendy are available here: http://www.wendyvella.com/wendys-books/
The Reluctant Countess
Christmas Wishes
The Regency Rakes
Duchess By Chance
Rescued By A Viscount
The Langley Sisters Series
Lady In Disguise
Lady In Demand