Romancing an Alluring Lady: A Historical Regency Romance Book

by Lucy Langton

  Robert Christopher is a wealthy bachelor and the last eligible son from the Christopher brothers. In his mother’s opinion, it’s about time he found the perfect match, but he desperately wants to escape the Soiree that is specifically hosted so that he can pick a wife. All up until he comes across a fiery lady, who captures his attention with her wit and intelligence, and she instantly grows a fire inside him. Everything seems perfect, until Robert discovers a dark secret which can destroy their newfound happiness. Will he decide to bury it to the ground or spill the beans and face the consequences?

  This dark secret brings Evelynn and Robert together in a way they could never have expected. They know that if their secret gets revealed, many lives will be ruined, including theirs. Will Robert be able to stay true to his heart while being loyal to his family? Will they be able to finally satisfy the burning desire they hold for each other, or will their love be lost in the ages?

  Prologue

  Evelynn James looked upon her reflection in the beveled mirror that sat atop her ivory white vanity. Her satin crème dress with scalloped laced trim seemed to glow in the sunlight that filtered in through the open curtains in the late afternoon light.

  She pushed her brown hair away from her face, feeling quite unsure of herself.

  “This is it. You are seven and ten years of age and it is time for your coming out,” she said to herself.

  Evelynn tried to convince herself that this was inevitable and it was now or never during the spring season, her first season of coming out as an eligible lady of society. She would much rather be at home, reading her books and studying subjects. She enjoyed her time in the garden of the London home where she lived and was not sure if she was ready to do this; not that she had any other option.

  Her acquaintances of her age and even younger were very excited and could not wait to be out, she felt quite the opposite. She felt that marriage was in her future, but very, very, far away. She was not ready to give up her freedom to anyone, and definitely not ready to be a wife.

  “You can do this Evelynn. All that is required of you is to simply attend the assembly and get it over with.” Once she was done with that particular talk to her own reflection, she turned away from the mirror and made her way downstairs to the drawing room.

  Though she had been to many events since she had been a young child, including church and social gatherings and different summer and holiday parties, this was remarkably different. This meant that she was being put on the market as a potential wife, something that scared her because she did not know how to act in such a way.

  “My Evelynn, you look very beautiful,” her mother Mrs. James said as she walked into the drawing room.

  “Thank you Mother. I believe that I am ready,” Evelynn said.

  She was ready to leave the house, but definitely not ready to be handed over to a man to be his wife. She had a particular notion about what kind of man would attract her, and he must be a man of intelligence. Though so far in her experience at different social occasions she had never come across such a man, no matter his age.

  The only man that she respected and looked up to was not a man at all but her very young friend, who was not much older than her - Edward Stevens. He was a very agreeable and kind young man, but he was like a brother to her, and not someone that she would consider for marriage.

  Mr. James, her father, stood from his chair and sighed. “Well, Evelynn, I suppose there comes a time in a father’s life when this day will come. I hope that you will find a match of love and respect.”

  “Thank you Father.”

  “Yes, as long as that love and respect comes with a substantial living,” Mrs. James said.

  Evelynn sighed and looked to her mother, who was already being pushy about whom she could consider for marriage.

  The James family sat in the carriage making their way into the Westminster Borough of London, where they were to attend an assembly of the elite of society. A ball, supper, and entertainment were being held in the assembly rooms. Evelynn was quite nervous upon arrival, but was glad to see that there were many carriages and many people outside the grand building for this meant that she would not be a matter of attention and would blend in.

  But once inside, her mother and father made sure to introduce her to all manner of people, especially eligible bachelors. But there was not one that caught her attention through the intelligence of conversation and mind.

  She began to wonder, because the more gentlemen that she met, the more she doubted that she would ever find a man that would be compatible with her and place the same value she did on intelligence. Would she then be forced to marry a man of her mother's choosing?

  No. She knew that evening that she would not let anyone choose a husband for her, no matter what the traditions were. She would only allow herself to marry for love, and to spark her love would mean having to spark her intelligence, her wit, and intrigue.

  But did such a man exist?

  Chapter 1

  Three Years Later

  Evelynn had found herself to be very fortunate, for her wish had been granted. She had retained the freedom that she had wanted for years and some time in order to figure out who she was, and she had come into her own.

  She was very happy that with each passing London season, she was not made an offer of marriage. Not that it astonished her, because she gave no encouragement to any man that she met as none of them captured her fancy. There were a few men over the years that she thought could be agreeable, but when thinking of them regarding marriage, she knew that these matches would simply for comfort and not for love.

  Because of this she could not allow herself to give them any sort of encouragement that she might say yes to an offer of marriage, something that her mother was very angry with her about on a daily basis, and had been since she was seven and ten years of age.

  But now that she was older she felt as though she were running out of time, because her mother seemed to be putting more pressure on her than usual, even though her circumstances were not dire.

  She and her mother would not be destitute if anything should happen to her father. He had made sure of that. But still her mother very much wanted her to be married, and this evening was no different.

  “Hurry yourself up girl, we do not want to be late for this. You know how your father likes to leave early, and therefore we must get there as soon as possible,” Mrs. James said to her daughter Evelynn James as she passed by her open doorway.

  Evelynn looked to her mother with the same look of annoyance that always came during one of their outings. For Mrs. James always had the maid Patty help her before she helped Evelynn. This meant that Patty had to do Evelynn's hair in just a few minutes, instead of the long hour-and-a-half she spent helping Mrs. James get ready.

  “Yes Mama, I'm coming as soon as I can,” Evelynn said standing from the vanity chair while Patty put the finishing touches on her hair. Then she moved around her bedroom in such haste that she almost tripped over the rug.

  “Oh, I do not wish to start the evening with a bruised knee or black eye,” she said. “Patty, where is my maroon cloak?” Evelynn took one last look in the mirror, pushing her chestnut hair into place, and checking her brown eyes to make sure that there was no redness in them. She had been outside in the garden and spring time had made its arrival known with an enormous amount of pollen being released by the trees.

  “It is downstairs, ma'am. I will have it ready for you,” Patty said, moving out of the room.

  “Thank you very much.” Evelynn said, excited that her maroon cloak would go nicely with the pale pink colored satin gown that made her pale complexion look even more delicate, and the maroon cloak would bring out a stark contrast.

  A few moments later, she sat across from her mother and father in the carriage as it jostled through the streets of London, which were very wet as a slight drizzle of rain poured down upon them just a few minutes before, but that had since ceased.

  Spring was alway
s a very wet season in London, but Evelynn found it to be very refreshing. She was not one to fuss about the rain; in fact she enjoyed it very much. She thought it did a great service to the city in washing the cobblestoned sidewalks and roads clean on a regular basis, as well as making gardens very lush and keeping the trees filled with beautiful flowers. Where other ladies might fuss that the rain ruined their shoes, Evelynn thought it was a very low price to pay for the advantages of the rain.

  “Now make sure that you give every attention to every eligible gentleman in the room tonight. You will be one-and-twenty at the end of the year my dear, almost an old maid. What gentleman would have you then? You must take advantage of this spring season, no more playing around. Is that understood?” Mrs. James said sternly to Evelynn.

  “Yes Mother, as you have said several times before. I understand quite deeply.”

  “Now now, let the child have her fun. I have no notion of thinking that the right man will not find our little Miss Evelynn, she is quite the beauty and of strong will of mind. Do not push her,” Mr. James said.

  Evelynn smiled at her father, much to her mother's annoyance. Her father had always been on her side, as he was quite happy in their situation in life. Though they only had one child due to the difficulty that Mrs. James endured when having Evelynn, they had created a situation in which there was no pressure at all for Evelynn to marry. This was quite rare for any family, but it was something that happened more often than those in society thought.

  For upon the future death of her father, Mr. James, Evelynn and her mother would not inherit from him father and would be left without a living, as happened to most women when there were no male heirs. But the James family had been lucky in family for they were not a vengeful or greedy brood. Evelynn's uncle, Mr. Lyle James, had passed away and left everything to his own male heir, Mr. Oliver James, also the only male in the family. But Oliver was a very agreeable and happy sort of man, perhaps a man with the kindest heart that Evelynn had ever met.

  Upon his father's death, Oliver insisted that he and Mr. James, Evelynn's father, enter into a written agreement. It stated that upon his death, he would be legally responsible for the cost of living for Mrs. James and Evelynn. Everyone was astonished by the agreement, but he insisted.

  Therefore the legal papers were sent about to the solicitor's office and signed by both of them. They had a binding legal contract, and Oliver even saw to it that if he should have the misfortune to pass away, the agreement would still stand and they would be given a place to live and a living allowance per annum.

  This took the pressure off Mr. James to make sure that his daughter Evelynn married wealthy in order for her not to end up on the streets. Though he still wished for her to marry well and to have a comfortable life, it was not as stressful as it had been before the agreement was made.

  Therefore he told Mrs. James that he saw no reason why Evelynn should not wait until she found a man that was agreeable to her. Mrs. James, however, responded with her thoughts that Evelynn should still try to catch a husband that would be a wealthy asset to her and the family, and she made it a point to continue to pressure Evelynn into a good marriage as though their lives did indeed depend on it. This was frustrating to Evelynn.

  Evelynn always found herself in conflict. She had been raised to believe that it was her duty and responsibility to marry well, regardless of love. That notion took deep root inside of her, yet at the same time as she grew older she found that her heart was beginning to overtake her mind. The thought of love overtook logic the more that she learned about the world, for she was an avid reader and a person who continued to study on her own even after her governess had been released after completing her duties.

  Evelynn was in love with knowledge, and the more she read about it the more she wanted a partner in life that she could speak of such things about. She wanted a partner whose intelligence she could respect and who she could engage in philosophy and thought with. A good mind was just as important to her as a good and kind heart.

  Of course she could not tell her parents of her wishes when it came to a match, but there was one that she could confide in when it came to these manners; her very good friend Edward Stevens. He was a family friend, and they had grown up together and she looked upon him as a brother. He knew everything about her, and she knew about him in return. She was very excited that he would be in attendance at the party they were en route to.

  The carriage came to a slow stop, and Evelynn looked out of the window seeing the familiar red brick building that she had been to before. It was at the corner of a long line of a row of houses, the best of the best in the elite neighborhood of Kensington, where the James’ also lived.

  The three-story large home was the home of General Matthews, a much celebrated General who came from family money but decided to serve his country anyway, a sacrifice that had gained him a reputation of loyalty and bravery. Therefore it made his parties in very popular demand for invitations.

  This particular drum would be a gathering of high society and the elite, for conversation, cards, and refreshments. It was a very casual gathering, not a formal assembly, but because the most elite of the ton would be in attendance, even a casual gathering became one of the best in attire and the best of the ton of London.

  “Look at all the officers gathered on the front steps. I believe you shall have your pick of them,” Mrs. James said to Evelynn.

  “Yes, just make sure not to waste your attention on officers of the Navy, for that is a husband that would never be home and that makes for a lonely wife,” Mr. James said to his daughter.

  “That is true Father, but only for a wife that would stay home. I would demand of such a husband that he take me on his adventures as well,” Evelynn said with confidence.

  Mrs. James gasped. “On a Navy ship? What a scandal that would be Evelynn, no that would not do at all. I will have no gossip that a daughter of mine is on a ship surrounded by Navy men, what would they say?”

  Evelynn laughed, and Mr. James restrained a laugh as well. In this moment the door was opened by the valet and the steps unlocked. Mr. James stepped out and then helped his wife and daughter out of the carriage.

  Evelynn inhaled the sharp, crisp air of a wet London night in Kensington. It lent a certain magic to the night and the flicker of the torch lit street lamps gave it a sense of romance. She truly did feel grateful to be able to experience such a place and to have the freedom to have fun, for she knew that once she was given away in marriage she might not have such freedoms. This thought brought a scowl upon her face. It was like a ticking clock moving faster and faster.

  “Smile girl, smile,” her mother said sternly in a whisper.

  “Yes Mother,” Evelynn said and put a smile upon her face just in time to be seen by some officers who grinned and nodded in greeting from afar.

  Evelynn lowered her eyes and nodded in return as she and her family made their way up the wet stone steps to the line of people waiting at the front door. Commotion of conversation filled the night and Evelynn could hear the soft music spilling out from inside.

  The music of a string quartet became louder and filled the foyer as they stepped into the grand home with polished marble floors and a grand wooden staircase, and she knew that it must be quite the gathering to engage an entire quartet instead of simply a person playing at the pianoforte. She was glad for it, because a pianoforte usually meant that the ladies in attendance would be forced to entertain and she did not like doing such a thing.

  Evelynn took in the beautiful architecture of the place. There was ample room behind the staircase that seemed to break off into two small hallways on either side. Each wall was lined with very rich tapestries, and some looked to be very old indeed. Evelynn smiled, for she had not been at this particular home in all of her years of going to social engagements with her mother and father. It always made her quite excited to experience something new, and a new home in London was just as exciting to her as going to the theatr
e.

  She looked upon the decor of the house with great observation, as was a habit of hers any time she went into any building in London. She noticed the very fine chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, and the gilded walls adorned with fine gold leaf.