A Ravishing Night With The Mysterious Earl (Steamy Historical Regency)

by Olivia Bennet

  Perhaps, that would not be such a terrible thing…

  But he knew he had no time for such pursuits, at present. If he was ever to find such a lady, it would have to wait until his thirst for the sea had faded somewhat. A moment he was not sure would ever come to pass.

  * * *

  Seeing the betrothal in the newspaper only served to strengthen Jemima’s resolve about escaping this life she had been trapped into. Her name beside Lord Beaurgant’s made her feel sick to her stomach, knowing that everyone would read it and know that she was to wed this vile creature. She had tried to speak with her father again, about the situation, but he would not hear her complaints. For three days, he had avoided her.

  If he will not see reason, then he has left me with no choice.

  She swung her legs over the edge of her bed and lit a candle. Truly, she had hoped that there might be another way to fix this, one that did not require her to abandon everything. But, if her father would not listen, and her mother only sought to obey the Duke, then what other option did she have? She had to take her future into her own hands, or risk it being torn to pieces by Lord Beaurgant.

  With her heart set on fleeing, she began to put her plan into motion. Glancing out of the window of her bedchamber, she saw that it was not yet dawn.

  Perfect.

  Throwing on her housecoat, she crept out of the room and tiptoed across the landing, keeping her ears pricked for the sound of anyone who might spot her. It was too early for the house to be awake, though she kept jolting at the sight of shifting shadows.

  The last thing she wanted was to be caught in the act of preparing her escape, for she did not know what her father might be capable of. Would he lock her away until her wedding day? Would he keep her prisoner in her own home? She could not risk it.

  Tread carefully.

  Reaching the bottom of the winding staircase, she slipped down one of the narrow servants’ hallways and headed out into the bitter cold of the early morning, making towards the stone outhouse across the rear courtyard. This was where the laundry was housed, and she could smell the familiar scent of the soap and the starch as she approached the doorway.

  She froze as she heard voices echoing across the courtyard. If anyone came through the open entrance at the far side, they would see her, a figure in the dusky twilight of dawn. With panic rising up her throat, she darted towards the side of the building and snuck down the cramped alley between the laundry and the storage sheds beside it. Crouching low, she watched two figures cross the yard ahead.

  “A wedding will be good for her,” a feminine voice said.

  “That’s what all you girls think,” a masculine voice replied. “You think marriage solves everything, but it’s only the start of a fella’s worries. I suppose, if she don’t give him what he wants, he can always take a mistress though, eh?”

  “Eddie, you can’t say things like that!” The young woman giggled. Jemima recognized her as one of the scullery maids—a pretty, waif-like creature called Anna. As for Eddie, he was well-known amongst the staff as being something of a rogue. Even Jemima had heard the tales of his romantic endeavors, though they had always shocked her. He worked in the stables, and was very handsome, with a silver tongue that could charm or lash, depending on his mood.

  “Why not? There ain’t nobody here to hear me.”

  “You’re already on your final warning, Eddie. You don’t want to risk your job, saying things like that.”

  Eddie grinned. “It’s only the truth, Anna. She’ll be in for the surprise of her life when it comes to their wedding night.”

  Anna shoved him roughly in the arm. “Quiet yourself, before you get us both in trouble!”

  “Ah, don’t act all coy. You know what I’m talking about.”

  Jemima clamped her hand over her mouth in alarm as Eddie seized Anna about the waist and pushed her over to the laundry. They were so close to where she was hiding, that if he so much as looked over Anna’s shoulder, he would see her crouched down. She sank as low as she could, desperate not to be seen.

  Not that she needed to worry. Eddie’s attentions were solely focused on Anna, who squirmed playfully beneath his grasp. Jemima couldn’t help but look as Eddie leaned closer to Anna and kissed her full on the lips. She seemed to melt into his embrace as he kissed her more deeply, his hands sliding up her waist and across the rise of her bosom. Anna whimpered at his touch, her body pressed to his.

  I should not be watching this.

  Jemima tried to look away, but Anna’s sharp breaths drew her attention back. Eddie’s hand slid up Anna’s thigh, disappearing beneath the hem of her skirts. She gasped and bucked against him, a smirk appearing on his lips as his forearm moved slowly back and forth.

  What is he doing to her?

  Jemima had no idea this sort of thing went on between the staff, and she did not know what to make of it.

  Whatever he was doing, Anna seemed to be enjoying it. Indeed, though she felt somewhat disgraced by watching, Jemima could not deny the sudden tugging sensation that she felt, deep in her abdomen. It was almost as though Eddie’s hands were upon her, instead, and she was feeling the bliss that Anna was experiencing.

  Jemima’s eyes widened as Eddie reached down and began to unbutton his trousers. For the first time in her life, Jemima saw the faint outline of a man’s excited protrusion. It was mostly hidden by the shadows of the dark morning, and the rustle of Anna’s skirts, but she had caught a glimpse. To her surprise, it had not been as startling as she had imagined. Instead, it brought her a shiver of excitement, causing her to wonder what such a thing might feel like.

  “We can’t,” Anna gasped, as she pushed Eddie away.

  “Why not? There’s no one here.” He leaned in and kissed her neck, delving back beneath her skirts.

  “I can’t lose my job, Eddie. Nor am I going to risk a child for the sake of one night.”

  “I’ll be careful.”

  “Eddie, I said no.” Anna pushed him back again.

  His eyes narrowed. “See, I knew you were just a tease. All the lads said you were. I told them you were different, but I guess not.” He buttoned his trousers back up and stepped away. “Let me know when you feel a little bolder, eh?”

  Casting her a nasty smirk, he walked away into the darkness, leaving Anna alone by the laundry. Jemima watched him leave, furious that a man could be so cruel when it came to a young woman’s honor. She had half a mind to stalk after him and ask him what he thought he was doing, but she could not risk giving up her hiding place and revealing her antics.

  Turning her focus towards Anna, her heart sank as she heard the telltale snuffle of someone crying. Once again, she wished she could emerge from her hiding place to comfort the poor girl, but she had to stay put if she wanted to save herself from Lord Beaurgant. Now that she had witnessed some semblance of a couple’s intimacy, she was even more convinced that she never wished to be in such a situation with the Marquess.

  If she were to discover a gentleman whom she adored, then it might be a different story, but she did not want to experience the Marquess’ excitement. No, she wanted to save herself for a worthy partner, for whom it would be more than just a primordial urge. The sort of gentleman who could inspire desire in her, instead of fear.

  I am sorry, Anna. As selfish as it seemed, she could not do a single thing to help the girl.

  A few moments later, Anna brushed the tears from her eyes and walked away from the laundry. Even so, Jemima waited a while longer before emerging from the shadows of her hiding place. She scoured the courtyard, just to be sure that the two figures had truly gone. Once she was certain she was alone, she heaved out a sigh of relief and confusion.

  So, that is how the other half may live?

  They had a freedom that she did not, though the risks for young ladies were the same, regardless of station. And yet, she envied Anna. To be able to walk in secret with a gentleman she desired would have been a wondrous thing, indeed. There was no social etique
tte required, between two people walking alone together.

  Moreover, the way that Anna had responded to Eddie had awakened something inside of her. She had not known that such passion could exist, beyond what she had read in stories. To be kissed with such fervor, and to lose oneself entirely to another person…that seemed all the more enchanting and mysterious, when ensconced in the idea of true love. She was not naïve enough to believe that Anna and Eddie loved one another, but they certainly enjoyed a passion for one another.

  Concentrate! She scolded herself inwardly, as she hurried towards the door of the laundry. She could not waste time on daydreams, not if she was to make it out of here before the sun rose again.

  Slipping through the door, she headed for a pile of freshly laundered clothes that lay on the table in the far corner. It was hard to see, in the lurking gloom, but her fingertips searched the stack for what she needed. She smiled as her hands closed around two shirts, which belonged to the lower echelons of the male serving staff. They were coarse and loose, which was just what she required.

  Next, she took up a pair of trousers and braces, and a woolen waistcoat, before bundling everything under her arm and racing back out of the laundry. She had already acquired a pair of boots that she might wear, after snatching some from the stables the previous evening. They were slightly too big for her, but it was nothing that a bit of stuffing could not fix.

  Indeed, she had left it all until the last moment, more or less, in the hopes that she would arouse less suspicion. There would likely be some comments about the missing clothes when the rest of the staff awoke, but they would not dare to mention it to the Duke or Duchess, for fear of being held personally responsible.

  Feeling cheered, and bristling with anticipation, Jemima slunk back into the house and made her way back to her bedchamber. All the while, she kept one eye over her shoulder, making sure she had not been seen. Reaching her room, she stowed the clothes away in a trunk at the foot of her bed, hiding the items beneath layers of thick blankets.

  There, they would remain, until the sun set on this day, and Jemima donned them for her escape. By this time tomorrow, she would no longer be trapped within the walls of Cowden Manor. Instead, she would be out on the open road, heading for water, and the new lands beyond where nobody would know her name.

  There was only one problem—how would she make it through the day without giving herself away?

  The anticipation was palpable, to the point where she could almost hear her heart pounding in her chest. She prayed that she would not reveal herself before she had the chance to run. All she had to do was make it to nighttime, and then the world would go from a closed shell to a glistening oyster of possibility.

  I must play my part or fail, that is all there is to it.

  Chapter 6

  “Does she seem peculiar to you today, my darling?” Andrew asked, turning to his wife. They were sitting in the drawing room after a pleasant dinner of roasted pheasant, digesting the meal with a snifter of brandy before the late hour took them to bed.

  Jemima sat on the opposite side of the room, flipping absently through a book as she tapped her foot anxiously against the floor. It was the first time that they had been in the same room together for longer than a few moments, after the news had been given about her betrothal to Lord Beaurgant. Andrew hated to see his daughter in a state of distress, but he knew it would be for the best.

  Leonora frowned. “She is always peculiar, Dear.”

  “But she has said barely a word to either of us since we sat down to dinner.”

  “As I have said, she still needs some time to come to terms with the plans we have made for her,” Leonora replied, seemingly unperturbed. “It is no easy thing for a young lady, to be told whom she is to marry. But she will be happy enough with Lord Beaurgant. And, if she is not, she will find contentment when children come along.”

  Andrew tapped his fingertip to his chin. “Was it so for you, prior to our wedding?” He realized he had never asked her about her feelings surrounding their union, for it had never occurred to him to do so. He had always been a dutiful son, and so he had not balked when he had been informed of his marriage to her. He had accepted it, and looked forward to it, as any good son ought to do.

  Truthfully, it had been a welcome surprise when he had discovered that she was beautiful and amusing and intelligent, as well as coming from a good family. Not all gentlemen were as fortunate, when it came to arranged unions. And they had been happy these twenty years. Have we not? He realized he had never thought to ask her about that subject, either.

  “I was scared out of my wits,” Leonora admitted, with a shy smile. “But it all turned out well, in the end. You were more handsome than I thought you would be, and you were kind and gentle, too. It was only after we were wed that I realized I had nothing to be scared of.”

  “And we have been happy, you and I?”

  “Whatever has come over you, Darling?” She looked up at him with curiosity.

  “I wonder…I wonder if I may have been too hasty in accepting the Marquess’ proposal.” He paused. “Jemima has not been herself, and I do so hate to see her like this. Perhaps we were too quick to accept the first offer. Perhaps there is greater potential in her, if we can just get her to behave with a little more decorum.”

  Leonora smiled. “Jemima is as she has always been. She will not change, not until she has true responsibilities to consider. I know she is fearful, but that will fade with time, as all things do.”

  “So, you think we are making the right decision?”

  “That is entirely up to you, Darling. If you think she has greater potential, then it is within your power to break this engagement before it has properly taken hold. I wish to see her happy and secured in a prosperous future, and that is all.”

  Andrew took a sip of his drink. “You did not answer me, before.”

  “If we have been happy?”

  Andrew nodded.

  “Certainly, we have.” Leonora looked uncertain for a moment, which worried Andrew. “We have been excellent companions these twenty years, and we have a beautiful daughter to show for it. I am somewhat regretful that I could not produce a son and heir, but we must take God’s gifts as they come to us.”

  He glanced into his drink, watching the amber liquid swirl around the crystal. “And we love one another, do we not?”

  Again, Leonora looked perplexed. “Certainly,” was all she replied.

  “Would you have married for love, if you could have done?” He was desperate to know, for he was starting to doubt himself. He knew that his daughter would be content enough if she were to wed the Marquess, but he could not help feeling a lingering guilt about his part in this. Was he stealing away her hope for a greater gentleman? One she might truly love?

  In all his years, love had never seemed all that important to him. It was an intangible concept that he simply did not believe in. Or, at least, he thought he did not. It was the stuff of fairytales and nonsense. And yet, if there was a chance of it being real for Jemima, could he really snatch that away from her by forcing her into a union with the Marquess? He had always presumed that Leonora loved him, but her hesitation caused him to rethink.

  “What does all of that matter now, my dear?” Leonora said softly. “You have imbibed too much, methinks.”

  “Answer me,” he replied, his tone sharper than he had intended.

  Leonora sighed. “I suppose, once upon a time, I might have liked to have married for love. But I knew that was not going to be a possibility for me. It was a silly idea that I had in my young head. When I was told of my marriage to you, I realized that honor and duty came before any silly dreams. And our union has created a marvelous affection, when all is said and done.”

  A marvelous affection?

  He had been certain they felt more for one another, but now he was not so sure. Slowly, he turned his gaze towards his daughter, feeling a pang in his heart as he observed her sad face.

  “If
you show weakness now, she will never accept any gentleman of means. You realize that?” Leonora said, following her husband’s gaze. “We cannot afford for her to cause a scandal of any kind. She is already walking a very fine line between what is proper and what is not.”

  Andrew sank into his chair. “I must be firm in my decision.”

  “It will be for the best,” Leonora encouraged.

  “Yes…yes, you are quite right.” He took another deep drink of his brandy, wishing the doubts in his mind would go away. If he broke off the engagement between Jemima and the Marquess now, there was every chance that it would mar her reputation even further. And there were no assurances that another offer would be made by a gentleman of higher station.

  “I think I will retire to my chambers,” Jemima said suddenly, rising from her chair.