For the Love of the Lady

by Hutton, Callie

  That morning when he’d made love to his wife he noticed her bump was growing. Her initial sickness early in the day had passed, and with the way she was eating she would probably give birth to a child big enough to come out of her womb demanding a roast beef dinner.

  “My lord, Lord Crampton has called.” The butler held out Crampton’s card.

  Henry looked over at Selina, both of them with raised eyebrows.

  “Very well, show the man in.”

  Crampton entered the room and bowed to them. “Good afternoon, my lord, my lady.”

  “Crampton.” Henry gave him a brief nod. “Please have a seat.”

  They hadn’t seen the man since they’d left him bleeding in the inn where he’d taken Phoebe. Selina had sent along a note to Mr. Darwin, advising him of her marriage. He’d sent back a warm congratulatory note and advised her that due to the terms of her late husband’s will, her daughters would no longer have the use of the funds set aside for their Season and dowries.

  No surprise there so Selina simply returned a note thanking him for his congratulations.

  “What can I do for you, Crampton?” Henry sat back in the comfortable chair behind his desk and studied the man with not exactly an icy regard, but certainly not a warm one.

  “I have come to apologize to both of you.”

  They waited to hear what else Crampton had to say. He hopped up and began to pace. “I never, ever should have taken your daughter, Lady Pomeroy. That was not well done of me.” He stopped in front of her. “I was desperate for the money, but I have since realized my lack of funds was my fault, and my fault alone.”

  When neither Henry nor Selina responded, he continued. “I am eternally grateful that the girl was not ruined because of my actions.”

  Henry shifted in his chair. “Whether your apology is accepted or not depends on my wife. Your actions caused her a great deal of distress.”

  “Yes, I know, and I am extremely sorry for that.” He looked at Selina. “Whether you forgive me or not, I want you to know that I will place sufficient funds into an account for your daughters’ Season expenses and dowries.”

  Henry shook his head. “No need for that, Crampton. I can well afford to take care of the girls.”

  “No, I insist.”

  “No, I insist.”

  Selina held up her hand. “Just a moment, please.” She turned in his direction. “Henry, I think you are being foolish.”

  “No, my dear. I’m not. The girls are my responsibility now.”

  “Then what if we allow Lord Crampton to supply the dowries, and you take care of the expenses.”

  Henry stared at her for a minute. “Very well, but I will add to their dowries.

  Crampton looked relieved and bowed once more. “I will not keep you from your duties.” He took Selina’s hand and held it for a moment. “Congratulations on your marriage. I wish you happy.” He glanced at the knitted mess in her lap. “I am sure your … will be lovely when it is finished.” He offered her a warm smile.

  “It’s a blanket.”

  “Yes, of course it is. Very nice.” He moved toward the door. “Well, good afternoon, then.”

  Crampton was gone for a few minutes when Selina held up her knitting. “Do you think this looks like a blanket, Henry?”

  “Most definitely, my dear.”

  They were interrupted when the butler carried in the tea tray.

  “Thank you, Mason, just place it over there on the table.” She stood and shook out her skirts. “Tea has arrived, Henry.”

  He pushed his ledger aside and joined her. She poured tea, fixed it how he liked it, and handed it to him, along with a plate of small tarts and the horrible ladies’ sandwiches. He sighed.

  At least for a while he’d had decent tea food. He glanced over at Selina who took a sip of her tea and smiled at him. Yes, he’d rather have his wife than hearty sandwiches.

  But once in a while….

  Epilogue

  March, 1823

  London, England

  Henry paced the floor in his library, his heart thumping each time another woman ran up or down the stairs. He checked his timepiece again. Had it taken this long for his daughters to be born?

  “Pomeroy, let me pour you another glass of brandy. Believe me, when Elise was giving birth that helped a great deal.” St. George called to him from where he sat with his four-year-old daughter, Allison, on his lap.

  The little girl looked up from the story book she’d been looking at, all big blue eyes and golden curls. “Grandpapa, you can read my book with me.”

  Warmth spread from his middle to his face. He loved that little girl, just as he loved all his grandchildren. All girls. Elise had two, Allison and Mary Grace. Juliet and Marigold each had one, Penelope and Kathleen. He sighed. Three daughters, two step-daughters, four granddaughters.

  “I would love that, Poppet.” He plucked her from her daddy’s lap and settled her in his lap. This was just what he needed, a way to distract him from what was going on upstairs. He had tried to enter the room a little while ago and was immediately told in no uncertain terms to return to the library.

  Phoebe and Prudence had not wanted to attend the afternoon tea they had received an invitation to, but Selina had sent word from the bedchamber that Lady Truedale was going to chaperone them and they should not bypass the tea. As young, unmarried ladies they were forbidden from being present at their mother’s bedside during childbirth.

  The Season had not officially started, but slowly members of the ton were arriving in London and events were beginning to spring up. Selina had arranged for a chaperone for the girls for the first few weeks until she would be able to attend herself.

  Four books and two brandies later, Elise stood at the doorway, her face aglow. “Papa, you must come upstairs.”

  “The babe is here?”

  “Yes.”

  “And Selina?”

  “Is fine.” He breathed a sigh of relief and turned to the three men who had started a card game. “I’m a papa again!”

  They all cheered, and then returned to their game. He had to remember they had all gone through it recently, so he allowed their lack of enthusiasm.

  “Come.” Elise held out her hand.

  He tried to maintain his dignity as he headed to the stairs but found himself bounding up, two steps at a time to get to his wife. He burst into the bedchamber. Marigold and Juliet stood next to Selina, their smiles bright, their faces beaming.

  Selina held her hand out. She looked tired, very tired. “Come meet your new baby.”

  Eschewing dignity, he climbed onto the bed alongside her. She held a little bundle in her arms. A small mewing sound came from within the soft blanket.

  “What shall we name her?” he asked as he touched the tip of his finger to her soft skin.

  “I don’t know. I was thinking about Michael. What say you?”

  He continued to stare at the baby touching her soft hair. “That’s a rather odd name for a girl.”

  “But not so strange for a boy.”

  His head jerked up to look at her. “Did you say a boy?”

  Selina laughed. “Yes, my lord. You have a son.”

  He unfolded the blanket, tugged down the nappy, and looked. “It’s a boy!”

  His three daughters, along with his wife, burst into laughter. “Yes, Papa, we have a brother,” Marigold said.

  A knock on the door drew him from admiring his son. St. George, Hertford, and Stanley crowded into the room. “Pomeroy, rumor has it you have a boy.” St. George shifted Allison from one arm to the other.

  “Yes, I do.” He still had a hard time believing it. “I even checked.”

  “This requires a celebration,” Stanley said. “I say we all retire to the drawing room and open a bottle of champagne.”

  “If you will excuse me, gentlemen, I prefer to take a nap.” Selina handed the babe to the newly employed nurse.

  “Yes, of course, my dear. We will celebrate now, and then
again, when you are able to join us.”

  After giving her a thorough kiss and thanking her for giving him a son, he trooped downstairs and joined the rest of his family.

  He looked around as they all chatted with each other, while Mason went around the room and poured the champagne. Henry held up his glass. “To Michael, the Viscount Munthorpe.”

  “Who is that?” Allison said as she stared up at Henry.

  He squatted down and looked her in the eye. “He is your…” He turned to Elise. “What is Michael to Allison?”

  “Let me see. He would be Allison’s uncle.”

  “But he’s a baby!” she said. “And, he’s a boy.” She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t like boys.”

  ”Ah, but you will one day, Poppet.”

  “No, I won’t, Grandpapa. Mama’s friend brought her son to visit with us and he refused to have tea with me and my dollies.”

  Henry tapped her on her adorable little nose. “You should have served brandy.”

  “Papa!” his three daughters said at once.

  Ah, daughters!

  The End

  Did you like this story? Please consider leaving a review on either Goodreads or the place where you bought it. Long or short, your review will help other readers discover new authors and make purchasing decisions!

  I hope you had fun reading Selina and Henry’s love story. If you want more Regency romance, you might enjoy reading Seducing the Marquess, book 1 in the Lords & Ladies in Love series.

  London, 1819. Richard, Marquess of Devon is satisfied with his ton marriage. His wife of five months, Lady Eugenia Devon, thought she was, too, until she found the book. Their marriage is one of respect and affection, with no messy entanglements such as love. Devon’s upbringing impressed upon him that gentlemen slake their baser needs on a mistress, not their gently bred wives. However, once married, he was no longer comfortable bedding a woman other Eugenia. When she stumbles onto a naughty book, she begins a campaign to change the rules.

  Lady Eugenia wants her very proper husband to fall in love with her. But her much changed and undeniably wicked behavior might inadvertently drive her confused husband to ponder the unthinkable—his perfect Lady has taken a lover. But the only man Eugenia only wants is her husband. The book can bring sizzling desire to the marriage or it might cause an explosion.

  If you’ve already read Seducing the Marquess, you can find a list of all my books on my website: http://calliehutton.com/

  For the special treat I promised you, click HERE to receive a free copy of A Little Bit of Romance, three short stories of lovers reunited. Enjoy!

  About the Author

  Callie Hutton, the USA Today bestselling author of The Elusive Wife, writes both Western Historical and Regency romance, with “historic elements and sensory details” (The Romance Reviews). She also pens an occasional contemporary or two. Callie lives in Oklahoma with several rescue dogs and her top cheerleader husband of many years. Her family also includes her daughter, son, daughter-in-law and twin grandsons affectionately known as “The Twinadoes.”

  Callie loves to hear from readers. Contact her directly at calliehutton11@gmail.com or find her online at www.calliehutton.com. Sign up for her newsletter to receive information on new releases, appearances, contests and exclusive subscriber content. Visit her on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.

  Callie Hutton has written more than thirty books. For a complete listing, go to www.calliehutton.com/books

  Praise for books by Callie Hutton

  A Wife by Christmas

  “A Wife by Christmas is the reason why we read romance...the perfect story for any season.” --The Romance Reviews Top Pick

  The Elusive Wife

  “I loved this book and you will too. Jason is a hottie & Oliva is the kind of woman we'd all want as a friend. Read it!” --Cocktails and Books

  “In my experience I’ve had a few hits but more misses with historical romance so I was really pleasantly surprised to be hooked from the start by obviously good writing.” --Book Chick City

  “The historic elements and sensory details of each scene make the story come to life, and certainly helps immerse the reader in the world that Olivia and Jason share.” --The Romance Reviews

  "You will not want to miss The Elusive Wife.” --My Book Addiction

  "…it was a well written plot and the characters were likeable." --Night Owl Reviews

  A Run for Love

  “An exciting, heart-warming Western love story!" --NY Times bestselling author Georgina Gentry

  “I loved this book!!! I read the BEST historical romance last night...It's called A Run For Love.” --NY Times bestselling author Sharon Sala

  “This is my first Callie Hutton story, but it certainly won't be my last.” --The Romance Reviews

  A Prescription for Love

  "There was love, romance, angst, some darkness, laughter, hope and despair." --RomCon

  “I laughed out loud at some of the dialogue and situations. I think you will enjoy this story by Callie Hutton.” --Night Owl Reviews

  An Angel in the Mail

  “…a warm fuzzy sensuous read. I didn’t put it down until I was done.” --Sizzling Hot Reviews

  Visit www.calliehutton.com for more information.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce, distribute, or transmit in any form or by any means. For information regarding subsidiary rights, please contact the Author.

  Author’s website: http://calliehutton.com/

  Cover design by Erin Dameron-Hill

  Manufactured in the United States of America

  First Edition September 2018