A Rogue's Courtship: Clean Regency Romance Collection

by Madeline St. James

  She also wondered what would happen if Sarah Richards came back. Technically, Sarah and Daniel were still married. She would be within her rights to not only have Charlotte arrested for adultery, but stripped of possessions and be entitled to financial compensation for her involvement with Daniel. Charlotte felt the thrill of terror and excitement course through her. All of those things were barreling through her mind, and at the same time she still felt like she was finally one step closer to having what she had wanted for so many years: Daniel. She supposed she should adopt Daniel’s attitude about it all and not care what anyone else thought. Charlotte lay in bed thinking about all of this when she heard a knock on her bedroom door.

  “Ms. Rose? Are you awake?” Bitty called.

  “I’m awake, Bitty. Is everything alright?” She sat up and pulled on her housecoat.

  “Yes, Commander Richards is here in the sitting room setting up your easel.”

  Charlotte frowned first, still not accustomed to him having free reign to be here. Then she smiled, hurrying to climb out of bed and get dressed in her painting smock. She was going to have new adventures to listen to and new scenery to imagine and paint today.

  Chapter 5

  Charlotte spent the day in the sitting room painting while Daniel spoke of his travels. By the time he was done, she had two new landscapes drying on easels. She listened intently and asked questions about his stories, using the details to capture the scene. He often remarked that she had a knack for capturing the essence of the places he traversed without having been there herself. Charlotte would blush and hide her smile at his praise although she was secretly relishing his compliments.

  She was nervous when they went for their walk, but the weather was so dreadful and cold that they didn’t meet anyone in the park. They quickly turned back to the comforts of home, and Charlotte agreed when Daniel suggested they take his carriage out for a drive. The driver was well equipped and dressed to handle the weather. As they rode along, Charlotte gazed along the long streets of London. They ended up out on a country lane, leading out of the city and Daniel moved to sit beside her as she watched the countryside roll by. Even living in the city, she didn’t come out this way much. Carriage rentals were expensive, and Charlotte only purchased the services when it was absolutely necessary.

  Daniel and Charlotte made eye contact, and he instantly mesmerized her. He reached up to stroke her cheek with the back of his knuckles. She closed her eyes and felt his lips on hers again. It was a soft, swift kiss, but no less effective in making her feel lightheaded.

  “Having to leave every night and wait until the next day to see you is getting harder and harder,” he murmured. She nodded, knowing exactly how he felt. However, she could never verbally express just how much she wanted him to stay. It wouldn’t be proper. Charlotte rested her head on his shoulder and they rode in silence, enjoying the time they had to be near one another.

  It wasn’t until the next night when they went to the theater that Charlotte felt the first bit of adversity from the Socialites for her actions. Half of the men and women at the theater pointed and whispered, or openly stared. The others turned their noses up at them, and a few women openly commented to one another about Charlotte being a harlot and him being a rake hellion. Charlotte felt her cheeks burn but she looked to Daniel for direction. He smiled politely, ignoring the women and snubbing the men who raised their eyebrows and opened their mouths as if they were going to dare to say something.

  Charlotte and Daniel shared a box with the elderly Commander Balfour, Lady Sophia Bradford and Lord Bradford, and her two friends, Lady Claire Bonnefant and Lady Catherine Desmond and their husbands Lord Desmond and Lord Bonnefant. Fortunately, none of these women seemed to mind Charlotte or her status as Mistress Rose. She’d been so accustomed to being introduced as Ms. Rose; it seemed foreign to her to be introduced by Daniel as such. They smiled at her, and Lady Catherine curtseyed slightly as she greeted her. Charlotte could swear there was a glint of mischievousness in her eye.

  The only one who looked slightly disapproving was Commander Balfour, whom Daniel introduced as his mentor. She curtseyed low. “Commander Balfour, it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Commander Richards speaks highly of you.”

  “Hmm, I’m sure he does, Mistress Rose. I was blessed to be his mentor and business partner with his father and of course, your late husband Mr. Rose.”

  “Father,” Lady Sophia admonished gently. Charlotte felt her cheeks redden but she kept her head held high, refusing to look away.

  “Yes, I understand the mercantile business is a lucrative business and you would have many acquaintances.”

  “Truly? You understand this? I would have assumed your efforts have been preoccupied...elsewhere.” He glanced at Daniel and Charlotte pressed her lips together, refusing to take his bait.

  “If you mean maintaining my household, then yes. When Mr. Rose was alive,” she said, emphasizing the word alive and continued, “he was always quite involved in the business.”

  “Indeed,” Commander Balfour said softly. He turned away then and Charlotte felt like the wind had been knocked out of her.

  Lady Sophia stepped forward and whispered, “don’t pay him any mind. If it makes you feel any better, every woman here has come from, or has met her husband through questionable circumstances. It just means you are one of us. He’s just of a certain mind, is all. Come sit next to me, I am hoping we will become good friends.”

  Charlotte smiled and sat next to Lady Sophia. Daniel flanked her right side. When she looked up at the next box over, she found Her Grace watching her. The Duchess of Cambridge was smiling and gave her an almost imperceptible nod. Charlotte nodded back and turned her attention to the stage.

  The play was a beautiful sight to behold. The characters, the drama, and the love story enchanted her. She was so wrapped up in the story that when the play was over and curtain fell after the climax, she was shocked. She wanted to protest; it couldn’t possibly end like this. Neither could the evening with a group of women who had lightly questioned her in the powder room on the intermission without prying. They seemed supportive, and like they had their own complicated stories to tell.

  From what Charlotte could gather, Lady Catherine had once been the talk of the ton and in a state of ruin. Additionally, none other than Lady Catherine had made Lady Sophia a fool; although it was apparent the two women had reconciled their differences. Lady Catherine was beginning to show, and Charlotte suspected she would be due in the spring. Lady Sophia confessed that she already had two children at home.

  Lady Claire was the quietest of the group besides Charlotte. She had once been in ruins due to her brother’s misdeeds, and Charlotte vaguely recalled a rumor a while ago that had the Lady involved with a house of ill repute. It made her feel slightly better that these women had pasts and histories of their own. She truly wasn’t out of place amongst them.

  Charlotte and Daniel returned to the carriage and rode in excitement, discussing the play and the evening. For the first time, Charlotte let herself consider that she might have friends besides Bitty. She wondered if she might be extended an invitation to tea in the future. She certainly hoped she would, despite being of a lesser status. It seemed these three women didn’t place much value on that, but rather on how they interacted and treated each other.

  Charlotte was giddy when they returned to her house, which was why she readily agreed to dinner with Daniel the next night. It wasn’t until she was seated under the baleful glare of Lord Richards, Daniel’s father, that she began to reconsider just how much the one night of enjoyment could not make up for the fact that there were people amongst the ton who openly despised her role in Daniel’s life.

  She was just wondering how much longer she would have to sit and suffer through Daniel and his father arguing about her presence when a ragged, shivering, and clearly very pregnant woman stood in the door, causing all of them to pause in shock and stare at her.

  “Daniel?” th
e woman said, holding her stomach. Charlotte felt her heart sink as she realized whom the woman was.

  “Sarah.” Daniel’s voice was ragged and emotional. When Charlotte looked at his face, it was pulled into a mask of complete anger and disgust as he returned her gaze. Charlotte fought the black spots that swam in front of her eyes, threatening to make her faint.

  Chapter 6

  The entire table sat in stunned silence. After a moment, Lord Richards and Daniel both rose.

  “Sarah, come in and sit,” Daniel’s father insisted. He pulled out a chair and Sarah wobbled over. She groaned when she sat down.

  “Thank you, Lord Richards,” she murmured. Charlotte wanted nothing more than to sink under the table as she sat next to Lady Richards. She pushed her food around her plate as the elder Lord Richards and Daniel took their seats.

  “My dear, are you certain you don’t wish to retire above stairs and perhaps freshen up?” Lord Richards asked. Everyone was shifting in his or her seats uncomfortably.

  “If my awful appearance does not offend, could I sit for dinner? It has been a few days since I have had anything solid to eat,” she replied softly. The more Charlotte listened to her, the more her heart softened. She assumed that Lady Richards would come in and start raving about her presence. But the truth of it was, she was a woman half-starved in rags; her demeanor clearly suggested she felt broken and defeated. By comparison, Charlotte was very well off.

  “What happened, Sarah?” Daniel’s voice was soft but no less reserved. Charlotte spared a glance at him. Although his face was impassive, she could tell that he was less than thrilled about the current state of things.

  “Well...I’m sure you received the note I left?” she asked, still shoving food into her mouth as if she were afraid that once she told her tale, she would be kicked back out onto the streets.

  “Yes, I received it.” Daniel’s tone was also guarded, but there was an underpinning of anger in his words. Sarah stopped eating to look up at him.

  “Yes, umm, well, I went north, with…with him. And, umm, when we got there, well we tried to...well I suppose that isn’t important. Needless to say, this is the state I have found myself in, as you can see. The problem was, when he found out...because we weren’t married…” Charlotte peeked over at Sarah and could see the tears welling up in her eyes. She could guess what Sarah was alluding to. The man, whoever he was, turned her out for being with child. Without any relations or connections in the north, Sarah did the only thing she could think of: she came home.

  Charlotte felt her heart bleed for Sarah. She felt equally disgusted with herself, because it could just as easily be her in this position if she and Daniel had eloped. Why did women have to rely so heavily on the men in their lives? Charlotte could see why Bitty was so upset with her for taking risks to be with Daniel. Charlotte returned to her food as the silence grew evermore uncomfortable. She half expected the older Lord Richards to kick his wayward daughter-in-law out. She knew Daniel was too kind hearted to throw Sarah out into the streets, but that begged the question: what was he to do with her?

  “I see,” Daniel said quietly. He couldn’t look at Sarah’s swollen belly, but it felt like the focus of the room was still on it. Charlotte, despite knowing how it might be received, was prepared to offer her to come and stay with her and Bitty.

  “I think it will be within everyone’s best interest to wait until tomorrow to decide what is to be done about the…unusual circumstances. A good night’s sleep and a bath will do Sarah a bit of good, and as for Ms. Rose…” Lord Richard’s eyebrows shot up when he looked in her direction. “I’m certain she would think it best to retire to her own house for the evening, given the pressing matters at hand.”

  Charlotte didn’t bother to look at him before standing. “Of course, Lord Richards.” She wanted to say something to Sarah, but she was staring fixedly at her now empty plate. Charlotte felt herself wishing Sarah had eaten slowly; she was sure to get a dreadful stomachache from it later. She turned and began walking to the door, and she heard Daniel’s chair move across the floor.

  “Daniel…” Lord Richards began, but Charlotte was already moving to the door. A maid intercepted her to give her back her cloak, and Charlotte was grateful that the carriage had been readied for them to go out after dinner to the ballet. She was certain that, given the circumstances, he wouldn’t mind if she took it to see herself home. If he did, she was prepared to walk.

  Charlotte made it to the hallway before she felt his hand on her arm. He turned her to face him. “Char, darling, I have no words to express how sorry I am. If I had any idea that she was coming…”

  “Would it have changed things?”

  “Well it might have changed where we dined tonight, but no. It doesn’t change my feelings for you,” he murmured. He stroked her cheek, a gesture she was coming to understand as one of deep affection. It was like he was tracing her features and committing them to memory by touch. Then she had a vision of him doing the same thing to Sarah. She shook her head, taking a step back.

  “That’s not enough, Daniel. I thought I could do this. I thought that since I’m older and your marriage was in shambles that somehow it would be all right. But this isn’t me. I feel nothing but sympathy and pity for that woman sitting in the dining room. And I don’t know what happened with your marriage, but I feel guilty sitting next to her at your father’s dinner table. Keeping our relations separate from the marriage you already have isn’t good enough for me. Perhaps that seems a bit hypocritical coming from a woman who’s a widow, but I can’t do this anymore. Especially knowing Sarah is here.”

  Charlotte felt the burn in her cheeks. She was waiting for any moment for him to burst out in anger, but he didn’t. He reached up and tucked a stray strand of hair from her bun and tucked it behind her ear. “If you felt anything other than compassion for Sarah, that would be the opposite of the woman I know and love, Char. It takes a woman of great character to feel as you do. It is one of the reasons I love you so much,” he whispered. Charlotte felt the flush in her cheeks and she turned her head away.

  “I won’t be the one to make you chose, Daniel. That isn’t like me. I’ll go quietly and you don’t have to-”

  “I haven’t decided what I am going to do yet!” he cut in. “So don’t talk like this is goodbye.” His voice wavered and when she looked up at him for the first time, she saw fear and uncertainty in his face. Men were always the pillars of society: strong, guarded, and unrelenting. Mr. Rose had never shown weakness, even in his last moments. She admired Daniel’s vulnerability.

  “Very well, but I won’t be returning here, Daniel. Not whilst she is in residence. I want you to consider her plight as well. If you turn her out, she and the unborn child will surely perish in the streets of London. Please, as much as you might think she has wronged you, she has been wronged herself.”

  “She is having a child out of wedlock, Charlotte. And she didn’t give me a chance to arrange anything else before she left!” Daniel’s voice grew louder and Charlotte looked at the door to the dining room, which was slightly ajar.

  “This may be true, but two wrongs don’t make a right. You know this, Daniel. Please simply consider what I have said.” Charlotte looked deep in his eyes and pleaded with her own. She didn’t want to turn a street corner somewhere and see Sarah and the child resorted to begging. She had seen too many women and children on the street corners as of late.

  Charlotte turned and began to open the door. She felt Daniel’s hand close over her own. “Please, Char, don’t shut me out,” he whispered. “I don’t know when I will see you again.” She knew that to mean his father would probably forbid it, even if his marriage to Sarah was done.

  “I know. But this is the way it has to be, Daniel. We always knew this might not end the way we wanted it to,” she replied. She leaned in as he bent low towards the sound of her voice. She gave him a small, soft kiss before she opened the door and hurried out into the frigid night air. She refuse
d to look back and have him see the tears rolling down her cheeks.

  Charlotte climbed into the back of the carriage and forced herself to look straight ahead as it pulled away from the curb. She felt like she was losing Daniel, just as she had before. This time it felt even worse because she was the one forcing the ties to be cut.

  When Charlotte arrived home, Bitty was already in bed. She didn’t bother waking the older woman up to inform her of all that had happened. She was certain by tomorrow she would once again be the name on the lips of everyone within the ton, and she was right. She was still asleep, blissfully unaware of her broken heart once more, when her bedroom door burst open. Lady Catherine, Lady Sophia, and Lady Claire came barging in.

  “Oh, Mistress Charlotte, darling, we’ve all just heard. How dreadful!” Lady Catherine exclaimed.

  Lady Claire perched quietly on the chair beside the window as Lady Sophia and Lady Catherine sat on either side of the bed. In her dreamlike haze, she nearly forgot why they might be there. When she remembered, she burst into tears yet again.

  The one saving grace to her hysteria this time was that she was surrounded by women she was beginning to consider her friends.

  Chapter 7

  A full week passed before Charlotte received any kind of news from Daniel. She had seen Lady Catherine, Lady Claire, and Lady Sophia every day since the morning after that dreaded evening. She hadn’t dared to send word and ask Daniel about the state of affairs. Nor had she bothered Bitty with it, whom came rushing into the bedroom upon hearing her hysterical sobs that first morning. They had all listened as the whole story came out, with the appropriate gasps and cries of alarm at just the right moments in the story, but none of it made Charlotte feel any better. She half expected Bitty to proclaim “I told you so,” but the woman was either being remarkably kind or was saving her admonishment for later.