by Golden Angel
Arabella’s Taming
Book 5 in the Bridal Discipline Series
By Golden Angel
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Acknowledgments
I have a lot of people to thank for helping me with this book.
My amazing beta readers, who are invaluable in helping me catch mistakes, doing the initial grammar and word checks, identifying continuity issues, and working through problems with me. Katherine, Nick, Marie, Chelle, Karen, Marta, Annie, Charmaine, Jessie, and Michelle – you all make these books so much better!
Lee Savino for being my author-sensei.
Miranda for her quick editing skills, words of support, and general awesomeness.
My husband for his continued loved and support.
And, as always, a big thank you to all of you for buying and reading my work… if you love it, please leave a review!
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Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Epilogue
About the Author
Prologue
Godmother!
She was going to be a godmother!
Unfortunately the excitement and joy coursing through Arabella were somewhat muted by the current health concerns over the grandfather of the baby.
Her best friend Gabrielle had called upon Arabella when her father-in-law had collapsed before breakfast. Viscount Hood’s heart was the cause, although he was still alive and currently expected to recover. As an orphan, Gabrielle had been overcome with emotion at the prospect of losing a man who had become like a father to her.
Once Gabrielle had been comforted, she and Felix had revealed Gabrielle's delicate condition, a source of joy among the anxiety. Which was also when they'd asked her to be godmother to their child.
The very thought made Arabella smile as she walked down the hall towards the library, where she presumed her older brother was. Isaac had escorted her to Hood House, but upon their arrival he'd gone to talk with Thomas, Felix's eldest brother. Thomas also happened to be the man she'd fallen in love with and spent the entire Season attempting to show that she could be the perfect wife.
It hadn't been easy, as his requirements were not at all in line with her personality, but her sister-in-law Lydia had talked to her about having a private and public face. Arabella had done her best to push her wilder antics out of the public eye rather than flaunting them, and she'd earned the approval of quite a few of the stodgier grande dames this Season. Perhaps that was why Felix had agreed to her as godmother, she mused, knowing quite well that he had originally felt she and Gabrielle were not the best influences on each other.
They had gotten into rather a lot of trouble together their first Season.
The low roll of deep voices coming from the closed door of the study confirmed Arabella's guess of where her brother and Thomas had retreated to. They were good friends after all, so she was sure Isaac was doing his best to be supportive of the other man. Especially since Isaac knew exactly what it felt like to lose a father and be thrust into a title too young, thankfully it hadn't come to that yet for Thomas.
She was about to knock when she heard Walter, the middle brother of the three Hood brothers, calling out what sounded like a toast.
"The quest for the perfect wife! Thomas' personal Holy Grail."
Immediately she snatched her hand back before she could touch the doorknob and alert any of the gentlemen to her presence.
Whoever responded spoke low enough she couldn't quite hear them and she crouched down so her ear could hover outside of the keyhole. Arabella was quite good at listening at keyholes. She'd had a fair bit of practice.
"I already have several possibilities in mind," Thomas said, obviously responding to his brother. Excitement raced through Arabella, although she felt a bit peeved about hearing he had several candidates. That was a bit lowering. She bit her lip as he continued. "With father's health in mind, I've decided I will spend the next few weeks ascertaining which lady is most suited to me, and make an offer by the end of this Season."
Arabella's competitive nature immediately surfaced, as did a rush of sudden anxiety. She had pined after Thomas for over a year now, to know he was going to decide on a bride by the end of the month... well... that was both exciting and nerve-wracking.
"Don't suppose my sister might be one of them?" Her brother asked, and Arabella thought she'd never loved her brother more than she did at this moment. Then he went and ruined it. "I'd really prefer not to suffer through a third Season with her as a debutante."
Suffer through?! Arrogant nodcock. She'd show him suffering.
But her riled temper at his words was nothing compared to what came next.
"Absolutely not," Thomas replied immediately, so severely it felt like an actual blow to Arabella's chest. "We would not suit at all."
"Why not?" Walter asked, echoing the question crying out in her head. Why not? How could he think that? "She's beautiful, accomplished, knows how to run a household, is actually an experienced hostess unlike the other debs, and can carry on an intelligent conversation—something else which is in short supply."
If there had been an ounce of romantic spark between herself and Walter, she might have switched her affections between brothers right then and there. Unfortunately there had never been anything between them but friendliness.
Her temper had already been piqued by her brother's comment about suffering through a season with her and Thomas' immediate rejection. The next few minutes sent her into such a fury it was amazing she didn't spontaneously combust like a firework at Thomas' response.
"She's also brazenly outspoken, prone to melodrama, often insultingly direct, far too used to being the center of attention, demanding, hoydenish, and spoiled."
"Here now, she's gotten quite a bit better this year, especially with Lydia steering her Season," Isaac protested. Which was the only thing which would later save him from Arabella's full ire. Although his defense wasn't everything she might expect from her older brother, at least he wasn't remaining entirely silent. "She's barely made any real waves at all."
"Marginal improvements are better than none, I suppose," Thomas said, his voice dismissive. Arabella's blood fairly boiled at how casually he disregarded the extra effort she'd put into behaving so well this Season. "But I barely saw a difference in her behavior. She still goes galloping through Hyde Park in the morning, doesn't she?"
&n
bsp; Yes, but only very early morning when no one was around to see her. She was surprised Thomas even knew about it. Arabella loved to ride and confining her gallops only to certain times of the day when she wouldn't be watched, rather than whenever she wanted had been a major sacrifice on her part.
"And she asked Lady March if she'd stuffed her bosom with cotton?"
The harpy had deserved it. She'd been gossiping about Gabrielle and Felix, hinting that he was being unfaithful to Gabrielle with her stepmother—and his best friend's wife—of all people. After Arabella's impertinent question, asked with a cold stare that warned the lady Arabella was willing to go much farther if she continued upon her current track, she'd stopped her gossipy ways.
"And called Lord Charters a dunce in his hearing?"
The man had patronizingly told her that women had no reason for an opinion on anything outside of their own household. Dunce was the least of the insults she'd wanted to hurl at his head and yet she'd managed to bite her tongue.
"Barged into the Marley box without an invitation?"
Only to ensure her brother Benedict was able to spend some time with the woman he was now married to. No one had minded, least of all the Marleys.
"I caught her speaking to the Marquess of Hartford myself," Thomas said, his voice filled with condemnation.
Another favor she'd done for her brother Benedict while he was courting Christina, since she hadn't wanted Hartford to make off with her potential sister-in-law! As the Marquess had behaved absolutely correctly in every way she certainly didn't see what Thomas had to complain about.
"And those are just a few of her antics this Season," Thomas continued. "I won't count her appearance this morning, since it's to her credit that she rushed to Gabrielle's side, but really she should have taken the time to put herself to rights on the carriage ride over here."
Practically shaking with fury, Arabella heard a roaring noise in her ears as she gritted her teeth, tears sparking in her eyes. Of all the judgments he made on her person, that one hurt the most. Her appearance? When she'd been rushing to her best friend's side, because of his father's illness and he still cataloged all her faults and then had the gall to disapprove of her?!
It wasn't until she heard Walter speak up again, asking the question which she knew would break her heart for good but which she desperately needed to know the answer to anyway.
"So what paragon of pedestrian plainness are you planning to marry?"
"Miss Priscilla Bliss is currently the forerunner—"
Sinking to her knees, Arabella clutched at her chest which felt strangely... tight. Not just tight, but as if something inside of her was actually cracking open. It was all she could do to grind her teeth together and stop the sobs bubbling up inside of her from escaping.
Grief gripped her.
Grief, hurt, rejection...
She didn't know how long she stayed in that position, trying to gather her overwrought emotions back into some semblance of order.
Nothing she'd done had made a difference. She'd been on her best behavior, trying to squish herself into the little box of qualifications on Thomas' infamous list, and he hadn't even noticed.
Taking deep breaths, she rose back up again, unable to resist putting her ear to the keyhole one last time.
"I have met Miss Bliss," her brother was saying, and she could hear the distaste in his voice. Isaac had been bored silly by the placid and simpering Miss Bliss. "I remember her being quite sweet."
Walter snorted. Why couldn't she have fallen in love with him instead of Thomas, she asked herself. "You're going to end up miserable and you’re going to thoroughly deserve it.”
"She's nearly perfect," Thomas replied stubbornly, and Arabella wrenched her ear away from the keyhole.
Miss Bliss? Nearly perfect?
Rage engulfed Arabella, her temper rising up to save her from the heartbreak which had pained her only moments before.
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.
Chapter 1
Lord Thomas Hood, the future—and he hoped it would be very far in the future—Viscount Hood, was not having a very good Season.
Which was doubly frustrating because it had started out rather well. He'd been on the hunt for a bride, but without the usual mania which gripped the debutantes and their mamas when they realized an heir was looking over the marriage mart. That had been thanks to his cousin Mary, whom his mother was sponsoring for her very first Season in London.
No one was surprised to see Thomas Hood escorting his mother and cousin to the various events of the ton. They all knew he was a dutiful son and responsible heir, therefore it made sense he'd be dancing attendance on his cousin as she was introduced to Society. Especially as the second eldest Hood brother was known to be a rapscallion and the youngest Hood brother was a reformed rake who rarely left his wife's side. Although, that did mean Felix was attending many of the events as well, since Gabrielle had also been doing her best to help launch Mary appropriately.
Incredibly shy, Mary did best when surrounded by people she knew well and was comfortable with. It had been the perfect cover to look over this Season's young misses and choose a bride—or so Thomas had thought.
Then, two weeks ago, his father had collapsed before breakfast.
A problem with his heart which, while not fatal, had laid him low and he refused to return to the countryside to recuperate. Refusing to be the reason for Mary's first season being cut short, the Viscount insisted on remaining in London until it was over. Of course, he was not her chaperone, but they all knew the Viscountess would not stay in London if her husband was in the countryside after the scare they’d all just had. She was barely able to bring herself to leave his side long enough to take Mary to a ball each night.
Thomas had assumed Gabrielle would take over chaperoning Mary during the day, but that wasn’t turning out quite as planned either. The day his father had collapsed, once they knew he would recover, Felix and Gabrielle had announced the happy news that she was increasing. The family was overjoyed—particularly the Viscount, whose health rallied faster than expected. Thomas credited it to his father's desire to see his first grandchild.
However, Gabrielle was apparently spared the less pleasant possible symptoms of her condition, she was quickly fatigued. She required at least two naps during the day just to get through one tea.
Which left Thomas as Mary’s chaperone as well as her escort. His extremely shy cousin hadn’t made very many friends outside of her own family and their friends, so Thomas was obliged to stay by her side during the daytime excursions when neither Gabrielle nor his mother were available.
His focus split between his cousin and his goal, he found himself frustrated with both.
Mary clung to his side, which made it rather difficult to actually converse with any of his prospective brides. He had three young ladies whom he favored, although out of the three, the one he was most interested in was Miss Bliss. She checked off every mark on his list. That she was also a bit dull to converse with was his main qualm, and the only reason he hadn't made a final decision yet. He had to admit, the more time he spent attempting to converse with her, the more he was unsure whether or not she was truly as dull as she seemed. While she was perfectly happy to listen to him answer any number of questions about himself, she barely had a word to say about her own interests.
The second debutante he was considering, Miss Charity Sawyer, was a much wittier conversationalist but she wasn't as physically attractive as Miss Bliss and she also had a bit of a reputation for being something of a blue-stocking. While Thomas approved of intelligence in a woman, he didn't want his future wife to spend too much time on intellectual pursuits. His mother was very intelligent, after all, but she'd always put her home and family first. He'd very much like a wife who would emulate those traits.
The only thing he'd managed to do these past two weeks was decide he was likely going to scratch Lady Winifred Bellmont, the third debutante he'd been considering,
from his list. Although she was beautiful and quite good at presenting a charming personality, presenting was precisely what she was doing. When she thought she was among friends or that the person she was speaking to would agree with her assessments, she could be quite malicious in her gossip. Thomas couldn’t abide gossip in general, much less when it was petty or spiteful.
While the young lady could no doubt use a good spanking, Thomas didn't think he had the time or energy to reform his wife. That was precisely the reason he was looking for a debutante who fit his exhaustive list after all.
A wife who needed no training, who was already well-mannered, able to run a household, an accomplished hostess, intelligent enough to carry on a conversation, and wise enough to leave him at peace. A woman close to his social standing, who would understand the responsibilities of her position but not be a social-climber or a snob. A woman who would be a help-meet to his well-ordered life. Of course, he also wanted her to be a decent rider, attractive, and a good potential mother as well.
Especially with his father laid low, his sister-in-law in a delicate condition, and his cousin in need of a husband of her own, he needed a suitable wife immediately. Not a wife who would require a firm hand until he could mold her. Lady Winifred would require more molding than he'd initially realized when he'd added her name to his list of prospective brides.
Which was why he purposefully kept his gaze towards Mary as he walked past Lady Winifred's party where they were gathered in the Somerset ballroom. Although his mother was in attendance this evening, it was Thomas’ duty as escort to show Mary off. Conversation with his cousin was not easy. She’d relaxed quite a bit around him compared to when she'd first arrived, but it was highly preferable to interacting with Lady Winifred and her friends. Thomas didn't particularly like any of them.
"Is there anyone in particular you'd like to dance with tonight?" Thomas asked Mary, and her cheeks immediately flamed nearly the hue as her red hair. Immediately she shook her head.