A Lady To Redeem A Rakish Lord (Historical Regency Romance)

by Lucinda Nelson

  Ophelia nodded nervously, and as she looked below, she saw Christopher talking with one of the guests. When Ophelia spotted him as she climbed down the stairs, her stomach flustered. How could a man be so handsome?

  He was wearing a white colored trousers with matching shoes. His burgundy coat was cut rather long in the back. His waistcoat was striped gold and cream, while his black cravat tied a mathematique style across pure white linen shirt.

  He laughed, causing his Adam’s apple to protrude, giving him a more dashing look. He soon looked towards the stairs and caught her eyes. Ophelia colored immediately as he saw her and the next thing he did was to raise a glass to her.

  “Come, I want to introduce you to mother,” Rebecca said as they got to the floor.

  She took her hand and led her to where the women were gathered and introduced her to the Countess.

  She curtsied. “It is indeed a pleasure to meet you, my lady. Happy Christmas.”

  Lady Crampton smiled as she lifted from her seat and walked closer to her. “Anyone who is a friend of my children is already part of the family. Do make yourself at home. Happy Christmas, dear.”

  After this, Rebecca introduced her to other women and men, but Ophelia was more aware of Christopher who undoubtedly had his eyes fixed on her.

  “And this is my husband, Lord Egerton,” said Lady Rebecca.

  Ophelia gasped when she saw the tall, handsome man in front of him. Lady Rebecca laughed at Ophelia’s reaction, haven purposely kept the information of her husband’s presence away from her.

  “Miss Campbell. I am glad to meet you,” said the Earl. “My wife has told me a lot about you.”

  Ophelia chuckled as she recovered from her shock and curtsied. “The pleasure is indeed mine, my Lord.”

  While Rebecca spoke with her husband, Ophelia walked around the room and grabbed a drink from one of the waiters.

  “You look beautiful,” said a voice behind her.

  She felt warm all of a sudden as she heard the voice. She had been hoping Christopher would come to meet her.

  “Well, you do not look so bad yourself, my Lord,” she replied, turning around but was surprised when she saw Lord Gibbs instead.

  “Evening, Lord Gibbs,” she said with a smile yet her voice showed a tinge of disappointment.

  “Miss Campbell,” he said, removing his hat. “I hope you are enjoying yourself?” “I am,” she said with soft smile. “It is a grand event is it not. Most of these people seem to be mining themselves but have yet to talk to you. I can only assume that they, dare I say it, feel that you are inferior to them because of class.” Ophelia looked at him with a shocked expression. “Of course, you and I are in a similar position in their eyes. We are different from them.” “Different? How so? Are you not part of the ton, my lord,” she asked. “True. I am. But even though my status as a Baron makes part of the ton, I do not feel like one of them. I am considered on the lower end of the nobility scale. One could say they view me as part of the middle class,” he stated as he looked around at the other guests. “Oh. I almost forgot to tell you Happy Christmas Miss Campbell.”

  Ophelia was surprised at his points he made concerning how people view other people based on their classes. “Well, happy Christmas to you too, Lord Gibbs. I am finding all of this, rather interesting,” she replied. “I am certain you must have gotten used to it, being the Viscount’s closest friend.”

  He chuckled. “I see, Lady Edgerton has told you about me.”

  “Just that alone,” she replied.

  “I seriously doubt that,” he added. “I am certain she must have made you aware of how much she detests me and how little she trusts me.”

  “Not at all. She merely said how nice a gentleman you are,” Ophelia lied jokingly.

  “You flatter me, Miss,” said Benjamin, smiling. “Do you mind if we take a walk together?”

  Ophelia wanted to take a walk with Christopher and she did not want to raise a scandal amongst the guests by not following societal norms of needing a chaperon when accompanied by an unmarried man.

  “Well. Dinner will be served soon, and I do not wish to cause scandal if we are seen walking off alone.”

  She hoped to see Christopher and grab his attention so that she could see if he would come along. She spotted him speaking with a lady in a green gown. She was a beautiful young woman who looked around her age. She was graceful in her laughter and seemed to be enjoying his company.

  Ophelia felt a slight pang of jealousy before turning to face Lord Gibbs. “Well, I suppose it will be alright to take a quick walk, so long as we are still near the others and do not wonder off too far,” she said with reservation.

  Benjamin laughed. “The way you talk and think is a lot different than most ladies I have come across. You are very modest.”

  She looked surprised. “Have I said something wrong?”

  “Oh, no, not at all,” he said, stifling a smile. “You are always saying the right thing without having to think twice about it. Compared to other ladies. I admire you, Miss Campbell.”

  “I am certain that either Christopher or your friend will find you once the meal is served. But for now, she is with her husband and…” he glanced around and saw Christopher. “And he is engaged with a beautiful woman as usual.”

  Ophelia frowned. What did he mean by that?

  “Shall we?” he asked before she could ask him what he meant by that remark. Together, they walked out of the room.

  * * *

  Christopher Crampton, Viscount Barrington

  Christopher was on his way to greet Ophelia when he was stopped by Lady Tonathy, daughter of Lord Middleton, his father’s business associate. She was also among the women his mother had listed for him for marriage consideration.

  She was a beautiful, red-haired girl who was shorter than average. No doubt, she would make a great wife for someone. But that someone was not him.

  “So, when next are we going on a picnic, Christopher?” she asked. They had once gone on a picnic before, but it was planned by the Countess.

  “Oh! I am not certain for now,” replied Christopher who was a little bit impatient when he saw Benjamin with Ophelia.

  “What do you mean you are not certain?” she asked. “You do know that our parents think we will make the perfect couple?” she added, smiling proudly.

  Christopher stared at her in disbelief but only laughed. “I didn’t know about that,” she replied. His mother had encouraged him to go for Lady Tonathy but, she had stopped all possible ways.

  If his father had not fallen ill, he was certain that the Countess would have still pushed him into going on another picnic with her. He had planned to romance her with private outings and then sleep with her. Like other women he had been with, all she was other was his title. When his father became ill, his focused changed and he forgot about his ploy. Now that he thought about it, he felt guilty at his actions. Now that he was infatuated with Ophelia, was starting to see how abhorrent his behavior with women had been.

  “Well, my Lady, you shall receive a letter from me when I have the time for that but definitely not now,” he replied. The lady was about to protest but he cut in. “Kindly excuse me,” he said. He took his leave and was heading towards the direction of Ophelia and Benjamin but he stopped when he saw them both leaving at the same time.

  Chapter 13

  Miss Ophelia Campbell

  “So, have you been to London before?” he asked as they got out of the house.

  “Yes, I have. To see an acquaintance. But I’m afraid, the visit was not as fruitful as I had hoped,” she replied with a tone of regret.

  “Will you be kind as to tell me what happened?” he asked. They were standing close to some flower shrubs that decorated the surrounding of the mansion.

  “She was a lady of the ton whom I helped during a ball. She simply was not impressed with me upon knowing I was a merchant’s daughter.”

  The man smiled. “Not so many people are like the C
ramptons who make friends with people of both the upper and middle class.”

  “So, might I ask how long you have been close to the family?”

  “Going to some years now,” he replied. “Christopher and I seem to have an unbreakable bond.”

  She smiled. “He is a good gentleman, isn’t he?” she asked.

  “Oh, of course he is. But just like every man, he has his flaws.”

  She frowned. “What do you mean by that?”

  He shrugged. “Well most ladies often say that…”

  “Here you are!” said Christopher behind them. “I have been looking everywhere for you, “he said. “I thought perhaps, you had vanished. Little did I know it was my dear friend that whisked you away.”

  Ophelia smiled. “Lord Gibbs was only trying to keep me company.”

  “Indeed,” added Benjamin. “A beautiful lady like Miss Ophelia should not be kept standing alone…”

  “She is not beautiful,” replied Christopher with a smile. “She is simply breath-taking.”

  Ophelia found herself blushing before Christopher extended a hand to her. She took it and together they walked back inside.

  * * *

  Lord Benjamin Gibbs, the Baron of Salsbury

  All he could do was smile as Christopher took her back into the house, leaving him standing outside. When they were both gone, his expression changed.

  Damn him for making him feel so jealous with everything he tried to do in impressing the lady. Why did he not think of a word like ‘breathtaking’?

  He shook his head in annoyance and dipped a hand into his pocket. He just wanted some time to get to know her and he would not stay away.

  He took out his hand along with one more letter he had written, hoping to put it into her reticule but now, he doubted if he would have the chance again. Angrily, he squeezed the paper back into his pocket.

  Seconds later, he went back into the house, everyone was already seated as the meal was being served. He was not surprised to see Christopher was sitting next to Ophelia, while she sat next to Rebecca. Christopher nodded at him in acknowledgement and he did the same. Finally, he found a seat by the fire but the only thing on his mind was how to get the lady for himself.

  He had heard the Countess saying something about making any friend of her children feel welcomed. At the same time, he knew the Countess only said that because she was not aware of the truth.

  That her son was actually taken by Miss Campbell. He smiled as he realized, he might have just found a way to solve his problem.

  * * *

  Miss Ophelia Campbell

  Minutes later after they had all had their fill of dinner, Ophelia took a walk with Christopher who had volunteered to show her around the mansion with one of the maids following from behind. Ophelia was fascinated by the beauty of the building.

  From the exquisite marble in the entrance to the carved wooden walls in the corridor, the house was made to over impress.

  Christopher led her up the gentle spiral of the stairs and gave her a commentary on its architectural history. It was created by the popular architect, John Nash. John Nash served as the court architect for Prince Regent and later King George IV. For the Regent, Nash created a beautiful, indian-inspired structure but also designed many classically influenced structures such as the Crampton’s mansion. He had been hired last year to redesign the rear of the building while another architect had been hired to do the interior. Unfortunately, he died before he could accomplish the project. An architect that closely studied under him was tasked with completing his masterpiece.

  “I am in awe,” she said as they got to the end of the tour. “Thank you, for showing me.” She was elated by his knowledge and appreciation of the fine arts. Men who focused on art, had a magnificent inner world and she would love to explore his.

  Christopher smiled. “You do not have to thank me, Miss Campbell. I was happy doing it,” then he paused. “You seem to have something in your hair,” he said.

  “Oh,” said Ophelia as she tried to touch her hair.

  “Allow me,” he said. “Your hair is too beautifully arranged to be tampered with. I assure you that I shall take it off with the utmost care.”

  Ophelia chuckled. His choice of words were flattering enough. She wondered if that was his usual way of talking to other ladies or was he simply doing that to impress her.

  She held her breath as he leaned in closer. When his hand grazed the side of her ear, she could have sworn, she shuddered and she hoped he didn’t notice.

  “Here,” he said, showing her something green like part of a leaf. “Oh, thank you, my Lord. It must have gotten there while I was with your friend,” she replied. She stepped away shyly, remembering that they were being watched by the maid.

  “Indeed,” he replied. They both stood, not saying anything for a while. It seemed a bit awkward for Ophelia but she was relieved when Rebecca appeared.

  “Oh, here you are,” she said excitedly, spotting them both.

  “Hello, sister. I trust you had a wonderful evening?” asked Christopher, walking to her and kissing her on the cheeks.

  “Yes, I did. I hope my brother was not giving you any trouble?” she asked Ophelia jokingly.

  “Oh, no! He has made my evening eventful by telling me the history of the house.”

  Rebecca looked impressed. “Well, I’m afraid your carriage just arrived, Ophelia.”

  Ophelia smiled in disappointment. She hated that she had to leave but she was glad to be going home nonetheless. She was exhausted.

  “It is sad that you have to go,” said Christopher to her. “I do hope I get invited to dinner sometimes?”

  Ophelia smiled. “Well, you can come anytime you wish, my lord, so long as arrangements are made with my mother,” she said, excited that Christopher would think of paying her a visit.

  “Oh, good! How about in two days time?” he asked.

  Both Ophelia and Rebecca stared at each other in surprise.

  “Well, you are always welcome. We will be happy to host you in our home.”

  “Then I believe I shall be seeing your lovely face again,” he said, walking closer to her and lifted her hands to his lips, kissing it lightly. “Extend my warm regards to your family.”

  Ophelia could not stop herself from blushing all over again. She curtsied and went with Rebecca.

  “I think my brother has his eyes on you,” Rebecca whispered softly to her ears as she climbed into the carriage.

  “You think so?” asked Ophelia.

  “Oh! I know so. You have nothing to be worried about. He has truly changed since meeting you,” said Rebecca to her as they exchanged kisses. Ophelia waved at her and she waved back.

  While she left in the courage, she caught a glimpse of Lord Gibbs looking outside. She frowned, knowing full well that he was looking at her. She waved at him and he hesitated before waving at her. She could not help but feel there was something more to that strange man.

  * * *

  When Ophelia got home later that night, she was exhausted but she recounted all that happened at the dinner to her mother. Mrs. Campbell thought this could be the beginning of something good for her daughter.

  “You should get some sleep,” said her mother before leaving the room. “Tomorrow, you and I will be going to visit the Angleton’s?”

  Ophelia frowned. “But mother, why do we need to visit the Angletons?” she asked. A couple of months ago, her mother devised a plan of taking her daughter with her to any card game, tea gathering or any occasion that would warrant getting her introduced to the sons of her friends. So, she believed this was another attempt to get her introduced.

  “Well, we cannot put all our eggs in one basket, Ophelia,” said her mother. “Lord Crampton might like you, but what about his parents? Do you think they will want someone like us to marry their son?”

  Ophelia was surprised. “But, mother. You said that the Viscount was a good suitor. And Lady Crampton said…”

  �
�I know what she said. But you two are just friends in her eyes. If he is indeed interested in you, let him make that clear. Until he makes it clear, we do not rest. Goodnight.”

  Saying this, her mother kissed her on the forehead before leaving.

  Ophelia inhaled sharply and shut her eyes. She needed her friend and she could not wait for the day to break so she could tell Emily everything.