A Scandalous Secret (7 page)
“We’ll tell Carteret our good news after I’ve met with Alasdair.” Then he turned his gaze on the butler. “Have Master Alasdair Campbell brought down to the…” He gestured to the closest door. “Whatever room this is.”
He was being much more heavy-handed than Hannah remembered him, but she supposed she could understand his impatience. “Moffitt, please ask Alasdair to join us in the blue parlor.”
The old man nodded. “Of course, milady.”
She dropped her hold on Chet’s arm and entered the parlor in question, hoping for a little space; but he was quick on her heels. “I doona appreciate yer behavior, my lord.”
“My lord?” he echoed with a deep, rumbling chuckle. “I don’t think you’ve ever called me that.”
She lifted her brow in the haughtiest fashion she knew how. “Well, I doona think ye’ve ever acted the role of boorish lord before either.”
His smile vanished and he closed the distance between them. “As I’ve just discovered that the life I should have led was stolen from me, I’m certain you will find it in your heart to forgive me.” He captured her hand in one of his large ones and raised it to his lips. “You still smell like the sweetest honeysuckle, lass.”
Shivers raced across her skin and she took a step backward to prevent herself from leaning into him. She should be stronger, shouldn’t she? “Ye shouldna say such things.”
“Aye, but I’ll say them just the same.”
Just then Alasdair appeared on the threshold and Hannah wasn’t certain if she was relieved or disappointed by his arrival.
“Ye wanted ta see me, Mother?” he said, stepping into the parlor.
***
Chet stared at the son who would never share his name. The lad was tall, his hair a shade darker than Hannah’s and his eyes a light green. He could see himself in Alasdair’s countenance and he wondered what else they might share. Remorse for not having known his son before now washed across Chet and hardened his resolve to see that all was put to rights.
He took a step towards the lad and offered his hand. “The Marquess of Astwick. I take it you’re Alasdair Campbell.”
“Aye, my lord.” The lad nodded once as he shook Chet’s hand. “Have we met? Ye seem…familiar.”
“I regret that we have not met before now, but it is my sincerest pleasure to finally make your acquaintance, my boy.”
Alasdair’s brow furrowed as though he was trying to make sense of everything.
“I am an old friend of your mother’s,” Chet continued. “And I just had to meet you.”
“Me? But why?”
Chet smiled, hoping to disarm the lad and make this easier for everyone. Why indeed? How could he possibly explain the situation without explaining all of it? “Because I’ve offered your mother the protection of my name, and I want to make certain you know that protection extends to you and your brother.”
Alasdair’s eyes flashed to Hannah. “What does he mean by that?”
“Al—” she began.
“It means,” Chet interrupted her, “your mother has agreed to marry me.” Not today, but she’d agreed many years ago, and Chet intended to see that she kept her word in that regard. “Life, as you know, can be difficult for a widow. I can and will provide for you, your mother, and your brother.”
“My father has barely been gone these two months.” The boy’s eyes flashed to his mother in something akin to anger, which was the last thing Chet wanted. He was moving too quickly.
So Chet smiled his most pleasant smile and hoped Alasdair could see his sincerity. “Indeed,” he said. “But you see I owe Major Campbell a debt that can only be repaid by bringing the three of you into my family. For me to personally see to your safety, health, and happiness.”
“Ye kent Papa?” Surprise flashed across the boy’s face.
Chet nodded. It wasn’t technically a lie. He did know himself, after all. “And I know he would want me to care for the three of you. But I’d like your blessing as well, Alasdair, as you’re the man of your family.”
Alasdair looked from Hannah to Chet and back. A perplexed frown creased his brow. “Did ye really say ye’d marry this man, Mother?”
Hannah met Chet’s eyes, and from the tear that trickled down her cheek he felt confident she clearly remembered the night she’d vowed to be his wife. The night they’d conceived their son. “Aye,” she whispered. “I did promise ta marry Lord Astwick.”
“And Papa wanted this for ye?”
Hannah nodded. “His lordship speaks the truth, Alasdair. Yer father would want it this way.”
Alasdair turned his attention back to Chet, the frown still firmly in place. “What is this debt ye owe my father?”
Hannah sucked in a breath, but she needn’t worry. Chet had promised he wouldn’t reveal the truth to Alasdair today, and he had no intention of going back on his word. “I’m afraid that is between Major Campbell and me. I hope you’ll understand.”
The lad seemed to consider it for a while and he glanced once more at his mother. “Do ye want ta marry Astwick?”
Chet’s heart clenched in his chest. When she said ‘No,’ what would Alasdair say then?
“Aye. I do want ta marry Lord Astwick,” she said softly, so surprising Chet he nearly choked.
Alasdair nodded in agreement. “I doona think Ewan will understand.”
“Will you try to help him do so?” Chet asked.
“I’m no’ quite sure I understand myself, my lord, but I’ll do my best.”
***
As soon as Alasdair left the parlor, Hannah turned her back on Chet and strode towards the front window to peer down at the street below. Truthfully, the encounter with Alasdair had gone better than expected, but she wasn’t certain what to say, what to do at this point.
A moment later, Chet came up behind her and drew her back against his chest, his arms encircling her like they had once upon a time. “Thank you,” he whispered into her hair.
What an odd thing for him to say. He’d been hurt just as deeply as she had been and now he was thanking her? “Ye realize tellin’ James will be much more difficult? Ye canna tell
him
ye owe his father a debt and expect ta leave it at that.”
Chet scoffed. “I haven’t cared one whit about a thing Carteret has said these last thirteen years. I’m not about to start caring about his opinion now. Besides, you are of an age where you no longer require his permission.”
She didn’t need to be reminded about how much time had passed. “I met yer mother this afternoon. Ye should ken that she positively hates me.”
At that, Chet chuckled. “Ah, sweetheart, she hates everyone. Me included.”
Hannah spun in his arms so she was facing him. “Things can’t possibly be the way they were, Chet. You’re different. I’m different.”
“I love you,” he said quietly. “I never stopped. Your heart is the same, lass. I can tell it. Everything else, we will work through as needs be.”
“I’ve always loved ye, even when I thought the better of it.”
He dipped his head and kissed her. His soft lips gently pressed against hers and a flood of memories enveloped her until she was breathlessly clutching him to her.
“Ye realize this is madness?” she finally said, staring up into the green eyes that had always made her heart melt.
A grin spread across his face. “This sort of madness, I can get used to.”
About the Author
Ava Stone first fell in love with Mr. Darcy, Jane Austen and Regency England at the age of twelve. And in the years since, that love has never diminished. If she isn’t writing Regency era romance, she can be found reading it.
Ava loves to hear from readers.
You can send her an email at [email protected]
A Scandalous Wife
© 2011 Ava Stone
Looks can be deceiving, the same is true for reputations
As the head of his family, Robert Beckford, the Earl of Masten, was accustomed to dealing with various problems his siblings had caused of one sort or another. However he wasn’t prepared when his cad of brother ruined and then abandoned a young lady. To right the wrong, Robert married the girl himself; but his chivalry only went so far. He didn’t want a wife, and most certainly not a scandalous one. So after repeating his vows, he sent her packing, off to a secluded estate and expected her to stay put.
After years of mistreatment at the hands of her family, Lydia was prepared to be an accommodating wife; but her rigid and unforgiving husband asked too much of her. After languishing for years in her opulent prison, Lydia leaves her country estate for the glamour and excitement of London—and unfortunately her husband’s path.
A Scandalous Charade
© 2011 Ava Stone
When fire meets ice
Handsome ladies’ man Lucas Beckford has agreed to help his friend, an impoverished baron, win the affections of an icy heiress. It should be a simple task, especially for a seducer of his reputation. However when Luke catches sight of the enchanting lady, he is captivated with her pretty brown eyes, quick wit, and sharp tongue; and his desire to see his friend marry the girl quickly evaporates. Now he just has to find a way to convince the penniless lord to turn his attentions elsewhere—leaving the Ice Princess to him.
Lady Juliet St. Claire has always believed that her fortune would protect her from ever having to relinquish her freedom in marriage. Though fortune hunters endlessly hound her, Juliet’s outwardly cold demeanor keeps most of them at bay, licking their wounds or patching up their pride. However when Luke charms his way into her life, he easily melts more than just her heart. Unfortunately, the rogue is of the love ‘em and leave ‘em variety, and leaves Juliet’s tender heart in pieces. But when her fortune lands her in danger from an unscrupulous foe, Luke returns to her side, offering his help and protection. Now Juliet has to decide if her heart is strong enough to trust the rogue a second time.
A Scandalous Pursuit
© 2011 Ava Stone
When the best made plan goes awry
Even the most ruthless of rogues live by their own code of honor, and for Alexander Everett, the wicked Duke of Kelfield, his includes not seducing the ward of his oldest and dearest friend. However for a man who is accustomed to getting what he wants, the lure of the forbidden fruit is enough to drive him wild. When he finds himself under the same roof as the enchanting Olivia Danbury at a summer house party, he discovers the temptation of the lady is more than he can resist.
Olivia, on the other hand, has the rest of her life all mapped out. When her fiancé returns from the Peninsular Wars, they’ll get married, settle down in the country, start a family, and live happily ever after. The sinfully sexy Duke of Kelfield was not in her plans. But when she stumbles headlong into a compromising position with the passionate duke, her carefully constructed live quickly begins to unravel. In no time, Olivia must choose between the life she’s always planned and everything she never knew she wanted.
A Scandalous Past
© 2011 Ava Stone
At cross purposes
After years of abuse at the hands of her mother, Cordelia Avery knows the only way out is marriage to the perfect man. A man who will allow her all the freedom she has ever craved. And she has the perfect man picked out. The scandalous Marquess of Haversham might not be perfect to anyone else, but taking the man’s black reputation under consideration, Cordie believes she’ll enjoy all the freedom she’s always wished for in his disreputable arms. If only she could get her heart to go along with the plan and to stop leaping whenever Lord Adonis…er…the Earl of Clayworth is nearby. But the very proper earl is most assuredly the wrong sort for her purposes.
Brendan Reese, the Earl of Clayworth, has no intention of ever marrying again. He’s still trying to clean up the mess his first wife left him, even years after her death. To all the world, Clayworth is the epitome of the perfect English gentleman, and he so wishes that image was the truth. But the truth, as it often can be, is ugly. After all, a perfect English gentleman would never have a traitor for a mother. And unless Clayworth can find the evidence his late wife hid, he could face the gallows himself. But a chance encounter with the reckless Cordelia Avery gives him the best lead he’s had in years to finally putting his family’s past to rest. Unfortunately, focusing on anything other than Miss Avery seems a nearly impossible task.
