Anne Barbour (32 page)

Diana turned to her husband. “Did I not tell you, my love? Aunt Amabelle was right in sending for us, was she not? Oh!” she stopped guiltily, pressing her fingers to her mouth.

“Ah,” said Simon, laughing. “I see it all now. ‘Respite from the duties of motherhood,’ was it?”

“Of course not,” retorted Jared. “It was merely another fiendish female plot against an unsuspecting male. Aagh!” he yelped in an exaggerated expression of pain as Diana pinched him. “Perhaps I phrased that rather badly,” he concluded with a bland smile at his wife.

“I should think so,” she said severely, somewhat ruining her effect by sticking her tongue out at him.

Jared bent to plant a kiss on Jane’s forehead, declaring his delight that Simon had showed such acumen in his choice of a bride.

“You will be a most welcome addition to our family, my dear,” he said, smiling broadly. “I suppose in time you will forgive us for inflicting Simon on you in Diana’s wily scheme to claim you as a sister.”

Jane flashed a mischievous smile as she raised her eyes to Jared’s. “Thank you, my lord. I shall try to bear up under the burden you have thrust on me.”

“Here now,” interposed Simon, grasping Jane’s hand to pull her to him. “It’s a sad state of affairs when a man’s family conspires to turn his beloved against him.”

Diana laughed unrepentantly.

“But,” Simon said, after a moment, “should we not be on our way? Our guests will be out and about before—’

“I expect so,” agreed Jared.

“Aunt Amabelle will be quite beside herself at our news,” caroled Diana, gathering bonnet and shawl to her.

Thus, the group—all but Lady Hermione and her mother, of course—made preparations once more to set out for Selworth.

To Jane’s delight, Jared informed them with great solemnity that Gerard and Harry were riding in Harry’s curricle, and since Lissa and Marcus would be riding with himself and Diana in their carriage, he very much feared Simon and Jane would have to ride by themselves in Simon’s curricle.

Once on the highway, Jane was intensely conscious of Simon’s nearness on the seat beside her and, delighting in her new proprietary rights, she snuggled close and pressed an occasional kiss on Simon’s ear. The curricle slowed its pace and finally stopped at the side of the road.

In the silence of the golden morning that surrounded them, Simon took Jane into his arms once again. After a few moments, he drew back to gaze at her with satisfaction.

“To quote the bard one last time, ‘All’s well that ends well,’ don’t you think? Winifred is out of our lives, as are Charles and his ghastly fiancée. Marc and Lissa are back together, hopefully for good, this time, and I—I am the happiest man on the planet at this moment.”

He allowed himself to bathe in the magic of her eyes, now the color of sunshine on summer clouds. “Now that I do not need to sell Selworth, do you think you would rather live here than at Ashwood?”

“Anywhere, as long as it is with you,” sighed Jane. She added after a moment, “Although, I was wondering if we might not live in London, just for awhile. You see . . . Have I ever told you about my sisters, Patience and Jessica?”

“No, you have not,” replied Simon in a tone of deep foreboding. “And I rather feel I’m going to need fortifying before you do.”

He bent his mouth to hers once more.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream has always been one of my favorites among Shakespeare’s plays. This sprightly tale of magic and mixups seems to me to be particularly suited to a Regency background. Thus, Gentle Reader, you found herein the story of a country house production of the play, in which the tribulations of the characters in the book reflect those of the Bard’s hapless lovers.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is set mainly in a forest outside Athens, a few days before the wedding of the Duke of Athens to Hippolyta, Queen of the Amazons. In the forest, as the result of a domestic dispute, Oberon, King of the Fairies, casts a spell on his queen, Titania, resulting in Titania’s infatuation with a lowly rustic, Bottom, whose head has been magically replaced by that of an ass. Two sets of lovers, part of the duke’s court, also find themselves at odds, and in an effort to solve their problems, Oberon dispatches his elfin henchman, Puck, to make all right. Either by chance or by mischief, Puck creates even more problems for the four young people, and comedic chaos ensues. Of course, by the end of the play, all the lovers are happily reunited and the curtain falls to Puck’s assurances,

“... this weak and idle theme,
No more yielding than a dream.”

For Therese Yirka Crow,
sister-in-law par excellence and good friend—
a rare and precious combination.

Anne Barbour developed an affection for the Regency period while living in England. She now lives in the Black Hills of South Dakota with her husband, a retired lieutenant colonel. She is the mother of six children, all grown, and she loves to boast of her six grandchildren. She was named Best Regency Writer of the Year by
Romantic Times
for
Lord Glenraven's Return
.

Copyright © 1995 by Barbara Yirka

Originally published by Signet (ISBN 0451178459)

Electronically published in 2010 by Belgrave House/Regency Reads

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

No portion of this book may be reprinted in whole or in part, by printing, faxing, E-mail, copying electronically or by any other means without permission of the publisher. For more information, contact Belgrave House, 190 Belgrave Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94117-4228

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This is a work of fiction. All names in this publication are fictitious and any resemblance to any person living or dead is coincidental.