Regency Romance: The Rake's Fake Marriage (Historical Arranged Marriage Romance) (19th Century Victorian Romance) (90 page)

*****

When James knocked at the door to Sedgefield House, it was snowing.

''Look mummy, it's Uncle James.''

''My, my, you two are growing up.''

''Have you brought some Christmas presents for us?'' Harriet asked.

''Harriet, don't be so rude,'' Emily said.

''Yes, don't be so rude,'' little James added. ''Have you though?''

''Who'd have a three year old and a five year old?'' Emily asked James.

''Uncle James is a hero,'' Harriet said. ''Mummy told me.''

Peter walked into the room. ''James, Merry Christmas.'' he said to his brother in law. ''Yes Harriet, Uncle James is indeed a hero,'' he added.

*****

THE END

''But how could he have done that to us?'' Lord William
Thurlington
exclaimed.

''I have no idea. I believe he was very depressed after mother's death.''

''But Francis, that's no excuse. Father's stupidity has left us
destitute.''

William was a young man, just twenty-one years old. His elder brother, Francis, had inherited the title 'Duke of
Thurlington
' after the death of their father, two months earlier. Their father, Jonathon, was a kind,
jovial
character. His tenants loved him and his wife, Helena, the beautiful daughter of a French aristocrat. Helena died in Johnathon's arms after falling from her horse while they were out riding on their estate. Johnathon never recovered, and fell into a deep depression that no doctor was able to cure
him of
. He took solace
at
the card table, and slowly began to lose all the cash he had. It wasn't until Jonathon died that Francis
was told
of the situation. He remembered the solicitors words very well. ''There is no more cash in the bank accounts, your father has gambled it all away.''

''We have no money, that's true, but we do have the estate,'' Francis pointed out.

''But keeping
an estate
requires
huge
amounts of capital. It won't be long before we have to start selling pieces of land. And you know where that leads. In no time we'll have sold it all off, just to survive.''

William hadn't seen his brother since the
funeral,
and he was shocked to see how much he'd aged in such a short
period of time
. William was studying architecture at Oxford. His brother had asked him to come to the family home, Hamilton House, to explain to him that due to lack of funds William would have to cease his studies and find paid employment.

''It is, indeed, a very grave situation and I fear you are right William, we will have to start selling the land soon.''

''Yes, and when that's gone, this house will be
sold,
and we'll have nowhere to live.'' William loved Hamilton House. It was his childhood home, the only place in the world that made him feel comfortable and safe. The thought they may lose it one
day
was too much to bear.

The two brothers were sitting in the library at Hamilton Hall,
a huge room with
thousands of books on
floor
to ceiling shelves. William remembered, with affection, how he used to hide his mother's favorite books on the top shelf. Afraid of heights, she used to plead with him to climb the ladder and fetch them for her. When he did, she would clip his ear playfully, and tell him how much she loved him, despite his treachery.

''Maria, how nice to see you,'' William said, standing up to greet his sister- in-law.

''William, my favorite brother-in-law, it's very nice to see you too. How are you?''

Maria sat down next to her husband and put her hands on her lap. William liked her very much. She was the kind of woman he hoped to marry one day. She was beautiful, kind, and loving, and he knew she was
very good
to her brother.

''We're just discussing the crisis,'' Francis told his wife.

''Yes, it's
very difficult
. You shouldn't have married me, Francis. You should have married a much richer woman.'' Maria said it in jest, but Francis totally besotted by his wife, thought it a very
grave
statement indeed.

''What is money compared to you?'' Francis said. His wife smiled and took his hand.

''Then it is down to me,'' William concluded. The others looked at him, wondering quite what he meant. ''I will have to marry a very
rich
woman. When a woman marries, her fortune becomes her
husband's
. That is the answer to our woes.''

Maria cast her eye over William. He was fresh-faced with slightly red cheeks and more handsome than her husband. William had inherited his mother's
fine
facial features and dark hair. He was tall and athletic and loved horse riding and hunting.

''It would be a solution, that's true. But there are an awful lot of nouveau riche these days. People have made vast fortunes in trade, but most of them don't have any
kind of
breeding'' Maria nodded in agreement while William waited
for Francis
to finish. ''In fact, a lot of them are quite uncouth. If you are to find
a rich
wife, make sure she is one of us, a well-bred aristocrat.''

''I will try my best,'' William promised.

Maria was suddenly very excited at the prospect of a new sister-in-law. ''I know, I will organize a ball. We'll invite a lot of eligible ladies and William can take his pick.'' She beamed at the two brothers, who smiled back approvingly.

*****

Fred threw the last sack from the boat onto the
quay
and looked across at his colleague. ''I would give my right hand for a glimpse of her naked,'' he said. Fred was a laborer, as rough and ready as any Englishman, but ferociously faithful to his employer, Jeffrey Longhurst. Fred's sole task in life was to unload ships. Jeffrey was fast becoming one of England's richest men by importing merchandise, spices, tobacco, tea and coffee, from all corners of the globe to a domestic market hungry to consume.

Philip, Fred's unloading partner, slapped Fred on the back. ''You'll just have to keep dreaming, the chances of you ever seeing her without clothes are less than nil.''

''But just imagine it. Imagine her standing naked in front of you, begging you to take her.''

Philip burst out laughing. After a few seconds,
there were tears streaming
down his cheeks. Fred scowled at him. ''Sorry,'' Philip said when he'd recovered his composure. ''It's just the thought of you and her together.'' He burst out laughing again.

Fred and Philip had spent the last two days unloading a ship called Morning Cloud. It had arrived from India with hundreds of sacks of spices, and each one had to be thrown up to the quay. To relieve the boredom, Fred had started to fantasize about Jeffrey's daughter, Megan. He was in love with her, but he knew he didn't stand a chance. She was the most beautiful woman in the country, and she would certainly never look at a stocky, muscle-bound, dock worker. The problem was, Megan spent most of her time at the harbor. She loved the sea air, and the hustle and bustle, as ships came and went. To Fred,
she
was walking perfection, but he often wished she would stay away so he could concentrate on his work. She would stand on the quay and count the sacks as they
were unloaded
. Fred, below in the ship, longed for the day when a gust of wind would lift her dress and give him a glimpse of what he so badly wanted.

''Good job, men,'' Jeffrey said as Fred and Philip climbed from the ship onto the quay. ''Here's a bit extra, go and have a drink
on
me,'' he said, giving each a few coins. They both thanked him and disappeared to the Steam Packet Inn,
a rough
place, where dockers drank and fought.

Jeffrey walked back to his office, a red brick building on the sea front. Inside, Megan was sitting at her desk reading a book.

''I would like to talk to you,'' he said.

Megan closed her book and looked up. ''What about?''

He sat down on the edge of her desk. ''About marriage.''

''I don't want to marry. I'm perfectly happy. My life is this: the quay, the ships, the business, and, of course, my horses. I don't want to marry.''

''But you are twenty-two, I don't want to see you on the shelf.''

''I know all too well what you want,'' she said. ''You're a social climber. You won't be happy until I marry the King of England.''

''What is wrong with wanting the best for my daughter?''

''Nothing. But all you want is to gain access to the aristocracy. Can't you be satisfied with your life as it is? You are
rich
beyond belief, and you have a loving daughter. Why isn't that enough?''

''As I said, I only want the best for you. The best people in this country have
pedigree
, impeccable breeding, and those people belong to the aristocracy. With my money and connections, I can surely find you a good......''

''Husband,'' she interrupted. ''You're a snob, father. You've got a chip on your shoulder just because you come from a middle-class family. Why on earth do you want to mix with the upper echelons of society?''

''Because I do.''

''That's not an answer.
Anyway
, I'm
very happy
working here, with you, I don't need a husband.''

*****

''Do I look
nice
?'' Megan asked.

''You look lovely,'' Emily answered.

Jeffrey and Megan lived in a large house in Bristol, one of England's
main
ports. Jeffrey had enough money to employ an army of servants, but as a keen
businessman
, he was careful with money and kept the number of staff to a minimum. Megan had a lady's maid, and he employed a cook and a butler. Emily was just two years older than Megan. She was a local woman with a lovely Bristol
accent
and a fine sense of humor. Megan found she could confide in
Emily,
and poor Emily often found herself hearing things she didn't want to.

''My father is simply terrible,'' Megan said, as Emily put the finishing touches
to
her hair.

''What makes you say that?'' Emily asked.

''For sending me to this awful ball.''

''I'm sure you'll enjoy it once you're there.''

''But I'll be there under false pretenses.''

''Why?'' Emily had no idea why Megan would go anywhere under a
false pretense
.

''Because my father is desperate to have me married off to an upper-class gentleman. It is he who wants access to the aristocracy, not me. He's using me as a pawn in his game.''

''I'm sure he means
well,
though. Your father loves
you;
I think he only wants the best for you.''

''That's what he says, but I don't believe him. Take this evening for example. My father has a friend, who happens to know someone called the Duke of
Thurlington
, and he happens to be having a ball.'' Megan clasped her hands together in frustration. ''At my father's request, his friend got me an invitation but only after telling them I'm the goddaughter of some Earl or other. The whole thing is a charade.''

''Yes, it does seem odd,'' Emily said before becoming more optimistic. ''But perhaps you will fall in love with a handsome man.''

''Emily, how many times have I told you, I don't want to marry?''

''Many, Miss, but I don't believe you.'' Megan looked in the mirror at Emily, who had a slight grin on her face.

''I'm a fool. I seem incapable of refusing anything my father asks me to do.''

''There, finished,'' Emily said. ''Stand up and let me have a look at you.'' Megan got up from the dressing table and stood in front of Emily. ''Oh miss, you are simply the most beautiful woman alive.''

''Emily,'' Megan's tone was one of embarrassment, ''don't say things that aren't true.''

''I think it is true,'' Emily replied defiantly. Emily was in awe of her mistress. She knew Megan could attract any man she wanted to, with ease. As a local woman, she'd heard many men talking about the
vulgar
things they would like to do to Megan. It was idle talk, fueled solely by the fact Megan was stunningly beautiful. Megan had high cheek bones and emerald green eyes. She had perfect skin, long slender legs, and a tiny waist which showed off her ample bosom to perfection. Emily always enjoyed arranging Megan's golden hair, and that evening she'd turned out a masterpiece.

''Mother's dress does fit me well, doesn't it?'' Megan observed.

''Yes, it is a perfect fit.''

''I never knew her, and wearing this dress makes me feel close to her in some way.''

''That makes perfect sense.'' Emily knew the
story;
Jeffrey had told her on the day she began working for him. Megan's mother died shortly after giving birth to her. Jeffrey told Emily that at least Megan's' mother had had some time with her daughter before she'd slipped away. Emily felt tearful every time she thought about it.

*****

''Mr. and Mrs. Michael Dredge, and Miss Megan Longhurst'' the announcer shouted. Nobody looked up. The announcer had been shouting out people's names for half an hour, and all the most important people had already arrived.