The Viscount Who Seduced Her (Steamy Historical Regency) Read online

  Michael felt the earth shift underneath him, as though he were falling from a great height. Perhaps there was an innocent explanation for why Betsy was not chaperoning for her mistress today, but if so, he could not think of one.

  “Where is Betsey?” Michael asked, his voice and his words betraying his feelings, all thoughts of propriety gone.

  “Excuse me, My Lord?” Lady Paulina said, sounding shocked.

  Michael cleared his throat, and tried to compose himself, though he knew there would be no way to explain his use of Betsey’s Christian name. “I am sorry, My Lady. Your maid has been our chaperone for every one of my visits, and I could not help but notice that she is not here today. I merely wondered why?”

  “Hmm…” Lady Paulina said, her lips pursed. “Well, Betsey, as you called her, is no longer my maid.”

  “Oh! Why not?” Michael asked, knowing, but not caring, that he his question was impolite.

  “My father said that another servant told him that they caught her trying to steal a silver teaspoon, so he had to send her away. But… I cannot believe that she would do such a thing. I told my father that there must have been some sort of misunderstanding, but he would not hear a word of it.”

  Michael stared at her in disbelief. He was certain that Betsey had not tried to steal a teaspoon or anything else, and he also suspected that this was not the true reason that the Earl had sent her away from Cublertone.

  He wondered what would become of Betsey now that she had lost her position as the maid to a wealthy young lady. He did not doubt that the Earl would have dismissed her with no character reference, which would make it difficult for her to find employment with another aristocratic family. Will she be able to return to her parents’ home, if she cannot find a new position?

  Michael had planned to confess his love for Betsey to Lady Paulina at today’s visit, but he had never imagined doing so in such circumstances as these. Still, he knew that he must be honest with her. He must find Betsey right away, and he would need Lady Paulina’s help to do it.

  “Lady Paulina,” Michael said, unsure of how best to explain the situation. “I am certain that your maid did not try to steal anything from your household.”

  “I quite agree with you, My Lord, but how can you be so sure?”

  “I believe that I know the true reason that your father has dismissed her from your service,” Michael said, feeling slightly sheepish. “And I believe that I am the cause of all of this trouble.”

  “How can that be, My Lord?” Lady Paulina asked, bemused.

  “Betsey and I are in love, and we plan to marry as soon as possible. Your father must have learned of our plans and sent her away.”

  Lady Paulina said nothing in response to this, staring at Michael with a confused expression on her face. To his intense relief, she did not look angry, and it did not appear that she was about to cry. Still, he could not quite understand her facial expression, and so he proceeded with caution.

  “I wish to be very clear with you, My Lady, that my love for her in no way reflects any lack on your part. Matters of the heart often defy logic, after all.” Michael watched her closely as he said these words, looking for any signs of emotion on her face. To his surprise, a broad smile was now spreading across her face.

  “Oh, My Lord! This is truly a relief!”

  Nothing about this conversation was going according to Michael’s plans. He had imagined a variety of reactions from Lady Paulina—cold indifference, hysterical tears, stoic silence—but a smile had not been one of them.

  “I…” Michael began. “I am glad to hear that, My Lady. Although I must admit that I am surprised by your reaction!”

  Lady Paulina laughed at this, nodding her head. “Yes, I suppose you must be! I am sorry, My Lord, please allow me to explain.”

  “Please do, My Lady.”

  “I am in love with William Everly, the Marquess of Portam. We have been in love for many years, and always hoped to marry. His father and mine are allies in Parliament, as well as good friends, and we always assumed they would wish for us to marry, so I was shocked to learn that he wished for me to marry you instead.”

  Michael nodded eagerly as she spoke, suddenly understanding her lack of enthusiasm during their earlier visits. He remembered too, meeting the Marquess of Portam at a house party and hearing him tell a story about a young Lady Paulina beating him in a horse race.

  “And I must assure you, My Lord, that my lack of romantic feeling for you is in no way due to any lack of charm or kindness on your part.”

  “I understand!” Michael said, waves of relief washing over him. Whatever gossip might result from his failure to marry Lady Paulina, at least he knew that there would be no animosity between them. He hoped that this would cause the gossip to die out quickly.

  “I am so pleased to know that Betsey has fallen in love with such a kind gentleman as you,” Lady Paulina said, with a smile. “I was very sad to learn that my father had sent her away. Betsey has always been a good friend to me, and I worry about her future prospects if he dismissed her without a character reference.”

  “Yes, I worry about that as well,” Michael said. “I really must find her! Do you have any idea where she might have gone?”

  “I suppose that she must have gone home to her parents,” Lady Paulina said, looking thoughtful. “Perhaps we ought to ask her brother.”

  Lady Paulina turned to the maid in the corner. “Grace, would you please ask Simon to come and join us?”

  Turning back to Michael, Lady Paulina explained, “Simon is my father’s personal valet, and is Betsey’s elder brother. I am sure that he will know where she has gone.”

  A moment later, the maid returned to the drawing room, with a tall, lanky man following close behind her. Michael could see that he was Betsey’s brother at a glance. In addition to their height, they also shared the same honey-colored eyes, although Simon’s looked small and beady, where Betsey’s were large and bright.

  “Simon,” Lady Paulina said, as soon as he entered the room, “Where would your sister have gone after being dismissed from my service?”

  Simon looked from Lady Paulina to Michael, a confused expression on his face. Michael thought that the valet looked as though he was unsure whether to tell where his sister might be. After a moment of confused silence, Simon finally spoke.

  “Well, My Lady,” he said, hesitantly. “I believe that she went home to our parents in the village of Tinsworth. Is there a message you would like me to pass on to her at my next visit to them?”

  “Thank you, Simon, that is a very kind offer,” Lady Paulina said, favoring him with a smile. “We merely wished to know where she had gone, to make sure that she is all right.”

  “Oh, of course,” Simon said, his tone sounding confused, in sharp contrast to his words. “I am sure that she is quite well. Our parents will welcome her home, whatever the circumstances.”

  “I am quite relieved to hear that,” Lady Paulina said.

  Michael felt a wave of relief, knowing that Betsey had a home to go to and would not be abandoned to her fate. He knew from Anne and Mabel that young women with no place to go often ended up in terrible situations, and he could not bear to think of Betsey in such a position.

  Lady Paulina dismissed Simon, and he left the drawing room with polite bows to both Lady Paulina and Michael. As soon as he had left the room, Michael said, “I must go to her!”

  “Of course!” Lady Paulina said, standing up from her chair just as Michael did. “Go to her at once, and please tell her that I miss her and hope she is well.”

  “I will, My Lady,” Michael said. “Thank you for being so understanding!”

  “Thank you for being honest with me, My Lord,” Lady Paulina replied, kindly. “And good luck!”

  They bid one another farewell in the entrance hall, and Michael was soon mounted on Pepper, setting off for the village of Tinsworth to find his true love.

  Chapter 26

  Betsey had b
een home for three days now, and she knew that she could not avoid her parents’ curiosity any longer. They would demand to know why she had lost her position, and she could not stand to lie to them. Better to tell them the truth now than to let them wonder and worry any longer.

  Betsey would have liked to hide in her bed since returning home, but had not allowed herself this luxury. She was not the daughter of an aristocrat, and she could not afford to be idle. But she had helped her mother with housework in near silence, refusing to speak of the circumstances of her departure from Cublertone, and her parents had stopped asking.

  Betsey knew now that her “engagement” to the Viscount of Somerwich had been an absurd fantasy—merely something to dream about in a moonlit garden. And for that fantasy, she had lost her position and betrayed the mistress who had always been a good friend to her. She felt ashamed of herself.

  However, shame was not the only emotion that had settled upon her heart. She also carried a throbbing sadness with her at all times. Although she knew that the idea of the Viscount marrying her was illogical and impossible, she still loved him, and did not believe that she would ever stop loving him. The thought of life without him held no happiness for her.

  She supposed that the best life she could hope for now would be here, in the village of Tinsworth. If she married a merchant’s son, and kept his household, she would live a comfortable life. But how could I marry someone else, now that I have felt true love?

  No sooner had she thought this than she knew she would never marry someone else, and would become a spinster, living out her days alone. She would need some sort of occupation to support herself, but without a character reference from someone at Cublertone, she would not be hired as a maid by another aristocratic family. Perhaps I could take in washing or mending for some of the wealthier families in the village.

  Betsey forced herself to abandon her thoughts and listen to what her mother was saying. They were sitting together by the hearth, mending clothes from the large basket between them. Her mother was talking about the various goings on in the village. She did not quite manage to keep her voice casual as she mentioned various bachelors who might be in need of wives.

  “Mama,” Betsey finally said, determined to put an end to this line of conversation, “I am not going to marry Nicholas Cartwright, nor James Miller, nor anyone else from the village.”

  “Oh!” her mother said, sounding shocked, and a bit affronted. “Why ever not?”

  “I just…” Betsey began, uncertain of how best to explain her feelings. Taking a deep breath, she decided there was no better explanation than the truth. “I am in love with someone else.”

  “Who?” Her mother asked, leaning in and sounding excited now.

  “It does not matter, Mama,” Betsey said, failing to hide a note of sadness in her voice. “We can never be together, but I cannot forget about him, and any marriage that I might have would only pale in comparison to his memory.”

  Her mother raised her eyebrows at this, looking skeptical for a moment, until her eyes softened in sympathy.

  “Oh, Betsey,” she said in a sympathetic tone. “If it is true that you cannot be with this man that you love so much, then I am very sorry for that loss. You must be terribly sad.”

  “Yes,” Betsey said, her voice cracking, as tears pricked the corners of her eyes. She looked down to hide her glistening eyes from her mother. “Thank you for understanding, Mama.”

  “But Betsey,” her mother continued, still sounding sympathetic, but firmer now, “Are you certain that you can never marry this man?”

  “Absolutely certain,” Betsey said, her voice steely now. “He is the Viscount of Somerwich, and he will marry Lady Paulina, though neither of them loves the other.”

  “I see,” her mother said, a note of new understanding in her voice.

  “He loves me, too,” Betsey said, feeling defensive of the Viscount now. “He told me so, and asked me to marry him. But the Earl found out about our engagement somehow and that is why I was sent away. So, I see now that it would be impossible for us, no matter how much we both love each other. I am sure that he does as well, and he will do his duty and marry Lady Paulina.”

  “Perhaps,” her mother agreed, sounding concerned now. “But that is all the more reason you ought to consider marrying someone in the village, and quickly.”

  “What?” Betsey asked, feeling confused by this point.

  “Betsey,” her mother said, in an urgent whisper. “If there is any chance that you are with child, you must find a husband soon, or you will never convince him that the child is his!”

  Comprehension suddenly dawned in Betsey’s mind. Her mother thought that the Viscount was merely a rogue who had seduced Betsey, using his talk of love and marriage to rob her of her virtue. She was trying now to control any damage that may have been done in a moment of weakness.

  “Mama!” Betsey said, offended that her mother could think such a thing. “There is no chance that I am with child! I can assure you of that!”

  “Ah, all right then,” her mother said, breathing a sigh of relief. “Still, if you are sure that he will marry Lady Paulina, what good will it do for you to refuse to marry? You only hurt yourself by denying yourself a comfortable life.”

  “How comfortable can a life be in a loveless marriage?” Betsey asked.

  “Well, it may not be loveless after all,” her mother said calmly, returning to darning the sock in her lap. “Not all love is immediate and passionate. Many of the bachelors in the village are good, kind men who would treat you well, and in time I think that you might grow to love them.”

  In truth, Betsey had always assumed that love usually worked like this. But now that she had met the Viscount of Somerwich, had kissed him in a moonlit garden and called him Michael for a few sweet hours, she could not imagine the sort of arrangement her mother proposed ever holding a candle to what she felt for him.

  Betsey said nothing in response to her mother’s words. She merely sighed deeply and returned to mending the torn hem of her mother’s petticoat. She tried to imagine herself kissing Nicholas Cartwright or James Miller as she had kissed the Viscount of Somerwich.

  Neither of the bachelors in question were unattractive, but she found herself repulsed by the idea of kissing them. She could not focus on Nicholas’s striking blue eyes, or James’s kind smile—all she could think of when she pictured them was that they were not the Viscount of Somerwich.

  Betsey knew that she would never stop imagining Michael’s strong body, pressed close to her own. She would never forget the feel of his hands, gently caressing her skin, or his lips on hers.

  She could feel, instinctively, that she would never stop comparing any man that she might marry to her one true love. A lifetime of this would make her miserable, and it would be unfair to the man in question as well. She bore the young men of Tinsworth no ill will and did not wish to subject any of them to a lifetime of her indifferent misery.

  * * *

  Lady Paulina had returned to her own room after her visit with the Viscount of Somerwich. She knew that her father would be upset to learn that she would not be marrying the Viscount, but he was staying in town right now for business and she would not see him for a few days. Right now, her overwhelming emotion was pure relief.

  She sat down at her writing desk, pulling paper, quill, and ink from the drawer, and began to write:

  Dearest William,

  I must speak to you in person, as soon as possible. The news that I must share with you cannot be conveyed in a letter, and I long to look upon your face. My father is in town and will not be here to see us if you come quickly. The Viscount of Somerwich is also away and will not be visiting. Please come see me as soon as you can.

  All my love,

  Paulina

  Lady Paulina waited impatiently for the ink to dry on the paper before folding it and sealing it with a blob of dark green wax. Once the letter was sealed, she summoned the maid, Grace, to her room.
r />   “You called, My Lady?” Grace said with a curtsey upon entering Lady Paulina’s room.

  “Yes. Please see that this letter is delivered to the Marquess of Portam as soon as possible.”

  “Yes, My Lady,” Grace said. “I will ask one of the stable boys to ride out today and hand-deliver it.”

  “Thank you, Grace,” Lady Paulina said, and then added, attempting to keep her tone as casual as possible. “Do not mention to the stable boy that the letter is from me.”

  “Oh!” Grace said, sounding a bit confused. “Of course not, My Lady. Is there anything else that you need?”