The Viscount Who Seduced Her (Steamy Historical Regency) Page 3

  Perhaps when he joined the House of Lords he would be able to effect some real change. Until then, he preferred to hunt only when he could not avoid it, ride when the weather was fine, and study philosophy by the fire in the library when being out of doors became unpleasant.

  Perhaps he had been reading too much Plato, and that was why he hesitated at the thought of marrying Lady Paulina. To be sure, she was beautiful, but she did not inspire him to contemplate the spiritual world, as Plato suggested pure love should. Of course, Plato did not require a political advantage in a wife—perhaps Platonic ideals are too much for an aristocrat to aspire to.

  Michael decided that when he next visited the library, he would review what Aristotle had to say on the subject of marriage. As he recalled, this was a much more practical view than Plato’s, but he could not remember the exact position just now. For the time being, he rolled over in his bed and attempted to go back to sleep. He would need his rest if he was going to spend the day with his father and Lord Cublertone.

  * * *

  Several hours later, the hunting party set out into the grounds of Hillfield Estate. Michael and his father were joined by the Earl of Cublertone, as well as William Everly, the Marquess of Portam, and Edward Hastings, the Duke of Litchfield.

  Michael soon deduced that Lord Portam and Lord Cublertone were friends, and presumably political allies. He knew that the Duke of Litchfield was his father’s close friend and always sided with him in Parliament. The group consisted of two political factions, with Michael between them.

  He could see now that he was meant to create a bridge between them, but he felt more like a toy soldier pulled in different directions by fighting children. Michael resolved to speak little, and focus only on the hunt as the day went on. His father would be frustrated, but not as angry as he would be if Michael said something to derail his plans.

  Still, he must at least greet his father’s guests, and he could hardly ignore the fact that he had spent yesterday with Lord Cublertone’s daughter.

  “Welcome, Your Grace, My Lords,” Michael’s father said. “Thank you for joining us on the hunt today!”

  This was met with a chorus of, “My pleasure!” and “Thank you!” and “Looking forward to it!”

  “Lord Cublertone,” Michael said. “Thank you again for your hospitality yesterday.”

  “You are quite welcome,” the Earl replied. “I trust that you enjoyed your visit with my Paulina?”

  “Yes, My Lord.”

  His father cleared his throat loudly at this, and announced, “My son is not the most expressive of gentlemen. He found Lady Paulina to be very charming, and very beautiful, I am sure. In fact, he has invited her to come here and join him for a ride next week, as she expressed some interest in our stables. Isn’t that right, my boy?”

  “Yes, Father,” Michael said, taking a deep breath to steady his nerves. “I look forward to her visit. With your permission, of course, My Lord.”

  “Of course, of course!” Lord Cublertone replied, looking very pleased with the idea.

  “Excellent,” Michael’s father said, all of his former anger at Cublertone seemingly forgotten. “And perhaps we shall see more of Lady Paulina after that. Of course, you are always welcome here at Hillfield as well, Cublertone.”

  “Thank you, Hillfield, that is most kind of you,” the Earl of Cublertone said, rather formally. A look passed between Lord Cublertone and the Marquess of Portam, which Michael could not quite interpret.

  The hunt was a success, with each member of the party bringing down several grouse. The Marquess of Portam seemed particularly keen to outshoot the rest of the party. He and Michael jockeyed for first position throughout the day, and Lord Portam joked good-naturedly every time he took the lead.

  Michael was pleased to find that the outing was pleasant, as well as successful. His father was on his best behavior in front of his guests, and hardly criticized his son at all. In fact, he made only one comment about Michael’s lack of interest in politics. When the rest of the party laughed at this, the Earl joined them, pretending it had been a joke rather than a real criticism.

  * * *

  That evening at dinner, Michael’s father and the Earl of Cublertone spoke to each other politely, though rather formally. Michael’s mother acted as a perfect hostess, keeping the conversation flowing, and steering it away from anything controversial. The Duchess of Litchfield had also joined them for dinner, and assisted her hostess in this goal.

  “I understand that your daughter is an accomplished rider, My Lord,” she said over dessert.

  “Yes, Madam, she is a kind and gentle young lady. The horses respond well to her when they are too spooked to be ridden by anyone else.”

  “When I was sixteen, my father and I visited Cublertone,” the Marquess of Portam said. “Lady Paulina was just a small child, perhaps eight years old?”

  “I believe she was nine at the time,” Lord Cublertone corrected the Marquess.

  “Nine. Yes, of course. In any event, she saw me going out to ride one morning, and escaped from her governess to join me.”

  Michael looked at the Marquess eagerly. He was interested to hear more of this story—perhaps Lady Paulina was more intriguing than he had first imagined.

  “She challenged me to a race through the grounds, and accused me of cowardice when I initially declined. After a few minutes, I knew that arguing with her further would be a fool’s errand, so I agreed to the race, thinking that I would need to slow my pace in order to avoid embarrassing her.”

  “That was kind of you, My Lord,” Michael replied. “Please, tell us, did you let her win the race?”

  The Marquess chuckled at this. “Well, as I said, I did not wish to embarrass her. Her father was our gracious host, and a good friend to my family. I had been warned by my own father that it would not do to upset the young Lady of the house. But in truth, I need not have worried.”

  “And why is that?” Michael asked, more and more intrigued as the story continued.

  “She beat me in the race, easily, and without any help from me! I would say that I was embarrassed to be beaten by a nine-year-old Lady, but in truth, she rode so well that I could only be pleased to have kept up with her for a few moments.”

  “That is quite impressive!”

  “She certainly thought so. When I finally crossed the finish line, she was standing next to her horse, stroking his mane, and do you know what she said to me?”

  “What?”

  “I shall never forget it. She said, ‘There is no need to be ashamed, My Lord, you rode quite well. Perhaps I could give you lessons in the future.’ I do not believe that I have ever laughed half so hard in my life.”

  Michael’s mother looked nonplussed, but all of the gentlemen in the party laughed heartily at this, except for the Earl of Cublertone. He was watching Michael closely, gauging his reaction to the story. Laughter rang through the dining room for a moment longer before the guests were able to catch their breath.

  The Earl of Cublertone cleared his throat loudly and said, “I can assure you, My Lords, that my daughter would never say such a thing now! She was a precocious child, but she had the best governesses and they have been meticulous in teaching her proper etiquette.”

  “Of course, Cublertone, of course!” the Duke of Litchfield reassured him. “I have met Lady Paulina myself, and she is charming and exceptionally well-mannered.”

  Michael smiled at this, but felt a slight pang of disappointment. He understood that for practical purposes, a well-mannered wife was ideal. However, he could not help but think that life would be much more interesting if he were married to the sort of lady who still challenged the gentlemen around her, and joked about it afterwards. Perhaps that element of her personality still resides in her somewhere—perhaps she might show me that side of her in time.

  Unbidden, an image entered Michael’s mind—Lady Paulina’s pretty maid, challenging him to a race. In his mind, she beat him in the race, but onl
y just. He imagined dismounting at the finish line, seconds after she did. He envisioned them laughing together, and then falling into each other’s arms, feeling both of their hearts racing.

  “Gentlemen?” Michael heard his father say, in rather a booming voice that pulled him back to reality.

  I must stop this! I cannot be lost in thoughts of a pretty lady’s maid when I ought to be engaged in conversation with these gentlemen!

  Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Michael returned his attention to present company, and looked at his father enquiringly.

  “Shall we go through to the parlor for cigars and brandy?” his father asked the assembled company.

  The gentlemen all nodded in agreement and stood up to follow their host. Michael’s mother remained at the table with the Duchess of Litchfield, and the Ladies bid the Gentlemen good evening.

  * * *

  The parlor was not an inviting room. It was filled with comfortable leather arm chairs, but the room itself was dark, and Michael recalled it as the scene of being told off by his father many times. At thirty, he ought not to let this bother him, but still felt a twinge of discomfort upon entering the room. Steeling himself, he followed the group into the room.

  His father was handing out cigars and had called upon the butler to fetch brandy for his guests. They spent about half an hour recounting the day’s hunt, which was pleasant enough, though Michael found it rather dull, having just experienced it a few hours ago.

  Eventually his father brought the subject around the matter of his estate, as well as the Earl of Cublertone’s.

  “We must consider the next generation, Cublertone, neither of us is as young as we used to be,” he said.

  “Indeed, we are not,” Lord Cublertone said with a sigh. “And of course, you know I have no son to inherit. My Paulina will be a good wife, and will rule her estate wisely by her husband’s side, when he comes into his title.”

  “And you have no male relatives who might inherit?” the Marquess of Portam asked. Michael had the impression that the Marquess already knew the answer to this question, and had been instructed to ask it by Lord Cublertone himself.

  “Unfortunately not,” Lord Cublertone replied, with a sigh. “My brother is dead, and left only daughters. I have no cousins on my father’s side, and the only living cousins on my mother’s side are ladies, who would have no claim to Cublertone in any case. I suppose that I must hope for a grandson in short order!”

  “Well, as Hillfield borders Cublertone, this matter is of particular interest to us as well,” Michael’s father said in a matter-of-fact tone.

  It was clear to Michael that this entire exchange had been engineered for his benefit. They need not have bothered—he was well aware of the benefits of marrying Lady Paulina. When the estates were combined, he would become the heir to a large portion of the west country—a powerful land owner, and eventually an extremely powerful member of Parliament.

  His son by Lady Paulina would probably be one of the wealthiest gentlemen in England, apart from the Regent himself. No doubt their child would be handsome as well, and an accomplished horseman. And all I need to do in exchange, is spend my life with a lady I hardly know, who might be rather dull.

  * * *

  The day after the hunting party, Michael sat at his desk, and wrote a note to Lady Paulina. In it, he thanked her for her hospitality, and told her that it had been a pleasure to make her acquaintance. He also reminded her of the invitation to come and ride at Cublertone, suggesting that she might like to come the following Friday.

  When he received her reply two days later, he was pleased to see that she had accepted his invitation, but he could not help but wonder whether she might bring her maid with her as well.

  Chapter 4

  The following Friday, Betsey helped Lady Paulina prepare for her visit to Hillfield. She would spend the day riding, and would need to dress appropriately for physical activity, but it was also important that she look beautiful.

  This was no difficult task, as Lady Paulina was fair of face and form, but Betsey took extra care in arranging her mistress’s hair. For reasons she tried not to think about, Betsey had also taken extra care with her own appearance today. She wore a pale gray gown that was simple, as befit her station, but the color complemented her skin tone.

  Betsey would be accompanying her mistress to the Hillfield estate today, as her chaperone. She knew that this would involve very little contact with the Viscount, but she could not help but imagine what she might say to him. She had studied her face carefully in the looking glass as she arranged her hair this morning, and wondered what he might think of it. Though I doubt he would think of it at all.

  When Lady Paulina was dressed and ready, Betsey walked with her downstairs and called for their carriage. The late morning air was cool and refreshing, as they stood waiting in the front garden. It would be a beautiful day for riding. Perhaps Lady Paulina and the Viscount would feel more warmly toward one another beneath this beautiful blue sky.

  Betsey helped Lady Paulina into the carriage and then climbed in behind her. They sat opposite one another as the carriage pulled out of the drive and they began the journey to the Hillfield estate.

  “My father is thrilled that I am going to Hillfield estate today,” Lady Paulina said, her voice barely loud enough to be heard over the sound of the carriage wheels.

  “Yes,” Betsey replied. “I should think so, My Lady.”

  “I do understand why he feels that way…”

  Betsey gave her mistress a searching look. She knew that Lady Paulina had felt conflicted about the arrangement, but the last time they had spoken of it, she seemed resigned to the idea. Her tone today suggested that she had more reservations about the arrangement now.

  “Perhaps if I had not fallen in love with another gentleman, I could be happy to marry the Viscount of Somerwich.”

  “My Lady?” Betsey asked, hesitantly, “What will you do?”

  “I must try to convince Father that he should allow me to follow my heart. Marrying the Viscount will not make me happy, and I know that father wants me to be happy.”

  Betsey merely nodded at this. She knew that the Earl loved his daughter, whatever other faults he might possess. Still, she did not feel as confident as Lady Paulina did that he would prioritize his daughter’s happiness over his political aspirations.

  “Have you any idea how you might convince him of that, My Lady?”

  “Well, I don’t see how I can convince him that marriage to the Viscount will not make me happy, other than to just tell him so directly.”

  “Perhaps,” Betsey said, considering her words carefully, “You might be wise to consider the political elements of the arrangement as well.”

  “What do you mean, Betsey?”

  “Well, perhaps I am mistaken, My Lady.”

  “Oh, I rather doubt that, Betsey,” Lady Paulina said, kindly. “You are quite clever, you know, and I value your opinion. I must insist that you tell me what you mean about the political elements of the arrangement.”

  “All right then,” Betsey said, feeling more confident now. Lady Paulina did not always consider the practicalities of a situation, but she was not foolish.

  “Your father values your happiness and hopes to see you wed to a good gentleman who will bring you joy, to be sure. And…he also hopes to build a political alliance with a rival. He is hoping that if you marry the Viscount of Somerwich, he will accomplish both of these things in one stroke.”

  “Yes,” Lady Paulina said, seeming to consider this. “I understand that, but surely the former objective is more important to him than the latter one.”

  “I suppose so,” Betsey said, though in truth she supposed no such thing. “But if you could convince him that marrying for love would also be politically expedient, then you would stand an even better chance of changing your father’s mind.”

  “Hmm… Perhaps you are right, Betsey. I shall have to consider that.”

  Th
ey sat in silence for several minutes as the carriage rolled toward the Hillfield estate. Each of the companions looked out of her respective window at the beautiful countryside as it rolled by. They were lucky that it was lovely weather for traveling and riding today.

  It had rained for several days in a row, and it had looked as though the outing might have to be cancelled. But this morning had dawned bright and crisp, much to the relief of the Earl, who was eager for his daughter to visit the Viscount.

  After several minutes of this, Lady Paulina spoke again, as if there had been no pause in the conversation.