Historical Romance: Lady Lures The Earl A Duke's Game Regency Romance: Wardington Park, #11

chapter 1

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The Story of the Moonflower Princess

It was a dark night, and a woman was on the run. She ran through the forest, following an old path that had been dug into the earth by many a traveler before her. She didn’t look back, though her heart ached at the thought of what she was leaving behind. If she reached her destination, she knew that all would be safe and well.

The sound of hounds and the hooves of horses beating into the ground caused fear to roll through her, but she knew she couldn’t stop. Holding her skirts and avoiding fallen trees, she quickly placed one foot in front of the other until she made the clearing.

And there it was.

The moon.

London, England

May 1830

Madalene Kay placed a finger over her lips to quiet the girls’ infectious giggles. She met all their eyes in the hushed lighting that flowed through the sheet over their heads and said, This is how the Roma live. Do you see how easy it was for us to assemble our tent?

Tent? Molly Port said with her fingers pressed to her mouth. Her blue eyes were wide with amusement. But, Lady Madalene, it is not a tent. It’s a sheet from your bedchamber!

This comment caused the six-, seven-, and eight-year-old girls to break into another fit of laugher. Madalene couldn’t help but shake her head at their merriment. She loved each one of the girls she taught at the St. John’s School of Girls in Bath.

Since being sent off to Bath two years ago for her own education, upon finishing her own lessons, Madalene had become a teacher and had never felt more fulfilled in her life. Here was exactly where she belonged. She’d never known how much she loved children until she’d taught her first lesson.

It warmed her heart to see their smiles and bright eyes full of hopes and dreams of the future, and it pleased her to know that she was simply one of the things that made them happy and believe in their dreams. Sadly, she would never know what it was like to have children of her own, but she took solace in the fact that she would touch so many young lives. More than she’d have been able to had she simply gone down the path that the usual lady did.

Madalene lowered her voice and said, I know it is not a tent, but we are pretending.

Patsy Stonehedge said, My daddy says pretend is for those who have nothing.

Madalene schooled her features to not show her own thoughts on that matter. It did not surprise her that Lord Stonehedge would tell his daughter such a thing. She’d be surprised if the man had any imagination whatsoever. Lord Stonehedge was the usual man of the peerage, strict and stern, and all the things that Madalene abhorred.

Most likely, Patsy had heard her father say the words during his very short visit the other day. Currently, Madalene and the girls were in London, staying at the townhouse of one of their sponsors while they looked for more sponsorship and found more girls to sponsor. Girls who had no home to return to while the school was out had traveled to London with Madalene and the headmistress. There were only nine in total with Lady Patsy being the only daughter of the beau monde. The rest, like Miss Mary Molly and Miss Mildred Milly Port were sponsored girls from working-class parents in London or orphans. Patsy’s parents were an active part of parliament and Society. The other girls had nowhere to go for breaks since their parents were busy. Patsy’s simply chose to make little time for her. Madalene knew this made the girls sad, so she worked hard to keep their spirits from crumbling. But especially Patsy, who was often forgotten by her father.

He was nothing like her own father. Madalene’s father, Lord Harcourt Kay, who’d held the title of Duke of Oakley for less than a year after his father died before dying himself, had been nothing like his peers. He’d encouraged his daughter to let their mind envision whatever they wished. He’d been loving. Perhaps, that was the reason Madalene and her sisters had never quite fit in with the rest of the daughters of the peerage.

Yet, during her time at St. John’s, Madalene had learned everything she needed to do to succeed as a member of the beau monde and found that she could play the part of lady while still holding true to her father’s lessons.

The ton might have control of her actions, but never her thoughts.

Madalene looked into Patsy's open brown eyes and said, Anyone can pretend. Just close your eyes and—

The sheet was ripped from the chairs that had kept it up, and the girls gasped from the exposure to the light and air. Madalene herself had to squint to see what had taken place.

Then she heard whispers right before her eyes became fixed on Miss Joseph, the school’s headmistress.

The woman did not look happy. Lady Madalene, if you would be so kind as to follow me into my office. To the other girls, she said, Go gather your needlework and work in the sitting room for the next hour. A brow lifted before the woman quit the room.

Madalene rose and straightened the wrinkles out of her skirts before giving the girls a sheepish grin. They returned the gesture, and Madalene threw them a wink before leaving.

She found Miss Joseph exactly where the woman had said she would be.

The office was small, but the spare furniture left enough room to conducted business between two or three people. The walls were a mint green with only a small table in a corner and two chairs by the fire. Like the rest of the home, it was well-maintained, even though its owner was not present.

Lady Madalene, just what did you think you were doing in that room? Miss Joseph stood by the window, blocking most of the sunlight. She managed to do the same thing with other things that people enjoyed. Happiness. Laughter. Madalene thought all the woman needed was a title and she’d have fit right in with the beau monde.

Miss Joseph’s lips were pressed thin, her shoulders were high, and her hands were clasped together. Madalene knew this to be the woman’s way of holding herself together for the impact of whatever Madalene’s words would bring.

Madalene cleared her throat. We were doing a lesson on culture.

Miss Joseph’s brow twitched over her cool gray eyes. Culture?

Yes, Madalene said as she held her own hands together, though she did it in an effort not to grab the woman by the throat. I was teaching them about the Roma.

Miss Joseph’s lips curled. You mean the gypsies. There is nothing to teach the girls about them except for the fact that they should run screaming in the other direction should one of those filthy vagabonds approach. Also, you will cease from using sheets for any other purpose but sleep. I do understand that where you were raised, it is not easy to tell the difference between people and animals, but we are not raising our girls to be parts of the circus. Do you understand, Lady Madalene?

It was moments like this that Madalene always felt the pressure to quit. She worked hard to not become offended by the woman’s words, since most of the peerage would say the same about Oakley, or the Oaks, as the locals called it. The people were free of most of the constraints of London and thus, seen as wild.

It was also moments like this that Madalene missed Miss St. John, the woman who’d founded the school and had hired Madalene only two months before she passed. Miss. St. John had been a wonderfully sweet woman compared to Miss Joseph, whom everyone knew was mean spirited. She was the exact opposite of Miss St. John, and Madalene often wondered why the woman didn’t just fire her.

Madalene supposed it had something to do with the fact that she was the Duke of Wardington’s niece. Her uncle reigned over Society and his power reached beyond England. He was a distant cousin to His Majesty and so many thought twice before they offended him.

She could quit. She didn’t need the money. Her cousin, the new Duke of Oakley, had already told her that her dowry was hers to take. She could move to a small cottage somewhere, hire servants, and live out the remainder of her life in peace and tranquility.

But then all the girls would have left were women like Miss Joseph, and that thought alone made Madalene reject ever leaving the school. They needed her there.

Madalene hadn’t answered before Miss Joseph continued, And I have told you time and time again about allowing those girls to play with Lady Patsy. They are not like her. You must keep them separate.

Madalene’s stomach burned with fury. I understand that rule and have always obeyed while in Bath, but surely you see it is not good for the girls to be separated with so few of them present. Lady Patsy would be by herself if I did this. Molly and Milly are all she currently has.

Fire blazed in Miss Joseph’s eyes. Molly and Milly? Surely you’re not addressing them that way.

Madalene placed her hands behind her back where they would be safe. That is how the girls wish to be addressed.

And if they asked you to call them Your Grace and Her Majesty? Would you see to that as well? Miss Joseph countered. Then she shook her head and used that tone Madalene hated. The one that said Miss Joseph was no longer addressing a peer, but a child. My dear, these children are not given into our care to receive what they want, but what they need.

Why can’t they have both? Madalene asked.

Miss Joseph’s brow twitched again. I hope you are not teaching Lady Patsy to be as defiant as you. We wouldn’t want her to fail her season like you did yours when the time comes.

The comment didn’t sting, because in Madalene’s mind, she had not failed the season. She’d quit. After one year, she never returned, because she’d decided to never marry. The opinion of the ton had very little to do with that decision.

Love did.

Madalene had thought herself loved until she’d been proven wrong. She’d fallen for Mr. Francis Bends, a third son of a baron who never went to London. Madalene and Francis had grown up together in the Oaks and had both been equally distraught when Madalene’s uncle had moved her and her sisters to London. Madalene had told her uncle about Francis, but Wardington had insisted that Francis was not the boy for her.

Still, Madalene and Francis had written one another for almost two years after Madalene’s departure, making promises about the future and swearing to wait for one another. But when the season turned out to be a disaster, Madalene had run from London and returned to the Oaks, knowing that she and Francis could simply run off and be together.

She’d received the shock of her life when she’d discovered Francis had betrayed her in the worst possible way. Her heart had been more than broken. It had been incinerated where men were concerned. Now, it only beat for the children under her care, neglected children like Patsy.

Lady Patsy is a lady, Miss Joseph said, as though that were answer enough.

It wasn’t.

As a lady, Madalene began, Lady Patsy will frequently speak to women who are not ladies. Landed gentry daughters, wealthy working class, seamstresses.

Miss Joseph’s hand came up. Enough. Patsy is not to play with them.

Madalene grinded her teeth and sighed in resignation. In a matter of months after Miss St. John’s death, Miss Joseph had seemed to unravel everything that Miss St. John had put into place. St. John’s School for Girls had been such a safe haven for Madalene. All the girls had been treated equally, except for the hours where sponsored girls had to work in order to stay. The school had been a happy place, but since the death of Miss St. John, a black cloud hung over the school in the form of Miss Joseph.

Madalene’s heart ached at the thought of Lady Patsy being once again excluded. Was it not bad enough that her parents wanted nothing to do with her? I don’t wish for her to be alone, Madalene said at a whisper and then blinked rapidly in order not to cry.

Then don’t let her be, Miss Joseph said with a smile. There is a chance that another girl could be joining us for the break and hopefully the school year. She is a lady.

Who? Madalene asked. It was the first she was hearing of another girl from the peerage joining them for the summer. What happened to Miss Dot from Orange Tree Orphanage? Madalene had worked hard to find sponsorship for a young woman who was about to age out of the orphanage and would soon have nowhere to go. She’d hoped the girl would be joining them.

Miss Joseph waved her away. Never mind Dot. The name came out with disdain, as though the girl could help what name the orphanage’s caretaker had given her. This lady I speak of will bring in much more money if her father is pleased. Miss Joseph’s eyes glowed whenever she spoke of money. It was the one thing Madalene could not fault Miss Joseph about. She always knew where to locate funds and how much of it was out there. She had a way of looking at a gentleman and knowing exactly how many coins were on his person and she used the money well for the school.

Madalene could see why Miss St. John had willed the school to Miss Joseph. The school would always remain open under a woman so calculating.

What is the girl’s name? Madalene asked.

Lady Lilias. She is Lady Gwen’s granddaughter.

Madalene blinked. She knew who Lady Gwen Abbey was. She was the Dowager Countess of Pengross, widow of the late Earl of Pengross. Madalene smiled. She’d also met Lady Lilias a few times and enjoyed making her laugh. The girl, even at a young age, was every bit the lady that Madalene would never be. She would get along just fine under Miss Joseph’s care.

All we need, Miss Joseph began, is for you to get the girl to say yes to spending a few months with us in the country during the break. If she enjoys her time with us, her father has agreed to let her remain in our care when the year begins.

Madalene had never met the Earl of Pengross, but everyone had heard of him. The London papers had called him the Killer Earl. He’d been accused of killing his father and thrown into prison only to be released days later when a maid had confessed to seeing someone else kill the former earl before getting away.

The courts had demanded the earl freed immediately upon hearing the confession, but freedom had come too late. The earl, Madalene had been told, was severely scarred on one side of his face. She’d been told he looked like a monster and that it was payment for the sin he’d committed. No one truly believed the word of the maid and knew they had let the earl out simply because he was an earl.

There were luxuries to being wealthy and titled.

Like the skill of negotiations.

Madalene asked, Why are you not getting Lady Lilias yourself?

Miss Joseph shuffled in her shoes and then stopped so suddenly Madalene knew she’d caught herself and didn’t wish anyone to see her nervousness. Lady Gwen was a friend of Miss St. John’s and likes you, Lady Madalene.

Which meant she did not like Miss Joseph. This made Madalene like Lady Gwen much more than she already did.

She wasted no time with her bargain. If I get Lady Lillias, then I get Miss Dot.

Miss Joseph narrowed her eyes but nodded.

Madalene smiled.

Miss Joseph walked over to the desk and said, You leave for the Pengross’ London residence now. She dug through a purse and pulled out a few coins.

Now? Lady Madalene asked as the coins were transferred to her hand.

Here is what you will need for the hack. Take as much time as you need. Then Miss Joseph left with a smile on her face, undoubtedly counting the money in her mind. She didn’t care that it would be coming from a man who’d killed his own father to get his hands on it.

And neither did Madalene if it meant a place for Dot. She would never see the earl anyway since he was known to hide from everyone but the men of parliament and his family. She left the room and grabbed her hat from the foyer, vowing she would not return to the townhouse without Lilias’ agreement and Dot in her possession.

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chapter 2

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Marshal Abbey walked into the sitting room and swore he could have heard a coin hit the carpet with all the silence in the air.

Four pairs of eyes stared back at him in surprise. All the faces were family.

His mother spoke first. What are you doing here? the countess asked with narrowed blue eyes. She sat on the couch next to his cousin Laura. On the opposite couch was his brother Roger. In the far corner, sitting at a desk, was his other brother. Edmund, who was a screenplay writer. He rarely acknowledged anyone when they entered or left a room but he was staring at Marshall as though he were walking around without a cravat on.

Marshal lifted a brow. Am I not allowed to be in my own home?

Laura laughed, and her green eyes sparkled. Of course, you are, but we thought you were in session today. You never miss it.

Yes, Roger added as he returned to the comfortable position he’d been in before Marshal had made his appearance. You kept going on and on about that bill and that a decision would be reached today.

It was canceled, Marshal said.

Roger, Gwen, and Laura all exchanged a looked.

Marshal crossed the room and sat in the chair between the two couches. It gave him the perfect view of Roger, his mother, and Laura, but left Edmund out, which worked perfectly, since Edmund had already returned to his writing and was unlikely to contribute to the talk in the room.

He looked around at everyone and asked, What were you discussing before I entered?

His mother blinked a few times and then said, Lilias.

Where is she? Marshall asked. Usually, the girl was with her governess, but whenever Laura was present, that was not so. Lilias was always at Laura’s side whenever Laura visited, and it was not hard to understand why.

Lady Laura was undeniably beautiful with a face as sweet as her heart. She’d been born the daughter of a seamstress and had married one of Marshal’s very old cousins two years ago right before the man died, leaving her a wealthy widow. At first, Marshal had assumed Laura a fortune hunter. She had stunning green eyes and golden hair that seemed capable of catching light that wasn’t even in the room.

He hadn’t liked her on sight, but it had taken less than a month for Marshal to see that he’d misjudged her, which was twice as long as it took for the rest of his family. She’d had Lilias eating out of the palm of her hand in a matter of minutes and his mother ready to take her