Capturing The Earl’s Love Part Nine ~ A Historical Romance Story

A #free short story… I’ll be telling it here, and it can also now be downloaded from Amazon.

@Copyright Jane Lark; Publishing rights owned by Harper Impulse; Harper Collins UK

Capturing the Earl’s Love

A Historical Romance story

Part Three

Part Seven

Part Nine

When Rupert had come downstairs this morning, he’d discovered armfuls of roses in the hall. He had not been in the temper for such things. He was in an even worse temper once he’d discovered they were from Kendrick.

Why would the man not leave Rowena alone? She had quite clearly told Kendrick no, even if she had been too polite to use the word. Just as Rupert would have done, had he been given a choice in his own engagement.

He could not quite believe what had occurred last night, even as Divine’s butler showed Rupert into the not-so-grand drawing room of Divine’s townhouse.

They lived comfortably, in a decent area, but it was not Mayfair, and Rupert was not impressed in the least. The drawing room stank of tobacco, and the furniture was tired and dated. It was all a little shabby, as was Miss Divine. But like it or not, the woman was now to be his wife.

He’d been snared; caught in the noose; trapped in the parson’s mousetrap; shackled… He could think of a hundred clichés men used to jest about their fate once a marriage agreement had been made, but he did not think many men were actually, literally, captured as he had been – fool that he was.

What had made him follow her into the garden, and, God forbid, stand alone with her outside the summerhouse? He deserved this fate for being such a rash idiot.

He’d stupidly sought some good in her, only to face the bitter, ugly truth; that he had been right all along. There was no damned grey in her. There was black and white; she was as obvious as he had thought, an open book, a scheming, conniving, little mischief maker.

Well, Meredith Divine was going to rue the day she had compromised him.

Yet it had done one good thing. It had broken his sister’s adoration of the girl. Rowena had been outraged last night, and quiet this morning. Meredith may gain a wealthy husband, and a title, but she had lost any hope of friendship or kindness in his house.

As for Rupert’s mother, she was appalled. So Miss Divine could not expect a welcome there either. The girl would be ostracized in his home. She had made a fatal error when she’d chosen him to play her games with. She would learn that soon too. It was the one thing which was keeping him sane, imagining all his sources of revenge.

She was going to have a lot to endure as his wife. He was going to make damn sure she did. He intended making her life hell in return for this. She would gain his title, and the comfort of his money, but she would have no peace.

Rupert had spent half the night drinking with Edward, as they had done in the weeks before his cousin had met Ellen. Only then, it had been Rupert consoling Edward as Edward had tried to drink away the anger eating at him when Robert had come back from the continent. This time, it had been Rupert drowning his sorrows in wine, while Edward reassured. Edward had again claimed Meredith had a fancy for Rupert and excused her action with that statement. He’d said all might be well… Rupert did not give a damn if the girl liked him. He did not like her.

“Lord Morton.”

“Mr Divine.”

“I‘ve had the contract drawn up. You need only sign it.”

“I shall read it first.” Rupert walked forward and picked up the document Divine had indicated. It had lain discarded on a desk in one corner of the room.

Rupert scanned every line as Divine stood in silence. It was not a dream; this was really happening, it was set in ink on the page.

When Rupert put the paper down, he looked at Divine. “I have acquired a licence. I shall arrange a church for tomorrow and let you know where to bring her.”

“Do you not wish to see my daughter, Lord Morton?”

“No.” He had nothing to say to Miss Divine. In fact, he did not yet trust himself not to wring her neck. He was willing to make the rest of her life hell, but he did not think he could get away with killing her.

The Lost Love of Soldier

The prequel to The Illicit Love of a Courtesan

Out 10th July

Cover Reveal 22nd June

A Lord’s Desperate Love is the story of two of the secondary characters from the 1st book in

the Marlow Intrigues Series

‘The Illicit Love of a Courtesan’

For

the story of the real courtesan who inspired The Illicit Love of a Courtesan,
another free short story, about characters from book #2, A Lord’s Scandalous Love,
the prequel excerpts for book #3 The Scandalous Love of a Duke

Go to the index

Jane Lark is a writer of authentic, passionate and emotional Historical and New Adult Romance stories, and the author of a No.1 bestselling Historical Romance novel in America, ‘The Illicit Love of a Courtesan’.

Click here to find out more about Jane’s books, and see Jane’s website www.janelark.co.uk to learn more about Jane. Or click ‘like’ on Jane’s Facebook page to see photo’s and learn historical facts from the Georgian, Regency and Victorian eras, which Jane publishes there. You can also follow Jane on twitter at @janelark

Jane’s books can be ordered from most booksellers in paperback

Capturing The Earl’s Love Part Eight ~ A Historical Romance Story

A #free short story… I’ll be telling it here, and it can also now be downloaded from Amazon.

@Copyright Jane Lark; Publishing rights owned by Harper Impulse; Harper Collins UK

Capturing the Earl’s Love

A Historical Romance story

Part Three

Part Eight

Rupert met Miss Divine’s gaze. He stood at the door of the summerhouse, looking in at her. She sat alone.

The colour of her eyes was nondescript in the dark, though the moonlight reached into the summerhouse and turned her white dress grey.

She’d been crying when he approached.

Rupert had seen her turn and run from her father, and although her flight had occurred in full view of the room, with no attempt to mask her haste, he doubted many people had noted her departure. She was of little interest to people here.

Yet he’d sensed something odd in her sudden bolt, so he’d followed, with Edward’s words of earlier ringing in his head.

He was looking for the greys in between the black and white. Her distress had appeared genuine when she’d fled, and, now, well… Her eyes glistened with tears, making them shine like dark sapphires as the moonlight caught her face when she stood.

An hour ago he’d have thought this some ploy, but the girl genuinely looked upset.

He had misjudged Ellen. What if Edward was right and Rupert had misjudged Miss Divine, too? He’d been treating her pretty poorly if that was true. He’d made no secret of his ill opinion. But then he remembered all the weeks she had pressed close to Rowena, crowding his sister, and trying to outshine her by speaking louder, and smiling more brightly. Yet he should at least ask… It was only gentlemanly… “Is something wrong?”

She sniffed and then withdrew a handkerchief from the reticule which hung from her wrist. He supposed he could have offered his handkerchief, but his mind was caught up in trying to see any grey in the black and white he had been viewing for weeks. He was still uncertain what this was about. But whatever it was, she was plainly upset.

She blew her nose then stuffed the handkerchief back into her reticule, before looking up again.

He was used to her smiling at him when she looked at him. She always smiled. It was a broad, open expression she seemed to have perfected just for him. He received it every time he looked at her. She did not smile now, merely looked at him with eyes full of pain, and something else… Anger?

Damn, was this some ruse?

His gaze fell away from hers. Her white gown glowed in the darkness, the inky color of night staining it light blue more than grey. It was like her eyes, hard to decide exactly which. Yet there was still a contrast between skin, and hair, and gown. The opening cleft of her cleavage drew his eyes as it ran into the bodice of her dress, like an arrow drawing his attention to where it should not be. He’d noticed that the girl had curves long ago, but until last night he had not looked at her closely. And now?

His gaze lifted back up to her face. If he could see the colour of her skin, he would lay odds on the fact she was blushing, but the fire of anger had gone from her eyes; there seemed only sorrow in them now.

“My father has accepted a marriage offer, on my behalf. I was unaware of it…” After she spoke, her gaze dropped to the level of Rupert’s cravat and she sniffed again. “With his business partner, Mr Perrigrew.”

Rupert frowned. He knew Mr Perrigrew. He was older than Kendrick, and cantankerous too. Rupert would not wish such a match on her, no matter that he did not like her.

“What will you do?”

Instinctively, when she lifted her gaze and tears sparkled in her eyes once more, he lifted his hand and touched her arm to comfort her.

As soon as he did, her head lowered and her forehead fell to rest against his shoulder. His hand shifted to her back, and he could feel her sobs as they jolted her body.

“Miss Divine,” he whispered, offering verbal concern, as well as physical comfort, as behind him he heard her father call.

“Meredith! Meredith! Where are you, girl?”

There were other voices too, several.

Rupert instantly recognized the danger. He was alone with her here.

“Meredith!”

Lord Morton drew away from her, his hand slipping down her back and falling away.

Her anger had burned out within minutes of him speaking to her. For the second night, he had noticed her, and touched her. Hope and longing suddenly poured into her heart, as a flash of inspiration flared like a flame in her mind. She would… She could… Oh.

She did something she knew she should not.

There was a band of lace tucked into the neckline of her gown. It was designed to hide her cleavage, though she had always repositioned it to show her bosom off as soon as she arrived at a ball. But now… Her hand lifted, and she pulled it loose, freeing it a little on one side, so it hung from her gown, as though something, or someone, had disturbed it, and as she did so, her other hand clasped Lord Morton’s nape, and then pulled his head down. I am not letting him go. I am not.

He was obviously too surprised to react and pull away, and as his head lowered, she lifted on to her toes, and pressed her lips to his.

“Meredith Divine! What the hell is going on here?” Her father’s voice boomed into the night air, echoing across the whole garden. “Morton! Let go of my daughter! I will not have this! You are dallying with her!”

There seemed to be an outcry as Lord Morton pulled away, and she let him go.

“You are going to marry her, Morton! No other man will have her now!”

Lord Morton stood before her, looking down at her, appearing shocked and bemused and pale, but then, all of sudden, his stupor dissolved, and there was a wildfire of anger in his gaze. She thought he might strangle her when his hand lifted – his eyes were so hard and cold – but it merely curled in a fist. Then he turned away and she saw the people who had followed her father staring at her.

“I will wed her,” he growled.

She had given him no choice. He either shamed her entirely or took her.

She knew he was a gentleman; he would not shame her.

“But for now, I suggest you take her home.” Before I kill her, she heard his unspoken words.

She had done a dreadful thing. She knew she had. It had been cruel and manipulative. But guilt refused to stir inside her. If it was so dreadful, why was her heart bursting with joy? He was going to marry her! He was!

“I shall call upon you in the morning,” Lord Morton said to her father in a bitter voice, before walking away. People parted to let him go.

Her father caught a hold of her arm and growled through the side of his mouth. “I told you I had signed the contract with Perrigrew, girl, and now you must manoeuvre this. You have made me a laughing stock!” He knew she’d forced Lord Morton, then. Her gaze spun to their audience. They knew too; she could see it in their faces. She supposed Lord Morton’s anger must have made the situation obvious.

The heat of a blush flared in Meredith’s cheeks as her father’s fingers gripped harder about her arm, then she was half dragged away.

The crowd left behind them, laughed and chattered.

Meredith had not seen Rowena, but Rowena would learn about what had happened; someone would tell her.

A Lord’s Desperate Love is the story of two of the secondary characters from the 1st book in

the Marlow Intrigues Series

‘The Illicit Love of a Courtesan’

For

the story of the real courtesan who inspired The Illicit Love of a Courtesan,
another free short story, about characters from book #2, A Lord’s Scandalous Love,
the prequel excerpts for book #3 The Scandalous Love of a Duke

Go to the index

Jane’s books can be ordered from most booksellers in paperback