Historical Romance: The Regards of A Rogue A Duke's Game Regency Romance: Wardington Park, #2

By Eleanor Meyers

Dark inclinations surround a duke, a viscount, and a deadly knight. But, what will happen when their hearts are introduced to love? 

 

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN A SERVANT BECOMES ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL MEN IN EUROPE?

 

Levi Smith just received the news of a lifetime…

He's the newest Duke of Hensman.

 

When the murder of his father brings Levi to his destiny, fingers are pointed at him while everyone tries to find out who killed the former duke.

 

Lady Priscilla Garrett has always lived in a world of fantasy, but that world is rocked with the news of murder.

She's also shocked when she finds out who the suspect is.

 

Levi.

 

The once manservant she flirted with is now a duke!

And Priscilla is willing to do whatever she can to prove his innocence.

 

Can their new found love stand up to the ton? 

And what about treason?

 

WHAT IS STRONG ENOUGH TO BREAK THE CHAINS OF DARKNESS?

 

Hugh Garrett has a secret…

It runs through the veins of the young Viscount causing blackouts until he kisses the innocent lips of the young Olive Heath.

 

For a moment, his future seems clear, and all he wants to do is to start his life anew.

A new life. A life with Lady Olive Heath.

 

Lady Olive Heath didn't mean to kiss the very handsome Lord Hugh…

But the kiss has given her ideas for her future.

After suffering under the hand of her father, she thinks a marriage to Hugh could be her freedom.

But first, Olive must free him from himself. Free him from his long years of darkness.

 

Will love be enough?

Will Hugh succeed in the one area of life that he's best at? Disappointment. 

 

KNIGHTED BY THE KING… A NIGHT THAT WILL CHANGED EVERYTHING …

 

Maximilian St. Cloud has been called many things in his life.

A murderer, an assassin for the king, a knight...

 

And though all those titles were well deserved, none scared him more than his current title.

 

Caregiver.

 

Left to raise the little girl of his ex-wife's lover, Max is in over his head.

For the first time, Max is lost.

This problem will need a woman's touch... and only one woman will do. 

 

Amanda Elliot.

 

More than anything, Amanda wishes to be a peer, and Max has no title.

But when Max convinces her to help with his daughter, Amanda is tempted by both the challenge and the man. 

 

Can she give up her desire for the status amongst the peerage to be with Max?

 

The book is a full-length regency romance in the historical romance genre.

 

 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Eleanor Meyers
• Release date: Jan 17, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393341932

Eleanor Meyers

Eleanor Meyers is a hopeless romantic who believes that one should breathe and live on love. She is especially intrigued by the love tales of the Regency era due to the juxtaposition of tradition and love in a very stylistic fashion. At a young age, she is inspired by the works of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer.  There is a strong romantic appeal about that era and it is Eleanor’s desire that readers will take time to come away with her through her writings and immerse oneself in that time when love was so pure and intense. In Eleanor’s writings, there is a pragmatic display of human’s imperfections; hence characters who may be flawed in certain ways. In the midst of dealing with one’s imperfections, a couple found love, found hope in each other and in God. Eleanor incorporated messages of redemption, forgiveness and sometimes inner deliverances from the bondages that so held a character for so long. It is her belief that no matter how seemingly hopeless one’s situation might be, there will always be hope. They key is to wait and to believe and to hold on. So come away with her and be enthralled in the beautiful Regency era!

Book preview

chapter 1

*   *   *

Bedfordshire, England

1825

It was a beautiful day at Hensman Hall. The early morning autumn air was crisp as Sally Eaton, the wife of the Duke of Hensman, opened the window in her bedchamber. The sun’s luminous rays touched her face, and she smiled as a fragrant wind blew into the room.

A knock on her door interrupted her peaceful state.

Her lady’s maid stuck her head into the door. The solicitors are ready for you.

Sally nodded, checked her black gown for wrinkles, and then headed from the window.

You might want to change your expression, ma’am, the young maid whispered hesitantly.

Sally turned to her and agreed. She very well should not wear a smile at her own husband’s funeral. Taking a moment, she transformed her expression into the one of grief she’d been practicing in the mirror. It was an easy expression to find. All Sally had to do was think of a single threat to her well-being that her husband would use to bend her to his will or recall a few scandalous lines from the letters from his many mistresses. She pictured the look of disappointment he’d given her everyday since she’d brought their daughter into the world. A daughter he hadn’t wanted. They’d never had any sons. Never mind the fact that Sally had had five miscarriages! Never mind the many nights she’d cried herself to sleep, wishing to never wake again. Lord Hensman had been a monster of the worst sort, and Sally was very glad never to see him again.

Still, she calmed her features as she stepped back into the gathering hall, surrounded by friends and family who resembled vultures more than anything else. They all looked mournful, acting as though they’d truly known the man. The beast!

A warm hand touched her as she turned  from the room. Sally turned to meet Dowager Countess Abigail Cartridge’s eyes. Blue irises twinkled with knowing. On her other side was Lady Hatcher, whose gray eyes managed to show warmth and sincerity. Her friends.

Peace to you, Sally, Abigail said.

Julia Hatcher leaned over and blessed her cheek with a kiss. She whispered in her ear, We’ll celebrate at the Wardington party.

A smile touched the corner of Sally’s lips. These women, along with the few others who knew Sally intimately, knew this day to be one of rejoicing. And rejoicing they would do! Sally grasped Abigail’s hand tightly then gave a nod toward Julia. Thank you. I am actually looking forward to Wardington’s house party this year. The house party would be done at Wardington Park. In a week’s time, the mansion, for two weeks, would host society’s best and brightest. Parliament session had ended, so everyone had returned to the country just in time. It would be Sally’s first party without Frank. Freedom.

Are your girls coming as well? Sally asked Julia. Abigail’s only son, the Earl of Cartridge, had married the previous year. Everyone was happy for Abigail, though Sally and Julia still had daughters to wed off. Julia had two!

Glee showed in Julia’s eyes. I’ve a feeling that Priscilla will have an engagement by the end of the party.

Sally scoffed, Priscilla? Looking around, she spotted the girl in question standing alone by the window. A beauty, but her mind is full of fairy tales. You should not allow her to turn down good offers from older gentlemen like you did this season.

Julia smiled and looked at her daughter. We, the earl and I, simply want our daughter to be as happily wed as her father and I. Is that too much to ask?

It was. Love was a scandalous thing amongst the peers.

Sally studied the girl for a moment longer and wished her luck.

Lady Priscilla Garrett gazed out the window, pressing her face as close to the glass as she could get without actually touching it. Outside, the grass blew in the wind, and she imagined herself being as light as those blades of grass, light enough to be carried in the warm winds, floating over the sea and beyond.

Mother will not wish to see you tan, yet here you stand in the sun, as if giving yourself to it as a burnt offering.

She sighed, not even glancing in her sister’s direction. Well, it’s not like the sun acknowledges me anyway. I’m to be forever cursed with this translucent skin. And indeed, it was translucent. It was more than white. Priscilla could see the blue veins on her arms, which always drove her mad. She’d stood out in the sun all summer and bathed herself in the rays. And yet, she knew it was all for naught. Her entire mother’s side, both men and women, had been pale. Pale and rail thin, another curse from which Priscilla suffered.

Men don’t like tanned women, you know.

Priscilla looked down at the young girl then, finding a pair of eyes staring back at her. Rebecca was only sixteen, yet to come out, and knew nothing about the workings of men and women—though, what Priscilla knew didn’t add up to much more. At nineteen, Priscilla had already completed two seasons, and if she failed the one this coming year, she could be looking at spinsterhood. In her second season, the only men who’d asked for her hand were either old or fortune hunters. A tan was her last option. I’m trying something new.

And you think it will work? The disbelief rang clear. Rebecca rarely censored herself, which had driven their mother mad enough to limit the young girl’s outings.

Little sisters. Yet another curse. Could the Lord not see fit to give her more brothers? Yes, Rebecca, I do believe it will work.

Maybe you need to practice. Yet another reason Rebecca was rarely let out of the house.

Priscilla smiled. Practice what?

Rebecca lifted a shoulder. Her hands crossed on the skirt of her black dress as she spoke, I don’t know. Practice whatever it is that makes men wish to marry.

Priscilla wanted to laugh. That’s ridiculous. Women do not practice catching a man.

Maybe not in your romance novels, but perhaps if more women did, there wouldn’t be so many mothers complaining about failed seasons.

Priscilla stared at her little sister and then glanced around the room. There were a few young men present for the funeral. It was a horrible idea, really. This is a period for mourning. Even still, I will not embarrass myself in front of a peer.

Who says it has to be a peer?

Priscilla narrowed her eyes at Rebecca. Maybe the girl was onto something. You mean a servant?

More or less. He should be fairly young, though. After all, it’s a young man you wish to marry. Educated, so he can follow conversation. And good-looking so that it’s not too much work on your part. Either way, what would it matter if you flirted with one of them?

Genius. Priscilla looked around the party with new eyes. There were a few men standing post around the large room. Then she saw someone walk past the open door and made her decision. She turned to Rebecca. I’ll return shortly. And then she left the room.

Outside the sitting room, more people filled the foyer. There was also more talking here. There was a relaxed feeling amongst this crowd, and Priscilla attributed it to the lack of the Lady of the House’s presence.

She’d just lost sight of the man she wished to converse with when a voice jarred her from behind.

Lady Garrett.

She spun around, and her eyes met those of Mr. Levi Smith, the Duke of Hensman’s assistant. Priscilla had noticed the young man many times. Whenever the duke needed to deliver an important message to her father, Levi brought it. They’d never actually spoken more than a greeting to one another, but the moment Priscilla had spotted him a second ago, she’d known him to be perfect. Young. Educated. Good-looking. Just like Rebecca suggested.

But what’s more, the duke was dead, and Levi would have to look for other work, meaning she’d never see him again. Pass or fail, he was the perfect experiment for her charms. Mr. Smith. Her voice came out higher than she’d wished and a little louder than she’d planned.

His eyes widened. He opened his mouth to speak and then closed it. Finally, he handed her a sealed letter and said, For your family. It’s a thank you for coming.

A letter exchange? Priscilla smiled and reached for the letter, but as she grabbed it, she purposefully allowed her gloved hand to glide across his and then looked up to find him staring at her intensely. Warmth spread through her, traveling up her arm, causing her heart to quicken. She hadn’t planned for her own reaction. Only his.

The letters that he’d been holding in his other hand fell to the floor. He quickly went for them, and Priscilla leaned over to help. Allow me.

That’s not necessary.

She helped anyway, reaching out for the letters, touching his hand repeatedly. Eventually, his hand came to rest over hers in a tight grip. She could feel the strength in his hold. He looked at her with his stunning gray eyes. I’ve got it.

Of course, she whispered.

They were silent for a moment as they gazed at one another.

Looking at him, she noticed—not for the first time—just how very handsome he was. He had thick black hair with deep waves, a well-defined jaw, and when he licked his lips—like he just did—faint dimples appeared. Priscilla realized then that she’d never seen him smile before. What would it be like to see such a thing?

He straightened, bringing her up with him, his hand on her elbow. Thank you for coming, he quickly stated, dropping her arm. He gave a bow and then looked ready to leave, but Priscilla needed him to stay. For her experiment, she told herself.

Why didn’t you give my mother the letter?

Levi looked at her again, those gray eyes holding her rooted in place. Your mother is busy at the moment. I didn’t wish to interrupt.

You mean she’s busy talking to Sally. You didn’t wish to run into Sally.

His eyes went wide.

I know how she can be at times. Heat crawled up her cheeks. She’d said the wrong thing. She needed to relive that moment. Determined to see this through, she let out a breath and began to bat her eyes.

Levi frowned. Is there something in your eye?

Yes, she thought. Tears of embarrassment. She stopped blinking.

He drew his brows together and then said, Make sure your mother receives the letter.

Of course.

A footman came over and touched Levi’s arm. They wish to see you in the study.

Me? Levi asked.

The footman nodded and then turned away.

Levi looked at Priscilla once more. Don’t forget the letter.

I won’t. But by the time she’d finished the statement, he was already gone.

Sally followed the maid into Hensman’s office and paused at entering. Being summoned to the large space had never been a pleasant experience for her. Usually an invite would send Sally’s heart galloping furiously with the fear of whatever her husband would say. Now, he was gone, and his solicitor, Mr. Tuttle, sat in the big chair.

He was a very frail and thin man who usually had a kind smile to offer Sally, as he did now. Lady Hensman. He used his cane to come to his feet.

The other men in the room came to their feet as well. Sally looked at them all. First there was Gregory Rowland, Frank’s cousin who would inherit the title since Sally hadn’t managed to bear a son. But, Gregory was kind, a gentleman, and Sally knew he’d take care of her if need be. Gregory had also brought along his younger brother, Peter, who nodded at Sally, as if to send his condolences.

And on the other side of the room was Levi Smith. Sally hated him, not because the boy was cruel on his own, but because he’d so often delivered his master’s bad news to her. Anything Frank wanted, Levi would do without question—the perfect servant, not caring who was injured during the process.

Next to Levi stood Lord Nathaniel Dawnton, the handsome son of a duke who’d married Frank’s niece, Amy, two years prior. Amy sat in her chair, a hand on her protruding stomach. Pregnant again. They already had one son and people speculated the one she carried would be male as well. Sally didn’t care for her much either. Her upbringing was more than questionable. The daughter of a harlot. And at her side sat Sally’s own daughter, Christa. Sadness covered her features. Her pale eyes looked haunted, and her black hair matched the dark hue of her mourning dress.

Mr. Tuttle held out a hand for Sally to take a seat in the center of the room. A staff member came to assist her before leaving. Only family would be in the room while Frank’s will was read. After the men had taken their seats, Mr. Tuttle began to read, To my wife who was never able to produce me a son, I fulfill my final promise and leave the Greenland House and 50,000 pounds to do with as you please. Say hello to the mice for me.

Sally was astonished by the amount of money, but not the house. Greenland House, located on the other side of Bedfordshire, was a small home that Frank had won in a bet as a young man. It sat in a very small town with only a church and a farm, making it not the most desirable of places. Yet, with the amount of money he’d left behind, Sally would remain a very wealthy woman indeed. She’d have enough for servants, staff, and more. She laughed aloud, shocking the room around her. Greenland was the very home that Frank had always threatened to abandon Sally in had she ever disobeyed him. Little had her husband known that she’d always adored the Greenland house and had steered him toward believing that she hated it. She’d tricked him. The fool.

Tuttle continued, To my only child. If you’d been a man, I would leave you everything, but since you are not, I leave 100,000 pounds, ninety percent of which will be placed aside for your dowry. He’d basically left her with nothing, forcing the girl to marry. Christa looked at her mother, her face void of emotion. Amy was holding her hand tightly.

Gregory spoke to her, Don’t fear, dear cousin. I will take care of you. He even gave her a smile. Such a charming young man he was.

Sally nodded in his direction, thanking him for his support.

To my niece, Tuttle read, narrowing his old eyes over the paper, whom I didn’t know long, I regret abandoning your mother, my own sister, in her time of need and hope you’ve forgiven me for the years that I turned my back on you, my blood.

Sally’s face turned red. Such words! Where was her apology? She turned to find that Amy had tears in her eyes. Lord Nathaniel’s arms lay wrapped around her. The girl’s own fingers played with the bracelet she wore hidden underneath her glove. The symbol of a cross engraved on its chain.

To Lady Amy Dawnton, I leave my entire collection of works. Every book, every journal, and every page of art and literature to be found in my library.

Everyone gasped.

Amy’s eyes went wide. Even the original works of Shakespeare? It was no secret that the woman loved the theatre. She and Nathaniel had funded a play in Covent Garden the previous year that everyone in London had loved. But to give the girl the most precious items in their home?

Tuttle smiled and nodded at Amy, Yes, even them.

Something passed over Gregory’s face. Anger. His keen eyes narrowed at Tuttle. Are you sure those plays are not tied to the title?

Tuttle nodded, The plays, like Greenland, were won in a bet. They are free from the title and may be given to anyone the duke saw fit.

Gregory sat back in his chair and tried for a smile of acceptance, though it was obvious by the tapping of his foot and the jittering of his fingers on the chair’s arm that he was angry.

Tuttle turned to Levi. And finally to the boy who came from nothing, whom I cultured and groomed into a man. The man whom I educated and gave a seat in the House of Commons. To you, Levi Smith, this day, I leave you more than you could have possibly imagined. Tuttle paused, leafed through the papers on his desk, and then presented a sealed envelope to Levi.

The young man, who was known to always have a serious look about him, lifted a dark brow of intrigue as he slipped the seal and took out the envelope’s contents. He began reading the first document silently. His eyes went wide before moving to the second and then the third. Finally, he went back to the first and finished reading it. Is this true?

By now, everyone in the room was interested in what his letters had said. Sally believed him to have been given a large sum of money. After all, there was no doubt that Hensman liked Levi more than he liked anyone else. If there was anything to inherit that was not tied to the bloodline, it would undoubtedly be given to Levi.

Tuttle’s warm eyes held Levi. Yes, it is quite true. I helped His Grace send off the documents to The Church myself.

Sally held her peace no more, What’s this about? What’s the duke given Mr. Smith?

Tuttle turned those warm eyes to her. Well, you see, that’s just it. He’s not Mr. Smith at all. His name is Levi Eaton.

The room was silent. And then everyone began to speak at once.

Gregory spoke the loudest and was on his feet at once. What do you mean his last name is Eaton. Lady Sally Eaton had no sons.

Tuttle nodded, It is true, but Tabitha Eaton did.

Blood drained from Sally’s face. Who’s Tabitha?

His Grace’s first wife.

First wife! He had no other wives! I was the only one the duke ever had.

Tuttle shook his head. No, there was another before you, though they didn’t wed in a church. But before he died, His Grace managed to get the church to acknowledge it.

Levi, who’d been staring out in shock, finally spoke, Even though my mother is dead and wasn’t here to confirm or deny?

Even still.

This is outrageous! Gregory shouted. He pointed a finger at Levi and then to Tuttle. You two are working together on this.

Tuttle looked calm, as he’d experienced this type of anger from other clients and their families before. Whatever I did on His Grace’s behalf was done with his permission. I’ve witnesses that will attest for it.

Gregory shook his head and then narrowed his eyes. Gone was the gentleman he’d previously been. In his place was a man full of rage. Does this mean he inherits the title? The money? Hensman Hall? The other homes on the continent and the like? The townhouse in London? Everything?

Everything.

I don’t believe this! Gregory began to pace while Peter tried to calm him. Finally, the man turned around and glared, I don’t believe either of you! You probably had him killed.

Amy gasped, clutching her stomach. Both Lord Nathaniel and Christa were there to offer comfort. Christa stroked Amy’s brown hair back to calm the girl. Sally immediately felt betrayed by their friendship. Where was her comfort? Not that she needed it, but she thought it would have been nice to be offered it.

Tuttle did lift his eyes then. Killed His Grace? Impossible. The doctors said his heart simply gave out.

Sally grunted, deciding to let go of her usual ladylike composure as well. It no longer mattered now. Frank was gone, and good