Page 6 of Vying for a Viscount
Then there was the one thing he did that took him away on assignments. This past year, he’d been called away with the Black Knights more than he expected. The English people weren’t happy with government laws and regulations, and the Knights were trying to help them while keeping the peace. Not an easy feat. He wanted to court Letitia, but his inattention wouldn’t be fair to her. But could he risk losing her to some other gentleman? That was his biggest dilemma. His insides ached at the thought of losing her. Somehow, he needed to make it all work.
The first time he saw her across a crowded ballroom at the Westport ball, he couldn’t look away. He’d had an advantage over her because he had known her name and a little bit about her. When he looked at her, it was as if she called to him on an elemental level, as if his mind and body recognized her as belonging to him. All his senses, long dormant, were awakened, and he knew right then he had to make her his. He forced himself to remain calm because the last thing he’d wanted was to frighten her away, knowing it was her first foray into society since coming out of mourning. But, bloody hell, hewanted to run across the ballroom, wrap her in his arms, and claim her body and soul. Thank goodness sanity prevailed, and he got his wits about him and remained calm. Remaining calm around Letitia was becoming more difficult the more time he spent with her.
He spent a sleepless night staring at his future, hoping it was brighter than it appeared.
*
Morning came fast,and Letitia and Clarice were preparing for the first race of the season, the 2000 Guineas Stakes at Newmarket Racecourse. The Duke of Stanton’s horse, Zeus, was racing. That morning, as they took their breakfast in their rooms, Clarice informed her that Greyson and Mr. Hunter would pick them up in an open barouche and take them to Newmarket Racecourse. Knowing she would be spending time with Greyson again today had her heart pounding and her body tingling. Perhaps today he would kiss her again. She could hope.
Letitia was more than thrilled to be in the same carriage as Greyson and his sisters. Clarice was with Hunter, and they were parked side by side right beside the racetrack near the finish line. They were all straining to look for Stanton, who was joining them for the race.
Greyson jumped up, waving his arms and yelling, “Stanton, over here!”
“I thought I’d never find you,” Stanton said, acknowledging them and then joining Clarice in her coach. It wasn’t long before the race began, and when Zeus came over the rise in the lead, they went wild, yelling and screaming his name. He won!
Greyson turned to her, his eyes bright and his cheeks flushed. “He won!” he said, hugging her and pressing his lips to hers for a brief moment. They were gone almost before she could even register the kiss.
The rest of the day and into the night were a whirlwind of social events. Wherever Letitia went with Clarice and Stanton, she looked for Greyson. She knew he had to be somewhere, but none of the three found him. When they returned to the inn, Letitia, having partaken in too much wine, fell into a dreamless sleep.
In the morning, Clarice and Stanton had to deal with the consequences of her father, the Earl of Portsmouth, showing up in Newmarket. They believed he was spreading rumors about Stanton, trying to ruin him. When Clarice was eighteen, she was supposed to marry Stanton, but her father had forbidden it and then did everything in his power to ruin both of their lives. He was obviously still trying to keep them apart.
Later that day, she traveled with Greyson and Hunter to Ramsbury Ridge Farm to see if they could help in any way. Being there for support was all the help they could give.
The next morning, she found out someone had set fire to Ramsbury Ridge Farms. Thankfully, everyone made it out safely, and even the horses survived the barn fire. It was determined that Lord Portsmouth had paid a young lad to light the fires. Did that man possess a heart?
He quickly fled from England to France, and good riddance to him. Clarice and Stanton could finally build a life together. But first, Stanton’s filly, Clover, had to run the 1000 Guineas Stakes. Which she did and won. Letitia was so happy for them, but sad because she needed to leave soon. She had only planned to stay for the first two races. She needed to get home to Simon, whom she missed.
She opted to stay at the inn that night, took a bath, and went to bed early. Her mind battled with all sorts of questions.
Would she see Greyson before she left in two days?
Would Clarice be staying in Newmarket?
Would Greyson call on her when he returned to London?
Was it the end of what she had hoped would be a future with him?
Tears trickled down her cheeks and onto her pillow even as she fell asleep, her heart heavy.
“Wake up, my lady.”
“Penny,” she said, opening her eyes and squinting at the sun filtering through the curtains. How long had she slept? “What is it?”
“We have work to do.” She handed her a note in handwriting she didn’t recognize, but quickly realized it belonged to Stanton. “They are getting married today, privately. He is surprising Lady Chesterfield with a wedding breakfast afterward. He already has the private dining room here and the menu. He also took care of inviting people.”
Letitia sat up. “What do we have to do? It sounds like he took care of all the details.” She glanced at the list. It looked as though they had nothing to do but arrive at noon. She hurried from the bed. “I need to get ready.”
Chapter Two
Letitia’s closest friend,Clarice, finally married Samuel Radcliff. Watching them leave their wedding breakfast, with love and smiles radiating from their faces, made Letitia’s heart feel light and airy for the couple who had gone through the fires of hell to be together. No two finer people deserved a fairytale life than they.
Once upon a time, Letitia thought she had the perfect marriage and life with Graham. Yes, he was nearly thirty years older, but those years melted away over their five years together. They had known each other only a fortnight when they’d recited their vows, yet Letitia had no trepidation or regrets about Graham. At least not at the time they said their vows.
Reflecting on what she now knew, she should have noticed certain things. Things like not attending many social functions despite numerous daily invitations or the fact that they never hosted an event. His excessive time spent at his clubs. Or so he said, and she never once questioned him. Why would she?
Because her mother had married outside her social class, her family had few friends and received very few invitations when she was growing up. Their happy family of three spent most of their time together, and because Letitia had married at eighteen, she didn’t know any better. Only after she entered London society with Clarice by her side and spent time with the Duchess of Blackstone and Lady Langforddid she understand that there was a whole other world out there that Graham had kept her from experiencing. She rubbed the pain in her chest. The knowledge that he’d preferred the company of his mistress to hers still wounded her to this day. Letitia still struggled to come to terms with the fact that Graham and his mistress had been together for ten years—as she discovered while going through his papers after his death—before she entered the picture, or rather, the relationship.
The night he died, when he confessed to her about his mistress and their children, was the first indication that he may have kept her secluded from society for a reason. Or at the very least, wanted to spend most of his evenings with his mistress. Or perhaps he was afraid she would hear whispers about him and his longtime mistress. After his passing, she was suddenly overwhelmed by the extent of his deception.
