A Lady's Taste For Temptation (Historical Regency Romance) Read online

  Catherine sighed, and turned her attention to Lady Emily’s jewellery box.

  “Here,” Lady Emily said, and handed Catherine a handful of necklaces and brooches. Catherine’s eyes widened

  “What is this for?” she asked.

  Lady Emily shrugged. “I have worn them before,” she said. “So, I am either going to put them in the bin or I am going to give them away. The maid keeps track of what I have worn and does this frequently.”

  “Oh my,” Catherine said, as she looked down at the items in her hand. “Thank you. These are beautiful. But I cannot accept such a gift.”

  “Why not?” Lady Emily replied.

  “Well, they are worth a great deal,” Catherine said, modestly. “And I am already a guest in your home. This is far too generous. It is I who should be giving you a gift.”

  “If you do not want them,” Lady Emily said. “You can leave them there and the maid will put them in the bin.”

  “Oh…” Catherine was very tempted by the jewellery. “Well, if that is their fate, then I will happily rescue them.”

  “Wonderful,” Lady Emily replied, and then chose her own pieces of jewellery “I am going to call my maid to dress me. Do you want to choose your own outfit and I will send her to you afterwards?”

  “Wonderful,” Catherine stood up. “Thank you again for your generosity”

  “Of course,” Lady Emily replied, and then turned back to the mirror as Catherine left the room.

  She rang the bell, which was connected to the servants’ quarters, and waited for her maid to scurry up the stairs. The maid had learned to come as quickly as she could, because Lady Emily would get quite upset if she was kept waiting.

  “Apologies,” the maid, Hannah, said, as soon as she got into the room. “When you rang, I was carrying a large load of clean laundry and I had nowhere to put it.”

  “I see,” Lady Emily said. She hadn’t been waiting that long, but she had grown a little bored, which she despised. “I’ve chosen the purple dress for the hunt.”

  “For the hunt?” Hannah replied in surprise “That is quite…”

  “It is what?” Lady Emily responded. Hannah shook her head and tried to smile.

  “Lovely,” she decided. “You shall be the focal point of the forest.”

  “That is what I wish,” Lady Emily said, as Hannah began to dress her. “I have given Catherine the jewels I wore last week, and she will likely wear them today. I will need you to dress her when you are finished here.”

  “Of course,” Hannah replied. She dressed Lady Emily in silence for a few minutes before attempting to make conservation. “You must be thrilled that Catherine has arrived.”

  “I am quite happy,” Lady Emily replied. It wasn’t that she disliked Hannah. Hannah was an almost perfect servant, who attended her mistress rather quickly and always seemed to be able to find what Lady Emily needed. Hannah’s only flaw seemed to be the fact that she often tried to make conversation. Lady Emily did not believe in revealing her inner most thoughts to her servant.

  On occasion, they chatted, but anything below pleasantries was not what Lady Emily was interested in.

  “Would you like your hair up?” Hannah asked, reaching for the silver brush.

  “I think that would be best,” Lady Emily replied. “There are quite a few branches that have fallen, and I shouldn’t like my hair to get tangled while we ride.”

  “Yes, the storm the other day seemed a bit damaging,” Hannah replied. “But on the bright side, we have a lot of firewood now.’

  Lady Emily couldn’t help but smile at that. Hannah’s other redeeming feature was that she always found a way to look on the bright side.

  Once Lady Emily was finished getting dressed and her hair was perfectly coiffed, she sent Hannah next door to Catherine’s room. Catherine was always quicker to be ready and Lady Emily would not be surprised if she was downstairs and waiting within a few minutes. Lady Emily wanted to be ahead of her friend, and so she went down the stairs soon as Hannah had left, in search of her father.

  If anyone asked her to describe her father, Lady Emily would call him a busybody. Ever since her mother passed away, he tried to keep himself busy by involving himself in every aspect of life he could. He would follow the servants around, making suggestions on their jobs, and he would stand in the kitchen to ask the cooks questions. He would send multiple letters a day to the same person, with conflicting ideas of what they were currently discussing, and he would then discuss those ideas with Lady Emily, or whoever happened to be around him at the time.

  Lady Emily loved her father, and most found him quirky, but charming. She was certain that it was he who had given her the mindset of being independent and free, even when he was half shocked by her own ideas.

  Today, Sir Preston was in the study, frantically writing on a sheet of parchment She knew if she asked him what he was writing, she would be treated to a half hour debate. So instead, she started the conversation by removing the pleasantries, and discussing exactly what she wanted to discuss.

  “Father,” she said. “Catherine has arrived and so I plan to spend most of my time with her. As you know, her stay is exactly the same as Lord Reginald’s.”

  It took a moment or two for her father to look up from his letter. When he did, she could see her words sink into his mind.

  “Well…” he said. “Until…”

  “Not until,” she said. “I am informing you of my plans for the next few weeks.”

  He sighed

  “Emmie,” he said. “Why do you always make me the villain in your narrative? I do not wish to be viewed as such.”

  “That is quite over dramatic, Father,” she said, as she sat on the sofa. “But I am confident that he will not be the man I wish to marry.”

  “And another title and wealth mean nothing to you?” he asked. “A secure future? Many women have accepted marriages for less, Emmie.”

  “Perhaps they have,” she said. “But I am not many women. I will always have wealth, from your life and from my first marriage. As for the title…”

  “Emmie,” he turned to fully face her. “You know that I understand your objections. But life can change quickly, especially for a woman, if she is unmarried. You need a man to do so many things in this world.”

  “But I should not have to!” she cried. “I am fully capable of thinking and making choices for myself.”

  “I know you are,” he said. “But it is not the way of the world, and you cannot change that. I am old, Emmie and…”

  “You are old, I agree,” she said, without a hint of tact. “But you are also very spry, and I do not see the end of your life coming quickly.”

  He was quiet for a few moments before he spoke again.

  “We did not see your mother’s life ending quickly either,” he said. “But it did happen.”

  Lady Emily looked away at that. She did not like to discuss her mother, because it brought a pain and vulnerability that she often wished to ignore.

  “Perhaps,” she said. “But it is unlikely we will have such bad luck twice. So, if I need anything at all, because society forbids it, I will have you to advocate for me.”

  “It is more difficult to do that when you are thousands of miles away,” he pointed out.

  She sighed.

  “Yes,” she said. “But it is manageable, if I do decide to travel. And besides, Father, you act as if I never want to marry again. That is not the case.”

  “I know that you wish to marry again,” he said. “But from what you have told me, it is not in the near future.”

  “That is not true either,” she said. “If the right man comes along, I would have no issue with marrying at dawn on Sunday. But this Lord Reginald is not the right man.”

  “Will you at least speak to him?” Sir Preston asked. “As he will be a guest in our home.”

  “Of course I will speak to him,” Lady Emily replied. “However, I will not speak to him as if we are assuming he is my future h
usband.”

  “And what if you do find yourself fond of him?” Sir Preston replied. “Will you refuse him on the basis that I chose him?”

  “No,” Lady Emily said. “If he changes the opinion that I have already formed of him, then that would be wonderful. You and I would therefore both be happy with the choice. However, I do not think he would change my opinion.”

  “And why is that?” Sir Preston asked. “What have you heard about him that has put you off?”

  “For one,” Lady Emily said. “I hear that he is married to politics and it is all he wants to discuss.”

  “Well,” Sir Preston said. “Those who have negative opinions of something tend to be the most vocal.”

  “I also hear,” Lady Emily said, “that he does love London and he never leaves. And while the city is exciting, it is not as thrilling as travelling. I do not wish to have a house in town and never leave.”

  “He does have a house in the country,” Sir Preston countered, and Lady Emily resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

  “In this country,” she said. “My interest is beyond Britain.”

  “Ah, my dear,” Sir Preston gazed at her. “At the very least, your mother would be proud of you.”

  Lady Emily raised her eyebrow.

  “Why?” she asked.

  “Because your mother’s dying wish was that you were loved and happy,” he said. “And despite the choices in front of you, you are both.”

  “That is true,” Lady Emily said. She did not wish to discuss her mother in depth, but she did find the courage to ask a question that she had never asked before. “And do you think she would approve of what I am doing in this moment?”

  “Your mother always surprised me with how worldly she was,” Sir Preston replied. “So perhaps.”

  Lady Emily let a smile come over her face.

  “Wonderful,” she said and rose. “So we are in agreement then?”

  “What are we in agreement about?” Sir Preston asked her, confused.

  “Thank you, Father,” Lady Emily kissed him on the cheek and then headed for the hallway, where she saw Catherine coming down the stairs. Sir Preston raised his eyebrows and went back to his writing. Lady Emily smiled at Catherine she approached.

  “Thank you again for the jewellery,” Catherine said. She was wearing one of the brooches that Lady Emily has given her. “This is beautiful, and it goes with my outfit.”

  “I am glad to see it on you instead of in the rubbish,” Lady Emily said. “We do have some time before the guests arrive. Would you like to take a turn in the garden?”

  “I would enjoy that,” Catherine said, and took her friend’s arm. “I hope it is not as muddy as the roads are.”

  “I do not believe so,” Lady Emily said. “The gardeners would never let it get to such a state.”

  The garden did have a little bit of mud in it, but the women were happy to stick to the path, which was well cleared of any offensive mud. The gardeners had filled in any puddles with dirt, and then smoothed it over. Lady Emily could see them working on various puddles up ahead, and so she walked slowly down the path, in order to allow them time to make it suitable for her walk.

  “I heard you discussing a few things with your father,” Catherine said. “I wish my parents listened to me in such a way.”

  Lady Emily raised her eyebrow.

  “You think my father was listening to me?” she said. “He was not listening in the slightest.”

  “He sounded like he was responding,” Catherine said, but Lady Emily shook her head.

  “No,” she replied. “We’ve had the same conversation several times before. He asks the same questions, and I give him the same answers, in the hopes that this time, he will remember. I am used to that.”

  “Oh my,” Catherine said. “Do you think it is because of his age?”

  Lady Emily shook her head with a laugh.

  “No,” she said. “It’s simply to do with the fact that his mind is in a thousand places at once. He prefers to work on many different things, even when there is one task that needs to be complete.”

  “I suppose such things are needed, when running an estate,” Catherine said.

  Lady Emily shook her head. “Well, if I were running the estate, things would be done quickly and efficiently, in a focused, organized way.”

  Catherine reacted in surprise

  “You mean...you would tell your estate manager…?”

  “I said, if I was running it,” Lady Emily replied. “I doubt I would have an estate manager. I often find that instructing someone takes more time than simply doing it yourself. In addition, then you can be assured it is done correctly.”

  “That is true…” Catherine said, carefully. “But you cannot run an estate.”

  “Why?” Lady Emily challenged her.

  “Well, because you are a woman,” Catherine said.

  Lady Emily sighed as they walked through the rose garden. “That is what the world says, at the moment,” she responded. “It does not mean that I am not capable of doing so. And it does not mean that the world will not change.”

  “Well, if anyone can do so, it is you,” Catherine said, fondly.

  Lady Emily smiled. “I do admire your confidence in me,” she said “I doubt that many others would say such a thing.”

  “I especially like when you say such things at gatherings,” Catherine giggled. “The look on everyone’s face often keeps me up at night with amusement.”

  “Oh my,” Lady Emily teased her. “I had no idea I was causing you to lose sleep, my friend. This simply will not do. I must conform and not say such scandalous things in the future.”

  “It is all right,” Catherine replied. “It is not as if I have much to do except sleep. You are right, Emily. Without a husband or an estate, we as women do not have much to do with our days. I suppose we are to be grateful for such things.”

  “I am not grateful,” Lady Emily replied. “But it is the way, at the moment. Besides, would you not be perfectly happy with a husband and children to occupy your time?”

  “Were you not happy, with Lord Hambleton?” she asked.

  Lady Emily sighed. “For the time he was around, yes, I was happy,” she said. “And I had a future planned for us, with a long list of achievements and activities. I suppose, had he not gone to the colonies, that life would be very different now. Perhaps I would be travelling with him, or perhaps I would be experiencing motherhood.”

  “Motherhood,” Catherine sighed. “That is a future I can barely wait to achieve. It seems such a joy.”

  “It does,” Lady Emily agreed. “But there is no point dwelling on things we cannot achieve in this moment. We should dwell on things that we can change; this moment; this day.”

  “What can we change on this day?” Catherine said. “Did you find out from your father who else is attending the hunt?”

  “I did not,” Lady Emily admitted. “But I am sure we can return inside to ask him.”

  “I do not want to appear...self-centred,” Catherine said. “I am sure I can wait to see who arrives. Besides, for all I know, they are all married, and my hopes are up for nothing.”