Stirring Passions by Maggi Andersen

 

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NEVER DANCE WITH A MARQUESS

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A confirmed bachelor inherits a family.

After her father dies, Caroline Leeming’s younger brother and sister are made the wards of Nicholas, Marquess of Pennington. About to embark on her first Season, Carrie must first spend a month at the marquess’s home, Elm Park. She is wary of him, will he allow her sister to live with her after she marries?

The marquess is a confirmed bachelor who wouldn’t want two children to raise. Determined to dislike him, the handsome marquess is not what Carrie expects. When he proves to be a kind and capable guardian for Arabella and Jeremy, rescuing them from scrapes, Carrie fears she is falling in love with him. As the days pass into weeks, she finds it unbearable to leave Elm Park for London and a life away from her family.

Suffering the tragic loss of his first love, and the recent deaths of his brother and father, Nicholas is determined never to risk his heart again. A historian, his life is one of routine while he manages his estate and spends his free hours in his library.
But his dying friend, Maxwell, Baron Leeming has asked Nicholas to become guardian to his children. He fears his younger brother, who is wanted for murder, will return to England and attempt to take control of the children’s fortune. Max’s young heir could be in danger.

Nicholas finds himself with not only two unruly youngsters who test his nerves, but a lovely debutante he must see through her first London Season. His sister, Lady Guinevere Winston, has agreed to be Carrie’s chaperone. But Nicholas finds it increasingly difficult to see her safely married. The entrancing young woman turns his safe, sober life upside down, and no suitor seems good enough for her.

Keen suitors pursue Carrie, but she wants no man but Nicholas. She is sure he loves her, if only he’ll admit it. Will he risk his heart?

The Never Series
Book 1 - Never Doubt a Duke
Book 2 - Never Dance with a Marquess
Book 3 - Never Trust an Earl

 Enjoy an exclusive excerpt!

Chapter Four

 

Candlelight from the silver candelabrum softened the dining room walls papered in dull red and gold chinoiserie. From his position at the end of the table, Nicholas considered the room greatly improved by the additions to his household: Bella in white, and Carrie in a flattering gown of pastel pink with a low neckline. He gave serious attention to his napkin as Abercrombie served the wine.

Nicholas held the crystal glass up to the light. “This wine is corked, Abercrombie. Replace it, will you?”

“I shall attend to it, my lord.” His butler whisked the carafe from the table and left the room.

Nicholas grimaced. He should not have been short with Abercrombie. His butler’s eyesight wasn’t as good as it used to be and even worse at night. He’d declined the offer of a handsome pension, and Nicholas saw no reason why he should retire, although he made sure Abercrombie had few duties to perform after dark.

Bella talked about a puzzle she’d discovered among the books and toys in the schoolroom. “We assembled it as children,” she said, “I wondered why you have it, Nicholas.”

 “My sister’s young son, Bartholomew, stays here occasionally. He’s a cheeky young fellow.” Nicholas was fond of the child. He knew where he was with a five-year-old boy. Youngsters made their thoughts and feelings known.

After the footman served the first course, Nicholas put down his spoon with a sigh. “Trouble in the kitchen, Abercrombie,” he said, when his butler appeared with another carafe of wine. “The soup appears to be cold.’

“Take it away,” Abercrombie ordered the footman. “I am sorry, my lord, the chef has had another argument with one of the kitchen staff.”

“Again? Dear heaven. I would expect better service in the army,” Nicholas said. “It serves me right for employing the French chef the Prince of Wales recommended.”

Bella gazed at him owlishly, while Carrie thinned her lips. Their governess had the good sense to lower her head and butter a roll.

Nicholas took himself and the matter in hand. “I must apologize, dinner will delight the palate I am sure, when we finally get it. Unless the chef has stabbed the fellow with the carving knife, then it might be cheese and biscuits.”

Bella giggled and Carrie smiled so sweetly that Nicholas’s heart skipped a beat. He adjusted his neckcloth with a deep frown. Startled, the footman’s hand shook as he removed his soup plate.

As Abercrombie attempted to add water to her wine, Bella placed her hand over her glass. “If I cannot grow used to drinking wine undiluted, how shall I manage when I go to London? I shall get foxed,” she said appealing to him with big green eyes.

“I am sure you will manage when the time comes.” Nicholas gestured to Abercrombie to continue to pour the water.

“Bella! Where did you hear that language?” Carrie gently scolded her pouting sister.

“Jeremy, of course,” Bella said. “There are several words for being…”

“But we shall not hear them tonight,” Nicholas said. If this continued, he would suffer a bad stomach and have to retire early in his role of aged uncle. Perhaps a shawl over the shoulders?

They served dinner at last, and his promise held true. No blood apart from the roast had been drawn in the kitchen. Pierre produced a feast, the dessert as good as anything the prince’s pastry cook, Marie Antoine Carême might have created.

After the meal they retired to the drawing room where Carrie, seated decoratively at the piano, played the instrument well but with little passion, while Bella sang with exuberance, and happily in tune. Nicholas thoroughly enjoyed their performance and demanded an encore. He jumped up to join them and sang the male part of The Lass from Richmond Hill. Afterward, the governess made up a four for whist.

He and Bella won, which earned him a kiss on the cheek, for which Miss Scotsdale scolded her. Even Carrie laughed, making her brown eyes sparkle. It was perhaps the first time she’d been at ease and amused since she came here. Nicholas drew in a breath struck by how lovely she was. The man who made her laugh would be a lucky fellow indeed.

Nicholas removed his neckcloth. Tonight made him realize he enjoyed company. He must invite the neighbors more often.

He undid the buttons on his waistcoat. But most within driving distance were older and rather sedate. It was agreeable to have enthusiastic young people around him. They lifted his spirits. Not enough to want to marry and sire his own, however. He knew himself too well. He was incapable of loving a woman fiercely again. It would be dishonest to enter marriage knowing this unless his bride was of the same mind. A mediocre marriage out of necessity wasn’t for him. For what sort of a life was that?

He’d told Max marriage wasn’t for everyone. And for what Nicholas had seen of some couples, it could be more hell than heaven. He loved his parents, but his childhood wasn’t a happy one. His father preferred hunting and gambling to his mother’s company. As a youth, Nicholas saw how unhappy she was. But it didn’t seem to concern his brother, Emory, who was more like his father. Nicholas favored his mother, who was bookish. She would have liked to study at university, but regrettably, that was not available to women.

The one matter which did trouble him was the necessity for sons. Without an heir, his cousin Eustice would inherit. Eustice had been prepared to step into Nicholas’s shoes when he went away to fight Napoleon and continued to show an interest in the estate’s running.

Bella and Carrie might have large broods. He could see himself at christenings and birthday dinners, then happily departing and returning to his quiet existence. He had not always felt this way he acknowledged with a sad pang. Marriage had once been very much on his mind, but that seemed like a lifetime ago. These days he sought a like-minded woman for a pleasurable liaison, and after it ended amicably, was content to return alone to Elm Park.

As the mantel clock struck twelve, Nicholas dismissed his valet and climbed into bed. How much happier Carrie was tonight. When she laughed, her brown eyes were like deep, warm chocolate. He saw that having her here would be a distraction. But once she’d gone to London, he could settle down to his work. He hadn’t written a line since she came, and he disliked his routine being disrupted. He must return to it tomorrow: breakfast followed his ride, and then he worked from nine to twelve, with estate matters after luncheon. He yawned and blew out the candle. Things were working out better than he expected.

***

“Has the staff made you welcome?” Carrie asked her maid, as she undressed.

“Yes, Miss Carrie.” Her eyes widened. “There was an argument in the kitchen. The chef yelled all these French words. Couldn’t understand a word of it, but it fair chilled my blood.”

“What is the housekeeper’s name, Anna?”

“There isn’t one. She was dismissed apparently.”

A house the size of Elm Park could hardly function without one. “Why? What happened? Have they employed another?”

“I don’t know.”

Dismissed? Why? Positions such as this were very difficult to find. It seemed a cruel thing to do. Did the poor woman make a mistake? Carrie frowned. “Thank you, Anna. You may go.”

Carrie pushed her long plait over her shoulder and turned back to Bella, seated on a stool before the mirror. She picked up a brush and ran it through her sister’s hair.

Bella giggled. “Wasn’t it fun when Nicholas sang the duet with me?”

“He has a pleasant singing voice,” Carrie said begrudgingly, remembering his deep baritone and the unwelcome thrill it sent through her. Her fingers fumbled over the keys until with a quick breath she’d doggedly continued. She hadn’t played her best, which annoyed her. His attractive demeanor made it difficult for her to keep her distance and remain wary of him which she planned to do until quite sure of him. She struggled to understand her feelings. “I thought he was most unkind to the butler.” She tugged on a knot in Bella’s long locks.

“Ow! Do you think so? I laughed when he said we might be eating cheese and biscuits for dinner. And he was such fun at whist.”

“Mm.”

“Lady Genevieve arrives tomorrow. I do hope you like her,” Bella said. The reflection of her eyes in the mirror searched Carrie’s.

“Of course, I will like her,” Carrie said. It would be so awkward if she didn’t. “It is extremely kind of her to chaperone me for the Season.”

“Yes but…”

“But what, dearest?”

“You don’t seem very happy, Carrie.”

Not liking the miserable expression on her younger sister’s face, Carrie smiled to reassure her. “I confess to being a little nervous about going to London, that’s all.”

“Why? You are beautiful. Everyone says so.”

She put down the brush. “It all seems so rushed. I don’t know if I’m ready to marry.”

“But we will stay together? If you do find a husband who will let me come too, I mean?”

“Let’s not think about it now, Bella. I don’t intend to marry just anybody,” she said, her fingers busy plaiting her sister’s thick wavy hair. Her choice would certainly not be a heartless, dictatorial man who dismissed his staff without a reference. “These things take time.”

Bella looked doubtful. “Might it be that long though? Marian Foulkes was married in her first Season.”

“Yes, I know.” Trying not to gasp at the prospect, she twisted a ribbon around the braid with nervous fingers. “But I shall always put you and Jeremy first,” she said firmly. “There.” She gave Bella’s shoulder a pat.

Bella turned on the stool. “I know you will, Carrie. It makes me feel guilty. That’s why I’m so glad we have Nicholas.”

“Yes. How fortunate we are.” Carrie patted her sister’s head. “Now, off to bed with you. Or Scotty will be cross.”

When Bella left, Carrie wandered over to the window. She sat on the window seat and gazed down at the garden, shadowy under a crescent moon. The scent of lilacs wafted in on the soft breeze. It was beautiful here. How pleased she was for Bella and Jeremy. They had a comfortable, safe place in which to live. But Nicholas, well, there remained certain things about him that worried her. He became exasperated with other’s failings, and as a bachelor would surely dislike having the responsibility of them. Would he take enough interest in Bella and Jeremy, who needed so much? Especially Jeremy who had taken their father’s death so hard? Despite her concerns, she came up tonight feeling a little relieved. He had been patient and amiable with Bella during the card game and charming when he sang a duet with her. Thinking of it made Carrie smile.

Why hadn’t he married? It was years since he’d returned from the war. He was past thirty and must have need of an heir. Might he suffer effects after his wartime experiences, as some men in Yorkshire did? She sighed. It was unlikely she would learn the reason.

She frowned and untied the ribbons on her dressing gown. Why he remained single was no concern of hers. She would see little of him in London once she was under his sister’s care. He wouldn’t have to concern himself with her at all. Until an offer had been made, at least. With an anxious intake of breath, she removed her slippers, drew back the covers and climbed into bed.

She snuffed out the candle, pummeled her feather pillows and lay back, closing her eyes. But Nicholas’s face remained in her mind, as clear as if he stood before her. Sometimes the corner of his mouth would lift in a gentle, ironic twist as if he saw amusement in things others might not see. With an annoyed huff, Carrie turned on her side. He could be quite appealing when it suited him.

A moment later, she lay on her back again and stared into the dark. Would she love her husband? Perhaps not at first, but she hoped she would come to love him. Papa had loved her mother so much he’d been devastated when she died. This only brought back the deep pain she suffered from losing Papa. Her throat tightened and her eyes filled with tears. She turned on her side again and quieted her mind enough to drift off.