Caroline and the Captain: A Regency Novella Read online

  Caroline and the Captain

  A Regency Novella

  by

  Maggi Andersen

  Copyright

  Caroline and the Captain

  Copyright © 2016 by Maggi Andersen

  Published by Maggi Andersen

  Edited by: D.J. Coleman

  Cover Artist: Melody Simmons

  By payment of required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented without the express written permission of copyright owner.

  Please Note:

  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead is coincidental and are the product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce, distribute or transmit in any form or by any means. For information regarding subsidiary rights, please contact the author.

  ISBN-13:978-0-9942291-9-9

  Table of Contents

  Copyright

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Epilogue

  MAGGI ANDERSEN

  Excerpt The Earl and the Highwayman’s Daughter

  Love seeketh not itself to please

  Nor for itself hath any care,

  But for another gives its ease

  And builds a Heaven in Hells despair

  The Clod and the Pebble

  William Blake

  Prologue

  Twenty Years Earlier

  “Do you know how I’m going to make my fortune, Nick?” Georgie asked, as he and his brother lay on their backs in the orchard, eating apples.

  “But you’ll be the Earl of Debenham,” Nicholas said, spitting out a seed. “You won’t need to. But I shall, I suppose.”

  “You’ll be all right. You have the brains. You’re like Father. I bet you’ll be the prime minister one day.”

  Nicholas shrugged. “How are you going to make all this money?”

  “Race horses.”

  He laughed at his big rangy brother. “You’ll be too heavy to ride ’em.”

  “I don’t want to ride ’em,” Georgie said. “I want to breed ’em. One day I’ll win the Derby Stakes.”

  “What about all the things an earl has to do? Father is busy all the time. He’s always saying how we must live up to our ancestors and preserve the estate for future generations.”

  “I don’t care much for any of that. It’s a pity you won’t be earl, Nick. You’d make a much better one than I will.” Georgie jumped up. “It’s hot. Let’s ride to the river for a swim. I’ll race you.”

  Nicholas shook his head. “You know you always win.”

  “You’ll beat me one day, Nick.”

  Nicholas jumped up. “Right, you’re on.”

  Chapter One

  England, 1816

  Gloves clasped in his hands, a black armband gracing the sleeve of his uniform, Captain Nicholas Bonham watched the coffin bearing his elder brother, George, Earl of Debenham, lowered into the ground. Nicholas was glad his mother hadn’t lived to see this day. George had been her favorite. It was impossible to tell what his father’s preference was if he’d had one. He’d been a cool man who didn’t show his emotions, and was more involved in politics than family life.

  The wind whistled through the trees, and a cold drop of rain splattered onto Nicholas’ cheek. Dashed English weather, couldn’t the shower hold off for an hour or two until George was decently buried? He angrily swiped away a tear. He’d been away fighting in Wellington’s Peninsular Regiment, the 52nd Light Infantry, and hadn’t been back to England to see George in years. Now there was no chance of it.

  His neighbor, the Baronet, Sir Marcus Mirrington stood amongst the small crowd with his wife and daughter. Miss Mirrington had been engaged to George when he suffered a fatal fall from his horse. She stood silent, her pale face partly hidden by her black straw bonnet. It was not usual for a young lady to attend a funeral. She must have insisted she be allowed to come. However, when she raised her chin to observe him, Nicholas could detect no sign of anguish in her still features. Her marriage to his brother had been arranged for financial reasons, as the Mirringham and Debenham properties ran together on the western boundary. His brother was an amiable fellow, might she have loved him?

  Amiable, but lacking a good financial head on his shoulders. George would not have wanted to leave Debenham Park in such a sorry state for Nicholas. He would rightly feel, at thirty-two, that he had years to rectify it. George admitted he’d never been good at handling the estate’s affairs. He was too trusting. When he’d left the running of the estate to his manager, the fellow had absconded with a large sum of money, and that, coupled with poor crops, and the sorry state England was in after years of war, the coffers of Debenham Park were now severely depleted. Not Dun Territory quite yet, but not far off, it seemed, unless something could be found quickly to remedy the situation. Nicholas hated that the tenant farmers were struggling with ramshackle cottages and not enough coal for next winter. He’d found a pile of tradesmen’s bills unpaid.

  George’s marriage to Sir Marcus’ daughter would have brought about the joining of two fine estates. The fact that the Debenham name could be traced back to Tudor times when the estate was gifted to Nicholas’s ancestor by Henry VIII, was undoubtedly attractive to the immensely wealthy, newly knighted baronet, for he had offered a much needed infusion of the ready, in the form of a lavish dowry.

  As Caroline was their only child and there was no entail, his estate, Mirrington Manor would one day have been George’s. A very attractive option, which George apparently had had no hesitation in accepting. Nicholas studied Miss Mirrington. Willowy in her dark-blue pelisse, she stood beside her mother in black bombazine. He wondered why Miss Mirrington hadn’t married long before she met George, as her first Season would have been five years ago.

  Apparently, when his back was to the wall, George had borrowed against Aunt Hetty’s inheritance. Foolish in the extreme, for Aunt Hetty was like all the Debenham’s—or at least those who didn’t die of an accident or on the Spanish plains—likely to live to be ninety. And good luck to her, Nicholas thought, with a fond glance in her direction, for a livelier lady he had yet to meet. She was one of the few who would remember Nicholas and George when they were lads.

  Nicholas stepped forward to sprinkle a handful of earth over the coffin, followed by the other mourners. The sound of dirt thudding onto the lid had a terrible finality about it. George’s dreams would now never be fulfilled.

  ♥♥♥

  Caroline surreptitiously studied the captain in his striking, scarlet infantry uniform, as he stood by the graveside. How different he was to dear George. Nicholas was a head taller, his broad shoulders slumped in grief, his face angular and somber where George’s had been pink and English and cheerfully round. A scar marred the smooth, tanned skin of one sharp cheekbone. The captain looked altogether too strong and harsh. Dangerous and unpredictable. He held his Shako u
nder an arm and his brown hair, streaked blond by the sun, ruffled in the damp breeze. A curved sword hung at his side.

  He cast a dismissive glance in her direction. Might he blame her in some way? She straightened her shoulders and sniffed back a tear. George was gone, along with her safe haven. She bit her lip at her own needy selfishness. But what would she do now?

  The funeral service concluded. “A sad business,” her father murmured. “Come my dears.” He ushered her and her mother to their waiting carriage.

  Chapter Two

  The small group filed past Nicholas to offer their sympathy. So few it seemed an insult, but George wasn’t one to socialize, and many of their relations had lost touch after moving to other counties. George had preferred to live a quiet life. Nicholas nodded his thanks at each expression of sympathy, while his grief and confusion at his brother’s untoward death caught in his throat and made it difficult to speak. Soldiers didn’t cry—not in company at least.

  When he was left alone at the graveside, he remained a few minutes to say goodbye. “Sorry I didn’t come home to see you, Georgie.” He turned with one last glance, and made his way to where his tiger waited with his horses. There was the wake to be got through somehow. When he’d witnessed so much violence and death, it was odd to think that nothing during his years away at war had prepared him for this.

  Ahead of him, Mirrington helped his wife and daughter into his carriage. Nicholas climbed into his phaeton and took up the reins as his tiger jumped up behind. Little had been explained about George’s death. He wasn’t prepared to leave matters alone; he was determined to find out what really happened. Perhaps the truth lay with Mirrington’s daughter. His gaze hardened as he watched their carriage disappearing down the road. Surely, she would have seen or heard something?

  ♥♥♥

  When Caroline arrived at Debenham Park with her parents, the mourner’s carriages were lined up along the gravel drive. The rambling stone house, which she’d begun to think of as her home, looked unfamiliar and unwelcoming, as if George’s spirit had left it. Inside the long drawing room, everyone gathered in a quiet huddle while food and drink was served by the sober-faced servants. She knew every member of the staff. They had suffered a sad loss too. George was universally liked.

  The new earl stood with his Aunt Henrietta, holding a glass of Scotch, while recalling episodes from his and George’s childhood, his mellow baritone voice at odds with the stark expression in his eyes. Caroline stood close enough to hear him praise George: his love of horses and his skill at riding to hounds. The earl recalled how George had ridden bareback from an early age. “Taught me a few riding tricks too,” Lord Debenham said. “They came in handy at times on the Peninsular.”

  Two of the guests standing behind her spoke of how strange it was that this had been George’s ultimate demise. “A woman can be a dangerous distraction,” one gentleman said.

  Caroline flushed angrily and turned to glare at him. He had the grace to look shamefaced. She despised the opinionated men of the beau monde. She’d never met one she liked except George. George’s brother had given her little reason to warm to him, either.

  When the captain spoke of his brother, his taut features softened. Seeing him vulnerable had a disturbing effect on her. George could never have been called handsome, but Nicholas undoubtedly was. Even while he stood with a glass in his hand, he seemed like a coiled spring. He tightened his chiseled jaw when he glanced at her, and his brown eyes drilled into hers, causing a nervous stirring deep in her belly.

  Caroline smiled at Harold, the house’s lone footman, who, like Kettle, the butler, had been in service at Debenham Park for many years. She refused his offered plate of food, fearing her stomach would reject it. The image of George lying dead still flashed into her consciousness. A vigorous rider forever stilled. Her fingers trembled and she put down the crystal tumbler of lemonade on a table. Would that image never fade? It might be easier if she didn’t meet Nicholas Debenham again. She calmed herself with the realization that as her father hardly ever attended parliament and then only the Commons, he was unlikely to run into Lord Debenham. He rarely went to London these days preferring to remain in the country. It was unlikely she’d meet the earl socially here either so her withdrawal from society could continue undisturbed.

  She hugged the good memories to herself to get through this dreadful wake. How much she’d enjoyed his companionship. But what she’d felt for George was not love. He’d been a steadfast friend, and her future with him would have been safe and comfortable. Her girlish dreams of marrying for love had been extinguished years ago.

  Caroline’s father went to speak to Lord Debenham. A moment later, he brought the captain to be formally introduced.

  “My lord.” She dropped into a curtsey.

  The earl bowed. “Miss Mirrington.” Up close, he had a generous mouth, his brown eyes reflecting the tortured dullness of disbelief, were completely different to his brother’s sunny hazel. For a moment, she wanted to reach out and touch him. The desire vanished when a hint of speculation crossed his face. Unnerved, her throat tightened. She fiddled with a stray lock of hair at her nape. “I’m sorry for your loss, Lord Debenham.”

  “Thank you. It’s your loss too, is it not, Miss Mirrington? You were with George when the accident happened I believe.” He raised his dark brows slightly. He wished to know more. What more could she tell him?

  “We rode together that day, but I didn’t witness the accident.”

  His searching gaze carried a world of experience which made her tremble. As if he was gauging the honesty of her words. He nodded, she hoped satisfied with her answer, and moved on to speak to others. The word leonine came to mind. The long hair streaked with gold, she supposed. She would never want such a man in her life.

  Chapter Three

  Nicholas had just finished breakfast when his butler, Kettle, announced Sir Marcus Mirrington.

  As Nicholas left the breakfast room, his neighbor strode into the hall with a look of regret. “I’m sorry to call so early, my lord. But I must leave for London later today, and I hoped to speak to you before I did so.”

  “Of course, Sir Marcus,” Nicholas said. “Come into the library, there’s a fire lit, can’t get accustomed to English weather. May I offer you coffee, or whiskey?”

  “Thank you, no.” Sir Marcus followed him into the large room, its walls lined with bookshelves below a heavily coffered ceiling. They each took a leather armchair set by the hearth.

  Sir Marcus crossed his ankles on the faded crimson Turkey rug, his gaze resting on Nicholas’s black armband. “I must apologize for the hastiness of this call, but I felt this could not wait.”

  His glance was shrewd and assessing, reminding Nicholas that Sir Marcus was known to be an ambitious man who’d made a considerable fortune in business and was at one time a large shareholder in the East India Company. No one achieved that level of wealth without being clever and astute. Nicholas waited, curious to learn what brought him here.

  The baronet removed an enameled snuff box from his pocket. He offered his blend to Nicholas who declined. Taking a pinch, Sir Marcus sniffed. “You are aware, of course of your brother’s intention to marry my daughter, Caroline.”

  “George wrote to advise me of it.”

  “It would have been advantageous for them both,” he said. “A likeable fellow, George. I need not tell you how deeply sad I am at his death, but perhaps something can still be achieved to benefit us both.” He sat forward. “I have a proposition to put to you, my lord. I make it now, because your brother made me cognizant of his financial situation with complete honesty. Although he was deeply in debt, he refused to sell any of his land. That’s something you must now deal with.

  “I wish to settle my daughter well.” He shrugged. “Mothers you know, are tender hearted. My wife wishes her daughter to remain close to home after her marriage. She is our only child.” Returning the snuff box to his pocket, he smiled. “Grandchildren and s
o forth.”

  “Yes of course,” Nicholas said politely, wondering where the baronet was heading. Did he think Nicholas would agree to sell him land?

  “I’m not aware of your future plans, but I wanted to advise you that the handsome dowry I placed on my daughter still stands, should you come to see the financial sense of a marriage between you and Caroline.”

  Nicholas was appalled. His brother was barely in the ground. “Sir Marcus. I appreciate your offer, but…”

  Sir Marcus held out his hands, palms up, then clasped them together. “I am aware that this is ill timed, but I’m also aware of the difficulty of your situation. You may need time to learn the true state of your finances, so I’ll take my leave of you, but when you’ve done that, and perhaps cannot find a suitable way out of your predicament, please think on it, if you will.”

  He rose. “I appreciate that you may prefer to look further afield, perhaps a titled lady. However, the joining of our properties should not be taken lightly. This could be a speedy answer to many of your problems, as it will allow you to keep your home, and gain a graceful, attractive wife into the bargain.”

  Nicholas strolled with him to the door. “I had not intended to wed for some years, Sir Marcus, but I’m appreciative of the advantages you offer, and shall give your proposal serious thought.”

  Sir Marcus bowed his head, put on his hat and strode to his waiting carriage.

  Nicholas watched him leave. He had no intention of considering the man’s proposal. Mirrington’s description of his daughter piqued his curiosity, however, for it gave little clue to her character. Graceful and attractive were her more obvious charms. Might she be difficult? Did her father want her gone from under his roof before she sank into confirmed spinsterhood? Nicholas needed time to get a handle on his affairs and seek advice from those his brother and father had trusted. He strode into the corridor and found Kettle.