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Chapter One
London, May 1817
Earl of Montrose’s Townhome
“I’m so happy for you both, truly,” Lady Arabella Simpkin said to her brother, Alvin, the Earl of Montrose, and his betrothed, Lady Jacinda Carson.
Lady Jacinda was a dark-haired beauty, one of the glimmering diamonds of the Season, and she knew her brother had fallen for his betrothed almost as soon as he’d looked upon her.
They were beaming as they held hands in front of Arabella, both unable to stop smiling. Arabella couldn’t either, and she hoped they couldn’t detect anything besides happiness in her expression. She rose from her seat and reached her hands out for them. They each took one, and Arabella fought back a slight sense of loss.
“You will be so happy together; I know you will,” she said.
“Thank you, Arabella,” Alvin said, his blue eyes dancing as he leaned forward to kiss her on the cheek. “We just couldn’t wait to tell you.”
Jacinda was bouncing on her toes, and when Alvin pulled away, she grabbed Arabella into a tight embrace. “We shall be sisters! I cannot wait.” She sighed with delight and held Arabella back from her. “It will be published in the paper tomorrow, and then the whole ton will know.”
“Very good. Please, this calls for champagne, I believe, brother,” Arabella said, and Alvin laughed, heading for the door.
“Quite right, sister. I will go and send for it at once.
He left, leaving only the two ladies in the sitting room. They sat down on the chaise, and Jacinda held her hands.
“Arabella, I know that you and Alvin have suffered so at the loss of your parents, but I hope that you, too, can consider my family yours when we marry.”
Arabella’s eyes were moist, and she smiled at her soon-to-be sister-in-law. “You are so kind to me, and I will certainly think of you as family. I already do.”
It was true. In the last year, Jacinda had become very dear, and her family had always been kind to Arabella. Her father had died a couple of years before, and now she and Alvin were completely on their own. But now the engagement had been announced, she felt more alone than ever. As if her life had not yet begun and she was simply waiting for it to start.
“You will find someone, too,” Jacinda said, reaching out to push a strand of Arabella’s dark blonde hair behind her ear.
Arabella cast her eyes down at her hands. “Do not worry about me. Think only of your own happiness.”
A pair of hazel eyes, a sweep of dark brown curls, and a strong jaw flashed in her mind. But she swallowed, pushing that face from memory. It didn’t serve her well to think of him any longer. Or his kindness, intelligence, and how he’d made her feel.
“Well, Mother is very excited. She has big plans for the wedding preparations, but I’m happy enough to have a simple wedding.”
Arabella chuckled. “Knowing your mother and the fact that you are a daughter of a duke, my friend means that you will have the wedding of the Season.”
Jacinda rolled her eyes and laughed, and Alvin returned, with the butler trailing behind, carrying a tray of two champagne bottles and glasses. He poured a glass for each of them, passed them out, and bowed, leaving them to their celebrations.
“I shall make a toast,” Alvin said, lifting his glass with a sly, handsome grin.
Arabella lifted hers as well, watching her brother with amusement. He was older than her by almost ten years, yet she could still remember his boyish ways, teaching her how to climb trees, play ball games, and whistle. It seemed strange now that he was the Earl of Montrose, about to wed, and with such responsibility on his shoulders.
I am now a part of that responsibility he must shoulder.
That thought made her smile falter just a little. Being a burden was never something she had aspired to be. But she didn’t want anything to dampen her brother’s happiness. The death of their father had nearly killed him, but right then, he looked as if he’d finally been able to pack some of his grief away.
“To my soon-to-be bride, Jacinda. I love you dearly, and I am so glad that you and I will begin this journey of life together.”
She and Jacinda smiled, and then when she was about to drink, Alvin continued. His kind eyes turned to her, and he lifted his glass towards her.
“And to you, dear sister, who has always been a rock of strength for us both. You are beloved and cherished, and I am so very grateful that I have at least one member of my family here to celebrate my new happiness with me.”
Arabella felt her heart break a little inside, and one tear slipped down her cheek, but she quickly wiped it away. “Thank you, Alvin,” she said in a hoarse tone.
He winked at her, and then they drank, Alvin, sitting down to listen to Jacinda’s excited ramblings. “I think we should get married on a beautiful sunny day, Alvin,” she began, and Alvin chuckled.
“It is difficult to find a sunny day in London, my love. Especially in the springtime. But next month, when we have the wedding, it may be easier.”
“Oh surely, God will look kindly upon us and grant us one sunny day for a beautiful wedding?” Jacinda asked, making everyone burst into laughter.
Arabella smiled and listened as they continued to share their hopes and dreams for their wedding day. The ghost of her past, however, continued to prey upon her. She thought she’d been rid of him for years, but now he was returning with a vengeance.
She drank the rest of her champagne and prayed for strength. Love was a long time ago. It could certainly be forgotten with enough time.
Could it not?
Chapter Two
London, the Duke of Vanier’s home
Edward James, Earl of Jameson, only son of the Duke of Vanier, stood at his father’s familiar doorstep, the same red door in front of him. It had been four years since he’d seen it, since he’d even set foot in England, but now it was as familiar to him as if he’d only been gone a few days.
He looked around. The light was growing dim, but people were still on foot or in carriages, returning home from a late luncheon or meeting with friends. He saw the nannies taking their charges back to their homes, children skipping on the cobblestones. Large, beautifully fronted homes lined the expensive street, and he took a big breath of London air.
Home.
He hoped his father would still be awake to greet him. He wasn’t sure how well he was feeling that day, but Edward hoped that with his surprise return, his father would begin to get better again. With a slight nervous ball in his stomach, he knocked on the door. It opened quickly, and on the other side, a delighted butler grinned at him.
“Young Master Edward!” Mr Greaves cried, a big smile creasing his wizened face. “Your father will be so pleased to have you back.”
Edward chuckled, glad to know that even though he was thirty years of age and an earl, the old butler still saw him as a little boy.
“Thank you, Greaves.”
“Come in, come in!” the butler said, patting him on the shoulder as he stepped inside. “You will have to tell me all about your adventures one day.”
“I will, I will, of course. It is good to see you. I see you are holding down the fort most admirably, Greaves.”
The butler beamed with pleasure. “Always. And your father has always eagerly awaited your return.”
“Thank you, Greaves.”
Mr Greaves took his hat and coat and sent footmen out to collect the trunk from the waiting carriage. As he did, Edward took in his home. He strolled out of the entrance hall and into the main foyer. It was just as Edward remembered it, and he knew that his father would not have done much to the place in his illness. But Edward felt it was odd it should be so the same, for it felt like he had undergone such a transformation in the past four years on the Continent.
“Your father is in the library, Master Edward. Perhaps you would like to surprise him.”
Edward turned and gave his old butler a big smile. “Yes, I think I would.”
He made his way there, thinking over what he might say. He’d left hurriedly four years ago with hardly any suitable explanation. He wondered if his father would forgive him. Swallowing hard, he knocked on the door before he opened it. When he did, he found his father seated in one of the thick armchairs by the fire, a newspaper in hand.
“Greaves, what was all that noise at the front door?”
Edward smiled, his heart loosening at long last at having returned home. He smiled at his father’s dark hair, which was now a little threaded with gray. A pang of guilt assailed him. His father was ill, and yet he had run away in anger and hurt. He hadn’t had the courage to return until now.
Clearing his throat, he strode right up to him, his hands behind his back. “Father,” he said, and his father jerked his head to the side, staring at him with wide eyes.
“Edward,” he cried in surprise before he tossed down the newspaper and got to his feet.
Edward smiled as his father rushed to embrace him. “Good Lord, thanks be to God you are well and back to see me again.”
His father held him tightly for a few moments before he let go. Edward was pleased that his father was not angry, and when he looked into his face, he could see that his eyes were moist.
“What brings you home at long last, Edward?” his father asked, moving to pour them both a glass of brandy.
Edward sat with a sigh and took the proffered cup with a smile. “I wanted to see you, of course. I—I’m sorry that I was away for so long. I heard you have been ill.”
“Oh, that.” His father dismissed that with a wave of his hand. “The doctor says my heart is a bit weak, but once I rested more than I was going out, I started to feel a bit better. Although seeing you has made me lose ten years at least.” He grinned at him, lines forming at the corners of his hazel eyes, the eyes Edward shared with him.
“Good. I’m glad.” Edward sipped his whisky. “To be honest, it feels good to be home again.” He glanced around the comfortable, dark-coloured room, full of his father’s books and paintings.
“I’m so glad, my son. I hope you will stay long.” His head cocked to the side, and he narrowed his gaze. “Perhaps you will find yourself a bride while you are here?”
Edward gave him a weak smile before he turned his eyes to his brandy glass, watching as he swirled the brown liquid in the crystal. “No, that is not why I’ve come home. I have no plans to marry, Father. Not at this time.”
“I see. Of course.” His father nodded, looking into the fire. “Edward, you know I wish things had worked out differently in the past.”
Edward sucked in a breath, but he said nothing. The ache was still there, ever-present, and he had no interest in thinking about her anymore. She had caused him enough pain already. He thought he’d banished her image from his mind, but at that moment, perhaps now that Edward was closer to her than he had been in the past few years, her face flashed before his eyes: blue-green eyes, blonde hair, lips that made a man weak at the knees. The way she’d always known when he was upset and how she could make anyone feel as if they were the only person in the room.
And then she abandoned me.
“Is there any hope of a change, Edward?” his father asked, and a surge of irritation pulsed through him.
“No, Father. It is not something I wish to discuss. I left four years ago to forget it. So, you must, too.”
He paused then, disappointed at his harsh tone, but cleared his throat and tried to sound softer. “I do not wish to speak of it any longer.”
“Of course, Edward. Then we will speak of other things. There is much gossip to catch up on from the past four years. Did you know that Lady Desdemona has run away with her husband’s valet?”
“An Earl’s Scandalous Return” is an Amazon Best-Selling novel, check it out here!
Lady Arabella Simpkin once had a forbidden love, a love she had to give up due to her father’s wishes. After four years, her convictions begin to waver, and while her soul still craves the man she cast aside, his sudden return to town shakes her world. As she reunites with her lost love, their desires spark anew. As if that weren’t enough, a family scandal, concealed in secrecy, threatens to destroy her brother’s betrothal and her carefully constructed life.
Can the past destroy all of Arabella’s hopes for a future by the side of a Lord?
Earl Edward Jameson, heir to a powerful duke, once carried the searing wounds of a broken heart. Bitter and angry by Arabella’s betrayal, he sought solace in foreign lands, embarking on years of travel and adventure. However, when his father’s illness draws him back home, Edward is confronted with burning emotions he thought were buried. When Arabella asks for his help, he is not sure he can put aside the sinful past and the feelings that went with it.
Will this new adventure draw him closer to the Lady who once shattered his heart?
When Arabella begs Edward to join her in unravelling the mysteries behind her family’s scandal, they will both have to face their past wounds. Yet, as they get closer to finding the clues of Arabella’s past, they realise that the rekindled flame of their love burns stronger than ever. Will the long-kept secrets rewrite the script of their lives? Is there hope for passionate love to reignite after the relentless passage of time, schemes and deceit?
“An Earl’s Scandalous Return” is a historical romance novel of approximately 80,000 words. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happily ever after.
OFFER: A BRAND NEW SERIES AND 5 FREEBIES FOR YOU!
Grab my new series, "Lust and Love in High Society", and get 5 FREE novels as a gift! Have a look here!
Hello my dear readers. I hope you enjoyed this sneak peek! I will be waiting for your comments below. Thank you so much! 🙂