Freed by a Scandalous Viscount (Preview)

Chapter One

“Would you like anything else, madam?”

Cecily looked up to see the housekeeper hovering over her. She fixed a smile on her face that felt far too strained.

“No, thank you, Mrs Ravenwood. I’m fine for now.”

“Are you sure, madam?”

“I’m sure.”

Mrs Ravenwood looked like she wanted to say something more but decided against it. Instead, she gave Cecily a brisk nod before leaving the room. Cecily took the smile away and let out a heavy sigh. God, it felt like the household staff was walking on eggshells now. It had been like that for the last week since she came out of mourning. Did they think she would have a breakdown or something? Cecily certainly missed her father, and she wanted him back, but going into hysterics wasn’t going to raise him from the dead. She just had to make do with what she had.

Her governess had raised her to be practical and strong. She had been holding onto those resources since his funeral, and they had been helping her. She wasn’t as weak as people thought.

Then again, given the fact she was now living with the new Duke of Beechwood, maybe it was no wonder the staff were concerned for her. Her Uncle Neil was not the kindest of people. His personality had often clashed with his brother Reid, Cecily’s father. They did not get along. Reid had said quite a few times that his brother was bad and they needed to be careful. It was more the servants than Cecily herself; he didn’t really talk much to her, if at all. Cecily was used to it by now.

Even after his treatment of her as she grew up, Cecily still wanted him back. She was used to how things were when her father was the duke. Things were remarkably different now her uncle had taken the title as the next heir. Including how Cecily was treated. Not from the servants but her uncle. Beechwood treated her like an inconvenience, much like usual, but now the intensity had increased. There had been many comments during her mourning period about how she should be married by now, despite Cecily having never had a Season due to her father passing away and not knowing anyone. He wanted to pass her off to someone else. Thankfully, because of her mourning, that was not possible.

Cecily was sure that was going to change. And she was getting edgy, wondering when it was going to happen.

From how Mrs Ravenwood had been behaving just now, it had to be soon. Cecily wished she would know sooner or later, just to prepare. Whoever her uncle had planned for her would be unsuitable for her; he would just find whoever wanted to marry a nineteen-year-old girl who didn’t know how to behave in Society due to never having come out. That was more unsuitable than someone considered past marriageable age.

Cecily wished she wasn’t looked at like chattel. She wanted to be a person, not a possession. Unfortunately, there wasn’t much she could do about that.

She looked down at her book, realising she had been staring at the last page for a while without noticing she had finished it. Closing it, Cecily got up and left the morning room, wondering if there was anything else to read in the library. She must have read everything at least once in there over the years. Maybe her uncle would agree to get her more books, just to keep her entertained and away from him. She hadn’t been permitted to play the harpsichord since he moved in as Beechwood didn’t like the sound of music. He had banned Cecily from ever using it, although she sneakily played a bit when he was out of the house. None of the servants, not even his personal servants, had said anything about it so far, so she was safe for now.

But how bad was it that she had to go around her own house and hide what she was doing? That was not right.

To get to the library, Cecily had to pass the study. Her father’s study, and now her uncle’s. Normally, she didn’t pay any attention, but the door was open, and words floated out to her as she passed. And Cecily slowed when she heard the voice of Beechwood’s personal secretary, Hugh Bell.

“The ship has come in, and the report is very good. The cargo is still alive.”

“How many this time did we bring in?”

“Seventy-nine. It was seventy-eight, but one of the women gave birth on the journey. According to the captain, both mother and baby are doing well, but he would like the doctor to be sure.”

Cecily wasn’t sure what she was hearing. Mother and baby? She didn’t know her uncle did passenger ships. Didn’t they just say cargo?

“Absolutely,” Beechwood responded. “We need to be sure that the mother can be put to work immediately. I’ve got quite a few contracts ready, and my clients won’t be impressed if they don’t get what they wanted.”

“What about the baby?” Bell asked.

“Put it in an orphanage. Nobody’s going to take a black rat in and raise it, especially not for women like the mother.”

Cecily couldn’t believe her ears. They were talking so callously about a little baby. How could they speak like that?

They couldn’t be talking about what she thought they were talking about, were they? Cecily moved closer to the door.

“By the way, the dockyard superintendent is beginning to ask questions,” Bell went on. “He’s not going to be deterred for much longer. We’ve managed to keep him distracted from what our cargo actually is, but once he finds out …”

“He’s not going to find out. I’m going to get him replaced.”

“How?”

Beechwood sounded very smug.

“You let me worry about that. The fewer people know about this, the better. You just focus on making sure our clients get their cargo. The better condition those people are in, the bigger the payments. Once money has changed hands, we’ve got nothing more to do with them.”

Oh, God. Cecily felt sick. She didn’t need to be smart to know what was going on. Her uncle was smuggling people into the country. She was aware that plenty of gangs kidnapped people and sold them into slavery across the ocean in the Americas or the Caribbean. But it was illegal. It should have been tackled years ago. Surely, her uncle wasn’t smuggling people into the country? He would be arrested.

“Madam?”

Cecily gasped and spun around. The butler Gregson, one of her uncle’s own servants, was walking towards her with a blank expression but with a suspicious glint in his eyes. Cecily instinctively backed away.

“Mr Gregson.”

“What are you doing outside His Grace’s study?”

“I …”

Cecily’s attempt to think of a reason for hovering outside Beechwood’s private study vanished when the door was flung open wider with her uncle framed in the doorway. His eyes blazed when he saw her.

“What do you think you’re doing, Cecily?” he snarled. “Listening at keyholes is very unladylike.”

Cecily wasn’t about to be cowered by these men. She had just overheard her uncle committing a crime. She straightened up and squared her shoulders.

“How long have you been smuggling people?”

Beechwood’s eyes narrowed.

“So, you did hear quite a bit.”

“They’re innocent people. You shouldn’t be treating them like they’re expendable.”

“Oh, but they are expendable. Useful for now and can bring in money, but they’re expendable. Besides,” Beechwood sniggered. “Nobody cares about people from the African colonies.”

“It’s illegal in this country!” Cecily cried.

“Only if I’m caught. And nobody’s about to say anything against me yet. As far as people know, people from a poor country are coming here for work and finding good jobs. That’s it.”

“I’ll say something.”

Beechwood’s jaw clenched.

“Oh, you will, will you?”

“Yes, I will.” Cecily glared at him. “You’re not going to treat these people like commodities. They don’t deserve to be taken away and forced into something they didn’t want. Just because you’re a duke now doesn’t mean you can behave in such a manner or use your new connections.”

For a moment, Beechwood said nothing. Then he lunged at her. Cecily barely had a chance to get away before he grabbed her arm and yanked her in. Cecily reacted on instinct and used the book to slap him across the face. For a second, Beechwood looked stunned. Then he sneered and raised his free hand.

“Two can play at that game.”

He backhanded her hard. His knuckles caught Cecily on the cheek, the force of the hit making the pain explode in her head. Cecily was knocked off-balance, sagging as Beechwood held her up easily with one hand. Then he practically tossed her aside, only for arms to wrap around Cecily and pin her in place. It took a moment to realise she was in Bell’s embrace, with him holding her prisoner. His grip was rock-solid.

“I doubt anyone would believe you, anyway,” Beechwood scoffed as he stepped in close, his face inches from hers. “You haven’t come out to the ton yet. Nobody knows you. I can easily say you’re a servant in my household who’s gone mad, and then you’ll be discredited. Nobody will come to your rescue.”

Cecily wanted to hit him again, but her arms were pinned, her book on the floor. Instead, she spat at him. Beechwood snarled and slapped her, hitting the other cheek. Then he turned away.

“Bring her, Bell. Lady Cecily has been very disobedient. She needs to be punished.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Bell started to lug Cecily towards the stairs, following his master, and Cecily began to panic. She had no idea where they were going. She began to buck in Bell’s grip, but he just would not release her.

“No! Let me go!” she screamed. “Get off me!”

“Not a chance,” Bell said in her ear. “Now stop trying to get away unless you want to get smacked around again. His Grace is very willing to do it.”

Cecily snarled and kicked back, catching Bell on the shin. That had Bell loosening his grip on her with a grunt, and Cecily tried to get away. But he grabbed her by the hair and twisted, the pain coming from her scalp making Cecily cry out as Bell forced her onto her knees. Beechwood turned at the bottom of the stairs.

“What’s taking so long, Bell?”

“Just a spritely young lady, Your Grace,” Bell replied. “She’s a real handful.”

“I know. Which is why I can’t wait to get rid of her now she’s out of mourning.” Beechwood waved for Bell to follow him. “Let’s get her into her room. She can sit and think about her position there.”

“Yes, Your Grace.” Bell used his grip on Cecily’s head to get her to stand up. “Come on, girl. You’re coming with us.”

“Let me go!” Cecily tried to pull away, but Bell just tugged her along. “I’m a duke’s daughter! You can’t treat me like this.”

“Correction. You’re a duke’s niece, which means you’re under his charge now. And if you’re going to be disobedient, you will be punished. Now come with me unless you want the hair yanked out of your head. I’d like to see you explain that to people and be believed.”

#

Cecily sat at the window and watched the gardeners below. They were trimming the roses in the rose garden, removing the dead flowers to keep the bushes bright and vibrant. It looked beautiful from where Cecily sat.

Unfortunately, she couldn’t go downstairs to experience them. Not on her own, anyway. Her uncle had told her while locking her in her bedchamber that she wasn’t leaving the house, not even to go into the garden, and if she left her bedchamber she was to be accompanied by either Bell or Gregson. Neither man was available whenever Cecily wanted to leave her room, and her lady’s maid Amy was not allowed to talk to her when she brought Cecily her meals.

They had made her a prisoner in her own home. Cecily hadn’t come out of her room in three days, and it made her want to climb the walls. If it hadn’t been for the books she had on her bedside table, she would have gone mad already from the solitude. Then again, she had read all four of them twice now, and Cecily was sure that would happen soon.

She wanted to panic at the situation, but she knew that wouldn’t help her. She needed to keep her composure and make a plan. What for, Cecily didn’t know. She just knew that whatever her uncle had planned for her wouldn’t be good. Just as long as he got her off his hands.

Would he sell her into slavery as well? Was he going to send her to America and be a slave on those plantation fields? Cecily knew she could protest all she wanted, but nobody would listen to her. They would think she was a woman with grandiose ideas or a madwoman. Cecily would truly be alone.

Or would she end up married off to someone she had never met? One of her uncle’s friends? That seemed more likely; Beechwood had made a comment about finally dealing with her now she was out of mourning. It sounded like he wanted to find her a husband and get rid of her that way. Cecily felt nauseous at the thought. True, a lady’s role in life was to get married and provide heirs for her husband, but she didn’t want to do it now. Not at her age, especially when she had no life experience beyond the walls of her home. Finding a husband when she hadn’t had her first Season was going to be pretty tough, but pairing her off with one of Beechwood’s friends …

God, that didn’t bear considering. That was too scary to contemplate.

One of the gardeners looked up and saw her. Cecily gave him a smile and a wave, but he didn’t respond. Normally, she would get a raised cap and a grin, maybe even a conversation if they came underneath her window. The gardeners were always very friendly and liked how she was very interested in gardening and the various flowers. Instead, he looked away quickly and said something to his fellow gardener, who also glanced up. They both turned away and got on with their work. Cecily’s heart sank. She understood why they were turning away – nobody wanted to be on Beechwood’s bad side – but it still hurt to be treated as a pariah. The servants would all be too scared to help her.

She was alone now. Not even those who had been here since she was a little girl and watched her grow up would be able to help her.

Cecily missed her governess. Miss Hall had been calm and collected, and she was always there for Cecily no matter what. Through her tantrums, the frustrations, or whenever Cecily just needed someone to talk to. She was the mother Cecily had never had. In fact, she was more of a parent than Reid Morton had been. Cecily looked up to her.

But when she was preparing for her coming out, her father had told Miss Hall she wasn’t needed anymore as Cecily was becoming a woman. He had dismissed her, and Cecily hadn’t even been able to say goodbye. She didn’t even know where she was anymore, and that really hurt. Cecily had not forgiven her father for that. It was cruel to dismiss a servant without her saying farewell.

He might have had a heart of granite, but that didn’t mean she should as well.

Being here with her father would be far preferable to her uncle. The old duke wouldn’t lock her away in her bedchamber for days with her food being brought to her on a tray and forbidden to leave. Then again, he would never smuggle slaves and profit from it; he abhorred smuggling.

He would be turning in his grave if he knew what his brother was doing, especially now he had a prestigious title to hide behind.

There was a scrabbling at the door, which had Cecily scrambling off the window seat. Then the door opened, and Bell came into the room.

“Come on. His Grace wants to speak to you.”

“I don’t want to speak to him.”

“It’s in your best interest to come with me. Unless you want me to lead you by the hair again?”

Cecily glared at him.

“Nobody should treat a woman like that. I am nobility!”

“And you don’t do as you’re told. If I have permission, I’ll treat you however I want.” Bell beckoned her impatiently. “Come on. His Grace doesn’t want to be kept waiting.”

Cecily thought about fighting back but didn’t think she had the strength for it. As it was, the food she was given wasn’t much. It was like they were purposefully starving her so she wasn’t strong enough to fight back.

Besides, she didn’t want to be yanked around by her hair. Her head was still throbbing from the last time. Cecily was surprised that her head hadn’t come out in clumps.

Smoothing her hands down her skirt, she stepped past Bell and left the room that had been her cell for three days. With the man close behind her, as if he thought she was going to bolt, Cecily went downstairs to Beechwood’s study. As they went down the hall, Cecily passed her maid Amy. Amy glanced at her before lowering her head and hurrying on. Cecily wanted to call out to her just to see a familiar and comforting face. But with Bell so close behind her, she didn’t think that would happen.

Bell stepped past her and knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

Bell opened the door and beckoned Cecily in. After a moment’s hesitation, Cecily entered the room she had only ever been in once in her entire life. Her father had made the room off-limits, telling her she was forbidden from coming in. Cecily had managed to get in once when she was eleven and playing hide-and-seek with her governess. She had hidden under her father’s desk. Miss Hall had found her and had scolded her soundly for entering a room she shouldn’t have been in. As far as she knew, her father never found out about it.

Even after that one time, Cecily could tell things were different. The decor had changed from a dark pink to a pale green, as had the upholstery. The desk looked far bigger and more ornate, and there was a huge trunk up against one wall. These had to be what Beechwood had brought him inside; Cecily was sure she had seen this desk being moved in when her uncle started making his changes around the house.

Beechwood sat behind his desk, looking at a letter with a dark frown. Cecily was nudged in his direction, and she came to stand before the desk. Beechwood didn’t react; he just kept reading. Cecily huffed.

“You wanted me?”

 

“You can be quiet until I’m done.”

“You expect me to be quiet after what you’ve done to me.”

Beechwood looked up, fixing her with a hard stare.

“The bruises haven’t faded, I see. Do you want some more?”

Cecily flinched. She had seen the damage in the mirror a day after he hit her. There was a bruise on her left jaw from the slap, but her right cheek had swollen from the backhand, turning a dark purple. There was even a cut from one of his rings, and it had bled for most of the evening. The pain from that had been the worst. While the cut had stopped bleeding, and the bruises didn’t feel as swollen, Cecily didn’t want any more.

It didn’t stop her from being really angry, though. Who treated their family like this? They weren’t thugs. Beechwood had never behaved like an heir to a dukedom and was certainly not behaving like a duke.

Beechwood went back to his letter, taking his time with it. Cecily knew it was to annoy her and make her squirm, but she refused to show it. She just stood there, hands clasped in front of her, glaring at Beechwood’s lowered head and imagining what she wanted to do to him. It was surprising how warped a mind could get when it was so angry.

Finally, Beechwood lowered the letter to the desk and sat back, fixing his niece with a cool gaze.

“You’re a troublemaker, Cecily. I thought you would be. You’ve been like this since you were a child.”

“You’ve barely seen me, so you wouldn’t know what I’m like.”

“While my brother and I didn’t talk cordially, he did tell me about you. About how you don’t make it easy for him after what you did.”

Cecily tried not to flinch.

“I was a baby. He can’t blame me for Mother’s death.”

“Well, he does. And he blamed you up until he died.” Beechwood sighed. “While I agree to blame you for something that was out of anyone’s control is unfair, and you had nothing to do with my sister-in-law passing away, I also agree that you’re rebellious and not easy to love. My brother did try, but he just couldn’t. After being in your company for a year, I can see why.”

If he was trying to insult her, it was working. His comment about her mother’s death in childbirth didn’t help matters much, either.

“What did you want to see me about?” she asked.

“I’ve found you a husband.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Baron Middleton has been looking for a wife for quite a while since his wife passed away five years ago. He still needs heirs but finding a wife has been tough for him. I said you’re the right age to bear children, and now you’re out of mourning, you would be perfect for him.”

Cecily tried to let the words sink in, but she couldn’t. She spluttered.

“What? You’re marrying me off to Baron Middleton? He’s old enough to be my grandfather!”

“He’s not that old.”

“I heard he’s in his fifties. That’s at least thirty-five years between us!” Cecily’s chest was tightening, and she was struggling to breathe. “You can’t do this.”

“Oh, but I can, Cecily.” Beechwood smiled. It wasn’t very nice. “I’m your guardian now. I can do what I want with you.”

“I refuse! I will not marry him!”

“You don’t have a choice. Besides, it’s already been arranged.” He gestured at her face. “Once your bruises have died down, which should take another couple of weeks, you and Baron Middleton will be married by special licence. I’ve already requested one from the archbishop.”

Cecily really couldn’t breathe now. He was going to palm her off onto someone else to get rid of her. She had met Baron Middleton before; he was an odious man, fat and sweaty. He also kept looking at her with a smile that made her really uncomfortable the one time they had met. Cecily really didn’t want anything to do with him.

She couldn’t do this. She mustn’t.

“I … I will never agree to marry anyone you want,” she hissed. “It’s not going to stop me from talking.”

“Like I said, no one will believe you.” Beechwood gestured at her face. “Besides, if you think what I did was bad enough, I know Baron Middleton will make it worse. One thing you can say about him is he’s very strong.”

He was starting to get out of focus. Cecily could feel herself swaying, the room tilting. Then everything went black as she saw the floor rushing up to meet her.

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“Freed by a Scandalous Viscount” is an Amazon Best-Selling novel, check it out here!

When the enticing Cecily Morton overhears her uncle dealing in some shady business, she is immediately locked away, until she is married off to someone who can keep her quiet. Escaping and running away seems like her only option, until she encounters a captivating Viscount who will kiss her fear away. If marriage is what it takes to save her from her wicked uncle’s clutches, then the risks are unthinkable…

Yet, with her heart on fire, will she manage to make the right decision?

Viscount Simon Huntington, is frustrated with his father trying to arrange a marriage between him and an odious woman. Little did he know, though, that the most scandalous chapter of his life is about to begin, when an enthralling lady literally runs into him, desperate to escape her tormenting life. He soon finds himself thinking that she may be his way out of his misery… After all, his father wanted him to get married, so he can not complain, can he?

What if a marriage with an enthralling stranger brings more danger than direction?

The passion burning between them is beyond their wildest imaginings, and they soon start to surrender to their sinful desires. However, when Simon is coming closer to discovering the shocking truth, will Cecily find the courage to show what lies deeper in her heart? As past hurts surface, will forgiveness reunite them or will Cecily’s vicious uncle steal their hopes for passionate love, once and for all?

“Freed by a Scandalous Viscount” is a historical romance novel of approximately 80,000 words. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happily ever after.

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