Author's note:
This story is set in the Regency era between a man and woman of consenting age. It is entirely fictional. I've made an attempt at switching POVs here and hope you like it. Please enjoy!
If she had to endure another minute of her maid's mindless chatter, Lady Regina Anne Marie Liendelworth felt like she might very well go mad.
"Thank you, Jane!" She reached her doorknob. "That will be all for tonight."
"----and then the housekeeper... oh? Oh, do let me take down your hair. There are a very many number of pins. And then I can tell you about the hounds, my lady. I know how you adore them. I think I might just----"
"Not tonight. Thank you, Jane!"
And then she slammed the door shut behind her. With a shaky sigh, Regina pressed her back against the door. A small scuffle sounded on the other side like Jane was pacing. Thinking. Then came a light pressure at the door and a twist of the knob before the young woman lost her courage. Regina silently begged her to disappear. It took another minute and then, finally, finally, she was alone.
Slumping down to her knees, Regina closed her eyes.
Spring balls were a wondrous thing filled with sparkling drinks, cheerful dancing, and endless flirtatious. She should be exhausted and satisfied after floating through the halls and twirling on the dance floor. She should be smiling. She should be happy. But all she could do was stare at her slippers before kicking them off.
"And you!" She fumbled with her reticule before flinging it across the room.
Only two candles were lit in here. Jane had started to prepare her bed chamber for the evening, with the hairbrush out at her table and her nightly garments laid across the bed. The maid had even opened the large windows at the windowseat since she always needed the chance to cool down after such an energetic evening.
Yes, she should have been thrilled after such an evening. But it was all Regina could do to stop the tears from falling. Instead, she clung to her frustration. Her fears. The little truth in the back of her head that kept her from falling apart that she had a role to play and could do nothing beyond that. No matter how it hurt, she had done what she must. She had refused the man she loved, knowing they could never be together.
"Awful, dreadful thing!" Staggering to her feet, Regina pulled off one of her gloves. It was terribly difficult. They had so many little buttons. They fit her perfectly and tore so easily. She grunted as she flung one over toward the window. "I hate you!"
"You could have told me that sooner."
The voice made her jump back a step. She clutched her bosom in shock, wondering if she was imagining this. How could he be here? Had he stepped right out of her dreams? Her nightmares? Gasping for breath, Regina watched as the curtains by her window shifted and then he appeared.
Lord William Highbrow was as dashing as ever. Tall and handsome, he was one of the finest swordsmen in all of London. He'd performed for the royal family, they liked his skill so much. His broad shoulders and narrow waist revealed this. His perfect hands and high cheekbones had many of the women of the ton falling over themselves to catch his eye. But those eyes, deep dark blue and framed by long eyelashes, had settled on Regina at the start of the Season.
Now, he came upon her with a hard glare that made her wilt.
~ ~ ~
William had everything planned out earlier that morning. The plans had been made and he had been so certain that all would work out as it must. He was a busy man and timeliness mattered.
But then it all fell apart. His appointment with Regina's father, the first Duke of Hydesworth, had been cancelled while he waited on the doorstep. William had accepted it as a fluke because surely a man who'd come from a similar background as himself would not cut him.
A rough start to the day, but William had forged on. He was used to the occasional failure. But he wouldn't be where he was today if he let that stop him. So he had carried on, attending business and making plans before attending the evening's ball. He'd searched for the woman who had held his attention since his arrival in town at the start of the Season. Having come to support his brother, the newest Earl of Langdon, William had planned to be gone by winter only to catch Regina in his sight. They'd neared scandals with the fun they'd had, dancing in the gardens and hunting with his hounds. She was unlike anyone he had ever known, wild and free, prim and perfect.
Tonight, he meant to have her accept his suit even if he had not yet talked to her father. Only it had fallen apart when he finally tracked her down. He had convinced himself she was merely busy at the ball, unable to make time for him. Surely she would not avoid him when they had been planning for this.
But then he greeted her in the midst of her party, surrounded by other dazzling women who were nothing compared to her. William had asked her for a dance.
Instead of accepting, she had turned her back on him. She had lifted her fan. And she'd said, "A dance, with you? Surely not, my good sir. My card is full for the evening and I cannot cater to just anyone."
Sir,
not lord. Not the honorary lord he received as a second son. He had no title and he'd made his own way in life. What was he to a duke's daughter? The voice in the back of his mind had screamed at him when Regina offered this cut.
William had left, but he had not forgotten. Nor could he forgive.
He had come here at once and waited, wondering what the devil had come over her. After all this time, he deserved answers. Had she been toying with him all this time? Was none of it real? Gnashing his teeth and stewing in his boots, William refused to leave until he had his answers.
Now, he came out of the darkness to glare at Regina. Her chest heaved. She stared at him in surprise, her lips curved in a perfect circle. Plump and sweet, she was splendid as ever. Even with her hair coming apart and only wearing one glove, she was nothing but exquisite.
"William," she breathed.
"My lady," he growled. Rage soared through William as he stormed forward to hover over her, trying to tell himself that he didn't care for her any longer. That she meant nothing to him. That his heart didn't still beat for her and only for her. "What, was tonight not what you expected?"
Her brow furrowed. "What? I don't... oh. Oh, Will----"
