Waltzing in the Snow, page 1
WALTZING IN THE SNOW
A REGENCY CHRISTMAS STORY
LAUREN SMITH
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2021 by Lauren Smith
Edited by Noah Chinn
Cover art by Evelyne Labelle of Carpe Librum Book Design
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher constitutes unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at lauren@laurensmithbooks.com. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
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The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.
ISBN: 978-1-956227-29-1 (e-book edition)
ISBN: 978-1-956227-30-7 (print edition)
CONTENTS
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Bewitching the Earl
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
About the Author
CHAPTER ONE
There was nothing more vexing than having a gentleman with a devilish reputation ruin a lady’s enjoyable ride in Hyde Park with an eligible bachelor in order to save her from certain doom. But that’s exactly what was in store for Arianna Asgil as she rode along the wintry, snow-covered paths of Hyde Park with said eligible bachelor, Mr. Solomon Cumberland.
Things had been going so well that Arianna’s chaperone, her married friend Daphne Grant, the Countless of Huntley, had been kind enough to give Arianna space to be properly courted by Mr. Cumberland. Ordinarily, it was nearly impossible to have a moment alone, but on this day, she had hoped to manage it.
“Miss Asgil, I’m sure you know why I asked you to ride with me today.” Solomon’s blue eyes brimmed with desire as he gazed at her.
Arianna flushed with excitement. Was it finally going to happen? Was this gentleman going to profess his love and propose? She had set her cap for him two months ago and was determined, this time, to finally marry. After two failed seasons, she was desperate for a successful match.
Living with her parents was no great tragedy, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to allow society to relegate her to a quiet life in the country, which was often the fate of unmarried ladies of highborn status. Although her mother had been a society success, she wouldn’t have had much of a chance to keep a spinster daughter in public without facing some ridicule.
Arianna would give anything to run about the country as wild as a hoyden, but that option would only embarrass her parents. They would stand by her, but she didn’t want to put them through that. Better that she be married and have a bit of freedom as a married woman. Now she had pinned her hopes on Solomon Cumberland because of the rumors she’d heard that he was wife hunting.
“I am ready to hear anything you wish to ask, Mr. Cumberland.” She shot a glance back at Daphne, who had paused her horse on the path so she could speak to another lady. For a moment, Arianna and Solomon were alone. He’d been quite the gentleman this last month, bringing her flowers, paying calls at her home, staying for tea—all the things a gentleman would do when wooing a lady he planned to marry.
Solomon’s eyes glowed again. “Come this way. What I wish to do requires a bit of privacy.”
This is it . . . Arianna guided her horse to follow his down a shady path where the wintry breeze failed to reach them. Solomon slid smoothly from his horse and helped her down from her own. They tied their horses to a low branch of a nearby tree and walked deeper into the secluded area.
“What is it you wished to ask me?” Arianna prompted once they paused. They had surely gone far enough down the lane, and this was a perfect spot for a proposal. She tried to burn the moment into her mind, the light glinting off the patches of snow and the glowing sun warming her face. This would make for a beautiful memory.
Solomon turned to her, a new gleam in his eyes that went beyond desire. It reminded her of the look she had seen on the face of a dog that had tried to bite her when she was a child. Her heart suddenly kicked against her ribs in warning.
“Oh, I have nothing to ask you,” he said smoothly as he grasped her waist and jerked her against him.
Arianna’s gasp of surprise was silenced by his mouth coming down hard over hers. It wasn’t romantic, and it certainly wasn’t pleasant.
She shoved hard against his chest, and he stumbled back, shock registering on his features. Arianna was built like an Amazon, according to her mother; she was not a tiny creature who would make easy prey.
“Stop this at once, Mr. Cumberland,” she warned, breathing hard as he advanced. “I thought you planned to . . .”
He cocked his head to one side as though puzzled. “To what?”
“To ask me to marry you,” Arianna replied, backing up another step, though she loathed to retreat.
“I thought you and I understood each other, Arianna. This”—he waved a hand between their bodies—“was about mutual pleasure. You’re not a fair young maiden of seventeen anymore. Surely you know no man will marry you at your age, not with your height and build. The best you can hope for is this.” He lunged for her again, and she was so startled and horrified at his words that she found herself unprepared.
Pain shot up her body as Solomon tackled her to the ground. She fought and tried to scream. He slammed a hand over her mouth, and she had a mere second to land a blow, striking him squarely in the eye just as her older brother had taught her. He cursed and slapped her across the face. Ears ringing and her vision swimming with the unexpected blow, she braced for whatever he would do next, while desperately trying to collect her thoughts into some coherent plan of escape.
A moment later, Solomon was flying off her and rolling away on the snowy grass. The noonday sun illuminated a figure towering above her, the man’s blond hair lit with an angelic glow.
A deep and familiar voice called her name. “Arianna? Are you all right?”
She nodded, dumbstruck, as she gazed up into her rescuer’s face. She’d never expected to see him again, at least not up close.
Derrick Seabright, the man she had once loved as a foolish young girl, had thrown Solomon off her, and now that she had nodded to indicate she was all right, he lunged for Solomon as the man climbed back to his feet. Without a word, Derrick delivered blow after blow upon him, until the man lay still on the ground and a groan escaped his lips.
Only then did Derrick turn back to face her. She couldn’t help what happened next as she tried to stand. Her knees buckled, and her whole body trembled like the last frail leaf clinging to a branch just before winter arrives. One light breeze and she would fall.
Derrick crouched and, with surprisingly gentle hands—hands that had beaten her attacker mercilessly just moments ago—lifted her into his arms.
“Did he hurt you, Arianna?” he asked.
“No . . . no.” She touched her cheek and flinched. Derrick continued to gaze at her, worry shadowing his hazel eyes.
“He struck you?”
“Yes, but—” She halted him when he growled and faced Solomon’s prone form. “Please, Derrick, I wish to leave. Now.”
For a moment, she was safely in his arms, the heat of his body bleeding into her chilled form as she curled her arms around his neck, feeling more than ever like a small, frightened child. It was a terrible feeling, yet with Derrick, the man she’d always trusted to protect her, she knew she was safe. His barely restrained violent gaze warned her that if they didn’t leave immediately, he would attack Solomon again. Some bloodthirsty part of her wished to see Solomon beaten further for what he’d tried to do, but the rest of her just wanted to be as far away from the man as possible. Solomon had betrayed her trust, and the thought of what might have happened if Derrick hadn’t arrived in time left her trembling and sick to her stomach.
“Arianna!” Just then Daphne rounded the thicket of trees and entered the lane. She urged her horse toward them. “Dear God, what happened? I stopped to speak to Lady Essex, and then you were gone . . .”
Her eyes swept from Arianna to Derrick and then to Solomon on the ground. She pulled her horse to a stop and slid from the saddle. Arianna knew that her friend was trying to piece together the strange scene before her; then Daphne’s eyes widened in shock.
Arianna should have pulled free of Derrick’s arms, but she was still too unsteady to stand on her own. She needed just a moment more to gather her wits and regain her footing—and it was not because she was enjoying the bliss of safety and warmth his arms around her created. No, not at all.
“Lord Seabright,” Daphne greeted.
Derrick nodded but said nothing.
“Arianna, what happened? Should someone see to Mr. Cumberland, or . . . ?”
The man moaned on cue as he continued to lie on his back in the snow.
“Leave the bastard where he is. He deserves no aid,” Derrick declared flatly.
“Oh goodness . . . I feel I need an explanation.” Daphne’s gaze now settled on Arianna and Derrick ag ain.
Arianna had been an utter fool, and now her friend would discover that. Part of her wanted to die of mortification. The rest just wanted to go home.
“I thought . . .” It was hard to hide the trembling in her voice.
“Why did you come down this way?” Derrick demanded. His gruff tone, the one she was used to whenever he spoke to her, was back. “Don’t you know what this place is?”
“I thought he was going to propose, but he had other . . .” Arianna glanced about. “What do you mean? What is this place? It looks like an ordinary lane in the park.”
“He’s right.” Daphne’s tone was quiet. “This is Scandal Lane. Men only bring women here for things other than proposing marriage.” Daphne turned pale as she glanced about and then turned her attention to Derrick. “Did anyone see you come here, Lord Seabright?”
“No, no one else is nearby. I was coming up on the opposite side of the lane,” Derrick said. “If the three of us leave now, we may yet avoid scandal.”
“Agreed. Quick, we must leave this lane, Arianna.” Daphne urged them back toward the horses. Derrick helped Arianna up into the saddle, then assisted Daphne into hers. Once he had mounted his own horse, they quickly exited the secluded part of the park.
“Smiles, everyone,” Daphne said as she reached over to pluck a few stray leaves from Arianna’s riding habit. Arianna reached up to touch her hair and winced at the mess of wet tangles that touched her gloved fingertips.
“If anyone asks, say you had a fall,” Derrick murmured to her.
Arianna glared at him. The very last thing she needed was to be seen in this devil’s company. That was far more of a concern to her than her appearance at the moment.
The last few years, Derrick had acquired quite a reputation in London. He’d had several famous actresses for mistresses, and there was even a rumor that a houseful of courtesans had not been able to satisfy his desires. Not that Arianna was supposed to know about such things, but Daphne’s husband told Daphne all the latest scandals from his gentlemen’s club, or, “the last male dominion not subject to female interference,” as Arianna’s father jokingly called them.
“Arianna, your riding habit and cloak are soaked from the icy ground and a bit muddy,” Daphne pointed out.
“Heavens . . . We must go home at once.” Arianna could not afford to be the subject of gossip, not when she’d already had so much trouble getting even a man like Solomon to pay court to her.
“Lady Huntley, I can escort her home with you,” Derrick offered.
“No.” Arianna shot a determined look at Derrick. “Lucas might be there.”
“He isn’t,” Derrick replied. “I know for a fact that he’s at his club this afternoon.”
Arianna relaxed a little. If Lucas was not home, then she would avoid a lecture from him. More importantly, he and Derrick would not have a chance to quarrel—or worse . . .
Her brother had once been the best of friends with Derrick, but that had changed a few years ago and now they avoided each other and refused to speak to one another. Lucas refused to speak of Derrick or the situation that had broken their friendship. The reason for their falling out had always been a mystery, but as much as Arianna wanted to ask him, she far preferred to get home quickly to avoid the wagging tongues of gossip.
Thankfully, they left the park without calling too much attention to themselves, but the ride home took far longer than she wanted it to.
“Oh heavens, Arianna. I forgot I need to make it to my meeting this afternoon at Gunter’s,” Daphne lamented. “It’s what Lady Essex was reminding me of when I saw her. I don’t have the time to see you all the way home . . . If Lord Seabright were not here, I’d skip the meeting, but seeing as he is a trusted family friend, perhaps I can leave you in his capable hands?”
“I’d be happy to see her safely home,” Derrick said. “Assuming Arianna does not object.”
Oh, she wanted to object—desperately—but she knew Daphne’s meeting was important to her. One didn’t miss a meeting with the Society of Rebellious Ladies, especially since Daphne was the one scheduled to be presenting. It was a prestigious honor to present a subject before the society.
“Go—I shall be fine. Lord Seabright is a family friend . . . or at least he was once,” she reassured her friend.
Daphne bit her lip, her gaze darting between Arianna and Derrick. “Well, only if you’re sure.”
“I’m sure I’ll be fine,” Arianna promised her friend.
Daphne bade them farewell and raced toward home.
Once they were alone, Derrick shot Arianna a devilishly bemused look. “I was once a family friend?”
Arianna flushed, but she wasn’t sure if it was embarrassment or anger that caused it.
“All I know is that one day you and Lucas were as close as brothers, and I was . . .” She slammed the lid on those thoughts and locked them away. “Then the next day you were no longer speaking and you never came home.”
“Home.” He said this softly, a hint of wistfulness there that made something strain painfully in her chest. She had meant to say he’d never come to her and Lucas’s home, yet she’d said home as if they’d shared her home. Strangely, it had always felt like her home had been his. How wrong of her to believe that after everything that had happened.
He cleared his throat, his gaze fixed elsewhere. “Your brother and I . . .”
“You can’t even say his name.” Arianna didn’t mean to sound accusing, but her tone was a little rigid.
Derrick scowled and shifted his grip on his reins, their horses nearly bumping shoulders.
“Perhaps we should talk about you, Arianna.” He tightened his reins, and his horse tossed his head with a huff. “What the bloody hell were you doing on Scandal Lane with Cumberland? Explain that to me.”
“I don’t have to explain that or anything else to you.” She urged her horse to go faster, but Derrick reached out and caught the reins, stopping her from moving away from him.
She didn’t want to explain anything to this man. She’d been madly in love with him since she was a young girl. She’d dreamed that when she had her debut season, he would dance with her and fall deeply in love with her. But that day never came, and in the last two years she had come to know better than to hope for a wild, mad love. But she did hope she would find a man she liked well enough and that they could at least be tolerably happy.
“Arianna.” He sighed her name as though it pained him a little. “You could have been hurt terribly today.”
As if she didn’t know that. She had made a foolish assumption about Solomon, and she had paid for it with a bruised face and a sore body—to say nothing of her injured pride. She didn’t allow herself to imagine what might have happened if Derrick hadn’t come along to save her. She cringed. No, she would not dwell on what could have happened. She forced that thought into another box in her mind.
“You have no right to lecture me, Derrick. None whatsoever.”
His sudden smile caused a traitorous flutter in her belly. “Now she calls me Derrick. Thank heavens. If you called me Lord Seabright all the way back to the house, I might have become put out.”
Arianna straightened her spine and did her best to look prim, something that wasn’t quite natural for her the way it was for other women. She had always been informal with him, perhaps because she’d grown up with him always around, and it felt wrong to call him Lord Seabright when the two of them were alone.
“Someone ought to lecture you,” he said. “In fact, someone ought to do a bloody lot more. I’m tempted to put you over my knee.”
Arianna jerked her horse to a stop. “How dare you!”
“Oh, come along, we haven’t time to dawdle. I have dinner at my club this evening.” He continued walking his horse slightly ahead of hers.
“Oh, we wouldn’t want you to miss that. I’m quite fine to go on alone.”
He continued to grin, damn him. “I’m afraid you’ll have no luck in ridding yourself of me. I’m quite determined to play the hero today.”
