Title:
Lord Fearghal’s English Bride part of the Regency Summer Weddings Anthology
Author:
Regina Jeffers
Genre:
Regency romance; historical fiction; historical clean romance; classic romance fiction; anthology
Book Blurb:
Lord Fearghal’s English Bride
HERS WAS A CONVENIENT ARRANGEMENT
Lady Claire Waterstone has spent more years out of England than she has enjoying English society. In fact, she feels very odd in making her Come Out with girls four to five years her junior. Claire has never known a "home" of her own. And while several gentlemen are eager to claim her hand, she knows their ardor has more to do with the size of her dowry than true affection. Then she encounters Lord Ainmire Fearghal, an impoverished Irish earl, whose tales of how he sees his land creates in her a desire to share it with him. Claire, therefore, abandons decorum and proposes to Lord Fearghal. However, his roguish charm soon has her wishing for more than a marriage of convenience.
HE BARGAINED FOR HER FORTUNE, NOT HER HEART
Fearghal has only one purpose in marrying Lady Claire: Save his estate. Melhman Manor reeks from inherited debt, and Fearghal requires a wealthy wife immediately. Originally, he thought to leave Claire in London, but his wife soon puts an end to those thoughts, but when she suggests Ainmire's cousin could be working against Ainmire's efforts to save his land, Fearghal and Lady Claire strike a different type of bargain - one based in trust and loyalty and the beginnings of love.
Excerpt:
He had no idea why she had chosen him, but he was more than a bit excited to be spending his life with Lady Claire by his side. Surely, she knew he had pockets to let, or she found out quite quickly. He had required a rich wife, and with the woman’s “encouragement,” he had thrown his hat into the ring, along with a half dozen other young lords wishing to claim both the woman’s beauty and her substantial dowry.
Ainmire admittedly was not immune to his wife’s beauty, for she was without a doubt fair of face. Any man alive would be happy to have her by his side. But things were not quite as they seemed to be. So, they two placed their heads together and decided to learn the truth. There were things upon his estate that had gone missing or were torn down by mistake or even had caught fire when there was no lightning to set the blaze.
Ironically, Claire understood that his first obligation was to save his estate and his people before happiness in marriage could be achieved. More importantly for him, she had agreed to assist him.
“If it be too much for you,” he had said last evening, “I would stand returning you to England. If you do not wish to return to your uncle’s household, you might stay in one of the English ports, such as Liverpool or Bristol or even dwell in Wales, if such is your wish.”
“What if I wished to remain in Dublin?” she asked without looking up at him. Demme, but she would make a fine actress, for Ainmire was not confident he knew whether she was pretending or not, and he had planned this ploy along with her.
He pretended to be irritated by his wife’s docility, for he knew his Cousin Simon waited along the wall, as if he were a servant, listening to all that was said, and so he spoke harshly to Claire. Simon believed Ainmire had simply tucked Claire into bed on their wedding night and sought a game of cards instead, but it would have taken an army of men to drag him from her embrace. She had worn a pale shade of her favourite colour, a lilac-coloured nightgown, and he had kept her in his arms for many hours before he snuck back to his quarters to pretend nothing had happened between them.
“Is Dublin your wish, lass?” he asked a bit too loudly, and then softened his voice to say, “I’ll set up a household for you, and I could periodically come visit with you there.”
“Dublin is not my choice, my lord,” she said in exacting tones. “I am your wife, whether you care for the fact or not. I shall not be the laughingstock of English society, to be left in an Irish port city while my husband returns to his estate and likely his mistress.”
“There be no mistress, lass, unless you call the land me ‘mistress.’ I attempted to warn you,” he said.
She appeared to ignore his explanations. Instead, she stood royally. “If you hold no objection, my lord, I shall claim my bed. I mean to be up early so as not to delay your travels.”
“Claire,” he said in tones of apology. “We agreed this would be a marriage of convenience. When it is convenient, we will settle things between us. Your uncle was as happy to be rid of the obligation of arranging a marriage for you as I was to have your agreement.”
“Have I given you the impression I wish for more than you planned to offer, my lord?” she demanded.
“No, it is just—” he began.
“We understand each other, my lord.” Her voice addressed her supposed irritation. “Again, please pardon me.”
With that, she left him alone in the dining room of a plush hotel in Dublin. Ainmire studied the door through which she had passed as his mind revisited how they had come to marry in the first place. A servant of the hotel poured him another drink, but he continued to sit facing that blasted door and marvelling on how he had come to this moment.
“My lord,” Lady Ellison had said when she approached him at the Sherbathan ball, “May I give you the acquaintance of my niece, Lady Claire Waterstone?”
“My lady,” he had said, totally taken by surprise for the woman to approach him first. It just was not executed by a lady of quality. Moreover, she was dressed in a deep purple gown. Young women entering the marriage mart customarily wore white or pale shades of yellow and blue: This woman wore the colour of royalty. Perhaps she was a war widow. There were plenty of them in society these days. He did not care as long as the woman had a fortune which could save his beloved estate.
“I am humbled, my lady,” he said with a proper bow, or at least English ballroom proper. Such “formalities” were less strict among those in Ireland. “I understand you are newly arrived in England.”
“As are you,” she said in reply. What he had liked about her was she looked at him when she spoke to him. Her eyes were not on the floor.
“Theoretically, Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom,” he countered.
“As is India,” she said with a sly smile, which had caught him off guard, for he had been in London for nearly six weeks and had yet to earn the appreciation of any English lady he had thought could be a possible mate. He had been considering a return to his home, be it empty-handed.
There had been a few women he had found attractive, but none wishing to hold more than a five minutes’ conversation with him. Ironically, Ainmire would not have initially chosen this particular woman to woo, but he had quickly changed his mind, for there was something unique about her that he found extremely attractive.
“I suppose it is, my lady,” he said with an answering smile. The musicians were tuning their instruments for the next set, and so, he said, “If you are not previously engaged to another for this set, I would be pleased to claim your hand.”
“I fear the set is promised, my lord, but perhaps the one after supper.”
He had not planned to stay for the remainder of the ball and “do the pretty,” but, nevertheless, he had stayed “for her.” Though Ainmire had barely admitted his fascination to himself, he had assuredly not done so to his few acquaintances in England. Her initial refusal had not prevented him from securing her hand for a country waltz.
Three weeks later, he had made her his wife.
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
Regency Summer Weddings Anthology https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CXHPFXFD?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR1437UDViCcesPrb9RPU2rBd0jZcZyT5SPogCQsZw_IRw54N3ui62SEXTI_aem_ZmFrZWR1bW15MTZieXRlcw
Also Available to Read on Kindle Unlimited
Releasing July 5, 2024, Regency Summer Weddings: A Regency Romance Summer Anthology ~ Five delightful Regency stories, from USA Today bestselling and Award winning authors, all focused around summer weddings. Lose yourself in the Regency world, and be swept away by love!
“Her Wily Duke” by Arietta Richmond
“Lord Fearghal’s English Bride” by Regina Jeffers
“Contradance” by Janis Susan May
“The Baron Banishes His Rival” by Olivia Marwood
“Mother of the Bride” by Victoria Hinshaw
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Giveaway –
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Author Biography:
Before writing romance, Regina Jeffers wore many hats, including that of a tax preparer, journalist, choreographer, Broadway dancer, theatre director, history buff, teacher, grant writer, and media literacy consultant for school districts and public television. Now, “supposedly” retired, she writes full-time, skillfully enveloping her readers in the hearts and minds of her characters.
Social Media Links:
Every Woman Dreams (Blog) https://reginajeffers.wordpress.com
Always Austen (Group Blog) https://alwaysausten.com/
Amazon Author Page https://www.amazon.com/Regina-Jeffers/e/B008G0UI0I/ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_1?qid=1479079637&sr=8-1
Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/jeffers0306/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/darcy4ever/
You Tube Interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzgjdUigkkU
One of my favourite romance authors is Emily Giffin.
One of my favorite books is Demons Fall series by G. Bailey
My favorite romance author is Danielle Steele. Thanks for the giveaway opportunity. Commenting under Michael Law
Thank you, Regina, for sharing your new release in our Romance Readers Bookish Event!