Title The Viscount’s Lady
Author C.K. Mackenzie
Genre Regency Romance
Publisher Emelia Publishes LLC
Book Blurb
He keeps his reputation spotless. She fights her reputation daily.
Trouble seemed to find her.
Lady Henrietta Carhart didn’t care what anyone thought about her. Unfortunately, the rest of society did. Stargazing? Building her own telescope? Dressing as a man to gain access to the King’s Observatory? Well, maybe the scandalmongers were onto something. Still, she hadn’t exactly planned on marriage. Even if it was the simplest and easiest path in life.
She hadn’t meant to escape out the balcony—rather, she hadn’t meant to be caught.
Aidan Ronalds, Viscount Wingate, promised his sister a proper season. He was, after all, the epitome of properness. He had no intention of meeting the most improper Henrietta Carhart—that was an accident he didn’t intend to repeat. And she wasn’t the role model anyone needed. Yet, in a world where duty overrode everything else in his life, Aidan found his attraction to Henrietta difficult to ignore.
Aidan knows his duty to king, country, and family. But what of himself?
Their first meeting might’ve been out of the ordinary, and far from what society deemed acceptable, but their second might send ordinary spinning on its ear. Because of course the proper thing was to offer marriage. But his thoughts about the lovely Henrietta were anything but proper.
Can Henrietta set aside her need for freedom and become the wife Aidan wants? Or will they both realize their need for each other far outweighs what anyone else thinks?
Excerpt
Her laughter echoed over the gardens, a vivacious sound that made his heart thud painfully. Her eyes sparkled with mischief, and, despite the odd sensation of being beside a woman who made him feel far more absorbed in society than he wished, he felt quite at a loss. Realizing his mistake, Aidan laughed at himself, something he didn’t do often.
“No, Mars the planet, of course. You were looking for it? Whatever for?”
“I had hoped for better weather, but that was also not in my favor.”
“What did you plan once you found it?” Intrigued, he knelt on the ground, and placed several cakes and biscuits on a plate. Returning to the bench, he once more settled beside her, as if he did so daily, and handed her the plate.
“Thank you.” She took the plate and set it on her lap with minimal movement, but didn’t otherwise move. “However, I’m afraid I won’t be eating much for the next few days. Do you know how much of the human body is connected?”
Startled, he shook his head. She had the uncanny ability of keeping him on his toes with every sentence. “No, I’m afraid not.”
“Nor did I, but even the simple act of lifting my arm pulls terribly at my back.”
“I believe falling down stone steps is ripe for such things. It’s a wonder you didn’t do more damage.”
She sighed again, but when she met his gaze, her eyes danced with laughter. It brightened them; they held such joy despite her injuries, Aiden was quite at a loss. And that drew him in, the sparkle in her gaze, the genuine smile curving her lovely lips. “It’s certainly not conducive for searching out Mars.”
He frowned, unsure how to proceed. Her interest in watching Mars last eve, despite the clouds and rain, intrigued him. She was absolutely nothing like he’d been given to believe.
Intelligent, singly focused on securing a view of a planet in the night sky, for whatever reason one did so, and undeterred from enjoying herself. Even after such an escapade as last evening’s. He didn’t know anyone, male or female, who could’ve risen from bed after such an accident, let alone traveled for a picnic.
“Perhaps your sister was right, and you ought to remain at home.”
“Oh, no.” She grimaced. “Home is definitely not where I need to be.” She muttered under her breath something that sounded like “ever.”
Aidan let that slide, though it intrigued him enough he made a note to ask his aunt about the household. The old marquess was dead, and had left behind a widow, who had collected her own scandals. Hadn’t the current marquess married recently? And wasn’t there a scandal there as well? He nearly sighed.
“Why Mars?” he asked instead. Lady Henrietta intrigued him, with her laughter in the face of physical pain and what others might consider humiliation. “Is there something special about that planet?”
“Have you ever seen a planet through a telescope? Or even the moon?” She gave an aborted shake of her head. Clearly, that hurt her as well. “It’s amazing. Simply amazing. Are you familiar with Miss Caroline Herschel?”
“Vaguely,” he offered, though it was a lie. He’d heard the name but couldn’t place where.
“She’s done amazing work and has been recognized as an astronomer in her own right.”
“And that’s why you snuck out of the ball last night?” He frowned, not following this conversation but not wishing it to end, either. “Because of Miss Heschel?”
“No, I snuck out because I wanted to see Mars.” She grinned again, and Aidan watched her entire demeanor change. Talking about this passion lightened her in ways he didn’t think he’d ever witnessed in another before and had certainly never experienced himself. He’d never have spoken about investments with the same fervor as she did the night sky. “She earned her own annual pension, even spent a week at the observatory in Greenwich at the behest of the royal family!”
He had no idea about any of that but found himself captivated. Not so much by planets and watching the moon through a telescope but, rather, by Lady Henrietta’s passion for the subject. Against his better judgment, he found himself drawn to her.
Shifting closer, he noted her eyeing the biscuit, and he lifted the plate again, offering her the treat. “You wish to observe the planets, then?”
“Oh, yes.” She paused. “Ah, would you, hmm.”
He realized the problem and helped her lift her arm, though a part of him screamed that doing so was the height of unseemliness. Better than feeding her. Probably. Still, no one stood about, only Kitty and Lady Tish, and they seemed otherwise occupied.
“Thank you.” Her voice caught, and she grimaced as she chewed a bite of biscuit. “Who knows what lies beyond our own world? What if we flew to the moon using one of Monsieur Blanchard’s hot air balloons? Imagine what or who we might find there!”
She shifted on the bench, and he caught the plate before it tumbled to the ground. “I never gave it much thought,” he admitted. “I’ve heard of the balloons, of course.” Several members of the Lords had speculated that they might be beneficial to the war in France, but that was as far as Aidan had thought of them. “Would you like to stand?”
“Please.” She grimaced. “Sitting too long aches.” He offered her his arm, and she leaned on it heavily, using it as a crutch to awkwardly, and clearly painfully, maneuver herself upright. “Standing too long aches. I’m afraid I’m quite muddled today, Lor Wingate.”
A choked laugh escaped his throat, surprising him. She had the most unusual effect on him. “Let’s take a turn about the gardens, and you can tell me more about your stars.”
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Author Biography
Hello! I’m so glad you’re here. I’m a Regency Romance author, dog lover, French fry connoisseur, and explorer of new and interesting teas. I recently lost my beloved corgi after almost 14 years together and am now exploring becoming a foster dog mom.
But let’s talk books!
I’m a Regency Romance author with a taste for a hint of intrigue and mystery. I have several series planned and can’t wait to share them with you! As happens with most things in my life, once I start a story the secondary characters demanded attention. So in addition to the main Legacy stories (4 families, 4-5 siblings each) I also have shorter stories of those side characters.
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