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Chapter One
London, 1820
“Dear Jane, what are you drawing? My book is utterly boring, and I need amusement. Do tell me.”
Lady Jane Caldwell looked up from what she’d been sketching with her charcoal pencil to smile at her best friend, Lady Margaret Davenport.
“Ah, here I thought you were keen to read, and if I remember correctly, only an hour before you requested that I not interrupt you.”
Margaret rolled her eyes and slammed her book shut, putting it down on the settee next to her. “You really do have an abhorrent memory, Jane. I said nothing of the kind. Come, come, tell me what you’re drawing.” Margaret’s grey eyes widened with interest, and Jane chuckled.
She put down her pencil, turned the sketchbook, and held it out so Margaret could take it in hand. Standing, she stretched and went to stare out the window while Margaret stared at the drawing.
“Beautiful, Jane. You always say that you’re not an artist and here you are drawing a starry night so perfectly.”
Jane continued to look out the window of her townhouse, and she saw her faint smile in the reflection as well as the glint of her blue eyes. “Thank you, Margaret, but I’m afraid my abilities dim considerably compared to my talented mother.”
Margaret sighed softly. Jane put her hands behind her back and closed her eyes for a moment, knowing what her best friend was about to say and dreading it slightly.
“You know that your mother would never want you to compare yourself so. You’re your own person with your own skills and talents. Please tell me you know this. If not, I will have to start telling you every day and perhaps even painting it on the walls of your room.”
To her surprise, Jane chuckled. Thoughts of her mother always lowered her mood, drawing her back into the past, but Margaret’s quick wit and sarcasm also always brought her back to the present, reminding her of the happiness at hand.
She turned around and went to sit back down again, grabbing the sketchbook from her friend and laying it on the table in front of her. “What do you think of tea?” she asked.
“Oh, I think it a fine idea. Biscuits too, please.”
With a grin, Jane rose and went to speak to the maid to call for tea. Margaret was already chatting with her by the time she sat down again.
“How are you today? We’ve hardly spoken. We had all these plans for a peaceful, quiet afternoon, but I find I can’t bear it,” Margaret said.
Her blonde curls were bouncing as she spoke excitedly. Her dear friend was almost her complete contrast: blonde, bright, and cheerful with gray eyes, while Jane had long, raven-black hair and sharp. blue eyes. She was hardly ever considered as cheerful as Margaret, for grief had struck her life early. She had lost her mother at thirteen years old, and now that she was twenty-one, only one month past, she had been without her dear, adventurous mother for eight years now.
“I am well, Margaret. You don’t have to worry, even though I’ve been sketching starry nights more often lately. How are you?”
Margaret sighed, put her elbow on the arm of the chair, and placed her chin on her fist. “I too am well, but I am not eager for the start of the Season.”
Jane lifted a brow, surprised at her social friend.
“I know you think me lying, but it’s true. Last Season was not a success, as you know, and my mother is very eager that I find a match this year. I know she will put so much pressure on me that I won’t be able to bear it.” Margaret closed her eyes, but then they snapped open again and an apologetic look crossed her face. “Forgive me, Jane. I know I should be grateful that my mother is still here to bother me.”
Jane smirked. “Yes, you should be, but I can understand how frustrating it would be to deal with the Viscountess. She is a formidable woman, and I’ve been afraid of her my entire life.” They both laughed, and Jane leaned back in her chair, her mind turning back to her mother again.
“I suppose this is not as much of a surprise that I’m also not looking forward to the season. I know Aunt Sarah and Uncle Hamish are eager for me to find a match, but you know what I really want.”
Margaret sat up a little taller, and in a dramatic voice suited for the stage, she said, “To set sail for distant shores, to learn all you can about astronomy in your travels.”
Jane grinned and pointed at her. “Exactly. So, there doesn’t seem to be much room for being a wife in all those busy plans.”
“Your traveling mother did it. She became a wife, and had you, and lived in England.”
“Yes, but she had her travels first. Having a wealthy uncle helped her, and they traveled together for so many years. Her journals, Margaret, they’re incredible. And she and my father traveled too, before she got sick. But everyone we know in the marriage mart makes it seem as though finding a match is the end of everything, staying at home and being exactly who everyone wants you to be. I know that Aunt Sarah so wishes it for me, claiming that it will ‘protect’ me.”
“But you do have to marry in order to receive all your inheritance. Isn’t that right?”
“Yes, I only wish that I could use the money I have now to start my travels.”
“Well, I do not know how much that is, but surely it would be enough to begin? This is your townhouse, from your father, and Aunt Sarah and Uncle Hamish are just here as your family. They love you and care for you. They would understand if you wished to do something else.”
Jane knew it was not enough money, and she knew it was a dangerous thing to not marry, but she couldn’t help the draw of the wild and the uncertain world out there beyond her home.
“I have not told them of my plans, not in so many words. And I’ve not yet any idea how exactly to go about such things.”
“Well, you should think on it, but please say you will not leave before the end of the Season. I need you desperately to be by my side.” Margaret pulled at a curl at the side of her cheek. “You know, perhaps you might enjoy being in love with someone. It might not be so very bad.” Margaret colored. “You know that my wish is to find someone I could truly care for, not just a wealthy, established man whom my parents approved of. Someone I love so very passionately.”
“And you shall find it, my friend, for who could not adore you?” Jane asked her friend.
Margaret blushed again, and the tea arrived. Jane poured a cup for them both. She did not tell Margaret that she occasionally dreamed of a man. He did not have a distinctive face, but his eyes were sharp and heated when he looked at her. The dreams made her squirm, heat lifting over her skin. When the man would reach for her, she would ache to be touched, but then she would awaken to a cold, dark room. She would then chastise herself and return to sleep.
“I suppose it is a blessing that I have been given so much so that I have the time to choose someone properly, if I choose someone at all. I do not have to choose in the next few weeks. I can take a little time.”
But she understood her aunt’s and uncle’s argument about marriage, at least to a certain point. With status and a husband, she would not have to fear people trying to take advantage of her, and all the properties and wealth would come to her and her husband.
If only my husband is not the one trying to take advantage.
She looked around the well-furnished room. Her father had died only eighteen months ago, and one of her deepest, darkest secrets was that when he died, she had felt a sense of relief. Their shared grief had become too much for the both of them. He had become angry, strict, and they’d lost the closeness they’d once shared. But his lasting gift had been her inheritance: a massive sum of money as well as the townhouse. Jane felt unworthy of it, but she was grateful for the freedom that it gave her. Yet societal pressure remained, as did the subtle or not-so-subtle hints from her Aunt Sarah.
“Yes, exactly,” Margaret said, lifting the tea to her lips.
Before they could continue, her aunt, the Lady Sarah Barnet, rushed into the room, holding an invitation in her hand. “Good afternoon, Margaret, dear,” she said kindly, tapping the letter and coming to sit next to the two of them. “I’m sure you too have received this invitation, but I wanted to let you know, Jane, that the Duke and Duchess of Worwood have invited us to their daughter Lady Emily’s debut ball this season.” Her aunt’s green eyes glittered with happiness. She waved the letter in the air and smiled. “This is one of the most important events of the season for a duke and duchess to invite us to their gathering. We will certainly meet the cream of the crop this year, Jane. It is in a few days.”
Jane tried her best to smile back at her aunt. “We will have a wonderful time, I’m sure, Aunt Sarah.”
“Yes, I’m sure we will.” She leaned back in her chair with a chuckle. Her aunt, at fifty years of age, was still beautiful and vibrant, her light brown curls graying only slightly, her figure trim. She and her Uncle Hamish had never had any children of their own, and they had been the perfect replacement parents for Jane for a number of years.
“There will certainly be very many eligible young men,” her Aunt Sarah said, standing up again. “Just remember that, Jane.” She pointed at her, and Jane nodded and smiled again.
She glanced at Margaret, who sent her an encouraging look, but now was not the time to tell her aunt that she had no interest in seeking a marriage of convenience. Everyone in the ton already knew about how much she’d inherited, and so she wasn’t certain the men who would approach her would even be interested in her at all.
“Thank you, Lady Barnet. I know that Jane and I will enjoy it immensely. Especially all those handsome bachelors.” Margaret winked at her, and her Aunt Sarah laughed with delight.
“Perfect. I will make sure you have a proper dress, Jane.” She started to back away, waving her hands. “Now I don’t wish to interrupt your tea. Enjoy yourselves, girls, for in a few days, we will have quite the party to go to!”
As soon as her aunt closed the door, Jane groaned, and Margaret laughed. This certainly was going to be a long, long season.
Chapter Two
Nathaniel Worthington, the Marquess of Balwood, was not having a very good day. He wasn’t sure how long it had been that he’d been sitting there in his father’s study, his elbows on the table, hands folded, staring down at a pile of bills that were yet unpaid. It could have been a lifetime or could have been a few seconds, but what did that matter? The situation was still the same.
We are lost.
He let out a long breath and scrubbed a hand over his face as he leaned back in the chair. He felt like he hadn’t slept in days, at least not since his father, the Duke of Worwood, had fallen ill. His whole family was surprised at his sudden loss of good health, but once the truth came out about the debts, it all made sense.
“My dear,” his mother Marcia said, knocking first before she entered the study, with more envelopes in her hand.
He looked up at her drawn face, and he wondered if he too had the same dark circles under his hazel eyes. “More?” he asked, his stomach twisting with dread.
“I’m afraid so. They keep coming in.” She gently placed the pile down on the desk and sat down.
He knew what his role was now, especially if his father was to take a turn for the worse and, God forbid, pass away without being able to resolve this mess. Nathaniel had to be the one to take charge, to comfort, to help his mother and sister, and to make sure that everything was going to be well. But he could see no feasible way out of that mess currently. Well, at least not one that he did not wish to do.
“How is everything with the planning for the ball?” he asked, trying to change the subject.
“Well, that is what I wanted to speak to you about.” She leaned forward and folded her hands in her lap, licking her lips. “I have tried to cut many corners for the debut ball, and I think it will still be very beautiful, and Emily will be happy. Just a few odds and ends here and there: less staff, only one dessert, that sort of thing.”
“That is very good, Mother. I’m glad for that. You’re doing well. Are we still in agreement that Emily should not know about any of this?”
“Oh yes, of course,” his mother said with wide hazel eyes, the same color as his own. “She must not know. She’s very excited for the start of her season, and, you know, with all the troubles she’s had, it will be difficult for her.”
He nodded. His younger sister, Emily, was mostly deaf in her left ear. While she could hear perfectly well out of the other ear, it was embarrassing for her when people to the wrong side of her spoke and she could not hear them. Many believed her to be haughty, for they did not know her true ailment, and Emily and her mother wished to keep it that way. Nathaniel knew that young ladies had it hard enough with the ton in their Season, and he wished to keep as many burdens off Emily’s shoulders as possible. That was one of the major reasons why he was glad to keep the family financial strains from her.
“Of course.” An idea came to him that he was not eager to put into action, but it had lingered at the back of his mind for a few days now.
Hearing about the ball and Emily’s excitement for the season only spurred on the possibility of this idea.
Father would want me to keep them safe.
“Mother, I have been thinking that perhaps I should start to look to marriage, for financial reasons,” he said as stoically as he could, even though inside all his hopes for finding love were dashed.
His parents loved each other dearly, and ever since he was a child, he had hoped and wished for his own marriage to be just the same. He had thought he’d loved a young lady a few years ago, Lady Delilah Stanhope. But she’d attempted to use him to ruin her so that he’d been forced to marry her, and he saw her true colors. So, he’d stayed away from the idea of marriage since then. But now, it was urgent. He looked down at the bills and realized that perhaps it was the only way to get them all out of this hole his father had so inadvertently and foolishly created.
“Nathaniel,” she said with a sigh. “You are right, but I do not like the idea of it. It is like you will be a lamb to the slaughter, giving everything up just to help us.”
“And so many others have done the same for the sake of their families, Mother. I too would make the sacrifice if necessary, and it does seem necessary.” He smiled at her, hoping it reassured her, but she still looked concerned as she rose from her seat.
“You must do what you think is best, Nathaniel. But I do wish for you to be happy. I hope you know that.”
“Of course I do, Mother,” he replied, and he gave her another smile as she left.
Pushing away from the desk, he wandered about the study, and he poured himself a glass of whiskey. He paused at the window, looking out for the afternoon streets below. His hand idly came to brush against the globe his cartographer grandfather had bought and given him as a gift many years before. He spun it, remembering his old dreams of traveling the world and seeing all there was to see. But once he became of age and learned of his responsibilities as a future duke, he wasn’t sure he could leave. And now he was glad he hadn’t for Emily’s and his mother’s sakes.
But as he sipped his whiskey and stared at the globe, he wondered if he ever would get that chance. And if so, when. Right now, the future looked bleaker than ever.
“A Lady’s Stardust Passion” is an Amazon Best-Selling novel, check it out here!
Much like her spirited mother, the fiery Lady Jane Caldwell yearns for adventure, but faces an irresistible obstacle; she must marry to pursue her dreams. Seeking a husband means not only sharing her dreams, but also her bed. Armed with her sketchbook and knowledge of astronomy, she craves to explore the world and its mysteries. Soon, however, she finds herself delving into a world of lust and deception, when the wicked Lord Balwood enters her life.
Will she be able to resist his devilish charm?
Lord Nathaniel Balwood is burdened by financial troubles and familial responsibilities. With an impoverished future looming, he sees Jane as the solution to his problems. Seducing a wealthy heiress in need of a husband, is the perfect plan to save his fortune. Yet, when burning desire gets in the way, secrets threaten to shatter his well-constructed plan. As his flaming feelings burn his heart and moral compass…
Will he find the courage to tell her the truth?
Nathaniel and Jane’s sizzling romance burns hot, but Jane is completely in the dark. When Jane’s notorious cousin comes to town, secrets unravel, and they all become entangled in a dance of betrayal and schemes. Will Nathaniel eventually tell her the truth and will Jane forgive him? Or will the past shadows and unexpected confessions lit a fire that will burn them both to the ground?
“A Lady’s Stardust Passion” is a historical romance novel of approximately 80,000 words. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happily ever after.
OFFER: A BRAND NEW SERIES AND 2 FREEBIES FOR YOU!
Grab my new series, "Lust and Longing of the Ton", and get 2 FREE novels as a gift! Have a look here!
Hello there, my dear readers. I hope you enjoyed this sneak peek! I will be waiting for your comments. Thank you! 🙂