Chapter One

CHAPTER ONE

DECEMBER 1, 1826 ~ MAYFAIR, LONDON

“ W ell , it’s official. I’m a virgin and a widow,” Lady Lucy Jeffries Tenet said in a wry tone to her friends, Katie Soren and Paula Gowans , as she read the latest issue of The Ton Tattler over tea. According to the gossip rag, the ton was again discussing her, even though the entire fiasco of her wedding and the aftermath had taken place over a year ago. Despite her attempts at keeping the whole sordid story quiet, somehow, it had leaked out and had become fodder for the ton . “ I suppose I’ll always be Unlucky Lucy in the eyes of Society ,” she said, trying to keep her voice from trembling. She glanced at her friends. “ I’m at a loss as to how to fix this. It’s as if I have an albatross around my neck.”

“ You have nothing of the sort around your neck,” Paula said.

“ You are the loveliest and sweetest woman we know, with the most loving heart,” Katie said.

“ And we’re here to help in any way we can,” Paula said, laying her hand over Lucy’s .

Paula and Katie were cousins, but the trio had become close friends over the years.

“ You’re right, I am lucky to have friends like you,” Lucy said, blinking back tears. “ And I’m sorry to sound like I’m feeling sorry for myself. It was selfish of me.”

Lucy may have had her problems, but her friend Katie had truly suffered a tragic and shocking loss in the past few years. First , from the death of her fiancé, Wendel Colborne , who’d been stabbed to death before Katie’s very eyes as they were leaving a play two years ago. Katie had been so broken by the horror of it that she’d become a recluse, afraid of going out into Society and carrying a terrible burden of guilt on her shoulders. Then Katie’s life had been in danger from the very men who’d murdered Wendel . She was lucky to have met Lord Sebastian “ Slice ” Soren , the younger son of a duke, who used to be a captain in the military. With Lord Soren , Katie’s life completely changed. Now , she was happily married and had finally moved beyond her grief.

“ Don’t pay attention to the gossips or that silly nickname,” Paula said, nibbling on a lemon biscuit. “ They’re just harpies. I certainly don’t bother with them, and I’m practically on the shelf myself. I just spend my days sketching and painting, and I’m perfectly fine.”

Lucy and Katie exchanged a look. Paula was a talented artist who kept herself busy with family, friends, and charitable work. Nevertheless , they could tell she kept her feelings locked up inside.

Lucy wondered if Paula had unacknowledged feelings for Sir Jonathan Nelson , who was good friends with Katie’s husband, Lord Soren , and her brother, Viscount Thomas Latham . She found it odd that they usually broke into an argument whenever they were in the same room, no matter the event. But who was she to ponder Paula’s curious animosity towards Nelson ? She had no inkling of being able to fathom a man’s mind either.

Lucy heaved a deep sigh. Her background was riddled with mishaps. She was tired of the reputation that had followed her for several years. A reputation that had stuck to her like glue ever since her come-out. And what a come-out it had been. She’d been so nervous at her very first ball three years ago that she’d indulged in too much champagne, and then while dancing, her one and only dance of the evening, she’d become so dizzy that she’d cast up her accounts all over the ballroom floor.

Katie and Paula had helped wipe Lucy’s dress and dry her tears in the ladies’ receiving room after the unfortunate incident.

“ On a positive note, you accidentally ruined that wicked widow, Lady Endora Deville’s dress.” Katie had giggled at the time. The nasty-tempered woman had stepped into the vomit and slid across the floor on her bottom. Much to the secret delight of many in the ton .

“ And she deserved it for what she tried to do to Thomas and Frankie ,” Paula had added. It had been obvious to the girls at the time that the Widow Deville had been after Katie’s handsome brother, Thomas , who was unmarried at the time. He’d just met Frankie again after circumstances and misfortune had separated them for years.

Even so, despite the scandal surrounding the widow, the ton had dubbed Lucy with the moniker, Unlucky Lucy .

For the rest of that Season and the next, Lucy had become a wallflower, spending most of her time sitting with the rest of the wallflowers at most balls and routs. Oh , Paula and Katie were always there for her, and Katie’s brother, Thomas , had always asked her to dance. But her friends had always been popular and sought after at social events, whereas Lucy , thanks to her nickname, was studiously avoided by men and women alike. Honestly , a more apt nickname should have been Invisible Lucy , for that’s how she’d felt. Eligible young men never looked her way.

She supposed another reason was her spectacles. They were most unflattering and made her look rather like an owl. So that had only added to her wallflower status. Her first Season , she’d tried to avoid wearing her spectacles, but that triggered one disaster after another—tripping on the hem of her dress and stepping on the toes of several guests. Then , after “the unfortunate incident” when she’d vomited all over herself and the ballroom floor, she’d decided never to take her spectacles off. Wearing them made her less prone to accidents and made her feel safer, in an odd way—as if she had a mask on. It was certainly better than tripping or bumping into furniture and people.

Spectacles or not, the first place she’d checked at every ball was the retiring room—just so she knew where it was, in case she needed to wipe lemonade from her gown or in case she got sick to her stomach again. Eventually , she’d stopped going to balls altogether, except the ones her mother forced her to attend. But when it came to other societal functions or ton events, Lucy avoided as many as possible. Of course, then the gossip about her was that she was so ashamed of herself that she spent her time hiding away. Well , she’d rather people gossip about that, rather than her tripping on the stairs or throwing up.

Lucy had come to accept that she would most likely end up a spinster, no matter how much her parents had wanted otherwise. Her parents, meanwhile, had become desperate to marry Lucy off. “ You must marry,” her mother had declared during one of their arguments. “ It is your duty to marry. Besides , you can’t go through life spending your days rescuing those awful wild creatures and keeping them in our garden shed!”

“ Am I such a burden to you that you feel the need to marry me off?” Lucy had countered, almost in tears.

“ No , of course not, dear, but your father and I want you to be happy.”

“ Spending time with animals makes me happy,” Lucy had said. It was true. Animals didn’t gossip. They never laughed at her. And except for Paula and Katie , they were more enjoyable to be around than most people .

But , given Lucy’s status, it was no surprise that her parents had eventually engaged the services of a matchmaker who “discovered” a gentleman interested in marrying her. Lucy’s parents had been thrilled. Lucy , not so much.

His name was Dirk Tenet . He was forty-two years old and had told the matchmaker that he was a foreign diplomat. Lucy didn’t think he’d had the intelligence to be anything of the sort. She’d only met him twice. Once at her parents’ London townhouse for tea and the second time for a carriage ride. Both times, all he’d done was talk about himself. He reminded her of a puffed-up peacock. He’d also had a habit of smoothing back his hair when he spoke. However , Lucy couldn’t understand why, as he only had a few wispy gray hairs on his head. What was there to smooth?

But perhaps what had made her most uncomfortable was his smile. He’d made a little sucking sound with his teeth every time he smiled at her, his small muddy brown eyes looking her up and down as he did so. It had made her uncomfortable, to say the least. Like he could see through her clothes. Lucy’s instincts had told her to turn down his proposal, but when she’d tried to bring it up with her parents, they’d refused to hear anything about it. Her parents had reminded her that she should be happy with what she could get since they couldn’t afford a hefty dowry to attract a high-ranking peer.

Lucy had given up and resigned herself to her fate. And then, the strangest thing happened. Mr . Tenet had suddenly informed them that he had to travel to India for an important diplomatic mission. Her parents had never questioned him—even though it meant he would not be in London for their wedding day. Instead , her family had encouraged her to marry Mr . Tenet by proxy. His idea.

Bans were read, a trousseau was purchased—modest, of course—and the church readied for a small, intimate service. Practically everyone in the ton knew about the upcoming nuptials and had gossiped about it because of the oddity of the wedding by proxy and because Unlucky Lucy was finally getting married.

As it was all happening—and seemingly without incident— Lucy had allowed herself to think about what her life might be like as Mrs . Lucy Tenet . The son of one of her father’s close friends agreed to stand in for her betrothed in St . George’s Chapel , as was expected with a proxy service.

Then something astonishing happened.

Three days after the marriage ceremony had concluded—almost before the ink had dried on the marriage certificate— Lucy became a widow.

It turned out that her betrothed had not been a diplomat after all but a charlatan and a thief who had gone to India to steal jewels from a wealthy British family that he had cased for months. He’d been caught in the act and shot—dead.

After the shock had worn off, Lucy had removed her diamond engagement ring and placed it in a drawer along with her wedding band. Mr . Tenet had given her the ring just before he’d left for India . While he’d claimed it to be a family heirloom, Lucy had wondered afterward if it had been stolen, too. She had been so surprised by the presentation of the ring that she never asked a thing.

Several weeks after learning of Mr . Tenet’s death, Lucy had had the ring appraised. She’d been stunned at its worth. Over four thousand pounds! Even though the ring had most likely been stolen, Lucy had had no way of knowing when or from whom. And being of a practical nature, she’d promptly sold it. She’d smartly invested half of the funds in the Eastern Star Trading Company , Thomas Latham’s lucrative enterprise. The rest of her funds she’d invested wisely with Thomas’s guidance. Best of all, she purchased herself a pair of the finest spectacles that suited her face and, yes, made her feel quite confident that she could see and that she no longer resembled an owl.

The happiest day of her life had been the day she’d found a modest London townhouse to rent and moved out of her parent’s house. She was now a widow with some means, and that meant she could do more of what she pleased. Lucy eventually hoped to find a small property that she could turn into an animal sanctuary. But that would have to wait a few years for her to grow her investments.

“ Lucy , are you all right?” Katie asked, tugging Lucy from her wool-gathering. “ Your mind seemed a million miles away.”

“ I was thinking I should stop reading the Tattler ,” she declared. “ I have much to be thankful for. And who cares what the gossips think?”

“ Here , here!” Katie and Paula said in unison as they raised their teacups supportively in a toast.

“ Those rags should be ashamed of themselves,” Paula agreed.

“ I read the article that mentioned you,” Katie said, patting Lucy’s hand. “ I believe someone had brought up the rarity of proxy marriages and then recalled yours.”

“ Of course, they did. If for no other reason than to rub my nose in it… again .” Lucy had had enough of the ton’s nosiness. She desperately wanted to strike out on her own; however, her parents were still under the impression that there was a lord or gentleman who would scoop her up and make her his wife. And she would live happily ever after. Whenever an article in The Ton Tattler was published mentioning her, her parents would ask her over for tea and start to pester her again about marriage. Bah . She didn’t need marriage to make herself happy. Especially with her new-found financial freedom. She had other plans, and having already set up investments, she had taken her first step. Lucy sighed. “ The news rag has no shame.”

“ Well , how about we forget about gossip and scandals,” Katie suggested. “ And think about what to pack for the house party.”

Thomas and his wife Frankie had invited family and close friends, including Lucy , to the family home in Sussex for Christmas .

“ Since you have yet to reply to their invitation, Frankie expressly asked that I persuade you to go,” Katie said with a smile. “ And you know how stubborn Frankie is. She won’t take no for an answer.”

“ Do say you’ll come,” Paula said. “ It wouldn’t be the same without you, Lucy . It’ll be so much fun, and only people we like.”

“ I’m not sure…” Lucy hesitated.

“ Remember how difficult it was for me to go out after Wendel’s passing,” Katie said softly. “ And you were always there for me, Lucy . But you don’t have to hide away anymore. You’re an independent woman now.”

An independent woman. I truly am, aren’t I ? She had gotten so used to avoiding Society functions, even ones with friends, that she hadn’t stopped to think that she no longer had to do that. She was free to do as she pleased. Perhaps that meant freedom to finally begin enjoying herself too… “ Very well. I’ll go.” She would even splurge on a few new gowns. For the first time in her life, she was actually looking forward to the future.