Chapter One

Shadowcrest—Kent—August 1810

L yric Strong eagerly joined her twin and aunt as they made their way outside to wait for the guests in the first carriage rolling up the lane now. She was excited about the house party James and Sophie were giving in her and Allegra's honor. They had not made their come-outs as planned this past spring, mainly due to Allegra being so incensed by their father not contributing a farthing to the process.

She did not like to think about her father or brother Theodore. Her father had abandoned all responsibilities to his motherless twin daughters, placing them into the hands of Aunt Dinah, who had been the Duchess of Seaton. Aunt Dinah raised her own twins alongside Allegra and Lyric, and eventually added two more daughters to the nursery. Mirella and Effie had left yesterday with Aunt Matty on a tour of the Lake District while the house party would be going on. Mirella preferred to make her own come-out next spring and did not want to harm her cousins' chances of finding a husband during the party.

She and her twin had asked Aunt Dinah who had been invited to Shadowcrest, and they had learned about the three women and their chaperones. Her aunt had been vague in regard to the gentlemen invited to the house party, saying she did not wish to unduly influence her nieces' opinions by speaking too much about the gentlemen who had been invited. Lyric trusted her aunt's good judgment, knowing those men would be not only suitable but also honorable ones.

More than anything, Lyric hoped that Lord Blankenship would be among those five.

The viscount had come to the wedding held in June in the Shadowcrest chapel. Her cousin Georgie had wed August, and the couple was now on their honeymoon at Dalmara in Scotland. Sophie had thought to invite Lord Blankenship to the ceremony, and he stood with August during it. Apparently, they had been the closest of friends while at Eton and Cambridge, only parting when August left for war.

Something had struck Lyric about Lord Blankenship. She had studied him during the wedding ceremony and found him pleasing to her eye. Knowing he was dear to August, a man Lyric already thought the world of, she decided the viscount was someone worth knowing.

Unfortunately, they had never even exchanged a single word. After the ceremony ended, they all returned to Shadowcrest for the wedding breakfast in the dining room. Lord Blankenship was placed at the far end of the table, seated between her Aunt Matty and Allegra. Lyric glanced at him surreptitiously throughout the breakfast but was too far away to make any conversation with him.

When Georgie and August left immediately after the breakfast, Lord Blankenship did, as well. He spoke of business in town and thanked Sophie for inviting him to witness the marriage of his good friend.

As the viscount mounted the steps to his carriage, he had turned and waved farewell to all the Strongs. His gaze had come to rest upon Lyric for a moment, sending a chill up her spine. Not one of fear, but a delicious tingling which she wished to explore.

That was why she hoped Aunt Dinah had thought to include Lord Blankenship on the guest list.

The grand carriage pulled up to the house, followed by a more modest one which would contain servants and luggage. Soon, she was meeting Lord and Lady Crowell and their daughter. Lady Lida was friendly and talkative, as was her cousin Miss Markle, another guest. While Allegra showed Lord and Lady Crowell to their bedchamber, Lyric guided the cousins to their shared one. She even stayed while a maid helped them to unpack, learning that Miss Markle enjoyed dancing and doing needlework, while Lady Lida was interested in riding and dancing.

Allegra arrived and told the ladies that hot water was being sent up and they should rest from their journey, asking them to meet in the drawing room at four o'clock for tea.

Within a quarter-hour, another carriage appeared, and they went out to greet the new arrivals. James and Sophie would not meet any of their guests until tea this afternoon. Sophie was increasing and had a little over a month before she delivered their first child. The duchess was trying to rest as much as possible, as well as getting some work done for her shipping company.

A gentleman emerged from the carriage, and immediately, Lyric noted the air of sadness which clung to him, guessing he was the widower Aunt Dinah had mentioned to her and Allegra. He assisted a woman who held a small girl with golden curls in her arms. The girl reached for the gentleman, and he took her from the nursery governess' arms.

Turning, he greeted them. "Good afternoon, Your Grace."

Aunt Dinah smiled indulgently. "It is good of you to accept our invitation, Lord Motley."

"I would not have come unless you had allowed me to bring Viola. Not many hostesses would have found that acceptable, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart, Your Grace."

"I have wed recently, my lord. I am Mrs. Andrews now. May I introduce to you my nieces?"

Aunt Dinah did the honors, and Lyric and Allegra said hello both to Lord Motley and his daughter.

Her aunt asked, "Might I hold her? It has been many years since I have been around a little one."

"She is a bit shy. I will see if she will come to you, Mrs. Andrews." The earl looked at his daughter. "Viola, we have come to visit Mrs. Andrews and her nieces. Would you like to go and see her?"

The little girl's mouth trembled slightly.

"I would be happy to show you the nursery, Lady Viola," Aunt Dinah said to the girl. "I raised my girls in it, and they have left some toys behind that you might wish to play with. Dolls. Blocks."

The girl's eyes lit up. "Dolls? Dolls," she repeated.

Aunt Dinah held out her arms, and the child came to her willingly.

"Lady Viola and I will go to the nursery now."

"I will go with you, Aunt Dinah," Allegra volunteered. "I can show Lady Viola some of our dolls and tell her their names."

The group left the nursery governess following, and Lyric turned to Lord Motley. "Might I show you to your bedchamber, my lord?"

"Thank you, Miss Strong."

As they entered the house, she told him, "Please call me Miss Lyric. Aunt Dinah believes it would be too complicated to have two Misses Strong at the house party this week, so I am to be Miss Lyric, and my sister is to be Miss Allegra."

"I can do so, Miss Lyric." The earl, with golden curls just like his daughter's, smiled at her, and she felt they were off to a good start.

Half an hour later, another carriage arrived, this time bearing two gentlemen coming from town. Aunt Dinah introduced her and Allegra to Viscount Tillings first. He was quite good-looking but appeared completely tongue-tied in the presence of women. His companion was the Earl of Lamkin, and he was jovial and outgoing, smoothing over his friend's shyness.

Allegra, being the more talkative of the two of them, suggested that she escort Lord Lamkin to his bedchamber. Her twin nodded at her, and Lyric knew she had done so on purpose. Of the two of them, Lyric was the more reserved. She hoped she might be able to draw out Lord Tillings.

Smiling at the viscount, she said, "Allow me to take you to your bedchamber, my lord."

He smiled shyly. "Thank you, Miss Lyric."

She allowed Allegra and Lord Lamkin to get far ahead of them before she took Lord Tillings inside the house.

"Your friend seems quite gregarious," she commented.

He shrugged. "Lamkin is better than I am in social situations, Miss Lyric."

"My sister and I are twins. I am certain you noticed that we favor one another in the face, but we are very different people. Allegra has never met a stranger and converses easily with all she meets. I can be a bit withdrawn at times and have a tendency to study others before approaching them and sharing anything of myself."

She smiled brightly at him. "I believe we will enjoy getting know one another during this house party, my lord. Aunt Dinah created the guest list, and I know it will be a good mix of individuals."

They reached his bedchamber, and the viscount said, "Thank you for opening up a bit to me, Miss Lyric. I have just come off the Season, and I found it overwhelming. I prefer to retreat to the country and recover from having listened to so much talk going on about me." He paused, sincerity in his tone as he added, "But I believe this house party might give me a chance to know others better. I look forward to spending more time with you and the other guests."

She let him know that tea would be served at four, and he promised to be in the drawing room at that time.

The next to arrive were the Misses Bancroft. The elder was aunt to the younger and quite domineering. Lyric felt sorry for how she ordered her niece about and offered to take the younger Miss Bancroft up to her bedchamber.

As they ascended the stairs, she said, "I hear that you are good friends with my cousin Georgie."

Miss Bancroft, whose face was quite plain, suddenly changed before Lyric's eyes. Her smile transformed her features into a pleasant countenance.

"Oh, I quite admire Lady Georgina," Miss Bancroft shared. "I will admit to you, Miss Lyric, that I am a wallflower through and through. My aunt demanded I do a Season. Then another and another. I am not popular with the gentlemen of the ton . As you can see, my face is plain."

"Everything is not about your appearance," Lyric insisted. "Georgie would be first and foremost to say that."

Miss Bancroft nodded sagely. "Your sister was quite brave, going against the ton and following her heart."

Lyric understood what this young lady meant. August had been terribly scarred in the war, even losing an eye in battle. While Polite Society had most likely judged him harshly for even making an appearance during the Season, her cousin had seen beyond the scars and to the man August truly was. Theirs was a great love story, and when Lyric looked at August, she—like Georgie—did not even notice his scars.

"The ton can be most judgmental," Lyric said, "but people who are sincere will never judge you strictly on your looks, Miss Bancroft. I am certain the guests my aunt has invited to this house party will be more than willing to get to know you better."

The woman smiled wistfully. "I do not hold any expectations of a betrothal for myself by the end of this house party, Miss Lyric, but I do hope I will make a few friends." She smiled shyly. "Including you."

"You are friends with Georgie, which means you must become friends with Allegra and me."

Lyric let Miss Bancroft know about tea being served at four and told her she looked forward to speaking further with her then.

As she started down the stairs, their butler was coming up them.

"Miss Lyric, another carriage is about to arrive. Mrs. Andrews asked that you come outside to greet these guests."

"Thank you, Forrester," she said, hurrying down the stairs and out the door.

She went to stand beside her aunt, Allegra on Aunt Dinah's other side, and watched the carriage pull up. She could see two men within, and her heart began racing.

One of them was Lord Blankenship.

Her heart continued to pound rapidly as they exited the vehicle. Aunt Dinah welcomed Lord Blankenship first, and he greeted the three of them. The other gentleman was Lord Carroll. He, too, was nice-looking, but she found her attention wandering back to Lord Blankenship and offered to take him to his room.

The viscount turned his gaze upon her. "I am sorry we did not get a chance to speak at the wedding breakfast, Miss Lyric," he told her. "I cannot tell you how impressed I was when I entered the chapel at Shadowcrest the day of the wedding. August told me you had been the one to decorate it, and I was amazed by your creativity."

She felt the blush heating her cheeks. "Thank you, my lord. I have always been interested in gardening and have spent many hours on my knees, digging in the dirt. Aunt Dinah taught me all I know about arranging flowers, and it is something I enjoy doing. We have had three weddings at Shadowcrest this past year. The duke wed the duchess. My cousin Pippa married Viscount Hopewell. And then you were present when my cousin Georgie married your friend. I decorated the chapel for each of those weddings. I also arranged flowers for Aunt Dinah's ceremony. It was held in town recently."

"Yes, I saw the announcement in the newspapers. I think it wonderful that Her Grace seems so happy in her new marriage. She is glowing."

They reached the bedchamber which had been assigned to him, and Lyric paused.

"Aunt Dinah was made to wed the Duke of Seaton when she was quite young. She was most unhappy over the years, saying the only joy in her life came from her girls. Because of that, she is adamant that we all be free to choose the man we wish to wed and not be forced into matrimony."

His gaze bore into her, and Lyric shivered involuntarily.

"Then I will make my intentions known, Miss Lyric. I wish to get to know you much better during my stay at Shadowcrest. I hope a friendship will spring up between us—and that it blossoms into something more."