Prologue

Prologue

London, England

Late winter, 1814

"Miss Katherine Langley, you look utterly ravishing tonight. I would love nothing more than to have this dance with you."

It had already been a wonderful spring evening. Kate felt like the luckiest woman alive to attend such an incredible ball and to be surrounded by London's finest company. Yet there was one person who intrigued her the most: the Marquess of Fairbridge. Having him showing a similar interest in her made her dreams come true. Her heart fluttered with excitement, although she tried to maintain a composed demeanor. It was not ladylike to have a red, shining face due to happiness, particularly in polite company.

"Thank you very much." She dipped into a curtsey, darting her eyes respectfully toward the floor.

The Marquess of Fairbridge bowed deep and low, showing Kate the sort of respect she had only dreamed of from a man. A man so dashing as well, with a chiseled jawline, deep brown eyes, broad shoulders, and a grave expression on his face that suggested he always took life seriously. By the time he rose back up once more, Kate could hardly wait.

He extended his arm to her, and Kate took it willingly. She could feel the eyes of everyone upon them as he led her into the middle of the dance floor. A waltz began; it was the perfect dance for him to pull her close to his body, giving Kate an intense flutter of butterflies in the pit of her stomach while he held her with his powerful hands. There was protectiveness to his touch which caused her heart to race and pitter-patter as they glided gracefully together.

"You truly are the most beautiful woman in this room," Douglas, the Marquess of Fairbridge, declared in a whisper. He leaned down a little closer to her so Kate could feel his breath tickling her ear. "Soon, you shall be my marchioness."

She smiled coyly to herself. No, this was not a dream. She was no longer a small girl dreaming in her bedchambers about a charming man coming to sweep her off her feet. This was truly real life, and the man of her dreams was here in this beautiful, grand room, dashing in his finest, most expensive suit. She wore a pale blue dress that had ruffled sleeves, a lacy neckline, and was cinched in at her waist, around her tightly fitted corset, and swept out delicately around her feet. Kate's long, honey-brown hair was worn in a tight chignon with curls coaxed out to frame her oval face. The style highlighted her best features, such as her dainty nose and soft, high-arched brows and her sparkling emerald eyes. She had never looked so beautiful; that was something she could even acknowledge to herself, and which made the entire evening that much more special. It gave great promise for what their wedding would be like.

"I cannot wait to be your wife," she whispered back just as quietly. "One more Sunday, and the banns shall be read."

After that had happened, they could be wed and Kate's real life would begin. Her life as Marchioness Katherine Langley, although she would always prefer to be referred to as Kate, would finally begin. She would no longer feel like the child of her family, which she always had done because she was the youngest daughter of the duke and duchess of Ridgebrook. She could blossom into the adult that she had always been desperate to become, as a wife and, one day, a mother, too. She would have a family of her own, which was an idea that Kate found incredibly thrilling.

Her elder brother, Jonathan, who currently resided in the Far East overseeing their father's import-export business interests, had always told Kate that she was beautiful enough to attract the attention of a suitable man very quickly, but she had not truly believed it until Douglas had begun showering her with kindness. Their courtship had been short and magnificent. Douglas had been so eager to ensure that Katherine Langley was his that he had sped the courtship process along quickly.

But just because their courtship had been a short one, did not make it any less thrilling. The couple had been horse riding, on picnics, and they had taken many a walk together during which time Kate learned of Douglas's big heart. He cared about society's problems just as much as she did and loved how she often knitted clothing for orphan children. He had even promised that once they were married, they would take on a lot of charitable acts, which Kate adored.

How could any other man be as good for her as this one?

Kate wondered what Jonathan, the most important man in her life, would think of Douglas, if he were here to meet him in person. Her brother's opinion would be important to her, possibly even more so than her father's opinion because they had grown up extremely close, yet she would not be able to discover the truth of his feelings until she was Douglas's wife. He was a good man who could provide a wonderful life for her and would always keep her happy. Surely, that would be the most important thing to Jonathan, along with the rest of her family. She could not see any issues ever arising with such a union with him.

Unfortunately, because she enjoyed her time with her Marquess of Fairbridge far too much, the waltz was over far too quickly. Kate could have spent the entire night in his arms, but they were not wed yet and it would not be proper. They could only spend a certain amount of time holding one another, but that did not dampen Kate's mood. She did not believe that anything could possibly alter her happiness.

Many women she knew were not as lucky. They married men they barely knew, much less had any feelings for, but Kate knew with utter certainty that she was in love. Not just love but head-over-heels love. Douglas made her giddy, made her pulse beat with a thrill, made her stomach turn over in an uncontrollable manner. She adored being near him, talking to him, looking into his eyes. She knew that she would have done absolutely anything for him.

Yes, Kate was lucky. She understood this and would never take it for granted. She would never become one of those women bored of her husband, desperate to get away from him. Douglas inspired so many wonderful emotions within her. That would never change, Kate could feel it deep in her soul. She would always feel this way about the Marquess of Fairbridge.

***

Kate could hardly speak on the carriage ride home. This was not because she had nothing to say to her parents, who had kindly escorted her to the ball, but because she simply had too much she wanted to get out and she did not know where to begin. As the Duke and Duchess of Ridgebrook, her mother and father, had high expectations of Kate's behavior, chatting endlessly from the ball all the way home would not be considered proper.

They were not cold people, not like the parents of some of Kate's school friends, but she had always been closer to Jonathan than them. Kate had always found him far easier to talk to.

The duke was a very serious man, with his head in business always. It made him incredibly successful, but left little room for anything else. The duchess looked wonderful, always. She was the sort of woman who could have gone to a ball every single day, given half the chance, which showed in what she wore. Her mother tolerated Kate's desire to help the world out but had always told Kate that marriage was the most important thing.

Thankfully, they both liked Douglas very much.

Because of this, Kate lost herself in her imagination instead as she watched the streets of London go by. She admired the beauty of the homes and trees under the fiery night lights while she allowed her emotions to soak themselves in her daydreams. She put herself back in the arms of Douglas as he spun her around the dance floor to the glorious music of the waltz once more. Only this time, she was wearing her stunning, fancy wedding gown, which would cause talk in many drawing rooms.

It would be ivory colored, and lace and pearls would decorate the silky material. The Duke of Ridgebrook would not have his youngest daughter married in anything but the finest of gowns. Kate also wished to wear a long veil, one that almost matched the length of the train on her dress, and sparkling jewelry to really make her a princess.

Kate enjoyed being the center of attention, and loved it when all gossip centered on her, because people could only find nice things to say about her. Even if they experienced any jealousy, Kate's nurturing and intelligent personality won them around. Her family name garnered her respect, and she would enjoy the same high status as a marchioness.

"We are not far from home now," her father muttered, almost to himself, as the carriage moved a little faster. The duke spoke with a slight weariness. It was clear he could not wait to find himself in his manor home, back in his office where he could work into the early hours of the morning like he did most nights, following in the footsteps of her well-known, hardworking family whose business prowess was admired all over the city. Kate was the opposite. She wanted to remain in her ball gown all night long.

But she supposed her lady's maid would not allow her to sleep in her attire for fear of ruining it.

"Ooh, what happened to the carriage then?" Kate gasped, barely realizing that she had spoken. "What is happening?"

The large black carriage rumbled and rocked to the side, tipping Kate a little too close to the window. From this angle, she could see the spokes of the oversized wheels. All of a sudden, Kate gripped hard onto the seat underneath her as she realized the speed at which they were traveling. It felt much too fast, out of control almost. Carriage rides had only ever been smooth for her before, particularly when they were close to home, where the roads were well-maintained. Now, she could hear the horses' hooves crashing in a gallop against the paving stones, and her father yanked open the window to shout out at the driver, rapping his walking stick on the carriage to gain the man's attention.

However, their pace did not slacken, and her father drew his head and arm back inside the carriage, muttering an oath. Kate and her mother reeled in their seats, off-balance and shaken. The entire experience was made so much worse for Kate by the sheer terror written across the faces of her parents. Her father was never one to show fear, yet this was frightening him. Kate resisted the urge to let out a terrified scream.

The carriage lurched violently, half-throwing Kate onto the floor, but her father grabbed her and hauled her upright again. A loud bang filled her ears. It was so shocking that Kate flinched while the sound ricocheted inside her mind. Yet what followed was so much worse. It did not matter how tightly she attempted to grip onto the seat underneath her, she could not. Kate's sense of the world was all topsy-turvy, upside down and inside out, as the carriage violently flipped over onto its side, knocking everyone out of their seats and against the walls of the carriage.

It all happened too rapidly. Kate's eyes blurred, and she did not even know where her body was, only that it was no longer connected to anything.

The sounds were jarring. Banging, screaming, smashing...But what did any of it mean? Kate was not sure, only that it could not be good. Her world was being overturned, and she was terrified...

But just as Kate felt sure that she was about to lose her mind, everything stopped once more. At least the earth had stopped rocking around them. It was one thing to be grateful for.

That was until the agonizing pain kicked in.

My head! Kate noticed the pounding in the left side of her brain first of all. A throbbing, pounding sensation that sickened her to her very core. She tried to move, but her back remained pinned back against the carriage wall, unable to move at all. A window pane dug into her spine, but there was nothing she could do.

Luckily, she could hear the footmen screaming and shouting as they attempted to untangle the panicking horses. Kate was quite certain that she could also hear her mother talking to her father. Everyone else was all right, and they would come to rescue her soon.

Yet immediate rescue did not remain her priority for long. An excruciating agony screamed from her right leg. It was a pain so sharp and terrible it stripped the remaining breath from her lungs.

Kate fought to move, but she could not. It was too much effort to even keep her eyes open. There was a slight voice in the back of her head telling her to keep awake so she could find out what happened to the carriage, and where everyone else was, but the dizziness was far too intense for her to control.

Much as she wanted to cry out to her mother and father, to see if they were in pain also, Kate did not have the strength.

"Miss?" Everything became blurry and a little dark, as though viewed through a pinhole. "Miss, do you hear me?"

She could hear this voice. Kate could also see the most mesmerizing coffee-brown eyes staring at her, but none of it meant anything. Her brain had disconnected from her body and nothing made sense. The agony no longer remained as a burning heat in her leg but was creeping up her body, making her grow slack and still.

The eyes were a comfort though. If she had to lose her life in such a violent way at nineteen years of age, at least she could be grateful for the comfort the eyes had given her at the end. She would rather have her life, especially since she was on the verge of getting everything she wanted at long last, but Kate had to take comfort in what she had left...