CHAPTER 1
Addersley Manor, Nottinghamshire, England - April, 1817
It has often been said that those who eavesdrop seldom hear good of themselves. Joshua Hargood, seventh Viscount of Addersley, had never believed as much until this day.
Of course, he was not inclined to eavesdrop. In this particular instance, he overheard the comments of his servants entirely by accident. He was seeking his butler, Fairfax, to communicate that he would assume his late father’s habit of dining in the library when alone. Enough of the lonely sound of one set of silverware on the china, echoing in that vast chilly space. Bachelor and viscount, Joshua could do as he chose. Perhaps he would become eccentric early.
The fact was that solitude chafed upon him. It had been easy to keep his vow to his father when there was a task that had consumed him utterly. The end of the war meant the end of that labor, though. He missed analyzing messages fromspies and covert individuals, seeking the patterns and aiding in the crown’s strategies. Tending his hereditary responsibilities at Addersley Manor simply could not compare.
Joshua was haunted by that season in London, its revels and pleasures. Though he had no desire to return to such reckless abandon, he tired of a staid and predictable life. Surely, there was some middle ground, one that would not require breaking his promise to his father.
He had need of a quest, but had yet to discover one of merit.
Joshua slowed on the stairs at the sound of voices in the kitchen, then halted entirely when he heard his own name.
“’Tis a right shame, it is, his lordship being such a good man but nary an inclination to marry,” his cook, Mrs. Baird, said with a heavy sigh. “’Tis unnatural. There shall never be any wee bairns in this house, if matters continue as they are.”
Joshua could readily imagine the stocky older woman shaking her head.
“It is admirable for his lordship to forgo matrimony after the loss of his betrothed,” Fairfax said with authority.
“But it has been a decade!” Reed, Joshua’s valet, protested.
“And that marriage was arranged, as I heard it,” Mrs. Baird said grimly. “With the old lord dead and buried, there is no one to arrange another match.”
Fairfax, the butler, cleared his throat pointedly. “His lordship might choose a bride himself.”
Reed chuckled. “Oh, and the pretty ladies will fall over their feet to accept a man said to have ice in his veins.”
Joshua looked down at the floor. If that was said of him, it was not without justification. He took pride in keeping his thoughts to himself.
“He has a title and enough wealth to keep a wife content,” Fairfax said. “If young ladies were not so frivolous, they might see the merit of that.”
“I do not see a line at the door,” Reed said with his usual irreverence. “Not even ambitious mamas consider him a good prospect.”
“If ever he left Addersley, he might catch the eye of one of them,” Mrs. Baird said.
“His lordship is in mourning,” Fairfax said severely. “Surely, you have better things to do than speculate endlessly and achieve nothing.”
Joshua turned away, considering the notion. Could he arrange a match for himself? He would have to mingle more in society, but perhaps a wife would resolve his restlessness. It would provide him with a task, to be sure, and perhaps a much-needed sense of purpose.
“Oh, how these halls used to ring with laughter and mischief when first I came to this house,” Fairfax said. “So much changed at Addersley with the untimely demise of the viscountess.” The deep tones of the butler were as unmistakable, as was that man’s philosophical tone. “An enchanting woman, gracious, beautiful, and always cheerful. I never met a lady so like a welcome beam of sunlight.”
Joshua was startled by this markedly poetic compliment from his staid butler.
“Died when his lordship was six years of age, did she not?” Reed asked, for he had not been at Addersley that long.
“And Master Gerald only five,” Fairfax intoned. “There were those as said she had the boys too closely together, but even I knew how she yearned for a houseful of children. The old viscount could deny her nothing.” Fairfax dropped his voice. “’Twas whispered that she was with child when she caught that illness.”
Mrs. Baird clicked her tongue. “Two lost at once then. ’Tis a pity.”
“Indeed. His lordship was never the same after her demise, even though Master Gerald was so like her. Perhaps it broke the old viscount’s heart to see so much of his lady in that boy.”
Joshua’s frown deepened. It was true. Gerald had shared their mother’s nature. No wonder the house seemed dark and dreary in the absence of both of them.
If he took ever a wife, she should be lively.
Mrs. Baird chuckled. “A proper scamp Master Gerald was, but one with charm to spare. No one could remain angry with that boy, no matter what he did. And now he’s dead and gone, along with the old viscount, and there is only quiet as his lordship seems to prefer. Addersley Manor might as well be a tomb!”
