The Lady’s Dangerous Love (The BainBridge - Love & Challenges) (The Regency Romance Story) Read online

  The Lady’s Dangerous Love

  The BainBridge - Love & Challenges

  Jessie Bennett

  CARLTON HOUSE PUBLISHING CO.

  Contents

  Copyright

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  A Personal Note From Jessie Bennett

  Dedication

  About The Author

  The Lady’s Dangerous Love

  BOOK TWO - FAMILIES OF THE BAINBRIDGE SERIES

  *

  PROLOGUE

  *

  CHAPTER ONE

  *

  CHAPTER TWO

  *

  CHAPTER THREE

  *

  CHAPTER FOUR

  *

  CHAPTER FIVE

  *

  CHAPTER SIX

  *

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  *

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  *

  CHAPTER NINE

  *

  CHAPTER TEN

  *

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  *

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  *

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  *

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  *

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  *

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  *

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  *

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  *

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  *

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  *

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  *

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  *

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  *

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  *

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  *

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  *

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

  *

  CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

  *

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  *

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  *

  EPILOGUE

  *

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  Also By Jessie Bennett

  Acknowledgement

  If You Have Enjoyed This Book…

  Publisher’s Notes

  Copyright © 2016 & 2017 by JESSIE BENNETT & CARLTON HOUSE PUBLISHING CO.

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. It contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This book is a work of fiction. Any similarities to real or dead people, places, or events are not intentional and are the result of coincidence. The characters, places, and events are the product of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the author/publisher. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

  Cover designed by Ms Melody Simmons. Author has the copyrights to this cover.

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  A PERSONAL NOTE

  FROM JESSIE BENNETT

  To My Dearest Lovely Readers,

  The female characters within my stories are women who have a strong faith of love, they know what they want to pursue during this era. They are constantly seeking and believe the true love really exists as they are often being looked upon as an inferior gender. Because of these social stigma, it motivates them to overcome challenges they may face while waiting for the man of their dreams to appear.

  Will these insecurities and stigma encourage them believing in true love despite the differences and challenges in social standing that they will face during this Regency Era?

  Read on to find out the answers!

  Thank you very much for your strong support to my writing journey!

  With Hugs, Kisses and Love…

  DEDICATION

  “A lady's imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony in a moment.”

  Jane Austen (1775 - 1817)

  This Story Is Specially Dedicated To You, My Dearest Reader!

  It is with gratefulness and gratitude that I am writing to you this personal dedication.

  Thank you once again for giving me this opportunity to share with the creative side of me.

  I hope you will enjoy reading this story as much I have enjoyed writing it!

  It is with such great support from you that keep us authors writing and writing, presenting to you with great and interesting stories.

  Have you checked out my other historical romance books series?

  Click the link below to get started

  *** AMAZON USA ***

  Do you like what you have read?

  I would want to hear from you!

  Please do get in touch with me:

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  [email protected]

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Jessie Bennett is dedicated to romanticism in its’ myriad forms. She loves historical romance stories. Recently, she discovered another interest within the historical romance, which is Regency Romance stories.

  She wants to use her ideas, knowledge and interest of the regency era to spin out characters that readers wants to read. She aspires to be the next Jane Austen that combine grace, love, and simplicity to delight readers to find their happy endings.

  THE LADY’S DANGEROUS LOVE

  A REGENCY ROMANCE STORY

  by

  JESSIE BENNETT

  and

  Carlton House Publishing Co.

  FAMILIES OF THE BAINBRIDGE SERIES

  Listed By Appearance, Introduced by Property Title

  BOOK TWO CHARACTERS’ LIST

  ### THE BELLHOUSE ESTATE ###

  Family Name: Cornwall

  Father: Wilfred Lee, Duke of Bellhouse

  Mother: Hettie Anne, Duchess of Bellhouse

  1st Son: Nicholas Joshua Cornwall

  2nd Son: Tyler James Cornwall

  3rd Son: Steven Alfred Cornwall

  4th Son: Cameron Lee Cornwall

  Daughter: Bella Marie Cornwall

  Husband-to-be: Jonathan Humbridge

  ### THE FORDHAM HOTEL ###

  Family Name: Ellingham

  Father: Lord Christopher Ellingham (Owner of Fordhall Hotel)

  Mother: Lady Judith Ellingham

  Son: James Ellingham

  Daughter: Katrina Ellingham

  Resident at Fordhall Hotel: Clara Collingwood

  ### ELIZA’S FLOWERS ###

  Family Name: Huntington

  Father: Lord Thaddeus Huntington

  Mother: Lady Eliza Huntington (Owner of Eliza’s Flowers)

  Son: Joseph Patrick Huntington

  Son: Andrew Jonathan Huntington

  Daughter: G
race Leigh Huntington

  ### FINE DRESS SHOPPE ###

  Family Name: Tweddle

  Husband: Sir Harrison Maxwell Tweddle

  Wife: Lady Polly Anne Tweddle

  PROLOGUE

  PROLOGUE

  Village of Bainbridge,

  South England Square,

  1818

  Bella Cornwall, only daughter and second to the youngest child of the Duke and Duchess of Bellhouse, was preparing for her upcoming wedding in the early spring of 1818. Her home in the Bellhouse Mansion was the only grand old mansion in Bainbridge, a little village in the South of England. In fact, her family members were the only ones in the small village with any real title or station in society. Close enough to London to travel there in a day, but not close enough for the village to grow because of proximity, Bainbridge was a sleepy place filled with good people and beautiful sights.

  Three months before she was to marry, Bella woke up with a spark of energy. She sat up abruptly, her eyes wide open, and stretched her arms above her head, enjoying the feeling of relief it gave her. She yawned, even though she wasn’t tired, and looked at the fire her maid had already built in the stone fireplace.

  The heat from the flames had already removed most of the chill in the room. She slid over on the mattress and sat on the edge for a moment, gripping the sides while she yawned a few more times.

  “My goodness,” she said aloud. “I don’t need to be tired today. Too much to do!”

  She was excited and giggly for some reason. Jonathan Humbridge, her fiancé, had asked her to marry him just the night before, after nearly a year of courting. She had said yes, much to the delight of her mother and father, the Duke, and Duchess Cornwall.

  She chuckled softly, sliding out of the bed and pushing her small feet into the pair of slippers waiting there to keep her feet from the cold floor. She first crossed over to the chair next to the fire, where her maid, Bess, had laid out her robe. She pulled it around her shoulders and then walked to the large window to pull the drapes back and let the sun in. It was something she had always done, giving strict instructions to her maid and any other servant that might come through to prepare her room for the day. She was the only one to open the drapes. She did not want the blaring sun to wake her. She liked to wake up on her own.

  She pushed the heavy drapes to the side and squinted, looking out from the dark room. An immediate smile covered her face.

  Her brothers were in the garden below. They were the most handsome men she had ever seen, but she would never tell them that. They weren’t arrogant at all, having been taught to respect everyone by their mother and father. Nicholas, the oldest, was standing with one hand in his trouser pocket and the other holding a pipe to his lips. The second to the oldest, Tyler, was seated on a stone bench with their youngest brother, Cameron, who was younger than she. Her fourth brother, Steven, was kneeling by the gardener, Joshua, apparently helping him pull weeds. It was not the work of a lord, but Steven never cared. Of all her brothers, he was the quietest, the most serene, and he was extremely reliable.

  Her brothers were fine gentlemen and had always protected her from anything they thought might harm her. The fact that they accepted Lord Jonathan Humbridge, the son of a Baron who lived in London, was a blessing to her. She’d found a man she loved who was accepted by all four of her brothers. She thought that was a pretty amazing feat.

  She turned away from the window and hurried to dress. Her brothers may have already had their breakfast, but she hadn’t and her stomach was rumbling.

  CHAPTER ONE

  BELLA CORNWALL

  BELLA CORNWALL

  Bella moved down the stairs at quick speed, smelling the hearty scent of coffee as it drifted up from the kitchen. The cook and kitchen servants always made a large batch of coffee because everyone in the family drank it and the servants were allowed to have some, too. It was one of Bella’s favorite things in the world. It always gave her such a burst of energy.

  Not that she needed the extra jolt. She was, in her own opinion, a very energetic, positive girl, who just wanted to make everyone around her as happy as possible. She was rarely missing a smile, and if there was no smile, there was a smirk. Many things struck her as funny and she never hesitated to let everyone around her know it.

  She burst through the door to the dining room, a bright smile lighting her face at the sight of both her mother and father sitting at the long table, sipping from coffee cups and talking in low voices. Her father had the two-page newspaper spread out next to him on the table. She assumed they were talking about business in London and such things didn’t interest her.

  Her parents looked up and smiled at her.

  “Good morning, Bella,” her father said.

  “Good morning, darling,” her mother said.

  “Good morning, Mama, Papa!” Bella replied, going to each of them and placing a quick kiss on their cheeks.

  “I trust you slept well?” her father asked, raising his heavy eyebrows and giving her a grin as he took a sip of hot, steaming coffee. She nodded vigorously, sliding into the seat beside her father, where her brother, Nicholas, typically sat.

  “Oh, Papa, I really did. I had such wonderful dreams! And the room was so nice and toasty warm this morning. I must thank Bess for making it that way.”

  “Well, she would be surprised if you did.” She turned her eyes to her mother in confusion.

  “Why, Mama?”

  “She didn’t make your fire this morning. Your brothers did. Well, Steven and Nicholas did. They even brought in the wood Joshua gathered. Wasn’t that nice of them?”

  Bella nodded again. “Oh yes, very much! Then it is they who will get my thanks!” She clapped her hands softly when the door to the downstairs kitchen swung open and Tabitha, one of the three kitchen maids, came through with a new pitcher of coffee and a tray of blueberry tarts. “Oh good, here’s the coffee. I need some.”

  Her father laughed. “You don’t need any coffee, Bella. You are already excited enough. And with good reason, I must say. But don’t let it stop you. Please go ahead and partake. We know how much you love your coffee, don’t we, dear?” He looked at his wife for confirmation.

  Duchess Cornwall nodded, a soft smile on her pretty lips. For an older woman, the Duchess had kept her youth well. Even with five grown children, she had a pretty figure, though she was curvy, something that her husband had much appreciation for. He bought dresses that brought out his wife’s curves because he was proud of her and wanted to see her in them. There wasn’t a streak of gray hair in her dark blond hair and very few wrinkles crossed the smooth skin of her face.

  Duke Cornwall, on the other hand, was showing his age. He was a shorter man, plump and round, with thick hair on his head, over his eyes, and unfortunately for him, growing from his nose and ears, as well. He sported a thick beard and mustache, both of which he was extremely proud of. He mentioned often that men his age were sometimes losing their hair, but he had enough to last at least ten more years. It was a source of laughter at many dinner conversations.

  Bella loved both her parents with all her heart and was pleased that they had given their blessing to her marriage with Lord Humbridge. She considered herself to be a very lucky girl.

  “Mama, are we going to work on the guest list for my wedding today?” Just saying the words “my wedding” gave Bella thrilled goosebumps all over her arms and on the back of her neck. Her heart pounded in her chest and she couldn’t help slightly bouncing in her chair.

  “Yes, dear, we will.”

  “I want everyone to come! Everyone in Bainbridge, including our servants. Is that all right? I would not want to have my wedding without my precious Bess, Cook Deborah, and the gardener, Joshua. Can I have them there, Mama? Papa?” She turned pleading eyes to her father, though she knew the answer from both of them would be yes. They rarely denied her anything. She had come to realize over the years that if they did, they knew what they were talking about and it was for her own goo
d.

  “My dear, you know we will be inviting everyone from the village to your wedding. And I’m sure Lord Humbridge will have many guests, as well.” Her mother responded, nodding. She lifted her coffee cup and took a long drink from it.

  “I am pleased that your Jonathan agreed to have the wedding here.”