The Lady’s Dangerous Love Read online

“He has good taste; that I must say.” Her father grinned wide, flashing teeth that were nearly covered by the hair on his face. Bella wondered briefly how he ate without chewing on the hair at the same time. She giggled, but didn’t say what was making her giggle. The last thing she wanted to do was insult her father’s feelings. Hurting him was unacceptable.

  “Thank you, Papa. I think so, too.”

  They all laughed.

  The door to the kitchen swung open again. Tabitha and Patricia came through carrying two large trays with breakfast food for the family. They set the trays down on the table and retreated from the room, but not without giving Bella wide smiles first. She realized quickly that Bess must have told the entire staff of Bellhouse Estate her big news. When the door closed behind them, she turned back to her parents.

  “Jonathan said that he understood most of the people from Bainbridge would not be able to take time off of work or have the financial resources to attend a wedding held in London. I want a big wedding, but I see no reason for it not to be held in St. Albany’s Cathedral right here in Bainbridge. It’s a large church, I’m sure it will accommodate a great many people.”

  Duke Cornwall nodded. “Yes, my dear, it will. It was built in the mid-1700s and has been the cornerstone of Bainbridge ever since. Did you know that at one time, monks lived in that cathedral and helped the poor travelers when the village was very new?”

  Bella giggled. “Yes, Papa, you have told me the story many times.”

  “It was quite a thing of glory to God, I must say,” the Duke continued as if he hadn’t heard his daughter. He rambled on for a few more moments about the cathedral, that it had the largest sanctuary of any church in the South of England, not counting London, of course. Bella and her mother exchanged amused glances.

  “When will your Mr. Humbridge arrive, Bella? Have you received a message from him about it?”

  “He had to travel back to London this morning and will be back after a sennight. That gives us plenty of time to put together a nice list of guests and perhaps order my dress.” Bella ended the sentence as a question, lifting the pitch of her voice for the last few words. She raised her pretty eyebrows, gazing at her mother.

  The Duchess laughed. “Yes, dear. It gives us a lot of time to do some of the things we need to do. But he has given us three months. There is no need to rush. We must make sure everything goes perfectly. You will only have one chance to do this right.”

  Bella nodded. “I know, Mama. I know.” She pretended to pout a bit. “I don’t know how I will get through the next sennight, Mama, Papa. I will miss him.”

  “Now, now, dear,” her father reached over and placed his large hand over her small one. Then he lifted it and tapped her lightly on her chin to lift it up. “You will be fine. You have spent many sennights without him and lived through it quite well.”

  Bella giggled. “I did not say I would not survive, Papa, just that I would miss him.”

  “No need to miss me anymore!” came a booming voice from the doorway. Bella and her parents looked to the door to see the four boys had entered the room. It was Nicholas who had spoken and he quickly approached the table.

  “I did not realize you would miss me so much in one night that you would need to take my chair to comfort you the next morning.”

  Bella and her parents broke out in laughter and she stood up, throwing her arms around her oldest brother.

  “I always miss you, my brother Nicholas, but you know I was not talking about you in this particular instance.”

  Nicholas pretended his feelings were hurt. He stuck out his lower lip and dropped his head. “And here I was to believe it was all about me, all the time.”

  Again, his parents and sister laughed and this time his brothers joined in.

  “Please take your seat back, Nick,” Bella said. “I was unsure whether you and the boys had already eaten. I saw you in the garden when I awoke. With Joshua.” As she spoke, she moved to the seat two chairs down from Nicholas, where she normally sat. Her brother Tyler was seated next to her mother and Steven was across from Bella. Cameron, the youngest of the family, sat between Nicholas and Bella.

  “How is Joshua doing this morning anyway?”

  “He is well.” Nick responded.

  “I helped him with some of the weeding,” Steven spoke up, looking at his father for approval. Steven, the quiet young man with a reserved temperament, was no less intelligent than his brothers but had not matured as they had. His mind was still in the middle stages of development, a fact that caused his brothers to encourage and support him in anything he chose to do.

  “That’s wonderful, Steven, and very kind of you.” Duke Cornwall nodded and smiled at his son. Steven smiled back, proud of himself. He helped himself to some eggs, bacon, ham, and bread, filling his plate before picking up his fork to eat slowly.

  “Joshua is going to come to my wedding, isn’t he?” Bella asked, turning her smile back to Nicholas. Her oldest brother shrugged.

  “I would assume so, sister. I don’t see why he would not attend. You have been friends with him for some time now.”

  Bella nodded. “Ever since he started working here, as a matter of fact. And that has been about ten years.”

  She watched as her family began to fill their plates with food, chatting and talking amongst themselves. Steven was the only one not carrying a conversation, as he was concentrating on his food with great focus.

  Bella filled her plate, her mind consumed with thoughts of her upcoming wedding. Her excitement ran through her veins with her blood. Her heart was still pounding and she wondered if she would be nervous, picturing her walk down the middle of the aisle at St. Albany’s, her father holding her arm, her brothers standing in a row in front of her, with Jonathan waiting at the end with the priest. It would be a lovely ceremony, she was sure of it.

  She couldn’t wait.

  CHAPTER TWO

  JOSHUA FOSTER

  JOSHUA FOSTER

  Joshua knelt down, keeping the weight off his knees so that the rocks would not poke into his skin. He’d been bruised before and didn’t enjoy it. He smiled, remembering how Steven had bent over next to him and began pulling weeds from a portion of the garden down from him.

  “Thank you, Steven; you know you don’t have to help me.” He had said, just like he did every time the Duke’s son began to help him with menial chores.

  Steven shook his head. “It is my pleasure.”

  As always.

  Joshua looked up at the windows of the mansion. The one directly facing him was the dining room, where the family would be enjoying their breakfast right then. The ones directly above belonged to Bella. He was glad that he could so easily see Bella’s room from there. He had memories from years past when she had been very young. She would push open the drapes and look for him. When she spotted him, she would wave frantically, as if she would be invisible if she didn’t make as much motion as possible.

  Joshua was nine years older than Bella but it hadn’t stopped them from being fast friends. She had plenty of brothers to look out for her, that was a fact. However, her brothers were not always around, and now that they were older and had more responsibilities in town, Joshua had taken over the role in the last few years, with their blessing.

  He hesitated to think that he considered Bella like a sister. He had never considered her like a sister. His heart beat for her the moment she blossomed into a woman at the age of sixteen, just three short years ago. Since then, he had admired her from afar, making sure he was respectful to her and of her at all times. He knew his place. A gardener had no business pining for the only daughter of a Duke.

  He had never told Bella how he felt about her and never would. While he had played with her when she was in her forming years, pushing her on the large wooden swing hanging from the tree at the end of the garden, helping her with her letters and numbers, or playing a simple game of cards with her, he had always remembered his place. He was only 15 when he started workin
g for the Bellhouse Estate in the garden, training with his father, who had been the gardener at Bellhouse estate for most of his adult life.

  Joshua thought of his father with fond remembrance. He missed the old man every day. A horse accident had taken his father’s life five years past. He’d taught Joshua everything he knew in the five years he’d been with his son. He had done many of his son’s chores while Joshua was playing with the nine or ten-year-old Bella.

  Joshua tried to see through the glass windows into the dining room, focusing on where he knew the table would be. Bella always sat facing the window and every now and then, she would catch his eye and they would smile at each other.

  Those smiles were often the highlight of Joshua’s day.

  The sun glaring off the glass window was just right to prevent Joshua from seeing inside. He wondered if she was looking at him. She had that morning. He’d seen her standing at the window. He hadn’t tried to catch her eye, though. He didn’t know if he would be able to without his feelings being obvious on his face, and since he was surrounded by her four brothers, men that he had come to know and love as family, he had to keep that from happening. He didn’t want the four men to know how he felt about their sister. He had no status in society whatsoever and even though the Cornwall family – from the Duke to the youngest son – treated everyone with equal respect, he knew that he would never be able to hold the hand of the sweet and beautiful Bella.

  He looked down at the weeds and stabbed his small trowel into the ground, letting it sit standing up on its own, the heavy dirt preventing it from tipping over. He rested his arms on his knees and stared at the dirt without seeing it.

  Bella was going to be married.

  The thought made him want to cry. He shook his head violently to clear the thought away, but it wouldn’t leave.

  He’d known nearly a year ago when Lord Humbridge had brought Bella back from her trip to London that something was amiss. It wasn’t amiss for the young lady, but it certainly was for him. His heart was broken. He knew not to expect more from the girl, but his hopes had been completely dashed that day, never to be revived. For so long, he had thought of Bella as his girl.

  Now he would have to stay away from her, as a betrothed woman could not possibly be seen with another man, not in the intimate fashion they had enjoyed previous to her engagement. She would not want her reputation to be tarnished and he would not allow it to be, for his part. He loved her too much to let that happen.

  She was like a gentle, delicate flower. Her long, blond hair was naturally wavy and her blue eyes sparkled, set behind dark lashes. For many years, she denied her beauty and needed constant reassurance from her brothers, her parents, and the servants that she was a gorgeous girl and would be even more so as an adult. It wasn’t until Lord Humbridge was introduced to her did she seem to realize her beauty. Joshua had wished to express it to her many times, but in the most recent years, he had hesitated, knowing that his true feelings for her would come out whether he liked it or not.

  Her brothers had protected her as she grew up. She was frail, small, and stunning, even as a child. They knew they had to keep a close watch on her.

  Joshua pulled in a deep breath and glanced up at the window again. This time, he could see through the glass at the family sitting around the table. His eyes focused in on Bella. She was covering her mouth with one hand as she chewed, a smile spread across her face. Her eyes were focused on her father. As soon as she had swallowed her food, she sat back in her chair and laughed, her hand still covering her pretty red lips.

  Joshua let out a harsh breath, wishing beyond all wishes that he was sitting next to her, that he could be Lord Humbridge, or at least someone of similar status. Just to have one chance to be with the Duke’s daughter, to hold her to him and…

  His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a female voice.

  “Joshua! Joshua!”

  He turned to see Elena Eldridge, one of the three kitchen maids, coming toward him from the far end of the garden. He stood up and slapped his hands together to loosen the dust. He then pressed them against his trousers to further clean them before Elena arrived. She would want to kiss his cheek and make him smile.

  “Elena.” He smiled at her as she got closer.

  “I see you are hard at work this morning,” Elena said, leaning toward him to kiss his cheek. He turned his head so that she could kiss him with ease and turned his smile back toward her when she was done.

  “And you? You are not hard at work?” He teased.

  She shook her head. “No, I’ve taken a break to come out and see you. Cook doesn’t care. She thinks we make a wonderful couple.” Elena took his arm and lifted her shoulders with a happy smile on her lips. “I think we do, too.”

  He could see she was looking at him expectantly, wanting to hear him say the same thing. He nodded.

  “And we are.” He supplied graciously.

  Elena was a pretty girl, though plain. Joshua didn’t judge her. She was the same age as him, so some of her youthful looks had already passed and the strain of the job she performed daily had given her the look of an older woman. Nevertheless, she was attractive and Joshua liked her very much. She had been a good friend since the death of his father, drawing close to him during his time of mourning, and offering support and kindness.

  He was grateful to her and wanted only the best for her. However, his heart was not won over by her kindness or her beauty, plain as it might have been. He knew that eventually she would ask him to make her his wife and if she said such a thing, he would probably give in and marry her. If for any reason, at least to make sure she did not end up lonely and a spinster. She obviously only had eyes for him and it would be difficult for her to find someone else to love. Bainbridge was a small town and there were no other prospects for her. She never left the Bellhouse Estate, except to do some shopping in the marketplace. She had never visited the beautiful gardens that surrounded Bainbridge and had never seen the old Tree of Life that drew so many visitors to their small village.

  Elena squeezed his arm and pulled him gently to the stone bench nearby so they could sit together. He saw when she glanced toward the glass window showing into the dining room. Her face twitched slightly and he saw the distinct look of disdain. It annoyed him that she felt that way about their employers, but he knew the reason why. Her father had lost all of his money in a bad deal and had drunk himself to death. Her mother had disappeared shortly after, leaving Elena to grow up in Bellhouse Estate as a servant with no other choice but to accept her lot in life. Once a rich, spoiled girl, the kitchen maid was now nothing more than a paid servant, waiting on those she would once have dined with.

  “Have you heard about Bella’s betrothal?” Elena said as soon as they sat down. Joshua tried to keep his face neutral, nodding his head. He wanted Elena to think it meant nothing to him. The poor girl had no idea that Bella had long ago stolen Joshua’s heart, and it would be nearly impossible to wrench it from the unsuspecting girl’s hands.

  “I am excited for her. Lord Humbridge is a very handsome man and has always been very respectful to me, and to Tabs and Patty. We are all excited for her. Are you?”

  Joshua plastered a fake grin on his face and chuckled. “What makes you think I care about the grand doings of those in the house?”

  Elena slapped his arm lightly. “Oh, don’t be that way, Joshua. You care about the Cornwall's, every one of them and I know it. I’ve seen you talking with the brothers nearly every morning when they come out before breakfast and you’ve been caring for Bella for years.” He looked at her sharply but she was staring off in front of her as she spoke, apparently unaware that the words she used meant something different to Joshua than what she had meant them to mean. “You’ve looked after the girl since she was ten years old. I wouldn’t be surprised if she had an infatuation with you.” Elena turned her eyes to him and smiled. “Wouldn’t that be silly? Imagine the Cornwall's allowing her to marry the gardener.” She giggled
and squeezed his arm again. “But there is no need for me to worry. I have you and she has Lord Humbridge and we are all happy, aren’t we?”

  Joshua turned his eyes back to the dining room window, focusing in on the beautiful, smiling Bella. “Yes,” he said softly. “We are all happy.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  FAMILY BREAKFAST

  FAMILY BREAKFAST

  Bella looked out through the window and saw Joshua and Elena talking on the stone bench. Elena had her arm through Joshua’s and a giggly young girl look on her face as she openly gazed at the young man. Bella felt a twitch in her chest, something she often experienced when she saw Joshua and Elena together. She knew they were a couple and would probably someday be married, but she couldn’t help feeling a bit possessive of the gardener. Seeing him sitting on the bench talking with Elena, made her want to finish her breakfast in a hurry and go out there to interrupt them.

  She giggled at herself, trying to focus back on the funny story her father was telling, but she couldn’t. Her eyes continued to stray out the window to look at Joshua. He was nearly as handsome as Lord Humbridge, making her wish for a moment that he had a similar status as well. She would be glad to choose between the two men. She wondered for a moment who she would choose.

  She had spent the past year having grand adventures with Jonathan. They often laughed. He was a witty and charming man, always had something to say and was very complimentary towards her. She couldn’t have asked for a better man. However, she often wondered if that was, in fact, what Joshua was. He had been a constant supporter since the day he started working at Bellhouse Estate. He made sure she was comfortable, that her favorite flowers grew in the garden, and that he was trimming the bushes to resemble her favorite animals.

  He was taller than her but not as tall as her three older brothers. He had very blond, short cropped hair and bright blue eyes that sometimes changed to green, depending on how he was feeling. When he had caught a virus some years past, they had stayed a deep green for nearly two sennights. When he’d recovered, they had all breathed a collective sigh of relief. He was a friend to everyone in Bellhouse Estate, including the servants. He had broad shoulders and walked with a particular gait that could not be mistaken if he was seen in the dark, moving with only the light of a lantern. She knew because she watched him from her bedroom window some mornings, when he had started working before the sun rose. She knew when it was him approaching from the servants’ house down the pathway. The lantern always swung a certain way. Puffs of smoke would flow through the rays of light as he smoked his pipe.