Page 1 of Beauty and the Rake (Endless Love #1)

N ever had Roxanne thought she would miss the four distinct seasons of England.

But as she glanced outside the carriage she had hired, she noted the fog from the Thames had thickened, making visibility nearly impossible, and it made her smile.

Not that there was much to look at. The house she was in front of was nothing in the way of spectacular, and given the fog, it made the brick structure almost spooky.

Neither had she ever thought she would find herself in this sort of predicament.

Her marriage had been one of convenience, bringing two powerful families together.

Once the papers were signed and vows said, she found herself alone.

As she stared at the barely visible structure, she was determined to claw herself back up the ladder she fell so far down.

She heard the driver and his man come down off the seat.

The driver opened the door and put down the stair as his man began to haul her trunks to the front door.

Stepping down as graciously as she could manage, Roxanne smiled at the driver.

Six trunks she’d brought back from her three years stay in the south of France.

There was no staff left to help. All had been dismissed by her late husband’s son in accordance with his father’s will.

Rather than allow her to live out the remainder of her life in the dowager house on one of his estates, Lord Casper Smith, eighth Earl of Temple instead left her a house on the outskirts of London in a less than fashionable area.

The house had once been occupied by one of the earl’s mistresses until her death.

Roxanne had no idea what she would be walking into.

Never had she been inside. Given the key at the reading of the will, she left the attorney’s office and immediately fled to her aunt’s outside of Provence.

If it had been Casper’s idea to embarrass her and see her laughed and gossiped over by the ton, he succeeded.

No longer did she live in Mayfair. Her fall from grace was his last delight.

She would have to swallow her pride and ask for help.

“Sir, my staff is not scheduled to start until tomorrow morning. Do you think you and your man could take the trunks inside to the entrance?”

He turned to study her face as he pondered his reply. He must have taken pity on her because he nodded his head of thin, graying hair. “No problem, milady. Happy to help.”

Roxanne managed a smile, nodded, and walked to the front door, putting the key in the lock, opening the door for the men to enter.

But before she could step aside for the men, a shiny black carriage, pulled by four black horses, stopped at the curb.

She immediately recognized the carriage by the ducal seal on the door as belonging to her brother Arthur.

He sprang out of his carriage before a footman could open the door or lower the stairs and quickly came toward her. He turned to the driver for a moment. “I am the lady’s brother. She won’t be staying here.” He nodded to his footman. “See all her trunks are delivered to my house.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Arthur continued up the stairs to Roxanne and immediately took the keys from her hand. “You’re not staying here. You’ll stay at Jameson House.”

“But…”

“No excuses, Roxanne. I will not have my sister living in this neighborhood just because her late husband bequeathed the property to her.” He leaned over and planted a kiss on her cheek.

“Very well.” She watched as he locked the door.

He turned, offered his arm, and led her down the stairs to his waiting carriage.

Roxanne ascended the carriage with the help of a waiting footman and settled on the red leather seat.

Arthur followed, choosing to sit across from her.

He removed his hat and set it on the seat next to him.

“How did you know I’d be there?”

“I knew what date your ship was due.”

“So you decided to rescue me?”

“Casper was a cruel man. I never did like him. He treated you horribly.”

“Not only me, but he treated Thomas horribly too.” Thomas was the only child she and Casper ever had.

Once it became apparent that Thomas was mentally challenged and would never mature past a toddler, Casper stayed away from Roxanne’s bed.

According to Casper, the boy’s problems were all Roxanne’s fault.

“I know,” Arthur said. “We have a lot to talk about.”

“I suppose we do.”

“How did you enjoy your time in France?”

“I liked it well enough. The south of France is quite a bit different from Paris. I saw a lot of places I might not otherwise have ever had the opportunity to visit.”

The last year had gone by slowly. She had been ready to return to England.

She missed her friends, Georgiana in particular.

Georgiana had encouraged her to return home.

After almost three years, it was time. The last thing she anticipated was finding herself left with this house which had been occupied by one of Casper’s mistresses.

The fog seemed to be lifting the closer they got to Mayfair.

She could make out the outline of some of the buildings and parks along the way.

Roxanne glanced at her brother who was watching her.

They had always been close growing up and remained so to this day.

Unfortunately, Arthur had been away on a business trip when Casper suddenly died.

Roxanne had sent word to him while he had been in Scotland, but he never got her missive.

They were convinced Casper’s son, Perry, had had something to do with the letter disappearing.

Same with a telegram she sent. That was all in the past and hopefully Perry had moved on.

The carriage turned down a street across from Grosvenor Square.

The ancestral family home, built by her great-great-grandfather, sat on prime Mayfair land.

It was where generations of her family lived while in London.

Roxanne had lived there until her father sold her to Casper.

That’s how she looked at her marriage. It had been a marriage of convenience. Convenient at least for her husband.

She smiled at her brother. At thirty-two, a duke and unmarried, he was one of the most sought-after men in London.

“What are you smiling about?”

“That you’ve still not married.”

“I have no plan to marry a woman who may be over ten years younger, let alone one with no worldly experience. One of my priorities is for my wife to be able to carry on a conversation about more than just the weather or puppies and kittens.”

“I see your predicament. I’m sure there is someone out there you’ve yet to meet that is your perfect mate.”

Jameson House came into view as the carriage slowed before coming to a stop. It was a magnificent sight to behold. The brick mansion rose four stories; a dual staircase descended from either side of the front door. Roxanne never thought she’d be so happy to see the house as she was at this moment.

“I had your rooms readied,” he said. Arthur linked her arm through his and they began up the stairs to the front door. The long-time family butler, Wilson, stood waiting, door open.

“You’ve thought of everything. Thank you.”

They were in the grand hall and Arthur gestured to the staircase. “I’m sure you would like to freshen up from your journey. I’ll be in my study. Come join me when you’re ready.”

“I will.”

She turned and walked across the room to the stairs. For the first time in years, she felt a sense of calm.

*

Roxanne walked around her rooms. Nothing had changed since she left.

The walls and chairs were done in a periwinkle color with white to accent it.

The heavy dark-blue drapes were open. Walking over to the window, she peered down at the garden which was, as always, meticulously kept up.

Hedges trimmed and the gardens full of color from the assortment of flowers.

A knock on the door had her whirl around. “Enter,” she said.

The door opened and Mrs. Dunn, the long-time housekeeper, appeared with a young girl.

“Pardon the intrusion, milady, but as you came with no lady’s maid, I took it upon myself to assign one to you. This is Fletcher. Amy Fletcher. She’ll be attending to your needs.”

Roxanne nodded and smiled at the two women. “That was very thoughtful, Mrs. Dunn. Fletcher, thank you.”

“Would you care for tea?” Mrs. Dunn inquired.

“Tea would be nice.” She turned to Fletcher. The girl couldn’t have been twenty, and had dark blonde hair. “Fletcher, while I wait, I would like to freshen up and change. My trunks should be in the dressing room.”

Fletcher nodded and walked towards the dressing room. As she did, Mrs. Dunn made her way to the door. “If you need anything at all, let me know.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Dunn.”

As soon as the door closed, she walked to the dressing room. Roxanne knew the poor girl was probably scared to death in her new position. If the girl was going to serve her, they should get to know each other better.

She found Fletcher bent over a trunk that carried the dresses she had made in France. “There should be a moss-colored day dress in there.”

“Yes, milady. I set everything out for you. Let me know when you’re ready to change.”

Roxanne nodded and turned toward the door. Tea was already here.

*

Roxanne stood in front of the heavy oak door.

Sometimes as a child, she dreaded being called to her father’s study.

It usually meant a stern talking to for something she might have done, like a trick she had played on Arthur.

She was especially fond of going into his rooms and switching something around or locking the cat, Mr. Cat, in the day before Arthur was due home.