An Unconventional Lady’s Choice (Preview)

Chapter One

Harry let out a groan as he was jostled suddenly, colliding with the wall of the carriage. God, that hurt even more than the last one. Sitting across from him, Silas gave a wry chuckle.

“I never thought a simple carriage journey would result in making us stay alert in case we ended up on the floor.”

“You’d think someone would look at the road or something,” Harry grumbled, rubbing at his shoulder. It was beginning to throb now. “There are so many people going back and forth. Surely, someone would fill in the holes in the road.”

“Who’s going to pay for it? Something like fixing a road is expensive.”

“Surely, there is someone who knows whose responsibility it is.”

“Well, we’re not going to find out, and it’s not really any of our business, is it?”

He did have a point, although Harry wished that he knew; he just wanted to complain to someone. Slumping back in his chair, he rolled his injured shoulder. That was the seventh time since they set off that they had been knocked about, and the third time he was knocked against the wall. He was going to be coming off the carriage covered in bruises.

Why was it so uncomfortable travelling through the Hampshire countryside? It was a prosperous county, and so many influential people lived near the beach at Brighton. Why were their roads in such a state?

“Cheer up, Harry,” Silas said, leaning over to swat Harry’s knee. “It may never happen.”

“What may never happen?”

“Whatever is making you look so glum. What happened to the smile you were wearing when we got going?”

Harry rolled his eyes and looked out of the window. He just wanted to get to his grandmother’s estate and get off the atrocious transport. At least it was just him and his older brother, the rest of his family travelling down from Oxfordshire later on; it would be far too cramped inside with two parents, five children and six grandchildren, and that was not including his sisters’ husbands. While he adored his nieces and nephews, Harry didn’t want to be stuck with them for two hours, getting fidgety and screaming.

He had no idea how his sisters managed to cope with the noise when their children got louder and more annoying. Then again, they would have nannies they would pass the children onto at the right moment. Which made sense; his sisters looked far too chirpy for women who had several small children.

Harry had a newfound respect for women who couldn’t afford nannies or servants and had to do things on their own with their children.

“Do you think Grandmother is going to be all right?” he asked, watching the trees go by, and a valley appear from behind them. “I heard that she’s not doing that well.”

“She’s still healthy, as far as I’m aware. Father said the doctor was happy with everything, apart from her age. He advised her not to travel anywhere, especially not at this time of year, so we’re to go to her.”

That was fair enough. Although Harry did worry. Mrs Althea Davenport had always been a strong, fierce woman who was able to carry on with anything without batting an eyelid. She was like a force to be reckoned with, and Harry admired that. He did adore his grandmother. To hear that she was being told to take it easy and stay home instead of travelling up to her daughter’s home was shocking; Harry never thought that would slow Mrs Davenport down.

At least they could have a change of scenery. The part of Hampshire their grandmother lived in was quite remarkable, and Harry remembered spending many hours exploring when he was a young boy. True, that had been almost twenty years ago, but he could remember it like it was yesterday.

Maybe he could do that again once they arrived.

“I still find it strange to hear that Grandmother can’t go anywhere. She’s always been healthier than us.”

“She is going to be eighty at her next birthday, Harry,” Silas reminded him. “I think, given how long she’s lived, she should have people doing her bidding and not the other way around.”

“You do realise that she will still have people doing her bidding sitting in a chair instead of chasing everyone.”

Silas laughed.

“She’s not known for sitting down and putting her feet up. But we’re now faster than her. We can get away before she tries.”

Harry couldn’t help but smile at that. They were always teasing their grandmother. Mrs Davenport wasn’t necessarily strict, but she was no-nonsense. They barely got away with anything as they got older, although things had changed in recent years with their grandmother softening. Maybe it was old age, or maybe Mrs Davenport didn’t really care anymore.

Harry wanted to be like that when he was an old man. If he got to that age, he would consider it his greatest achievement if he did reach the age of eighty.

“Anyway, we don’t need to worry too much about her,” Silas went on. “She’s still going strong, even if she can’t travel too far. I’m sure she’ll make sure this winter is fun for us. She’s still got a full schedule for us leading up to Christmas.”

“I heard about that. I thought Mother was going mad when she said that.”

“Grandmother likes to keep busy. She’ll more than likely have us doing the more active roles, but she’ll be the mastermind.”

Harry wouldn’t be surprised. Mrs Davenport did love entertaining. And she loved spending time with her family; she especially loved the great-grandchildren, who lapped up the attention from everyone. They could be angels when they wanted to be.

He just wished that they would remain angels more often when he was around.

The carriage turned suddenly, which resulted in Harry and Silas getting thrown sideways. Harry caught himself before he hit his face on the wall, righting himself at the same time as the carriage.

“For goodness’ sake! I thought we were supposed to have a competent driver.”

“They’re probably the ones escorting the rest of the family.” Silas grunted. He was rubbing his cheek with a grimace. “We ended up with the lad who puts the saddles on backwards.”

“God, he’s not driving the horses, is he?”

“I hope not. I didn’t look when we got in. I just assumed it was Theodore or Jarvis.”

Whoever it was should be fired. It was like they were in charge of runaway horses, and it didn’t help with the roughly-made road they had been travelling on. Harry would be having a word with his father.

Through the open window, bringing in the cold air, Harry could see his grandmother’s estate looming up as they came around the bend, the trees parting, so they saw the large manor house. Althea Davenport had come from a middle-class family, but her husband was one of the wealthiest businessmen in the country, so he had come into his wealth through hard work, and they were able to afford such a stunning home. It ensured that their children were able to marry well, if they so wished.

Even though it had been twenty-four years since his grandfather had died, Mrs Davenport was still keeping everything going, and the estate was thriving. Things were going to come to a sudden halt if anything happened to her, although that was not likely to happen anytime soon.

The carriage pulled up outside the front doors, and a tall, thin man with a weather-beaten face and a bald head came out. He opened the door and gave both brothers a small bow.

“Lord Muirwood, Lord Townsend.”

“Duncan.” Silas jumped out, giving the elderly butler a nod. “How are you?”

“I’m going on nicely, thank you, my lord.”

“Good.”

Silas glanced up towards the carriage driver and then gave Harry a look that told his brother that he wasn’t happy with what he had seen. As Silas turned away, Harry got out and looked up to inspect the driver, who was fixated on undoing a knot in one of the reins and not succeeding very well. Sure enough, it was Dickens, one of the grooms, and probably one of the most reckless people Harry had ever come across. It did leave him wondering how the man still had a job when he was not very good at looking after the horses.

Who thought it was a good idea he was going to drive the carriage today?

“Lord Townsend?”

“Hmm?” Harry turned. Duncan was watching him expectantly. “Yes, Duncan?”

“Mrs Davenport is expecting you in the morning room. And do you want your belongings taken up to your bedchambers right now?”

“Oh, right.” Harry nodded. “Please. Our parents and sisters are going to be here tomorrow. Something happened where they were needed, so their journey was delayed.”

“Of course. I’ll make Mrs Davenport aware of the situation.”

“I’m sure Mother has written her a letter about it. It should arrive here later in the day.” Harry headed towards the house. “Are Uncle William and Aunt Jessica around as well?”

“Mr Davenport is in the orchard, and Mrs Davenport should be in the kitchen. Shall I make them aware that you’re here?”

“If you would.”

Harry was looking forward to seeing his uncle as well. His mother’s older brother was good company, a warm and hearty individual who looked like he was happier living out in the woods instead of in a big house. Harry did spend a lot of time with him, exchanging stories while drinking the evening away. That was one way to put the world to rights.

And it would take his mind off the fact they had had a terrible journey to their mother’s family home.

Harry headed inside, only to find that Silas had already disappeared. Giving his hat and coat to the footman present, he went into the morning room. The fire was blazing away in the hearth, which seemed to fill the room with warmth. It made Harry’s face and fingers tingle as the cold was chased away. It was then that he remembered that there was still frost outside, and he had forgotten his gloves.

Althea Davenport was sitting in a chair beside the fire, a blanket around her shoulders and another across her lap. Silas was sitting beside her, saying something that was making the old lady smile. She looked up as Harry approached, and her expression brightened.

“Harry, my dear!”

“Good afternoon, Grandmother.” Harry leaned over and kissed her cheek. “How are you?”

“I’m coping. This weather is hitting me harder than I thought it would.” Mrs Davenport made a face. “God, I hate the cold. It does a good job in reminding me that I’m an old woman.”

“Old?” Harry laughed. “I wouldn’t gauge you as old.”

“You’re such a darling, as always.” Mrs Davenport gestured at Silas. “Why don’t you go and fetch a servant to get us some cocoa? I think that would be more appropriate than alcohol.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” Silas squeezed her hand and stood up. “It is incredibly brisk out there.”

His brother left the room, and Harry sat in the spot that his brother had just vacated. Mrs Davenport’s eyes twinkled as she leaned over, clasping Harry’s hand.

“Now, tell me, Harry. What’s the gossip in London? I am being told not to travel too much now, and Silas is too straight-laced to know the juicy bits.”

Harry laughed. His grandmother was still after gossip, lapping it up like a cat would with milk. And he hoped that would never change.

***

Lavinia looked up again from her book to stare out of the window. There was still no sign of the carriage. The Duke of Burkdale sighed from his chair across the room.

“For goodness’ sake, Lavinia. She’s not going to get here any faster if you keep looking out of the window.”

“Forgive me, Father.” Lavinia hadn’t noticed that her father had noticed what she was doing. “But I’m just so excited to see Augusta. It’s been such a long time since I’ve seen her.”

“You saw her in the summer when you went to spend six weeks with her,” Burkdale pointed out.

“But that was back in August! It’s now December and coming up to Christmas.” Lavinia looked out of the window again, sadness flickering when she saw an empty driveway. “I just can’t wait to see her.”

Burkdale smiled and went back to his book. Lavinia was glad that she was able to witness her father look so relaxed. Things had been troublesome in recent months with their doctor being worried over his heart troubles. Burkdale said there was nothing wrong with him, but the fact he had lost a lot of weight in such a short space of time was shocking enough for everyone. Somehow, Lavinia’s stepmother had managed to get her husband to take it easy with whatever he was doing, which seemed to be helping. There was an improvement in his health.

Lavinia just hoped that her father wouldn’t vanish from her life as suddenly as her mother. Six years on, and it was still a painful memory for her. Lavinia didn’t think she could cope if she lost her father as well.

The door opened, and Felicity Bolton, the Duchess of Burkdale, came into the room. She went over to her husband and kissed his head.

“Are you behaving yourself, darling?”

“Why do you think I’m doing something nefarious all the time?” Burkdale rolled his eyes. “I’m just reading a book.”

“Just keep it at that,” Felicity said as she poured out a glass of water, handing it to him. “Knowing you, you’ll end up choosing a book that will get your heart rate up and not in a good way.”

“Darling, I doubt that’s going to happen.”

Lavinia bit back a smile. She and her father were avid readers, and Burkdale did like to collect first editions. Their library was on two floors with a staircase in between with the number of books he had collected over the years. Lavinia was sure neither of them would finish every single book in their lifetime.

Maybe it was a good thing Felicity didn’t venture to the upper floor. She would see the most recent editions that Burkdale had bought recently. The Marquis de Sade, while Lavinia was sure Burkdale wouldn’t read them, would be enough for Felicity’s heart to give out if the rumours of the contents were true.

“Has your cousin arrived yet, Lavinia?” Felicity asked as she crossed the room to join her stepdaughter, the morning winter sun making her blonde hair glint like gold. “I thought she would be here by now, but it’s been remarkably quiet so far.”

“I’m sure she’ll be here soon,” Lavinia said. She looked out at the front lawn, which was covered in white frost. “Do you think they’ve had an accident? The roads are going to be slippery.”

“Given how broken down the roads around here are, being slippery is the least of her worries.” Felicity frowned. “If you’re going to go out for a walk, will you make sure to wrap up warm? It’s especially chilly out there.”

Lavinia resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Felicity did fuss over her quite a bit, taking on the motherly role. She didn’t have any ill will towards her stepmother, but she had a mother already. Just because her mother was dead didn’t mean Felicity could come in and fill her shoes. But while Lavinia found it annoying, she didn’t say anything; she understood that Felicity meant well, and she was just trying to do what she could. Lavinia might not have been impressed that her father married just three years after his first wife’s death, but she wasn’t about to tell a grown man what to do.

Felicity wasn’t a bad person, anyway. She could be good company. She just forgot that she wasn’t a mother and kept telling Lavinia what she should and shouldn’t do. It did get a little annoying.

The sound of horses approaching had Lavinia’s attention back to the window, and she saw the carriage she had been watching out for coming up the drive. With a squeal, Lavinia tossed her book onto the window seat and jumped up.

“She’s here! She’s here!”

Not waiting for her father and stepmother to respond, she ran out of the room and almost barrelled past the butler as he opened the door. The icy cold air hit her in the face, and Lavinia briefly remembered that she was only wearing her day dress, and it was certainly not appropriate for such cold weather. But she forgot about that as the door to the carriage opened once it stopped, and Augusta Smith jumped out, tugging her coat tighter around her as she shivered, her reddish-brown hair loose about her shoulders.

“Augusta!” Lavinia hurried to her and hugged her cousin. “I was beginning to think you weren’t going to get here!”

“We ran into a little trouble on the way,” Augusta said, pulling back and brushing her hair out of her eyes. “It was…well, to say the road was rather slippery in places would be an understatement. We almost ended up in the ditch.”

“Goodness! So it’s worse near where you are, then?”

“It was bad all the way here. Even with the windows closed, it was cold.” Augusta stomped her feet. “Can we go inside? I need to get warm. I can’t feel my toes.”

“Oh, of course!” Lavinia took Augusta’s arm. “Let’s get you by the fire. You can warm up there.”

“Thank God for that.” Augusta fell into step beside her cousin as they went inside. “I can’t wait to feel less like an ice sculptor.”

Lavinia couldn’t blame her for that; her fingers were beginning to seize up, and she was painfully aware of how she was just wearing a thin gown instead of a thicker dress with a coat. Why did she run outside into the frosty day?

Somehow, they managed to get Augusta’s coat and gloves off, handing them to the butler, Wilkes, and Lavinia led Augusta into the morning room. Felicity hurried over as the girls entered.

“Augusta! It’s good to see you again.”

“Lady Burkdale.” Augusta bobbed a curtsy. “Forgive me for my lateness. The journey was a little eventful.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that. Let’s get you warmed up. You’re shivering.” Felicity took Augusta’s arm and led her towards the fire, waving Lavinia away. “Lavinia, dear, go and let the kitchen know we’ll have tea immediately. Augusta needs to get something warm inside her as soon as possible.”

“I’ll be fine, Your Grace,” Augusta said with a small smile, glancing at Burkdale and giving him a nod. “Uncle Philip.”

“Augusta.” Burkdale smiled back. “Forgive me for not standing. I’m not trying to be rude.”

“Don’t worry yourself. I understand.” August sat on the settee across from him, rubbing her hands together. “You’re looking better, though. There’s a bit more colour in your face.”

“I’m certainly feeling better.” Sipping his water, Burkdale made a face. “Although I would like to have a whisky instead of water.”

“Oh, no. That’s not going to happen,” Felicity scolded. “The doctor said you were not to partake in drinking. It was not good for you.”

Burkdale sighed, gesturing at his wife.

“See what I mean? I’m not allowed my vices anymore.”

Augusta giggled while Lavinia smiled. She was feeling better having her cousin here. They had grown up together all their lives, and with Lavinia having no brothers and sisters, she saw Augusta as a sister. Things were always interesting whenever they were together, and Lavinia was hoping that would be the case this Christmas.

“Lavinia?” Felicity was waving to get her attention, giving her a pointed look. “Didn’t I say you needed to go and get tea for us? We need to warm Augusta up, and you certainly need to get something inside you after running out without a cloak.”

“I’m sure I’ll warm up on my own, Felicity.” Lavinia headed towards the door. “But I’ll fetch the tea.”

Moving about looking for the cook and butler would certainly have warmth seeping into her bones, although Lavinia had a feeling that her feet were going to take a while to stop hurting; the cold really had seeped in.

At least she was at the house in the country rather than in London. She had spent time in the city during Christmas, and she wasn’t too keen on the smell coming from the factories. They didn’t live anywhere near them, but the stench did go a long way. Also, Lavinia knew she would have lots of visitors, and she wasn’t interested in doing more than visiting their neighbour, Mrs Davenport, for her week-long winter party. She had been invited this year with the old lady having to stay home instead of travel to her daughter’s home for Christmas, and Lavinia was looking forward to it.

Felicity said there was so much activity in London, and they should make the most of it. Lavinia was not of the same mindset. She believed a lot happened in this part of the country, and you didn’t need to go looking for it; adventure and trouble always came around on the prowl for someone to pounce on.

Although, in Lavinia’s case, it was trouble that found her more often than not.

---

“An Unconventional Lady’s Choice” is an Amazon Best-Selling novel, check it out here!

Lavinia Bolton is unconventional. She hasn’t been introduced to Society, as she prefers her own company, and her life revolves around the wild animals that roam the woods. This frustrates her stepmother greatly, but Lavinia simply does not care, especially not about being expected to find a match. However, her stance against marriage is being rattled when she is invited to join some Christmas festivities, where she meets the host’s grandson, a total opposite of her.

What is it about the man, who is clearly a hunter, that makes him stand out from everyone else?

Harry Townsend is the Marquess’ second son, and that makes him feel like he lacks a firm standing. Therefore, he is looking for ways to make his life feel worthwhile. And finally, while visiting his grandma, he finds two: the family business at the orchard, and most importantly, his grandmother’s mesmerising neighbour, Lavinia. She is the only woman who has challenged him in such an intriguing way, making him unable to stop thinking about her…

While Lavinia is worried he could be a bad person, Harry is determined to prove this is hardly the case…

As they spend more time together, their mutual affection grows, revealing to each other their hidden vulnerabilities and hopes. However, as they begin to dream of a future together, a sudden scare threatens to tear them apart. Will their love be strong enough to conquer all obstacles, or will it be utterly overpowered by the endless difficulties that await?

“An Unconventional Lady’s Choice” is a historical romance novel of approximately 80,000 words. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happily ever after.

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