A Marquess’s Stormy Heart (Preview)

Chapter One

“There, you see?” Natasha’s father said. “I did warn you, didn’t I, that there would be no other ladies at this lecture?”

“Father, there’s a lady right there,” Natasha said, nodding her head in the other lady’s direction. It was true that she looked as if she had no desire to be at today’s lecture and would just as soon have left. Natasha guessed she had probably been dragged here by some gentleman she was courting—that would make sense. Gentlemen always decide everything, so of course a gentleman would have no hesitation about bringing his companion to a place she was obviously uninterested in. It made Natasha glad that she herself wasn’t involved in a courtship yet.

Although, she had to admit, if she were courting a gentleman who brought her to interesting lectures like this one, it might not be such a hardship.

The lecturer was talking about Czar Peter and the founding of the Russian Empire. “This is so interesting,” Natasha murmured to her father. “I wish Mother had come.”

“You know how unlikely it is that your mother would ever do something like this,” her father said. “She’s not the sort of lady who likes to attend lectures.”

“It doesn’t seem as if that sort of lady even exists.”

“You’re a rare creature, Natasha,” her father said, giving her a fond smile.

Natasha beamed at his praise. She had always been her father’s favorite, always bonded to him in a way her siblings hadn’t, and their relationship was a special thing to her. It was hard on her, living with a mother who seemed to disapprove of everything she said or did. Not only had her mother had no interest at all in coming to today’s lecture, she had been most displeased at the idea of Natasha attending.

“It’s utterly unsuitable for the daughter of an earl, Richard,” she had told Natasha’s father as they prepared to leave the house. “If she’s seen there—and she will be—she’ll draw all sorts of whispers and negative attention. If I didn’t know better, I would say you didn’t even want to get this one married. You were willing enough with the other children, but the way you dote on her, I wonder if you want Natasha to stay at home forever.”

“Don’t be silly, Polina,” Natasha’s father had said. “Yes, I adore our youngest daughter, but I feel just the same as you—all I want is her happiness. Of course, I’d like to see her married.”

He had taken his wife in his arms and kissed her, and Natasha had turned away. Her parents’ marriage was something she had never understood. They argued all the time, and their personalities and priorities were so different, and yet they loved one another passionately. It was nearly impossible to imagine one of them without the other.

She knew her father had brought her to today’s lecture in large part because of her mother. Polina was the daughter of a Russian writer, but she hadn’t been back to Russia since marrying Natasha’s father and moving to London. It was Natasha’s father, more than her mother, who tried to focus on making sure his children had a connection to their Russian heritage. It was he who had insisted on Russian names for all of them—Natasha’s mother had been more interested in making sure they’d fit in with London society than with honoring their past. No one had even bothered to suggest to her that she ought to come to the lecture, or encourage Natasha to go, because of the subject matter. There had been no chance that such an argument would sway her.

The lecturer finished speaking, but Natasha had a question that hadn’t been answered. She hesitated for a moment, unsure of whether it was a good idea to draw attention to herself—but then, why shouldn’t she? Just because she was a lady? She had heard the lecture just like everyone else here. She was entitled to ask questions about it.

She put up her hand. 

The lecturer ignored her.

Of course he would, she thought, watching him call upon one gentleman after another. Of course, he wouldn’t think that a lady could possibly have anything interesting to say, anything productive to contribute. He probably assumed she wanted to ask whether the czar had been handsome or some other inane thing like that.

The lecturer continued to avoid her gaze, but as Natasha held her hand in the air, she noticed that someone else was watching her.

He was a dark-haired, dark-eyed gentleman. She hadn’t seen him at first because he was on the shorter side and blended in so well with the crowd, but he had her attention now, mostly because he was staring at her so fixedly. It made her feel slightly uncomfortable. What did he want? Why was he looking at her that way?

The lecturer finished taking questions, and Natasha put her hand down, discouraged. “I might as well be invisible,” she said. “I might as well not have come at all today.”

“Don’t think about it that way,” her father encouraged her. “Whatever it was you were going to ask, now you know what the question is. You’re more than clever enough to research the answer on your own. You don’t need that fellow to help you.”

Natasha brightened. “That’s true,” she said. “You’re right, Father. I can do my own research to learn more about the subject.”

“Excuse me,” a voice said.

Natasha turned and found herself face to face with the gentleman who had been watching her as she tried to get her question answered—apparently he had seen fit to come over to them.

“Good day,” her father said.

“Good day,” the gentleman said. “We haven’t been introduced—I am Sir Christian Bailey. I’m one of the founders of The Second Academe, the organization that put on this lecture.”

“Yes, I’ve heard of your organization,” Natasha’s father said. “It was quite illuminating, today’s lecture. We’re very glad to have had the opportunity to come.”

“I couldn’t help noticing that the young lady had something she wished to say at the end,” Sir Christian said. “I’m sorry, there was no opportunity given. Personally, I found it commendable that you chose to engage so passionately with the subject, my lady. It’s always good to see people affected by the lectures.”

“We were on our way to the hotel across the road for high tea,” Natasha’s father said. “Would you like to accompany us? If you’d be interested, we can certainly continue this conversation there.”

“That sounds lovely,” Sir Christian said. “Let me just collect my hat and we can be on our way.”

***

A quarter of an hour later, Natasha found herself sitting across the table from Sir Christian and laughing about the lecture they had just attended. She already felt comfortable with him—it was as if the two of them were old friends.

“I’m sure Charles is just beside himself at the fact that there was a lady at his lecture at all,” Sir Christian said. “Not that he has anything against that idea, Lord Dorstone, Lady Natasha—it’s just the last thing in the world he would have expected. Charles is very set in his ways. It’s very easy to take him by surprise.”

“I came today because I’m interested in Russian history,” Natasha said. “My mother is Russian.”

“I knew that, actually,” Sir Christian said. “I’m familiar with her father’s writing.”

“I see,” Natasha sipped her tea. So he knew who her mother was, did he? She was no longer convinced, as she had been, that he had approached her simply by chance. He had noticed her when she had put her hand up. But she had a feeling he’d been wanting to talk to her—or perhaps to her father—from the moment he had seen them, and it hadn’t had anything to do with the fact that she’d had a question go unanswered.

“The truth is, I’m currently working on some research,” Sir Christian said. “I’m writing about the literature of the Russian Enlightenment. It certainly is a wealth to read.”

“Yes, there are many fine books from that period,” Natasha’s father agreed neutrally, and Natasha thought perhaps he had developed the same suspicions she now had about Sir Christian’s motives. It wasn’t nefarious, necessarily, but he definitely wanted something.

Sir Christian stirred his tea. “I’ve heard rumors about your family’s personal library,” he said. “I heard that you might have possession of some of the unpublished works of Koskull.”

“That’s no great secret,” Natasha’s father said. “They were a part of my wife’s inheritance after being gifted to her father.”

“What a rare stroke of fortune. You must be very proud to have them.”

“Yes, I suppose we are.”

“I wondered whether it might be possible for me to have a look,” Sir Christian said. “I would never dream of asking to take them out of your house, of course, but even the chance to sit down and look at them for a few hours would be the opportunity of a lifetime for me—and it would give me a chance to supplement my research with something most people can only dream of. It would take my work to another level, and it would mean the world to me.”

“You want to come to our house and go through our library?” Natasha’s father asked.

“I wouldn’t wish to make you uncomfortable,” Sir Christian said. “If you’d prefer that I be supervised while I do it.”

Natasha’s father hesitated.

Natasha thought she knew what her father was thinking. If they brought a gentleman home, it was sure that her mother would develop ideas about what his purpose for being there was. Natasha was sure that Sir Christian’s motives here were pure, even if he had been a bit sly about getting them to speak to him. He really did want to look at her mother’s books, and it was that simple. But that wasn’t what her mother would think if a gentleman came home with them.

She would wonder if he was a candidate for Natasha to marry.

Natasha knew her father would be asking himself that very question right now, that he would be wondering whether it was worth opening the subject up for discussion. They knew hardly anything about Sir Christian. Could he be considered as a possible suitor for her? He wasn’t even asking for that, but Natasha’s mother would push for it, nonetheless. Marriage had always been and would always be her top priority when it came to her children.

Sir Christian saw that Natasha’s father was hesitating. “Perhaps there is something I can offer in return,” he suggested.

“What do you mean?”

Sir Christian leaned in close and lowered his voice so that Natasha and her father had to lean in as well in order to hear him. “Have you ever heard of the Apple of Discord?”

“I haven’t,” Natasha’s father admitted. “What is it?”

“A very rare artifact,” Sir Christian said. “It’s an apple of pure gold, decorated with fine gems. It comes, according to the best estimates of scholars in the know, from medieval France.” 

“Well, that sounds remarkable,” Natasha’s father said. 

“Yes, it is, and it must be seen to be believed. I would be happy to show it to the both of you.”

“Are you saying you have it?”

“The Marquess of Annesley, a fellow member of the Second Academe, will be hosting a house party in a few weeks, and I can convince him to put you and your family on the guest list. Once there, you’ll have plenty of opportunity to peruse his collection—I’ll be able to help you get into the vault. He’s recently come into possession of the Apple. And while we’re at it, I can show you some things from my own collection. I share these things with the rest of the Second Academe from time to time, and I’d be happy to share my collection, and those of some of the other members of our society, with you in exchange for the chance to look at your library.”

Natasha’s heart leapt. The Apple of Discord sounded amazing, and so did Sir Christian’s collection. She found, to her surprise, that she very much wanted to see it. She tried to communicate her wishes to her father without speaking.

He glanced at her. “If my wife and daughter can come, I think we’ll take you up on that,” he said. 

“Wonderful,” Sir Christian said with a smile. “It was so lovely to meet you both today. Thank you for your time.”

He got to his feet and walked off.

Natasha’s father looked at her. “You want to go to this party, I take it?”

“I think it sounds wonderful,” she said.

“You know that your mother will be on the lookout for potential husbands for you if we go.”

Natasha nodded. “I know she will. She hardly stops looking no matter what I do, though, so I’m not about to let that keep me from seeing some interesting artifacts. Don’t worry, Father, I’ll find a way to appease her.”

“If she finds a suitable gentleman who is interested in you, you may not have a choice,” her father said. “One of these days she’ll have you married, Natasha, and there will be nothing you can do to stop it.”

“But until that day comes,” Natasha said, “I intend to go on living as I see fit. I intend to enjoy my life to the fullest. And this party sounds like a wonderful way to do just that.”

 

Chapter Two

“To Lord Annesley, the master of the hall, the founder of the feast, and our good friend!” Viscount Phillip Wentworth raised his glass. “And to the Second Academe!”

“Hear, hear,” the rest of the dinner guests agreed, raising their own glasses. 

Sebastian Langley, Marquess of Annesley, grinned rakishly and raised his own glass. “It’s so good to have all of you at another of my dinner parties,” he said. “And may I say, Lord Dorstone, we’re so happy to have you as the newest member of our little society. I’m grateful you could join us for my birthday dinner before tonight’s house party and exhibition.”

“I’m grateful to be included,” Lord Dorstone said humbly. Sebastian liked the man. So many of the members of the Second Academe had a tendency toward arrogance. They were a society of intellectuals, and they seemed to think that put them above the people around them. But Lord Dorstone wasn’t like that at all. Sebastian was glad to have had him join the Second Academe. He just hoped Lord Dorstone would stop acting grateful just to be here soon and would acknowledge that he was worthy of this company.

“Tonight is sure to be a great night,” Lord Wentworth said, cutting into his pheasant. “I so look forward to the moment when the ladies join us for the party.”

“Your daughter will be in attendance, I believe?” Sebastian asked.

“Yes, my Cassandra,” Lord Wentworth said. “A more beautiful young lady you never saw. It’s my hope that she’ll use tonight’s event as a way to find herself a husband. There will be plenty of good gentlemen out and about—including some of our own, I daresay!”

He glanced at Sebastian’s cousin Daniel—Viscount Langley. Daniel didn’t appear to notice. He was drinking his wine. That was very like Daniel, Sebastian thought—he wasn’t alert to the things that happened around him because he always had his focus on himself and on what he was doing. And that was fine, of course. He was at perfect liberty to be self-centered. It wasn’t as if he was cruel about it. He was just a bit immature. But Daniel did think it unlikely that he would act to initiate a courtship with Lady Cassandra unless something more direct was said to him. He simply wouldn’t think of such a thing on his own.

“My daughter will be joining us as well,” Lord Dorstone said. 

“I hadn’t realized you had a daughter,” Sebastian said. 

“I have four children,” Lord Dorstone said. “My eldest is my daughter Irina, and then Olga, and my son Alexander. Natasha is the youngest and the only one who will be in attendance at the party. The other three have married.”

“I’ll hope to meet them another time, then,” Sebastian said. “And I’ll look forward to meeting Lady Natasha tonight.”

“I’m sure you’ll have plenty of opportunity to meet Lord Dorstone’s other children,” Sebastian’s uncle, Lord Kettering, remarked. “Your financial circumstances are much improved as of late, are they not?”
“I’m doing all right,” Sebastian said. He didn’t want to discuss his finances in front of all these people. Especially since, as he knew all too well, what he was doing resided in a legal gray area.

Lord Dorstone didn’t seem to have noticed the moment of awkwardness. “You’ll like Natasha,” he said. “I think you’ll find her quite engaging, actually. She’s not like my other daughters—she’s a bit of an intellectual.”

Lord Wentworth chuckled at that, but said nothing.

Sebastian thought he understood the reaction. What Lord Dorstone had said to describe his daughter sounded like what a man might say if his daughter was unfortunate-looking or charmless. She must not have much to recommend her if Lord Dorstone insisted on describing her as an intellectual.

And now Lord Dorstone was watching Sebastian eagerly, clearly waiting for a response of some kind, and Sebastian realized what was happening.

“I’m not looking for a wife,” he said gently. He didn’t wish to be rude to the newest member of their society, but Lord Dorstone needed to know that whatever matchmaking he was doing here was a wasted attempt. It didn’t matter what Lady Natasha was like. She could be the most beautiful lady in all of London, and it wouldn’t matter. Sebastian was dedicated to his life as a bachelor, at least for the moment. He didn’t feel ready for the idea of commitment or for being tied down by the responsibilities of marriage. He’d have nothing to do with that.

“Don’t worry, Lord Dorstone,” Lord Kettering interjected. “There will be plenty of suitable gentlemen at tonight’s affair. Your daughter will have no trouble finding someone if that’s what she wishes.”

“Oh—I’m sure Natasha is just hoping to have a nice time at the party,” Lord Dorstone said, and Sebastian wondered if his rejection had embarrassed the man. He hoped not. It was hard, he knew, finding your footing as a new member of the Second Academe. These men could be unpleasant to those they felt were beneath them. And even though that should include Lord Dorstone now that he had been made a member of the group, there was always a period of transition when someone new joined. Sebastian recalled only too well the way he had felt when Sir Christian had brought him in. It was the first time in his life he had ever felt inferior to anyone, and while his ego had quickly reasserted itself, that had been a rough couple of days. He had enough empathy for their new member to want to spare him the same discomfort.

“We’ll see to it that she has fun,” he assured Lord Dorstone.

The door to the dining room opened and one of the maids came in. “Begging your forgiveness, Lord Annesley,” she said, “but your attention is required upstairs.”

Of course it was. “Will you all excuse me?” he asked his guests, rising to his feet. “Please, go on with the meal, and I’ll be back with you as soon as I can.”

***

Being the guardian of two young girls was no easy feat. Sebastian was directed by the staff to his study, where he found his sisters sitting on a bench under the watchful eye of one of his servants.

“Thank you for bringing this to my attention,” Sebastian said. “I’ll handle matters from here.” 

The servant nodded and withdrew. 

Sebastian turned to Emily and Anne. “You two know you’re not permitted into my study,” he said. “How do you account for this behavior?”

“We just wanted to play,” Anne said. She was the younger of the two, at eight years of age, and was a master at the art of pretending innocence. Sebastian knew perfectly well that both girls were aware that they shouldn’t be in here.

“We have plenty of places for you to play,” he said. “You could have played in the nursery, or, if you were tired of that, you could have gone to the library or asked your governess to take you out onto the grounds. Where is your governess, by the way?”

“We don’t know,” Emily said, wide-eyed. 

Sebastian stared at her for a moment, waiting.

Emily sighed. “All right,” she said. “We told her Anne wasn’t feeling well, so she went to the kitchen for some tea. I don’t know where she is now.”

“But what you do know is that you tricked her,” Sebastian said. “You’re not feeling ill really, are you, Anne?”

“No,” Anne admitted.

“You two know what trouble I’ve had getting a governess for you. You always treat them badly. And now I find you’ve done it again—so that you can sneak into my office, where you know you’re not allowed?”

“We just wanted to be artifact hunters like you,” Emily said. “We thought we might find a rare artifact in this—old cave.” She widened her eyes.

Sebastian softened in spite of himself. His sisters had been through so much in their young lives. It had been hard on him losing his parents, but at least he had grown up with them. Emily had only had her mother and father for a few short years, and Anne had no memory of them at all. He was uncommonly sympathetic to them, he knew, but he also knew that they needed that from him.

“If you need to hunt for treasures, we can help find appropriate places for you to do that,” he said. “But my office is off-limits, girls. You know that. I need to know that you’re going to respect that rule.”

“We will,” Anne said solemnly.

“Emily?”

“Yes, we will,” Emily said. “But I don’t see why you need to keep us out.”

“A man needs some places that are his alone,” Sebastian explained. “You may not understand now, but you will when you’re older. Now, go and play somewhere else.”

The girls nodded in agreement and ran off.

Sebastian stepped out of the study, only to find himself face to face with Daniel, who appeared to have been waiting for him in the hall.

He frowned. “What brings you up here?” he asked. “Is everything all right?”

“Everything is fine,” Daniel said. “I came to see whether you needed any help. You didn’t say what it was that pulled you away from your own birthday dinner so suddenly.”

“It was only the girls,” Sebastian said. “They needed me.”

“It’s so good of you to take them on after your parent’s deaths,” Daniel said. “Truly admirable.”

“They’re my sisters, Daniel. What else would I have done? I didn’t take them on, we’re family.”

“Of course. And as your cousin, I only want to help as much as I can. I know how you’ve been plagued with troubles lately.”

“I’m fine.”

“What I mean is—well, when you left the table, my father mentioned the debts you owed him.”

Sebastian sighed. “Your father needs to learn to keep his mouth shut about my finances,” he said. “It’s undignified of him to continue pursuing the subject—and it’s rude as well. Besides, I no longer owe him anything. I paid Father’s debts as soon as I was able, and Lord Kettering knows that.”

“I know,” Daniel said. “He only brings it up to try to shame us—and you must admit, it is rather shameful. I don’t wish to speak ill of the deceased, but your father’s greedy ways reflect poorly on the whole family. It will take us years to live down the legacy he left behind.”

Sebastian frowned. “If you don’t wish to speak badly of someone, Daniel, it might be advisable to simply keep your mouth shut. My father had his flaws, but he was a good man, and he doesn’t deserve to be dishonored. And tonight is my birthday dinner, so you ought to be showing a bit more respect for me as well.”

“You’re right.” Daniel looked abashed, but Sebastian knew him too well to take that very seriously. More likely, Daniel was simply embarrassed to have been scolded. “Why don’t we go back down to the dinner?”

“Yes,” Sebastian agreed. “I think we should do that.”

Daniel started down the hall, and Sebastian followed—but he lingered for a moment outside the door of his private artifact gallery.

The girls had been playing treasure hunter…what if they had thought to explore this room?

He checked the door, but it was locked, of course. It was always kept locked, and Sebastian was the only person who knew the location of the key. Nobody could get in there.

Nobody could get into Sebastian’s private vault. No one.

---

“A Marquess’s Stormy Heart” is an Amazon Best-Selling novel, check it out here!

Lady Natasha Harrington is a woman who craves the world of intellect and ideas, while her mother insists on finding her a suitable match. However, Natasha’s heart belongs to books, history, and the pursuit of knowledge. Despite an infamous incident that stained her reputation, she remains unapologetically herself. In an unexpected turn of events, when she meets the magnetic Marquess of Annesley, the focus of her world seems to shift for the first time.

Could this captivating encounter unlock the floodgates of her heart’s emotions?

Sebastian Langley, the Marquess of Annesley, eagerly anticipates his house party, an opportunity to showcase his remarkable collection of historical treasures. When his most prized artifact vanishes, chaos ensues, casting suspicion on everyone. As a storm rages outside and trapped guests become unwitting participants in a thrilling investigation, his attention is inexplicably drawn to the mesmerizing Natasha, the subject of whispered rumors.

Initially wary, he’s soon entranced by her spirit and depth…

Amidst the mystery and intrigue, Lady Natasha and Lord Sebastian find themselves drawn together repeatedly, with their connection only growing stronger. With the vault’s secrets exposed though and a thief among them, their blossoming romance is tested. Will they uncover the truth behind the stolen artifact, or will their love be the most priceless treasure they risk losing? Will their love defy the relentless constraints of their era, or will duty and deception extinguish this extraordinary connection?

“A Marquess’s Stormy Heart” is a historical romance novel of approximately 60,000 words. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a guaranteed happily ever after.

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