The Mysteries of A Lady's Heart: A Clean & Sweet Regency Historical Romance Collection Read online

  Copyright

  Copyright © 2019 by Abby Ayles

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Table of Contents

  Copyright

  Table of Contents

  The Mysteries of a Lady’s Heart

  Portrait of Love

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 38

  Epilogue

  The Extended Epilogue

  A Mysterious Governess for the Reluctant Earl

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Epilogue

  The Extended Epilogue

  Loving a Lady

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Epilogue

  The Extended Epilogue

  A Message from Abby

  Get Abby’s Exclusive Material

  About Abby Ayles

  The Lady in the Gilded Cage - Preview

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  A Second Chance for the Tormented Lady - Preview

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Also by Abby Ayles

  The Mysteries of a Lady’s Heart

  Portrait of Love

  Chapter 1

  The Duke of Norrend, Arthur Cain Cartwright, moved his newspaper down just enough to look over it at his wife and the girls. He caught the eye of his eldest daughter, Lady Annabelle. She looked back, somewhat amused by the situation.

  The Duchess Louise Ann Cartwright was red in the face but silent. She seemed to be having a staring contest with one of the twin sisters she was mentoring. The indignant girl stared back without fear.

  “Lady Joanna, you cannot go against the rules simply because you want to. It is not done that way.”

  “I can,” Lady Joanna replied, shaking her blond hair back and forth. “I like my hair down and I want to keep it that way.”

  “A lady does not wear her hair down around her shoulders.”

  Lady Joanna gave her a cold look. “I am not going to put my hair up, my lady. You are not my mother. I do not have to do what you say.”

  “I am afraid you do, young lady. You were entrusted into my care by your mother and your father and I will do my best to see that you are raised properly. You will not go to the ball if you do not put your hair up in a style similar to your sister’s.”

  Lady Joanna’s frown deepened. “I do not want to look like her!” she cried.

  “You do not look like her,” the Duchess of Norrend’s voice was filled with confusion and exasperation. “You do not look alike. I was merely suggesting that you wear a similar style. I did not say the exact same style. Sometimes, young lady, I am beside myself with worry for you. Your future does not look prosperous to me.”

  Lady Annabelle watched the exchange between her mother and Lady Joanna, standing to the side with Lady Julia, her best friend and Lady Joanna’s fraternal twin. Lady Annabelle and Lady Julia had been friends since they were in nappies. Their parents had always been good friends. The Lord and Lady Rickman were fine people. When Lady Julia and Lady Joanna were twelve years old, six years previous, their brother Luke, who was only seven, fell into a pond and drowned. Unable to get over the loss of her precious only son, Lady Rickman isolated herself from society, withdrawing into a state of near despair. She asked her closest friend, Louise Cartwright, to care for her two daughters and raise them as her own until her depression broke. So Lady Julia and Lady Joanna lived with their mother and father but did all social events the ton had to offer with the Cartwrights and under the close, watchful eye of the Duchess.

  “That is not fair,” Lady Joanna said. Lady Annabelle thought for an eighteen-year-old young woman, Lady Joanna did not act like she had the sense God gave her. After six years of this, she should know that the Duchess always got her way. She glanced over at Lady Julia as Lady Joanna and her mother continued bickering. She was tired of it and only wanted to sit down. She caught her father’s eye and begged him with her mind to beckon to her. She would gladly go and sit with him and chat. Her father was a personable man. He was strong, intelligent, quiet, and reserved. Very unlike his excitable wife, who was outspoken and sometimes loud.

  He was looking over at them and caught her eye. He did not beckon to her. He merely shook his head and lifted his paper. Lady Annabelle knew
a disappointed look had to have covered her face. She sighed.

  “Mother, I do not wish to stand here any longer,” she said. “I know Lady Julia and I have things to do before the ball tonight and I do not wish to waste any more of my time. I know between the three of us girls, and Lady Cecilia, too, we can find a hairstyle that will both be appropriate and approved by you and Lady Joanna.”

  Louise looked at her daughter, surprised. Lady Annabelle only spoke out when she was saying something logical. She nodded curtly, a frown still plastered on her once-beautiful face. “Yes. You three go upstairs. Lady Annabelle, take your sister with you. She needs to prepare, even if she has not yet reached the age of courtship.”

  “Of course, Mother,” Lady Annabelle replied, curtsying slightly. “I planned to take her with us.” It was only a little lie. She thought her mother would tell her to take Lady Cecilia with them but did not bring it up, just in case her mother did not say it.

  Lady Annabelle nodded at Lady Cecilia, who smiled as she walked to them from across the room. Lady Annabelle and Lady Julia went through the parlor door and into the foyer. The three older girls went through the door and to the curving stairwell to go upstairs.

  Lady Joanna pulled away from the other two quickly, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. She picked up her skirts and was at the top long before her sister and Lady Annabelle. Lady Julia shook her head and murmured to her friend.

  “I tell you, Lady Annabelle, she is getting worse every year. Though I try so hard to teach her and show her.”

  “You two are nothing alike,” Lady Annabelle said confidently. “Nothing.”

  “I know. It is hard to believe we are sisters, let alone twins.”

  “I do not know where she gets such a spark!” Lady Cecilia exclaimed. “I would never speak to Mother the way she does. Never, ever.”

  “She is only speaking her mind,” Lady Julia said. “But sometimes I do wish she would say things a little more politely.”

  “Perhaps time will help,” Lady Annabelle suggested.

  “One can only hope,” Lady Cecilia said, shaking her pretty head. Her hair was piled up on her head, hanging in beautiful ringlets around her pale cheeks. She had no face paint on yet but planned to add a little rouge and some color to her lips before the ball. She was only sixteen and not allowed to do some of the things her eighteen-year-old sister could do. That was not one of the things her mother insisted on, so she took advantage of it to give herself some color. She detested the gown she would be wearing that night. It was a dull brown color, almost a tan with dull dark yellow soft fabric around the collar, wrists, and hem of the skirt. It was pretty but the color took away any vibrancy she could have hoped to achieve. She wanted to wear something bright pink, blue, green, red, something that would make her sparkle.

  Her hair was a pale color of yellow, but it was pretty. She had no eyebrows to speak of and her eyelashes could not be seen, though they were quite long. The only thing she could use was rouge and lipstick. She did not need face powder with smooth skin like hers.

  Lady Annabelle looked similar to her sister but her features were more prominent. Her dark blond hair was double braided and pulled to the back. She was wearing a pale red dress with gold trimmings around the collar, wrists, and hem. There was a small line of pearls going down the front of it, just between her breasts. It made her look beautiful and she knew it. She had the perfect necklace to go with it, a row of pearls her father had bought her for her last birthday. They were the same exact size as the pearls on the dress.

  “We still have several hours for the party. We do not need to get dressed yet. Let us go out and enjoy the sunshine for a while,” Lady Annabelle said in a low, conspiratorial voice. Lady Cecilia’s hand went immediately to her mouth and she giggled behind it. Lady Julia raised her eyebrows, a small grin fighting for the ends of her lips.

  “Lady Annabelle, are you hatching a plot?” she asked, her voice very curious.

  Lady Annabelle grinned. “Whatever do you mean? Of course not.”

  She turned to the stairs and climbed them. “Come, let us change into the clothes to go outside. It may be muddy from recent rains.”

  “I think it has been sunny enough to dry the earth, though,” Lady Julia said, following behind her friend. She had a lot of clothes at the Cartwrights’ home. She had no problem fitting into them, as she was of average height and slender as could be.

  “Well, we shall see. I am going to err on the side of caution and at least bring my boots. Then if I do not need them, I will leave them on the porch.”

  Lady Julia nodded. “That is a good idea, Lady Annabelle. Shall I ask Lady Joanna to come?”

  “If you wish to, of course,” Lady Annabelle replied. “But I do not think she will want to.”

  “Probably not but I will ask.”

  Lady Julia went to the room she shared with her sister when they visited Norrend, the name of the mansion in which Lady Annabelle’s family lived. The other two went hurriedly to Lady Annabelle’s room.

  ***

  “I just do not know what to do with my sister,” Lady Julia said, aggravated, as they walked down the pathway toward town. “I try so hard to encourage her to come out with me. It is not just today but it seems so often now! And do you know she has told me that she will wear the style your mother suggested to her after all? All that arguing for nothing! I do not understand the girl! Why do I feel so awful?”

  “Because you have a soft heart and she’s your sister. That’s as it should be,” Lady Annabelle said firmly.

  “I do not know where she gets that behavior from,” Lady Julia sighed. “I want her to be happy but sometimes it is very difficult for me.”

  “You are a good sister, Lady Julia,” Lady Cecilia said. “I have seen her act younger than I am. And you defend her still. I applaud you for your patience and understanding. Whenever it gets difficult, you know we will be here to help you however we can.”

  “Thank you so much,” Lady Julia replied in a soft voice. “I wish to see her happy and successful. Yet she seems so miserable all the time!”

  The three fell silent, knowing why Lady Joanna was miserable. She, like her mother, could not get over the death of Luke. That trauma had caused Lady Joanna to retain a resentful attitude toward the world and anything in it. Her mother’s retreat from society was another blow to Lady Joanna that she was having a hard time handling. Lady Julia accepted Duchess Cartwright as a substitute mother and Lady Annabelle as a new sister, along with Lady Cecilia. They were family to her. Lady Joanna felt as though she had been abandoned when in actuality, she was given a new family in addition to the one she already had.

  Lady Joanna did not see it that way and it only caused conflict. She did not act like a lady of eighteen, the way Lady Julia and Lady Annabelle did.

  “I feel sorry for her.” Lady Annabelle put one arm around her friend and grasped her by the hand. “It will be all right, Lady Julia. You’ll see.”

  Lady Cecilia giggled. “Lady Annabelle is usually right about these things, you know,” she said in an amused voice, her pretty eyes crinkling at the ends when she smiled.

  “I truly do feel sorry for her.” Lady Annabelle lifted one hand and placed it on her chest. “She is such a sad girl inside, so lonely and depressed, even though she is with others who love her.”

  Lady Julia shook her head. “She is lonely in a room filled with people.”

  “We must speak about something else!” Lady Annabelle exclaimed. “We will do our best with her and be patient! She is your sister, after all. We must come to her defense.”

  “She is not so bad, Lady Julia,” Lady Cecilia said, finally adding her two cents.

  Lady Julia lifted one hand to giggle behind it. “I have two of the best friends a girl could ever ask for!”

  The three of them gathered together in a free-for-all hug, laughing softly.

  “Next time, she will come,” Lady Annabelle said as they separated. She rested her head briefly aga
inst Lady Julia’s head and smiled widely.

  “I hope so.” Lady Julia sounded positive. She grinned at them.

  “It is quite warm out here, is it not? I should have brought along my fan.” Lady Annabelle spotted a bench and made a beeline for it. “Let us sit in the sun for a spot and then return to our duties. What do you say?”

  “Jolly good idea, Lady Annabelle,” Lady Julia was on her heels. “Jolly good.”

  Chapter 2

  The Duke of Cardinal, Stephen William Colbourn, was the youngest duke in South England. He was also the most well-known and well-liked. His reputation was immaculate, despite his young age and the fact that he had taken the title when he was but a mere sixteen years old. He was blessed with an uncle on his mother’s side, also a duke, who took him under his wing. He’d noted to dignitaries passing through that his young nephew was the fastest learner in all the Queen’s land and he was extremely proud of the lad’s progress.

  At twenty, the Duke of Cardinal had solidified his reputation throughout England simply through word of mouth. If he had not met someone in person, they would know of his name all throughout England and in some other parts of the world, as well.

  His father’s estate had been large and he owned many manufacturing businesses, making furniture, clothing and other odds and ends.

  The Duke of Cardinal’s greatest passion, however, had nothing to do with the amount of money in his coffers. He was a lover of the arts, paintings, sculptures, and statues of old. He personally owned many masterpieces, which he proudly displayed in what he still considered his father’s mansion. It was difficult to let go of his father’s legacy and presence. It had been domineering and strong. His father had taught him till the age of sixteen and he considered himself a better man because he had listened.