Unrivalled Regency: A Gallant Gamble Part 1

A Gallant Gamble.

By Jackie Williams.

To my wonderful daughter Natalie, without whose continual support and endless encouragement none of my books would have been possible.

Thank you, Sweetheart Xx.

While each of my books is a standalone read, due to the reappearance of the characters, it is advisable to read them in order.

Please take a look at.

Silence of Scandal.

A Regency Mystery Romance.

http://www.romanticsuspensebooks.org/silence-of-scandal/.

With blackmail and scandal chasing him constantly, will the new Duke of Ormond be able to save his pride, his home and the family jewels?

A Murderous Masquerade.

A Regency Mystery Romance.

http://www.romanticsuspensebooks.org/a-murderous-masquerade/.

Can Giles Denvers ever win Lady Anne or will the greed and petty spitefulness of her young brother see him swinging at the end of a hangman's noose?.

Chapter One.

Pride and Petticoats.

"Easy now, girl, don't fight it. Just let your body tell you what to do, eh. I'll be as gentle as I can." Geoffrey stroked the soft cheek beneath his fingertips as he pressed his forehead against hers. A puff of heated breath warmed his naked chest as he adjusted his position and reached past her neck. He slid the palm of his hand down her body and across her quivering stomach.

He groaned as he felt her hot, silky skin and frowned into her neck as her belly trembled under his touch. She let out a long whimper of distress and Geoffrey pulled back slightly to look into her frightened eyes. This wasn't going as well as he had planned and he had no idea of how to comfort her.

He lifted his head and glanced over his shoulder as a door behind him opened on well-oiled hinges. Quiet footsteps hurried towards him and he pulled his expression of despair into one of quiet confidence that he certainly didn't feel. He took a step backwards and waited for the woman to appear.

Radiant blonde curls and the most beautiful face on earth appeared over the bottom half of the door as his friend's ward poked her head inside the stall. She gave him a swift, gut-wrenching smile and he bit down the surge of feelings that leapt so easily into his heart.

Her huge, summer sky eyes glowed as her small hand opened the lower half of the door and Lady Charlotte Denvers stepped inside the stall. She gave him another heart-stopping smile before she spoke in quiet tones.

"I tried to come earlier, but couldn't get away. Alexander's mother had three portions of dessert! I don't know where she puts it all. The woman is tiny. If I ate half as much as she did, I would be the size of Jenkins prize pig. They're only just starting the port now so I sneaked out of the side door...How's she doing?" She whispered into the dusky room.

Geoffrey shook his head as his eyes wandered over Charlotte's perfect figure. She was small, barely reaching his shoulder in height, but only a year since he had first met her and the waif she had been back then had put on a little weight. All of it in exactly the right places. He dragged his mind out of the mud and back to the present situation. Although he didn't want to worry the woman, he couldn't deceive her.

"It's taking too long. She should be much further along than this." He noticed Charlotte's eyes travel over his half-naked body and he glanced down as he recollected that given the task he was about to perform, he had removed his s.h.i.+rt some few minutes earlier. Charlotte's eyes had darted back up to his own and he heard her pull in a tiny breath of air. Though what he had done had been necessary, she was clearly embarra.s.sed by his state of undress. He reached out to the rail, grabbed his linen s.h.i.+rt and dragged it over his head as a flush rose to his cheeks at his lack of propriety. It was far too easy to forget that she was a Lady, what with her open, friendly manner and with her being around the stables all the time.

He gathered his composure before he spoke again.

"I think the foal has a leg caught. Her contractions are strong but there has been no movement for several hours. I want to try moving the babe, but she won't let me near her business end, will you girl?" He ran his hand along the mare's neck and patted her gently.

Star Gazer tossed her head and whinnied feebly. A shrill neigh and clatter of impatient hooves sounded from further down the stalls. Lightning, Charlotte's prize mount, didn't sound any happier about the situation than Geoffrey.

Charlotte walked further into the stall and Star Gazer turned to her immediately, shoving her velvet nose into the young woman's shoulder. The horse nibble at the ribbons on the sleeve of her gown and Charlotte stroked the nervous mare gently.

"There, girl. This will all be over soon..." Charlotte spoke softly before glancing up at Geoffrey. "We must find out what's going on inside. Maybe she needs a woman's touch. Here, help me out of this." She pulled the thick curl of her hair over her shoulder and turned her back to Geoffrey.

Geoffrey shuffled his feet in the hay as he looked at Charlotte's gracefully exposed neck. Something in the way she held her head had him wanting to take a step backwards.

"What do you want me to do?" He asked in some confusion. So mesmerized was he at the sight of a small brown mole, a tiny blemish on her perfect white skin, that he couldn't for the life of him think what she was asking of him. He stood there hopelessly, his heart beating dangerously hard as he bit back the temptation to lean forwards and kiss the enticing flaw.

Charlotte's shoulders rose as she took a deep, patient breath.

"Unfasten my dress, of course."

Now Geoffrey really did stagger backwards. He nearly fell into the pile of hay that sat by the stable door as every drop of his blood raced to his groin.

"Now, hang on there. I don't think that your guardian...er, Giles would approve of me..." he stammered but then stopped as Charlotte spun towards him, her face a mask of impatient annoyance.

"No! You hang on there for just a moment. Do you have any idea how much a dress like this costs or how long it would take to clean?" She brushed impatient hands down the layers of silk skirts that adorned her body. "Did you want to get your s.h.i.+rt mucked up and dirty? No, you took the blasted thing off when you thought that it might become soiled. I've not been able to sell that dashed diamond yet so I'm doing the exact same with my frock as you did with your clothes, nothing more, and at least I have some undergarments on, unlike some people I could mention. Star Gazer is suffering and so is the foal, Geoff. As there are only you and me here, and she won't let you near her back end then I must try, but I would rather my gown didn't become ruined while doing it." She sniffed haughtily, gathered the hair that spilled in a golden river over her shoulders, and turned her back to him once again.

Geoffrey pressed his lips together. He felt a complete fool as she pointed out the obvious. The huge diamond that she had discovered the year before, was more of a millstone than a benefit. Whoever heard of a diamond that was so enormous, unusual, and valuable that no one could afford to buy the thing? He knew of her genuine disappointment over not being able to fully commit to the Ormond breeding programme in her own right due to the lack of a sale.

Charlotte craved her independence, but while she couldn't realize the monetary value of the huge stone and refused to spend her guardian's money, she was only able to support the venture in more menial ways. Geoffrey had been shocked the first day she appeared in her breeches and s.h.i.+rt, fork in hand, ready to muck out the stalls alongside him. He'd shaken his head and removed the rough handled tool, horrified at the thought of her blistering her palms on such a crude implement. Instead he had asked her to exercise the horses, tend to their ailments and book appointments with the blacksmith for shoes and tack.

Charlotte had ridden Star Gazer almost constantly for the last year while her owner, Lady Anne was in confinement and coping with a new babe. Horse and rider had formed a strong and lasting bond. It made sense that the animal would have confidence in Charlotte rather than him. He wasn't worried about Charlotte's ability to do any necessary procedure. She had looked after her own father's prize animals from childhood until her brother gambled the lot of them away. The woman worked as hard and was as reliable as any man that he knew when dealing with horses.

In the hope that she would save him money on a groom, her miserly and now dead father, had taught her many equestrian subjects. She was an accomplished rider who tested her skill and strength daily as she took the horses out, but her talents didn't end there. The bruises were only just fading after he had foolishly offered to help her practice her remarkable oriental fighting skills that she had learned in her youth. Geoffrey rubbed his sore ribs where she had caught him with the short sticks and her lightning fast feet.

He had also seen the confident use of her mental skills in deciphering strange oriental symbols. Sweat broke out on his brow as he thought of the potion she had mixed that had sent her guardian into a seemingly lifeless coma thereby saving the man's life. The woman was as fearless as she was beautiful, challenging herself as well as others at every turn.

He clenched his jaw as he directed his thoughts back to the array of b.u.t.tons running down the length of her dress. The layered evening gown she wore must have cost a frightening sum of money. Of course she wouldn't want the thing spoiled, but he wasn't about to admit that taking it off was a perfectly good suggestion. The thought of her actually disrobing here in the stable was going to cost his already fragile equilibrium dearly. He doubted that there was a woman in the England more infuriating. Having Charlotte remove her dress in front of him was nothing short of torture and absolutely nothing like him revealing his chest to her. It wasn't the same thing at all.

He noted that she had pulled back her shoulders in that obstinate way she did when she was about to win an argument, and he let out a long, defeated breath. There was no way around it; if Charlotte was going to help Star Gazer birth her foal, she was going to get dirty. If her frock was to remain wearable, it was going to have to come off.

Her shoulders relaxed the moment his fingertips began tugging at the tiny b.u.t.tons and she realized that she had won her argument. A narrow slice of alabaster skin became visible to his eyes and he growled out his resentment as his manhood surged painfully. He could only thank the heavens that he hadn't bothered to tuck the excess material of his s.h.i.+rt back into his breeches, and with a bit of luck, the maddening woman in front of him wouldn't notice the state of his body or the agonized expression that surely must have been plastered all over his features.

"I shouldn't be doing this," he blew out a pent up breath. "If your guardian came in right now, he'd have me flogged," he muttered miserably as he bent to his task and hoped to G.o.d that this situation would never find its way to Giles Denvers ears. He knew that he'd carry the secret to his grave and only hoped that Charlotte would too.

Charlotte turned her head slightly, narrowly avoiding his unshaven cheek and answered sweetly.

"Well, it's lucky for you that he's not here then. You know that he cannot leave Caithwell right now. Anne and baby Marcus Geoffrey have only just recovered from the fever. I doubt that he will let either of them out of his sight for many months to come." She referred to the sickness that had struck down her guardian's wife and newborn child so recently.

Giles Denvers, the new Lord Caithwell and not only Charlotte's cousin, but her guardian too, had spent endless days and nights at his wife and three-month-old son's bedside, not knowing if either would be alive come morning. He had refused to let another member of his family become ill with the sickness, and had sent Charlotte to stay with his friends at Ormond even though she had dearly wanted to help her cousin with his wife and child.

The doctor had given them the all clear only days beforehand, but he was still advocating that his patients should receive the minimum number of visitors to lessen the chance of re-infection.

Geoffrey's mind slipped momentarily from Charlotte to the baby whom Lord Caithwell and Lady Anne had named after the man who had helped save his life. Even with Charlotte's strange potion that had disguised death and convinced the prison doctor to sign the release forms, if Geoffrey hadn't caught Giles as he fell through the scaffold trap door after being wrongly convicted of murder, he would be dead and Lady Anne would be facing a life of scorn and ridicule.

The thought of being worthy enough for Lord and Lady Caithwell to name their son after him, made his heart swell with pride. He certainly didn't want to lose Giles' good opinion, but Charlotte made it d.a.m.ned difficult for him to keep his mind on the task in hand.

He gritted his teeth as the tops of Charlotte's ivory shoulders came into view and willed himself not to ease the dress further to lay a trail of searing kisses along her exposed skin. Concentrating hard on the remaining b.u.t.tons, he reached the last of them and stepped back quickly as she freed herself from the dress. He bit back another groan as she wriggled her hips to help dislodge the gown.

What felt like hours later, she stepped from the skirts, picked up the layers of delicate silk and flung the dress over the rail that separated the stalls. Moving nearer to the mare, she stroked her gently, her hands skimming slowly down the horse's neck as she spoke to the animal in gentle tones.

Geoffrey tried to keep his eyes averted from the tantalizing sight of Charlotte wearing nothing but her petticoats, pantaloons and high-laced boots, but he was fighting a losing battle. Though covered from nearly head to foot, the fine white garments gave the impression of revealing far more of the beautiful woman than they disguised. Her long and graceful arms, covered only at the top with the tiny lace sleeve of her chemise, glowed a warm white in the lamplight. The curve of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s filled the gathers of material and he could almost swear that he could see the merest hint of darker skin where her nipples touched the fabric.

He felt sweat gathering at the base of his spine as he gazed further.

She was tiny at the waist, her hips flaring below the curves made for hands to hold, and he felt beads of perspiration break out over his whole body as she turned to face the horse. The cheeks of her deliciously rounded derriere were pressed up tightly against the fabric of her pantaloons, the diaphanous petticoats transparency leaving nothing to his imagination at all. He didn't have time to do more than swipe the drips of salty water from his forehead with his sleeve before Charlotte suddenly disappeared around to the rear of Star Gazer.

"Hold her head for me and talk to her as gently as you can." Charlotte's voice echoed around the stall.

Further down the stables Charlotte's own horse, Lightning, seemed to sense that something was going on. The huge stallion screamed inside his stall and kicked at the wooden door. The sound of his distress filled the building.

Geoffrey rubbed Star Gazer between the eyes as he spoke softly to her and she whinnied a response to her mate.

"See what happens when you worry your man. He is anxious for you and wants his son to be born quickly. Your foal will be big and strong like him and you will be a proud mama soon." The mare snorted out hot air and then nuzzled his s.h.i.+rtfront in response to his words.

Charlotte suddenly appeared beside him again, wiping her greasy arm with a handful of fresh hay.

"Yes, well that's what happens when we let them out unattended together in Alexander's pasture. In truth, I blame Giles. If he hadn't been so blasted n.o.ble and had told the magistrate immediately that he was bedding his soon to be bride at the time of Lord Ellesworth's disappearance, he wouldn't have been so busy getting himself hanged, and we may have considered the consequences of leaving the horses out in the pasture together more carefully." She smiled up at Geoffrey as she dropped the last of the soiled hay. He raised a querying eyebrow. "The foal's leg was turned backwards. I've pulled it into position so if Star Gazer can just help us now, we could have a wonderful new foal in a few minutes."

The beautiful grey horse whinnied again and took a few steps around the stall while Charlotte and Geoffrey watched apprehensively. Not five minutes later Star Gazer stopped walking. She stood still and appeared to tremble all over just before she began huffing out short, laboured breaths. Charlotte gripped Geoffrey's forearm as Star Gazer lifted her tail and the foal's front legs and head appeared.

It wasn't long before the foal slithered into the clean hay at Star Gazer's hooves. The mare turned and began cleaning her baby immediately.

Charlotte smiled in relief as the foal began to snort and move about. She sat down at the edge of the stall to watch the new mother come to know her baby. Geoffrey squatted down with her; partly because he was as mesmerized by the scene as Charlotte and partly because the young woman hadn't let go of his arm.

"It's so beautiful. Look at its colouring. White with a dark mane and tail. Depending on its s.e.x we should call it either Starlight or White Star," she spoke excitedly.

Geoffrey nodded contentedly at the sight of the healthy mother and foal as he agreed that both were excellent names.

"Either would be perfect but perhaps we should speak to Anne first as it is her mare. Not that it matters what you call the foal, but we should see if it's a filly or a colt. I'll have to go and tell Alexander. He'll be interested to know if we can make an addition to our stables. Depending on its s.e.x, we'll have to weigh up the potential for breeding or if we should sell."

Charlotte laughed quietly and nudged Geoffrey with her elbow.

"Trust a man to ruin this glorious moment and talk business. Let it get to its feet and then we can look. A few minutes more won't matter. Alexander has probably gone into the drawing room by now anyway. You won't want to become caught up in conversation with his mother. As sweet as she is, she can be hard going. She'll have you married off to the nearest available woman in no time. I barely escaped before she started on about my come out." She gave an involuntary shudder at the mere thought of such an horrendous occasion.

The foal suddenly lurched onto its k.n.o.bbly knees and then to its feet. It stood stiff legged but triumphant. Geoffrey narrowed his eyes and stared at Star Gazer as she nudged the wobbly foal towards her teats, but his thoughts were not on either animal. His lungs had suddenly become hard to fill. A restrictive tightness gripped his chest.

"You're having a come out? I didn't think that you would go in for such a thing. Hardly your style." He didn't like how his voice sounded thick with fear.

Charlotte sighed as she watched the foal take a first suck of its mother's milk. She hadn't appeared to notice his tone.

"You're right, but apparently Olivia is insisting. Never having had a daughter, she's arguing that I can now fill that gap in her life. She's adamant that I go to London in the spring with her. It's a ridiculous notion. I'm already way past my prime. No one is going to want to court a spinster, and I'm really not interested anyway. It all seems such a pointless waste of time."

Privately Geoffrey agreed with her that it was all a waste of time, but he had no intention of saying it. Instead, he let out a low laugh.

"Spinster? Good grief! How old are you? Sixteen or something?"

Charlotte lifted her nose in the air.

"I'll be nearly twenty by the time I go, and well you know it as you came to my eighteenth birthday party earlier in the year. Many women are married by my age and already have an heir and a spare. I suspect that I will have to sit with the dowagers and widows and sew samplers all day."

She sounded thoroughly miserable at the thought. Geoffrey knew that she wasn't the type to sit quietly and embroider cus.h.i.+ons. She loved riding wildly over the hills and along the beach. She delighted in the sensations of the wind in her hair and the sun on her face. London in the spring would stifle her, the b.a.l.l.s would bore her and the men would...He gulped back the bile that suddenly threatened to rise as he looked down at her where she sat in her near transparent underwear beside him. Good G.o.d! The men would devour her!

There was a sudden growling sound that echoed about the stable and Star Gazer shook her head nervously. She whinnied and snorted at her baby. The colt stopped drinking and nickered back at his mother before going back to drink again.

Charlotte glanced up as she suddenly realized that it was Geoffrey who emitted the strange sound.

"Are you feeling unwell, Geoff. Your insides are making some very strange noises. Have you eaten yet this evening? I'm sure that there was plenty left. Cook will be only too pleased to serve you up a plate."

For a moment Geoffrey wondered what she was talking about. His stomach hadn't made any sound, but just as he thought that, he realized that the angry rumble had come from his own mouth. His brows settled low on his forehead as he tried to rid himself of the image of Charlotte dancing with other men, flirting with them, possibly letting them call her by her given name. What if they went any further? What if they kissed her? His breathing became deeper, harsher as it occurred to him exactly what a season in London might entail. Other men would lay their hands on her waist, the waist that he now knew was so beautifully curved and tiny. They might leer down her frocks at her evidently ample delights or dare glance at her ankle as she descended the stairs...His growl became louder, his eyebrows dipped further, his rage rose hotter.

The stable was becoming far too small. His body felt like it had begun to swell, his heart suddenly pounded so hard that he swore that he could hear his own blood pumping around his body. He gave himself a shake but nothing could rid him of the fury that began to fill him. He staggered to his feet and Charlotte's hand slipped from his arm.

"Geoffrey, are you feeling alright? A new life is an emotional moment, I know, but there is nothing to worry about now. Both Star Gazer and her foal are doing well." She stared up at him and blinked as fire appeared to smoulder in his eyes. "Geoff..." Her voice faded in wonder.

He turned his back on her and spoke harshly as he stormed towards the door.

"Put your dress on. I'm going to the castle to give Alexander the news. I don't want him to find you in your...your unmentionables." Geoffrey sounded as though he'd eaten powdered gla.s.s, but his words suddenly stopped and he staggered to a halt as another voice spoke up.

"Do I need to cover my eyes?" Alexander, Duke of Ormond's amused tones echoed through the stables.

Charlotte forced a laugh as she gazed curiously at Geoffrey's retreating back.

"Give me one moment, Alex. Star Gazer needed help and I didn't want to ruin my frock." There was the sound of rustling silks and then a small giggle. "I can't reach the b.u.t.tons. Geoffrey, would you mind..." her voice died away as Geoffrey interrupted heatedly.

"Yes, I b.l.o.o.d.y well would mind. I'm going to see to Lightning. He's had a tough night too." He barely glanced at Alexander as he strode down the stables towards the other horses.

Charlotte's blonde curls appeared at the stall door and she stared after Geoffrey's receding form before turning back to Alexander.

"Well, of all the nerve! Leaving me in a state of undress. I can't go back up to the house looking like this. Your mother will have palpitations."

Alexander smiled down at her and twirled his finger, indicating that she should show him her back. She followed his directions and turned around whereupon he made short work of the length of small b.u.t.tons.

He spoke as he concentrated on her dress.

"It would seem that my stableman has had a stressful evening. Couldn't possibly been as demanding as pandering to my dear mother, but who knows. Something has set him all to a fl.u.s.ter, that's easy to see...There, all done and no one any the wiser." He raised an eyebrow and looked questioningly as Charlotte turned around.