My Fair Groom (The Sons of the Aristocracy)

  Table of Contents

  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

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  My Fair Groom

  Linda Rae Sande

  This is a work of fiction. The events and characters described herein are imaginary and are not intended to refer to specific places or living persons. The opinions expressed in this manuscript are solely the opinions of the author and do not represent the opinions or thoughts of the publisher. The author has represented and warranted full ownership and/or legal right to publish all the materials in this book.

  My Fair Groom

  978-0-9893973-4-6

  All Rights Reserved.

  Copyright © 2013 Linda Rae Sande

  V1.3

  Cover photograph © RomanceNovelCovers.com

  Cover art by KGee Designs.

  All rights reserved - used with permission.

  This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the express written consent of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  To the Boobie Sisters

  – thanks for making everyday fun

  and Facebook sexy

  Chapter 1

  A Reunion of Sorts

  Late February 1816

  “You’re back.”

  Alistair glanced up from his ale, his eyes blurry as much from the alcohol as from lack of sleep. “Gabe?” he replied, wondering if his eyes were deceiving him.

  Gabriel Wellingham, Earl of Trenton, took the seat at the trestle across from Alistair, setting his own tankard on the worn planks. “Christ. Where have you been?” he wondered, leaning over so he could better see his friend from his days at Eton and Oxford.

  The second son of an earl, Alistair Comber straightened and considered how to respond. Should he tell the earl about his time in France? The worse times in Belgium? About the battles in The Netherlands? About the men he’d served with that hadn’t made the trip back over the Channel with him?

  He took a long draught from his ale and set down the mug. “On the Continent,” he finally answered. “Killing frogs,” he added before giving Gabriel a thorough glance. “And you?”

  The young earl’s expression seemed dour, and his words confirmed his mood. “Running an earldom. Failing in the Marriage Mart.” He almost added, “Quitting my mistresses,” but thought better of it. How much misery could he share with a friend when they hadn’t seen one another in …

  “Three years?” he asked suddenly. He hadn’t yet inherited the Trenton earldom when he last saw the second son of the Earl of Aimsley.

  Alistair leaned back, sobering up enough to consider the question. “That’s about right. And if you’re running an earldom, then that must mean …”

  Damn! If his brain hadn’t been so addled from lack of sleep and alcohol, Alistair would have known better than to bring up the death of Gabriel’s father.

  The seventh Earl of Trenton had been a despot of an earl, a man committed to overtaxing his tenants, making life miserable for his wife (some claimed he beat her every Sunday just because he could), and berating his only living son, Gabriel, because there were no other children to belittle in the Wellingham household. And the man had fathered at least three bastard children by maids in three different Trenton households. Who knew if he saw to their care or education?

  Well, Gabriel would be seeing to one of those children on the morrow.

  “Two years ago,” Gabriel offered with a nod. “And he is not missed, I can assure you,” he added in a tone of voice that suggested hatred for his late father. “Mother has practically joined a convent. And I …” have practically joined a monastery, he almost claimed, realizing he hadn’t bedded a woman since he quit his mistresses that fateful day when he had almost asked for Lady Elizabeth Carlington’s hand in marriage. Almost, because she had apparently learned of his three mistresses (well, only two, since one had quit him the night before) and seemed quite incensed that he had any at all.

  Didn’t the chit realize that mistresses were a … necessity? A sign that you had achieved some status in the aristocracy by becoming whatever it was you had been born to be?

  But, now that he had spent several months licking his wounds and commiserating with his mother, Gabriel realized that maybe Lady Elizabeth was right. He needed to find a woman he could honor. A woman who would honor him by not cuckolding him just as soon as the first heir was born. A woman he could share a bed with – not just so they could enjoy a tumble, but because they might on any given night. Or in the morning. Because they cherished one another. Because they …

  Dare he say it?

  Because they felt affection for one another.

  If only he had been born in a different family, he might have realized the importance of a spouse who would support him, a woman who would cherish him and welcome him into her bed and make love to him like no other woman had ever done.

  George Bennett-Jones, Viscount Bostwick, had that honor with Lady Elizabeth. Their union was one of affection. More than affection, really. If the rumors were true, the two enjoyed a marital bed like no other couple Gabriel could imagine. Apparently, the viscount was at his wife’s beck and call when it came to sexual relations – or any request, for that matter. The latest rumor claimed the man had excused himself from the House of Lords when his pregnant wife sent a footman asking that he return to Bostwick House because she – and this was only rumor – ‘needed him to relieve her increasing back pain’. Apparently, the viscount was able to do just that, because he returned to chambers only ninety minutes later with a rather satisfied smile on his face. And a rather red face.

  Gabriel wondered if he would ever do such a thing for his wife, should he ever find someone to marry.

  Well, he now knew he had better.

  Knew that he would have to do such a thing for his expecting wife. Cherish her as if she were the only woman on the planet. As if his very life depended on her. Because, at this point, his only path to siring an heir was if he could find a woman willing to become his wife. His handsome good looks, blue eyes, curly blond hair and thirty thousand pounds a year could only go so far in attracting a suitable wife; given his reputation in London, a woman would only be willing to marry him if he could offer something beyond the title of ‘countess’.

  “And, you?” Alistair asked, wondering at his friend’s sudden silence. The man seemed a million miles away.

  Gabriel pulled
himself into the present. “And, I … must find a wife,” Gabriel stated before he drained the contents of his tankard. “The sooner, the better.” He leaned over the trestle again. “And you? What are you after?”

  Alistair regarded Gabriel for a long time before he answered. At least he didn’t have to marry … at least, not right away. He was the second son, after all, and had a bit of leeway when it came to who he married.

  And when.

  “A way to make a living,” Alistair stated with a cocked eyebrow. “Father has cut me off.”

  The earl furrowed his brows, surprised at the simple statement. “Why?” he asked, curious as to the Earl of Aimsley’s reason for deciding to disown his son. Especially since Alistair was the second son. And had been an officer in the British Army.

  Shrugging, Alistair decided truth was the best course when it came to explaining his situation. It was unlikely the earl would believe him anyway. “I sold my commission in order to fund a five-percenter so I could give fifteen pounds a month to one of my regiment’s widow and her children,” he stated, his words so clear he might have sounded sober for the first time since hitting the shores of England.

  Gabriel considered this comment for a long time before replying. “Sold it … for how much?” he wondered, thinking that even a five-percenter wouldn’t pay enough to cover the debt every year until the widow died.

  “Eight-hundred pounds,” Alistair answered with a sigh.

  Not enough, indeed.

  “How much do you need?” Gabriel asked then, thinking he would simply give the necessary funds to his friend. I’m rich as Croesus. Who in his earldom would notice a few thousand pounds were missing? He could tell his estate manager it was a gambling debt.

  Alistair stared at his friend, on the one hand impressed that Gabriel would understand his situation and on the other incensed that the earl would think Alistair needed help with funding the promise he had made to one of his soldiers. “I don’t. I’ll find a position and pay the debt myself,” he murmured, deciding not to sound too offended.

  Alistair had already made up his mind he would see to the debt. Since his father had decided he had somehow erred in making the promise to Michael Regan, then it was his responsibility to find a paying position to fund his promise. If it meant being a footman in a duke’s estate home, then he would do so, although he rather doubted a position as a footman would pay enough. At least he would have room and board.

  “Doing what”? Gabriel wondered before draining his tankard. The barmaid was at his elbow in an instant, setting down a new tankard and removing the empty one before he could raise a hand to summon her. She raised an eyebrow in Alistair’s direction.

  “Another for me,” Alistair said to her wordless query. She set down a tankard and removed his empty one, giving him another raised eyebrow. “Ten shillings, and I’ll have you sleeping like a baby,” she offered, her free hand moving to her hip as if she were challenging him.

  Alistair looked up in surprise. He had to look like a world-weary traveler. Or an old fogey, the way he had practically limped into the tavern, not having ridden a horse in nearly a month.

  “I appreciate the offer, love,” he replied with a nod. “But I’ll be sleeping like the dead before the hour is out,” he added sadly.

  The barmaid tossed her head to one side and twirled away, obviously taking his rejection personally. He stared into his mug of ale, realizing it would be his last for the evening.

  What had Gabriel asked before they were interrupted? “Oh, and if you know of someone who needs a stableboy, I could use a position,” he stated with a sigh.

  Of all the positions he could fill at an aristocrat’s home, stableboy or groom would suit him perfectly. His second home was Tattersall’s, after all. And although he had asked at that establishment first, the owner had obviously not believed he was serious about working at the horse trader’s facility – as a groom or in any other position.

  Gabriel considered his friend’s response, not believing Alistair would be willing to work in service in order to make his promised payments to a war widow. “Lord Mayfield was complaining at White’s last night that his stable lacked a decent groom,” he offered, giving Alistair a shrug.

  Straightening on the trestle seat, Alistair stared at Gabriel. “Mayfield?” he repeated. Stanley Harrington, Earl of Mayfield, had one of the finest stables in Park Lane! Alistair had been present for at least half of the earl’s purchases at Tattersall’s. “I’ll inquire,” he said with a nod. “Thank you.”

  Gabriel gave his friend a nod. “I’m heading back to Bilston in a fortnight,” he stated before taking a quick drink from his new tankard.

  Alistair nodded. “Back to the earldom?” he wondered, thinking Gabriel would return to Staffordshire to lick his wounds and find a woman he could employ as a mistress. It wasn’t as if Trenton was really ready to find a wife.

  “Hmm,” Gabriel murmured in reply. “And to a certain inn where I hope to find a barmaid with a rather round rump,” he replied with a wicked grin.

  Raising an eyebrow, Alistair wondered why he couldn’t feel joy at the earl’s comment. At one time, he, too, would have welcomed the charms of a barmaid with a round rump. But now … now, now he was tired. War weary. Disillusioned. And in need of a bed and a good night’s sleep.

  Tomorrow he would head to the home of Lord Mayfield and see to a position as a groom. If he could convince the man in charge of the stables that he could handle horses and was willing to work hard, he just might land a position. And a position in the stables usually meant a room above the stables. Not the best quarters on an estate, but probably better than what he had endured the past few years on the Continent. “Safe travels,” Alistair offered as he raised his tankard.

  Gabriel regarded his friend and finally gave him a nod. “And to you, too,” he said before tapping his tankard against the one held by Alistair. “When next we meet, one of us had better be married.”

  Alistair’s eyes opened wide. Was the earl daft? “Then, it had better be you,” he replied with a lopsided grin.

  Smiling and shaking his head, Gabriel Wellingham replied, “Only if I can marry a barmaid.” He drained his tankard in one long gulp and took his leave of the tavern.

  Chapter 2

  A Dare

  March 1816

  “He is rather handsome,” Lady Samantha commented, one hand pressed against the glass of Lady Julia’s bedchamber window. “In a brutish, very manly sort of way.”

  The object of her attention was obviously down below, for if anyone was handsome and directly outside Lady Julia’s bedchamber, they would have to have wings and be able to fly or be perched upon rather tall stilts. There was no tree or trellis to provide a climber a way to reach the bedchamber from below.

  “Who is?” Julia wondered, moving to join her friend at the window. Afternoon sunlight filtered into the room as she drew back the heavy velvet drape with one hand. Glancing down, she could see one of the kitchen maids cutting herbs in the garden below. Just behind the garden’s low rock wall lay the paved alley, and beyond that, the mansion’s mews and carriage house.

  After a moment, she realized to whom Samantha referred. A groom was brushing her father’s favorite riding horse, Thunderbolt, at the edge of the pavement. When the young man’s head lifted to draw the brush down the animal’s neck, the brim of his cap no longer hid his features.

  Julia’s inhalation of breath made Samantha smile. “You agree then?” she murmured, obviously pleased with her assessment. Before Julia could respond, the groom had paused in his task, removed the cricket cap that hid most of his facial features from the young ladies, and used his forearm to push a lock of his dark hair from his face. For just a moment, his face was angled up, his eyes closed against the afternoon sun.

  Julia sighed her appreciation. “He is handsome,” she agreed, wondering if the groom in question had noticed the two of them spying on him. The young man certainly didn’t look like a typical groom. He wa
s rather tall and lean, although Julia realized his shoulders were quite broad – he wore a shirt, its sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and a waistcoat, but no topcoat. The exposed forearms displayed muscles that shifted beneath his bronzed skin as he continued brushing Thunderbolt. When he moved around the horse to brush the side facing them, she noted the look of his boots, the shape of his legs in the almost snug breeches he wore.

  When had a groom ever looked … not like a groom? she wondered.

  And when had he joined the staff of Harrington House?

  She had never had this particular groom as an escort when she took her afternoon rides in Hyde Park, nor did she recognize him as the one who usually saddled her chestnut bay – she would remember this particular groom!

  Just as she was about to remark on this fact, the groom in question bent down, presumedly to check Thunderbolt’s hooves.

  “Oh!” It was Samantha’s turn to put voice to her appreciation of the groom’s physique. “Even his bottom is …” She left off as a giggle erupted. She moved her hand to cover her mouth as Julia joined her in her amusement.

  “Everything about him is …” Julia broke off suddenly and stepped away from the window, a hand over her own mouth. Samantha followed suit, her eyes quite wide.

  “I think he saw me,” Samantha whispered, a hint of shock in the simple words.