An Unexpected Encounter ( Half Moon House, Novella 1) by Deb Marlowe

Author:Deb Marlowe
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: regency, regency romance, regency england, romance historical, regency historical, half moon house series

Chapter Six

Hell and damnation. What was he doing? Wasting good daylight, Edward grumbled. He gripped the handle of the box he carried, kept his spine rigid and his pace leisurely as he strolled toward the Serpentine in Hyde Park.

Nothing at all had changed, even after all this time. People still stared. He still felt like a beast on display at the local fair. Everyone wanted a look, but no one wished to get too close.

He sighed. He had nothing to prove. Not to these people, not to himself. Certainly not to Miss Elisabeth Moreton. She wasn’t the first to run an eye over him and find him wanting. God knows she wouldn’t be the last.

Yet here he was, striding through the park instead of accomplishing something in his lab.

He moved aside, stepping off the path to make room for a small, open carriage moving toward him. The stunning beauty inside inclined her head at him and he bowed in return. Not until he straightened did he realize who she was. Hestia Wright, the famed beauty, the former demi-rep who now spent her days and her reportedly vast funds helping women.

His fists clenched. There were hundreds, perhaps thousands of downtrodden women and girls cast alone and helpless in the city—and Aurelia might have been one of them. Vickers had turned her away, fully expecting someone else to deal with his unwanted responsibilities. Just like the old days. But what if Edmund had been away? What if Freddy’s solicitor had been a less honest man? He might have abandoned Aurelia to her fate. He might have sold her into a brothel or kept her for his own nefarious purposes.

He turned abruptly around and hailed the carriage. With a word from its occupant, the coachman slowed.

“Forgive the intrusion, Mrs. Wright,” he began.

She smiled and it was dazzling. “Not Mrs. Wright. Just Hestia, if you please.” She tilted her head. “Lord . . . Cotwell, is it not?”

“At your service,” Edmund bowed again. “I had a sudden thought to thank you for your service to the fairer sex. I’d like to make a pledge to help you in your work.”

Her smile widened. “Your praise and your donation are both much appreciated, my lord.”

“Shall I send a draft to Half Moon House?” The name of her home, where she admitted any female in need, was infamous.

“No, send it along to Hoare’s Bank, if you please. The good gentlemen there appreciate the irony and the business.” She waved a hand and the carriage started forward again. “Good day to you, sir. And thank you.”

Grimly satisfied, he turned and went on his way. He hadn’t gone far before he spotted the Serpentine ahead. As he surged forward, he had to admit that his step felt lighter.

* * *

Lisbeth noticed him first. Laughing, she looked up from the edge of the water where Aurelia and her friends had fashioned tiny boats of acorns, twigs and leaves. Amusement died quickly beneath a wave of pure, unbridled want.

Everything faded. The

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