Lord Rakehell
Virginia Henley
Praise for New York Times Bestselling Author
• VIRGINIA HENLEY •
“Henley’s gift for bringing remarkable women to life in colorful, turbulent times is what turns her romances into keepers. Henley heats up the pages with her love scenes, and her skill at portraying actual historical personages with humanity while maintaining historical accuracy wins our minds. Henley knows what historical romance is all about and always gives the readers what they want.”
—RT Book Reviews
The Dark Earl
“Virginia Henley proves once again that she is the queen of historical romance. The Dark Earl transports you to another time with love, passion, and storytelling. Great read!”
—Fresh Fiction
“Entertaining, funny, and catchy, The Dark Earl makes for one well-spent evening. Henley’s ability to develop interesting characters possessing undeniable spunk despite the constrictions of the Victorian period is particularly fascinating.”
—Night Owl Reviews
“The characters are refreshingly fun and the story is a delightful romp from beginning to end with the perfect balance of impudence and romance.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Not since Norah Lofts’s Suffolk House trilogy has an author so brilliantly incorporated a home into a romance. Readers are sure to adore the outspoken heroine as well; her love of life and family are contagious. . . . The colorful backdrop and Henley’s ability to capture the era will enchant readers.”
—RT Book Reviews
The Irish Duke
“Few if any writers can interweave historical information to enhance a story line as deftly as Virginia Henley can and does with the enjoyable The Irish Duke . . . exhilarating.”
—The Best Reviews
The Decadent Duke
“A standout . . . the perfect blend of historical backdrop and romance.”
—RT Book Reviews (top pick)
Insatiable
“Dangerous games, Machiavellian manipulations, and political maneuverings . . . lusty and lavish.”
—Booklist
“As twists of fate contrive to keep the two apart—intrigue, backstabbing, the bubonic plague—readers will hanker for them to live happily ever after.”
—Publishers Weekly
Undone
“All the sensuality and glitter of a more traditional romance but enriched by the plot’s complexity and the heroine’s genuine growth.”
—Publishers Weekly
“A gently suspenseful tale . . . filled with satisfying historical detail and actual characters from this intriguing period.”
—Booklist
“Extraordinary characters, rich historical details, and a romance . . . [set] the pages on fire.”
—RT Book Reviews (top pick)
PREVIOUS BOOKS BY VIRGINIA HENLEY
The Dark Earl
The Irish Duke
The Decadent Duke
Infamous
Insatiable
Unmasked
Undone
Ravished
Notorious
Lord Rakehell
VIRGINIA HENLEY
A SIGNET ECLIPSE BOOK
SIGNET ECLIPSE
Published by the Penguin Group
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First published by Signet Eclipse, an imprint of New American Library,
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Copyright © Virginia Henley, 2013
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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA:
Henley, Virginia. Lord rakehell/Virginia Henley. p. cm.
ISBN 978-1-101-62654-2
1. Womanizers—Fiction. 2. Man-woman relationships—Fiction. 3. Aristocracy (Social class)—England—Fiction. 4. England—Social life and customs—19th century—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3558.E49634L66 2013
813'.54—dc23 2013023505
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Version_1
Contents
Praise
PREVIOUS BOOKS BY VIRGINIA HENLEY
Title page
Copyright page
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-five
Chapter Twenty-six
Chapter Twenty-seven
Chapter Twenty-eight
Chapter Twenty-nine
Chapter Thirty
Author's Note
Excerpt from The Decadent Duke
About the Author
For Paula,
my grandson Daryl’s beautiful wife
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am indebted to the following historical and biographical sources on Victorian England’s society, monarchy, government, and noble families, including the Hamiltons and the Curzon-Howes.
Kenneth Rose: Who’s Who in the Royal House of Windsor
John Pearson: Stags & Serpents
J. Preest Lord: John Russell
Joseph J. Schroeder, Jr. (Ed.): The Wonderful World of Ladies’ Fashion: 1850–1920
History Learning Site: American Civil War December, 1863
Victorian Web: Literature, History, & Culture in the Age of Victoria
The Morning Post (London): February 19, 1863 and November 11, 1863
Illustrated London News: March 7, 1863
Encyclopaedia Britannica Online
Library of the Commonwealth: Secretariat, situated at Marlborough House (Online)
English Heritage (www.english-heritage.org.uk): Chiswick House and Gardens
Sandringham (www.sandringhamestate.co.uk): Managing Sandringham Estate
Prologue
Windsor Castle
June 1858
“H arry, you look radiant!” Lord James Hamilton kissed his sister Harriet’s cheek. “There’s something about marriage that makes females thrive
.” James winked at his brother-in-law, Thomas, Earl of Lichfield. “Can’t imagine what it could be.”
“It’s the bed play,” Harry declared.
Thomas closed his eyes, summoning forbearance.
James hooted with laughter. “How do you put up with the outrageous baggage?”
Thomas shook his head. “I swear there is something in the air at weddings that makes the fair sex giddy beyond control.”
“It has the opposite effect on males. The groom wears black, along with a stunned expression, and the rest of our sex silently commiserate with the poor devil.”
“James, I warrant on the inside you are laughing at the narrow escape you managed. Just think, you could have been Lady Emily Curzon-Howe’s bridegroom today.”
Lord Hamilton sobered. “Bite your tongue, Harry. I’ve an acre of wild oats to sow before I contemplate the institution of marriage.”
“Surely a member of Parliament would benefit from a wife?”
“Since I am the youngest member of the House, I believe the disadvantages of matrimony far outweigh the benefits.”
“You’re heading in the wrong direction. St. George’s Chapel is this way.”
“I’m attending the Prince of Wales today. I’ll likely find him in the billiard room.”
“Ah, your partner in crime,” Harry teased. “You were named one of his attendants because you are older and wiser. His misguided parents no doubt believe you will have a profound effect on the randy young devil.”
“And so I shall. I’m three years older and abundantly wise in the ways of women, thanks to having seven saucy sisters.”
“I’m not simply saucy; I’m also salacious.”
Her husband rolled his eyes. “You are a scandalous baggage.”
“How the devil do you keep from doing her violence?” James asked.
The corners of Harry’s mouth went up. “He loves me to distraction.”
Her husband changed the subject. “I hear the prince is eager for a military career.”
“No chance of that at present. His father won’t even consider it until he completes at least two years at Oxford. The prince is champing at the bit, and I can’t blame him. His parents and tutors have had the poor devil in leading strings his entire life.”
“Better watch out, James,” his sister warned. “If they ever let Teddy out of his cage and he gets a taste of freedom, he may run off the rails.”
James winked. “I shall make it my priority to see that he does so.”
• • •
The nuptials of Lady Emily Curzon-Howe and her bridegroom, Colonel Robert Kingscote, were taking place in Windsor Castle’s chapel because the bride was a lady-in-waiting to Her Gracious Majesty Queen Victoria, and the groom had recently been appointed as an equerry to Albert, the queen’s prince consort.
All the invited guests belonged to the upper echelons of Society. The bride’s father, Earl Howe, had been lord chamberlain to the late Queen Adelaide. The bride’s oldest sister was married to the Duke of Beaufort, who was master of the horse, and another sister was married to the Earl of Westmorland, who, along with the bridegroom, had risen to the rank of colonel in the army.
Lord Hamilton’s parents, the Duke and Duchess of Abercorn, were invited guests not only because they were friends of the Curzon-Howes, but also because Abercorn was Prince Albert’s groom of the stole, and Abercorn’s son, Lord James Hamilton, had just been appointed as an attendant to the young Prince of Wales.
James Hamilton strode off with purpose. His sister’s words had reminded him of his brief infatuation with Lady Emily several years ago. She took advantage of an inexperienced sixteen-year-old. He smiled, remembering. Lord God, I thought myself such a rake wallowing in the sexual favors of an older woman.
Hamilton’s thoughts were interrupted as two young people came barreling through the arcade of the Horseshoe Cloister and collided with him. The impact knocked off his silk top hat and sent it sailing across the ancient cobblestones.
“Now, see what you’ve done!” the boy accused the girl. He looked apologetically at James and ran to retrieve the hat. “I’m sorry, Lord Hamilton.”
James recognized Lady Emily’s young brother. “Hello, Montagu. What’s the trouble here?” His glance swept over the young female, who was sobbing her heart out.
“It’s my sister Anne. She’s crying over nothing.”
The girl stopped sobbing and raised her head. “I’m not crying over nothing. She hates me! She called me an ugly Irish maggot!”
“Well, she calls me a little Irish turd, but you don’t see me crying over it,” Montagu pointed out reasonably.
James hid his amusement. “Who is flinging these crude insults at you?”
“Our sister Emily,” Montagu informed him.
“Our half sister,” Anne cried passionately.
James understood the situation immediately. Their father, Richard Curzon-Howe, had been married twice and had produced a family with each wife. Lady Emily, her exalted sisters, and seven noble brothers had been born to the earl’s first wife, who had been English. The pair of siblings before James at the moment had been born to his second wife, Lady Anne Gore, who was Irish.
James addressed the distraught female. “I’m sure Emily didn’t mean it. I cannot imagine her being that cruel.”
“Yes, she is,” Montagu said matter-of-factly. “She hates us because we’re Irish.”
Anne blinked as crystal tears fell from her lashes and rolled down her cheeks. “She’s the one who insisted I wear this childish bridesmaid’s dress. I can’t help being Irish and having ugly red hair.”
“I’m Irish,” James informed her, “and damned proud of it.” He gazed down at the exquisite young female with her profusion of red-gold curls. Her green eyes sparkled with unshed tears. “If you stop crying, I’ll let you in on a secret about Emily.”
Anne gazed up at the handsome lord before her with the wavy black hair and warm brown eyes. She wiped her nose with the back of her hand and rubbed it down her frilly bridesmaid’s gown. “A secret?”
“Emily doesn’t hate you at all. When she looks at you, she is consumed with jealousy.”
“Why is she jealous?”
James took his handkerchief from his pocket, gently cupped Anne’s chin, and wiped away her tears. “Because you are as beautiful as a wild Irish rose.”
• • •
After the ceremony, the guests made their way to Windsor Castle’s grandiose banqueting chamber, decorated to commemorate England’s victory over Napoleon at Waterloo.
“That wedding gave me the shudders,” the Prince of Wales informed James Hamilton and Charles Carrington, his other attendant. “My parents are making a list of future brides for me—all fat and all German. I don’t fancy sitting through a formal wedding banquet. Is there a place we can escape to, James?”
“How about the barrack rooms? The castle guards enjoy a lively card game on Saturday nights.” James was eager to evade the clutches of Lady Emily. If he stayed at the reception, a dance with the blushing bride would be obligatory.
Prince Teddy thumped James on the shoulder. “How the devil would I manage without you, old man? Let’s get away while the getting is good.”
• • •
Lady Anne gazed about the banqueting chamber with both hope and apprehension. She was longing to encounter Lord Hamilton again, yet worried that she would be tongue-tied if he spoke to her. He had been so kind to her, comforting her as she’d lost herself in anger, and she found that she couldn’t stop thinking about him. When she spotted her friends the Hamilton sisters, she joined them and sat down between Lady Frances and Lady Maud. Anne idealized the Hamiltons. Their household was harmonious, and compared with the acrimony and rivalry in her own family, their lives seemed perfect. She took dancing lessons with Frances and they were looking forward
to putting into practice what they had learned.
Anne summoned her courage, took a deep breath, and casually inquired, “Will your older brother be joining you?”
“Perhaps he will if we save a seat for him.” Frances searched the crowd of guests entering the chamber. “There he is!” She stood up, waved, and beckoned him over.
Anne’s heart began to race with excitement. I hope I don’t faint.
When a tall, dark young man joined them, Anne stared at him blankly and an uncomfortable silence stretched between them. Finally, she blurted, “You’re not James.”
“Indeed, I am not, Lady Anne.” The sixteen-year-old masked his disappointment at the young beauty’s reaction. “I am James’s brother John Claud Hamilton.” He reached for her hand and took it to his lips. “At your service, mistress.”
Anne swallowed her disappointment and tried to make amends for her rude reception.
“I am delighted to meet you, John Claud.”
“But obviously meeting James would delight you more,” he said dryly.
“Of course not. I simply wanted to congratulate him on becoming the member of Parliament for County Donegal,” Anne improvised quickly. “It’s quite an accomplishment to be the youngest member of the House of Commons.”
John Claud had been unfavorably compared with his older brother, James, since childhood and felt fiercely competitive toward him. “In a couple of years I intend to run for the Conservative seat for Londonderry.”
“I’ve never visited Ireland, though my mother was born in Kilkenny.”
Frances cut in. “Oh, please let’s not talk politics.” She frowned at John Claud. “It is all my brothers ever speak about. This is Anne’s sister’s wedding and we intend to celebrate.” She turned her back on John Claud and focused on Anne. “Will Maud and I be invited to your birthday party next month? You are invited to mine.”
“Of course.” Anne licked her lips, and asked softly, “Will James be there?”
“I very much doubt it. Since he’s been appointed a gentleman of the bedchamber to the Prince of Wales, he’s seldom at home.”
