[Harlequin] - Helen Dickson - An Illustrious Lord (txt), Ksiazki, txt, ebook, pdf

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an Illustrious Lord [070-4.7]By: helen dicksonSynopsis:Romance novel.Helen Dickson was born and still lives in South Yorkshire with herhusband on a busy arable farm where she combines writing with keeping achaotic farmhouse. An incurable romantic, she writes for pleasure,owing much inspiration to the beauty of the surrounding countryside.She enjoys reading and music. History has always captivated her, andshe likes to travel and visit ancient buildings.Recent titles by the same author:LADY DECEIVERTHE RAIN BOROUGH INHERITANCEKATHERINEAN ILLUSTRIOUSLORDMILLS BOON'DID YOU PURCHASE THIS BOOK WITHOUT A COVER?If you did, you should be aware it is stolen property as it wasreported unsold and destroyed by a retailer. Neither the Author northe publisher has received any payment for this book.411 the characters in this book have no existence outside theimagination of the author. and have no relation whatsoever to anyonebearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspiredby any individual known or unknown to the author, and all the incidentsare pure invention. ,4ll Rights Reserved including the right ofreproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition ispublished by arrangement with Harlequin Enterprises H B. g. The text ofthis publication or any part thereof may not be reproduced ortransmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,including photocopying, recording, storage in an information retrievalsystem, or otherwise, without the written permission of the publisher.This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way oftrade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out or otherwise circulatedwithout the prior consent of the publisher in any form of binding orcover other than that in which it is published and without a similarcondition including this condition being imposed on the subsequentpurchaser. MILLS & BOON and MILLS & BOON with the Rose Device areregistered trademarks of the publisher. First published in GreatBt;itain 1997 Harlequin Mills & Boon Limited, Eton House, 18-24Paradise Road. Richmond, Surrey TP/9 ISR1SBN 0 263 80435 6Set in Times 11 on 12 pt. by Rowla. nd Phototypesetting Limited BuySt. Edmunds, Suffolk04-9710-68974Printed and bound in Great BritainChapter OneFrom a dry June day in 1785, the weather had suddenly changed to abiting wind and icy rain since Rachel Fairley and her two brothers,Stephen and Harry, had set out from London in the early morning toreach their home, Meadowfield Lodge, close to the village of Ellertonin the heart of Oxfordshire. Rachel found the journey long andtedious, made worse by thirteen-year-old Harry's coughing andsneezing.He was far from well and she would be extremely relieved to reach theirhome where he could be put to bed. With his eyes closed, he sathuddled miserably in the corner of the coach, with rags packed abouthis slender frame to keep out the invading cold. Rachel looked acrossat Stephen, two years older than her own one-and-twenty years. He hadsaid little since the onset of the journey, seeming preoccupied withhis thoughts."So, Stephen," she said, breaking into his reverie, "Lord Kingsley isto return to Mortlake Park. I have to say that I have no great desireto meet him.""Then I must tell you that you are likely to do so,and very soon, for I believe he is expected to return to Mortlake thisvery day---so Aunt Mary informed me before we left for London lastweek. You are bound to meet at some event or other. ""Then I shall not look forward to it. From what I hear of hischaracter, I think I shall find him a very disagreeable man indeed."Although Stephen was himself in awe of the formidable Lord Kingsley'scharacter, nevertheless he gave his sister a look of mild reproach."You can hardly judge a man so severely when you have not made hisacquaintance.""And why not, pray? I have just cause to think ill of him, as well youknow."Stephen sighed, finding the cause of his sister's resentment towardsLord Kingsley rather tiresome. "Seeing that you constantly harp onabout it, how can anyone fail to be aware of your ill feeling towardshim? It is the source of his wealth that irks you, is it not?""Yes, I admit it, the source of his wealth does disgust me, for it iswell known that his fine house and gardens are maintained by theprofits he makes on his plantation in the Indies--from the misery ofothers."Her brother scowled disapprovingly across at her. "The same can besaid of others. There are many among the aristocracy and land-owningfamilies who own plantations in the West Indies from which they derivemuch of their wealth.""And without the Negro slaves, all of them would no doubt face absoluteruin. Slavery is an abomination and should not be tolerated,Stephen.""You spend far too much time with Mr. Nolan discussing the evils ofthe slave trade, Rachel," her brother rebuked her. "Last year--as Iremember--your opinion was raised against the rich Nabobs in India andtheir crimes against the Indian people'."That was before I was made aware of the evils that exist in the WestIndies--which is surely the worst stain that exists on any area ofBritish aristocracy.""That may be true, but Mr. Nolan's views are too radical by far. Iblame him for your aversion towards Lord Kingsley; if he were notforever putting his name forward as an example, then perhaps you wouldnot have this larger-than-life image of him as being some kind oftyrant. It is not usual for a young lady to fill her head with suchaffairs, when her time would be better spent discussing more femininematters, as our cousins Caroline and Emily do."Rachel grimaced. "Much as I love my cousins, Stephen, they do littleother than gossip over a dish of tea; their main preoccupation is theirwardrobe. They are watched over twenty-four hours a day by Aunt Maryand talk of nothing more exciting than connections and the sort ofcompany where good manners and breeding are essential."She sighed with annoyance. "It all makes for exceedingly dull company.One cannot deny that reading and learning expands one's knowledge andenlivens any conversation."Stephen silently agreed with her. Their cousins, the Brayfieldsisters, who lived at impressive Ellerton Hall, just two miles fromtheir own, less imposing,home of Meadowfield Lodge, could not compete with Rachel's mentalliveliness. She thrived on subjects that stimulated her mind and wasforever reading political pamphlets and newspapers.She was constantly occupied in lively discussion with Mr. Nolan,Harry's tutor, which was a cause of annoyance to Stephen who preferreda quieter, imperturbable lifestyle. He had never possessed anyenthusiasm for the rig ours of learning, preferring instead--when hewasn't about the family business. to concentrate all his efforts andthoughts on his blossoming courtship with Miss Amanda Kingsley, theformidable Lord Kingsley's seventeen-year-old sister.Stephen would be more than happy when Harry was of an age to continuehis education at Oxford and they could dispense with Mr. Nolan'sservices, for he considered that the alarming influence he seemed tohave over Rachel was becoming quite disruptive to her state of mind.Ever since his introduction into the household two years ago--at a timewhen she had been rejected in love by Ralph Wheeler and was nursing abroken heart--his mild-natured sister had undergone a transformationalmost overnight into a confident and forthright young woman.Her friendship with Mr. Nolan was supported by' intelligence and amutual interest in endorsing the campaign against the slave trade,being championed in Parliament by Mr. Wilberforce, the devoutevangelical Member of Parliament for Yorkshire and Mr. Nolan's mentor.Rachel's ardour and preoccupation with the evils of this trade in humanmisery was gradually turning into a crusade.Their father was unconcerned by her avid interest; like most youngladies who considered they should have some cause or other to support,he was confident she would abandon it when she put the painful memoriesof her unhappy affair with Ralph Wheeler behind her and found herself ahusband."It does indeed," Stephen agreed. "I must say that your strong mindand natural confidence dominates both our cousins.""Strong-minded I may be, Stephen--and nothing would give me greaterpleasure than to go out into the world as Kitty has done." She sighed,with a wistful look in her eyes, as she referred to their sister, whohad left home to become an actress on the London stage--a disreputableprofession, and frowned upon so ardently by their Aunt Mary."But one cannot deny that men's lives and decisions shape femaledestinies and will continue to do so for a good many years yet, I amsorry to say."They fell silent as the coach continued on its way. Harry was overcomeby a fresh bout of sneezing, and Rachel placed a hand to his forehead,concerned that he was still feverish and his eyes too bright, thenpassed him a dry handkerchief and secured the rug about his knees.Glancing out of the window, she wished it was not so depressingly dulland extremely cold, with rain beginning to fall more heavily. Theywere to stop at the next inn for refreshments, but they could not takelong about it, otherwise the roads would soon become rutted because ofthe rain.They were travelling home in their own private coach after staying intheir Aunt Mary's town house for the past week. Stephen had gone toLondon on some business for his father and, taking advantage of theopportunity to see Kitty, Rachel and Harry had accomp... [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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