Married By Twelfth Night (Regency Christmas Brides)

1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

November 1814

London, England

Reading a will prior to the person's death was like determining the winner of a duel before the swords had ever been drawn. Where was the logic? The traditional order of events? Indeed, Richard’s Great-Aunt Edith had no idea what sort of chaos she had invoked upon her family. Neither he nor his cousins sitting in Mr. Davidson’s stuffy solicitor’s office had been prepared for the sorry news of their aunt’s health, but they had been equally unprepared to learn there were conditions they’d be required to fulfill if they desired a share in her vast fortune.

Richard leaned toward his cousin Colin Birchall, who sat tall and stoic beside him. “She won’t ask us to sacrifice any limbs, right?”

His cousin gave him a bored look.

It was a bad joke, but the tension in the room was mounting, and he could hardly stand it. The stress he’d carried this last year was like a bad dream he couldn’t wake up from. And now Aunt Edith was dying—a woman he greatly respected and loved .

Mr. Davidson lifted a stack of letters in his right hand. “I will now pass out a personal letter to each of you explaining the terms of your aunt’s will.” The short man stepped out behind his desk and extended a sealed note to Richard before moving down the line to the others. “We tailored each letter to your individual circumstances. Go ahead and open them.”

Richard desperately needed money to save his estate, but his hand hovered over the seal on the folded cream paper. His mother and sister had not yet discovered the dire situation they were in. After all these generations, he hated that he could be the one to lose it. Aunt was known for her eccentric ways, but would she leave him the money he needed to save it?

Richard curiously observed the others rip into their letters first, not ready to learn his fate. His cousin Alden Dandridge pushed away from the window he’d been leaning against. “Scotland?” His wide eyes bored into his letter.

The small, crowded room grew silent. Much too silent.

The solicitor moved to quietly explain to Alden his situation.

Richard had once heard of Aunt’s horse farm in Scotland, and he felt relieved that Alden would be responsible for it instead of him. He had enough problems at home to deal with. Richard knew he shouldn’t delay his own set of terms. Uncertainty formed a pit in his stomach as he broke the seal and unfolded the letter.

My darling nephew,

You have been neglecting me, and you are fortunate that my generous manner has allowed me to overlook such a matter. Regardless of your failings, I am dying, and I ought to make one last mark on the world before I go. The fact of the matter is, you need money and I have it in spades. Since I cannot purchase even a feather in heaven, and have no children of my own, it behooves me to bestow my riches upon my three unmarried grandnephews and my eldest unmarried grandniece.

You, my dear Richard, might have asked for a loan earlier, but I see you are too proud for such a favor. No one likes to admit when one’s estate is not up to snuff. However, yours is rich with history and ought to be preserved. Unfortunately, the time for loans from me is over, and I cannot offer you such. Don’t take any blame on yourself for this sorry situation. Before you ever inherited it, the estate at Belside was land rich and cash poor. These things happen to even the very best of people.

My solution is simple. I will give you 20,000 pounds to pay off any debts, invest in updated farm equipment and livestock, and sustain the estate until the land reaches a sustainable level again. I only have one small request: You must marry! The deed must take place by Twelfth Night. And a caution to you—unless you have any favors from the archbishop, it would be wise to remember that it takes three weeks to post the banns for a proper wedding. See that it is done!

“Twelfth Night?” he hissed. “That’s impossible!” Richard lowered the letter into his lap, unable to continue with the flood of thoughts and the rising tide of emotions within him. Belside Manor could be saved! He wanted to leap from his seat and embrace his aunt. But marry? And in such short a time? This nonsensical idea hammered him firmly down in his seat and made him want to hug himself instead.

“I am expected to attend a house party for Christmas—with strangers.” His cousin Rose Portman scoffed over her own letter, her bright-blue eyes wide with consternation.

“That doesn’t sound like you,” Alden said, blowing a lock of dark hair off his forehead.

No, it didn’t. Rose despised social gatherings and all the insipid, meaningless conversation .

Colin shook his head. “It’s a lot of money, and I know we all need it, but marry? In so short a time?”

While his cousins were struggling over their requests, he was too consumed with his own problems to give them any reassurance. Richard hadn’t spent more than a second or two contemplating marriage. He knew he would get around to it eventually, but he had wanted to live a little more before tying himself down. Could he do this? For the sake of his family and his estate?

His jaw set, and determination steeled over him.

He had to try.

Keep reading, Richard. He could almost hear his aunt warning him to not be self-assured quite yet. Reluctantly, he raised the letter back up and read.

I know this feels sudden. But if I had one dying wish, it would be to see you all wed and starting families of your own. And since it is my money and my death wish, and I likely know you better than you know yourself, I have stipulations about who this wife should be!

Let it be known, I don’t want any ninnies watering down the bloodline. I expect you to marry someone with intelligence. She must have a great love for reading and for discussing the great poets and philosophers. She must have a demure personality—a woman who regularly reflects upon the complexities of life since you will not take the time to do so. She will be the soft and gentle companion to balance your strength of character. Let her be pretty but not overly so. I myself am no diamond of the first water, and I much prefer the average sort. I would not want her tempted toward vanity.

It is of utmost importance that she be musical. This is a tradition carried through generations of Grahams. Your father was a great singer, like yourself, and your mother and sister exceptional pianists. I, myself, play the harpsichord very well and should like to cast my gaze down from heaven in the near future to view your posterity rivaling the choirs of angels. Do not disappoint me in this!

It should go without mention that a suitable dowry is included. Money is a necessity we cannot put our nose up at. Beyond this, I should like her family seat to be in Derbyshire, no more than twenty miles from Wetherfield. Family ties are essential to happiness, and travel is a difficulty you can avoid with minimal effort on your behalf. I happen to know of several marriageable women of esteem who reside near you, and I will not budge on this particular instruction. While I desire a love match for everyone in my family, I believe you are capable of winning anyone’s heart and loving them in return.

I beg you to take my generous offer and marry forthwith. Your estate and future depend upon it. Because I know how deeply your affection lies toward your mother and sister, I trust these funds will be used for their welfare as well. Instead of setting aside monies for their benefit, I leave their caretaking completely in your capable hands.

Do not forget your deadline! God be with us both in these coming weeks.

If he had felt sick upon learning of the financial state of Belside after his father’s death, this letter made him feel far worse. The solution to all his problems dangled before him, but it was just beyond his reach. He could not think of a single woman of his acquaintance who fit this . . . this absurd fantasy that Aunt had created for him. But no other solution in the last fifteen months had presented itself to him, despite the long hours of meeting with his own solicitor and the banks, as well as seeking counsel from friends. He had never taken life very seriously before, and the gap in his education and in running and sustaining an estate was vast .

But no ready answer had come. He’d already shut up a whole wing of the house so they would not have to warm it for the winter, but he knew it would not be enough. Aunt’s will could be his saving grace.

He rubbed a hand over his jaw. How was a man to meet a woman local to his home and so particularly skilled? Mr. Green, a family friend from Wetherfield, always held a ball on the first of December, heralding in the winter season. It was a week away and the soonest event he could think of. He didn’t always attend, but this year, he would not miss it. It would be the perfect opportunity to find a wife.

And if there was no opportunity, he would have to make one.

Aunt Edith had issued one challenge he could not turn down.