Her Hand in Marriage

By Rebecca Lange

A young woman engaged to an earl. A contract that makes her part of the payment. A handsome, yet irritating duke causing extra confusion and tension.

Promised to a man she barely knows, Sophie Everton is forced to make some tough decisions. Should she marry a man who treats her terribly and she suspects may be abusive or deny him and forfeit her grandparents' cherished estate in Ireland that has been in the family for generations?

 

Her late father's bitterness turned him to drinking and gambling, resulting in the loss of his employment as a physician and leaving him drowning in debt after losing his parents' money as well. Not knowing what else to do, Albert Everton signed a deal allowing Lord Kenneth Mulligan to pay off his debt and hold title to the family estate in exchange for his daughter's hand in marriage.

 

Torn, yet willing to forgo her own happiness if it means saving her grandparents from ruin and protecting their family estate, Sophie proceeds with her late father's deal. But as the wedding date quickly approaches, she discovers some horrifying truths about her parents' deaths and the man she is about to marry. Then in walks a frustratingly handsome yet devilish young duke, who interferes with every decision she makes.

 

Could exchanging one rake for another be the answer to Sophie's prayers, or will she lose her grandparents and their home either way?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rebecca Lange Books
• Release date: Apr 22, 2022
• ISBN: 9781957089041

Rebecca Lange

Rebecca was born and raised in Germany and lived there until 2002 when she served a mission for her church in Scotland. She is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Together with her husband and two teenage boys, Rebecca currently resides in Utah.   A romance lover at heart, Rebecca has been writing stories since her teenage years and decided in the summer of 2012 to become more serious about it. In February 2013, Rebecca published a little cookbook, later a trilogy and from there followed nearly a dozen stories such as the one you just read. She is currently working on several romance novels. New stories can also be found on Kindle Vella.   If you liked the story, please consider leaving a review.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

There are so many wonderful people I would like to thank for their help throughout the process of creating, editing, publishing, more editing and professionally editing this Christmas novella. It is no secret that I couldn’t have done it without you. I would like to acknowledge and thank first and foremost my wonderful husband, who has been supportive in so many ways. He is now the one who insists on having my books professionally edited—getting my stories to an entirely new playing level.

Thank you, Nick, for all you do. I love you for time and all eternity. You might never know how grateful I am for your willingness to let me explore my creativity.

Another big thank you goes to my editor Gina Salamon. Your knowledge, expertise and hard work are truly appreciated. Writing a book is hard. Writing a book in a different language is even tougher. We just can’t do it without you. In the words of Benjamin Percy: The editor-writer relationship should not be thought of as adversarial.

Thank you to Period Images for creating such a beautiful book cover. I thought using what I had or could find was enough, but nothing beats a professionally designed cover.

Thank you to my readers, especially: Courtney Cortez and Sherri Miller, who came to my book signing at The Book Garden in Bountiful. I see you both as my personal cheerleaders because you always cheer me on, look forward to releases, read and review my books and give me incredible feedback. You guys freaking rock!

Prologue

London, England,

Sept. 1, 1805

Lord Kenneth Mulligan ,

Earl of Adare

Limerick, Ireland

Kind Sir,

I am pleased to inform you that I will accept your proposal, upon certain conditions. My parents’ greatest wish is to see our estate remain in our family, and a marriage between you and our youngest daughter, Sophie Aoife, would seal my parents’ wishes and our deal.

My wife, however, does not accept your proposal as written and wishes to share her requests for the final acceptance between us.

You may not announce the arranged union between you and our daughter until after her nineteenth birthday.

The wedding must happen on Christmas Eve, as this is a tradition in our family and has to be upheld.

Enclosed for your convenience is the contract duly signed and sealed with these conditions included. If you can agree to our proposal and requests, we beg your acceptance and immediate return of your agreement, so we can finalize the pact and make it official.

Yours respectfully,

Albert Theodore Everton,

Physician of General Medicine

1

Soon-to-be Engaged

I am going for a walk , Grandmama.

Do that, but please take Brian or Thomas with you.

I will be fine, Grandmama. I won’t be going far, and Brian and Thomas are always awkward around me. They never speak.

Augusta couldn’t help but smile. She wasn’t surprised that the servants were intimidated by her granddaughter. Sophie was a beautiful girl and full of life and energy, but she was also hard-headed and outspoken, which most servants weren’t accustomed to. Sophie hadn’t been living with them all that long as yet, either, and the servants needed more time to get to know her.

Sophie had come to live with them after the sudden death of her parents. Why their son and daughter-in-law had died was still a mystery to Augusta. And, knowing her son Albert and how secretive he used to be, Sophie was most likely still in the dark regarding her maternal relatives’ whereabouts. Nobody was allowed to speak about her daughter-in-law’s family.

Their side used to have ranks and titles until her husband’s grandfather chose medicine as his profession and became a physician. He gave up his title as earl at that time and married a commoner. Every male heir since chose the same profession, and even their son Albert followed in his ancestors’ footsteps, leaving the life of nobility behind them.

Augusta watched as her granddaughter left the house. It had turned cold, and the wind was blowing heavily across fields and nearby villages. Augusta predicted that her granddaughter would head toward the forest for better protection from the wind instead of following the path alongside the fields.

Darling, her husband’s voice came from behind Augusta a moment later. "Could you please send Sophie to me?

I need to talk with her," Edwin Everton said as he walked past the sitting room, but his wife called him back.

Sophie just left. She went for a walk.

She did? Edwin stepped next to his wife, and they both looked out of the window to watch their granddaughter disappear into the shadows of the trees.

What did you want to talk to her about? Augusta glanced at her husband, and he sighed.

I received another correspondence from Lord Mulligan. His plans for the engagement between him and Sophie are getting more extravagant. I told him we don’t have that kind of money, but he insists on every agreement between him and Albert. I believe we’ll have to dip into Sophie’s dowry.

I wish our son wouldn’t have agreed to such a foolish understanding between him and the Earl of Adare. Sophie seems content with the arrangement made for her so far because she loves our land and estate, but I’m afraid she will eventually feel trapped.

Edwin nodded. She hasn’t had much contact with Lord Mulligan to date, but I’m confident once their engagement is announced, he’ll put a lot more pressure and expectation on her, and that might backfire for him.

If Sophie doesn’t want to go along with the arranged union, do we have the power to stop it?

Edwin shook his head. No. Lord Mulligan and Albert signed a binding contract, and Sophie isn’t of age yet. The earl paid off all of Albert’s debts and owns this house and land. If Sophie refused, we would lose everything. Lord Mulligan can and will force her. Edwin sighed. And knowing Sophie, she would not want to back out since we’re involved. Her pride will not allow anyone to take anything away from us if she can prevent it.

Albert was a fool, Augusta spat, outrage coloring her voice. He sold his daughter to a man we know little about and all because he went into debt due to his extravagant and obsessive living.

Yes. And Sophie is the one who has to pay for her father’s mistakes.

Sophie enjoyed the cold air and beauty around her. Autumn was in full bloom, and the forest was a picture of awe. Reds, yellows, and browns, the colors of the season, held something magical. She took a deep breath and twirled herself around, giggling and turning when she heard familiar barking behind her.

Her collie Cleo and her grandfather’s Irish setter Celeste reached her. The two dogs gave her their usual indignant grunts, making it clear they didn’t appreciate being left behind. Sophie squatted and lovingly rubbed their heads.

Forgive me for not bringing you along. I was worried Grandmama would not let me go alone if I didn’t hurry out of the house. Cleo licked her face, while Celeste jumped at Sophie with excitement and knocked her to the ground. Sophie’s giggling turned into heartfelt laughter. Celeste, you naughty girl, you know you’re not supposed to do that. Grandfather is very strict about jumping at people.

As Sophie stood and brushed herself off, the dogs ran off to chase each other between the trees. Seconds later, Sophie looked up to see both animals had stopped in their tracks, turned around, and were now galloping back to Sophie’s side. Deep aggressive growling escaped the dogs’ throats, causing Sophie alarm. Someone or something was approaching them, and whoever it was, Cleo and Celeste were not amused.

Just as Sophie debated if she should turn around and head home, she heard a carriage approaching.

The carriage driver stopped next to her, and two men stepped out.

She recognized them immediately as servants of the Earl of Adare.

Miss Everton, how convenient to find you here, Herbert Boyle began. The Earl of Adare sent us to fetch you. He’s expecting you at once so that you can discuss your upcoming engagement celebration.

Mr. Boyle. Mr. Moore, Sophie responded with a quick nod and a polite smile while the dogs continued to growl. It’s good to see you again. If Lord Mulligan wishes to see me, why does he not call himself?

He’s a busy man, Miss Everton. He can’t just get up and leave at a moment’s notice.

Sophie raised an eyebrow and brushed her long locks behind her shoulder. "But he expects me to just leave at a moment’s notice? Forgive me, but I already have plans for today, and I will have to return to the house shortly to meet with my grandparents."

Herbert Boyle stepped closer but came to a sudden halt when the dogs bared their teeth, and their growling deepened. The fur on the backs of their necks stood on end.

Mr. Boyle glanced from the dogs to Sophie and frowned. You seem to be under the impression that you have a choice here. When the Earl of Adare wishes to see someone, it isn’t a request but an order. We have been asked to take you to him at once.

Sophie narrowed her eyes, and the polite smile she’d previously held disappeared. I don’t take orders from anyone, she snapped, spitting fire now. If what Lord Mulligan wants to talk about is so urgent, he is welcome to visit me at my family’s estate.

It isn’t the estate of your family anymore, Miss Everton. The earl can ask you to leave at a moment’s notice.

Sophie glanced into the eyes of the servant in front of her, hoping her shock and disbelief didn’t show. She had never liked these men. Both were terribly mannered, and their facial expressions were always grave and hateful. Herbert Boyle’s nearly black hair was quite the contrast to his green eyes. He had a long scar below his left eye, giving him a quite gruesome look. When he took yet another step closer, the growling of her dogs intensified.

He hesitated. Sophie’s temper began to boil. She couldn’t believe that the man she was supposed to marry would dare to order her around. And what was this nonsense about the estate? Was that why her father had made her promise to marry the earl before he died? Had he signed away all of their assets without even telling her about it? Had he promised her to a man she hardly knew because he knew how much she loved their land and estate in Ireland?

Sophie lifted her chin in defiance. Lord Mulligan may do so if that’s what he wants. If he thinks that Grayside Manor isn’t enough for him, so be it. I shall work as a governess if I have to.

The two men gasped. Sophie had only dealt with them on two separate occasions before this and she could see by their reaction that neither had expected