Rescuing Hannah: Farnsworth Sisters, #2

By Robyn C Rye

Hannah's introduction to society is a disappointment. Her healthy dowry attracts fortune hunters, but Hannah wants what her sister has: a man whose presence heats her blood and makes her heartbeat race.

Frustrated that Hannah refuses all offers, Lady Farnsworth finds a wealthy French count to marry Hannah. The man her mother has chosen for her has an unsavoury reputation, and when Hannah refuses to accept her mother's arrangement, the count and Lady Farnsworth develop a plot to trap Hannah. Learning of the plot, Hannah flees.

After a nighttime carriage ride, Hannah hides at the home of her rescuer's aunt until it is safe for her to travel to stay with Rose. Her family and friends agree that the only way to keep Hannah safe is for her to marry. A former friend of Wolfe and Chad agrees to meet Hannah and consider marrying her. The marriage stirs up resentment with her mother and her jilted count, and an attack forces Hannah to defend herself and her husband.

The repercussions of the attack are widespread and devastating. Can Hannah and William find their way back to each other, or will their shared love be lost forever?

• Language: English
• Publisher: robyncrye
• Release date: Jan 2, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215297872

Book preview

Rescuing Hannah

Farnsworth Sisters, Volume 2

Robyn C Rye

Published by robyncrye, 2023.

Rescuing Hannah

Copyright © 2023 by Robyn C Rye

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or without the publisher’s prior written permission except for using a brief quotation in a book review.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or businesses, companies, events, institutions, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Also by Robyn C Rye

Farnsworth Sisters

Marrying a Rogue

Rescuing Hannah

The Buckingham Sisters

Lady Maggie's Challenge

Layla's Unwanted Husband

The Evans Family

Sometimes Love is not Enough

Still the One

Moving Forward

Standalone

One More Chance

Lady Jayne's Reputation

Third Time's the Charm

Can't Stop Loving You

The Marriage Scam

An Unlikely Match

Searching For You

The Unexpected Suitor

The Lady and the Duke

Starting Over

An Unforgettable Stranger

The Duke's Revenge

The Temporary Wife

Against The Odds

Betrayed

No Good Turn Goes Unpunished

Lady Eloise's Soldier

Lillian's Forbidden Beau

Remember Me

Always Second Best

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Also By Robyn C Rye

Rescuing Hannah (Farnsworth Sisters, #2)

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

Epilogue

Also By Robyn C Rye

Author’s note

Thank you for joining me in telling the story of Hannah and William. I hope you enjoyed their story as much as I liked recounting it.

If you enjoyed the book and have a minute to spare, I would appreciate a short review on the page or site where you bought the book. Your help in spreading the word is appreciated. Reviews from readers like you make a massive difference in helping new readers find stories like Rescuing Hannah.

Thank you!

Robyn C Rye

––––––––

Contact me at

[e-mail]

Chapter One

As Hannah strolled through the empty house, she considered her options for today’s activities. Her parents had collected their good friends, Lord and Lady Montgomery, and without telling her their destination, they announced they would be away for several days. Where on earth would the two couples go? Even though she had yet to be introduced to society, if someone invited them to a house party, surely Hannah would know. With an unladylike shrug, she made her way toward the side portico. As the weather was sunny, Hannah thought walking in the garden might help her indecision. If she were sure that her parents wouldn’t suddenly materialize and ruin her focus, she would collect her sketchbook and lose herself in capturing the garden’s beauty. Hannah was often at loose ends these days, not yet a debutant and not still a child. Hannah missed Rose, even though her sister had left home more than a year ago, and she had no friends to shop with or visit. Would she make good friends when she finally entered society? Hannah hoped that gaining new friends would compensate for being paraded before the ton like the horses at Tattersalls.

Thoughts of Rose brought to mind the pressure and lengths her parents and the Montgomerys had placed on her sister to marry Oliver Montgomery. The interference killed Oliver and caused untold damage to Rose’s marriage. Without her determination, she and Nichols, Lord Wolfe, might have fallen apart. Wolfe had banned the families from his estate; there would be no grandparent time for her parents. No matter how many times the Montgomerys insisted that little Charlie was Oliver’s son, the minute you saw Charlie, the falsehood they perpetuated didn’t stand up to scrutiny. Charlie was a miniature version of his father, Nicholas Wolfe, and not even the most delusional person could think otherwise. A frisson of fear raced through Hannah. What if, like Rose, her parents chose a man for her to marry, and she refused him? Would her parents go to the same lengths with her betrothal and wedding they had subjected to Rose? Hannah remembered the day Rose married Wolfe when she told Hannah to wait and not announce her marriage until she came across a man who heated her blood and increased her heart rate. Was there such a man? How many balls, soirees, and morning teas did she have to attend before meeting the one? Hannah sighed. There was no point in worrying about something out of her control. Determined not to waste any more of this sunny day worrying, Hannah headed into the house to collect her sketchbook.

The interruption she feared did not come from her parents but from a random visitor. When a maid raced into the garden, Hannah groaned with frustration.

Miss Hannah, Austin says you have a visitor.

Hannah handed her hat and sketchbook to the maid and walked toward the front entrance. Austin stood stiffly beside the sitting room door, and Hannah raised her eyebrows at the trusty butler.

I have a visitor?

Yes, Miss Hannah. I placed Lord Daniel Montgomery in the sitting room.

Daniel? How extraordinary. Please ask Mrs Hunt for refreshments.

As Hannah walked toward the sitting room, she pondered Daniel’s presence. He was the youngest of the Farnsworth and Montgomery families, and with the close association between the families, Hannah knew Daniel well. But in all her time living as his neighbour, Daniel had never visited without his parents. When Hannah pushed open the door to the sitting room, it surprised her to see Daniel pacing, and his usual immaculate presentation was missing.

Daniel, welcome. I guess this is not a social meeting because of your agitation and presentation. Why not take a seat, and when Mrs Hunt sends in some refreshments, we can discuss the reason for your distress?

Daniel sat, and the two chatted until Mrs Hunt left the room. Before she departed, Mrs Hunt gave  Hannah a querying look.

Miss Hannah, would you like me to send Marie here as a chaperone?

Hannah blinked at the woman and then laughed.

A chaperone will not be necessary. Daniel, Oliver, Rose, and I have played together most of our lives. We will be fine, thank you.

Mrs Hunt nodded as she left the room, and Hannah focused on Daniel Montgomery.

Tell me what brings you here, Daniel.

Damnation! Sorry, Hannah, do you know where our parents have gone?

Ah, no. My mother said they would be away for a few days. Where did they go that causes you such concern?

They went to Rose and Lord Wolfe’s home to take Charlie into custody. My parents and yours have lost their senses; if they continue on their present course of action, they will end up in jail, and you and I will be alone.

Hannah was stunned into silence for a moment, and as the information Daniel imparted hit her, she surged up from her seat.

Hells bells! There is no way that Rose and Nicholas will rescind their rights towards Charlie, and I doubt that a justice would be brave enough to interfere. Why can’t our parents see that their behaviour killed Oliver and nearly destroyed Rose and Nicholas? How long are they going to go on with this idiocy? Do you know the secret our parents don’t want revealed?

No. What can we do to stop our parents?

I fear there is little we can do. Would your parents listen to you if you talked to them about their vendetta? I know mine wouldn’t.

Daniel’s shoulders slumped. You might be right; we’ll have to try and keep Rose informed of what is happening.

Once Daniel left, Hannah was as agitated as Daniel and as despairing as he had been. How could they convince their parents to leave well enough alone? Was there someone in their social group who could make the couples see reason? She doubted anyone had enough sway to convince her parents to leave Rose and Nicholas alone. One thing she knew was that there was no way her parents would get custody of Charlie. Did they genuinely believe they could drive up to Wolfe’s estate, demand to take Charlie and then drive away with that sweet little boy?

Chapter Two

The sound of a carriage and the subsequent bustle in the entry announced the arrival of her parents. The noise of raised voices and the snapped demands at the servants gave Hannah the belief that things hadn’t gone well. Even though her parents didn’t share their destination with her, after Daniel’s visit, Hannah knew that her parents and their close friends had visited Rose. With all that had gone before, sane and caring parents would step aside and let Rose and Wolfe live peacefully, but Hannah feared that her parents, her mother in particular, were far from rational. Didn’t they realise they had caused Oliver’s death and risked Rose’s unborn child when they kidnapped her? Add to that the attempt on Nicholas’s life and his memory loss due to the fall, and she thought her mother and father and the damn Montgomery family should admit their faults and give up their persecution of Rose. Hannah had never been privy to the reason why the two families wanted Oliver and Rose to marry, and it seemed that Daniel was also unaware of the reason. Considering their brother-sister-type relationship, she could see why Oliver didn’t want the marriage and wondered if Rose had chaffed against the decree as much as Oliver had.

Hannah sighed; she should probably greet her parents in the sitting room and listen to their endless grievances about Rose. Hannah called her maid, changed from the comfortable house dress she had donned this morning, and then went downstairs. Austin greeted Hannah as she descended and asked if she wanted to join her parents and Lord and Lady Montgomery. Hannah grimaced and nodded, and although Austin’s face remained passive, she could have sworn the man’s eyes showed amusement. When Austin opened the door for Hannah, she saw her mother’s angry expression and the look of defeat on Lord and Lady Montgomery’s faces. The expressions on the faces of the older adults didn’t bode well for a cheerful exchange.

I thought I should welcome you back from your trip, but should I leave you to your private conversation? Did your trip not go well?

Lord Farnsworth gave a wan smile.

Come and join us, Hannah. We could do with some light conversation to cheer us up. What have you been doing since we left?

Hannah took the opportunity her father offered and chattered about morning tea with one of the society matrons and a ride in the