A Reluctant Engagement

By Anne Francs

Alexandra Whitlock has been raised on the pretty fantasies of romantic novels. But as a starry-eyed debutante making her entrance into London society, she quickly learns courtship is far less thrilling than the fairy tales she devoured. Determined to guard her heart, Alexandra vows no dashing rogue will catch her eye during this first glittering season. That is, until His Grace, Richard Kensington, Duke of Exeter, whirls into her life. Equal parts charming and scandalous, Richard is everything a lady should avoid-and the first man to crack Alexandra's firm defenses. He's slyly seductive, devilishly handsome, and a notorious rake of the highest order. For Richard, pursuing the sweet, innocent Alexandra seems a wickedly delightful challenge. When these two passionate free-spirits find themselves unintentionally entangled in a very inconvenient engagement, sparks are fated to fly. With London's elite in a gossiping frenzy, Alexandra must swallow her pride while confronting her most terrifying question...Is it possible her traitorous heart could actually fall in love with the one man she knows she shouldn't want? Prepare to be swept away by the wry wit, dazzling characters, and lush romantic tension within the pages of this enchanting Regency romance! If you crave stories brimming with defiant heroines, brooding lords, and palpable chemistry, A Reluctant Engagement is not to be missed.

• Language: English
• Publisher: XinXii
• Release date: Apr 27, 2024
• ISBN: 9783989838772

Book preview

A Reluctant Engagement

ANNE FRANCS

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

Copyright © ANNE FRANCS,2024.

A Reluctant Engagement

by Anne Francs

© 2024,Anne Francs.

All rights reserved.

Author: Anne Francs

Contact: [e-mail]

ISBN: 9783989838772

Verlag GD Publishing Ltd. & Co KG, Berlin

E-Book Distribution: XinXii

www.xinxii.com

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Table of Contents

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

Chapter One

Alexandra was a wedding enthusiast.

As she watched her brother's friend Archie tie the knot with a woman he had just described as his ideal woman, it was all she could think about.

They had come early for the wedding, even though it was just their second day in London and the season had not yet really begun. Her brother Nate and Archie had been friends since their time at Eton, and Archie—who was really Sir Archibald Spencer, baronet of Lonsbury—had supported Nate throughout all of his difficult times. He had assisted Nate in raising Allie, who had lost her parents when she was very young.

She was happy that Archie was marrying for love since he was one of the sweetest guys she had ever known. The governess of his younger sister, Miss Rebecca Williams, turned out to be his better half. When Archie had shown up to the Somerhall estate a month before to personally invite Nate to the wedding, he had told them that they had met a year prior and had fallen in love as fast as a flame catches fire.

Oh, how I love weddings! Emily, her sister-in-law, gasped irrationally from behind her, perhaps recalling her own nuptials from the previous year. She was now overflowing with pregnancy and was almost certain to give birth shortly.

To be honest, Nate had been hesitant to take the chance of traveling so close to his wife's eighth month of pregnancy for the sake of their unborn kid. But he agreed to come because of his duty to Archie and Emily's guarantee that the greatest physicians could be found in London. Furthermore, they would have assistance about which midwife and physicians to hire since their other sister, Cassandra, also lived in London. Being a mother of two, Cassandra was familiar with this knowledge.

They are simply beautiful. The ceremony came to a conclusion with a kiss, to which Allie replied with a satisfied sigh. It was a wonderful occasion since it was clear that neither Archie nor his new wife could see who else was there in the room. They were totally focused on each other, and they were unable to divert their attention.

They congratulated the happy couple for the next three hours as they were having fun. At last, the majority of the group left, but several stayed behind for a small, intimate dinner at Archie's house. Naturally, Emily and Alexandra were invited, as was Nate. Allie's sister and brother-in-law, Kit and Cassandra, were also invited. The only other people who remained were Rebecca's brothers and parents, Archie's mother, Rebecca's husband, the matron of honor, and Edmond Weaver, an additional Eton buddy of Archie's and Nate's.

Allie saw that the blushing bride was laughing with her husband and her maid of honor, Susan, a girl who was just a year or two older than Allie, as they wandered about mingling.

I don't think we've met officially, Rebecca said with a big smile. I'm Rebecca Williams or, rather, Spencer now. When she stated her new surname, her eyes glistened and she remarked, chuckling a bit.

Alexandra Whitlock, but most call me Allie. She gave Rebecca an uneasy grin since she had never talked to her before. Happiness had rightfully taken over Archie, and he was beaming down at his wife. Allie wasn't sure if he had heard a word of what was going on around him.

I'm Susan Winchester. Susan provided. She was a little girl, her eyes as dazzling and her hair as red as fire. Allie wasn't sure whether her impression of her mischievous nature was accurate since she had been quite sober throughout the day.

Well Lady Spencer, how does it feel to be married? Allie inquired, smiling to see the color of Rebecca's cheeks as she flushed intensely. Rebecca's blush was more noticeable since her black hair contrasted with her pale complexion. Allie had never seen green eyes like the one she had. She was stunning even though she wasn't very attractive in the traditional sense. Her face was the kind that one remembered.

Her first words were, I can't speak for Archie, grabbing his attention as soon as his name was said. But I think that this is only the beginning of something absolutely wonderful.

Archie said, I don't agree, her eyes lighting up in a manner that warned Allie she was ready to make fun of his wife. That was a phrase she recognized. As soon as I can, Allie, I'm going to go away into the darkness between you and me. If need be, I'll subsist off the land.

You? Before Rebecca could respond, Allie sneered. Off the land living? What a sight that would be! I vividly recall you complaining that Eton's mattresses weren't soft enough. In addition, you couldn't bear to see the chef dissect a fish. She brought up a memory of a time when he had gone to spend the holidays with their family and had almost completely eaten since, on breaking into the kitchen to get something sweet to eat, he had spotted the chef filleting some fish and had quickly fled, his appetite waning.

I think you're right, Archie said, grinning nostalgically at the recollection, as his wife erupted into fits of laughter at the new details she had discovered about her husband. After that, I skipped out on seafood for the next two months. The sight of fish alone made me want to cry out loud.

You were a bit of sissy, weren't you? Susan just laughed as Rebecca taunted and Archie winked at her. It was good to see Archie content. When he and Nate had been closest, he'd also been nearly like a brother to Allie. He'd been there for a few years of Allie's youth, when he'd come home with her brother for the holidays, but after a while they'd drifted away and she'd almost forgotten about him. That was also a very frequent event, since he had had a lot of arguments with his father before to his passing.

This sissy grew up to be rather brave, I'll thank you to know. Allie snorted in surprise as Archie stood up for himself. Most likely, he had whacked a fly and called it quits.

Actually, I believe he might be right. Rebecca remarked in a humorous tone. He once helped me kill a spider in the library. I'm not sure what else could qualify as real bravery if that.

Really? With a fake pleased sound in her voice, Allie questioned. Well, then you can definitely call yourself a barbarian in the woods after killing one spider. fishing, hunting, and other activities.

I doubt I'll ever be capable of fishing. With a shiver, Archie remarked something that made Susan laugh—she hadn't been adding much to the discourse. Maybe Allie had thought she was more timid than raucous when, in fact, she looked more like herself. Her personality was somewhat perplexing.

Taking a quick peek over their shoulder, Archie said, Ah, Mama's calling me to her. I best go over to see what she wants. I will return without any delay." As he spoke, he leaned in to give his new bride a peck on the cheek, causing Allie's face to light up and Rebecca's to flush.

Where's Georgie? Abruptly, Allie inquired, recalling Georgiana, Archie's sister. Even though she was only ten years old, Allie could recall her as the loveliest kid she had ever encountered. She was as beautiful as ever, as they'd discovered when they'd talked again during the wedding.

Oh, she chose to go to bed since she was feeling fatigued. She normally goes to bed an hour or two after dusk and is more of a lark than an owl. Speaking warmly of her new sister-in-law, Rebecca stated. It was obvious that they were close.

Susan abruptly added, "On a completely different matter, did you notice who was at the wedding earlier? It was a person you never anticipated showing up.

Who? Rebecca said with interest, I must admit, I was so engrossed in the whole aspect of being married that I barely noticed anyone else.

Richard Kensington! Rebecca's jaw fell wide as Susan gasped, excited to be imparting knowledge that was obviously pretty wonderful. Susan's tone took on a sarcastic tone when she mentioned the man's name, giving the impression that they were not at all fond of him.

Are you certain? Rebecca questioned, then met Allie's gaze and apologised, saying, Oh, I'm sorry, you must be completely unaware of the direction this talk has gone. Archie's fairly old buddy Master Richard, the future Duke of Exeter, is a total jerk. Archie even made me an offer before we started dating. I would have assumed that the possibility of Archie finding out about this would have been sufficient to prevent him from coming, but at least he was the kind to accept no as an answer.

Well, he did come. Without delay, Susan said, And he was up to his usual tricks. He charmed and flirted with everyone he came into contact with, and I think he was successful with Lady Annaliese Walker."

He and Annaliese have been acquainted in that manner for a long while. In a tone that was more a reminder than anything else, Rebecca remarked, Or so the whispers claim. You know, Annaliese is an American, so she may do as she pleases and inherit from her father without needing financial assistance from a partner.

Susan was much more judgmental than Rebecca, who seemed to be only restating the obvious. Susan mocked Lady Annaliese's actions. Allie would rather not meddle with another person's private affairs, even if she was unsure of how to regard someone who was similar to her. It was ultimately up to Lady Annaliese what she did.

There's a word for women like Annaliese, and it isn't something that you repeat in polite company. Susan told them both, and Allie had to bite her tongue to avoid saying anything rash or impolite, while Rebecca seemed to be torn between telling her friend what to do and saying something harsh.

When Cassie, Allie's sister, gestured toward her from across the room while grinning broadly at Edmond Weaver, Nate's other Eton buddy, Allie spotted her chance to get away.

Pardon me, but I have to say hello to Edmond, she added. My last encounter with him was eons ago."

Of course. Rebecca spoke right away, but Allie didn't even notice as she was turning to face Edmond as she crossed the room.

Edmond Weaver, who was three or four years younger than Nate and Archie, was the son of a rich Derbyshire gentleman. The three had gradually become very close after they had made friends with the younger guy after he had assisted them in getting away with some mischievous activity. After finishing school, they had become further distant from one another, yet they continued to correspond sometimes. Actually, Edmond and Archie had attended Nate and Emily's wedding right in the front pew.

And Edmond was very, very gorgeous. His eyes were a brilliant emerald, and his hair was sandy brown. Along with being rather tall, he had a slim build and sharp, aristocratic features. Allie may have fallen deeply in love with him if she had been someone else. Fortunately or unfortunately, she knew Edmond to be rather traditional, gentle as he could be, and she had no interest in a guy like him. She didn't trust any men, thus she wasn't really interested in any of them.

She has been selective about who she talked to since last year. After a negative encounter with men, she had almost completely lost interest in them, particularly rakes.

Technically, this was also her first season as an official one. Although Nate had never been a fan of the idea of seasons, he had always accepted that his sisters would eventually go. He thus made the decision to, at the very least, prevent them from getting one until they were twenty. As excited as Allie had been last year about the prospect of balls, dancing, and a lavish romance, she had pleaded with Nate to let her into society—at least the society of their county. He had grudgingly consented, and that's how she had first met Edgar Bennett.

In retrospect, she wished she had paid more attention to her brother, but there was nothing she could have done. All she would have to do would be exercise more caution going forward and not jump to conclusions about men, particularly if she didn't know them well. She would have to keep that part of her heart closed for some time, but there was still a part of her that yearned for love, courting, and marriage.

particularly in the presence of rakes like this Richard Kensington guy.

Chapter Two

Despite herself, as Alexandra wiped her sweaty hands on the front of her stunning dark blue dress, she could feel a building sense of eagerness boiling up in the pit of her stomach.

She was about to be presented before the Prince Regent as a debutante! Regretfully, King George III's son, the Regent, would be attending the debutante ball in lieu of his father, who was sadly too sick to do so. Undoubtedly, the evening would undoubtedly be thrilling.

Cassandra, her sister, was supposed to be the one to accompany her. It was usual to have a woman accompany the candidate—even though Nate would be the most likely—and even though Allie loved Emily, Cassie was still her sister, so she wouldn't have anyone else do the honor.

It seemed that the other girls were equally delighted, but since Alexandra was older than them all, they all avoided her a little bit. She hadn't enjoyed it at all that one person, the daughter of some Marquess or other, had been so blatantly rude about it. Allie was telling herself that the other girl was just being a shrew to feel better about herself and her prospects at everyone's favorite sport—husband catching—but she had managed to keep her head up and ignore her.

Given that Somerhall was among the most esteemed duchies in England, Alexandra's introduction was almost a preface. And when her name was called, the mere sound of it filled her with excitement and trepidation.

The gilded-uniformed announcer called, "Lady Alexandra Whitlock,