Fleeting Encounters:
Lady Francesca
Arabella
Sheen
Fleeting
Encounters Series … offers erotic bedtime
reading
Dare Lady Francesca Chapel bed down with her steward?
Lady
Francesca has been recently widowed. And at the
reading of the will, when it’s revealed her husband has gambled away the family
fortune and her sizable dowry, she realizes she must find a way to save Chapel
Grange, her son’s inheritance before it is lost. Penniless and desperate to
survive, is Alexander the answer to Francesca’s problem?
With the turn of a card, Alexander Milton has won a parcel of
land from Lord Chapel. The trouble is, he doesn’t want the Chapel estate, and
more to the point, he doesn’t need it. When it’s suggested he approach the
widow with an offer to form a working partnership in order to save Chapel
Grange, he soon discovers he wants to merge with Lady Francesca in more ways
than one.
Can Francesca and Alexander work together,
or will their passion for one another stand in their way?
Content Warning: Contains erotic love scenes
CHAPTER ONE - Excerpt 1
Lady Francesca Chapel was dressed from head
to foot in black. Lifting a handkerchief trimmed with black lace to her eyes,
she carefully dabbed the falling tears away from her cheeks. She felt sorry for
herself. Not because she mourned the loss of her husband whom she had recently
buried, but because she now had to face the world alone.
Before her marriage, Francesca had been
cossetted and cared for. Firstly, by her parents, who had provided for her
physical and earthly needs, and then secondly, by a series of governesses, all
with varying skills in the art of enabling a young lady to take her place in
society. Francesca had been educated with the talents required to ensnare an
eligible spouse. And then her life had changed. She had married Lord Charles
Chapel and her idyllic world had altered beyond recognition.
Charles had been a hard man to please, both
in and out of the bedchamber. And as a husband…well, he hadn’t been cruel
exactly, merely unthinkingly neglectful.
Often, for months at a time, Francesca had
been left alone at Chapel Grange to fill her days with idleness while Charles,
free to come and go as he pleased, had traveled to London to follow his
pleasures and deborturous pursuits.
It had annoyed Francesca that her days and
evenings were lonely, but she hadn’t complained. However, her solitary nights
were another matter. She’d been thankful for Charles’s prolonged absences. The
chance to crawl into bed and curl beneath the sheets to sleep alone had been
most welcome.
“If you would care to be seated, Lady
Francesca.” Mr. Adams, the family’s lawyer handling the affairs of the estate,
pointed toward a chair positioned at one end of the long drawing room table.
“We shall begin the reading of the will as soon as your son, Lord Chapel, joins
us.”
Francesca, if she was honest with herself,
was a little intimidated by the lawyer’s manner. He was overbearing and was
quite crotchety at times.
Like many of the family retainers her
husband had employed, Mr. Adams was of senior years and set in his ways. But
Francesca hoped to change things. Depending on the outcome of the will, she
wanted to make improvements to how things were run at Chapel Grange…if only she
dared.
Looking around, she noticed the room was
full of strangers all dressed in dark, sobering black. A few faces were
familiar, but most of the people she assumed were distant relatives that she’d
never met.
Even though Charles had been head of the
family, he’d never mixed with his kinfolk, yet since his death, members of the
Chapel dynasty were crawling from the woodwork with the sole intention of
latching on to anything and everything that remained of Charles—namely his
wealth.
“Mr. Adams, is it really necessary to have
Theo here with us when the will is read?” Francesca sat and rested her
trembling hands in her lap. She hoped no one would notice her nervousness.
“He’s so young and is still grieving the loss of his father.”
“My lady, I’m afraid it’s advisable that he
does so. If Master Theo…” Mr.
Adams coughed, adjusted his cravat, and continued. “Forgive me, I had meant to
say Lord Chapel. If Lord Theodor Chapel
should have questions concerning his inheritance or any entitlements from his
father’s estate, I shall be on hand to answer them. He will soon be of an age
to manage his own affairs and will need to know how to proceed.
“But my son is only seventeen and―”
Francesca fell silent when she caught sight of Theo.
Her son was standing in the doorway,
listening. He looked pale and anxious, and she wondered what was playing on his
mind. Was he, like her, concerned about their uncertain future at Chapel
Grange?
Catching Theo’s attention, Mr. Adams signaled
for Theo to take the vacant chair at the head of the table. He then seated
himself and gestured for the others to follow suit.
Everyone waited with strained anticipation
for the reading of the will to begin, and when Mr. Adams withdrew several documents
from a folder and laid them with great aplomb on the table, the room fell
silent. The atmosphere was tense.
The graveness of the occasion was upon
them, but none, including Francesca, was prepared for the outcome.
Mr. Adams spoke with solemn gravity as he
read the will. And those who heard it were in shock.
“Having read the will and told you of the
late Lord Chapel’s wishes, it is now my duty to inform everyone that having
paid off some of his lordship’s gaming debts, there is nothing remaining in his
lordship’s banking accounts.” Mr. Adams paused and glanced around the room. He
appeared to be waiting for a reaction, and he got one. There was a ripple of
muffled astonishment and discontent murmured by several. “What little that
remains of the estate and its lands are to be passed to his son, Lord Theodor
Chapel. Lady Francesca, if she consents, is to act as trustee and administrator
of the estate until his lordship comes of age.”
A silence fell as a realization of the
situation sank in.
It seemed Charles had gambled away all his
land and monies, and also Francesca’s sizable dowry. The only things remaining
for Theodor to inherit were the hereditary title, the house itself, and a few
acres of land that surrounded the property.
Not even the farms with tenant incomes had
been saved. They had vanished amid the mounting payments for wagering debts,
along with the estate’s woodland and meadow pastures.
“Thank you, Mr. Adams,” Francesca said with
all the dignity she could muster. “We are most obliged to you for coming here
and telling us how things stand. I’m sure―”
“This cannot be all we are to hear,
Francesca. You cannot dismiss this matter out of hand.” The protest came from
Mr. George Stanley, Charles’s cousin by marriage. “You must ask Mr. Adams to
provide proof that Charles has indeed left nothing for any of us in his will.
There must be an error. Charles was wealthy. He had money to spare. Why,
whenever he stayed at his club in London, he always visited the gaming tables
and seemed sufficiently plump in the pocket. Always had the ready to hand.”
“George, please. Let us not talk of this
now,” Francesca pleaded. “Not while Theo is with us.”
George shrugged. “The boy has to learn what
his father was really like sometime. He has to discover Charles’s true character.
Your husband was a gambler and a ne’er-do-well, and everyone knew it. But even
though, on some occasions he sailed close to the wind, more than once he hinted
that he was going to leave my wife, and of course, myself, well provided for in
his will. I never once thought he would die short of funds.”
“My father was not a waster, nor was he a
good-for-nothing.” Theo was enraged. He stood, and as he did, the chair he’d
been sitting on flipped back and landed sideward on the floor. “Sir, if you
persist in maligning my father’s name, I will have to call you out…or give you
a corker.”
Francesca suspected Theo had no idea as to
the meaning behind his threats. The idea of Theo meeting George at dawn to duel
with pistols or fight with the fists was ridiculous. Looking at the two angered
faces before her, Francesca hoped she would be able to defuse the situation
without Theo losing face, but somehow that outcome seemed unlikely. George
looked as if he was about to accept the challenge from her son. On trembling legs,
Francesca left her chair, walked to the door, and held it open. With a
withering glance in George’s direction, she made it clear she expected him to
leave.
“George, Theo and I are grateful for yours
and Bridget’s condolences. However, I’m sure you’ll understand if I say the day
has been a long one, and we would like time to ourselves so we might come to
terms with our situation. I still have business to conduct with Mr. Adams and
would be grateful if you would excuse us.”
“What about the others?” George asked with
petulance in his voice.
Francesca’s hands were damp with nervous
sweat. She had never taken the lead in a conversation like this before. Charles
had always been there to deal with any unpleasantness.
“Naturally everyone will be asked to
leave,” she said.
That seemed to appease George, and with a
toss of his head, he and Bridget, along with the other remaining relatives,
marched from the room, leaving Francesca and Theo alone with the lawyer.
With the door to the drawing room firmly
shut, Francesca returned to the table and took a seat again. She signaled for
Mr. Adams and Theo to join her.
“Mr. Adams, now that the unpleasantness has
been dealt with, what do you suggest we do?”
The lawyer looked perplexed. “Your
ladyship, it is not for me to advise you. I was here merely to read the will as
written. If it is advice you wish to receive, I suggest you consult his
lordship’s…I mean his late lordship’s
man-of-business, Mr. Pentworthy.”
Francesca’s heart sank. Only a fool would
take note of anything Mr. Pentworthy said. It wasn’t so much his age that
contributed to his incompetence, it was the fact he was behind the times and
showed no interest in new developments of any kind. Progress was not in his
vocabulary. But perhaps his inability to save the estate from ruin had not been
his fault. It was possible Charles had overruled any suggestions Mr. Pentworthy
might have made for improvements to Chapel Grange.
However, what really bothered Francesca
about the whole business of having no funds, was that she had not been made
aware of her husband’s financial situation…or lack of. The fact Charles had
become virtually penniless had passed her by.
Had she known about the debts Charles had
incurred, she could have tried to stop his gambling habit and persuaded him to
invest for Theodor’s future. As it was, she had no idea what income remained or
what they had to live from.
“Come morning, I will speak with Pentworthy
and try and get to the bottom of this,” she said. “Theo and I must find a way
to save Chapel Grange, otherwise, I fear bailiffs will be knocking at the door
and we shall be made homeless.”
“The first thing you must tackle is the
outstanding payment of debts, Lady Francesca. The sooner that is achieved, the
sooner you and Lord Theo will know where you stand.”
“And how will I know who is owed what? It
is all so confusing.”
“Have no fear, my lady. As soon as word
spreads about your husband’s passing, those with legitimate claims will be
calling. And don’t forget, Pentworthy will be here to assist you.”
“We will need more than Pentworthy to help
us survive. We will need a miracle.”
BUY LINKS: https://books2read.com/u/4Apone
Fleeting Encounters: Lady Francesca
Copyright © 2022, Arabella Sheen
ISBN: 978-1-7397710-2-7
Publisher: priceplacebooks
Electronic Publication: February 2022
Editor: Pamela Tyner
Cover: Fantasia Frog Designs
eBooks are not transferable. No part of this book may be used or reproduced without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations in articles and reviews.
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.
