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 2
Francesca sat at her writing desk in the
morning room. With a feathered quill in hand, she was composing letters to
friends. She was thanking them for their sincere condolences, but her mind
wasn’t on the task. Her thoughts had drifted to Chapel Grange and all the
things she still had yet to accomplish.
The sun, shining through the open lattice
windows, brought comforting warmth with it. And on a cool summer breeze, as it
wafted against the fine linen curtains, the rustle of birds could be heard as
they foraged for food amongst the twigs and moss beneath the window. But
Francesca’s reflections were not centered on the habits of nature. Instead,
they were focused on her departed husband and the havoc he’d so recently
inflicted upon them.
It had been a month since the will had been
read, and things at Chapel Grange had not become any easier. Francesca often
sat with Mr. Pentworthy for hours at a time in what had once been Charles’s
study. Together, they had gone through the ledgers and account books, only to
discover the household’s outgoing expenditure was going to be higher than the
estate’s annual income. As things stood, she and Theo were living beyond their
means, and adjustments had to be made or the debtors’ punishment of
imprisonment would come calling. They had to tighten their belts, and if
possible, find a source of income.
With her letters completed, Francesca was
in the process of placing wax seals upon the papers when there came a knock on
the door of the morning room. Harris, the butler, entered and bowed.
“There is a Mrs. Nathan Cross to see your
ladyship. Would you like me to tell her you’re not at home to visitors, ma’am?”
Francesca was supposed to be mourning her late
husband and was expected to maintain a distance from friends and social
gathering for at least one year and one day. To receive callers, no matter how
well acquainted she was with them, was frowned upon. But Ruth was a dear
friend, so surely no one could object if the rules were bent just a little.
Francesca had known Ruth and her husband,
Nathan, for many years. Living in the same area of High Wycombe in
Buckinghamshire meant the Chapel and the Cross families had often frequented
the same events and parties. Chapel Grange was situated near Downley, and the
Crosses had a house only a few miles distant, in West Wycombe.
A visit from her friend was unexpected, but
it was a welcome distraction.
“You may show Mrs. Cross in, Harris. And
have cook prepare a tray for us. Tea and sandwiches. Also some of that
delicious seed cake or walnut cake she makes for Master Theo would not come
amiss.”
“Yes, my lady.”
When Harris returned with Mrs. Cross,
Francesca rose from her chair and hurriedly went to greet her friend with arms
outstretched. Embracing Ruth, she gave a warm kiss on both cheeks and linked
her arm through Ruth’s.
“Ruth…I hadn’t expected to see you so soon.
I was sure no one would venture past the gates. I believe I’m persona non grata? Has society shunned
me since Charles’s passing?”
“And why would I not call upon my bestest of friends,” Ruth said with a
laugh.
Francesca led Ruth to the chaise longue
where they sat and chatted until Harris brought the refreshments.
There was a familiar comradery between the
two women, but eventually, their conversation turn to Charles, and the
light-hearted mood changed in an instant.
Francesca tried to remain cheerful, but she
was sure Ruth sensed her disquiet.
“It was so good of you to have come, Ruth.
I’d thought, since Theo and I are now without a penny to our name, no one would
call upon us.”
“You cannot mean that.” Ruth sounded
surprised.
Francesca shook her head. “Since the will
was read, we have neither seen nor heard from Charles’s relations. Not that I’m
complaining, for I’d much rather they didn’t come calling. But it does seem
strange.”
“What…no one?”
“Not a soul. I suppose having no fortune to
speak of, we…that is, Theo and I…have become undesirables.”
Ruth rested a hand comfortingly over
Francesca’s and Francesca felt heartened. She was not alone. She had a friend.
A friend she could confide in.
“How are things for you and Theodor?”
Concern was etched on Ruth’s face. “Nathan mentioned rumors are rife in the
city. It’s said that you, as Charles’s widow, have been left with nothing. Did
Charles not leave you and Theodor provided for? Have you truly lost all?”
Francesca paused before answering, and
then, squaring her shoulders back and lifting her chin, she looked bravely
across at Ruth.
“Everything is gone. All that’s left is the
house, the land within the boundary of Chapel Grange, and the farmworkers’
tenanted cottages.” Francesca smiled, but it wasn’t a smile of happiness. It
was a smile of woeful sorrow. “I’ve gone through Charles’s books and papers
with Mr. Pentworthy, but I can make very little sense of anything. Mr.
Pentworthy is also not at all helpful. He’s still loyal to Charles, and I think
he sees me as a threat to the way things have always been run at Chapel Grange.
As far as I can discover, we have a little land that’s within the walls of the
estate, but the bulk of the acreage was lost. I’ve been told by Mr. Pentworthy
that Charles gambled it away at cards.”
“Did you have no idea of his reckless
habits?” Ruth asked.
Francesca shook her head. “None. When
Charles went to London, I thought…” She gave a deep sigh. “Well, I don’t know
exactly what I thought, but I didn’t really care that he was away from home. I
know it’s an awful thing to speak ill of the dead, but to be truthful, I was
happy Charles was often away.”
“But how are you going to manage now that
Charles is gone?”
Francesca didn’t have an answer to her
plight, but she knew she had to find a solution, and soon, or things would go
from bad to worse.
“The tenanted farm cottages are still ours,
but only because they are within the boundary walls of Chapel Grange. The land
the tenants used to farm is now in the hands of someone else, and…”
“Is that a problem?” Ruth asked.
“I think so. Or it could be. You see, our
tenants have no way of earning a living and subsequently no way of paying their
rent. They need the fields and the land that was lost to earn their daily
bread. If they have no income, I will either have to evict them, or find a
buyer for the cottages. I don’t want to sell.”
“But you think you might have to.” Ruth
looked concerned.
“The land and everything on it was to have
been Theo’s inheritance. If it is sold, there will be nothing for him to
inherit. But Ruth, you didn’t come here to hear my woes. Let’s talk of other
things and brighten the mood before you have to leave. Tell me all the gossip.
What has happened amongst our friends since I’ve been shut away?”
“Francesca…” Ruth rested her hands calmly
in her lap, and said, “I’ve been thinking, and I might have a solution to your
problem.”
“What problem?”
“The problem of Mr. Pentworthy and your
tenants.”
“Dear Ruth, I doubt very much you can
change my situation. Even I don’t know what to do. But if you have an idea, I’m
willing to listen. Tell me, what is this great scheme you have in mind that will
ease my troubles?”
Ruth laughed and jumped excitedly to her
feet. “I will speak to someone I know. He’s a friend of Nathan’s and lives not
too far from us, in Marlow. If he’s willing, I shall ask him to lend you his
steward. His steward is an excellent man-of-business and knows more about
husbandry than most. But more I cannot say. Both men might be averse to the
idea, and I don’t want to give you false hope.”
“Even false hope is better than no hope,”
Francesca said with a sigh.
“Perhaps if Pentworthy was asked to retire
and a new man was put in his place, your circumstances might change. However, I
think what I have in mind might work.”
Not long after, Francesca walked Ruth to
her carriage, and waving farewell, Francesca was left with a feeling that her
life was about to drastically change.
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.
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