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Tag: House Party

The Marriage Stakes

My dear Mr. Clemens,

I have the distinction of attending a most exclusive house party at Clarion Hall in Ashmead, hosted by the Earl of Clarion with his sister, Mrs. Morgan—she who was once Duchess of Glenmoor—serving as hostess. Much of London vied for invitations, and ours was obtained only by dint of my longstanding friendship with none other than the Marchioness of Danbury, patron of the event. The usual

Clarion Hall

entertainments have been on offer but I quickly realized that all of this forced conviviality is in the service of politics, of all provoking and boring things. I note the attendance of the Home Secretary himself along with his closest cronies including the Duke of Awbury. I personally have always found Awbury a bit too high in the, well, instep, for my comfort. The man believes himself superior to most mortals except perhaps the Prince of Wales, and he disapproves of Prinny, too. It is all most disappointing, but I digress.

What is most interesting to your dear readers, of course, is the question of the earl’s marital aspirations. For weeks the most frequent on-dit in London would have it that, while the excessively proper earl had finally bent sufficiently to host his peers, he had no intention of looking for a wife, being content to mourn his first spouse dead these six years. Families with daughters to puff off, for the most part, stayed away.

You may understand, then, dear Sir, why I am aflutter with excitement. One could ignore the handful of persistent mamas who inserted ambitious daughters into the party. An unattached earl—particularly one as attractive (dare I say it?) as the earl—is a marital prize they cannot ignore. One can hardly blame them, but one can ignore them. I say that because it quickly became clear that Mrs. Morgan had marshaled the ladies of the family–regrettably not all of them legitimate members—to depress those ambitions. No amount of sprained ankles, lost wandering into the bachelor bedrooms, rearranged seating charts, or manipulated teams for games escaped the vigilance of the earl’s female relatives. I was ready to believe that he actually was not in search of a wife. Almost.

The arrival of Lady Estelle Wilton in the company of her grandparents, the Marquess and Marchioness of Wilbury, was an entirely different thing. A perfect lady, she has resorted to none of the shenanigans the other hoydens have attempted and yet, she has monopolized much of the earl’s attention. A man as reserved and proper as the upright earl would certainly seek such refinement in a wife. A man with political ambition would no doubt seek one with a pedigree as illustrious as that of Lady Estelle who would without doubt make a superior political hostess. As if all that weren’t transparent enough, my maid confided that a footmen told those assembled in the servants hall that the two of them rode out today with only his nominal company. Furthermore, they rode to Willowbrook, the earl’s former home and spent over an hour inside—sans footman or other chaperone.

In short, it appears we anticipate a happy announcement. I write now so that you may have the news first, and get the jump on your competition. You may coyly print:

Has a certain house party in the midlands brought marital aspirations to the Earl of C__? A certain Lady E__ W__ appears to have won the race to capture his attention. We expect wedding bells soon.

I have no doubt you will be merely reporting the truth, though of course you will protect the lady’s name. There has, alas, also been some foolish gossip about Lady Delia Fitzwallace, Awbury’s former daughter-in-law. If she weren’t a widow and a matron one might call her a hoyden as well. She lacks the refinement one would expect in an earl’s bride. Awbury himself is quite critical of her easy ways. Her looks are too coarse for a countess—her skin and hair reflect an island heritage—even as her manners show her family origins in trade. No, she would not do at all, and the earl can be relied on to know it. I’m sure of it.

Your devoted friend,

Alvira, Lady Eaton

About the Book

The final book in Caroline Warfield’s beloved Ashmead Heirs series is available at preorder pricing (only 99 cents) today. It reverts to retail after launch on June 28.
The notorious will left David, the very proper Earl of Clarion, with a crippled estate and dependents. He’s the one left to pick up the pieces while caring for others—his children, his tenants, and the people of Ashmead. He cares for England, too. Now that the estate has been put to right, he is free to pursue his political ambitions. But loneliness weighs him down. Then he meets his new neighbor. When his family plans a house party to launch his political ambitions, nothing goes quite as he planned.
Her uninhibited behavior shocks him. Why can’t he get her out of his mind?
Happily widowed Lady Delia Fitzwallace revels in her newly rented cottage, surrounded by flowers and the wonder of nature, thrilled to free her three rambunctious children from the city of Bristol and let them enjoy the countryside to the fullest. If only she can avoid offending her very proper neighbor, the earl, when their children keep pulling her into scrapes.
She is not what he needs in a countess. Can she help him find a proper political wife?

 

A Christmas House Party invitation which will curl your nostril hairs!

Hunh! Countess of Reddington, here with a warning for you. To whit: 

A house party that will tickle your fancy…not your nostril hairs! (Of all ridiculous accusations! Lady Reddington, you are minx!)

I do marvel at Countess of Marsden and her social calendar. I mean, she is older, you know, and yet she persists in hostessing soirees that meet the stunning standards of Prinny himself!

Why only today, I received an invitation from her. She is selling…pardon me, trying to secure husbands for her three nieces. For that, she hosts a house party that will be, dare I say, notorious.

Notorious! 

Well, why wouldn’t you believe that when we all know that she has…most indiscreetly, too…engaged in a most improper relationship with one man. Who, you ask?

Dare I tell you?

I will.

I cannot resist. 

A duke, no less.

And she has invited him to this house party! As well as dozens of others.

Why, here is her invitation!

The Countess of Marsden

requests

the pleasure of your company

at her home on the North Steyne in Brighton

December 21-December 28, 1815.

She welcomes you to dining, dancing,

charades, cards and match-making

for her nieces and guests. 

Even, dear me, herself!

Card-sharps, smugglers, lecherous lords are not invited.

But many forlorn ladies in search of lost loves, a randy butler 

and a certain older gentleman whom the Countess adores

will not attend.

Yet she suspects they will appear! 

Répondez s’il vous plait!

*** 

Do not go!

I warn you. Do not. She will regale you with stories that are fit for no one’s ears. 

No one…but mine, of course.

Only mine!

Christmas Belles

The Scandalous Christmas House Party where everyone falls in love

ACCEPT THE INVITATION HERE! (BUY LINK: https://amazon.com/gp/product/B07K2JZ8SX)!Christmas Belles

Shocking News

Dear gentle reader, your Tattler came across a missive containing news of the most shocking and titillating nature we fear it is too juicy to be true. We will of course keep our sources secret.

Dear_____

I just spoke to an exceptionally reliable source that Lord, Winthrop (Winn as his contemporaries call him), Burton may be soon off the marriage mart.

I know this to be the shocking bit of my news, since it is common knowledge, because of his family’s curse he had sworn to never marry and have heirs, however that was before the esteemed Zoe Chase, daughter of Lord Chase the diplomat appointed to Rome, returned to English soil to find a husband.

We know the best place to find a suitable husband is within the ton and this is proven of late because of the diplomat debutantes returning for that reason. It would be more sporting, however if they waited to pluck the juiciest of the fruit before the season took off in earnest. However, I digress.

Our poor Winn was pre-occupied and therefore taken off guard by the beautiful Miss Chase. They were once childhood friends you know. It is said he began to question the validity of the curse when precarious events began plaguing her only after it was rumored the two were spending time together above what would be customary of a house guest and the Lord of the manner. Ahem.

I was also informed that a rather public scene ensued during the very house party to find Miss Chase a suitor. After which Miss Chase returned to London with her father and Lord Burton’s sister Cyn (short for Cynthia). It was reported directly to me, that Miss Chase was not overly enthusiastic about the decision. I also believe it was the infamous courtesan Lady Sarrafinna who put an end to the loud scene. Can you imagine, a courtesan at a respectable house party? Of course her family have been close to the Burton’s.

Always the daredevil, Lord Burton will need to find a grand gesture to prove to this young lady he is ready to settle down. Perhaps proving the curse to be a fabrication may in fact bend the odds to his favor, but he must act quickly. My sources tell me, Miss Chase is a delight and with her knowledge of world politics she would be a catch for any up and coming lord looking to make his mark on Parliament.

We shall see. I look forward to seeing this young lord take the fall into matrimony, it will go a long way to making this a fantastic season!

Oh, and please do not forget this information was shared in the strictest of confidence and secrecy my dear. The strictest.

About the Book: Winn’s Fall

Lord, Winthrop (Winn) Burton will die on his own terms. A family curse says he will die by the time he turns thirty years old. He will not leave a young wife and a child behind like his father did to him.

When childhood friend Miss Zoe Chase returns to stay with his sister and find a husband Winn’s plans are thrown into chaos. Not only is the once gangly, awkward girl he remembers, now everything that tempts him, the accidents that once plagued his life are happening to her.

He must keep her safe, but how can he do that when ravaging her is all he can consider? Or perhaps the curse isn’t a curse after all.

Will Winn die, or will he fall?

Winn

https://www.clairbrett.com/winn-s-fall

About the Author

Author of 5 Historical romances, including the Improper Wives for Proper Lords series, Clair Brett lives in NH with her ever emptying nest which includes her children when they visit, two cats, one willful dog, and a mean Pitbull mix, that will lick you to death and run into her kennel when you speak loudly, and an ever harassed husband who takes it all in stride. A lover of all things Regency Clair, was hooked when she first read Jane Austen. She is a firm believer that a reader finds a piece of who they are or learns something about the world with every book they read. She wants her readers to be empowered and to have a refreshed belief in the goodness of people and the power of love after reading her work. 

Winn

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