Page 25 of A Countess Captured for the Captain
“Marquess Reginald Spencer, My Lady,” the footman finally announced, and Samantha rose to her feet, as an impatient-looking man entered the room.
He was fashionably dressed, wearing a wig and tricorn hat, which he now removed with a flourish, almost dislodging the wig in the process. He looked Samantha up and down, as though intending to purchase her, rather than to seduce her. Samantha took an instant dislike to him. He seemed cold, self-entitled, as though it were his right to possess her.
“Well, at last we meet,” he said, rolling his eyes, “what a trouble you have caused me.”
“She is a terrible trouble,” Regina said, not bothering to rise, her hands upon her stomach, which seemed almost fit to burst.
“Your Grace, an honor to greet you, and looking radiant in your current state,” Reginald said, ignoring Samantha, as he turned to Regina.
“I thank you, Marquess Spencer, and I can only apologize for the terrible manner in which my stepdaughter has behaved.”
Samantha knew that Regina was enjoying every moment of this humiliation, and she was determined not to give her the satisfaction of showing her upset. With all the dignity she could muster, she drew herself up and addressed Reginald, thinking that given he and Regina shared a namesake, they were most adequately suited to one another.
“Is it a trouble to have had your betrothed abducted by pirates?” she asked, intending to play upon her adventures as much as possible.
“It is a strange abductor who returns his captive to her father’s house and demands no ransom. I hear though that the brigand has escaped his captivity and is even now on the run. Still, all that nonsense is behind you now. Your father has made everything clear, I presume,” Reginald said, still looking Samantha up and down like a prized game bird.
“It is all quite clear to her,” Regina interrupted, before Samantha had a chance to speak.
“Good, well, we can put all of this behind us and come to an amicable arrangement, I am sure,” Reginald said.
There was nothing of the romance to him, nothing that showed he took pleasure in the prospect of marriage. For him, it would be a gainful transaction. The daughter of a Duke was worth much in personal gain, and he would no doubt have his mistresses to entertain him. Samantha was repulsed at the very thought of it. But a creeping doubt had come over her, as she wondered whether Nox would still even wish to know her now that he too had risen so highly.
“You are very lucky, Samantha. After everything you have done, it is a surprise that Marquess Spencer still wishes to know you,” Regina said, and Reginald bowed.
“The past is the past, it is of no consequence, Your Grace. Samantha will do as she is told, I am sure, though I had my worries about her state following such an ordeal. I wonder if she has kept her honor,” he said, glancing at Samantha, who now had a scowl fixed upon her face.
She was about to reply to this insult, but just then, the door to the salon opened and Samantha’s father entered, a look of the utmost amazement upon his face.
“Ah, Reginald, my apologies for not greeting you personally, but I have just discovered the most extraordinary news. It seems that the Earl of Brimsey, Norman Osmond, has been discovered, returned from the Caribbean. His Uncle Albert has just sent word and there is to be a ball held in his honor,” Samantha’s father said.
At the mention of Nox, Samantha’s heart skipped a beat, and she gave a cry which she disguised as a cough. Regina looked astonished, and Reginald shook his head.
“But the child was lost at sea, his parents dead. It was the likes of that Nox fellow who did for them. Quite incredible,” he said.
“But it seems that it is true, nonetheless. We are all of us invited to the ball and at which he will be brought forth,” Samantha’s father continued.
“All of us? Oh, how delightful, what a wonderful occasion, and the perfect moment for Marquess Spencer and Samantha to be introduced to society,” Regina said, glancing at Samantha, whose countenance had fallen once again.
Her hopes had been raised at the prospect of seeing Nox again. She could only imagine her father’s face at the sight of the pirate he had had clapped in irons now revealed as a man nearly equal to himself. But the prospect that she would go to the ball on the arm of Reginald Spencer was enough to dampen any hopes she might have harbored.
“It is too extraordinary for words. Where has he come from? Is it some sort of false claim, do you think?” Reginald asked, but Samantha’s father shook his head.
“I do not believe so, no, for his Uncle Albert does not think so, and surely he is the best judge of character in the matter. One can only feel sorry for the poor boy, we have known ourselves just how ruthless these pirates can be. To think that Samantha was lost to one of them – that wicked man, Nox – is quite extraordinary. Still, all has ended well, has it not,” Samantha’s father said, glancing pointedly at Samantha who folded her arms.
“Oh yes, we are all of us looking forward to the wedding,” Regina said, with a smirk on her lips.
“Well then, I shall take my leave of you all until the ball,” Reginald said, taking Samantha’s hand and bringing it to his lips.
“And what do you say, Samantha,” her father said, in a pointed tone.
“I say… good day to you, Sir,” Samantha replied, for in all her longing and desire, they were the only words that she could muster.
Chapter Twelve
It was hardly surprising that the return to society of the Earl of Brimsey caused a sensation across the capital. The salons and drawing rooms were abuzz with rumor and speculation as the day of the ball approached. Samantha had visited with Catherine and Rebecca, some of the few who knew the truth, and they had all agreed that the moment of revelation would bring with it astonishment both for Samantha’s father and many others.
To think that Nox – or Norman Osmond, as she kept having to remind herself was his proper name – was now among the richest men in the country, still seemed unbelievable. But when the two men were finally linked, what would the outcome be? Would Nox be thrown into prison again, or would he more likely be able to claim a victimhood not previously offered him? Samantha had heard nothing from him in the days since his escape, and as the day of the ball arrived, she was increasingly nervous as to their next meeting.
