Oppressed & Empowered: The Viscount's Capable Wife (Love's Second Chance Book 11) Read online

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Acknowledgments

  About the Book

  Author’s Note

  Free gift

  Prologue

  Chapter One − Consequences

  Chapter Two − A Woman's Plight

  Chapter Three − Destiny

  Chapter Four – Farnworth Manor

  Chapter Five – Careful Thought

  Chapter Six – An Unwise Decision

  Chapter Seven – A Rare Moment

  Chapter Eight – A Death Sentence

  Chapter Nine – Betrothed or Not

  Chapter Ten – A Personal Question

  Chapter Eleven – A Father's Decision

  Chapter Twelve – The Long Reach of the Past

  Chapter Thirteen – On Her Terms

  Chapter Fourteen – A Lady's Preference

  Chapter Fifteen – Utterly Affected

  Chapter Sixteen – Treacherous Weather

  Chapter Seventeen – An Enigma

  Chapter Eighteen – A New Family

  Chapter Nineteen – An Ulterior Motive

  Chapter Twenty – Revelations in the Bridal

  Chapter Twenty-One – Fear of Rejection

  Chapter Twenty-Two – No One Else

  Chapter Twenty-Three – Famished

  Chapter Twenty-Four – To be Deemed Worthy

  Chapter Twenty-Five – Mother & Child

  Chapter Twenty-Six – Overwhelmed

  Chapter Twenty-Seven – Another's Turn

  Chapter Twenty-Eight – In the Service of Another

  Chapter Twenty-Nine – A Winter's Morning

  Chapter Thirty – Written on One's Face

  Chapter Thirty-One – If or When

  Chapter Thirty-Two – A Silent Goodbye

  Chapter Thirty-Three – A Daring Woman

  Chapter Thirty-Four – A Glass of Champagne

  Chapter Thirty-Five – Suspicions

  Chapter Thirty-Six – Comfort

  Chapter Thirty-Seven – A Return to Life

  Chapter Thirty-Eight – The Wrong Man

  Chapter Thirty-Nine – Not What It Seemed

  Chapter Forty – An Unforeseen Development

  Chapter Forty-One – The Final Clue

  Chapter Forty-Two – Loyal & Devoted

  Chapter Forty-Three – What Follows

  Chapter Forty-Four – False Accusations

  Chapter Forty-Five – A Choice Given

  Epilogue

  About Bree

  Also By Bree

  Read a Sneak-Peek of

  Prologue

  Overview Love's Second Chance Series

  Overview A Forbidden Love Novella Series

  Oppressed & Empowered

  The Viscount's Capable Wife

  (#11 Love’s Second Chance Series)

  by Bree Wolf

  Oppressed & Empowered −The Viscount’s Capable Wife

  by Bree Wolf

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, brands, media, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner.

  Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Cover Art by Victoria Cooper

  Copyright © 2018 Sabrina Wolf

  www.breewolf.com

  All Rights Reserved

  This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  To Michelle Chenoweth

  A wonderful friend and proofreader

  Thank you for your keen eyes

  Acknowledgements

  My thank-you to all of you who've helped with feedback, typo detection, character and plot development, editing, formatting, cover creation, and the biggie…spreading the word…so that countless readers can now enjoy these stories of love's second chance.

  To name only a few: Michelle Chenoweth, Monique Taken, Zan-Mari Kiousi, Tray-Ci Roberts, Kim Bougher, Vicki Goodwin, Denise Boutin, Elizabeth Greenwood, Corinne Lehmann, Lynn Herron, Karen Semones, Maria DB, Kim O'Shea, Tricia Toney, Deborah Montiero, Keti Vezzu, Patty Michinko, Lynn Smith, Vera Mallard, Isabella Nanni, Carol Bisig, Susan Czaja, Teri Donaldson, Anna Jimenez and Tammy Windsor.

  About the Book

  A woman with the desire to heal.

  A lord with a shameful secret.

  And a contract that binds them together.

  Wishing to follow in her father's footsteps, EVELYN PROCTEN has always tended to those in need. Despite social convention, the only future Evelyn can see for herself is that of a doctor…until she is called to Farnworth Manor to tend to the young viscount's sister, who finds herself unmarried and with child.

  Unfortunately, her stay at Farnworth Manor once again throws Evelyn into the path of Lord Ashwood, a man she has loved from a distance for many years. A man who has never looked at her twice. A man who disapproves of her professional ambition.

  As far as society is concerned, RICHARD DAVENPORT, VISCOUNT ASHWOOD, is a cold-hearted and uncaring man. Although he does not overly care for society's opinion of him, he cannot deny that there is truth in their assessment. Nevertheless, Richard knows his duty and would never act against propriety.

  However, the whispers retreat into the background when his unmarried sister reveals to him that she is with child. Determined to maintain her secret, Richard keeps her locked away at Farnworth Manor. Still, in order to ensure his sister's well-being, he is forced to call upon the one woman who has always been able to melt the ice from his heart.

  Will he be able to resist her? Or will he succumb to her tender heart and share with her the one secret that has always determined his life?

  Author’s Note

  This book was a bit of a challenge in a quite unfamiliar way. Certainly, outlining characters and bringing them to life is always an exciting and at times frustrating experience. However, the character of Richard Davenport, Viscount Ashwood, was one of the most challenging ones I’ve ever written.

  Although the disorder as such was not yet known during the Regency era, I’ve always wanted to write a character who has a so called high-functioning form of autism spectrum disorder, also referred to as Asperger’s syndrome.

  People with this condition have great trouble with their social skills as they cannot read facial expressions or interpret another’s tone of voice. Neither can they show emotions and often sound robotic in their speech. Since they can neither sense “intuitively” what goes on around them and why nor determine how this affects them, they dislike change and especially have trouble coping with sudden and unexpected changes, which do not follow a logic they can understand.

  That being said, people with Asperger’s syndrome feel the same emotions as others. They are generally no more or less intelligent than those who do not have this syndrome. However, they experience the world in a different way.

  Part of being a writer is looking at the world through another’s eyes, and the experience of seeing everything through Richard Davenport’s eyes was quite enlightening. It expanded my horizon, and I’ll be forever grateful to him for allowing me to see the world in a different light. After all, there is no greater gift than understanding.

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  Prologue

  London, June 1808 (or a variation thereof)

  “Richard!”

  At the sound of his mother’s voice, Richard Davenport, Viscount Ashwood, looked up from the letter he had been writing to his steward, his gaze fixing on the sturdy door to his study. Behind it, he heard his mother’s hastened footsteps as she was no doubt hurrying down the corridor toward him at this very moment.

  What on earth was going on? He wondered, rising to his feet. It was not like his mother to call out to him. In fact, never had she acted so irrationally and against proper decorum. In fact, now that he thought about it, Richard found her behaviour quite odd.

  And alarming.

  Opening the door, he found her all but running toward him, a sheet of paper clutched in her hand and her face flushed in such a way that his own unease grew. Although Richard knew that ladies tended to get agitated for all sorts of insignificant reasons, he also knew his mother to be a composed and level-headed woman. Never had he seen her like this.

  Not since the death of his father at least.

  “Richard, the most awful thing has happened,” she exclaimed, her grey eyes–so much like his own–finding his. “She’s done it! Now, she’s done it! All is lost!”

  Stepping aside, Richard escorted his mother to one of the upholstered armchairs and urged her to sit down. Then he fetched her a drink to settle her nerves, his gaze drifting to the sheet of paper she still held clutched in her left hand as though her life depended on it. “What happened?”

  Downing her drink, his mother coughed, the red of her cheeks darkening. “She’s gone!”

  “Do you speak of Claudia?” Richard enquired, unable to think of anyone else who would put his mother into such an agitated state. As far as he knew, only his younger sister possessed that talent. Still, he had to admit that his mother’s current state of distress surpassed any other reaction he had ever observed.

  “She has run off!” Nodding her head vigorously, his mother stared up at him. “With William Montgomery.”

  Inhaling a sharp breath, Richard felt his jaw tense and his teeth grit together. “Are you certain?” he asked as a rather unfamiliar emotion claimed his heart, tensing the muscles in his body and curling his fingers into clenched fists.

  His mother nodded, holding out the crumpled sheet of paper to him.

  Uncurling the fingers of his right hand, Richard took it, smoothing out the paper as his eyes glided over his sister’s rather child-like handwriting.

  I’m away to Gretna Green to marry my dearest William. Please be happy for me as I cannot help but follow my heart. I shall see you soon.

  “Headstrong fool,” Richard forced out through clenched teeth, feeling a mild headache begin to form behind his left temple as it always did whenever his sister threw all caution to the wind and acted against society’s rules. However, so far her indiscretions had been of minor consequence. Clearly, that was no longer the case. “Are you certain she is referring to William Montgomery?”

  His mother nodded, her face suddenly pale as she leaned back in her chair. “She’s been speaking of him for the past fortnight.”

  Richard closed his eyes.

  “I’ve tried to counsel her,” his mother continued, her voice feeble, “reminded her that he is betrothed and to a duke’s daughter no less. But she would not hear of it.” Closing her eyes, his mother sighed, “Still, even I would not have thought that she would do something so irresponsible.” Jerking to her feet, his mother came to stand before him and placed her trembling hands on his crossed arms. “Oh, Richard, what are we to do?”

  Stepping away, he turned to the door. “I shall go after her in the hopes of preventing what would be a major scandal, one she would never live down.” Hastening down the corridor, he called for his butler, his mother’s hastened footsteps echoing behind him. “When did she leave?”

  “I do not know. I only discovered the note a moment ago. I shall go speak to her maid.”

  “Don’t bother, Mother,” Richard said before turning to his butler and instructing him to have his fastest horse readied without delay. Then he spun on his heel and faced his mother once more. “Whether she left only an hour ago or ten does not signify. There is only one reasonable course of action. Pray that I’ll catch up to them before she ruins her life for good. Speak of this to no one and act as though nothing is amiss.”

  “Godspeed,” Richard heard his mother whisper before he rushed out the door, wondering what he would do if he would be unable to prevent his sister from marrying William Montgomery, the Earl of Mowbrey’s second son, a man betrothed to another, a young lady of impeccable standing, daughter to one of the most influential men in all of England.

  It would indeed be a dark day.

  A day that would plunge all those that followed into darkness as well.

  Why could his sister not be more reasonable?

  Chapter One – Consequences

  Farnworth Manor, November 1808

  Five Months Later

  “Richard!”

  At the sound of his sister’s harsh voice, Richard’s hand jerked, and the quill scratched across the parchment, leaving a long, black line in its wake. Gritting his teeth, he set it aside and rose to his feet, preparing himself for yet another one of his sister’s emotional outbursts.

  “I need to speak to you!” Claudia announced, her voice rather shrill, as she all but threw open the door and rushed inside without bothering to knock.

  On her heels, a young footman by the name of Maxwell Adams mumbled an apology as he tried to persuade her to turn back even now.

  Claudia, however, completely ignored him, and Richard would not be the least bit surprised if she had not even noticed his presence. When in such an emotional state, his sister was far from observant.

  “It’s all right, Maxwell,” Richard told the young man. “You may leave us.” When the door closed behind the footman, he turned to look at his sister, her face flushed, her eyes wide and her hands resting on her sides. All signs that she was agitated…about something. “What can I do for you, my dear?” Richard asked, trying to remain calm. After all, a shouting match between the two of them would not benefit anyone, and from experience, he knew that his sister had very little self-control.

  “How dare you!” she hissed, and her eyes narrowed in what Richard presumed to be accusation. “How dare you post a guard at my door? Am I a prisoner now? Not allowed to come and go as I please? Why would you–?”

  “If you were to cease talking,” Richard interrupted, taking a sudden step toward her, “I could actually reply to your accusation.”

  Pressing her lips into a thin line, his sister glared at him, her nose scrunched up in open displeasure.

  “I am your brother,” Richard began, hoping to discuss this like two reasonable adults. However, the way his sister rolled her eyes, he found himself losing all hope. “It is my duty to look after you. I’ve already failed you when you ran off to Gretna Green five months ago, and I refuse to do so again.”

  “You did not fail me,” Claudia objected, her voice no less harsh than before. “It was my decision!”

  “You cannot in all honesty claim that you have no regrets?” Richard demanded, unable to make sense of his sister. On normal days, she confused him. However, ever since he had brought her back from Gretna Green, her behaviour as well as her words baffled him.

  Again, her lips thinned, and for a short moment, she was uncharacteristically silent. “Regrets or not, I do not deserve to be imprisoned in my own home. I–”

  “Yes, you do,” Richard objected. “You brought this on yourself, running off with a man betrothed to another. If you had indeed married, it would have been a major scandal, and if anyone were to find out,” his voice dropped to a whisper, “that you’re with child, you would be ruined beyond redemption. Do you not see that? Do you not understand what that means?” Shaking his head, Richard stared
at his sister, wondering why she refused to see reason. After all, he only wanted what was best for her…as much as that was still possible at this point.

  “I understand very well,” Claudia retorted, her face twisted into a grotesque mask, making Richard wonder if she was angry or rather in pain. “I understand that you always think you know better–”

  “I thought that was obvious,” Richard interrupted his sister’s hurried speech, his hand gesturing toward the small, as-of-yet well-concealed bump under her dress. “If you had listened to me, none of this would have happened, and you would not be under house arrest right now.”

  Although her jaw looked painfully clenched, Claudia ran a gentle hand absentmindedly over her midsection. “You ought not have interfered. It was not your place.”

  “I did not make it to Gretna Green in time if you recall,” Richard reminded her, remembering his own shock at encountering young William Montgomery in the company of his elder brother on their way back to England. However, when he had discovered that his sister was not with them but had insisted on staying behind in Scotland, Richard had almost toppled over with outrage. He could not recall ever having experienced similarly strong emotions than in that moment! “It was William’s brother, Lord Crowemore, who interfered and prevented his brother from marrying you.” Staring at Claudia, Richard shook his head, still at a loss. “I cannot fathom what possessed you to remain in Gretna Green on your own, without a chaperone, without any kind of protection.”

  Crossing her arms over her chest, Claudia stared at him through narrowed eyes. “I was too disappointed in William,” she replied, her voice suddenly heavy with an emotion Richard could not quite determine. “He bowed his head to his brother and abandoned me.” Gritting her teeth, she shook her head defiantly. “No, nothing in the world could have persuaded me to return with them, to sit across the seat from him on the long journey back. I’d rather have died.”