How to Return a Lady's Slipper (Happy Ever Regency Book 6) Read online

  How to Return a Lady’s Slipper

  (#6 Happy Ever Regency Series)

  by

  Bree Wolf

  © Copyright 2021 by Bree Wolf

  Text by Bree Wolf

  Cover by Wicked Smart Designs

  Dragonblade Publishing, Inc. is an imprint of Kathryn Le Veque Novels, Inc.

  P.O. Box 7968

  La Verne CA 91750

  [email protected]

  Produced in the United States of America

  First Edition February 2021

  Kindle Edition

  Reproduction of any kind except where it pertains to short quotes in relation to advertising or promotion is strictly prohibited.

  All Rights Reserved.

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

  License Notes:

  This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook, once purchased, may not be re-sold. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it or borrow it, or it was not purchased for you and given as a gift for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. If this book was purchased on an unauthorized platform, then it is a pirated and/or unauthorized copy and violators will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Do not purchase or accept pirated copies. Thank you for respecting the author’s hard work. For subsidiary rights, contact Dragonblade Publishing, Inc.

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  Dearest Reader;

  Thank you for your support of a small press. At Dragonblade Publishing, we strive to bring you the highest quality Historical Romance from the some of the best authors in the business. Without your support, there is no ‘us’, so we sincerely hope you adore these stories and find some new favorite authors along the way.

  Happy Reading!

  CEO, Dragonblade Publishing

  Additional Dragonblade books by Author Bree Wolf

  Happy Every Regency Series

  How to Wake a Sleeping Lady

  How to Tame a Beastly Lord

  How To Climb A Lady’s Tower

  How to Steal a Thief’s Heart

  How to Turn a Frog into a Prince

  How to Return a Lady’s Slipper

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Publisher’s Note

  Additional Dragonblade books by Author Bree Wolf

  About the Book

  Prologue

  Chapter One – Let the Investigation Begin

  Chapter Two – Whispers of the Past

  Chapter Three – A Witness Speaks

  Chapter Four – Dangerous Places

  Chapter Five – Back Home

  Chapter Six – An Apology

  Chapter Seven – A Heart Reawakens

  Chapter Eight – Decent Men

  Chapter Nine – A Lady’s Observations

  Chapter Ten – A Simple Truth

  Chapter Eleven – Back to Markham Hall

  Chapter Twelve – Imaginary Tea

  Chapter Thirteen – The Way of the World

  Chapter Fourteen – A Genuine Offer

  Chapter Fifteen – Downstairs

  Chapter Sixteen – Meddlesome Lord Ashhaven

  Chapter Seventeen – A Happy Ending

  Chapter Eighteen – Over the Line

  Chapter Nineteen – A Duke & a Governess

  Chapter Twenty – A Wedding at Long Last

  Chapter Twenty-One – An Inquisitive, New Friend

  Chapter Twenty-Two – A Deathbed Secret

  Chapter Twenty-Three – Dressing for a Ball

  Chapter Twenty-Four – Arrivals

  Chapter Twenty-Five – Families in the Snow

  Chapter Twenty-Six – Fairy Godmothers

  Chapter Twenty-Seven – All Pieces in Place

  Chapter Twenty-Eight – A Dainty Slipper

  Chapter Twenty-Nine – An Evening Gone Wrong

  Chapter Thirty – A Familiar Face

  Chapter Thirty-One – Susan’s Father

  Chapter Thirty-Two – Suspicions & Assumptions

  Chapter Thirty-Three – The Truth Catches Up

  Chapter Thirty-Four – A Request

  Chapter Thirty-Five – A New Year

  Chapter Thirty-Six – A Lady Changes Her Mind

  Chapter Thirty-Seven – A Thoughtful Gift

  Chapter Thirty-Eight – Bloodlust

  Chapter Thirty-Nine – A Duke to the Rescue

  Chapter Forty – Details

  Chapter Forty-One – A Kiss in the Gardens

  Chapter Forty-Two – Emma’s Past

  Chapter Forty-Three – A Note

  Chapter Forty-Four – Blackbourne’s Return

  Chapter Forty-Five – Into the Lion’s Den

  Chapter Forty-Six – Face to Face

  Chapter Forty-Seven – A Mother’s Arms

  Chapter Forty-Eight – Closure

  Chapter Forty-Nine – A Most Unexpected Question

  Epilogue

  About Bree

  About the Book

  A spy on a mission.

  A governess with a secret.

  And a slipper lost at a ball.

  Miss Emma Glass wants nothing to do with noblemen. From experience, she knows that deceitful minds hide behind their most charming smiles, and thus, she keeps to herself, her sole focus her precious little girl as well as the means necessary to ensure her future.

  Dedicated to fulfilling her role as governess to Lord Markham’s young daughter, Emma finds relief in seeing her own child grow up in safety, far away from the threats of a society she herself barely escaped…if not unscathed. Nightmares still haunt her, and yet, Emma is willing to endure anything she must to ensure her daughter’s well-being.

  Until she finds her heart reawakened by a most inconvenient and utterly unsuitable man: a nobleman.

  After long years in service to the Crown, Hugh Lawrence, Duke of Ashhaven, returns from the Continent upon a friend’s request. A most gruesome murder has occurred, one which his friend trusts no one else to solve but him. Dedicated to serve justice above all else, Ash begins his investigation…only to find himself distracted by thoughts of a most inconvenient nature.

  Tender emotions spark in his heart whenever he glimpses Miss Emma Glass, governess in his friend’s household, for she reawakens hopes he had never dared admit even to himself. Something about her draws him near, upending his world as he finds himself incapable of being rational, of thinking clearly wherever Emma is concerned. What makes matters worse is that she appears to be connected to the very culprit he is investigating for murder.

  Before long, Ash no longer knows which to trust: his mind or his heart.

  Prologue

  Winter 1810

  Almost three years earlier

  Darkness lay over the city as Miss Emma Glass trudged through the deep snow covering the ground, obscuring the step from the pavement down onto the street proper. The wind howled around her, tugging on her cloak and blowing the hood off her head again and again.

  Hours ago, a painful chill had begun to settle in her bones, slowly spreading throughout her body, robbing it of every bit of warmth. Her fingers felt stiff, and her body trembled, still fighting against the cold.

  But Emma knew it could not win.

  Not out here.

  Not in this icy wind.

  Gritting her teeth, Emma glanced down at her little girl, sleeping in her arms, her young body exhausted from the freezing cold as well as the burning fever that had held her in its clutches for the past two days. Her skin was frighteningly pale, and her brown eyes were closed. Still, Emma could feel Susan’s little heart beat frantically against her chest.

  But for how much longer?

  Forcing her attention from her daughter’s sleeping face, Emma swept her gaze up and down the street, her eyes lingering upon a townhouse here and there. Everything looked so different under the thick layer of snow that Emma was not quite certain if she had taken a right turn at the last corner.

  Then her gaze fell on a familiar iron gate that led around a large, imposing townhouse to the servants’ entrance, and everything within Emma stilled.

  For a long moment, she simply stood there, barely noticing the snow dancing in the air around her, settling in her hair, on her shoulders, even sliding down the bridge of her nose. Her heartbeat quickened as dark memories resurfaced, tensing her muscles and sending a sickening sensation through her stomach. Every fiber of her being urged her to turn around and flee from this place while she still could.

  Emma remained where she was though.

  Trying her best to swallow the lump that had settled in her throat, she looked down at her sleeping child, her skin now even more frighteningly pale than before. “I don’t have a choice,” Emma whispered to the wind as her arms hugged her two-year-old daughter tighter against her chest. “We n
eed help.”

  A desperate longing settled in her heart as her gaze traveled over Susan’s soft face, and she remembered the beautiful smile she hoped to see again. “Don’t worry, Darling. All will be well.” Then she lifted her chin, her gaze hardening as it settled upon the looming structure across the street, and took a determined step toward it.

  Snow clung to her shoes and skirts, soaking through and chilling her even more, as Emma slowly made her way across the deserted street. More even than her body, her mind felt frozen, afraid to touch upon the painful memories that hovered nearby.

  Especially here.

  In this place.

  Darkness lingered wherever her gaze moved; a darkness that had nothing to do with the absence of the sun. Still, Emma continued on, pushing open the iron gate and moving around to the back of the house.

  The sturdy door of the servants’ entrance looked as it always had. Countless times, Emma had ventured through it, always relieved to leave the house behind and always tense to return to it.

  Tonight, she felt both, but also neither. A spark of hope rested in her chest as she walked closer, her gaze drawn down to her child again and again. But there was also fear; fear of something Emma could not quite name.

  It did not matter, though. Susan needed help, and Emma would walk through hell and back to ensure her daughter’s survival.

  With her last bit of strength, Emma lifted her hand and knocked on the door.

  All remained quiet. It seemed the house lay sleeping under the cover of darkness as well as the thick blanket of snow, growing ever thicker with each moment that passed.

  Inhaling a lungful of the chilled night air, Emma knocked yet again, the movement of her hand a bit more forceful, a bit more desperate. Again and again, she knocked, her fist soon pounding on the door, as silent tears snaked their way down her frozen cheeks.

  Despair slowly settled in her heart when she realized that the door would not open. That despite finding the courage to face the evil she thought she had left behind for good, there would be no help here.

  Exhausted, Emma took a step back, her gaze moving down the child now stirring in her arms. Susan’s lids drifted open a little, but then quickly fell closed again, her body too weak for even such a small effort. “What am I to do?” Emma whispered to herself, to the wind, to no one in particular as she slowly made her way back out onto the pavement. “What am I to do?”

  Her gaze drifted up and down the street, but found nothing but snow and emptiness. There was no place for her to go. Of course, if there had been, she would never have come here in the first place. Emma was alone in the world, Susan the only one who was family.

  Never before had Emma felt this utterly and completely alone than in this very moment when she desperately needed someone, anyone to help her.

  To help her precious child.

  Tears collected in her eyes as she hugged her daughter ever closer, wishing that it were enough to heal her, to see her safe. But the world was a harsh place, unfair and frightening, and it did not seem to care about the life of a child.

  “Are you all right?”

  Blinking, Emma looked up and found herself staring at a cloaked rider upon a tall, black horse. Man and animal stood no more than a few paces in front of her, their presence overwhelming and utterly intimidating, and yet, Emma had not even noticed their approach. It was as though they had risen out of the ground or materialized out of thin air.

  Terrified, Emma clutched Susan more tightly, her feet slowly backing away as she watched the rider dismount, his face hidden in the dark. She was about to whirl around and rush back the way she had come when a hand settled upon her arm, keeping her from slipping away.

  Not even a shriek of panic escaped Emma’s slips for all the strength that remained in her body was needed to keep her on her feet. She had nothing left and could thus only stand and stare, incapable of anything beyond that.

  The dark rider pushed his hood off his head, his face almost white in the moonlight. “Are you all right?” he asked yet again, doubt in his voice as his pale eyes drifted from her down to touch upon Susan, lingering there for a moment. “She needs a doctor,” he said then, the hand that still rested upon her shoulder tensing slightly as though he felt honest concern for her child.

  Emma swallowed hard. Her heart thundered wildly in her chest, urging her to turn and run. She did not know this man, and the past had taught her that men could not be trusted. Still, Susan needed help, and even before the dark rider had appeared, Emma had been willing to risk returning to the devil himself in order to protect her child. Could this man truly be worse?

  “C-Can you help us?” she stammered, looking up into his dark face, hoping that perhaps there was some good left in the world.

  The dark rider nodded, then he turned toward his dark steed and whistled softly. Immediately, the tall beast trotted over, now standing patiently by his side. “Let me take the girl,” he said, stepping closer and holding out his arms to receive Susan.

  Emma tensed and took an instinctive step backward, her eyes still wide as she stared at the stranger.

  The man remained where he was, his gaze softening. “I promise I shall hand her back to you as soon as you are in the saddle.”

  For a long moment, they simply stood in the cold night, looking at one another, neither one of them speaking or moving beyond the occasional breath that left their lips.

  Then Emma nodded, forcing herself to loosen her hold on her precious girl. Everything within her screamed out against it, but she knew that if she did not take this risk, Susan would not make it through the night.

  A reassuring smile flitted across the stranger’s face as he gently settled Susan into his arms. Then he led her to his steed, instructing her on how to mount it for Emma had never been atop a horse. It took some effort, especially in her weakened state, but after seemingly endless minutes, she finally managed to pull herself up and into the saddle.

  Settled on top of the hulking beast, Emma watched as the cloaked stranger moved closer, then carefully lifted up her daughter. Gently, she settled Susan back into her arms, breathing out a sigh of utter relief.

  It was a small thing, entrusting her precious girl to a stranger for a brief moment. But the risk she had taken had not ended in disaster. Her faith had been rewarded, and Susan was safely back in her arms.

  If only the rest of the night would follow suit.

  “Where are we going?” Emma asked into the stillness of the night as they slowly made their way down the street. She kept her legs locked around the horse, trying to remain upright and moving with its swaying gait.

  Leading the large mount to the other side of the street, the dark stranger looked at her over his shoulder, another reassuring smile touching upon his face. “Do not worry,” he told her gently. “I do not live far from here. We shall be there soon, and I will send for a doctor immediately.”

  Emma inhaled a shaking breath as relief and apprehension swirled through her heart. Still, no matter what would follow once they reached the man’s home, Susan’s survival was worth anything he might demand of Emma in return for his help.

  Endless moments ticked by before they finally came upon another looming townhouse, not unlike the one she had fled more than two years ago. Emma knew what it meant, had known what it meant ever since first laying eyes on him.

  He was a peer.

  A lord.

  The thought sent a shiver down Emma’s back, and her arms around her precious daughter tensed once more.

  “Let me take her so you can dismount,” the stranger said after leading the black steed into the mews to the back of the townhouse and securing it in a hay-filled stall.

  Emma nodded and then relinquished Susan for the second time that night. Holding on to the horse’s mane, she swung one leg over and then slowly dropped to the ground, her arms weak and unable to hold her.

  Her heart beat fast. But the moment she turned around, the stranger settled Susan back into her arms. “Come,” he said gently, one arm outstretched as though wanting to drape it across her shoulders. However, he never touched her.

  Walking as swiftly as possible, they crossed to the back door of the large townhouse and entered soundlessly. All was quiet as they slipped down the corridor, then stopped outside a door. The tall stranger banged his fist on it, then immediately opened it and took one step across the threshold. “Albert? Are you wake?”