A Lady's Christmas Waltz: A Historical Regency Romance Novel, page 1
A Lady's Christmas Waltz
A REGENCY ROMANCE NOVEL
BRIDGET BARTON
Copyright © 2023 by Bridget Barton
All Rights Reserved.
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Website: Bridget Barton
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
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A Lady's Christmas Waltz
Introduction
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Epilogue
A Duke's Christmas Secret
Introduction
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
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A Lady's Christmas Waltz
Introduction
Juliana Beaumont’s world is turned upside down when a scandalous encounter with her childhood nemesis, Nathaniel, thrusts her into an unexpected marriage with him. Forced to play the role of the perfect wife to salvage her reputation, Juliana deeply grapples with the nightmare of pretending affection for a man she's always detested. As if that wasn’t enough, the looming threat of a former suitor adds layers of intrigue to Juliana's struggle to reconcile duty with the unexpected stirrings of her heart.
Can she make the frostiness between them melt, revealing a deeper connection than either imagined?
Nathaniel Harwood, a dashing bachelor unprepared for matrimonial ties, reluctantly embraces the role of dutiful spouse to the spirited Juliana. Beneath the surface of their forced companionship lies a history of shared mischief and stolen glances, mingled with Nate's scars from a past heartbreak. As his façade crumbles, Nate is drawn to Juliana in ways he never anticipated. The dance of societal expectations, coupled with lingering doubts, propels Nate to confront his fears and unveil the emotions hidden beneath the surface.
Can he navigate the complexities of love amidst jealousy and societal gossip, or will he let the past dictate his future?
Together, Juliana and Nate embark on an eventful journey challenging the constraints placed upon them. As their hearts entwine amidst the grandeur of regency balls, moonlit gardens, and wintry escapades, they must confront their shared history. Can they defy convention, and admit that their marriage may be destined for more than mere duty? Or will societal gossip and former flames keep them trapped in a loveless charade?
Chapter 1
Juliana tapped at the door, entering when permitted to. She smiled when she saw the buxom middle-aged woman sitting at her dresser, her maid putting her hair up with what looked like millions of tiny pins.
“Juliana, dear!” The older woman beamed when she saw Juliana in the mirror. Then she reached toward the reflection. “Come here, and let’s have a look at that gorgeous dress of yours. I hope it fits you well.”
“It’s perfect, Auntie.” Juliana entered the room and did a twirl. “Although it feels odd that you’re giving me a present when it’s your birthday. You’re supposed to get the gifts, not me.”
Aunt Betsy scoffed.
“Nonsense! I’m allowed to spoil my niece.” Waving away her maid, she spun smartly on the stool so she could see Juliana better. “Come here, darling. You look absolutely gorgeous.”
Juliana couldn’t help but blush at that. Even though she was complimented by everyone who came into contact with her, hearing it from her aunt made her feel self-conscious and pleased at the same time. There was something about the way Aunt Betsy spoke that said she talked with a lot of honesty.
She was one of those people who said what was on her mind, even if it did end up with her sounding eccentric. It was what her husband found attractive, although the rest of the ton couldn’t say the same.
Not that Aunt Betsy cared. She was content with being who she was. Her husband of twenty-five years had been fine with it, and that was what mattered. Unfortunately, he had passed away more than ten years ago, leaving Aunt Betsy a widow, living with her older brother and his family. But Juliana and her brother hadn’t minded. They adored their aunt.
And tonight they were going to celebrate her sixtieth birthday with a party. Her brother, the Duke of Burwood, had been insistent on it.
“Do another twirl for me, dear,” Aunt Betsy said, making a twirling motion with her finger. “Does it fit well enough? I only had your sizes from the last time you went to get yourself fitted, and that was more than a year ago.”
“It fits perfectly fine.” Juliana giggled as she put a hand to her stomach. “Just as long as I don’t eat too much, though.”
“Oh, dear, we’re going to need to let it out…”
“No, it’s fine. I eat too much as it is, so it should be an incentive not to hover by the food table.”
Aunt Betsy laughed. She had an unashamed booming laugh that felt warm and comforting at the same time. It always made Juliana smile.
“There’s nothing wrong with having a good time. Although there is a fine line between making sure you have enough food in your belly and gluttony. And people always tip over to the wrong side of said line.” She patted Juliana’s hand. “You would never do that, dear. I know you have better self-control than that. You don’t want to end up like me.”
“Aunt Betsy! You look wonderful!”
“I’m glad you think so.” Aunt Betsy looked up at her maid before turning back to the mirror. “Let’s finish my hair, Theresa. I want to be ready for when our guests are here. It won’t do for me to still be up here when the party starts.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Juliana drew up a chair and settled beside her aunt as Theresa went back to pinning the older woman’s hair up, her deft fingers moving across the snow-white hair to keep it in place. It looked like she was working her magic. Aunt Betsy smiled.
“I’m so glad that Edward managed to get home in time for this. He said in his letters that he wouldn’t be able to get here, given that he was in another country…Latvia, did he say?”
“I think it was Estonia. He was certainly exploring the far countries on the other side of Europe, so he more than likely went to Latvia as well.”
“They certainly sound exotic, especially in Edward’s letters.” Aunt Betsy sighed. “I’ve thought about traveling, but there was so much turmoil in the surrounding countries that it scared me enough to stay in this country.”
Juliana laughed.
“I know what you mean. There seems to be a war going on every other year. You relax and recover from one war, only for another to jump up. It’s surprising how everyone doesn’t seem to like peace, and they need a war to keep themselves busy.”
Theresa giggled.
“You’re making each individual country sound like a group of children having a tantrum when they aren’t getting the attention they want.”
Aunt Betsy’s booming laugh filled the room again.
“That sounds about right. I do like that comparison.”
So did Juliana. Theresa certainly had a way with words. Her sense of humor fitted well with her mistress’, and they were more like sisters than mistress and maid. It wasn’t conventional, but Aunt Betsy had never been conventional in her life.
Juliana didn’t think she would be able to do the same. She was not brave enough to do that. So she admired her aunt for being relaxed and content with who she was.
“Anyway, I’m pleased that you and Edward are both here. I’m sure your father is delighted to have you two in the same house again.” Aunt Betsy paused. “It has been almost four years since the two of you were together.”
Juliana felt her good mood flickering a little. Four years. Soon to be five in two months. She kept her smile on her face.
“Things have changed now. And you’ve always been a big part of our lives, Aunt Betsy. Neither of us would miss this for the world.”
“Well, from the amount of gifts Edward brought home for me as a mass birthday gift, I think he was hoping to bring the world to me.”
“He did go a bit overboard, didn’t he?”
“Not that I’m complaining. A lady can never have too many presents.” Aunt Betsy looked at Theresa’s reflection as her maid finished with the pins. “Are we done now, Theresa?”
“Yes, my lady. You’re ready for the party now.”
Theresa stepped back, and Aunt Be
Her aunt turned to her and held out a hand.
“Shall we, Lady Juliana?”
Juliana giggled and stood up, allowing Aunt Betsy to twirl her a couple of times. That just resulted in the two of them almost collapsing into a fit of giggles, not noticing that the door to the bedchamber was opening, and a tall, silver-haired man entered the room.
“So, this is how you’re spending your evening,” he said with an amused smile. “You couldn’t wait to go downstairs, could you? Shall I bring the orchestra up here for you, Betsy?”
“Oh, don’t be silly, Richard,” Aunt Betsy laughed, approaching her brother and swatting his arm. “I’m just sharing a moment with my niece. Doesn’t she look lovely tonight?”
“My daughter always looks lovely.” The Duke of Burwood gave Juliana a warm smile as he looked her up and down. “That’s the dress you gave her, isn’t it? You haven’t lost your taste for choosing the right garment, Sister.”
Aunt Betsy beamed. Juliana gave her father a curtsy.
“Thank you, kind sir.”
Burwood chuckled and gestured toward the door.
“Shall we go? Miss Parker has already arrived, and she’s waiting in the foyer for you, Juliana.”
Juliana brightened up.
“Lucy is already here?”
“Isn’t that what I just said?” Burwood rolled his eyes. “Off you go. I’ll escort your aunt at a more sedate pace. She won’t be able to keep up with you for too much longer.”
“Oh, stuff and nonsense!” Aunt Betsy scoffed. “You have no faith in me. Just because you’re already in your sixties and showing your age doesn’t mean that I’m going to be like you.”
Burwood pretended to look affronted.
“Such rudeness toward your brother!”
“And? What’s wrong with that? It’s the truth, isn’t it?”
Juliana didn’t listen to the brother and sister pair squabbling, leaving the room and heading through the halls toward the stairs. She was pleased that Lucy had already arrived. Now they could stand off to the side and watch everyone as they came in.
It was a pastime of theirs, to observe without anyone noticing. Lucy was just an avid watcher as Juliana, and she always provided amusing commentary that would have had more than a few people raising their eyebrows.
When they weren’t being watched by anyone else, Lucy was like a younger version of Aunt Betsy. It was probably why she and Juliana got along so well.
As she reached the stairs and headed down, Juliana thought back to her father and how he was with Aunt Betsy. She was glad that he was in good spirits tonight.
It wasn’t Aunt Betsy’s fault that she had her birthday in the same week that Juliana’s mother, the Duchess of Burwood, had passed away, and normally Burwood would be in a low mood that sucked her in, and it took forever for him to get out of.
This time, it seemed to be different, and he was almost like his old self.
The pain wouldn’t go away completely, but he seemed to have made his peace with it.
It had been five years since her mother had died, and Juliana felt the pain of it every day. She could think about her mother without crying now, but it had taken a while. Aunt Betsy had stepped in to help out as soon as she heard about it, and Juliana would forever be grateful.
With her father hiding away in his grief and Edward choosing to grieve in his own way by leaving the country and traveling all over Europe, she needed someone in her life.
Aunt Betsy was like a guardian angel. It was natural to celebrate her.
Lucy was at the bottom of the stairs, her black hair curled so much that her hair looked like it was alive whenever she turned her head, the curls bouncing everywhere. She looked up and beamed when she saw Juliana.
“I hope I’m not too early.”
“Of course not!” Juliana reached her and embraced her, not caring that there were people around. Holding up a proper composure, even in front of servants, was hard work. “You’re right on time. I take it you were too excited to wait until the appointed time?”
“Certainly!” Lucy giggled. “Whenever there’s a party of any kind at your house, I have to be the first here.”
Juliana loved that Lucy’s excitement was contagious. She had certainly been a solid friend in the two years since they had met, and Juliana didn’t think she would be able to cope if they grew apart. Lucy was almost like a sister.
“Come on!” Lucy grabbed her hand. “Let’s go and watch the guests as they come in!”
***
Juliana’s house had been built almost a hundred years earlier and had been renovated several times over the years. Her favorite part was the terrace that wrapped around the entire house.
A person could go up the sweeping front stairs, walk down one side of the house, around the back and along the other side to get back to the front and never leave the walkway.
Juliana had no idea why anyone would put that onto a house, but she wasn’t about to argue. It had enabled her and Edward to spend hours playing outside, chasing each other until they were exhausted.
It also meant that she and Lucy could stand off to one side, just out of sight while not looking like they were sneaking, and watch people come and go. The view from the front, with the very long and straight driveway that went off into the distance, was pretty spectacular as well.
They leaned on the wall and observed the distant shapes of carriages coming up the driveway toward the house. Even though they were still quite a way off, the sound of horses’ hooves on the stones reached their ears like ripples on water.
“I think I just missed the rush,” Lucy said. “How many people are being invited tonight?”
“I’m not entirely sure, but from what I saw of the invitation list when Aunt Betsy was sorting it out with Father, it was pretty long.”
“Much as I love your aunt, I didn’t think she would have so many people to invite. She does put people’s backs up with the way she talks to others without a care for anything. She has no reservations.”
Juliana shrugged.
“It’s true that she’s very outspoken and doesn’t care what others think, but there are still plenty of people who like her. Also,” she lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, “there are guests who are coming to keep in Father’s good books. You don’t want to upset a duke, do you? Even when it’s his sister’s birthday.”
Lucy laughed.
“I suppose having a duke for a father has its perks.”
“I’m not sure about that, but that could just be me being biased.”
While it had its advantages, being a duke’s daughter, it did feel like a double-edged sword. Juliana could get all the offers and invitations that she could want, to the point that she didn’t know what to do with them, but it meant that there would be those who would use her to their own advantage to get to her father.
Trying to figure out who her true friends were and who wanted her for something else was a headache.
