This is a bit of a prequel to a confrontation over tea…
The Duchess of Winshire studied the missive in her hand carefully, although there was no doubt about the message. The bold hand of the Earl of Chadbourn scrawled a message as succinct as it was unwelcome.
He will not come.
Randolph Wheatly, the earl’s brother-in-law had stormed into town sporting spectacular purple bruises and calling down the wrath of the Almighty on certain abusive and dishonorable members of His Majesty’s forces the day before. That he sought the assistance of his sister’s husband and the rest of his family spoke volumes about his desperation.
Rand Wheatly left London six years ago announcing to all and sundry that he would never return. Shattered by what he saw as betrayal by his cousin—the man who had been his closest childhood friend—he refused all attempts at reason and sailed for Canada on the first available ship. That the woman was, in Eleanor’s opinion, not worth the pain didn’t make the pain any less.
He spent the intervening years obtaining land—heavily timbered land. Now he was back, choking on his pride, and asking for help. Yet…
He will not come.
He sought the earl’s help, accepted his sister’s support, and even allowed the Duke of Sudbury, Chadbourn’s crony, to stick his ever-managing oar in the water, but the insufferable puppy wouldn’t take the advice or assistance of the Grenfords.
The one he needs is that cousin of his, she mused. She folded the note and tapped it on the arm of her chair, lost in thought. There had been another message, that one from Catherine, Rand’s sister and the earl’s intrepid wife. Eleanor had never heard Catherine so desperate. Six years of worry and the man turns up dirty, beaten, and breathing fire—no wonder the countess was frantic. He needed to gain control before he did something spectacularly stupid. Perhaps she could help. Perhaps she could give him a push in the direction of the cousin; if the two of them would simply talk to one another it might resolve any number of problems.
First I have to get him here.
“Bring my writing desk, please. Isadore,” she said to her companion, so lost in thought she failed to smile. If the stubborn man insists on acting like a child I may have to treat him like one. She took pen and began to write.
The Duchess of Winshire summons you…
_________________
Rand accepted the duchess’s summons, of course. How could he not? You can read the results here:
https://judeknightauthor.com/2018/03/13/tea-with-rand/
About the Book, The Renegade Wife
Reclusive businessman Rand Wheatly finds his solitude disrupted by a desperate woman running with her children from an ugly past. But even his remote cabin in Upper Canada isn’t safe enough. Meggy Blair may have lied to him, but she and her children have breached the walls of his betrayed heart. Now she’s on the run again. To save them he must return to face his demons and the family he vowed to never see again.
It is available in Kindle format free with Kindle Unlimited or for purchase as ebook or in print:
The Renegade Wife is Book 1 in Caroline Warfield’s Children of Empire Series.
Three cousins, who grew up together in the English countryside, have been driven apart by deceit and lies. (You may guess a woman was involved!) Though they all escape to the outposts of The British Empire, they all make their way home to England, facing their demons and finding love and the support of women of character and backbone. They are:
- Randolph Baldwin Wheatly who has become a recluse, and lives in isolation in frontier Canada intent on becoming a timber baron, until a desperate woman invades his peace. (The Renegade Wife)
- Captain Frederick Arthur Wheatly, an officer in the Bengal army, who enjoys his comfortable life on the fringes until his mistress dies, and he’s forced to choose between honor and the army. (The Reluctant Wife)
- Charles, Duke of Murnane, tied to a miserable marriage, throws himself into government work to escape bad memories. He accepts a commission from the Queen that takes him to Canton and Macau, only to face his past there. (The Unexpected Wife)
Who are their ladies?
- Meggy Campeau, the daughter of a French trapper and Ojibwe mother who has made mistakes, but is fierce in protecting her children. (The Renegade Wife)
- Clare Armbruster, fiercely independent woman of means, who is determined to make her own way in life, but can’t resist helping a foolish captain sort out his responsibilities. (The Reluctant Wife)
- Zambak Hayden, eldest child of the Duke of Sudbury, knows she’d make a better heir than her feckless younger brother, but can’t help protecting the boy to the point of following him to China. She may just try to sort out the Empire’s entangled tea trade–and its ugly underpinning, opium, while she’s there. (The Unexpected Wife)
Book 3, The Unexpected Wife, will be released on July 25.
Here’s a short video about it:
https://www.facebook.com/carolinewarfield7/videos/924791187669849/
For more about the series and all of Caroline’s books, look here:
https://www.carolinewarfield.com/bookshelf/
About the Author
Caroline Warfield grew up in a peripatetic army family and had a varied career (largely around libraries and technology) before retiring to the urban wilds of Eastern Pennsylvania, where divides her time between writing Regency and Victorian Romance, and seeking adventures with her grandson and the prince among men she married.
