Chapter 1
The fresh scent of hay filled her lungs as Evelina Mortimer brushed down her white mare. Each stroke brought her a sense of calm and belonging as she reached up and tucked a strand of her dark hair behind her ear.
The tight bun at the back of her head had partially come undone during her ride, but she did not care for things as trivial as the state of her appearance.
“There, now, that should do it.” She took a step back and placed her hands on her hips, allowing her light blue eyes to travel down the mare’s shining coat.
Swishing her tail, Arabella chewed on the pile of hay in front of her, looking up with a contented stare in her expressive brown eyes.
This is what love feels like.
Evelina tilted her head to the side, utterly satisfied with the world she had created around her. At six-and-twenty, she had helped run her father’s estate after his passing.
It had not been easy at first, but the challenge had presented her with an opportunity that had taught her the autonomy of freedom in a world where women were usually bound.
Sighing contentedly, she turned from her horse and placed the brush in a pail beside the stall. There was nothing else in life that she could possibly have wanted other than looking after her horses.
“Evelina!” Her aunt’s voice rang through the stables, beckoning Evelina back to reality.
She shut her eyes and counted to three, waiting for the second call.
“Evelina, where are you?” Her aunt’s voice became almost shrill as she called again.
She shook her head and dusted her hands together before stepping out into the walkway where her aunt would be able to see her.
“There you are,” Augusta Mortimer came into view, her fine features filled with annoyance as she narrowed her eyes at her niece.
Evelina forced a stiff smile. “Yes, Aunt Augusta, here I am. Was there something that you needed me for?”
Her aunt closed the distance between them, but stopped a few steps away as her expression suddenly grew horrified. “Are you…Are you wearing breeches?” Her hazel eyes traveled over Evelina’s long legs and stopped at her soiled riding boots.
“I most certainly am.” Evelina smiled genuinely this time and turned from her aunt as she began to stride toward the buckets of oats at the other end of the stable.
Hurrying to keep up, her aunt practically jogged beside her in her light yellow gown that stood out like a sore thumb among the horses. “But you cannot possibly be comfortable in…in garments that were meant for men!” Her aunt sounded appalled.
Evelina stopped beside a pail of oats and took a deep breath before turning back to her aunt.
“On the contrary, they are quite comfortable indeed. You should try them, Aunt Augusta. You would be surprised how much one can move when one’s legs are not restricted by frilly undergarments and layers of silk.
” She bent her knees in a perfect plié and raised her arms above her head. “It makes riding so much easier.”
Aunt Augusta gasped as she lifted her hand to her chest and quickly looked around. “Evelina! You must not do such things. What if someone were to see you?” She looked back in utter shock.
Laughing under her breath, Evelina simply shook her head and came up straight. “Honestly, Aunt Augusta, one would swear that the world was coming to an end because of a simple pair of breeches.”
“It is not the breeches, themselves, Evelina, but the way you carry yourself in the eyes of the ton.” She still looked appalled as she once again glanced over her shoulder as if the entirety of London were just around the corner, listening to them.
“And what business is it of the rest of the ton? How I choose to conduct myself, and even what I wear, is entirely my own affair when I am on my estate.” She reached down and lifted two of the pails as she made her way to the stalls opposite her horse.
Her aunt picked up the pace once again and hurried to her side.
“I hesitate to remind you, Evelina dearest, but the estate is not in fact yours. You are the younger sister of the Earl of Sluthershire, and as such, it is unbecoming of you to feed the horses their oats.” She seemed to lose her cool with the situation when Evelina lifted the pail over her head and lowered it down on the other side of the stall door.
“Can you not ask one of the stable hands to do that for you?!” she asked in an exasperated tone.
Ignoring her aunt, Evelina proceeded to the next stall and repeated the action without so much as flinching.
“You worry too much, Aunt Augusta. Besides, the stable hands have their own chores to see to. I prefer to perform the smaller tasks myself. It is why Felix allows me to run the estate in his absence.”
Aunt Augusta rolled her eyes. “I will need to have a word with your brother in that case. How are you expected to find a suitable husband looking…” Her words trailed off as her eyes once again moved over Evelina’s breeches.
“Looking like what, Aunt Augusta?” Evelina asked in a teasing tone. “Looking as if I have done more than just lounge around on a chaise lounge all day?”
Color filled her aunt’s cheeks as she pursed her lips in disapproval. “Looking as if you are a scullery maid rather than the sister to an earl!” she blurted out in frustration.
Evelina allowed her brows to knit together in a frown. “Now, Aunt Augusta, that is not accurate. All of our scullery maids wear dresses. I am not dressed appropriately for such a position.”
“Do not make light of the situation when the matter at hand is of such great importance!” her aunt scolded as she lifted her skirts and hurried to fall into step beside Evelina, who was making her way to the stable doors.
“And what if I do not wish to take a husband?” Evelina casually glanced over her shoulder at her aunt before lengthening her stride and exiting the stables.
“You cannot say such things, Evelina. It is the way of the world! You simply must take a husband, whether you like it or not!” Her aunt was almost out of breath by the time they exited the stables and began to cross the garden.
Evelina’s two hounds shot to their feet, following suit as they fell into step beside their mistress. Their long, floppy ears bounced beside them as they happily trotted along.
As siblings, Brutus and Thor were almost identical in appearance, with brown patches on their ears and back and a long white body. Her aunt detested the two hounds, but Evelina refused to part with them, no matter what she said.
“I have told you before, Aunt Augusta, I do not intend to take a husband. Why would I give up my freedom and autonomy when I am in complete control of my life? What is the promise of love when the price I am to pay is so high?” She shrugged, not paying heed to any of her aunt’s protests.
The topic had long been a sensitive subject between them, yet Evelina refused to give in, no matter how much or how often her aunt would pester her.
Her aunt shook her head and sighed, still trying to keep up with the brisk pace. “And for goodness sake, Evelina, when we reach the house, please go and put on a dress. You look like one of the stable hands rather than a young woman of noble birth!”
“Hopefully, a pretty stable hand,” Evelina teased before raising her brows in question. “And who exactly is here to see me that I must change my attire?”
Her aunt’s shoulders sank again in defeat. “It is your brother, he has come from London to see you.” She sounded utterly defeated, as if she knew what Evelina was about to say.
“Oh, well, in that case, I shall not change. Let Felix be just as shocked by my attire as you were!” She laughed out loud, filling the air with an almost raucous sound.
They crossed the gardens and reached the house, making their way directly to the parlor where Felix Mortimer sat waiting for them both.
“Ah, Sister, there you are,” Felix began lightly, but quickly furrowed his brow when he caught sight of her breeches.
Smiling to herself, Evelina wandered into the neat little room and dropped into a chair, crossing her legs at the ankles as she placed her hands in her lap. “And to what do we owe the pleasure of your visit, brother dearest?” she asked.
Her dogs plopped beside her boots on the rug, stretching their short legs before yawning.
Eyeing them wearily, her aunt suppressed a sigh and shook her head instead.
Felix ran a hand through his thick mop of hair before regarding his sister. He was a tall man with a lanky build and kind brown eyes, much like their paternal aunt, who had helped raise them after their mother had passed.
Aunt Augusta looked like their father, who had died suddenly of an illness, but Evelina took after her late mother with her dark complexion and light blue eyes.
“Can a man simply not visit his family?” Felix asked, still wearily eyeing her breeches.
Stifling a chuckle, Evelina wondered if he would ask her about her breeches. She was close with her brother, who possessed a warm disposition, yet she knew very well that he could not marry the image of her personally with the young lady she was supposed to portray.
“A man can visit his family, but in my experience, it is usually tied to some matter of business or other.” She continued to smile at him, keeping her tone light. “Have we forgotten a special occasion? It is not often that we see you here without notice,” she teased.
The look in his eyes tempered her spirits at once. It was not often that her brother looked somber, but when he did, she knew there was a serious matter at hand.
“It is nothing serious, we will be receiving a visitor in London in two days, and I would like you and Aunt Augusta to be in attendance.” He shifted slightly in his seat, seeming uncomfortable.
Narrowing her eyes, Evelina tilted her head to the side, curious as to why her brother was acting so strangely. “But why do we need to be in attendance?”
Felix cleared his throat. “Because it is better to represent our family as a united front.”
“But you will not tell me who it is or why they need to speak with the family?” Her suspicions began to grow. It was not like her brother to encourage the matter of suitors, but it was not beyond the realm of reason that their aunt had forced his hand.
Her brother sighed before looking at her. “Must you always have so many questions? It is a family matter, and I need you there. And for goodness sake, please wear a dress.”
“And what if I refuse?” Evelina looked from her aunt to her brother while lifting her chin defiantly in the air.
“Even you are not that heartless as to leave your eldest and only brother in the lurch.” He inclined his head in a knowing gesture.
But if I am to be thrust at another suitor?
Evelina held her tongue, knowing when a battle was a lost cause. It did not matter if they thrust every man in London under her nose. She would stand her ground and refuse to marry. Her brother and aunt would just have to live with her decision.
“Very well then, in two days we shall be in London.”