Adeline Read online

  Adeline

  Lady Archer’s Creed, Book Three

  Christina McKnight

  La Loma Elite Publishing

  Contents

  Prologue

  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

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Epilogue

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  Also by Christina McKnight

  About the Author

  Author’s Notes

  Copyright © 2017 by Christina McKnight

  Cover Image by Period Images

  Cover Design by Sweet n’ Spicy Designs

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN-10: 1-945089-25-3 (Paperback)

  ISBN-13: 978-1-945089-25-1 (Paperback)

  ISBN-10: 1-945089-24-5 (Electronic Book)

  ISBN-13: 978-1-945089-24-4 (Electronic Book)

  La Loma Elite Publishing

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the author, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below.

  [email protected]

  For Erica~

  You are the beauty to my inner beast!

  Prologue

  Canterbury, England

  February, 1818

  Miss Adeline Price, eldest daughter of Viscount Melton, stared at the half-dozen trunks and traveling bags she’d demanded make the journey with her to Canterbury. The coachman had haphazardly tossed them from the mail coach to the frozen, damp dirt at the end of the long drive.

  “You cannot think to shove me from the carriage and discard me here.” Adeline stomped her boot-clad foot and turned her sharp stare on the driver. Her light brown curls tumbled over her shoulder at her sudden movement. “I will write to my father and have you drawn and quartered the moment you arrive back in London.”

  “I have work ta do, miss,” the driver scuffed. “And I not be paid enough ta deal with the likes of ye spoiled London chits. I don’t be find’n me pay as a nursemaid.”

  “The nerve of—“ Her words cut off when the man climbed up to his seat and took the reins, calling to his horses and leaving Adeline in the dust, dirty from the muck kicked up by the departing coach. “Bloody, swag-bellied bull!”

  Taking a step closer to her worldly possessions—everything she called hers had been hastily packed and delivered, with her in tow, to the mailing post in London—Adeline sank onto her archaic trunk. The cold evening air slowly wormed its way through the thick wool of her cloak, seeping all the way to her undergarments as a shiver overtook her. She clamped her jaw tight to keep her teeth from chattering.

  “A pox upon you, Alistair,” she seethed at the empty, rolling hills surrounding her. It was her brother’s fault she’d been shipped away from home under the guise of education. Adelaide and Amelia, her younger sisters, hadn’t been cast out of London for a proper education. No, it was only Adeline who’d been sent away to an all-girls boarding school in the wilds of Kent. “Damnation and hellfire.”

  Hellfire actually sounded vastly more appealing than perishing due to the cold of night.

  Adeline narrowed her glare on the decaying structure nestled between a large grove of birch trees at the far end of the long drive. It seemed an eternity away—and never would Adeline accomplish the task of hauling her trunks the entire distance.

  The urge to scream, to stomp her foot and punch something consumed her. If her brother were present, she would throw her handbag at his face; though she was well aware that her young age put her at a severe disadvantage physically.

  Bloody, contemptible imp.

  At only twelve, Adeline had either said or thought every vile utterance she’d stocked her memory with from years surrounded by four brothers.

  She scrutinized the old building, propping her chin on her bent knees, noting the front door opening and two people coming toward her. As they drew closer, it was clear one was a servant dressed in livery garb. The other was a tall woman with her brown hair tied severely at the nape of her neck and outfitted in a black gown a decade older than was fashionable. She appeared to have some authority here.

  For the briefest of moments, Adeline contemplated giving up; going along with her brother’s plan for her…but then the woman’s narrowed eyes traveled from Adeline’s head to her filthy gown to her muddied boots as if Adeline were naught but a vagrant, a child not belonging to this fancy, highbrowed school of learning. Adeline stiffened with resolve.

  The aching in her body only intensified when she stood to greet the pair. Spending over a day in a mail coach was exhausting, to say the least. However, she refused to admit that she’d been dumped alongside the edge of the road, her possessions unceremoniously thrown from the boot, without even enough coin to secure a more civilized mode of conveyance to Miss Emmeline’s School of Education and Decorum for Ladies of Outstanding Quality. Not an inch of Adeline felt of outstanding quality, and there was certainly no chance of the pair approaching her being convinced of such from her untidy appearance.

  The older woman stopped before Adeline, her stare remaining on her no doubt dirt-streaked face, but giving a tight smile and motioning for the servant to collect the many trunks loitering at the end of the drive.

  “You must be Miss Adeline Price.” The woman’s tone gave no indication whether she was pleased to see Adeline or burdened by her less than proper arrival. “I am Miss Emmeline, headmistress here at the school. Do follow me.”

  The woman did not wait for Adeline’s reply, nor did Adeline verbalize the redundancy of the headmistress’ words. The first was much in line with her home in London—no one ever waited for her response. Yet, Adeline holding her tongue was not something she was accustomed to. No matter the occasion, she relished being heard—perhaps there was a valid reason for her exile to Canterbury.

  Adeline followed the woman, leaving the servant behind to collect her things.

  The wide double doors remained open, and the headmistress led Adeline inside, not pausing to allow Adeline time to remove her cloak but instead continuing down a long hall, torches lighting the way. Adeline’s boots echoed loudly as they progressed down the corridor, her cloak and skirts swooshing around her legs as she struggled to keep pace with Miss Emmeline.

  Adeline was prepared to demand the woman set a more leisurely pace when she pivoted sharply and entered a large room, gesturing once again for her newest pupil to follow. The room was in severe need of renovations—or possibly a deep scrubbing—and Adeline feared the walls would crumble around her if she ventured inside.

  “We do not have all night, Miss Adeline,” the headmistress huffed, sinking into the chair behind her desk. “Either have a seat or return to the roadside and await your white knight to come and make everything better.”

  She was unaware leaving was an option. Glancing over her shoulder and down the hall, she watched the s
ervant lug her first trunk out of the cold and set it none too gently inside the entrance, far too small and cramped to be considered a foyer.

  With a deep sigh, Adeline entered the room and stood behind the chair across from Miss Emmeline’s large table that served as her desk, its legs crooked and its surface appearing as if one need only set a feather upon it for the table to crash to the ground. It was no wonder she’d never gained the esteemed status as a Mrs, for her cold demeanor would likely scare off any suitor who might fancy her appearance—which Adeline was not reluctant to admit needed far more work than her monotone voice and rigid posture.

  “Sit.” The headmistress shuffled through a stack of folders, finally settling on one and bringing it in front of her. She opened the file, and Adeline did her best to keep her gaze on the woman as opposed to the papers the headmistress now diligently read. Miss Emmeline’s stare moved from the paper to Adeline. No reaction crossed her face when she saw the girl still standing. “Your family writes that you have been experiencing certain, shall we call them issues“—her brow rose—“at home.”

  Adeline’s chin lifted several notches, but she remained silent.

  Miss Emmeline chuckled softly before continuing. “I certainly do not foresee you causing a commotion here or becoming a distraction. You see, at my school, we pride ourselves on allowing young ladies to discover who they are, and provide them with the time and resources to help them become the women they long to be.” The headmistress took a deep breath after her long-winded and fanciful dribble regarding her school’s unrealistic ideals. “Is this something you will embrace, Miss Adeline?”

  The only thing Adeline wanted to embrace at that moment was her brother’s neck for convincing their parents to send her away for a proper education.

  Instead of speaking her mind, Adeline gave the headmistress her most innocent and demure smile. It would not do to alert the woman to the sheer amount of commotion and distraction Adeline foresaw herself causing at Miss Emmeline’s School of Education and Decorum for Ladies of Outstanding Quality.

  “I have been given no other option but to embrace my time here, Headmistress.”

  The woman’s eyes narrowed on Adeline as if she saw right through her innocent grin and coy words. “Very well.” She set the papers aside and folded her hands on the table in front of her. “It is time to find out who you will be sharing a room with.”

  “Sharing a room?” Adeline huffed, folding her arms across her chest. “I think not. I am the daughter of a grand lord, I will not share a room with some vagabond I am not acquainted with.”

  “I can assure you, this school is responsible for the education of many well-connected young women, ranging from the daughters of successful merchants and shipping men to the offspring of an Italian prince. As the daughter of a viscount, you are no more important or connected than any other ladies under my care and protection.”

  The rebuff was given without an ounce of anger or shock at Adeline’s behavior.

  “And, if you think you are the first woman to be sent here under the orders of another, you are wrong.” Miss Emmeline relaxed down in her seat, sitting back and resting her head against the back of her straight-backed chair. “Now, to determine your sleeping quarters, you will be called upon to demonstrate your skill in three different departments of learning: academics, art and music, and a physical sport.”

  “Does the proper setting of a dining table count as a sport?” Adeline challenged.

  “No—“

  “That is very good because I have servants who are charged with that.”

  Miss Emmeline pushed from her chair, clearly having reached her boiling point, her patience with Adeline at an end. “You will learn quickly that this school, while instructing our pupils in the arts of decorum and etiquette, places far more emphasis on arithmetic, the sciences, geography, music, and outdoor activities. You will not spend your time learning needlepoint, nor how to properly blush when complimented.”

  Adeline remained silent as the headmistress pulled the bell cord close to the door and a young woman appeared in the doorway as if she’d been waiting outside to be summoned.

  The woman gave Adeline a warm smile and turned to Miss Emmeline. “Is it time to present Miss Adeline?”

  “Yes, please gather all the young women, Miss Dires.”

  With a nod, Miss Dires gave Adeline another quick smile then fled the room, her slippers making nary a sound.

  “First, you will present an academic talent, such as recitation of a poem or mathematical equation. Then it will be time for your music or art presentation. You may sing, dance, play an instrument or paint. It is up to you. Lastly, we shall all move outdoors for your sporting presentation. When everything is complete, I will select a room for you to join with other young women whose talents compliment yours.”

  Adeline’s resolve and confidence drained from her at the thought of performing before a gathering of girls she did not know. If it had been Adeline’s chore to watch a new student present before the entire school, she’d likely judge the girl harshly.

  “I must do as you bid?” she asked.

  The headmistress gave her a curt nod. “Or you will not find your evening meal nor a bed.”

  There was no doubt Alistair would be laughing his arse off at her discomfort; however, he was still surrounded by the familiar at their family’s London townhouse, or perhaps her family had traveled back to the Melton country estate. It mattered naught. Adeline was in Canterbury…alone.

  It would behoove her to play by the headmistress’ rules—at least for the time being.

  “Are you ready, Miss Adeline?”

  “Yes.”

  “Is there something you need to retrieve from your trunks for any of your talents?”

  Adeline searched for any inkling of what might get her through the next hour or so. An idea sparked as she remembered what she’d stolen from her father’s office before leaving London. It was safely stashed in her handbag.

  If the woman wanted to see Adeline’s talents, far be it from Adeline to deny her the privilege.

  Patting her handbag, Adeline smiled at the woman. “I have my academic talent here.”

  “Let us join the other pupils.”

  Adeline followed the woman back down the hallway to a door that stood open, revealing a large, high-ceilinged room with torches lining the walls for light as the sun set outside the bank of windows.

  Young girls ranging in age from around eleven to those nearly ready for their societal debut sat primly about the room, their heads tilted together in quiet conversation. Several instructors could be seen standing against the walls, keeping close watch on the girls.

  Adeline quickly stepped onto the dais at the front of the room when Miss Emmeline waved her forward.

  “Ladies,” the headmistress’ voice boomed loudly, projecting to every corner of the room and bouncing back at Adeline. “It is with great pleasure that I introduce our newest student, Miss Adeline Price.”

  A round of reserved clapping filled the room when Miss Emmeline gestured toward Adeline as if the congregated girls were too dull to realize the woman spoke of the girl next to her.

  Adeline briefly scanned the crowd, her stare lingering on no one for more than a flick of a moment. There was little need to familiarize herself with anyone here—she would be gone soon enough, if not from her horrid attitude than from her family’s lack of funds to afford the large expense.

  She was startled to find the headmistress gazing at her with sympathy as her hand softly settled on Adeline’s shoulder, and she leaned in close to whisper, “No matter how angry you are with your family, this place and these girls are your fresh start. You can be anyone you want to be while at this school. I do hope you embrace this and make a home for yourself here.”

  Pulling away from the woman’s touch, Adeline opened the drawstring on her bag. She couldn’t afford the time spent pondering the woman’s words, though they were an offer of sorts. A single fact remained,
Adeline was here, against her will, and she did not have to like it…ever. Alistair would rue the day he entangled himself in his sister’s future. She would not be a mere slip of a twelve-year-old for long. The day would come when he would apologize to her and seek her forgiveness.

  Adeline reached into her bag and retrieved the deck of cards she’d secreted away with her in the carriage.

  “Please speak loudly and clearly for all to hear, Miss Adeline,” the headmistress prodded. “What academic talent will you regale us with?”

  It was best Adeline keep her mouth shut and allow her skill to speak for itself, lest Miss Emmeline stop her before Adeline even got started.

  Hurrying to the piano set farther back on the dais, along with several other instruments of various kinds, she pulled the bench seat toward the front and knelt behind it, giving the entire crowd a decent view as she removed the band holding the cards together and began shuffling them with expert precision.

  The headmistress stepped closer to gain a better view, her brow furrowing; nevertheless, Adeline pushed on.

  With one final shuffle of the dog-eared deck, Adeline turned to her audience with a smirk. “Now, it is essential every young woman has the means to procure a decent income, in addition to your pin money.” The young girls all nodded in agreement. “There are many ways a woman can supplement her funds, including mending clothes, selling wares, and even becoming a governess or lady’s companion. However, it is my understanding that the pupils here at Miss Emmeline’s School come from families that would never allow such base actions as earning one’s money in such an unsavory manner.”

  Adeline paused for a moment to allow her words their full impact.

  “It is important to remember“—Adeline held up one card, facing the crowd—“each card has a value.” She laid the card face up on the bench and flipped the next card. A jack of hearts. “For example—“