The
Enigma of a Widow
The
Widows of Aristocracy Book 2
by
Linda Rae Sande
Genre:
Historical Regency Romance
Having
lost her husband in the Battle of Ligny, Lady Lydia Barrymore is
determined to resume her work for the Foreign Office when her
mourning period is over. She's spent a year solving puzzles and
assembling dissected maps to maintain her skills. Her first
assignment has her perplexed, though - do what she must to help a
fellow operative recover his sanity. Although she finds the man
rather beautiful, Sir Donald has also proved most annoying.
Newly
knighted Adonis Truscott returned from the Continent with a tendency
to get lost in his thoughts. His frequent episodes of staring into
space have his sister claiming he's a candidate for Bedlam - and he's
not about to argue. He doesn't always remember where or when he was
when he recovers, but he remembers he made a promise, and he's
determined to keep it. A promise to provide protection for Lydia,
whether she wants it or not.
When
a puzzle's directions require Lydia to solve it with the help of
Adonis, she discovers the man harbors secrets that may be impossible
to reveal. With her own sanity in jeopardy - a year-long mystery
involving her late husband may be more annoying and dangerous than an
errant knight - Lydia will have to piece together a solution that
suits them both in The Enigma of a Widow.
At precisely one minute to three o’clock
in the afternoon, Lydia Barrymore entered the open area outside the office of
Lord Chamberlain, reported to his secretary, and took a seat in a rather
uncomfortable chair meant for visitors to the viscount’s office.
It was nearly four o’clock before she
was called into Chamberlain’s office. She was being punished, she knew, and
decided not to complain.
“Lady Barrymore,” Chamberlain said. He
didn’t get up from his chair, nor did Lydia expect him to.
“Lord Chamberlain. So good of you to
summon me,” Lydia replied in the most pleasant tone she could manage. She
reached into her reticule and pulled out the parchment she had filled out
whilst in the study earlier that day.
The viscount frowned when he realized
she held more than one sheet. “And what’s this?” he asked as he nodded toward
the papers she held.
“Oh, this?” Lydia asked as she lifted
the papers in a silk gloved hand. “It’s what I’ve discovered about Sir Donald
during our recent encounters. So far, at least. I expect I’ll learn even more
later tonight.”
Matthew Fitzsimmons, Viscount
Chamberlain, leaned back in his chair and regarded the viscountess with an
arched, bushy eyebrow. Although he tried hard, he couldn’t hide the surprise he
felt at hearing her words. “Let’s have it then.”
Lydia allowed a nod and began reciting
everything she knew about Sir Donald. She never once looked at the papers she
held, but she did put the front one behind the second page as she spoke, as if
she had memorized every word and knew exactly where the notes continued onto
the next page. “Have you any reports from doctors? Physicians?” she wondered
when she had completed her report. “That might assist me in this project?”
Lord Chamberlain sighed and pulled
open a desk drawer. A thick stack of papers slammed onto his desk, the force of
which had the other papers on his desk lifting up and moving slightly away from
the offending pile.
Not bothering to hide her
disappointment, Lydia allowed a sigh. “He is not insane,” she murmured with a
shake of her head. “Preoccupied, perhaps. Troubled, certainly. But he is not
insane,” she repeated.
The viscount nodded as he laced his
fingers together. “These mostly have to do with his leg,” he finally admitted. “Compound
fracture, dressed in the field but not reset until he was in hospital in
Brussels.”
Lydia fought down the urge to wince.
The man had to have been in severe pain for hours. Even more so when the bone
was forced back into place. “He walks with a cane and usually limps a bit, but
when he’s doing something he enjoys...” She stopped suddenly, remembering how
Sir Donald had been at the Serpentine, as if he had completely forgotten how to
limp. “He walks quite normally,” she finished after a moment. “Imagine that.”
Lord Chamberlain frowned. “What was he
enjoying?”
Despite her attempt to hide the
embarrassment she felt just then, Lydia could feel a blush coloring her face. “Me,
I suppose,” she whispered.
A
self-described nerd and lover of science, Linda Rae spent many years
as a published technical writer specializing in 3D graphics
workstations, software and 3D animation (her movie credits include
SHREK and SHREK 2). An interest in genealogy led to years of research
on the Regency era and a desire to write fiction based in that
time.
A
fan of action-adventure movies, she can frequently be found at the
local cinema. Although she no longer has any fish, she follows the
San Jose Sharks. She makes her home in Cody, Wyoming. See her
upcoming books on her website: www.lindaraesande.com.
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