Tempting Juliana (Regency Chase Family Series, Book 2) Read online

  TEMPTING JULIANA

  Lauren Royal

  Author's Cut Edition

  Novelty Press

  TEMPTING JULIANA by Lauren Royal - Author's Cut Edition

  Published by Novelty Books, a division of Novelty Publishers, LLC, 848 N. Rainbow Blvd, Suite 4390, Las Vegas NV 89107

  Originally published in paperback by Penguin Putnam Inc.

  COPYRIGHT © Lauren Royal 2006, 2012

  ISBN 978-1-93807-10-4

  8th Edition, March 2015

  Cover by Kimberly Killion

  Book Design by Typesetter For Mac

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be used or reproduced or transmitted in any manner whatsoever, electronically, in print, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of both Lauren Royal and Novelty Books, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

  PUBLISHER'S NOTE: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Authors work months or years on their books and need to feed their families, just like you do. This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Learn more about the author and her books at LaurenRoyal.com.

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Book Description

  More Chase Family Books

  A Message from Lauren...

  Dedication

  1: Lady Juliana Chase's family often accused her of looking for trouble.

  2: "How many baby clothes do you need to make?"

  3: James Trevor, the Earl of Stafford, hadn't been to a ball in years.

  4: "This pink is pretty," Emily said Monday at Grafton House...

  5: "Where is Amanda?" Juliana said Wednesday afternoon in the drawing room.

  6: "I really must be on my way, Aunt Aurelia."

  7: Over the next two days, Juliana helped Amanda order an entire new wardrobe.

  8: "There he is," Amanda said dourly as they stepped into Lady Hammersmithe's ballroom.

  9: Wary of Juliana's grin, Griffin watched her heading his way with their cousin.

  10: While Amanda was off dancing with her fourth or fifth potential suitor...

  11: Despite having persuaded her cousins to attend her party, Juliana...

  12: "What do you think of this dress, dear?" Sitting across from James...

  13: Wondering what Juliana wanted of him, James led...

  14: Before the duke left on Monday afternoon, he'd asked...

  15: "You-you-you're afraid of Emily's...

  16: Juliana placed little mounds of dough on...

  17: As James's carriage crawled toward the Egyptian Hall...

  18: The exterior of the museum at Number Twenty-two Piccadilly...

  19: "I cannot see," Frances complained.

  20: The weather was always a popular topic of conversation...

  21: "So," Juliana said to James as they waltzed, "have you decided...

  22: "Isn't this a stunning carriage?" Juliana asked as she and Amanda...

  23: After dinner, when the ladies would usually have left the men...

  24: "I cannot believe you didn't tell me you'd talked to Lord Stafford," Amanda said...

  25: James handed the hopeful young woman a pencil...

  26: The Billingsgate ball was in full swing, and music...

  27: "You're foxed," Juliana told James later as they danced.

  28: The next morning dawned bright and sunny, which should have made Juliana feel...

  29: Dark was falling.

  30: James had finally kissed Juliana, and it had been better...

  31: "It's the rheumatism, I fear," Lady Avonleigh said the next afternoon.

  32: "Where's my aunt?" Juliana cried. "And Lord Malmsey?"

  33: James's aunts were even better seamstresses than Rachael and her sisters.

  34: As James was leaving that evening, Cornelia walked into Stafford House.

  35: Juliana was scandalized. Absolutely, positively scandalized.

  36: Lord Malmsey was the youngest man at the Pevensey residence.

  37: For five days—ever since she'd come to his house and offered to volunteer...

  38: On Saturday evening, Griffin watched Juliana scan the Teddington's ballroom.

  39: Aunts Aurelia and Bedelia had been thrilled when James asked them...

  40: After James left, Juliana returned to the ballroom, furious...

  41: In his study at Stafford House the next day, James...

  42: As Lady Hartley's guests followed the Wolverstons from the room...

  43: The next day, Juliana paced around the drawing room...

  44: Even with a flurry of activity, Juliana's afternoon...

  45: "Why are you so sad, Lady Juliana?"

  46: There were different ways of dealing with the blows life randomly chucked...

  47: For two days, Juliana had done little but sew baby clothes...

  48: James's eyes met Juliana's in understanding...

  49: At the top of the elegant staircase, James didn't walk Juliana...

  50: And so it was that James arrived at Lady Amanda's house...

  51: In the end, Amanda was the one who objected.

  52: When Juliana had dreamed of walking down the aisle...

  Thank You!

  Bonus Material

  Author's Note

  Books by Lauren Royal

  Regency Chase Family Tree

  Excerpt from THE ART OF TEMPTATION

  Contest

  About the Author

  Acknowledgments

  Jewels of Historical Romance

  Contact Information

  BOOK DESCRIPTION

  London, 1816

  Lady Juliana Chase wants nothing more than to see everyone around her happy. That's why she takes such pleasure in playing matchmaker. Her latest efforts involve Dr. James Trevor, the Earl of Stafford, and her good friend Amanda, who are absolutely perfect for each other. So why on earth is the handsome physician ignoring Juliana's good intentions and ruining her carefully laid plans?

  After losing his wife, James buried himself in his work, opening a clinic to vaccinate London's poor against smallpox. The last thing he wants is to fall for another woman. So when Juliana meddles with his love life, he's surprised to find himself smitten—but not with Amanda. Now he must turn the tables and beat Juliana at her own game, or risk losing the determined beauty who has reawakened his desires and captured his heart...

  MORE CHASE FAMILY BOOKS

  For more information, click on a cover.

  Chase Family Series

  Regency Chase Family Series

  Renaissance Chase Family Series

  Boxed Sets

  A MESSAGE FROM LAUREN…

  It’s not common for an author to center all her novels around a single family, but by the time I began writing in the Regency period, I had fallen in love with the Chase family.

  The Chases came to me all at once. For my first books, I wanted to write about people who were affected by their times, and 17th century England seemed like the perfect storm of political and social upheaval. So the Chase siblings were born: strong personalities forged through childhood experiences of war, exile, and tragedy.

  After their 7-book series, I was ready for a new direction but I wasn�
�t willing to leave the Chases behind! They felt as real to me as my own family. So I created a new generation of Chases in the elegant Regency era. I had a lot of fun tying these characters together across the centuries. Though over a hundred years had passed, traces of the original Chases are woven into the Regency novels, hidden in old portraits, hereditary traits, and family legend (the truth of which astute readers will know better than the Regency Chases do!).

  My daughter and I are now writing Chase books set in the Renaissance era, so the tradition continues. Will I ever write about a different family? I can’t say for sure, but I'm not ready to walk away from the Chases yet!

  I love to keep in touch with my readers! Join my e-newsletter to receive free and bargain book suggestions each week as well as new release bulletins. And if you fall in love with the Chase Family, I'd be thrilled to see you in my Readers’ Group on Facebook, where I share sneak peeks and gather suggestions from my favorite readers!

  There are so many great romance novels out there—thank you for choosing mine. I so hope you’ll enjoy James and Juliana’s story.

  Happy reading!

  To see the Regency Chase Family Tree, click here!

  For my best friend and fellow writer

  Glynnis Campbell,

  because she hates stories that include dancing at balls,

  so I couldn't resist dedicating this one to her.

  Thanks for your friendship—it means more than I can say.

  ONE

  The Foundling Hospital, London

  Saturday, June 8, 1816

  LADY JULIANA Chase's family often accused her of looking for trouble. Of sticking her nose where it didn't belong. Of exaggerating—if not outright imagining—other people's problems and sorrows and miseries.

  But she would swear she'd never seen anything quite so sad in her life.

  Upstairs in the Foundling Hospital's picture gallery, she stared through the window down into the courtyard. There, arranged in six neat, regimented lines, a hundred or more young girls performed calisthenics, resignation written on their faces. In all of her twenty-two years, Juliana couldn't remember ever feeling that grim.

  "William Hogarth was a genius."

  Sighing, she turned from the window to see her younger sister scrutinizing the art on the gallery's pale green walls. "I thought you preferred the Dutch masters."

  "I do," Corinna said. "But look at the characters in this painting."

  The work was titled The March of the Guards to Finchley, and the people depicted were, indeed, characters. Humor, rowdiness, and disorder abounded. "The drummer looks quite amused," Juliana said, swiveling back to look out the window.

  The painting seemed a complete contrast to the figures outside.

  Miss Emily Neville, Juliana's eight-year-old next-door neighbor, stood gazing through the glass beside her. "The girls don't appear to be ill. So why are they in hospital?"

  "Hospital is an old word that originally meant 'guesthouse,'" Miss Strickland, the battle-axe of a woman assigned to shepherd visitors through the orphanage, explained in her no-nonsense way. "This is a charitable institution for children whose mothers couldn't keep them."

  "My mother died." Still gazing outdoors, Emily absentmindedly raised a hand to stroke a slim, olive green snake that rested upon her shoulders. "May I play with the girls?"

  Ranging in age from about five to perhaps fourteen, the children all had identical haircuts and wore aprons of stiff, unbleached linen over brown serge dresses. Juliana smoothed her palms over her own soft yellow skirts. "I'm afraid your snake might scare them."

  "The girls aren't playing." Miss Strickland crossed her arms across her ample bosom. "They're exercising. Outdoor exercise is advocated for maximum health. And you couldn't play with them in any case, young lady, with or without that horrid creature."

  "Herman isn't horrid," Emily said, slipping her hand into Juliana's. "He's just a common grass snake. Can't you tell by the black bars along his sides and the yellow collar behind his head? He's absolutely harmless, I assure you."

  Juliana hid a smile. My, such a vocabulary for a girl of eight. Emily certainly was articulate.

  But carrying a snake around was just not done.

  Emily was Juliana's latest project, and Juliana was sure—positively sure—that with a bit of patience she could turn the girl into a perfect little lady. A few more outings with Herman ought to convince the child that the creature wasn't welcome in public.

  She squeezed Emily's hand and turned back to Miss Strickland. "Do the girls ever play?"

  "Of course they do," Miss Strickland said. "For an hour every Sunday." As though suddenly remembering her duty—principally to encourage donations—she stretched her lips in a smile that appeared rather forced. "Are you ladies enjoying your visit to the gallery?"

  "Very much." Corinna moved to view the next painting. "George Lambert," she breathed. An artist herself, she'd suggested this day's outing to the Foundling Hospital's gallery. "What a lovely scene."

  Mr. Lambert's picture was lovely, but Juliana couldn't peruse the painted people for long. Not when there were real people—disadvantaged children—to consider.

  "What do the foundlings do all day?" she asked. "If they don't play?"

  Miss Strickland squared her shoulders and began reciting by rote. "They rise at six and prepare for the day, the older girls dressing the younger children, the boys pumping water and such. At half past seven they breakfast, and at half past eight they begin school. At one o'clock they dine and return to school from two until dusk." She paused for a much-needed breath. "After supper, those not employed about the buildings are instructed in singing the Foundling Hymns and anthems, and in their catechism. At eight they go to bed."

  What a life. Thinking about her own days and nights filled with parties and shopping and dancing, Juliana swallowed a lump in her throat. Still, the children looked healthy, warmly clothed, and well fed—which she supposed was more than could be said for much of London's youth.

  "Is there anything I can do to help?" she asked.

  "Certainly, my lady. We are always pleased to accept monetary donations."

  Juliana knew that was one of the purposes of the gallery. Popular artists donated paintings and sculpture, a scheme that not only gave the artists a chance to cement their social positions through well-publicized acts of charity, but also ensured that their work would be seen by those most wealthy and aristocratic—exactly the sort of people who might commission works of art for themselves and be persuaded to become patrons of the Hospital.

  It was a most satisfactory arrangement for all concerned. But unfortunately Juliana hadn't the option to become a patroness at present. While it was true that her late father had provided a substantial dowry, and she wasn't in any way deprived—quite the opposite, in fact—as an unmarried woman she had no money of her own, other than a small allowance granted by her brother, Griffin. "I cannot donate significant funds," she said apologetically.

  Miss Strickland aimed a rather disbelieving look down her knife-edged nose, pointedly skimming her gaze over Juliana's fashionable dress.

  "I cannot," Juliana repeated. "But I should like to do something." She could ask Griffin to donate, of course—and she would. But she wanted to do something herself. "Perhaps I could make clothing for the children." Surely her allowance would cover the fabric.

  "The children have no need of clothing. They wear uniforms, as you've seen."

  Juliana had seen the boys eating luncheon in their dining room, all wearing white linen shirts with military-style suits made of the same brown serge as the girls' dresses. "But someone has to make the uniforms."

  "The girls make and repair them during their sewing lessons."

  "Then perhaps I can make treats," she suggested. "The ladies in my family are rather renowned for our sweets."

  "The children are all fed a plain, wholesome diet. Sweets aren't allowed except on very special occasions. However, food does account for a large proportion
of the Hospital's budget, so your monetary donation would be much appreciated." Before Juliana could repeat that she had no money to give, Miss Strickland continued. "This is a reception day. Perhaps seeing some infants might change your mind."

  Though Juliana knew nothing could change her mind, she loved babies and could scarcely wait to have one of her own. "We should very much like to see the infants," she said, drawing Emily toward the door.

  "I'm not finished looking," Corinna said, finally moving to view the next painting.

  The battle-axe cast her a speculative glance. "Well, then, the horrid snake can stay with you."

  "Herman isn't horrid!" Emily said, pulling her hand from Juliana's. "If Herman stays, I shall stay." She marched over to take Corinna's hand instead. "There's an infant right here in this picture."

  Corinna nodded her dark head. "It's Andrea Casali's Adoration of the Magi."

  Juliana would never understand how anyone could stare at a single painting for so long. Two minutes with any painting, and she was finished. But then, she'd never been as interested in things as she'd been in people. "What's a reception day?" she asked, following the battle-axe from the room.

  Miss Strickland led her down a corridor. "On the second Saturday of every month, mothers are invited to bring their babies for possible admission."

  "Possible?"

  "They must meet specific criteria. An acceptable candidate must be under twelve months of age, the mother's first child, and healthy, so as not to risk infecting other children. In addition, although only illegitimate offspring are admitted, the mother must establish her good character. A secondary purpose of the Hospital, you see, is the restoration of the mother to work and a life of virtue. Some children are the result of rape, but most petitions come from women who claim to have been seduced with promises of marriage and then deserted when they became pregnant. In such cases, many mothers can avoid disgrace and find employment only if they don't have to care for their children."