The Vixen in Red Read online

  Collin Evans, the Earl of Frossly is forced to return to his ancestral estate after years of avoiding the responsibility. His estate manager quit and it’s up to him to ensure his servants and tenants don’t suffer from his neglect. He never expected to find a beguiling woman that tempts him beyond reason nearby.

  After a scandal erupts, Lady Charlotte Rossington is sent to the country to stay with a spinster aunt. What her father fails to realize is that was her goal all along. She hates London society and wants to write a novel and the season would prevent that endeavor.

  While there she crosses paths with the Earl of Frossly. He’s handsome as sin and one of the wickedest rogues she’s ever encountered. She’s drawn to him and ends up in his arms more often than at her writing desk. Giving up on her dream is the last thing she wants, but she might have to choose between it and the one man she can’t live without.

  The Vixen in Red

  Bluestockings Defying Rogues Book Eight

  Dawn Brower

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Epilogue

  Afterword

  About The Author

  Also by Dawn Brower

  Acknowledgments

  Excerpt: Lady Pear’s Duke

  Dawn Brower

  Chapter 1

  Excerpt: Shocked by My Vixen

  Dawn Brower

  Prologue

  Excerpt: Smitten with My Christmas Minx

  Dawn Brower

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  The Vixen in Red 2020 Copyright © Dawn Brower

  Cover Artist and Edits Victoria Miller

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.

  For my family. I love you all.

  Chapter 1

  The sun shined brightly in the sky and the wind blew lightly across Lady Charlotte Rossington’s face. The garden at her father’s, the Marquess of Seabrook’s, London house had started to bloom. They were mere buds, but they showed promise of becoming true beauties when they reached their peak. She reached down and brushed her fingers over the tiny flowers and smiled.

  “Are you certain this plan of yours is wise?” Her closest friend, Lady Pearyn Treedale, asked. Her dark locks were pinned back into an intricate chignon, but a few tendrils had escaped in the breeze. Her blue eyes were the same shade as the sky. She was a true beauty, and one day would be a duchess, if her fiancé ever deigned to return to England. Pear didn’t seem to mind his absence, at least she proclaimed such often enough to Charlotte... She’d enjoyed being out in society without having to bother with finding a suitor. In some ways, Charlotte envied her. She very much did not want to partake in any society events.

  “It’s the only way I can make my mother understand my wishes. Her only desire is to see me married and having babies.” Charlotte wrinkled her nose in distaste. “I have more wants and desires than can be found in wedding vows and years of marriage. She may have found happiness with my father, but I would prefer to have much more than love to sustain my future.” Maybe one day she wouldn’t mind finding a man to give her heart to, but not for a long while. Charlotte wanted time to be alone, explore who she was deep inside, and write. She had so many ideas, and she wanted to have time to put the stories inside her head down. Sharing them with the world was her greatest dream. She would not be able to do any of that if her mother forced her to participate in the Season.

  Pear took a deep breath. “I understand, I do, but I cannot help wishing there was a better way.” She twisted her mouth into a frown. It was not a pretty look on such a lovely face. “The scandal…”

  “Is the reason I’m doing it at all,” she reminded her friend. “My mother won’t have any choice. She’ll have to let me return to Seabrook. There, I can weather the scandal, and I’ll be left in peace to write my first novel. It will work, I know it will.” Her mother, Rosanna, the Marchioness of Seabrook, would be livid.

  “I still do not like it. With you at Seabrook, I’ll be left alone in London all Season. I’ll miss you.” Pear sighed. “And with you in seclusion, your mother will not have a house party as she usually does. The one at Weston Manor will also be off limits for you. This seems extreme.” She placed one hand on her hip and tilted her head to the side. “Is writing your book worth being without any social interactions for months?”

  She nodded her head vigorously. “Yes, yes, and yes,” Charlotte said. The very thought of being alone to write…it filled her heart with happiness. “It won’t be so terrible. We can still write each other, and I’ll have my family. Well, Mother and Father. I’m not certain what Rhys will decide to do. He might spend time in London with his wife.”

  Before her brother Rhys, the Earl of Carrick, had married Lady Hyacinth, Charlotte had been thrilled at the idea of attending balls, soirées, musicals—anything that involved society. Her young heart had seen it as an opportunity, and in some ways, it had been. The first year had been wondrous. Until she thought she’d fallen in love and the rogue broke her heart. Since then, she’d given up on finding someone. It hurt too much when the gentleman of her dreams had crushed her fragile heart. She’d much rather take control of her life, and this scandal was the first step.

  Pear tapped her fingers on the bench she sat on as Charlotte paced the garden path near it. “I suppose you wish for me to accompany you on this endeavor of yours.”

  “I would like it if you would,” she stopped pacing, met Pear’s gaze, and said. “It gives my statement credence.” The ton would notice Charlotte either way, but with Pear, they would also gain the attention of any gentleman that happened to be nearby. Considering her affianced state, it drew them all to her side. They thought they might coax her in breaking her engagement. What they didn’t understand was that she liked being engaged; however, Pear had no desire to actually be married. She didn’t want love any more than Charlotte did.

  “Very well,” she agreed. “I’ll be glad to assist you in ruining yourself.” She sighed heavily. “It is all quite dramatic. I hope the end result is what you hope for. I would hate for this elaborate scheme to be for naught.”

  “So you have mentioned several times.” Charlotte grinned. “You truly are the greatest friend a lady could have.” Then she clapped her hands with excitement. “I cannot wait.”

  “I can,” Pear said dryly. “Once this is done, I’ll not likely see you until Christmastide.”

  “Don’t be sour,” Charlotte chastised her. “It is unbecoming.”

  “Now you sound like your mother,” Pear said distastefully. “I don’t think you’re as unalike as you claim.”

  They might have some similarities, but there were not many. “We don’t even look much alike. My coloring is more like my father’s.” Her hair had the same golden hue as her father’s, but her eyes were a blue shade somewhere in-between her mother’s and father’s. Even her brother favored their father in looks. “Mother has complained about that often enough. She once said that if she hadn’t given birth to us she wouldn’t have believed us to be her children. It was very crass of her to say aloud.” She giggled. “Though to be fair, we were being minxes at the time.”

  “I do not doubt that,
” Pear told her. “You can be quite the hellion from time to time.” She narrowed her gaze. “After this, they’ll consider you more of a vixen. Are you prepared for all the negative gossip?”

  She had thought long and hard about it. Charlotte wouldn’t enjoy what some in society would openly say about her. Some of it might even…sting. “It won’t be anything resembling enjoyment, but I do believe I can withstand even the harshest of criticisms.” Most of which would come from her own mother’s sharp tongue. “Once I’m back at Seabrook, I won’t be privy to it any longer. So I can pretend they aren’t saying anything at all. I’ll be peacefully writing and forgetting the scandal. I will be all right.” She smiled at Pear. “I do appreciate your concern for my welfare.”

  “Since you are resigned,” Pear began, “then we should prepare for this scandal of yours. I’ll have the stables prepare our horses. Meet me there after you’ve made your wardrobe adjustments.”

  “Perfect,” Charlotte said. “I’ll meet you in the stable in twenty minutes. It should not take me long. We need to be away from the house and in Hyde Park before my parents return from their luncheon with the Duke and Duchess of Weston.”

  “Shoo,” Pear replied and waved her hands at her. “There isn’t a moment to lose.”

  Charlotte sprinted to the house and ran up to her bedchamber. Once there, she stripped off her gown, chemise, and shift. Then she proceeded to change into a pair of her brother’s old breeches, linen shirt, waistcoat, and jacket. She had been lucky enough to locate an old pair of his riding boots as well. Charlotte let her hair down from the chignon and plaited it, then twisted it in a knot at her nape. Once her hair was secured, she slid a gentleman’s hat on top her head. If not for her bosom and curves, she might have been mistaken for a man at first glance. Satisfied with her handiwork, she rushed down the stairs, careful to ensure no one noticed her, then went out to the stable.

  Pear was already seated on her horse, and a groomsman held the reins to Charlotte’s mare. She didn’t ask him for assistance mounting. She had instructed Pear to request a regular saddle for her, and was glad to see the groom had followed directions. Charlotte strode to the block and mounted the horse herself. Breeches were so freeing! She would have to figure out ways to wear them more often. She could ride like a man and not worry over a sidesaddle. She turned to Pear and asked, “Are you ready?”

  “Are we taking a chaperone?”

  “That would defeat the purpose, don’t you think?” She nibbled on her bottom lip. “Are you worried about your reputation?” Charlotte didn’t want to cause her friend any harm.

  “I will be all right either way,” Pear told her. “I don’t have to worry about securing a good match. I’m flush with funds, and I even have a fiancé if he decides traveling the continent is boring and returns to England. I was uncertain how much of a scandal you wished to cause, is all.”

  “Well, if you don’t mind…”

  “I do not,” Pear reassured Charlotte, then pressed a knee into the side of her horse and guided the mare into a walk. Charlotte did the same, and then they started on their path to Hyde Park.

  They did not converse for most of the trek to the park. Charlotte was too nervous to find words. So far, everything had gone as planned. The rest had to follow suit. Otherwise, the entire scheme would have been for nothing. She pressed her lips into a line as she anxiously rode beside Pear. Finally, they reached the park and steered the horses to the correct path. Hyde Park was the place to be seen, and a large portion of the ton showed up to walk or ride in the late afternoon. There were perhaps not as many in the park as usual, but that was in large because it was not yet the full Season. Early in spring was still early, as the gentry would not start to fully return to town until May. Still, there was enough of the upper crust in Hyde Park for Charlotte’s purpose.

  “Are they all looking at us?” she said in a loud whisper to Pear.

  “Oh, yes,” she reassured her. “There are quite a few discussions, and a few pointed glances, and fingers in your direction.

  She hated being the center of attention. Charlotte had never wanted to be the belle of the ball. It would be much more to her liking if she could dance a couple of times, then retreat to the library. Occasionally, a ball could be fun, but more often than not, she’d hated them. “Good.” The influx of gossipmongers would ensure that she’d be at Seabrook by the end of the week…maybe sooner.

  “You were right,” Pear said. “Wearing men’s clothing certainly caught their attention. Probably more than you anticipated.” There was a bit of awe in her voice as she glanced around the park. “You still want to do one full round around the loop?”

  “Yes,” she said. “It has to be complete.”

  Though she was starting to wonder if she had lost her mind. The more they moved through the park, the more the members of the ton started to talk…and loudly. She heard several unkind words she had wished she hadn’t. Charlotte reminded herself that this had been what she wanted, but it didn’t hurt any less…

  They reached the end of the path, and the exit to the park was finally in sight. She froze. Her parents were strolling into the park with the Duke and Duchess of Weston. Charlotte had not anticipated that outcome. She’d thought she would have time to go home and change, then let the gossip come to them. Her mother’s eyes widened, and her father turned toward her. His eyes glittered with disappointment. That hurt more than the harsh words. She hated displeasing her father…

  Charlotte swallowed hard and held her head high. The time for turning back had passed the moment she left the townhouse in men’s breeches. She had done this on purpose, and now she had to pay the price for it…whatever that may be.

  Chapter 2

  The commotion in the park should have drawn Collin, the Earl of Frossly’s, attention. It normally would have, but he had too much on his mind. He’d rode into the park more out of habit than because he had any desire to do so. His stallion blew out a breath and lifted his head as if nodding at a nearby horse. That amused him. Were the two exchanging some sort of greeting?

  Collin pulled on the reins and brought his horse to a halt. His good friend, Cameron, the Duke of Partridgdon, came to a stop beside him. They had been riding together in communicable silence. Neither one of them had much to say and seemed to have found comfort in not having to carry a conversation. The duke had returned to England for a short trip. Cameron stayed out of the country more often than not—his way of avoiding the marriage his family had forced him to agree to. If he hadn’t, the dukedom would have been in ruins. The betrothal had guaranteed early funds from the chit’s dowry to sustain it. Cameron hated the contract and the idea of marrying a woman he’d been tied to for almost two decades. She’d been a mere child when the agreement had been signed.

  Collin’s situation didn’t appear to be much better…

  “What do you suppose that is all about?” Cameron broke the silence.

  He shrugged. “I’m sure we don’t wish to know. It is probably riddled with drama neither one of us particularly need to become embroiled with.”

  “You’re probably correct,” Cameron agreed. He narrowed his gaze and stared across the park. “The one chit looks familiar.”

  Collin turned to glance in the direction of the commotion. He didn’t recognize the two ladies. He frowned. “Is the blonde chit wearing breeches?”

  What had the lady been thinking? He could not ascertain one reason for a woman to dress so brazenly. Although, he had to admit he was rather curious about her now. Had that been her purpose? Did she hope to attract a gentleman’s attention? It was still not the correct way to behave. If she’d hoped to gain notice, she had certainly done so, but he doubted it would be the kind she wanted. She would attract every rakehell and scoundrel the ton boasted.

  “She is,” Cameron said. “Do you know them?”

  He shook his head. “I try to stay out of polite society. My sister would probably recognize them. If she were here, I’d ask.” His sister,
Kaitlin, had been happily married to the Earl of Shelby more than fifteen years now. She had three children that kept her occupied…two sons, and a precocious daughter. “But as she isn’t available, I do not dare to guess.” He turned to Cameron. “Why, are you interested?”

  Cameron frowned. “The other lady,” he began. “Not the one in the breeches,” he clarified. “She might be my fiancée.”

  “Ah,” Collin said, suddenly understanding. “We should make haste then. Wouldn’t do for her to realize you’re in England, would it?”

  “No,” he agreed, then frowned again. “She’s lovelier than I remember.” The last bit was spoken in a mere murmur, but Collin had heard it, nonetheless.

  Had this little outing given Cameron something to consider? The dark-haired lady was indeed beautiful. At least what he could see of her. The blonde though…the daring one…something about her interested him. The fact that he could see every one of her curves outlined in those breeches certainly didn’t leave much to the imagination either. She hadn’t thought this scheme of hers through. Any red-blooded male would find her attributes appealing, and Collin was far from saintly.

  “Oh, no,” Collin said as the Duke and Duchess of Weston, along with the Marquess and Marchioness of Seabrook, strolled into the park. Only then did he realize exactly who the blonde chit was, or more importantly, who her parents were. “The commotion is about to take a turn for the worse.”

  Cameron lifted a brow. “I do not understand.”