Alyssa's Autumn Affair Read online

  Alyssa’s Autumn Affair

  (Season of the Spinster — Book 3)

  by Tabetha Waite

  Copyright © 2020 Tabetha Waite

  Cover Art Design by PI Cover Market and the Midnight Muse

  Also by Tabetha Waite

  Ways of Love Historical Romance Series

  How it All Began for the Baron (Christmas prequel novella)

  Why the Earl is After the Girl (Book 1)

  Where the Viscount Met His Match (Book 2)

  When a Duke Pursues a Lady (Book 3)

  Who the Marquess Dares to Desire (Book 4)

  What a Gentleman Does for Love (Book 5)

  Season of the Spinster Series

  Triana’s Spring Seduction (Book 1)

  Isabella’s Secret Summer (Book 2)

  Novellas

  Twelve Gifts by Christmas

  Lord Castleford’s Fortunate Folly (Fortunes of Fate #1)

  A Lady’s Guide to Marriage

  A Promise Beneath the Kissing Bough

  Miss Pageant’s Christmas Proposal

  The Scot’s Bairn

  Novels

  Behind a Moonlit Veil

  The Secrets of Shadows

  The Piper’s Paramour

  Anthologies

  Heyer Society (non-fiction essays)

  Wrapped Up in Love (Breast Cancer Charity – Contemporary)

  Rogues On My Mind (Regency)

  Some Wallflowers Do (Regency)

  Take Two: A Collection of Second Chance Stories (Thistle Farms WOTR Charity – Various Genres)

  Short Stories

  Love’s Frozen Kiss

  Love Out of the Ashes

  Acclaim for Tabetha Waite

  Why the Earl is After the Girl

  *BIBA Winner for Romance – 2017

  *Feathered Quill Book Award – Second Place in Romance – 2018

  “…for a debut novel Ms. Waite painted the heroine to the canvas with in depth emotional pull…a fun read.” --- Romance Reviews Magazine

  “This regency novel is filled with passion, lies and mystery.” 4 Stars! --- InD’tale Magazine

  “Really enjoyed this book!” 5 Stars --- Sissy’s Romance Book Review

  Where the Viscount Met His Match

  Book Club Finalist in Fictional Romance – 2019

  *Book Excellence Awards Finalist in Fictional Romance - 2019

  “…gains a 4 out of 4 star rating from me. Not only did I laugh and cry like a fool while reading the story but also feel thrilled.” -- Online Book Club Reviewer

  “Felt like watching a movie while reading it. This book deserves a movie adaptation!! I’m sure it would be a big hit!!” – Online Book Club Reviewer

  When a Duke Pursues a Lady

  *Book Talk Radio Club Finalist in Romance - 2018

  5 stars Top Pick! – The Romance Review

  “I really truly loved this book! It was a perfect historical romance story with a touch of suspense. I was completely hooked from beginning to end.” --- 3 Degrees of Fiction Book Blog

  “If you are looking for a historical romance that has murder, mayhem, and a bit of political intrigue then you will not be disappointed with (this book)!” --- The Genre Minx Book Reviews

  Who the Marquess Dares to Desire

  *Raven Awards Finalist in Regency/Victorian/Western Romance – 2019

  “The characters are well flushed out and likeable, the romance is allowed to brew and the storyline with the suspense is just enough to keep your interest.” --- Cyrene with Uncaged Book Reviews

  What a Gentleman Does for Love

  “This book is the last in the series and what a page turner.” –Goodreads Reviewer

  “I love this series! It was so nicely done you just got right into the story and couldn’t put them down. I know I’ll be rereading these again!!!!” – Amazon Reviewer

  Behind a Moonlit Veil

  5 Cup Review! – Coffee Time Romance

  5* Crowned Heart Review – “Combining fiction with legend, one will not be able to get enough of this thrilling novel!” - InD’Tale Magazine

  The Secrets of Shadows

  *Paranormal Category 1st Place Winner – RWA Hearts Through History Chapter

  Triana’s Spring Seduction

  “It’s a delicious Regency romp with loads of humor, intrigue, villains, and delightful characters! – Goodreads Reviewer

  “…Made its debut with a bang!” – Goodreads Reviewer

  “…A strong start for Tabetha Waite’s new series!” – Goodreads Reviewer

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Epilogue

  Dedication

  This is for anyone who has had to deal with a family member suffering from schizophrenia, or any other sort of mental illness. It’s a difficult road to travel.

  Chapter One

  Early September

  England 1812

  Lady Alyssa Breyton walked among the fallen leaves, enjoying the sound as they crunched beneath her boots. While there were a few colors still clinging to the trees, most had faded and died.

  She pulled her shawl around her shoulders a bit more tightly as a chill passed through her, though she knew it had nothing to do with the early autumn air, but rather the sorrow that was still imbedded in her heart. While the sun was shining brightly, it was the pain of losing her beloved Aunt Pearl that weighed heavily on her mind. She had only been gone two weeks, but it seemed much longer.

  Even now, Alyssa would wake up some mornings, expecting to break her fast with the woman who had come to mean so much to her, but then the sting of reality would surround her. It didn’t help that she had returned to her father’s estate, forced to remain with her cousin and his wife, when she just wanted to be back home in London, where things were familiar and she could wrap herself in the memory of her aunt.

  Not only that, but it was where she tended to her Blue Ladies, a rare breed of rose that she had perfected and hoped to present to the Royal Horticultural Society. While she wouldn’t be able to become a member, for that honor was only given to certain affluent men, she hoped to share her discovery and perhaps, even gain a bit of notice for her achievements.

  But then, she was planning on going to America to start a new life in a few short months, so what did it really matter? She would be turning five and twenty in a couple weeks, and then the trust that her parents had set aside for her would be hers to do with as she wished. While the rest of her circle of friends had all recently married — Triana, Isabella and Rowena — she intended to honor their pact with their American friend, Korina Haverswyth, and travel to New York after the first of the year.

  She was finished with England and all the sadness it had brought along with it. As an only child, her parents had died young — her mother when she was born, and then her father several years later from cholera. And now, this past summer, when she had been in Bath, her aunt had take
n ill and they’d had to return to London where she’d died quite suddenly.

  Needless to say, Alyssa had been heartbroken; for her aunt — her mother’s older sister — had taken her in when she was but eight years old. She had truly been the only mother figure Alyssa had ever known — and now she was gone, leaving her alone yet again. She might be staying with relations at the moment, a cousin who carried the title of baron after her father’s death, but it was difficult to call someone family when she barely even knew them. But without anyone to properly chaperone her in London as an unmarried woman, she’d had no choice but to rely on the good will of her relations, and from the beginning it was obvious that she was a burden.

  January truly couldn’t get here quick enough.

  Instead of staying in the house and staring at the walls of her bedchamber, watching as they slowly closed in around her, Alyssa had found a measure of solace by taking long walks outdoors each day. She had grown accustomed to London over the years, but she had also enjoyed the countryside once upon a time.

  As she topped the crest of a hill, she caught a glimpse of another fine manor sitting in the midst of the rolling valley. A slight smile touched her lips as Alyssa looked upon Rosewood, the Abernathy ancestral home.

  She recalled a vision of two young girls in white pinafores, blue ribbons flying in their hair as they ran side-by-side, inventing brand new adventures, their imaginations running quite rampant. Behind them was another figure, a boy a few years older, with hands shoved in his pockets as he reluctantly trudged after them as his mother had asked him to do. Alyssa could tell that Triana’s older brother desired to be anywhere else, but with those ocean blue eyes and his wealth of dark hair, she had always found herself rather infatuated with him.

  Travell.

  She shivered as his name flitted through her mind, but it wasn’t due to revulsion or anything derogatory. In truth, she had never really stopped admiring him, and over the years, he had turned from a fascinating young man into quite a devilishly handsome gentleman. Unfortunately, while Alyssa and Triana had remained close, other than a polite greeting from Viscount Curdiff now and again, she might have thought those carefree days had never even existed.

  Alyssa sighed, but as she started to turn away and make her way back to the Breyton estate, she caught a glimpse of a carriage meandering up the drive. She paused and watched as the vehicle stopped and a tall figure alighted. Her breath caught, for it could be no one other than the viscount himself.

  She frowned slightly, for she imagined Travell spent most of his time in London, but as the footmen began to remove the trunks piled atop the coach, she had to wonder if he intended to remain a while.

  And that thought immediately caused her heart to pick up speed.

  ***

  Travell paused at the front door and turned his head toward the hills surrounding his estate. He wasn’t sure why, exactly, but some prickling of awareness had caused him to scan the area, but other than the few trees that were starting to shed their leaves, he found nothing out of the ordinary.

  He resisted the urge to rub the back of his neck, deciding that his discomfiture was due to the fact he was back home.

  And so was his father.

  Steeling himself for the battle ahead, he handed his things over to the butler and asked curtly, “Where is he?”

  “We have restrained the earl in his chamber, my lord.”

  Restrained. So it was worse than he had imagined.

  He climbed the stairs to the master’s chambers and found a footman guarding the door. Travell kept his arms firmly at his sides as he resisted the urge to scrub a hand down his face. Steeling himself, he forced himself to walk forward and, after taking a deep breath, he opened the door.

  The Earl of Trenton was dressed in a nightshirt, a blanket covering half of his body while leather straps were keeping his arms bound to the wooden bedposts. He appeared to be asleep, but the dried spittle around his mouth told Travell what he needed to know.

  He’d always heard the expression “mad as a hatter” in regards to how hats were made with mercury, in which the process of working with such poison substances slowly drove those making them insane. He never thought the same phrase would ever be connected with his sire, but the evidence was there in the uneven cadence of his breathing and the slight jerks in his movements, his unconscious state at odds against the madness.

  Suddenly, the older man’s eyes opened and he stared at Travell. “My boy!” he said almost maniacal. “Home from Eton already?”

  Travell’s mouth tightened, for while his father knew him, he’d reverted back to the past, seeing him as the son he’d known long ago, instead of the man who stood before him now. But instead of correcting the earl’s assumption, he merely replied. “Yes. It’s me, Father.”

  “I damned well say it’s about time! Where is your sister?” he demanded. “I haven’t seen her or your mother, all day!” When he tried to move, he jerked against the bonds and frowned. “What the devil is this all about?”

  “It’s for protection,” Travell noted evenly. He didn’t say for whom, for the missive he’d received from his estate manager before he left London had said his father had been rather violent when he’d arrived, attacking the village doctor who had been summoned. After that, he’d been tied to his bed like some sort of wild animal.

  It made Travell’s stomach rather sick to see him in such a sorry shape. But then, he hadn’t heard from his father in nearly seven years, ever since he’d run off with the scullery maid the night of Triana’s debut ball. God only knew what had happened in that amount of time to twist his mind. Considering his current condition, Travell might never know what had caused his father’s abrupt departure. Or his return.

  But even though he might never gain the answers to the questions swirling in his mind, this man was still his sire. Travell hated himself for it, yet he couldn’t help but feel a bit of empathy for the man he’d once been in his youth, even if he might revile the scoundrel he’d become, or the pitiful creature that was writhing on the bed.

  “You need to rest.” Travell tried to speak in a soothing manner, as if attempting to calm a skittish horse. The other man was having none of it.

  “I am the Earl of Trenton! Release me at once!”

  His eyes were nearly bulging out of his head and his face had turned such an alarming shade of red that Travell thought he might have an apoplexy. And then he started to hurl the most obscene curses, such that if Travell hadn’t worked all his life among villains and criminals he might have been shocked. As it was, he was just… numb.

  The butler appeared in the doorway and cleared his throat. “If I might be of assistance, my lord?”

  Travell saw him hold up a brown bottle and he knew what that meant. Laudanum. While he abhorred the drug, he knew it was probably the only thing that might calm his father when he was stuck in the grip of such a horrific episode. “Do it,” he growled, but he turned away when the servant administered the opium.

  After a moment, the earl fell still, his curses fading into a mumble that eventually silenced completely as his eyes closed.

  “Thank you, Ives.” Travell said stoically.

  As the servant left, Travell rubbed his temples in an attempt to ease the tension that was screaming inside his brain. He walked over to the window and looked outside. He hadn’t noticed it during the ride here, but it really was a lovely autumn day. The sun was shining and the sky was nearly a cloudless blue. A light breeze rustled the remaining leaves in the trees and as he closed his eyes, he could almost hear nature’s melody through the glass pane.

  But when he opened his eyes again, this time the scene was blurred. He blinked to remove the moisture from his gaze. He was a man. He didn’t cry. His father had always taught him to be strong and resilient, for there was no point in showing weakness.

  He blew out a breath and pinched the bridge of his nose to hold back the emotion twisting him on the inside. Travell knew he should be grateful that his
father was back home safe after so many years of wondering if he was dead or alive, but the man who had returned wasn’t the one Travell had mourned. Until he could decide the best way to approach this matter, he would have to ensure that his mother and Triana didn’t find out the truth. He’d already given strict instructions to all of his staff in London that Lady Trenton should be told nothing other than he’d had to leave the city for a time. As for Triana, she was still on her honeymoon with Gabriel, so hopefully their trip might be extended.

  As for Travell, the next few weeks would undoubtedly be long and trying.

  Chapter Two

  That night at dinner, Alyssa ate her soup in silence as she sat around the gleaming mahogany table with her cousin, James Breyton, Baron Lockley, and his wife, Caroline. It wasn’t often that they engaged in conversation, but that was fine with Alyssa, for she didn’t really care to talk.

  It was difficult to imagine that she used to run these halls freely as a child, but now, years later, it was as if she was an interloper in her own home. If her father had still been alive, she would have had the chance to grow up here, not that she hadn’t loved being in London with Aunt Pearl, but she’d always had a particular fondness for the country once she’d developed a love of gardening. However, her aunt had ensured that she would have somewhere to grow her flowers, giving her free rein over their modest conservatory.