The Bluestocking's Rake

Book 4: The Bluestocking Club

by Audrey Harrison

Genres: Regency Romance; Historical Romance

Synopsis

When an influential member of the ton gives you the cut direct, you have only one option: run far away and don’t look back…

Miss Serena Formby wants to do something extraordinary with her life, to experience the fire and adventure she longs for. That doesn’t encompass being discovered in the arms of a handsome rake by a leading patroness of Almack’s. With no choice but to flee the country, Serena hides her shame beneath a façade of outrageous behaviour.

Hamish Avril, future Baron of Kirkbride, had no intention of marrying; that would leave far too many women devastated in his wake. But that was before he meets the intriguing bluestocking and impulsively kisses her in Vauxhall Gardens. Serena rejects his offer of marriage out of hand, and takes herself off on a hastily arranged Grand Tour.

Hamish should feel nothing but relief; he should return home to the Scottish Highlands. Instead, he is careering across the Continent, chasing a woman who wants nothing to do with him.

Has the rake taken on more than he bargained for? Or is the bluestocking’s adventure just beginning…

This is the fourth book in the Bluestocking Club series. Each book can be read as a standalone, but characters do crossover.

The Bluestocking's Quest - Book 1
The Bluestocking's Fortune - Book 2
The Bluestocking's Highlander - Book 3
The Bluestocking's Rake - Book 4

Release date: July 1, 2023

Sample

Prologue


Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, London.
Miss Serena Formby and her cousin Ben were enjoying refreshments in a private box in Vauxhall Gardens at the invitation of Hamish Avril, future Baron of Kirkbride. They were accompanied by Miss Frances Somers and Miss Alice Boyd, two of Serena’s friends from the Bluestocking Club.
“Hamish, come and tell Serena that a walk in the gardens is not a good idea for an innocent miss,” Ben said from across the box.
“For goodness sake! I am no green girl!” Serena snapped at her cousin.
“In that case, allow me the honour of escorting you along the pathways,” Hamish said, offering his arm to Serena. “Let us see if we can shock a woman of the world by the goings-on we might come across.”
Alice noticed the scowl that Serena aimed in Hamish’s direction and suppressed a smile. The future Baron of Kirkbride might be a handsome and smooth-talking Scot, but it seemed that Serena was not impressed.
“I would like to go for a stroll. I do feel a little on show when in one of these boxes,” Frances said once she had finished her food.
“We are here to see and be seen,” Ben pointed out.
“I would rather be the one seeing,” Frances said. She was the quietest and most reserved of the Bluestockings, happiest when in her garden with her plants.
“In that case, let me escort you both, and we shall be the ones perusing who is here and with whom,” Ben said gallantly.
Frances grinned. “Now that sounds like fun.”
The three strolled along the pathways, lights discreetly giving some illumination to the walkers, though there was enough darkness for assignations to take place. Both Frances and Alice had cause to giggle when they walked by a particularly noisy area.
“I knew this was a mistake,” Ben groaned as both of them choked on a laugh.
“It is very enlightening,” Alice said, trying to sound serious and failing.
“This is going to appear in your next book,” Ben said with resignation.
“The number of people who presume people or things are interesting enough to appear in a book can very often be completely misguided, but in this case, I think you can guarantee that Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens will be mentioned at some point.”
“I blame Serena for this. You were happy in the box until she became restless.”
At Ben’s words, there was a squeak of alarm, and when the threesome stepped past a nearby bush, they all came to a shocked stop. Before them were Hamish and Serena, and it was clear from both of their demeanours that they had just been interrupted kissing each other.
“What the devil!” Ben snapped, pulling away from Frances and Alice and marching over to Hamish and Serena. “What in damnation is going on?”
“Nothing, and mind your language,” Serena hissed at her cousin. Even in the darkness, it was clear she was blushing.
“I will not mind my language when this cur has just compromised my cousin! Is this how you repay friendship? I will meet you for this!”
Hamish looked about to step forward, but Serena moved between them. “You will do nothing so ridiculous, and you can lower your voice. The last thing we need is for someone to hear you shouting compromise all over the place, and then there really will be trouble. For you,” she said to Ben.
He spluttered in disbelief, grabbing Serena’s arm to pull her away, but Hamish stopped him. “Unhand her. I am not going to stand by while you hurt her, no matter that we were in the wrong. Let us return to the box and calm down.”
Ben landed the first blow unexpectedly on Hamish’s jaw, snapping his head back, but Hamish was ready for the second punch and blocked it. “Damn you, man! Stop this before your cousin is truly ruined.”
“You absolute cur, I will destroy you for this!” Ben snarled, moving to continue the fight.
“Then you will have ruined your cousin in the process. Is that what you want?” Hamish growled in return.
“Will you please stop!” Serena hissed at them both. “There is no need for this.”
“There is every need when you could have been seen by anyone,” Ben countered.
“Then it is fortunate that we were not,” Serena huffed. “Ben, stop. I have not been compromised. I am not going to marry Mr Avril, so you can breathe easy.” She did not notice the expression Hamish shot in her direction, but his posture stiffened enough that Alice and Frances exchanged a look.
“Who has not been compromised?” A voice behind them jolted them all from the intensity of their exchange.
“L-Lady Jersey, how nice it is to see you,” Alice stuttered.
“I expect not if there is scandal brewing amongst you. When are we to expect a wedding? And I hope it is not yours, Miss Boyd. I would hate to think that our attentions have been wasted.”
“No, I am not marrying,” Alice said, her insides panicking as she tried to think of a way to distract the woman who looked more like a bird watching its prey.
“Glad to hear it. So, which one of your friends is the one risking her reputation?” Lady Jersey looked at Frances and Serena. “It must be you,” she said, pointing at Serena but not giving any clue why she came to her conclusion. “It appears I interrupted a fight. Do not stop on my account, gentlemen. I have seen the best of them fight. A mill is always diverting.”
“There is no fight, my lady,” Serena said stiffly. “And there is to be no wedding.”
Lady Jersey had been looking slightly amused until Serena’s words, but at them, any hint of a smile disappeared. “No wedding, but it would appear that you have been compromised, I and others heard the words.”
Serena flushed even deeper red. “It was a misunderstanding, that is all.”
“A woman ruined is never a misunderstanding. You are uttering some very dangerous words, young lady. I suggest you think carefully before you suffer the consequences.”
Serena stood to her full height, which was only average for a woman, but she lifted her chin, clearly standing her ground. “I am not going to marry someone just because of one kiss. If that is unacceptable, then I am sorry, but show me a woman who has not been kissed before she was wed and probably not to the man she eventually marries.”
“Serena!” Ben groaned, his hand over his face as if he could no longer watch what was happening.
“I see. In that case, goodbye, Miss Boyd. I suggest you consider the company you keep before we next meet.” Lady Jersey looked Serena up and down, and turning her back on her, she walked away.
“She has just given you the cut direct,” Frances said in a faint voice.
“I know.” Serena’s eyes filled with tears, but her chin remained aloft and she looked the others fully in the face. “I will return home and not force you into any awkwardness because of my actions.”
“No,” Alice said quickly. “You are our friend and we stick together. We will think of something to remedy this. Look at when Julia was in trouble, everyone rallied around and she was fine.”
“She had not been rude to the most stringent of the patronesses,” Serena said dryly. “I also do not have an earl supporting my cause.”
“You have an earl-to-be,” Alice said, looking hopefully at Hamish. Her heart sank when she saw his closed expression.
“I am not forcing anyone into marriage and scandal,” Serena said before Hamish could speak. “Ben, do me one last favour, see me home. It seems I am to go on my Grand Tour after all.”
“Oh Serena,” Alice said as Ben and Serena left them without a look behind.

***

The carriage ride home was a lot quieter than the outward journey. Hamish sat, looking out of the window, deep in thought, while Frances and Alice exchanged looks but could not speak openly whilst Hamish was with them.
As he was dropping them at Alice’s door, he stepped out first and handed them out. While he held Alice’s hand, he finally spoke. “I am sorry for everything tonight,” he said, all laughter and funning gone.
“Why did you not speak up to protect her?” Alice asked.
“I was caught unawares, I just did not have time to think, but I will make it right,” Hamish answered.
“I do not know how you can. She will be ostracised as far as society is concerned. Lady Jersey was probably the worst possible person to come across us.”
“Somehow it will work out. I know I have obligations towards her.”
“That is exactly why she reacted in the way she did,” Alice said, exasperated. “None of us wants to marry out of obligation of any form. She was saving you from a marriage that would end in you both being unhappy.”
“There was no need for anyone to try to protect me,” Hamish said. “She claimed that she was old enough to make her own decisions. Well, so am I.”
Alice looked in surprise and a little suspicion at Hamish. “I hope in that case you make the right decisions.”
“So do I, Miss Boyd.”
 

Chapter 1


Six months later. Florence, Italy, 1818.

Serena Formby groaned, seeing her cousin turning onto the pathway known as Cyprus Lane in the Giardino di Boboli. Ben walked, face set, ignoring the others surrounding her.
“Are you determined to bring shame on your family in Italy as well as in England?” he hissed at her.
Flushing at the harsh words, Serena raised her chin. “Some would say I have nothing to lose, so why not? At least this way I am living, not standing on the side-lines as I have done so far in my life. That got me absolutely nowhere, so I am trying something different!”
Closing his eyes, Ben breathed slowly. “You received a proposal from the future Baron of Kirkbride.”
“It was not too long ago that you drew his cork and wanted to meet with him at dawn.”
“Anyone with decency would have wished the same. Kissing you in Vauxhall Gardens was the action of a cad, but at least he tried to make amends by proposing to you when you were discovered.”
“And I refused, so we are both free without having to suffer an unhappy marriage.”
The handkerchief dropped, and without giving her cousin a chance to grab the reins to stop her, Serena flicked them and was off with the other carriage drivers in an unofficial race around part of the gardens.
Ben rubbed his hand over his face in frustration and looked at the young woman who had warned him of the early morning race. “I wish I had never taught her how to ride,” he said with a sigh. “She is going at breakneck speed, and it will not matter how good she is, there will be better racers than her. I just hope the carriage does not overturn.” They both walked quickly to where the drivers would cross the finish line, taking a shorter route than the carriages would travel.
“She was determined to go hell for leather because she was the only woman in the race,” Florry said.
“I am sorry this trip is not proving to be the one you must have imagined.”
“Do not worry about me; being away from London is enough for me to be content.”
“From what Serena said, your uncle was not too keen on letting you accompany us, and it did not seem to have anything to do with Serena’s disgrace.”
“It wasn’t. Uncle Hugh is very protective since finding me, and I love him for it,” Florry explained. She had been lost to the family, and her uncle, the Earl of Bryn, had searched for her in the underbelly of London. It had not only brought them together and saved her from the grasp of a man intent on ruining her, but it had also introduced him to his now wife. A circumstance neither had anticipated. “I have been around them since he married Julia. It is time they enjoyed some time as a family, where they are not constantly worrying about escorting me to some ball or other.”
“You don’t like the social whirl?” Ben smiled at her.
“No! They treat me like the outcast I am. I might be glad to have left my old life behind, but I will never fit into Uncle Hugh’s circle. It is time I decided what and where I need to be, which I know Uncle Hugh is trying to avoid, but we are going to have to face the truth. I will always want to be a part of his life, but I cannot be fully accepted by society.”
As Florry could not quite hide the accent of the streets, Ben was not surprised that she still felt like an outsider. Society did not like anything or anyone who they considered different.
A distant cheer went up, and they increased their pace in the wake of the riders and other observers of the race who had moved far quicker than they had.
“Please don’t let her have won,” Ben muttered. “There will be no persuading her to stop this neck-or-nothing behaviour if she has.”
“She did not win in Brussels,” Florry said as the lake in the park came into view.
“I told my aunt and uncle to return home then,” Ben said. “But they thought once she had done one outrageous thing, she would settle down. I am not sure if they are deluded or in denial.”
Florry could not help the laugh escaping. “You do so very often seem the parent in our group.”
“I know, and it annoys me no end, but one of us has to try and maintain a shred of respectability. Oh, Lord! What is she doing now? Does she think nothing of her reputation?”
Serena had been lifted from her hired carriage and was being carried through the crowds surrounding her on the shoulders of two men. Everyone was cheering her, and she was laughing down at them, accepting the winnings they held up to her.
“I am guessing she won,” Florry said wryly as Ben pushed forward towards his cousin.
Pulling on Serena’s arm, he tugged until the men let her slide down off their shoulders. There was a babble of Italian from them as they kissed her hand and bowed to her before Ben managed to pull her away from the crowd.
“Serena, you have always been the closest thing to a sister I have, but believe me, I could curse you to the devil and disown you for this. This is not risqué behaviour; it is downright disgraceful! Carried on the shoulders of strangers while being handed money? What are you thinking?” Ben waved his hand in the general direction of the crowd still milling around.
“I am not keeping you here. I have never asked for your protection or opinion on any of my actions,” Serena said mulishly.
“If that is your opinion, fine! Let it be spread about that you are out in the early morning, unprotected no less, with a gang of men, many of whom have clearly been drinking from the state of them. They have probably never stopped from last night! See how long it is before the dames of society over here start to cast you off. You say you do not mind what anyone thinks, but this is not you, Serena. I do not know why you have changed, but there will come a time when you once more care about the opinion of others. I hope for your sake that you do not reach a point when you cannot recover your good name, but from today’s example, I think it might already be too late.” Ben stormed off, leaving Florry and Serena staring after him. He was always easy-going and amenable, so they were both surprised to see this side of him.
“He is really worried about you,” Florry said gently.
“I know, but I cannot stop,” Serena said, shoulders sagging and turning away from the crowd. She stuffed her winnings in her reticule and, without a backward glance, though quite a few of the men called to her, walked away.
“What about your phaeton?” Florry asked.
“It belongs to Marco; he will deal with it,” Serena answered.
“Marco? You are on familiar terms with him now?”
Serena smiled. “No! You know how the Italians are, overtly friendly, and Marco calls me his little Donna focosa and insists I use his given name.”
“I can barely speak proper English. I have no idea what that means.”
“Fiery woman. If only he could have seen me sitting bored out of my mind on the wallflower benches, afraid to speak out of turn, then he would certainly reconsider his choice of words. At least if I continue to win races for him, he will be happy to know this version of me, and never know the truth of who I really am.”
Florry did not respond, and the pair continued out of the beautiful gardens and across the Ponte Vecchio. None of the shops lining the bridge caught their attention, as they were both deep in thought. Walking through the streets, they chose the areas which skirted the more touristy gathering places, which were just coming awake; neither wanted to be stopped by people they had come to know during their stay.
It was still very early, but life in Florence started when the city was still cool, as it would become oppressive in the afternoon. It was one of the reasons why the race had been arranged for so early a time.
As they turned into the Piazza Santa Maria Novella, where their hotel was located, Serena broke the silence. “I think I will go into the church before attending breakfast.”
“Are you attending a service?” Florry asked in surprise.
“No, but I think the peace and beauty of the place will help soothe me.”
“It is at these moments that I know you are not really enjoying this side of you that you are showing the world.” Florry said the words quietly; she half expected that Serena would deny her assessment. They had not been close friends before the trip but had become more so since travelling.
“I do not know what will make me happy, but who I was before gave me no sense of contentment. All I know is that I will find coolness and peace through those doors. If Ben has returned, tell him not to worry, I will do nothing rash, I promise,” Serena said, already walking towards the basilica.
The doors were open as always, and with no service on, Serena found a seat tucked out of the way. Today was not a day for examining and appreciating the artworks that adorned the walls. She had marvelled at them on the first day she had arrived in Florence, and though she’d visited the basilica many times, the splendour of the works still took her breath away.
In her past life, she would have taken this opportunity to sketch some designs for her embroidery. Taking inspiration from the stunning stained-glass windows and frescoes to create unique patterns that her clients of the ton would delight in. But her creativity seemed to have deserted her the minute she embarked on this futile attempt to recreate herself, a loss she felt almost as deeply and bitterly as the absence of her close friends.
This time, she bowed her head as if in prayer, but it was just an opportunity to let the tears fall that she had been holding back since seeing the expression on Ben’s face. He was like a brother to her, and she hated disappointing him, but she had to try to fill the hole which had been in her for so long. After meeting Hamish and all that had happened with him, her feelings of hopelessness and inadequacy had threatened to overwhelm her.
She was unable to let her family see what she was feeling, and she could not confide in anyone, not even her other bluestocking friends, who she wrote to regularly. They would not understand or would try to diminish her concerns, saying that she was mistaken in her feelings. The problem was that bitter experience had taught her a long time ago that she was right to hold the fears she did, and no matter how she felt a pull towards Hamish, she could never give into her feelings. The kiss had been a moment of weakness, and it had cost her everything, but she could not accept his proposal, though her heart ached at the thought of a lonely future. Eventually wiping her eyes, she tucked her handkerchief away and was about to stand but hesitated when a priest approached her.
“My child, you are upset,” he said in heavily accented English.
Serena’s lips tipped up slightly. “Only at myself.”
The priest sat down with a groan. “These old bones wish I was sent to a small church; this place is too big for an old man like me.” His eyes twinkled with fun at his words as he stretched out his legs in front of him.
“This is a beautiful place.”
“It is, and I have seen you here but not at a service.”
“No, I am sorry,” Serena apologised.
The priest laughed. “There is nothing to be sorry about. If Santa Maria gives you comfort, then she will be happy. She will be upset to know you are troubled. Such a young, pretty girl should be always laughing.”
“I am hardly young nor pretty.”
“It is not good to lie in a church.”
“I am not!” Serena exclaimed, liking the priest for his teasing way.
“When you are my age, anyone is young, and your blonde hair and eyes the colour of the sky on a beautiful day will have my Italian friends losing their hearts to you.”
Serena blushed. It was true that she had experienced more attention since coming to Italy than she ever had in London, but as Florry had said, she was not being herself. “I doubt that very much, but thank you. At home, I am known as a bluestocking.”
“I do not understand the term.”
“A woman who is too intelligent, who frightens men.”
The priest shook his head. “English men are fools.”
Serena smiled. “They are indeed.”
“You are travelling with your family?”
“Yes.”
“That is something to be happy about. No?”
“It would be, but I came away from home because I was in disgrace.”
“You can confess. I am willing to hear it if it will help you.”
“I kissed a man.”
The priest was silent for a moment. “I know society is strict, but you had to leave your country for one kiss? I must be very lenient in my views.”
“Surely you would condemn me as society did? I am not married.”
“And do you wish to marry the man you kissed? Is he a good man?”
“He was good enough to offer for me, but I could not accept.”
“Why not?”
“He would hate me.”
“Hate is such a strong word.”
“It is, but I am not the woman for him.”
“I would think that is his decision to make.”
“Would you force someone into a situation where you know they would be unhappy and come to resent you?”
“No, I would not.”
“That is how I feel. I could not be the reason for his unhappiness, no matter that most of the time I wanted to strangle him.”
A twitch of the lips was the only outward sign of any amusement. “Yet you liked him enough to kiss him?”
“Yes, which is the most annoying part of this situation.”
“I hope you will find happiness, with or without this man.”
Serena decided it was time to return to the hotel. She had revealed more to the priest than to anyone else, and she did feel a little better for putting a voice to some of her reasonings, though it was probably easier because he was a stranger. “Thank you for sitting with me, you have helped my maudlin mood, but I must get back.”
The priest stood at the same time as Serena. “Yet I have not helped the real worry you have.”
Smiling sadly, she shook her head. “No one can, for I don’t even know what I want.”