A look crossed Wardington’s face before he said, “It’s yours now, Bradley. Use it wisely.” Then he left the office.
Bradley moved to the tome on the desk and suspected he knew what it was. There had been whispers about his grandfather keeping a book, a book of secrets about not only the ton, but every man and woman in power.
He was nearly afraid to open the cover, but the moment he placed his hand on it, he knew he’d be unable to resist.
He turned the page and smiled.
“The Aaron Family,” Bradley said. The book was in alphabetical order and was very real. Bradley sat down in his grandfather’s chair and studied the page.
What he read shocked him so greatly, he shut the tome and moved away. Then he quickly put it in the drawer, inside the hidden compartment that Wardington had left open, closed it, and stepped back. What was in that book was more than he’d been ready for. It had the power to tear down men, destroy families, and leave tragedy in its wake.
Bradley was not ready for such power and wasn’t sure he ever would be.
He ran from the room and hoped that one day he would forget what he’d seen.
THE END
* * *
THANK YOU
for reading my book and
i hope you have enjoyed the story.
Wardington Park series has come to an end.
Thank you for reading the Wardington Park Series. In this last miniseries, many events from history were mixed into the tale.
And now, a new series awaits, with London once again being thrown into scandal. Stay tuned!
The next book in the new series targeted release date will be 20th Feb.
In the meantime . . .
If you have enjoyed reading The New Marquess, I believe you will be interested in checking out the previous book.
I have enclosed a sneak preview of the previous book.
Check it out below . . .
It is currently priced at $0.99 (around 330 pages)
* * *
PROLOGUE
January 1831
Merthyr Tydfil, Wales
Sopherina North hopped from one foot to the other as a means to keep warm. She waited in line with the dozens of others who stood outside the bookshop, waiting for the doors to open so that they could get the very first copy of Victor Hugo’s latest book. She smiled with anticipation, knowing the joy she’d feel reading it and knowing the joy was very much entangled in the man who’d introduced her to Mr. Hugo’s work just a few short months ago.
The Welsh air was cold, and Sopherina kept herself moving in order to ward off freezing to death. The sky was gray but that was normal for a dusty coal city. There was little color to be found in the city. She often thought to visit London, hearing that the weather was not much different, and yet the city grander, but she truly had no desire to leave Merthyr Tydfil. It had everything she needed.
Her guard had offered to stand in the line for her, but she’d insisted on doing this herself. Mild irritation did set in when she saw him sitting in the carriage that sat on the side of the street a few feet away.
She’d wanted to appear like everyone else who stood in front of the shop but apparently, that would not be so. She looked down at her dress, noting that she wore one of the mourning gowns from her mother’s funeral, a dark color she hoped helped her blend in well with the working-class people around her.
She glanced around and noticed eyes on her, most of them unkind. She put her head back down, then lifted it up again when a hand touched her back.
Arresting light blue eyes stared down at her. “My apologies for being late, Miss North.” Les’ voice always rumbled from years of smoking, a habit she’d gotten him to break. His skin was dark from working in the coal, black covering him from head to toe. His gray hat covered his black hair, the hat being something he wore no matter what mangled attire he put on his body, and a black beard covered his jaw, but nothing could detract from his beauty. No soot, not the tragic cutting of his clothes or whether they were clean or not. Lester Paddon was the handsomest man Sopherina had ever met, and she’d fallen in love with him at their very first meeting—a meeting that had ended with her being forced to listen as he read the first part of The Last Day of a Condemned Man. She’d cried through the entire reading, already sure that in the end the man would have to meet his fate at the guillotine. The book had been moving, and Les’ voice that much more. Since then, they’d read many books together, but Hugo was their shared favorite.
Les looked down at his clothes before taking a step away from her. “I just finished my shift. I wouldn’t want to get you covered in dust.” His white smile was like the rising of the sun to her heart.
“I don’t mind. I never mind,” she whispered.
His eyes softened, and his expression warmed in a way that Sopherina had seen before but didn’t understand. The look was… intoxicating and always made her feel as though she were looking into the eye of a flame.
The door in front of them chimed, and Sopherina smiled as the line began to move but before she could step inside, the bookstore owner said, “Forgive me, but I only have ten copies of the book. The rest will arrive from London in a week.”
There was a loud groaning sound behind her and panic made her heart race. She counted the people in front of her and knew she’d not get a book. There was no point in waiting for it. The entire day was ruined.
Sopherina turned to Les. “I suppose we’ll simply have to read the book next week.” But she desperately wanted to see him again before that. They didn’t do many things together. Being together at all was almost forbidden but Sopherina couldn’t help herself. She’d become a different person since meeting him, disobeying her father so that she could see Les. She even snuck out one night and allowed him to take her to a tavern that had put on a special show. The night had been magical and had ended with the only kiss Sopherina had ever received.
The kiss had been sweet and gentle, just a brush of lips, but she’d hardly needed more than that to make her heart swell with more love for him; yet now she would need an impossible reason to see him again unless he sought her out. As a gently bred woman, she wouldn’t impose on Les’ time even if he didn’t work for her father.
She desperately wanted him to like her, to love her. She almost felt like crying knowing she’d not be sitting at Lady Tash’ sitting room over tea with Les reading to them.
The disappointment must have shown on her face because he smiled. “There’s no need to worry.” He turned to the bookstore owner and said, “Mr. Stern, do you have an order for Lester Paddon?”
The owner nodded and moved to his counter. Les put a hand on her back and pushed her forward.
Sopherina watched in amazement as a book was taken from behind the counter and placed it in front of her. The cover was different from the displayed book. Someone had hand-painted one of France’s most illustrious buildings on the front. Sopherina traced her hand over the title: The Hunchback of Notre Dame.