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The Makings Of A Lady
Catherine Tinley
Be calm, she thought.Be gracious. Be twenty-two.Lady Olivia Fanton is eager to prove she’s no longer a child. However, just as she thinks she’s found a suitable match in the suave Mr Manning, charismatic Captain Jem Ford walks back into her life, bringing with him all the embarrassment of her infatuation four years before! She’s determined to appear mature, distant, friendly. But does she dare hope he’ll notice her as the lady she’s become?
Be calm, she thought. Be gracious. Be twenty-two.
Lady Olivia Fanton is eager to prove she’s no longer a child. However, just as she thinks she’s found a suitable match in suave Mr. Manning, charismatic Captain Jem Ford walks back into her life, bringing with him all the embarrassment of her infatuation four years before!
She’s determined to appear mature, distant, friendly. But dare she hope he’ll notice her as the lady she’s become?
The Chadcombe Marriages miniseries
Book 1—Waltzing with the Earl
Book 2—The Captain’s Disgraced Lady
Book 3—The Makings of a Lady
“I love this book and that I cannot recommend this enough, this is a must read... Outstanding!”
—RT Book Reviews on The Captain’s Disgraced Lady
“Cannot express how highly I can recommend this book...a must read.”
—Goodreads on The Captain’s Disgraced Lady
CATHERINE TINLEY has loved reading and writing since childhood, and has a particular fondness for love, romance and happy endings. She lives in Ireland with her husband, children, dog and kitten, and can be reached at catherinetinley.com (http://www.catherinetinley.com), as well as through Facebook and @CatherineTinley (https://twitter.com/catherinetinley?lang=en) on Twitter.
Also by Catherine Tinley (#u6b6745d4-e95b-5eba-b3e8-a3b42271db71)
The Chadcombe Marriages miniseries
Waltzing with the Earl
The Captain’s Disgraced Lady
The Makings of a Lady
Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk).
The Makings of a Lady
Catherine Tinley
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
ISBN: 978-1-474-07412-4
THE MAKINGS OF A LADY
© 2018 Catherine Tinley
Published in Great Britain 2018
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.
By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.
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www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
For all my McCoy, Talbot, Sloan, Ferris, Tinnelly and
Hemingway relatives—it’s a privilege to be part of
this big, warm, supportive, close family. Love you all.
And for all midwives—co-mothers, wise women,
mothers of light. You who protect the gateway to life,
hold two lives in your hands, and stand or sit or kneel
With Women. We mothers salute you.
Contents
Cover (#u2ce9f3b0-97c5-54a5-afa8-c2e2580add3c)
Back Cover Text (#u068f21d1-2e68-5025-99d9-45485e9abe65)
About the Author (#uf2f8cbdc-03fc-5dd7-85a0-68ecacec9948)
Booklist (#uf0e2722f-529d-5584-817d-74b2f6ba45e6)
Title Page (#ud6af4812-a7ce-5a51-bfba-f55de67b8661)
Copyright (#u8d582669-e452-5b83-b642-694cb6d53a6b)
Dedication (#u9ef879b6-4457-52e0-9d33-c3858c89b9dc)
Prologue (#u8d0edf94-2289-5b96-a653-19224c4230a5)
Chapter One (#u7c6cff81-c882-5d63-b054-173c67aca7c6)
Chapter Two (#uf549a65e-f0db-5bed-9387-e177e4e189b8)
Chapter Three (#ueffba5a2-87dd-531c-bd05-369cd6a8b4d5)
Chapter Four (#ube9efd80-7b59-5b9b-983e-6dcd11d682a6)
Chapter Five (#u77a911f8-1c39-51b7-960f-2fffedb5225c)
Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Fifteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Sixteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seventeen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eighteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nineteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty-One (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty-Two (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty-Three (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty-Four (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)
Prologue (#u6b6745d4-e95b-5eba-b3e8-a3b42271db71)
London—September1815
‘Will you marry me?’
Olivia said the words aloud, thrilled by the way they flowed. She tried it a different way. ‘Lady Olivia, will you marry me?’
Oh, that sounds wonderful! She grinned at herself in the bedroom mirror, glad no one was present to witness her giddy foolishness.
Perhaps he would kiss her instead. She dearly hoped so. Thoughts of kissing him had been uppermost in her mind for many weeks. Her heart skipped as she imagined the sensation of his strong, handsome face approaching hers, his lips on her lips, his arms wrapped around her. She closed her eyes, savouring the image. Oh, how wonderful it would be! Could it happen? Perhaps all this time he had been developing warm feelings for her, too. He might say ‘Lady Olivia, I love you. Ardently, truly, deeply. Will you marry me?’
And she would reply Yes. Of course she would. She wanted nothing more than to be his wife. Now, should she offer a shy yes, or an enthusiastic one, or perhaps a coquettish one?
Honestly, at this point, she cared not. The important thing was that she adored him and he had said it was important that he speak with her. He had said so, in that solemn way of his, and so she had agreed to meet him in the garden after nuncheon.
Quite when she had fallen in love with Jem Ford, she was not certain. Was it the first time she had seen his crooked smile, the day they had met? He had been carried into the Fanton townhouse by two of the footmen, the leg injury he had sustained at Waterloo still healing. Having made the long and tiring journey from France, he had then faced the entire Fanton family who were waiting to greet him, including the Earl of Shalford, Olivia’s eldest brother—an ordeal for any stranger. But how much harder must it have been for him? Olivia reflected. Unable to walk, exhausted and clearly feeling uncomfortable about the number of people waiting to receive him, he had nevertheless behaved impeccably. He had thanked his commanding officer, Olivia’s other brother Harry, for the invitation, but insisted he would remove to a hotel on the morrow.
Harry, of course, was having none of it. ‘Having resigned from the Army, I am your Captain no longer,’ he had said, ‘and so I cannot command you. But I do hope you will stay with us until you are recovered.’ They had agreed to discuss the matter later, but even then—having known him for all of two minutes—Olivia had been conscious of a strong wish within herself for him to stay.
She had looked at him closely, noting the dust of travel on his clothes and the lines of pain and tiredness etched on his face, yet her thought had been, ‘My! How handsome he is!’ Surely the beginnings of love had sprung into life in that moment? Like a trickle of water on a hillside in spring, it had begun almost silently. But, during the months of his convalescence, as she had spent more and more time with him, the trickle had grown slowly and steadily, until now a flood of love for him consumed her. He was her first thought in the morning and her last at night. She lived for the times they spent together, especially the precious moments when they were occasionally alone.
He had been ever the gentleman, but she hoped he might love her the way she loved him. She had sometimes sensed something from the expression in his eyes. There was also, she reminded herself, the fact that he sought her out and seemed genuinely interested in all of her thoughts and feelings. There was hope!
And now, he wished to speak to her. Alone.
Heart pounding, she made her way downstairs, through the townhouse and out to the garden beyond. And there he was! Seated on the usual bench, waiting for her. No stick today, she noticed automatically. It had been over a week since he had used the stick to aid with his walking. His crutches had been dispensed with over three weeks ago and it was wonderful to see him healed further.
She smiled instinctively, gladness sweeping through her just on seeing him. Her eyes swept over him, noting the polished boots, the well-tailored breeches clinging to his muscular thighs, the smart military coat that suited him so well. How handsome he looked in his uniform! This was only the second time she had seen him fully attired in his dashing regimentals. She strongly approved.
Her eyes scanned upwards to his beloved face. No smile. He looked serious, grave, solemn. Of course he did! This was an important moment.
They exchanged greetings and he invited her to sit next to him. She did so, all the while her mind racing in anticipation of what he would do and say next.
‘Lady Olivia,’ he began, his deep blue eyes trapping hers. ‘I wanted to see you as there is something important I must say to you.’
She nodded. She was not normally tongue-tied, but the enormity of the moment had taken from her the power of speech.
‘I am lately returned from Horse Guards Parade. As you know, I was also there two days ago, to report my leg is now fully healed.’ Olivia frowned—this was unexpected. ‘I returned today, to some surprising news.’ He paused, seemed to gather himself, then resumed. ‘I am to be posted to Australia.’
‘Australia?’ What on earth was he talking about? He couldn’t possibly be going to Australia! ‘For how long?’
‘For at least two years.’ He looked pale, she noticed absently, even as she felt the blood draining from her own face.
‘Two years?’ She echoed him mechanically, barely able to take it in.
‘At least. In reality I am likely to be gone for longer. I am transferring to the Forty-Eighth and am promoted to Lieutenant.’
‘Lieutenant?’ She swallowed. ‘But that is wonderful news! And well deserved. But—must it be Australia?’
