Miss Rebecca's Rebellious Viscount

A sweet regency romp filled with grumpy sunshine goodness...

All Miss Rebecca ever wanted was a proper Season in London. Now the time has finally come, and she's not going to let anyone ruin it. Definitely not her sister's new brother-in-law, the surly Viscount.

He seems to think it's his duty to look out for her, and he refuses to let her out of his sight. Which is most inconvenient. And not just because she's hoping to learn what all the fuss is about when it comes to stolen kisses.

No, the lively debutante has another agenda during the Season. And that's to track down her missing mother and uncover the secrets she's hiding.

But those secrets are more dangerous than she suspects, and suddenly the Viscount's hovering proves rather useful. A bodyguard might just be exactly what she needs.

But the more she wears down his aloof manners, the more clear it becomes that he's not as coldhearted as she'd believed. In fact, the way he makes her feel when he holds her in his arms is anything but cold.

But does he feel the same? And will she survive this adventure long enough to find out?

The trouble with being an optimist was that one was often mistaken for a fool. 

“Try this one, dear,” Miss Juliet Eversaw said, holding out a gorgeous green gown in Rebecca’s direction. 

There were moments, however, when being mistaken for a simpleton was rather a boon, Rebecca decided. At the Earl of Elmwood’s estate, it seemed outright fortuitous. 

Rebecca reached for the gown with a gasp of pleasure and ignored the look Juliet shared with her friend Grace. It was filled with pity. A look of condescension that they believed she did not notice.

Rebecca noticed. She merely chose not to care. 

It had become clear on her very first day here at the grand country estate that while Juliet and her friends looked down upon her for not being a member of the ton, they also decided to spoil her.

Rebecca had decided to allow it. 

After all, what was the harm? It was true that they were rather patronizing. She’d overheard them gossiping about herself and her sisters on more than one occasion. And it was clear they did not have much regard for her intellect or her prospects as one of five daughters of a not-terribly-well-connected naval captain. But she was stuck here at this house party so she could either be friendly or not, and Rebecca was friendly by nature.

“Oh, yes,” Juliet’s friend Grace gushed as she came to Rebecca’s side to admire the gown. “That will complement your eyes perfectly.”

Rebecca’s smile of delight wasn’t the least bit feigned. 

She wasn’t a simpleton, but she did thoroughly enjoy simple pleasures. “Do you think so?”

“Of course it will,” Juliet said. Her blonde curls bounced with her haughty sniff. “I am never wrong about these things.”

Rebecca was certain that was true. Juliet was very clearly an expert when it came to fashion, and she was considered to be a diamond of the first water amongst the ton.

Unlike her sisters who were happy to ignore the happenings of high society as they went about their daily life in their little seaside town of Billingham, Rebecca actually enjoyed hearing the gossip when visitors came to town. She’d even managed to snag a scandal sheet or two over the past few months leading up to this grand adventure at the Earl of Elwood’s estate.

Well, perhaps grand adventure was putting too strong a point on it. It was more like a diplomatic foray into the unknown. Her sister Sally had been summoned by the earl himself to act as a nursemaid of sorts. She was well-trained in medicine, and from what Rebecca could tell, the elderly man was determined to be ill.

The only reason Rebecca was here, however, was to act as her sister’s companion. In Rebecca’s opinion, she was doing a decidedly wonderful job. She held the gown up beneath her chin and regarded her reflection in the mirror. Her new friends oohed and aahed, and her smile broadened. “Are you certain you won’t mind if I wear it?” she asked Juliet.

The statuesque blonde gave a magnanimous wave of her hand. “I’ve worn it once already,” she said. “You may as well get some use out of it.”

Rebecca’s grin never faltered. She knew her sisters would have resented being treated as charity, particularly Minerva and Sally, but she had no such objections. After all, they were not a particularly wealthy family, and they would likely never be fully accepted into good society. If running into their mother the day before had accomplished anything, it was to drive home just how irregular their family truly was.

Not everyone had a pirate for a mother. 

Thoughts of their mother’s betrayal and abandonment almost managed to detract from her current happy state. Almost. 

Determinedly not thinking about her mother, Rebecca held the dress up higher, letting her free hand smooth over the silk. How often did she have a chance to dress in such fine fabric? And to wear a gown such as this to her very first ball, no less.

Well, her first real ball. 

Juliet seemed to be reading her mind. “Tell me, Rebecca. Have you ever been to a ball?”

Rebecca’s smile didn’t falter, though she did itch to point out to the other woman that they were the same age and she was not, in fact, a child. “Of course I have.”

Just not one outside of their little seaside town of Billingham, that was all. And never one with such an impressive guest list. Most of the balls she’d attended were ones she’d helped to host at the fort for the young officers under her father’s command. Tonight’s fete was something new entirely, and she assumed that went without saying. 

But she knew that even if it went without saying, they expected her to say it anyway. “I am so very grateful for this opportunity,” she said.

Now that had her two new friends smiling at her with a mutual air of smug approval. 

That was fine by Rebecca. She supposed they had every right to smile at her as though she were some poor country bumpkin—since that was what she was. The daughter of a naval captain was out of her element indeed at this house party. And the daughter of a pirate?

Well, if that information ever came to light, she’d not just be out of her element. She suspected she’d be out on her behind faster than the earl could say ‘you’re not welcome.’

But no one here knew about their mother. She and her sister Sally were merely being judged on their father and his unusual parenting techniques. And while her father’s insistence on raising his daughters to be well educated and useful might have helped to make her seem irregular as well as unconnected and unwealthy, Rebecca didn’t mind not fitting in with this lot. Not in the least. 

“And what will you be wearing, Juliet?” she asked.

Juliet pulled out a gown of breathtaking iridescent blue.

“How beautiful,” Rebecca sighed.

“You’ll cause quite a sensation in that gown,” Grace added. 

Juliet’s chin rose, a smug smile tugging at her lips. “Do you think so?”

“Of course,” Rebecca said. 

“Just wait until the earl’s son sees you in this.” Grace’s tone held impish delight, but Rebecca stilled. 

Her sister’s attachment to the second son might have been ill-advised but Rebecca wouldn’t see her hurt for all the world. And the thought of Sebastian throwing over her sister for a frivolous snob like Juliet... It did not sit well. “You’ve set your cap on Sebastian?” She tried to keep her tone light.

“Sebastian?” Juliet sniffed. “He’s charming enough, but I have my sights set a bit higher.”

She and Grace exchanged a knowing look and a giggle.

Rebecca’s brows drew together in confusion. 

Grace noticed and answered her unspoken question. “The eldest son has returned.”

“Oh yes.” She let out a breath of relief. “I’d forgotten. He arrived yesterday, did he not?”

Juliet was fussing with her locks as she eyed her reflection. “Indeed. He joined us for supper last night. But then...” She looked over. “You and your sister weren’t in attendance.”

There was a question there, but Rebecca refused to acknowledge it. Let them believe that the old earl hadn’t invited them to dine with the other guests on the grand arrival of the eldest son. What did she care? It was better they think she and Sally had been excluded than to risk anyone knowing that the reason they’d declined to join the others was because they’d still been reeling from a run-in with their mother. 

Their mother...the pirate.

She shook her head to rid herself of the thought. It still seemed just as ludicrous today as it had last night. “I’d best return to my rooms if I’m to be ready in time for the festivities,” she said brightly. 

The other girls smiled at her. Their silence was a dead giveaway that they were just waiting for her to leave before they began talking about her. She left the room and paused with the door open a crack behind her. And sure enough...

“Did you see the way her eyes lit up?” Juliet tsked. “Poor dear. She’s probably never seen a gown so fine.”

Rebecca pressed her lips together to hold back a giggle. Truly, the way these people spoke, one would think she and Sally were orphans they’d rescued from a hovel, not gently bred young ladies who’d been raised by a well-respected naval captain. 

“It was so very kind of you to lend her a gown, Juliet,” Grace said.

“Well, we couldn’t have her showing up in one of her own, now could we?” Laughter laced Juliet’s voice. “Their father really ought to have sent them with a decent wardrobe. Poor dears.”

Rebecca rolled her eyes, smothering a laugh as she strode toward her own rooms that she shared with her sister. She made a mental note of the way Juliet said ‘poor dears’ so she could do a proper imitation later to make Sally laugh. 

Heaven knew Sally could use a good laugh tonight. Rebecca bit her lip as she hurried toward her rooms to help Sally dress. Her wonderful, intelligent, and utterly practical sister had gone and done what not even a romantic like Rebecca would dare—she’d fallen in love with an earl’s son. Not that she’d admitted as much to Rebecca, but she didn’t have to. It was painfully clear that Sally had lost her heart to the kind and charming second son.

“Poor dear,” she murmured, choking on a rueful laugh as she realized she’d just unwittingly repeated Juliet.

But truly, her sister did have all her sympathy. 

It was ironic, really. Sally and the rest of their family had all been so worried that Rebecca would lose her head while at this house party. Everyone had been terrified that one nice gesture from some eligible gentleman and she’d get ideas. That was what they called it. Getting ideas. She tsked as she slipped into the rooms to find that Sally hadn’t even arrived yet. 

To think, all that worry and it was Sally who’d gone and fallen for the earl’s son.

Rebecca would be far more worried about her sister if she hadn’t seen the way Sebastian looked at Sally. Perhaps Rebecca truly was the worst sort of romantic, but she suspected those two would find their way to one another in the end if they only gave themselves a chance. 

“Ah, there you are,” Rebecca called when her sister entered.

Her heart sank at the sight of Sally looking so pale and distraught. She went over and hugged her older sister, but she didn’t pry. She knew better than to pry with Sally. Her quiet sister would open up to her if and when she was ready. And in the meantime... “Come,” she said. “Let’s make you so beautiful that the entire ballroom forgets to mention our horrid manners and irregular upbringing.”

She was rewarded by a little laugh. Not much, but she’d take it. Rebecca and their maid did exactly what she’d said she’d do and then sent her off so she could get ready herself. 

She’d only just finished fixing the last of her curls into a coif atop her head when a servant brought a message. She frowned down at the folded piece of parchment. She didn’t recognize the handwriting, but there was only one person who it could be from. 

Her mother.