A Victorian New York Romance
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Authors: Celeste Rane
A Victorian New York Romance
CELESTE RANE
Copyright © 2015
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LEGAL NOTICE, AND DISCLAIMER
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be
reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written
permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book
review or scholarly journal.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters,
businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the
author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual
persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
This
work of fiction is meant for mature audiences over the age of 18 years old.
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Rane, please take the time to experience other romance novels in the catalog.
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Historical Romance
Lust Series
STEPBROTHER - Blackmail to Lust
Book 1
STEPBROTHER
– Blackmail to Lust Book 2
Lust Fulfillment – Reclaiming Love
Paranormal Romance
A Victorian New York Romance
Margaret Trumown was excited to arrive in New York for the
winter holiday after what she had been through in St. Louis. Now after a
devastating engagement that ended and ruined her chances of a good marriage,
she was with her prominent aunt in a well to do part of Manhattan. She expected
a good winter get away and to marvel at the lights of the modern city in the
year 1908, however what really happened was more than she ever thought
possible.
After a bold and gorgeous
gentleman, Bailey Wilcox comes up to her at the theatre and makes sensual
statements to her, she is sure that he must be scoundrel. However he turns out
to be her neighbor. He tricks her aunt into letting Margaret on a New York
carriage ride that changes everything between them and threatens to ruin
Margaret forever, that is unless Bailey Wilcox does his duty as a gentleman. It
is something that Margaret doubts because she has already been through one
engagement that had ended in disaster and she is not one to believe the empty
promises of men. She knows that her wantonness has put her into this mess, but
she is a lustful woman that has no control over own desires.
The loud snow
crunched under the carriage wheels as it drove on the busy cobblestone streets.
The sun was setting and I was with my chaperone Aunt Matilda Swanson. She was
talking about something that I could not really pay attention to as she seldom
required a response. She would just ramble and I would nod my head every now
and then. I sat there in a gorgeous dark emerald green dress with embroidery
and glass beads with a large feathered bouquet in my hair. I was dressed
appropriately for a night at the theatre. We would be attending the opera,
sharing a theatre box with Aunt Matilda’s new neighbors who I had not met yet
as I had only moved in with her a week prior from St. Louis.
“Margaret,
sit up straight. You slouch. No proper woman slouches,” she slapped me on the
leg.
My back shot
up straight as an arrow.
“Sorry Aunt
Matilda,” I said.
The year was
1908 and I was still getting used to the illumination of the city at night. I
had moved from St. Louis and that city had yet to catch up with the
installation of electricity and the new streetlights. They hypnotized me.
The carriage
pulled up to the large theatre and waited in line. We were not to step out
until directly in front of the door. Finally a footman opened our door and we
stepped out. It was bustling with elegant men and women and the gowns and top
hats were gorgeous. I smiled at it all and took a deep breath. My aunt took my
arm and we walked inside.
First we went
to the refreshment room. I accepted a glass of champagne only after getting
approval from my aunt. She immediately started talking to her peers and I was
left alone to stand behind her. It was okay because I didn’t like the
attention.
I was placing the rim of the delicate glass in my mouth,
when I felt like I was being watched. I froze. I looked around and only a few
feet away was the most gorgeous man I had ever seen. Our eyes locked. He was
wearing a dark well-fitted tuxedo and looked mischievous.
His eyes were almost piercing through me. They were blue and
he narrowed them as he looked at me up and down. He was tall with dark hair,
and he was slow and calculated as he walked over to me. I still held the glass
in my hand, and I was still frozen. I felt like prey to a tiger. I couldn’t
believe he was coming over to me. The audacity of him was inappropriate. Though
I couldn’t move away.
“Are you enjoying that?” he asked.
“Yes.” I said uncomfortably knowing all to well what he
meant.
He gestured at my hand, “May I?”
“Yes.”
I placed my hand in his and he bowed over it and said, “I’m
Mr. Bailey Wilcox.”
“Ms.
Tramown
.”
“That champagne must be delicious, the way you were drinking
it. Like you were really enjoying it,” he said.
“You watched me?”
His face lit up with a big smile, and then he laughed a
little.
“I really couldn’t help myself.”
I was stunned. This guy was obviously naughty and just put
it all right up front.
No beating
around the bush. It was appalling! Yet, my body was responding to him. I had
never been talked to this way.
“Are all gentlemen in New York like you? Complete honesty?
You just blurt out what you’re thinking?”
There was a long pause. I stared at him. Looking into his
sparkling dark eyes and at his full lips. I already wanted to lean in and kiss
him. I steadied myself, what was wrong with me?
“I see. You are new to New York society. This is why I have
not seen you before. I would have remembered you.”
“And I should not be talking to you. We have not been
introduced,” I said as I left his side and returned to my aunt’s side.
A few moments later we were sitting in our theatre box. My
aunt looked around and said, “Where are the Wilcox’s? They are the ones that
offered this theatre box and they assured me they would be here.”
I froze. Did she say Wilcox? That was the gorgeous
gentleman’s name. I felt a flush come over me.
“Oh Mrs. Swanson! So good of you to come! How do you like
the seats?” a voice said.
I turned to see Bailey Wilcox hovering over my aunt. I was
mortified.
“Mr. Wilcox, thank you. It was a neighborly thing for you to
do. This is my niece visiting me from St. Louis Ms.
Margart
Tramown
.”
“A pleasure,” he said as he grabbed my hand and kissed it.
He gave me a knowing flirtatious look.
“She has not seen much of New York yet as my ailments have been
acting up,” my aunt said.
“Oh, well I have taking my cousin Larissa
Marisse
for a carriage ride tomorrow to see all the sights.
Ms.
Tramown
is welcome to join us,” he said to my
aunt.
“Oh yes that will be delightful! Thank you sir. First the
theatre and now this, you are too kind. As long as another female, your cousin
is with you it shall be acceptable,” she said.
“Very well, I will call at noon Ms.
Tramown
.”
Bailey looked at me and winked. He was up to something I
could tell. He was a scoundrel and I kind of liked it. The lights lowered and
the performance started.
Later that night in bed, I thought about the man Bailey
Wilcox. I had been so turned on by him. I wanted him. He was gorgeous. Back in
St. Louis I had become involved in scandal when I ran off with my beau. We
were forced to become engaged
after that, however the
engagement was now off. However I was not a virgin like most women, partly why
I had to come to New York.
The next day I tried on every dress I had for an outing. I
finally settled on a blue silk day dress and parasol.
Right at noon the
door
bell
rang. I ran to it. I opened it to see a valet standing there.
“A carriage for Ms.
Tramown
for
Mr. Wilcox,” he said.
I looked out the door and saw the carriage. Well, we were
neighbors so there was no point in formalities. I yelled out, “Aunt I’m off
with Mr. Wilcox and his cousin!”
“Very well dear!”
She yelled back. The valet opened the door and I climbed in.
The carriage was empty. Where was everyone? I waited a good five minutes in the
cold! Then the door opened and Bailey stepped in.
“Ms.
Tramown
so glad you can make
it,” he said as he hit the top of his carriage with his walking stick.
The carriage jolted forward and we were off.
“Wait! Where’s your cousin? Ms. Larissa?”
“I have no cousin,” he winked.
I gasped. “You scoundrel! How dare you?”
“Very well, do you want to go back home or do you want to
continue our ride through Central Park and New York to see the Christmas
trees?”
I was silent. Then I finally agreed.
“I suppose since we are already going.”
Later, we were standing in front of a grand Christmas tree
in the lobby of the grand museum.
“It’s
beautiful!” I said as I went in for a closer look. There were all sorts of
animal decorations, from turtles to zebras. They were made of the most delicate
paper. Some of them were shiny and others were a matte paper, but they were all
expertly done.
“There must
be hundreds of them,” I said in awe.
“About five
hundred,” he said, and then added. “So you like it?”
“Like? I love
it. It’s absolutely fascinating. Thank you,” I said staring deeply into his
grey, but now more blue colored, eyes.
“Good than I
am off to a good start,” he said.
“It’s the
best Christmas tree I’ve ever seen. Does that make you happy?” I flirtatiously
said.
“Yes, it
does. Come on let’s go to my office,” he said as he walked off further into the
museum.
“Office?”
“Yes, I work
here,” He said as he walked backwards a few steps to deliver that information
to me.
I was
pleasantly surprised. He definitely looked the part. I immediately got excited.
I wanted him now more than when I first laid eyes on him. I scurried after him
to catch up. As I placed myself along side of him at his pace of walking he
made a cute side glance at me and smiled. My heart melted.
We arrived at
a door that was labeled “museum staff only.” He used a key
to unlock the door and we stepped into a
quiet long hallway.
“This way.”
“Where are
you taking me?” I said playfully.
He laughed
and said, “I swear, it’s just my office. I know it’s a bit creepy in here cause
it’s a massive place. But trust me.”
I laughed
too. But I did trust him. For some reason, it felt like we had known each other
forever even though we had only just met. Then we came to a vast staircase. We
climbed two or three flights and finally came to a hallway with people about
and offices. He showed me into his office. As soon as I stepped in I
immediately fell in love with it. The wood was dark and heavy and a massive
bookshelf full of old books covered an entire wall. There was a heavy oak desk
in the middle of it that had piles of papers and specimens in glass jars. It
was a true scientist’s office. He went over to the large windows and said,
“Come. Have a
look.”
What other
surprise could this gorgeous man have in store for me? I slowly walked over.
When I got to the window I looked down. From this point you could see almost
all of Central Park. I gasped at the sight.
“This is your
view? It’s amazing. You are so lucky.”
“I know. It’s
good right. The whole park lights up at night. I think it could fulfill some of
your Christmas winter wonderland fantasies,” he said as he turned away from the
window.
I looked at
him. Who was this man? Why was he doing so much to please me or make me happy?
It was more than I expected from any stranger. He must have seen the
questioning look in my eyes, because he caught my gaze and held it.
The chemistry between us was so thick it
filled the room.
I wanted to kiss
him right then and there, but that was absurd. I barely knew this man for
thirty minutes or less. What was happening to me?