Somerville Farce
Authors: Kasey Michaels
Tags: #romantic comedy, #regency romance, #alphabet regency romance
The Somerville Farce
writing as Michelle Kasey
To Nora Roberts, who understands me— and says she
likes me anyway.
Electronic Edition Copyright
201
2
: Kathryn A.
Seidick
Published by Kathryn A. Seidick at Smashwords,
2012
Cover art by Tammy Seidick
Design,
www.tammyseidickdesign.com
E-Book design by
A Thirsty
Mind
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may
be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photography, recording or any
information storage and retrieval system without written permission
of the author.
Originally published
19
91
Table of Contents
“Alphabet Regency” Classics
Now Available:
The Tenacious Miss Tamerlane
The Playful Lady Penelope
The Haunted Miss Hampshire
The Belligerent Miss Boynton
The Lurid Lady Lockport
The Rambunctious Lady Royston
The Mischievous Miss Murphy
Moonlight Masquerade
A Difficult Disguise
The Savage Miss Saxon
The Ninth Miss Noddenly, a novella
The Somerville Farce
The Wagered Miss Winslow
The Lurid Lady Lockport
...Romance
Writers of America RITA winner for Best Regency of the Year
“Ms. Michaels writes with a crisp economy of style
that never, ever drags... I don’t know how she dreams up winner
after winner: I just know I’m deeply grateful she does.” Jane
Bowers, — —
Romance Reviews Today
“A romance treasure.”—
Romantic Times
O
nce upon a time in
Mayfair, an insular district snuggled within the confines of
London, a mystical place where footmen dressed like lords, where
virtue was not its own reward, and a man’s wit was measured by the
height of his bank account and the depth of his ancestors, there
resided—much against his inclination and only for as long as he
deemed necessary—a wealthy, handsome peer of the realm christened
Henry Lyle Augustus Townsend.
This gentleman, who had three years
previously ascended to the lofty station of Duke of Glynde, was
known to his contemporaries as your grace, or sir, or, simply,
Glynde, while being referred to by his entirely unimpressed family
and cronies by the grand old English name of Harry, or Good Old
Harry, depending on the relative and Good Old Harry’s mood.
Accompanying Harry to Mayfair, or more
precisely, to the Glynde mansion in Portman Square, was his baby
brother, William. Lord William, or Willie, as he was called, was a
fuzzy-cheeked, yellow-haired, life-loving green sapling whose years
numbered three months shy of twenty.
This last was not a fact with which Harry,
who himself had reached the ancient age of thirty-three, was overly
impressed, considering Willie’s tender years to have removed his
brother no more than a single step from the nursery.
In point of fact, if Harry were to have had
his druthers—and considering the hey-go-mad bent of brother Willie,
Harry’s reluctance could be understood—the young lord would have
been left behind at Glyndevaron, stoutly tied to a bedpost by his
leading strings.
Accompanying Lord William, who had
accompanied the duke, was a close neighbor left with the Townsends
while his parents attended a house party as far from their only son
as they could manage. This youth was one Mr. Andrew Carlisle, of
like age and inclination as Willie; a dark-haired,
sallow-complexioned, rail-thin youth who had the face and figure of
a devout, impoverished assistant rector—and the heart of a
dedicated prankster.
The remainder of the troupe that descended
on the mansion in Portman Square included, most notably, one aunt,
Lady Amelia by name—the late duke’s sister. The poor lady had been
married to a terribly common man by the name of Lester Fauntleroy
who, instead of having the good grace to expire, leaving her a
pitiable widow, had run off twenty years previously, taking a
majority of Aunt Amelia’s jewelry and her lady’s maid with him, to
live to this day in relative luxury in Jamaica. Since her sad
experience, Aunt Amelia had devoted herself to the well-being of
her brother’s offspring, and would not have thought of remaining
behind while Harry went to town.
Also in the train were the Townsend family
cook, Angelo, who was Italian, a qualification that also described
him, and Pinch, the treasured old family retainer—in this case, the
treasured family majordomo.