A March to Marquess | A Regency Romance

Chapter One

The carriage swayed side to side as it bounced down the bumpy dirt road. Isabella shifted uncomfortably in her stays. She could feel the springs in the seat that were worn from the many rides back and forth from their home to London for the season. The motion seemed to have relaxed her father and step-mother into a deep slumber. Her father's mouth open with a symphony of sounds confirmed it. Her step-mother was also sleeping, but was as stern as she always looked.

Isabella wondered just how many rides the family coach had traveled over the years. She would have to ask her father when he woke if he traveled in this carriage for his first season. Maybe this was the seat that her late mother sat on, on the way to her new life. She never did make it back for a second season.

The passing grass was slightly frosted in the late March morning. She ached for their next stop so she could stretch her legs and breathe in fresh air. The sachets that her step-mother had hidden in her corsets were particularly nauseating. They had to be arriving at the next Inn soon. Her stomach seemed to agree in tandem.

With no real way to tell just how much longer they had to go, Isabella picked up her hoop and continued on the needlepoint design to embellish an otherwise plain handkerchief. She had been taught from an early age that idle hands mean an idle mind. Her nursemaid, Heidi, always lectured Isabella on the importance of doing something to show she was an accomplished lady. Normally she would have a book with her, but her step-mother forbade any books from leaving the library. Isabella needed to find a husband, and no husband wants a woman who reads too much.

The carriage slowed to a roll and Isabella could hear chickens and cows outside. There were a few children carrying heavy buckets for their daily chores and women clipping flowers from their front garden. Village life always had a romantic air to it to Isabella. The children didn't have to sit for hours in the attic lecture room with a tutor, having to do arithmetic problems over and over again. She just wanted to be free. She was never allowed to run and roam the family estate ever. These children were able to play.

Isabella disembarked the carriage carefully under unsteady legs. She smoothed the wrinkles out of her plain blue traveling dress and matching pelisse. The dress was a few years old, but that didn't matter. It was meant for traveling, not particularly showing off.

Her father and step-mother emerged from the carriage before her and were already entering the Inn. The team of horses were taken to the stable to be brushed, fed and rested while the family took breakfast. She followed behind her parents and into the Inn.

The Inn smelled of freshly baked bread and tea. Her stomach rolled once again, wondering what time it was. She sat down at the modest table with her father and step-mother where they were brought a small assortment of cold meats and some pastries.

"What a lovely Inn, don't you think Welton?" Her step-mother was the first one to break the silence. "Traveling always reminds me of our tour to Rome after our wedding."

"Yes, my dear. It is a nice Inn." Her father patted her step-mother's hand that she had laid on his forearm as a sign of affection. He was not an overly affectionate man, but he tried his best to satisfy her step-mothers' needs. "Isabella, what do you think of the Inn?"

"It is lovely, father," she replied. "It is a beautiful day this morning. How much longer until we reach town?"

"We should reach town before supper. It will give you and your mother plenty of time to refresh before the courses are served." She squeezed her hands together underneath the table. Every time her father referred to her step-mother as her mother, it made her want to scream

Her father pulled out his watch chain and checked the time. "My dears, let us leave and continue our journey to London."

It wasn't lady-like to sigh, so Isabella politely inclined her head and rose from the table. The trip is almost over, she thought. Soon, she would be able to take a break from being around her father and her step-mother and breathe.