Book Title: THE MAD BARON’S BRIDE
Character Name: Leda Wroth (formerly Caledonia Toplady, formerly Caledonia Hill)
How would you describe your family or your childhood?
I would describe my childhood as idyllic, I suppose, though I certainly had no comparison. My father called himself a gentleman and owned an estate near Cheltenham, in Gloucestershire. I adored my older sister, Emilia. She managed the ladylike accomplishments that so pleased our mother while I, sadly, was ever escaping my governess to romp out of doors, preferably with a book of poetry in hand. I used to pen poems myself and pin them to trees for the fairies to find. Those were innocent days.
What was your greatest talent?
Not poetry, certainly! I have a talent for…hmm. How shall I say this? Resolving thorny, yet delicate personal matters. Dealing with scandal and gossip. Unearthing the truth behind a man’s façade. Discerning whether a woman’s love interest will guard her heart or turn out to betray her. I like to think I set young people on the path to true love, though it’s more often I find myself advising a young woman to harden her heart to someone unworthy or set her cap elsewhere.
Significant other?
Currently? No. Decidedly none. I am happily on the shelf, though I do adore dancing with a man who has some skill at it.
Biggest challenge in relationships?
None, I am happy to say. I was married once, and we did not suit. It has ended, and I do not intend to marry again.
Where do you live?
At No. 14 Crescent Place, Bath. Do come visit when you are in town. My employer, Lady Plume, adores having new friends at her table.
Do you have any enemies?
I believe my husband—former husband’s nephew would not be pleased with me, did he discover my existence. But I’m quite certain he will never look for me.
What do you like about your situation?
Lady Plume is the most amiable of benefactors. I could not wish for a more generous lady to companion. She has loads of interesting acquaintance, she enjoys going out and making calls, and she is far too kind to me with her gifts, in addition to my comfortable salary. I hope she deems I am worth what it takes to keep me.
Do you have children, pets, both, or neither?
I am a quiet widow, and Lady Plume does not appreciate animals in her house. Do I look like I have a child? I would have to be hiding him in the country somewhere, under an assumed name. Next question.
What is your greatest disappointment?
I suppose I ought to say, that my husband died a mere two years into our marriage rather than living the long life he imagined—that seems the conventional sentiment. But in truth, I am not conventional, and my marriage was not a happy one. My one regret is that I no longer am in touch with my sister. She counseled me to obey our parents and marry Bertram Toplady, and I haven’t quite forgiven her for it. I imagine she considers me dead.
What do you do for fun?
Bath is enormously entertaining: there are gardens, assemblies, the theatre, card parties, and dinners, and Lady Plume likes to visit the Pump Room nearly every day to see who has arrived in town. She knows a great many people, and I know more. We are never without amusement. We do have the occasional quiet night at home, and she likes me to play music or read to her. I suppose our life seems very unedifying to some, but I shouldn’t wish to change my circumstances for many more years. Say, about ten.
What is your greatest secret?
Why, I have no secrets, or at least, no interesting ones. I’m afraid I am the most steady and sane woman you are likely to find. Not a bit of the fanciful about me. I am the woman least likely to fall prey to whims or madness.
What keeps you awake at night?
I do have a troubling…dream. I am walking through my house, dark with shadows, and far away I hear the cry of a newborn babe. My shift is stained wet with blood. In his study my husband’s body lies on the rug, murdered, and in my hands is the knife that killed him. I see I’ve frightened you! Well, serves you right for asking such an impertinent question. Nothing keeps me awake at night, sir. I take a valerian tea and sleep the sleep of the just and the innocent. Next question, please.
What is the most pressing problem you have at the moment?
Lady Plume usually leaves the meddling to me, with her blessing, but she has taken the notion into her head that I am the person to governess the motherless daughter of her nephew who has suddenly appeared in town. Why, in the seven years I’ve worked for her, her ladyship has barely mentioned her family, and now this baron appears out of nowhere? I find him entirely suspect, and moreover he seems rather the brooding sort. Very serious, not a trace of humor to him. And there are rumors that his wife ran mad—but we know how often that term is used to describe a woman who demonstrates any independence of mind.
What dream do you have for your future?
Ah, this will seem a strange fancy, and why should I wish for other than I have, when I have so much? But sometimes I imagine my husband had a son who will inherit his estate, rather than his detestable nephew. I imagine the boy is being raised in a country cottage in an idyllic childhood much like my own, with plenty of fresh, open air. I imagine when he is of age, I will help him claim his inheritance and then he, his mother, and our favorite friends will live in that house that was once a horror to me, making a loving and happy home. Ah, I can be whimsical, it would appear, though in all respects I am eminently practical, as her ladyship will tell you.
Why don’t you think that dream will come true for you?
Oh, it’s not every woman is made to mother, is it? Lady Plume is my proof of that. Every so often I do see a couple go on well together and I think, they make it look so pleasant, having one another and their tidy little house and a child of their own, or three. Certainly my sister aspired to nothing more in her life, and she found it. But I am doing very well where I am, and shall continue to do so, once I find a likely governess to send back to Norfolk with this Baron Brancaster. As soon as I can be rid of him, I’ll return to living quietly as I have been, fixing the little problems that come my way, and hoping my uncle’s detestable nephew never finds out I’m still alive.
Ladies Least Likely #4
Leda Wroth is atoning for the crimes of her past in her new life as a lady’s companion, mentor, and fixer for those seeking love. But finding a wife for the Mad Baron is a task that will defeat even clever, capable Leda, for what woman would want a man—titled or not—rumored to have killed his first wife?
Leda will stay in her comfortable establishment in Bath, thank you. Until a ghost comes in search of her—a ghost determined to expose the secrets Leda has kept hidden for eight long years.
Jack Burnham, Baron Brancaster of Holme Hall, isn’t mad—he doesn’t think. But he does need a governess for his daughter, and Leda Wroth seems the woman to help him, even if he suspects she’s running away from something. Even if she raises longings for a life he knows he can’t have.
But how can Jack convince Leda she’s safe with him when Holme Hall holds secrets of its own? For more than one betrayal haunts the windy cliffs of Norfolk where the mad baron’s wife died. And while Jack might try desperately to shield Leda from the mistakes of his own past, he can’t protect her from the ghosts in hers, which are hellbent on taking away everything she’s come to love.
Romance Historical [Oliver-Heber Books, On Sale: August 6, 2024, e-Book, / ]
Misty Urban is a medieval scholar, freelance editor, and college professor who likes to write stories about misbehaving women who find adventure and romance. She holds an MFA and Ph.D. from Cornell University and lives in the Midwest in a little town on a big river.
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