Free Rhonda Woodward by Moonlightand Mischief Page B

earl and his housekeeper referred to her in such awed and respectful tones.
    “Alice was a fascinating, tenacious lady,” the earl began, as everyone turned to listen to him. “As the fifth daughter of a poor knight, Alice had few prospects of bettering her circumstances.”
    “ ’Tis her poor father you should feel sorry for. What a chore to find husbands for five daughters,” Lord Stothart offered with a guffaw.
    “Actually, there were seven daughters,” the earl explained with a chuckle, gazing up at the portrait affectionately.
    “I would hate to have so many sisters. How did she ever rise to such glorious heights?” Lady Walgrave asked the earl.
    “The true making of Alice began when she somehow managed an invitation to Queen Elizabeth’s court. Alice had no dowry to speak of, but she was a fetching little thing with a keen intelligence. She had the good fortune to become the bosom bow of the redoubtable Bess of Hardwick and spent her time at court very wisely. Bess shared her knowledge of politics, the law, and how to avoid palace intrigue. Alice caught the attention of Robert Morley. Robert was a relation of the Cavendishes and much favored by the queen. Robert and Alice married after a very brief courtship, and she cleverly aided Robert’s rise in power at court. Alice had just as good a mind for business as Bess, and I am sure she would be just as well known as the famed Countess of Hardwick if she had had as many husbands.” He finished with a wry smile, as everyone laughed.
    Smiling, Mariah turned back to the portrait, marveling at the power this long-dead woman had held. How in the world had she managed it? How surprising and . . . and wonderful that the earl so obviously admired his ancestor, Mariah thought with the oddest catch in her chest. Her own papa, as kind as he was, would no doubt show nothing but disdain at the idea that a mere woman could have a good head for managing money.
    “Did she only care for business matters?” she asked, still gazing up at the portrait.
    “Indeed not,” the earl said, stepping to her side as some of the others moved on to other objects of interest.
    “Alice was fond of dancing and playing the harp,” he explained. “She also loved to travel in an era where travel was not as easy as it is now. She adored receiving jewels and wore rather too many at once—thus piquing Queen Elizabeth’s annoyance, for she liked to be the most bejeweled woman at any given occasion.”
    Mariah laughed at the image the earl had conjured. “Then Alice was a brave woman on many fronts.”
    “Yes, a fascinating character altogether. Despite her varied interests, her greatest passion had been the creation of Heaton. From the size of the windows to the stables, Alice oversaw the smallest details. Her husband, Robert, who became the first Baron Morley, soon realized that it was useless to try to withstand her desires. As I wander the rooms, I often think that he was right in letting her have her way.”
    “Indeed.” Mariah gazed up at the fan-beamed ceiling, then around the well-designed mahogany-paneled room. “I have rarely encountered a more beautiful, perfectly appointed house.”
    “Thank you.” The earl bowed slightly. “Over the years I have read and reread her diaries. Alice has taught me much of the intricacies of life. Because she was quite educated for a woman of her era, she knew there could be more to our existence than struggle and strife. She longed for beauty and had the indomitable courage and intelligence to go out and create what she desired.”
    At the deep, unexpected inflection of love and admiration in the earl’s voice, Mariah felt a swift rush of emotion well up in her chest. Going over what the earl had just said, she continued to stare at the woman in the portrait.
    Suddenly a keen longing rose from the deepest recesses of her soul. A yearning for a different life than the one she saw before her. She closed her eyes for a moment against the