Hello, my lovelies, and thanks for dropping by for not only First Kiss Friday but also it’s release day for Love’s Perilous Road with the Bluestocking Belles!

My story, Falling Into You, begins with Lady Josephine Cranfield moving on with her life after Milton Sutton, Earl of Langley broke her heart over a year ago. He’s back to make amends and hopefully win the lady back. And if their names sound familiar, then I’m a happy author. These two characters were featured in some of my other stories with the Belles!

Also, the Belles and our contributing guest authors are having a release party today from 12-3:30 pm EDT in our street team The Belles Brigade. Join the fun here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/BellesBrigade

I hope you enjoy this excerpt! Happy reading.

Excerpt:

Knowing how much Philip was a stickler for being punctual, she hurried down the rest of the hallway, down the stairway, and made her way toward the front parlor. She began speaking before she even entered the room.

“You’re very early, Philip. Is something wrong?” she declared before she came to a sudden halt. She took hold of the doorframe to steady herself when she witnessed the gentleman standing near the window, afraid that her knees might buckle.

He turned to face her with the sun streaming through the glass to make him appear almost angelic. She drank in the sight of him as though she was dying of thirst. The cut of his suit and waistcoat was immaculate. His dark brown hair streaked with lighter shades was neatly combed into place and touched the edges of his coat. His skin appeared tanned from time spent in the sun, and he appeared far more muscular than she remembered. His linen shirt seemed to stretch across his muscled chest, while his blue eyes seemingly danced in delight to see her. She just might swoon.

“Hello, Josephine,” he said, giving her a bow. The old memory of his husky baritone branded her heart with sorrow, as all the old hurt came rushing back to the surface.

“Milton…” she began, attempting to find her voice. “I wasn’t expecting you.”

“I know this is highly irregular, but I had to see you,” he said, stepping forward.

“Why?” she gasped out as her knees began to shake, and she had the overwhelming need to sit down.

The sound of the tea trolley being rolled through the hallway gave her the moment she needed to clear her head and compose herself. She went into the room and sat in a chair near the hearth, knowing that to sit on the couch would allow him to be far too close. Once the servant put the trolley near at hand, she poured tea into two cups and offered him one as he took the opposite chair. He reached for the one she held out for him, and when their fingers touched, a zing of emotion overcame her. It wasn’t fair he could still have such an effect on her after all this time. It wasn’t fair at all!

He continued to stare at her, searching her face for some sign of… what? That she was still in love with him? She couldn’t be certain, but what did it matter if she still cared for this man? He was her past, and Philip was her future.

“You were one of the first people I wanted to see upon my return,” he confessed, setting down his tea without taking a sip.

“Oh? And who was the first?” she said in a snippy tone.

A slight chuckle left those lips she remembered all too well, having kissed them a dozen times or more. “Your brother,” he finally answered.

“I see. Considering your friendship all your lives, I can see how you might have missed him.”

“And you.”

She raised a brow at his admission. “I don’t see why you’d have missed me, Milton. After all, it was you who ended our association.”

A heavy sigh left him. “I was hoping with time you would understand why I had to leave.”

She gave a shrug. “I did, after months of self-pity,” she admitted before continuing. “But I have moved on with my life as you, yourself, suggested. I assumed you would do the same.”

A frown now marred his brow. “Yes. I heard about the possibility of your engagement.”

“Weren’t you the one who told me to find another for a husband?” Her sharp retort brought back every she had thought was buried deep down in her soul. She wasn’t certain how much more of this conversation she could endure.

“I know what I said, Josephine. That doesn’t mean I didn’t still care for you. I still do,” he replied quietly.

She nodded, trying to remain indifferent to what she was currently feeling. Her heart was racing with Milton being this close. She closed her eyes briefly, before opening them to stare at the man who once owned her heart.

“Yes. Well… I suppose, considering you are my brother’s beloved friend, it would only be natural to ensure that you and I would be able to see one another without any animosity between us. I can assure you that I will treat you as I always have at any other time in our past.”

“That’s not why I came here today, Josephine.”

It was her turn to let out a heavy sigh. “Then why exactly are you here, Milton?”

“I was hoping I wasn’t too late.”

“Too late for what?” she asked with her heart hammering inside her chest.

He stood and began to pace in front of her, before he stopped to kneel down before her. Shocked, he took her hands in his, while her heart betrayed her yet again.

“I was hoping you would forgive me and give us a second chance.” He appeared to search her face, and for an instant she almost gave in to what every fiber of her being was telling her. She was still in love with Milton Sutton, Earl of Langley.

She shook her head and pulled her hands from his, causing him to rise again to his feet. She stood as well, but went toward the window to put some distance between them. When she turned to face him, she had resolved the matter inside her head.

“You cannot just show up here after being gone a year to disrupt my life again,” Josephine began, keeping her voice calm and even. She held up her hand to halt whatever he was about to say. “The course of my life is now set. I suggest you also move on with yours.”

“I came to make amends,” he declared, stepping toward her. “I never meant to hurt you, Josie. I’m so sorry.”

She choked back a gasp at hearing the nickname he called her in their youth. “I forgave you a long time ago, Milton, but that doesn’t mean you can just step back into my life as if you never left.”

“I promise to make it up to you,” he said, taking her hands again when he reached her side. He brought her fingertips to his lips to kiss them.

Once again, she pulled out of his reach, and disappointment flashed across his features. “There is nothing to make up. Whatever was between us is long since over.” She huffed in annoyance that her words rang false. His next words proved to her that he knew all too clearly how she still felt about him.

“I can see for myself you still care for me, Josie. Won’t you allow me to court you again and prove to you how much you mean to me?”

“What part of this conversation are you not hearing? I have moved on with my life.”

Unexpectedly, he pulled her into his arms and held her close. “Your pupils are dilated, and I can see the pulse at your neck is beating far too rapidly to be anything else but excited at the prospect of what could still be between us.”

A growl of outrage left her lips, and she stomped on his foot. He immediately released her, and she stepped away from him, knowing she had probably hurt her own foot more than any damage she might have done to his.

“You pompous arse!” she said. “There is no us nor will there ever be again. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get ready to go out for the evening.” She went around him and stood in the doorway to the room waiting for him to leave.

“I understand you are heading to Brighton soon. I’ll plan to follow you there,” Milton replied with a knowing look.

“Richard talks too much,” she said with pressed lips.

He gave a chuckle, before taking one finger and sliding it down her cheek in a gentle caress. “I think he has high hopes that I can convince you to love me again.”

“When hell freezes over, Milton,” she managed to say, as she listened to him laugh.

“I look forward to the challenge of proving my worth, my dear. I’ll see you in Brighton,” he said, before he quickly kissed her lips and left her standing there, dumbfounded.

Once she heard the front door close, her knees buckled and she slowly slid down the frame of the door. She raised her fingers to touch her lips where it seemed as though Milton had branded her as his. It took her several minutes before her composure was restored and she rose from the floor. Milton’s overconfidence might be his undoing, and yet there was a small part of her that thought she might enjoy watching Milton grovel at her feet.

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Love’s Perilous Road: A Bluestocking Belles Collection with Friends
Available Now in eBook and paperback!

Falling Into You
By Sherry Ewing

Sometimes a memory is hard to forget…

Milton Sutton, Earl of Langley has one regret in life… that he left behind a lady that owned his heart in order to take over his father’s businesses to prevent bankruptcy. One year later, he has a second chance to win her back but is he too late?

Lady Josephine Cranfield is determined to move on with her life after her heart was broken by the love of her life. But her feelings for Milton awaken upon his return and his eagerness to pick up where they left off only makes her resolved to forget him.

Can Milton and Josephine find a way back to one another or will someone else find his way into Josephine’s heart?

Learn more about Love’s Perilous Road and find the buy links on the Bluestocking Belles’ website at https://bluestockingbelles.net/belles-joint-projects/loves-perilous-road/