Tag Archives: Regency Romance

One Moment In Time ~ Available for Pre-order!

10 Wednesday Oct 2018

Posted by in 2018, New Releases

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One Moment In Time: A Family of Worth, Book Two
Release Date: October 28, 2018
Special Pre-order price $2.99

I am so pleased to announce that One Moment In Time: A Family of Worth, Book Two is now available for a special pre-order price of just $2.99!

The first manuscript I ever wrote, this story has been a labor of love that my mother has been patiently waiting for me to finally publish. Fun fact: I was winding down the end of this story when characters began popping into my head. A castle on a hill took shape and my Knights of Berwyck series was born!

Be sure you subscribe to my newsletter here to be in the loop once I share a link to get sneak peeks at deleted scenes (there were many).

Join my release day Facebook Party ~ Oct. 28, 2018

I’m also having a Facebook party to celebrate the October 28th release date from 2:00 – 9:00 EDT. Giveaways, guest authors, and a grand prize opportunity for active participants. Join the event here!

Here’s the link to the grand prize opportunity: http://gvwy.io/3hhv77y

Blurb:

One moment in time may be enough, if it lasts forever…

When the man Lady Roselyn Anne Winslow has loved since she was a young girl begins to court her, Roselyn thinks all her dreams have come true… until the dream turns into a nightmare.

Lady Roselyn is everything Edmond Worthington, 9th Duke of Hartford, could ask for in a wife and he is delighted to find she returns his love… until he loses her, not once but twice.

From England’s ballrooms, to Berwyck Castle and a tropical island that is anything but paradise, Edmond and Roselyn face ruthless enemies who will do anything to tear them apart. Can they recover their one moment in time?

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First Kiss Friday with Sherry Ewing

14 Friday Sep 2018

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This novel has been a long time coming and for today’s First Kiss Friday scene, I’m happy to give you an excerpt from my next release that is available for pre-order, One Moment In Time:A Family of Worth, Book Two. In this scene, Lady Roselyn Anne Winslow has been ill and Edmond Worthington, 9th Duke of Hartford has just woken up after falling asleep in Lady Roselyn’s home.  Happy reading and enjoy!

Excerpt:

Edmond opened his eyes and found himself gazing into the face of an angel. Emerald pools, green as the Scottish moors, stared back at him with an expression of wonder. He reached out to lightly caress her cheek just to ensure she was real. She trembled beneath his touch and he thanked God Roselyn had awoken once more.

Swinging his legs down to the floor, he stood and reached for her hands to help her to rise. Her beautiful face wore a confused frown, and without thought he acted on the urge to assure himself she was real and on the mend, bringing her into his embrace. He knew in his heart his gesture was inappropriate; he should not be so bold, especially considering all that she had been through, but he could not resist.

Stepping back as he should became impossible when she returned his affection by placing her arms around his waist. As if they had a will of their own, his hands made their way up her arms and into her glorious curling hair that cascaded down the length of her back. It felt like the softest silk to his touch and a lock coiled around his fingers taking possession of him.

He took her chin in his fingers and tilted it up so he could see the face she had been hiding in his chest. Once more staring into her eyes, he saw her lips tremble and wondered how sweet they would taste. Leaning forward, he came to within a breath and hesitated. But only for one second. At last, he brought his mouth down to hers in a gentle first kiss.

There could be no mistaking her hesitation nor that she was inexperienced in her technique. Edmond retained enough control to remember she was a young innocent and he did not wish to scare her away. His heart rejoiced when he felt her arms creep up his back and he tightened his hold upon her. One taste would in no way satisfy the sudden desire he had for her and her encouragement gave him the permission he needed to deepen the kiss all the more.

His sanity finally reined in his desire, and he broke the spell by ending their kiss abruptly. Alarm briefly shook him when Roselyn took several steps backwards to put some distance between them. In the silence of the room, the only sound was the two of them attempting to catch their breaths after the heat of the moment.

“Edmond, please…we must… not—” Her voice trailed off in a breathless whisper. “You must forgive me. I do not know what came over me.”

“It is I who should be begging your forgiveness for taking such a liberty.” Edmond was struggling to put his emotions back under control. “I was just so overjoyed to see you that I forgot myself.”

“I thought you were my father and was going to ask him to join me in the kitchen for something to eat. If I had known you were sleeping here as a guest, I would not have disturbed your slumber, Your Grace.”

“No reverting to titles, Roselyn. I have given you permission to use my given name remember?”

He watched her clutch the edges of her robe. She was standing in the middle of her father’s study wearing only her night clothes, and must be embarrassed. He would help her to retain a sense of modesty by pretending not to notice. “Yes, of course, Edmond. I just cannot seem to remember things too clearly at the moment.”

“That is understandable after all you have been through. I believe Mrs. Brimble has been keeping some broth warmed up for when you awoke. Would you like me to assist you into the kitchen?”

At her nod of consent, Edmond took her elbow and walked her the remaining way towards the rear of the house. Once they reached the kitchen, he pulled out a chair for her and filled a bowl of steaming soup. Finding some bread and cheese, he cut her a few pieces and placed it before her in case she wanted something a little more filling. From the seat he took next to her, he watched as she sipped at the soup, ignoring the rest. He was curious what she remembered of the events that led to her current situation.

“You look at me most curiously, Edmond,” she commented in between tastes of her midnight repast. “What is it you wish to ask of me and why are you here at such a late hour?”

Edmond took a moment to collect his thoughts before answering. “I came by this evening to enquire about your health as I have been doing for the past few days since your confinement. We have all been concerned for your health, my lady. Since the hour had grown late, your parents offered me one of the guest rooms so I could stay close but I fell asleep in your father’s study instead. To see you as I awoke from my dreams made me think that perhaps I was still sleeping… I am glad to see that I was not.”

“I do feel quite rested,” she murmured. “Wait one moment. Did you say the past few days?”

“Why yes, Roselyn. You awoke for a brief time and spoke with your friend Lady Abigail, but then you drifted back to sleep after your parents and William came to see you. You have been sleeping off and on ever since.”

Her distress flashed in her eyes before Roselyn raised her hands to cover her face. Edmond wrapped an arm around her shoulders as she wept, and felt the cad for being the cause of her anguish.

“Hush now, little one.” The endearment slipped easily from his lips. “Perhaps this excursion downstairs was too much too soon. Let me help you back to your room and all will look brighter in the morning.”

“Oh, Edmond,” she sobbed, “I cannot fathom I have been unconscious for so long. Everyone must have been so worried. What if I go to sleep again and do not wake for another long period of time?”

Edmond took a moment to stroke her hair and offer what comfort he could. “You must not think of such things, Roselyn. Tell me, can you remember everything from the time of the ball?”

He watched her brows furrow as she concentrated on the past events. When her face flushed red, he assumed she remembered everything, including her trip through the forest.

“Yes, I remember,” she said quietly as she lowered her head.

The evident shame she felt over her actions required no further censorship from him. After all, who was he to remind her of her foolishness? Had he not been rash himself in his younger days?

“There, you see?” he brightly declared. “All will be well with just a little more rest. You shall be back into Society attending all the parties in no time.”

“I have already missed so many,” she said with a small pout.

Edmond chuckled. The look of childlike disappointment on her beautiful young face seemed incongruous, but one of her characteristics he admired was that her one person encompassed both youthful enthusiasm and lovely young woman.

Yes, she would be back to her old self in no time. Still, he could not resist placing a quick kiss on those pouting lips. Her shock was once more visible as she reached up to touch her lips. He was immensely pleased at her innocent gesture.

“Believe me, Roselyn, after a while all these parties become one in the same, especially when it feels as if you have attended hundreds in one season,” he said with another chuckle. She reminded him that he was still young, even if he was eight years her senior.

He took her elbow once more and helped her to rise, then started guiding her back up the stairs. It was slow going, as Roselyn needed to rest several times during the climb. Keeping his voice to a whisper, he asked, “Roselyn, I would like to see again when you are feeling up to it that is. Would this please you as well?”

Roselyn stopped in mid-stride on one of the stairs to search his face. “Yes, Edmond. This would please me very well indeed.”

“Then I shall look forward to when I may call so we can attend an event or two,” he said, with a slight nod of his head.

They reached the top of the stairs and Edmond continued escorting Roselyn the rest of the way to her room. He opened the door for her and watched as she turned to face him once more. Detaining him but a moment, she rested her small hand on his forearm and, as he leaned down, she reached up on her toes and placed a small kiss on his cheek.

Roselyn shyly chanced one brief glance at him before quietly closing the door with a captivating smile. He paused briefly and placed the palm of his hand upon her door, knowing she rested just on the other side. Shaking his head, he made his way to his appointed room for what remained of the night.

One Moment In Time
A Family of Worth, Book Two
Special pre-order price of $2.99

 

Sherry Ewing is pleased to announce that One Moment In Time: A Family of Worth, Book Two is now available for pre-order. Get your copy at the special pre-order price of only $2.99!

One moment in time may be enough, if it lasts forever…

When the man Lady Roselyn Anne Winslow has loved since she was a young girl begins to court her, Roselyn thinks all her dreams have come true… until the dream turns into a nightmare.

Lady Roselyn is everything Edmond Worthington, 9th Duke of Hartford, could ask for in a wife and he is delighted to find she returns his love… until he loses her, not once but twice.

From England’s ballrooms, to Berwyck Castle and a tropical island that is anything but paradise, Edmond and Roselyn face ruthless enemies who will do anything to tear them apart. Can they recover their one moment in time?

Buy links:

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Bio:

Sherry Ewing picked up her first historical romance when she was a teenager and has been hooked ever since. A bestselling author, she writes historical and time travel romances to awaken the soul one heart at a time at night. You can learn more about Sherry and her published work at the links below or on any of the tabs above.

Find Sherry Ewing at:

Website & Books: www.SherryEwing.com
Bluestocking Belles: http://bluestockingbelles.net/
Hearts Through Time: http://heartsthroughtime.com
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First Kiss Friday with Sherry Ewing

17 Friday Aug 2018

Posted by in 2018, First Kiss Friday

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Today on First Kiss Friday, I’d like to bring you back to my hero, Lord Nicholas Lacy, and heroine, Grace, Lady de Courtenay in A Kiss For Charity. In this scene, we find my couple meeting at a masquerade ball at Vauxhall Gardens. Please enjoy this excerpt of their first kiss! Happy Reading.

Excerpt:

“May I have the pleasure of this dance?” he inquired politely, already knowing her answer.

Her gloved hand slipped into his and he felt as though he had waited his entire life for her to say yes. Yes to the dance. Yes to anything else he might propose, be it for one night or something they might both wish to be a longer commitment.

She was an accomplished dancer. He had already witnessed her talent, yet it was far more pleasurable to watch her when she was now his partner instead of another. He wished to know who she was, but the fast paced dance was hardly a place to carry on a meaningful conversation about getting to know one another.

Was it two dances later or maybe three? Nicholas lost track of time but finally, he placed his hand about the lady’s waist to expertly guide her out into the garden. It had been some time since he had allowed himself the pleasure of enjoying a woman’s company, especially in the moonlight.

The evening was cool, and when he saw her shiver, he shrugged out of his jacket since he had left his cape behind in the supper box. He placed the garment about her shoulders. She took ahold of the lapels and brought it closer. He swore he could hear her sniff the edges as if she were going to commit to her memory the smell of his cologne once he was gone.

Nicholas reached out to remove her mask so he could finally see all of her features.

“No.” She held out her hand to stop his efforts. “The domino stays in place if you wish me to remain here with you.”

“If that is your wish, so be it.”

“It is,” she answered quietly.

Nicholas did not remember it being this difficult to kiss a lady in the moonlight, but she must desire to be with him, too, else she would not be standing outside with him now. He could no longer stand the distance between them. Surely some form of spell had been cast upon him to be acting so rashly.

“Who are you?” he asked, taking ahold of both her arms and bringing her closer.

“Does it matter?”

“How else am I to call upon you tomorrow if I know not your name tonight, my lady?”

This unknown woman who teased his senses gave a careless shrug but took a step closer. She placed her hand upon his chest. “Let it be enough that for tonight I am free to do as I please.”

He grinned at her response. One moment Nicholas was staring into her mask and brown eyes, and the next he was lowering his mouth to meet her lips.

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Grace was unsure if it was the moonlight that drove her to such reckless behavior or the thought of having just one moment in time to treasure with a man who wanted to be with a mysterious, and perhaps, desirable woman. In either case, nothing prepared her for the instant their lips met. She supposed that since she did not protest going down the garden path with him that this would be the natural course of what would happen next. But still… surely she was slipping at the very brink of tasting heaven itself from their first kiss.

Such a kiss was at first like an introduction when his mouth slowly slid over hers as though he were searching for some hidden meaning to their attraction to one another. There was nothing demanding or urgent in seeing the matter over and done with. No, the kiss was a mingling of breaths. It was two souls connecting in the night. A simple kiss, yet there was nothing simple about it. He stopped as quickly as he started then stared into her eyes, yet she knew the domino hid her features well enough that he would be unable to identify her in the light of day.

Adrian would be mortified if he had any idea what she was up to with a complete stranger. Thinking of her brother conjured an image of her deceased husband. Although his kisses had been pleasurable, they could not compare to what this stranger made her feel.

“Tell me who you are,” he urged again. He tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear that had fallen from her coiffure and then cupped her cheek. “You must tell me.”

She leaned into his palm. The sensation of his thumb tracing her skin had her resolve weakening but not enough to reveal her identity. “I cannot, for I will not have you think less of me from my actions here this night. I am not what I seem.”

“I see a desirable woman I wish to get to know better,” he declared with a grin and an appreciative glance at her heaving bosom. There was no way she could mistake his meaning given the proximity of their bodies and the bold glare he gave her down the length of her body.

A Kiss For Charity

Love heals all wounds but will their pride keep them apart?

Young widow, Grace, Lady de Courtenay, is more concerned with improving her mind than finding another husband. But how was she to know that a close encounter with a rake at a masquerade ball would spark her interest and make her yearn for love again?

Lord Nicholas Lacey has been on his own for far too long after losing his wife in a tragic accident. After a rare trip to a masquerade, his attention is captivated by a lovely young woman. Considering the dubious company she keeps, perhaps she might be interested in becoming his mistress.

From the darkened paths of Vauxhall Gardens to a countryside estate called Hollystone Hall, Nicholas and Grace must set aside their differences in order to let love into their hearts. It will take more than a dose of holiday cheer to see these two on the road to finding their happily-ever-after and a kiss for charity may just be what they both need.

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First Kiss Friday with Sherry Ewing

18 Friday May 2018

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Hello, my lovelies. Today on First Kiss Friday I’m hosting myself and Nothing But Time: A Family of Worth, Book One. In case you haven’t seen this recently on Facebook or Twitter, I currently have Gwendolyn and Neville’s story as a #FREE eBook. I’m celebrating being at my first RT Booklovers convention this week and getting reading to release One Moment In Time: A Family of Worth, Book Two, this summer. So sit back and happy reading. Enjoy!

 Excerpt: “Tell me of yourself,” Neville asked, before taking a sip of his wine.

“What is there to tell? I had a normal upbringing, most likely similar to your own. Being the daughter of a duke does have certain responsibilities or opens many doors if you have need of something.”

“And what do you stand in need of now?”

Gwendolyn sighed. “That is a difficult question to answer, for there are many things I wish were different in my life. I know I should not speak of it, but my marriage is a shambles and hardly one you read about in a romance novel.”

“I would not have our conversation upset you, Gwendolyn. You need not speak of your marriage,” Neville replied, reaching across the table for her hand.

“How can I not? I do not mean to be a bore, but you must understand that for me to be here with you, alone, is completely out of character. I do not make a habit of late night trysts with men I barely know. Betraying my husband will surely land me in hell.”

“Then we will go there together. Let me also confess I do not make a habit of stealing another man’s wife. Yet, you must admit there is something between us that cannot be explained. I know you feel it, too.” Neville pushed back his chair, took her hand and led her to a settee. She began to move to one side but he would have none of it. “Do not go so far away. I would have you close to me. You are mine… at least for as long as this night will allow us.”

His hand continued to hold onto hers and she gave up any further protests that may have spilled from her lips. They would have been falsehoods and there was no sense lying to the man who was tearing down the last defenses to her heart.

She raised her eyes to meet his. There was so much promise hidden within the depths of those piercing hazel orbs. “I can never truly be yours, Neville, just as surely as you can never be mine.”

“We have nothing but time this night, Gwendolyn,” he murmured, leaning forward he pressed a kiss upon her temple.

“Time… this evening will pass too swiftly, and then I will once more be returned to the nightmare of my life.”

“Then do not think of what the morrow will bring. Tonight, I will keep you safe at my side.”

Gwendolyn leaned her head upon his shoulder and he put his arm around her. Safe. He was like a boat anchor keeping her grounded whilst the waves crashed against the shore, attempting to pull loose the ropes that would keep her moored to a dock. Yet, the reality of her life remained with her and her conscience would not let go of the values she had adhered to all her life.

She leaned back to look up at the most handsomest man she had ever beheld. “I cannot become your mistress, Neville,” she confessed. He stroked his hand through her hair so gently she almost burst out into tears at the injustice of it all.

“I know,” he whispered, before leaning down to give her their first kiss.

How could she have known just one taste would make a simple kiss so meaningful? How could she have known a kiss could be so pleasurable? How could she have known her life would change forever in the instant their breath mingled as one? She had changed, and she now knew what everyone spoke of when they said they were in love. Love… she had fallen in love with Neville the moment she had first seen him. However in the world would she live without him? More importantly, how was she supposed to return home to a husband she could not help but hate?

***

Neville held Gwendolyn in his arms and swore he wished never to let her go. He deepened their kiss and a fire erupted in his loins he would be hard pressed to put out. If she only knew what she did to him with the simple gesture of cupping his face, she would have run from her brother’s house and never looked back. What had they gotten themselves into?

He broke off their kiss and disappointment flashed in her eyes. “Do not stop, Drayton,” she murmured seductively.

Neville smiled knowing from the use of his title she was miffed at him. “I cannot take much more, my sweet Gwendolyn.” He pressed forward to nibble on her pouting lower lip. “I am only a man after all, and your sweet charms will be my undoing if we continue.”

She put her arms around his neck and pulled. “Just one more. Make me forget everything else but you.”

Neville groaned and gave in to her demand. How could he not, when she begged him for another kiss? He pressed her down so she was lying on the settee, but when their bodies molded together as one, her eyes flew open wide. There was no way to hide his arousal pressed intimately against her.

The grin he gave her must surely appear wicked. If he did not know better, he would have said her reaction was virginal, but surely that could not be the case? She was a married woman and must know what she was doing.

Unless… he had never heard of Sandhurst keeping a mistress, and thought the first Lady Sandhurst had died in childbirth, there were rumors that she had a lover.

Yet the tiny whimpers he heard deep in Gwendolyn’s throat suggested she was familiar with passion. Or was that merely her reaction to being with him?

Neville pressed himself against Gwendolyn once more to test his theory. A gasp escaped her and she pushed against him until he sat up.

Nothing But Time: A Family of Worth, Book One
On sale for #FREE for a limited time!

 They will risk everything for their forbidden love…

When Lady Gwendolyn Marie Worthington is forced to marry a man old enough to be her father, she concludes love will never enter her life. Her husband is a cruel man who blames her for his own failings. Then she meets her brother’s attractive business associate and all those longings she had thought gone forever suddenly reappear.

A long-term romance holds no appeal for Neville Quinn, Earl of Drayton until an unexpected encounter with the sister of the Duke of Hartford. Still, he resists giving his heart to another woman, especially one who belongs to another man.

Chance encounters lead to intimate dinners, until Neville and Gwendolyn flee to Berwyck Castle at Scotland’s border hoping beyond reason their fragile love will survive the vindictive reach of Gwendolyn’s possessive husband. Before their journey is over, Gwendolyn will risk losing the only love she has ever known.

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First Kiss Friday with guest Jude Knight

27 Friday Apr 2018

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Welcome, my lovelies, to another First Kiss Friday. It’s my pleasure to bring back fellow Bluestocking Bell, Jude Knight and an excerpt from A Raging Madness. In this excerpt, Ella has just shown Alex, who has been invalided out of the army, a path to a possible future. What starts as a spontaneous thank-you develops into more. Happy reading and enjoy!

Excerpt:

Alex said nothing for a moment, and in the silence, she remembered he was an earl’s grandson. “I suppose you cannot, can you? Gentlemen do not go into trade.”

But his voice in the darkness was rich with warmth and excitement. “This gentleman can and will. That’s a marvellous idea, Ella. And I would not need to beg from Rede and Anne. I have money of my own. They paid me for being a human pincushion in the stead of my Distinguished Personage. They would have preferred me to die, I think, since a posthumous medal would have been cheaper, but I pleased myself instead of them, and so they gave me a reward. I have a good sum invested, and it is growing larger thanks to my cousin’s gift for making money.”

The sound was Alex shifting and dropping to the floor. Before she was aware of his intent, he was bending over her. Perhaps he meant to kiss her cheek, but she had turned her face towards the sound of his movement, and his lips dropped on her mouth, paused, and then moulded themselves to hers.

She had been right to be afraid. One touch of his lips and she burned for more, shifting to allow him better access, opening her mouth to welcome his invading tongue. No. Not invading; no conquering assault to batter down her defences, but a long-awaited and cherished caress that set her aflame, so she moaned and locked her hands behind his head to prevent his escape, and he stretched above her on the narrow bed and placed his own hands gently either side of her face.

“Ella,” he said, into her open mouth, and crushed his lips to her again before she could speak, though what would she say? Alex? Yes? Stop?

He was aroused. Though he took most of his weight on his elbows and his knees, still the length of him poked into her belly. If she shifted, even a little, it would rub the place that burned. Only the cotton of her shift and his shirt kept them apart, and all the good reasons for not lifting both garments out of the way had melted in the heat of his kiss.

Thoughts scattered. She pushed herself up against him, her nipples so hard the cotton hurt, and it was a good hurt, like the burning he both relieved and heightened as he rubbed his male organ against her, setting her squirming and moaning.

Suddenly he moved, sliding down the bed to nudge her shift sideways down one arm, freeing one breast, and seizing on the nipple with his mouth, his teeth, his tongue.

She moaned again, helpless to keep the sound from escaping, as he used one hand to tease the other nipple, and the other to gather the hem of her shift until her woman’s place was uncovered, and his hand was doing delicious things that narrowed her world to him. To Alex, and his hands and mouth and body, and what was happening to hers.

Alex tensed suddenly and raised his head, his hands stilling. Ella suppressed a whimper, caught and subdued the involuntary movement to draw him back, surfaced from the sea of sensation, and finally heard what he had heard. Voices, speaking low. Footsteps. The soft clap of a hand on the roof of the cabin—Jonno’s nightly salute, too soft to wake them but a signal they heard more evenings than not.

Jonno and the O’Haras were back from the tavern, and the spell was broken.

She dropped her hands from his shoulders, tried to cover her breast and pull down her hem, and blushed furiously in the dark. “I am so sorry, Alex,” she said. Though whether she was sorry to stop or sorry they had ever started, she had no idea.

After a moment, he pulled away, swinging his legs around so that he sat beside her on the bed.

“I am not that kind of woman,” she said, trying to sound convincing to herself when her whole body was screaming to complete what they had begun.

“Right.” He sounded strained. He sucked a breath in, then let it slowly out through his teeth.

“I cannot apologise enough…” Ella began, but Alex interrupted, his voice as courteous as ever, though strained.

“The fault is mine, Ella. I meant only to salute you for the gift of my future, and I forgot myself. I…” He stopped and took another deep breath. “I cannot bring myself to apologise. For any impression of disrespect, yes, indeed. I beg your pardon with all my heart if I have offended. But for offending you, not for kissing you.” He stood, and moved away from the bed. She could not make out what he was doing, but he had not returned to his own bed.

“It was everything I have dreamed this age,” he said, almost under his breath. This age? He had been dreaming of kissing her this age?

But she had to correct his misapprehension. “Each other,” she said.

Whatever he was doing—it sounded as if he was putting on his boots—he stopped. “Each other?”

“We kissed each other,” she explained.

The amusement was back when he replied. “We did, and very nicely, too.”

“And we cannot do it again,” Ella warned, hoping her regret was not obvious.

“No, I suppose not. I am going to take a short walk, Ella. I won’t go far, but the cold will be… beneficial.”

He had opened the hatch and was leaving before she spoke again, giving him a gift of words in return for those he had given her.

“It was better than I dreamed.”

His only response was a catch in his step before he continued, but a few minutes later, he began to whistle as he walked the canal path. It took her only a few bars to recognise the tune, and she smiled in the dark, mouthing the lyrics in time to his whistling.

Their marriage is a fiction. Their enemies are all too real.

“Envy is a raging madness that cannot bear the wealth or fortune of others.”
François, Duc De La Rochefoucauld

Ella survived an abusive and philandering husband, in-laws who hate her, and public scorn. But she’s not sure she will survive love. It is too late to guard her heart from the man forced to pretend he has married such a disreputable widow, but at least she will not burden him with feelings he can never return.

Alex understands his supposed wife never wishes to remarry. And if she had chosen to wed, it would not have been to him. He should have wooed her when he was whole, when he could have had her love, not her pity. But it is too late now. She looks at him and sees a broken man. Perhaps she will learn to bear him.

In their masquerade of a marriage, Ella and Alex soon discover they are more well-matched than they expected. But then the couple’s blossoming trust is ripped apart by a malicious enemy. Two lost souls must together face the demons of their past to save their lives and give their love a future.

Buy links

Jude Knight’s book page: http://judeknightauthor.com/books/a-raging-madness/

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/717569

iBooks: https://itunes.apple.com/nz/book/a-raging-madness/

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-raging-madness-jude-knight/1126227273

Amazon US: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07111TCLR

About Jude Knight

Jude Knight’s writing goal is to transport readers to another time, another place, where they can enjoy adventure and romance, thrill to trials and challenges, uncover secrets and solve mysteries, delight in a happy ending, and return from their virtual holiday refreshed and ready for anything.

Website and blog: http://judeknightauthor.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JudeKnightAuthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JudeKnightBooks

Pinterest: https://nz.pinterest.com/jknight1033/

Email: jude@judeknightauthor.com

First Kiss Friday with Caroline Warfield

20 Friday Apr 2018

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Welcome to another First Kiss Friday! It’s always a pleasure when I have author Caroline Warfield on my blog. Today, Caroline is sharing the first kiss scene from The Reluctant Wife. Happy reading and enjoy!

In The Reluctant Wife, Clare and Fred come together slowly, but with an inevitability that pulls readers along with them. This is their first gentle kiss. It occurs while they are searching for his runaway children and he is truant from a disciplinary hearing. As Clare would later note, she would endure the remembrance of his tender embrace, his thumb rubbing the back of her neck, and the kiss to the side of her head for many months.

Excerpt:

They searched down the middle of the park as one, but they had as little luck as before, and the first signs of night crept up with the sunset. Fred’s steps slowed until he could go no farther, and he leaned back against a date palm and closed his eyes in exhaustion.

I should get this woman home. The Davis dragon will be having six kinds of fits. He couldn’t make himself move. He needed her calm, her strength.

The feel of Clare’s hand on his arm, a gesture of comfort, proved too much for Fred’s self-control. He pulled her into his arms, a slow gentle embrace she didn’t resist, and lay his head against hers where it tucked perfectly against his shoulder, breathing deeply of her lavender scent and the sweet smell of a woman who had labored on his behalf in the heat of the day.

“We’ll find them, Captain. You mustn’t despair,” she murmured. She sagged against him in exhaustion.

He kissed a spot above her ear. “Fred. We’ve been partners all day. Could you dispense with rank? We’re comrades in this pursuit.”

“Fred then.” He thought he felt her smile against his shirt.

Comrades. Except she has a ship waiting in the morning, and I’ll— I’ll be under guard by noon tomorrow. There had been a hearing set for two o’clock that afternoon; he hadn’t even sent word about why he was detained. They wouldn’t have cared.

The two of them stood, he leaning against the tree, she leaning against his chest, for long moments while the sky around them changed from pale orange to a deeper shade and then to purple. He knew he would face failure and regret, though he hoped he could quickly resume his desperate search—or send Singh if he had to. For now, he just wanted to hold the woman who came when he needed her.

I shared a far steamier kiss from later in their journey on First Kiss Friday once before.  You can find that excerpt here.

The Reluctant Wife is Book 2 in Caroline Warfield’s Children of Empire Series.

Three cousins, who grew up together in the English countryside, have been driven apart by deceit and lies. (You may guess a woman was involved!) Though they all escape to the outposts of The British Empire, they all make their way home to England, facing their demons and finding love and the support of women of character and backbone. They are:

  • Randolph Baldwin Wheatly who has become a recluse, and lives in isolation in frontier Canada intent on becoming a timber baron, until a desperate woman invades his peace. (The Renegade Wife)
  • Captain Frederick Arthur Wheatly, an officer in the Bengal army, who enjoys his comfortable life on the fringes until his mistress dies, and he’s forced to choose between honor and the army. (The Reluctant Wife)
  • Charles, Duke of Murnane, tied to a miserable marriage, throws himself into government work to escape bad memories. He accepts a commission from the Queen that takes him to Canton and Macau, only to face his past there. (The Unexpected Wife)

Who are their ladies?

  • Meggy Campeau, the daughter of a French trapper and Ojibwe mother who has made mistakes, but is fierce in protecting her children. (The Renegade Wife)
  • Clare Armbruster, fiercely independent woman of means, who is determined to make her own way in life, but can’t resist helping a foolish captain sort out his responsibilities. (The Reluctant Wife)
  • Zambak Hayden, eldest child of the Duke of Sudbury, who knows she’d make a better heir than her feckless younger brother, but can’t help protecting the boy to the point of following him to China. She may just try to sort out the Empire’s entangled tea trade–and its ugly underpinning, opium, while she’s there. (The Unexpected Wife)

Book 3, The Unexpected Wife, will be released on July 25.

Here’s a short video about it:

https://www.facebook.com/carolinewarfield7/videos/924791187669849/

For more about the series and all of Caroline’s books, look here:https://www.carolinewarfield.com/bookshelf/

Buy Link: Amazon

About Caroline Warfield

Traveler, poet, librarian, technology manager—award winning author Caroline Warfield has been many things (even a nun), but above all she is a romantic. Having retired to the urban wilds of eastern Pennsylvania, she reckons she is on at least her third act, happily working in an office surrounded by windows while she lets her characters lead her to adventures in England and the far-flung corners of the British Empire. She nudges them to explore the riskiest territory of all, the human heart.

Caroline has an active blog and her newsletter list recently zoomed past 3000.  She is a RONE award winner and has five star reviews from Readers’ Favorite, Night Owl Reviews, and InD’Tale. She is also a member of the writers’ co-operative, the Bluestocking Belles. With partners she manages and regularly writes for both The Teatime Tattler and History Imagined.

Website http://www.carolinewarfield.com/
Amazon Author http://www.amazon.com/Caroline-Warfield/e/B00N9PZZZS/ 
Good Reads http://bit.ly/1C5blTm 
Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/carolinewarfield7 
Twitter @CaroWarfield
Email warfieldcaro@gmail.com

First Kiss Friday with Kate Moore & a Giveaway!

02 Friday Mar 2018

Posted by in 2018, First Kiss Friday

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Today on First Kiss Friday, I’m welcoming another author friend of mine from my local chapter of Romance Writers of America. Please help me welcome Kate Moore who will be sharing an excerpt from her novel The Husband Hunter’s Guide to London. Kate is also offering a giveaway of an eBook! Leave her a comment and she’ll choose a random comment as the winner. Happy reading and enjoy!

Excerpt:

Contrary to what the Husband Hunter might expect this guide to suggest, she must not fall in love. It is no more advantageous to “fall” in love, than to fall from a horse or a bridge or down a flight of steps. The uncontrolled path of a falling object and the inevitable end of a fall in a broken head or broken limbs is no apt metaphor for the onset of deep and lasting affection. Love does not happen to us as a result of chance or a misstep. It is not induced by Cupid’s arrows, nor by the juices of rare flowers applied to one’s eyelids. We may discover that love has begun, or that we are in the midst of love with another person, but not because we have fallen but because, in a fertile garden carefully planted and tended, love has bloomed in its season and place when perhaps we were not looking.

                                                            ——The Husband Hunter’s Guide to London

Chapter Fourteen

Hazelwood handed Jane into the carriage and climbed in after her without speaking. He settled a rug over their legs and feet. The carriage lamps cast a faint light into the cold interior.

“Are you sure you want to leave? We could make a push to get your uncle’s painting. Cut it out of the frame, roll it up.”

“You already created a sufficient stir this evening, you know.”

“Did I?” He knocked against the forward panel for the coachman to start the horses and leaned back against the leather upholstery. The dim light revealed his profile, the straight line of his brow above the deep-set eyes, the plain thrust of his nose, and the faint pull of a smile on his lips. In profile he looked almost ordinary, almost like the sort of man her guide would recommend, a sensible man of good character and respectable reputation. She reminded herself that he was no such thing. . . .

“Must you play the hero all on your own?”

“The situation called for action. That’s what I do. I act. Are you going to tell me what you discovered about the painting?” There was a touch of irritation in his tone.

“After you have confessed to a habit of independent action more likely to harm you than anyone else?”

“. . . No damage done. You can see for yourself.” He took her gloved hand in his, slipped it inside his greatcoat, and pressed it against his chest, his warm, hard chest. Through soft wool and silk and linen she could feel the strong beat of his heart. The sudden intimacy altered the smooth rhythm of her pulse.

The carriage rattled along over the stones, and under the rug her knee bumped against his thigh. Hazelwood’s other hand slid around the back of her neck and pulled her closer. The wool scarf over her head slipped back.

“We didn’t finish our conversation about how to behave alone with a gentleman in the dark.”

She swallowed. “I decided never to be alone with a gentleman in the dark.”

“Yet here you are.” His low voice had that break in it that turned her insides to jelly and made the inches apart seem like too much. His mouth was near but not near enough. It was like the end of a desert journey, when the donkeys stumbled on their feet, and it was dangerous to even think of water.

He took her other hand in his and lifted it to his face. “Eversley’s not the man for you, you know.”

“He is exactly the sort of man my guide recommends.”

He shook his head. “Let me show you why your guide is wrong.”

“You mean tell me.”

“Eversley’s touch doesn’t move you, and what’s more, you know it.”

She could not deny the truth of it. Though she had no experience by which to judge, some instinct of which she had been previously unaware told her as much. She had barely tolerated Clive’s patting her hand, yet Hazelwood’s tying her bonnet or tugging at her ribbons drew her whole person to him, like a wave sucked back to the sea.

She should lean away from him, but her body refused to move. “You know, I have had suitors before.” She was not as green as he supposed.

“Have you?” He pulled the wool garment from around her throat.

“Once, the woodcutter’s son asked my father what price he would accept for me. And another time the neighborhood widower who raised pigeons on his roof told my father that the sight of me in our courtyard had inspired him to think of marriage again.”

“How is a fellow to impress a woman of such vast experience, I wonder?” She could hear the laughter in his voice. And felt the change in him when the laughter died.

He lowered his head and leaned forward across the narrow space where their breath already mingled in the frigid air. Then he kissed her.

At first it was a lazy, teasing kiss, lips meeting in a touch as light and airy as words and wit. It coaxed her along, floating lightly on the tide of their wordless exchange, until she was far out from shore, not anchored any more to the bench of a rocking carriage rolling through London. A deeper current of feeling welled up and knocked her off balance. She clung to him more. He was solid and real.

His mouth took firm and unyielding possession of hers. The kiss became a question about who she truly was, the husband hunter she claimed to be, or a daring woman who would put her trust in a stranger who was still a mystery to her yet who seemed to understand her as no one ever had. The dark, rocking coach seemed made for their encounter. He slid so that his body angled down and made a hard slope against which she lay, held in place by his arm around the small of her back and his mouth on hers.

As long as she kept the little book secure, and as long as no one else discovered the map, her actions would not endanger her father. As soon as the thought occurred, she broke away, her breath warm and ragged, her body vibrating with sensation. “Thank you for the lesson. It was most instructive. I will know how to avoid being alone with any government protocol officer trying to persuade me to steal a painting from one of his majesty’s subjects.”

Their carriage halted. They had reached the hotel. She scrambled back on to the seat, rearranging her disordered skirts. It was time to break free of the hold he had on her, to remember that she had only one purpose in London, and it was not to find a husband but a father.

Blurb

In this new Regency charmer from the beloved, award-winning author Kate Moore, the clues to solving one of life’s greatest mysteries may be found in a slim blue volume of advice for husband-seeking debutantes. But two people engaged in a clever game of cat and mouse just might rewrite the book . . .
 
The daughter of a British intelligence agent, Jane Fawkener has spent most of her life in exotic lands abroad, not flirting her way to matrimony among the ton. So when her father disappears and is presumed dead, she’s perplexed as to why he’s arranged for her to receive a copy of The Husband Hunter’s Guide to London. Convinced he has hidden a covert message for her within its pages, Jane embarks on a “husband hunt” with an altogether different aim. But can she fool the government escort who’s following her every move—a dangerously seductive man for whom rules are clearly meant to be broken . . .

Buy Link

Amazon

Kensington Books – http://www.kensingtonbooks.com/book.aspx/35723

 

Author Bio:

A native Californian, Kate studied English Lit and taught generations of high school students, who are now her Facebook friends, while she not-so-secretly penned Romances. In Kate’s stories honorable, edgy loners meet warm, practical women who draw them into a circle of love whether in Regency London or contemporary California. A Golden Heart, Golden Crown, Book Buyer’s Best winner and three-time RITA finalist, Kate lives north of San Francisco with her surfer husband, their yellow Lab, a Pack ‘n Play for visiting grandbabies, and miles of crowded bookshelves.

Social Media:

www.katemoore.com

www.facebook.com/KateMooreAuthor

www.twitter.com/MooreKate0

First Kiss Friday with guest Susana Ellis

29 Friday Dec 2017

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For my last First Kiss Friday for the year, I’d like to welcome my friend Susana Ellis who has an excerpt from her upcoming novella, The Marriage Obligation. Happy reading and hope everyone has a happy New Year!

The Temple of Venus (folly) at Warrington Manor

 Excerpt

Note: At this point in the story, Cornelia has confessed her terrible secret to Preston, her husband-in-name-only.

He took her hand and led her back to the folly. “There, you got it out. That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

She tilted her head to look at him. “You’re not—shocked? Disgusted?”

He squeezed her hand and looked directly into her eyes. “Surprised, yes, certainly. Disgusted? I don’t quite understand your meaning, Cornelia.” His eyes widened. “Unless you are thinking—surely not—that I should be disgusted by you!”

She burst into tears. He pulled her trembling body into his arms and held her against him until her body quieted and the tears slowed, eventually turning into occasional hiccups. When she raised her head from his chest, he handed her his handkerchief. “Shall we sit down? When you are ready, you can tell me what it is that has you so distressed.”

Dabbing at her eyes, she nodded and allowed him to guide her back to the stone seat.

“I must look a mess,” she said finally, in a shaky voice.

“You look beautiful,” he said, his hand making gentle circles on the surface of her back.

She made a face. “Liar. I’ve seen my face in this condition before. Red eyes, splotchy cheeks, shiny nose. Definitely not a good look for me.”

In response, he reached over and turned her face toward his before capturing her lips with his for a tender kiss. Her sweet response tempted him to deepen it into something more passionate, but he sensed she was not ready for that and reined in his desire.

“Do you still believe I was lying, my dear?” he said as their kiss ended.

She swallowed. “Perhaps you were just being kind.”

Well, then. If she did indeed need more convincing, he would be more than pleased to deliver it.

He took her face in his hands again and kissed her again, this time with more pressure, then pulling away slightly to tease her lips with his tongue, before probing between them with his tongue. Her eyes widened with surprise, but far from protesting, she pressed closer to him, her arms floating to his shoulders. She smelled of violets and tasted like a combination of innocence and passion. His hands drifted to her hair, where his gentle caresses caught on pins and sent dark locks spilling down her back. When her eyes widened, he took her lips again, this time plunging his tongue between her teeth and coercing a timid response from hers. His hands floated down her back, lightly touching the side of her breasts before settling possessively at her waist.

Mine. My woman. This woman was made for me. She has to know ittoo.

When they finally pulled apart, she looked down, flushed and breathing hard.

“Well?” he said when he found himself able to talk again. “Was that a ‘just being kind’ kiss, do you think?”

She looked up at him, her eyes lit with a mischievous glow. “You’ve proved your point. There was nothing ‘kind’ about it. I must allow that you are a magnificent kisser, Preston.”

His breath quickened. “There is nothing I would like better than to kiss you like that every day. Several times, in fact. I am convinced that we could have an exemplary partnership, my dear, if we were to make our marriage a real one.”

About The Marriage Obligation 

Cornelia Hardcastle has been determined never to marry since she was eighteen and discovered an ugly family secret. Now that she’s twenty-four, however, her parents want to see her settled so they can move to Canada for her father’s prestigious new government post. Not a chance!

The second son of a viscount, Preston Warrington is more than happy to leave the viscount business to his brother so he can travel the world in search of adventure. His recent stint as a spy for the British in the War with the French has come to an end, and he’s getting pressured to marry and settle down. Hell no!

How could the notorious Marriage Maker from Inverness all the way in Scotland possibly know that these two marriage-averse individuals are perfect for each other?

Inquiring minds want to know.

Available soon in The Marriage Maker Goes Undercover series.

About Susana

Susana Ellis has always had stories in her head waiting to come out, especially when she learned to read and her imagination began to soar.

A former teacher, Susana lives in Toledo, Ohio in the summer and Florida in the winter. She is a member of the Central Florida Romance Writers and the Beau Monde chapters of RWA, Maumee Valley Romance Inc., and the (in)famous Bluestocking Belles.

Website: http://www.SusanaEllis.com
Blog: https://susanaellisauthor.wordpress.com
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First Kiss Friday with Sherry Ewing & a Giveaway!

22 Friday Dec 2017

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It’s First Kiss Friday and today I’m featuring… well… myself and Home For The Holidays… just in time for Christmas. Read on for the first kiss scene for Margaret & Frederick from Under The Mistletoe along with how to enter for your chance to win my giveaway!

 

Excerpt:

Heading into the foyer, Margaret asked for her cloak and Frederick assisted her with donning the garment. He went to the door and opened it wide with his hand extended towards her.

“Walk with me,” Frederick urged.

She took his gloved hand without hesitation. In truth, she would follow him to the ends of the earth, if she must, just to be with him. The snow crunched beneath their feet as he escorted her towards the back of the house and into the nearby trees that would surely offer them a few moments of privacy.

Once they were far enough away from prying eyes, Frederick pulled her into his arms. She had never been this close to him, or any other man for that matter, not since those happy years long ago when they were but children tumbling down a grassy hill as they played. Her shiver had nothing to do with the weather.

“I believe you owe me a kiss, sweet Margaret,” Frederick whispered in a husky, seductive tone that set her soul to flight.

Her hands made their way to rest upon his chest, and she fingered the lapels of his coat. “I promised you no such thing.” She laughed lightly.

“It is tradition, after all, when you stand under the mistletoe, my dearest,” he said with a roguish grin.

Her eyes moved upwards, and her own smile formed. Sure enough, the scoundrel had maneuvered her so a patch of Christmas mistletoe hung high above their heads. “Frederick…whatever am I to do with you?”

“Just love me, Margaret, for all of our days and nights together.”

Any answer she could have given him was cut off as his mouth lowered to hers. Soft lips touched her own, and her breath hitched at their contact. She took a small step forward, and he deepened their kiss even while his arms tightened around. With her heart beating a rapid staccato with his nearness, Margaret’s mind swirled in a dizzying haze while she lost herself in this moment. Her first kiss.

Everything in her world seemed to right itself in this one instant in time, and, for once, her life became balanced. If Margaret had known his kisses would render her senseless, she would have never refused his original offer. They had lost years where they could have been together, perhaps even already having a family of their very own, and it was all her fault. He must have sensed where her thoughts had led her for he ended their kiss abruptly but continued to hold her close to his heart.

“Promise me you shall become my wife,” he murmured against her hair.

About HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS

The holidays are upon us and there’s nothing like curling up with the gift of a good Christmas book. Enjoy this Regency box set with two of Sherry Ewing’s previously released holiday novellas, A Kiss For Charity & Under The Mistletoe!

A Kiss For Charity – Young widow, Grace, Lady de Courtenay, has no idea how a close encounter with a rake at a masquerade ball would make her yearn for love again. Lord Nicholas Lacey is captivated by a lovely young woman he encounters at a masquerade. Considering the company she keeps, she might be interested in becoming his mistress. From the darkened paths of Vauxhall Gardens to a countryside estate called Hollystone Hall, Nicholas and Grace must set aside their differences in order to let love into their hearts.

Under The Mistletoe – When Margaret Templeton is requested to act as hostess at Captain Sander Morledge’s Christmas party and possibly agree to marry him, she did not think she would see the man who once held her heart. Frederick Maddock, Viscount Beacham had never forgotten the young woman he had fallen in love with, and his feelings are evident when he sees her at a holiday gathering. In a swirl of Christmas miracles and joyous celebration, will the two finally put down their differences and once again fall in love?

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS
Read for #FREE in Kindle Unlimited or
Just $0.99!

Buy Links:
Amazon US  |  Amazon AU  |  Amazon BR  |  Amazon CA  |  Amazon DE  |  Amazon ES  |  Amazon FR  |  Amazon IN  |  Amazon IT  |  Amazon JP  |  Amazon MX  |  Amazon NL  |  Amazon UK

 

Giveaway – ***NOW CLOSED***

For a chance to win an eCopy of Under The Mistletoe that is found in Home For The Holidays, leave me a comment telling me something you enjoy during the holiday season. I’ll leave this giveaway open through Christmas before I generate a random comment on Tuesday as the winner. Good luck!

First Kiss Friday with Sherry Ewing

13 Friday Oct 2017

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Welcome to another First Kiss Friday. Today I’m featuring… well… myself and my first kiss scene between Neville Quinn, Earl of Drayton, and Lady Gwendolyn (Worthington) Sandhurst from Nothing But Time: A Family of Worth (Book One). In this scene, Gwendolyn’s younger brother Brandon has arranged for her to meet Neville and have a quiet dinner together. Such a mischievous brother, right? Happy reading and enjoy!

Excerpt:

The door shut behind him, leaving her alone with Neville. The draperies to the room were closed allowing the outside world no admittance to the intimate setting within. She shivered, not from fear, but more that she was actually here… with him.

“You came,” his throaty words, uttered softly in her ear, had her resisting the urge to lean back into his body that was almost touching her backside.

“Yes, I came. I know I should have remained at home, but here I am.” She turned to face him.

“I am pleased you decided to join me,” he declared holding out his hand. “May I?”

She reached up to take his outstretched fingers. He took hers and gently tugged at her glove before putting it into his jacket. “Something for me to always remember you,” he whispered, before raising her hand to place a kiss on the inside of her wrist, “not that I could ever forget you.”

“Nor I you, Neville.” She could feel her eyes glistening over with unshed tears. The warmth of his hand in hers was almost her undoing. Until this very moment, she had not been aware how much she craved even the gentlest of touches from another.

“Come, you must be famished,” he urged, ushering her to the table. “If you will permit me, I will be your most obedient servant this evening.”

“Really? Obedient? Such a vow could land you in trouble, my lord,” Gwendolyn teased.

“I was in trouble the moment I first discovered you at luncheon that day, let alone when I walked through your brother’s door.”

“I do not regret meeting you here, Neville.”

“Nor I, Gwendolyn.”

Neville held out her chair and Gwendolyn sat down into the cushion. His hand came to rest lightly upon her shoulder and she reached up to give it a slight squeeze. He went to the sideboard and began putting an assortment of food upon their plates before setting hers at her place on the table. With the wine poured, they began to eat in silence for several minutes, each lost in their own thoughts.

“Tell me of yourself,” Neville asked, before taking a sip of his wine.

“What is there to tell? I had a normal upbringing, most likely similar to your own. Being the daughter of a duke does have certain responsibilities or opens many doors if you have need of something.”

“And what do you stand in need of now?”

Gwendolyn sighed. “That is a difficult question to answer, for there are many things I wish were different in my life. I know I should not speak of it, but my marriage is a shambles and hardly one you read about in a romance novel.”

“I would not have our conversation upset you, Gwendolyn. You need not speak of your marriage,” Neville replied, reaching across the table for her hand.

“How can I not? I do not mean to be a bore, but you must understand that for me to be here with you, alone, is completely out of character. I do not make a habit of late night trysts with men I barely know. Betraying my husband will surely land me in hell.”

“Then we will go there together. Let me also confess I do not make a habit of stealing another man’s wife. Yet, you must admit there is something between us that cannot be explained. I know you feel it, too.” Neville pushed back his chair, took her hand and led her to a settee. She began to move to one side but he would have none of it. “Do not go so far away. I would have you close to me. You are mine… at least for as long as this night will allow us.”

His hand continued to hold onto hers and she gave up any further protests that may have spilled from her lips. They would have been falsehoods and there was no sense lying to the man who was tearing down the last defenses to her heart.

She raised her eyes to meet his. There was so much promise hidden within the depths of those piercing hazel orbs. “I can never truly be yours, Neville, just as surely as you can never be mine.”

“We have nothing but time this night, Gwendolyn,” he murmured, leaning forward he pressed a kiss upon her temple.

“Time… this evening will pass too swiftly, and then I will once more be returned to the nightmare of my life.”

“Then do not think of what the morrow will bring. Tonight, I will keep you safe at my side.”

Gwendolyn leaned her head upon his shoulder and he put his arm around her. Safe. He was like a boat anchor keeping her grounded whilst the waves crashed against the shore, attempting to pull loose the ropes that would keep her moored to a dock. Yet, the reality of her life remained with her and her conscience would not let go of the values she had adhered to all her life.

She leaned back to look up at the most handsomest man she had ever beheld. “I cannot become your mistress, Neville,” she confessed. He stroked his hand through her hair so gently she almost burst out into tears at the injustice of it all.

“I know,” he whispered, before leaning down to give her their first kiss.

How could she have known just one taste would make a simple kiss so meaningful? How could she have known a kiss could be so pleasurable? How could she have known her life would change forever in the instant their breath mingled as one? She had changed, and she now knew what everyone spoke of when they said they were in love. Love… she had fallen in love with Neville the moment she had first seen him. However in the world would she live without him? More importantly, how was she supposed to return home to a husband she could not help but hate?

Neville held Gwendolyn in his arms and swore he wished never to let her go. He deepened their kiss and a fire erupted in his loins he would be hard pressed to put out. If she only knew what she did to him with the simple gesture of cupping his face, she would have run from her brother’s house and never looked back. What had they gotten themselves into?

He broke off their kiss and disappointment flashed in her eyes. “Do not stop, Drayton,” she murmured seductively.

Neville smiled knowing from the use of his title she was miffed at him. “I cannot take much more, my sweet Gwendolyn.” He pressed forward to nibble on her pouting lower lip. “I am only a man after all, and your sweet charms will be my undoing if we continue.”

She put her arms around his neck and pulled. “Just one more. Make me forget everything else but you.”

Neville groaned and gave in to her demand. How could he not, when she begged him for another kiss? He pressed her down so she was lying on the settee, but when their bodies molded together as one, her eyes flew open wide. There was no way to hide his arousal pressed intimately against her.

The grin he gave her must surely appear wicked. If he did not know better, he would have said her reaction was virginal, but surely that could not be the case? She was a married woman and must know what she was doing.

Nothing But Time
A Family of Work: Book One

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