Viscount's Secret
Whisper of Cat Magic
Beginning of Chapter 1
Damn her brother to hell!
He wasn’t mourning the death of their father as a proper Englishman should do. When the obnoxious Pierce Prior arrived yesterday morning, a parade of carriages followed him to the front of Prior Hall, overcrowded with houseguests. Last night, he had the gall to host a noisy house party to celebrate inheriting the family country estate.
Julia Prior stormed out of her bedchamber, marched across the landing, and leaned over the staircase banister that overlooked the Great Room. Hopefully, by now, the houseguests had gone to their assigned bedchamber. Her brother’s friends may look like ladies and gentlemen, but she knew it was just a disguise. None of them could be trusted. So far, she had managed to avoid the house guests and hadn't spoken to her brother, but eventually, she would have to acknowledge his presence—she preferred it to be later than sooner.
Wrong Bedchamber
An Earl's Mistake
Beginning of Chapter 1
Lord Brett's Mansion
London, England
Year: 1821
Lawrence Lindredge, the Earl of Brett, seized his sister's letter off a silver tray in the entry hall. He was desperate to learn the name of his sister's lover. Earlier tonight, while walking in the back garden, he spied Evelyn locked in an embrace with a man—both undressed. The man grabbed his clothes and ran off before he could identify him.
After being questioned, his sister, who had been under his guardianship since his father's death, told him she was no longer an innocent. Despite his threats of dire consequences, his stubborn sibling refused to tell him her lover's name. He glanced down at the letter in his hand. Evelyn’s lover must be someone he would object to having as a son-in-law.
Duke Deceived
A Lady's Pretense
Beginning of Chapter 1
The Village of Bentley Vicarage
Weybridge, Surrey
England: 1830
Lady Emma Mary Merrick slapped her fan against the side of her favorite day dress. She was furious—an innocent girl was about to wed to a perverted English lord. Lord Cuthell's bedchamber antics were far from ordinary—violence, whippings, and torture were his favorite pastimes.
"Lucy, listen to me." Emma pointed at the sofa in the vicar's parlor. "Sit! I have something important to say to you."
Lucy plopped down on the worn soft. She was a plain-faced girl with a muddy brown braid wrapped around her head, light blue eyes, a long face, and her puffy lips usually had a frown. The girl was grouch, it was the only way to describe her.
Captured by a Lady
A Pirate Lady
Beginning of Chapter 1
Reade Hall
Brentwood, England
Year: 1831
The Earl of Fowle didn't look like a devil.
No black horns!
No pointed tail!
And he didn't carry a pitchfork.
He looked like a commonplace
father—thinning brown hair, plump from devouring too many tarts, and wrinkles around his eyes. His attire was the latest style; velvet tailcoat, brown trousers, and expensive leather boots. On his chubby fingers were rings worth a fortune.
Lady Amelia Reade walked into her father's study, curious to why she had been summoned. The room overflowed with her sire’s precious treasures—shiny rocks, gold and silver vases, carved animals, gemstones, and antique walking sticks. Her father’s collection of weapons lustrous from frequent polishing were hung on a wall near the small marble hearth.