Charming the Vicar's Daughter (10 page)

Lately she felt more like an obligation, one he was searching to end. The pressure he put on her to marry was quite unbearable. And the restrictions he imposed on her time with their horses were her biggest concern. A life without horses was truly not to be borne.

“Robert, please let me catch my breath. Mama will assume I am ill if I appear before her flushed and breathless.” She tugged again on the arm he still gripped.

His hand relaxed. “I’m sorry. But I’m only looking out for your best interests.”

“My best interests would be met by having Patriot win today.”

“As would mine, but I’ll not allow you to ride him in the race, so this is the end of that discussion. A disqualification would be worse than a loss, going forward. Now, there is Mother in the coffee house, sitting at the window. Please humor me and stay with her until I come for you both at the end of the day. Wallis will escort you two to the grandstand when it’s time for Patriot’s match.”

Joanna bit her tongue on all the retorts that came to mind. Of course Robert would send his groom to take them to watch the race, and not be bothered to do so himself. Just more proof she was a burden and not a pleasant companion. She entered the crowded eating establishment and made her way to the small table where Mama sat with her maid. Letting go of the last of her frustrations, Joanna smiled at them. “How are the scones? Did you save me any?”

“Of course, dear girl.” Her mother’s sweet, round face looked pale in the morning light streaming through the window. Her blue eyes seemed as faded as the blonde hair showing beneath the edges of the black bonnet she’d continued to wear after her year of mourning had passed. “I admit, however, I was tempted to eat these last two if you hadn’t arrived soon.”

Mama poured tea for Joanna and handed her the cup. When they’d left the inn that morning, Joanna told her mother she would meet her shortly after checking on Patriot. Discovering Bruce was ill, followed by her muddled attempt to replace him as rider in the race, delayed her more than an hour. Mama must have requested a fresh pot of tea, as the drink was still quite warm, and it took away the chill of the morning air.

“How is your horse this morning?” Mama didn’t understand Joanna’s passion, but she humored it.

“He’s frisky and eager to run. But his groom isn’t. I fear Patriot won’t perform well with another boy on his back.”

“Oh, dear. And you’ve put so much time in his training. But this is only the first of many races. He’ll have his day.”

Yes, Patriot would do well in the future, but her main concern was whether Robert would continue to let her attend race meetings, or if she must wait to hear reports of his activities. She would simply expire from worry if she couldn’t watch Patriot compete. She glanced at the clock on the wall, then sighed. She still had hours to wait for the racing to begin.

Joanna contemplated her mother again. The dark circles beneath her eyes were not as prominent today. “I’m very pleased you came with me to the race meeting.”

“I always enjoyed the races with your father. I’m happy to chaperone you here.”

Her words sounded earnest enough, and her face didn’t contradict them, but given the weeks where Mother would not even join them for meals, Joanna wondered what had brought about this gay mood. She would not press the issue, however. She would simply enjoy her mother’s company for as long as she had it.

* * * * *

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Other Books by Aileen Fish

Excerpts and buy links are available at
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Immortal Temptress
 

May you be in heaven half an hour before the devil knows you're dead.

Enya's job is to escort the dying on their final journey, to make sure their souls get to heaven before a demon can steal their bodies. For centuries she has done this without emotion, until the body in question belongs to Kane Sullivan. Not only does she desire his rock-hard body, she can't bear the thought of him dying. But she's not supposed to become emotionally involved in a death.
 

Kane's sudden run of near-fatal accidents always happen when Enya is present. She might be hot, but he's not willing to die to get to know her. Then he discovers she's fighting for his soul. That damned immortal temptress might be the death of him.

Renegade Wolf
 

When Stephanie shifts into wolf form for the first time on live TV, she flees to the one man who can protect her from were-hunters, Micah Salway. As attracted as she'd been to him four years ago when they'd met, she'd run scared at the changes he awakened in her after just one kiss. Was it possible he'd turned her into a werewolf?
 

Micah can hide Stephanie in the caves known as Devil's Promenade, but the dangers there are worse than facing down the hunter. His choices are few when faced with keeping Stephanie alive: fight the hunter alone or kiss the asses of his former pack-mates and ask for help. His wolf had claimed her the night they met. There was no way he would lose her again.
 

A Bride for Christmas

When Nash Sinclair sees Lady Juliana holding their newborn nephew in her arms, he decides it is time he took a wife. Juliana, however, insists only a man who slays dragons would suit, and since dragons don't exist, neither does her ideal beau. Not one to turn away from a challenge, Nash enlists the aid of his nieces and nephews in a scheme sure to win Lady Juliana's heart.

The Mistletoe Mishap
 

When Robert Wilmot, Viscount Alderton, catches his intended betrothed, Lady Caroline Stone, under the mistletoe, he can't resist stealing a kiss. He's quite surprised to discover her cousin, Isabella Stone, in his arms. And more surprised at how much he enjoyed kissing her. Now he must decide if marriage to Lady Caroline is truly what he wants, or if he should go against their families' wishes and pursue Isabella.

The Viscount’s Sweet Temptation

Lady Harriet Thornhill knows the summons from her grandfather means he's decided whom she must marry. Determined that she'd only marry a man of her choosing, she stows away in her friend's father's carriage, only to find herself alone with young Archibald Napier,Viscount Morley.
 

 
Morley's plans for a quiet Christmas vanish when he discovers the sweet young lady hiding under the blankets in his carriage. As she claims an acquaintance with his sister, he feels duty-bound to see her safely back to her family.

A broken carriage wheel leaves them stranded, and Harriet's reputation is at stake. Morley's not ready to take a wife, until he's told he wouldn't be a suitable husband for her. With memories of her sweet, tempting kiss filling his thoughts, he prepares to fight for the hand of the woman he believes he could love.
 

The Lives of Jon McCracken
(print and ebook)
 

Reincarnation. A guardian angel on steroids. A woman who claims to be writing about his lives.
 

The minute he meets Gabi Peters, Jon McCracken seriously questions his decision to move to California. This isn't the change he was looking for; this is an E-ticket ride through Fantasyland. Gabi would be a hot catch if she wasn't crazy. But she spends her free time recapturing memories of a young woman who died decades before Gabi was born. She visits her past lives like most women read a favorite romance novel. How does a guy compete with the ghost of a small-town war hero who died for his country?
 

When his oversoul-the guardian angel on steroids-shows him the changes he has to make in his past lives in order to clear the karma affecting this one, he's forced to ask Gabi for help. Together they dig through a series of lives looking for answers, and for a chance at happily ever after.
 

A Grand Beginning
(In Love Everlasting anthology)
 

A piano brings together two people with a common interest in old tunes. Widowed Mary Margaret is content on her own until she begins singing along with new neighbor Ed. Is it ever too late to start something new?
 

Passings in the Night
(In Love Everlasting anthology)
 

A random meeting with a secret childhood crush brings startling revelations and the possibility of a new romance. Chrissy never expected her hard-earned self esteem to be challenged by still-hunky Jake, who asks her out.

His Impassioned Proposal
 

The wounded hero comes home.

Six years she has waited for the man she hopes to marry to return from war and propose to her. When he finally does, he is so far in his cups as to not remember the event the next morning! Miss Jane Marwick can't decide if she has wasted her heart on the wrong man or if he just needs some time to recover from too many life-changing events.
 

Stephen Lumley isn't sure he's capable of being a good husband to any woman, but he only has a few months to convince himself and Jane he is worthy of her love, or she'll be off to London to find a man who is. He's not certain what his future will bring, only that he needs Jane in it.
 

Cat’s Rule
(In the anthology Wild at Heart Volume II)
 

Wren is still reeling from the chaos that landed her in a foster home, when she finds a wild lynx caught in a trap. The only person she feels she can ask for help is Mike, star quarterback and local heartthrob. With his gentle assistance, she not only saves the cat but takes the first steps in her own healing.

(All proceeds from the sale of this anthology are donated to the
Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge
)

Outcast
(Apocalyptia Book One)
 

When the world collapses, the only person who comes looking for Niki Mathers is the loser who made fun of her in high school. JC Phillips saves her life, so she can’t really tell him to get lost. And he is keeping her from being alone at the end of the world…
 

JC will never forgive himself for choices he made the night before the earthquake. Rescuing the girl he’s been crushing on for the past year doesn’t bring atonement. Maybe making the world safe for Niki will take away his guilt.
 

The world they know is dying. All they want is to find their place in it before it does.

A Christmas Courtship
 

An anthology of Regency Christmas novellas:
The Viscount’s Sweet Temptation
,
A Bride for Christmas
, and
The Mistletoe Mishap
.

The Incorrigible Mr. Lumley

Stubborn. Hard-headed. Single-minded.
The qualities that make David Lumley a successful horse breeder are put to work befriending Lady Joanna Hurst with less than noble intentions. He’s tenacious in his pursuit of the answers he seeks.

Lady Joanna falls fast and hard for the handsome, witty and charming Mr. Lumley after her brother’s ultimatum to find a husband by the end of the Season. He is everything she imagined a husband could be, and more. Blissfully unaware of the conflict between their fathers, she believes he’ll declare his love soon. Then she overhears a conversation between Mr. Lumley and her brother, and all of Mr. Lumley’s tenacity will be needed if he’s to win back her heart.

A Pretense of Love

Blush sensuality level This is a sweet romance (kisses only, no sexual content).

Twenty-two-year-old Jean’s best chance of finding a husband is behind her. When her brother’s friend offers to pay for a Season in London in exchange for pretending to be his betrothed, she sees it as a miracle.

Ben needed a fiancée to convince his dying grandfather that he has settled down and is capable of inheriting and running his business and estate. But he didn’t consider how spending six weeks with Jean would make her necessary to his happiness. Now she’s in London and he’s in agony. A gentleman never reneges on an agreement…unless his heart is broken.

A Blush® Regency romance from Ellora’s Cave

Chasing Lord Mystery
(In A Gentlemen’s Pact Book 2)

Lord Northcotte is not in the holiday spirit when he joins his sister’s family shortly after the brutal death of a friend. Discovering a matchmaking scheme is afoot, he tells them he will never marry Lady Miriam or any other woman. Now if only his heart would listen.
 

Lady Miriam’s mother accused her of chasing Lord Mystery after a noble act by a handsome gentleman six years ago became the measure of all other men. Now he’s staying at the home where she’d hoped to escape a summons from her grandfather, the Duke of Danby. Terrified Northcotte will recognize her and reveal the contents of the scandalous letter she wrote him years ago, she can’t decide which is the bigger threat: the duke armed with a special license, or Lord Mystery, who carries a secret she’d never live down.

Helena’s Christmas Beau

Blush sensuality level: This is a sweet romance (kisses only, no sexual content).

Facing her second Christmas since the loss of her fiancé, Helena relies on her favorite traditions to bring back the joy of the season. Yet from stir-up day to bringing in the greenery on Christmas Eve, her cousin’s brother-in-law Duncan is underfoot, questioning her every action.

As Duncan plays along with the outdated rites, he realizes how much he’s missed Helena’s laughter. When he hears she plans to re-enter the Marriage Mart next spring, he is struck with jealousy. Is he falling in love, or simply under the spell of the holiday season?

A Blush® Regency romance from Ellora’s Cave

Charlotte
(In The Heart of a Duke anthology)

Lady Charlotte is the last of her friends to come into possession of the heart-shaped pendant a gypsy insists will lead to the heart of a duke. Since none of the other girls married a duke, Charlotte is highly suspicious of its authenticity. But the Duke of Langley has yet to choose his bride, and she has longed for him since first sight, when he was still engaged to her dear friend, Lady Eleanor.