If the Viscount Falls

“ANYONE WHO LOVES ROMANCE MUST READ SABRINA JEFFRIES!”

—
New York Times
bestselling author Lisa Kleypas

“JEFFRIES'S ADDICTIVE SERIES SATISFIES.”

—
Library Journal

Praise for the Duke's Men novels from
New York Times
and
USA Today
bestselling author SABRINA JEFFRIES

HOW THE SCOUNDREL SEDUCES

“A winner. . . . The setting is vivid, the lovers are well-drawn and colorful, and the mystery is intriguing.”

—
Publishers Weekly

“Marvelous storytelling . . . destined to steal readers' hearts. . . . A memorable romance.”

—
RT Book Reviews
(4½ stars, Top Pick, K.I.S.S. Award)

“Scorching. . . . From cover to cover,
How the Scoundrel Seduces
sizzles.”

—
Reader to Reader

WHEN THE ROGUE RETURNS

“For lovers of romantic fiction, Sabrina Jeffries has a gift for you. . . . [This] story . . . will leave you hungering for more adventures from the Duke's Men.”

—
NovelsAliveTV

WHAT THE DUKE DESIRES

“A totally engaging, adventurous love story . . . with a strong plot, steamy desire, and an oh-so-wonderful ending.”

—
RT Book Reviews

“This unusual tale of interlocking mysteries is full of all the intriguing characters, brisk plotting, and witty dialogue that Jeffries's readers have come to expect.”

—
Publishers Weekly
, starred review

“Another sparkling series” (
Library Journal
)
from Sabrina Jeffries—read all of the “exceptionally entertaining” (
Booklis
t
) novels of the HELLIONS OF HALSTEAD HALL

A LADY NEVER SURRENDERS

“Jeffries pulls out all the stops. . . . Not to be missed.”

—
RT Book Reviews
(4½ stars, Top Pick)

“Sizzling, emotionally satisfying. . . . Another must-read.”

—
Library Journal
(starred review)

“Superbly shaded characters, simmering sensuality, and a splendidly wicked wit . . .
A Lady Never Surrenders
wraps up the series nothing short of brilliantly.”

—
Booklist

TO WED A WILD LORD

“Wonderfully witty, deliciously seductive, graced with humor and charm.”

—
Library Journal
(starred review)

“A beguiling blend of captivating characters, clever plotting, and sizzling sensuality.”

—
Booklist

HOW TO WOO A RELUCTANT LADY

“A delightful addition. . . . Charmingly original.”

—
Publishers Weekly
(starred review)

“Steamy passion, dangerous intrigue, and just the right amount of tart wit.”

—
Booklist

A HELLION IN HER BED

“Jeffries's sense of humor and delightfully delicious sensuality spice things up!”

—
RT Book Reviews
(4½ stars)

THE TRUTH ABOUT LORD STONEVILLE

“Jeffries combines her hallmark humor, poignancy, and sensuality to perfection.”

—
RT Book Reviews
(4½ stars, Top Pick)

“Delectably witty dialogue . . . and scorching sexual chemistry.”

—
Booklist

For my husband, Rene, whose support for my writing has stayed steady throughout our thirty years of marriage.

And for my sweet son, Nicholas, whose autism prevents him from reading this but who is always in my heart.

I love you both so much!

P
ROLOGUE

London

February 1817

D
OMINICK
M
ANTON
HAD
never expected to spend his twentieth birthday peering covertly through open terrace doors into the Earl of Blakeborough's ballroom. But he had to find Jane Vernon, his fiancée, before some footman ousted him.

She pirouetted into his line of sight, and his breath settled like a lead weight in his chest. In her pearly gown, she shone so brightly under the candles that she fairly blinded him. Her pert freckled nose, her full red mouth, her wild auburn curls were all so essentially Jane. And now completely out of his reach.

Blast it, he couldn't even dance with her. Instead, she was partnered with Edwin Barlow, heir to the earl and a good friend of her family's. The man was as remote as ever, and Jane was trying to soften his melancholy by being animated and vibrant and . . .

Young. So very young. Only seventeen. She'd be eighteen soon, but the two years between her and Dom felt like ten, now that he'd lost everything.

His vision of Jane was suddenly blocked by a blond, curvier version of her: Miss Nancy Sadler, Jane's cousin on her mother's side.

“Mr. Manton?” she whispered as she peeked through the French doors onto the terrace. “Is that really you? Why aren't you inside?”

He backed up to allow Nancy to join him. “I wasn't invited.”

“Whyever not?”

He eyed the wealthy merchant's daughter askance. “Because society can't abide the sight of disinherited, disgraced second sons with no respectable future.”

She winced. “Oh. Right. So how did you get in?”

“Scaled the back fence.” He gazed inside to where Jane and Edwin had finished the dance and were joining Samuel Barlow, Edwin's younger brother. “I need to speak to Jane alone. She keeps refusing to meet with me.”

“What do you expect? At your last meeting you tried to convince her to jilt you. She's afraid that at your next one you'll end the engagement yourself.”

“Nonsense.
She
has to end it. If I cry off, it will look bad for her.”

One peculiarity of good society was that a woman could end a betrothal without suffering too badly. But not the reverse. People would always assume the woman had done something awful to cause the rift. He didn't want Jane's reputation besmirched.

“Can you get her to talk to me privately?” Dom asked. “This terrace connects to the library. I could meet her there.”

If anyone could coax Jane to do anything, it was Nancy. Her father was Jane's uncle and had been Jane's guardian since Jane was orphaned, so the two girls had grown up together. And Mr. Sadler wanted to see the engagement broken as much as Dom, though neither could convince Jane of it.

A secret part of Dom exulted in that. But the part of him that knew what lay before him in the coming years despaired.

Nancy gave a girlish shake of her head. “I could probably trick her into going into the library, but you won't get her to throw you over. Jane loves you.”

As much as a girl her age could, anyway. Except for the accidental drowning of her parents when Jane was eight, she'd led a sheltered life. The Sadlers gave her whatever she wanted, and she loved them deeply. Unlike Dom's parents, the couple had a true love match, so Jane saw marriage as an idyll.

Meanwhile, he was heading into hell—a long stretch of uncertainty and hard work and poverty. How could her love for him survive that?

Nancy shot him a petulant look. “I
thought
you loved Jane, too.”

He stiffened. Of course he loved her, had loved her from the moment they'd met in a bookshop. While unconsciously humming the first few bars of Haydn's
Surprise
Symphony, he'd been jarred from his book by
someone on the other side of the bookcase humming the next few bars.

It had proved to be Jane, taking respite from the endless rounds of parties and balls that constituted her debut. Until that moment, he'd never encountered anyone with his memory for music. Or his avid interest in symphonies. Or his penchant for humming while reading. He'd never come across a soul who liked both books
and
people. At once, she fascinated him.

From there, he'd courted the baron's daughter through a succession of musicales, operas, and even the occasional ball. Though the foolish woman preferred Beethoven to Mozart, he easily forgave that because she overlooked so many of his own flaws. She didn't seem to care that his dancing was more precise than heartfelt, that his exacting memory for music and conversation was downright freakish, or even that his prospects were limited.

Clearly, the woman was as daft as she was lovely. Which, of course, meant he'd wanted to marry her. Still did.

“It doesn't matter what I feel for Jane,” he said dully. “Or even what she feels for me. She deserves someone like Blakeborough's heir, who can give her a decent future.”

“Don't be ridiculous. She's never once thought of Edwin romantically. He's much too gruff for Jane's taste. And unlike me, Jane would prefer a barrister to a—” Nancy broke off with a groan. “I'm sorry. I forgot.”

“That I no longer have a future as a barrister?” he
said bitterly. “Jane may not crave an earl's son, but she sure as blazes doesn't want a Bow Street runner for a husband.”

With a peevish look, Nancy said, “I don't understand why you had to go off and take a position doing something so low. Why not live on credit until your brother relents and gives you back your allowance?”

Dom stifled an oath. As usual, Nancy saw the world through rainbows. “George will never relent.”