No Place for a Lady (46 page)
Excerpt from
The Dragon Earl
The Regency Rags to Riches Series
Book Four
by
Jade Lee
USA Today Bestselling Author
THE DRAGON EARL
Reviews & Accolades
"...hypnotic... will easily attract you into the life of an Englishman drawn into the Chinese culture against his will years ago and who now finds it hard to give up, and unable to become English again."
~Romance Reviews Today
~
"An exotic and emotional historical romantic tale of self discovery... Stunning and highly evocative tale..."
~ParaNormalRomance.org
A Chinese monk was walking up the aisle at her wedding. Evelyn blinked to make the apparition go away, but there he was, bright yellow robes billowing out behind him as he strode the length of the Norman church. Right toward her.
Evelyn hadn't heard the commotion at first. She'd been waiting breathlessly for her moment to say, "I do." But a minute beyond "Dearly beloved," her bridesmaid sister had giggled nervously. Maddie often giggled inappropriately, so Evelyn ignored it. Moments later she'd heard at least four whispers, two creaks from the pews, and one gasp. The final blow had come when the Reverend Smythe-Jones faltered. His words stumbled and his mouth fell slack. That had been too much. She'd had to see what was behind her, no matter that it was her wedding and brides did not turn around in the middle of their ceremonies. So she'd turned her back on cleric and future husband, shot a warning look at her sister Madeline, then glared all the interruptions into silence.
That's when she'd seen him: the Chinaman. There were three of them, actually—two men and a boy—but the first seemed to dominate, with his ground-eating stride and his bright yellow robe.
This simply would not do. Evelyn shifted her gaze to her father and arched her brow. She could already see the Earl of Warhaven, her fiancé Christopher's father, rising to his feet on the other side of the aisle. But the earl was choleric in temperament; he'd likely make a bad scene worse. Thankfully, her father felt the same. He would get to the disruption before her future father-in-law. It would take only a moment.
Except, it did not take a moment. Her father had barely found his feet when the Chinaman reached the front pew. Evelyn expected that the twin form of both fathers would at least make the man pause, but it didn't. He neatly and almost magically sidestepped them. One moment the fathers blocked the man's path; the next moment, he had somehow left them behind and was continuing up to the dais.
And still, all Evelyn could do was stare. The man wore yellow robes that wrapped him from head to foot. At her wedding?
"Now see here!" Christopher exclaimed as he stepped forward, his outrage a palpable force. He sounded just as an indignant viscount and future earl should, and Evelyn felt the tension in her shoulders ease a bit. Christopher would handle this disturbance.
But the Chinaman completely ignored him. He bowed once respectfully to the reverend, then threw back his cowl to focus on her.
"My God, you're white!" she gasped. And he was, with bright blue eyes, a Roman nose, and ruddy, stubbled skin. If he hadn't obviously been in robust health, she would have thought he resembled Christopher's great-grandfather before the poor man died at the age of ninety-eight.
The white Chinaman arched an eyebrow at her. It was an aristocratic expression and completely at odds with his clothing. Then he spoke in a commanding voice that was strangely accented. "You are Evelyn Stanton? Of twenty-four years age today?"
Evelyn swallowed and forcibly reminded herself that she would one day be a countess. Lifting her chin, she responded as haughtily as possible, "I am, and you, sir, belong outside." She should turn her back on him, she decided. It was the best way, according to Christopher's mother, to dismiss someone in regal fashion.
But before she could even start to move, his arm shot out. He grabbed her elbow and held her fast. She squeaked in alarm, but fortunately Christopher intervened. He'd been too slow to prevent the Chinaman from touching her, but managed to grab hold of the man's rather massive biceps, clearly outlined by the folds of his robe. And there they stood, Christopher holding the bizarre Chinaman, who held her.
"Release her, sirrah," Christopher growled.
Again the Chinaman ignored her fiancé, and he boldly scanned Evelyn from head to toe. From the tight compression of his lips, he was none too pleased with what he saw. "You are to wed the Earl of Warhaven on this date? In this church?"
"Yes!" she snapped. "Now go away!" She glanced over his shoulder—no easy feat given his height—in the hope that the fathers would be able to help. But what she saw made her grimace with disgust. Trust the men to be having a furious whispered debate with two other gentlemen while completely ignoring the Chinamen interrupting her wedding. What was going on?
Meanwhile, Christopher leaned forward and spoke clearly and directly into the Chinaman's face. "If you have something to say to my wife, you can do so after the ceremony." He jerked his head sideways at his groomsmen. "These are my brothers. They will escort you outside where you will await our pleasure."
The Chinaman's gaze abruptly sharpened, but was not on Christopher or his bristling brothers. Instead, he pinned the Reverend Smythe-Jones with his intense stare. "The ceremony is accomplished? They are wed?"
Was there a note of hope in his voice?
"Er... no... n-not yet," stammered the cleric. "We'd just begun." Then the reverend abruptly straightened and peered down his bulbous nose. "If you would please leave the altar area, I will proceed."
"Then I am in time." The Chinaman's tone was almost dull, but still clearly heard. He turned to Christopher, and with every word, his voice became clearer and more authoritative. "You are not wed. And she is promised to me—the earl."
"Sirrah—"
"And now I am here." He turned to look at the reverend. "You may marry us. I am the Earl of Warhaven."
The Dragon Earl
The Regency Rags to Riches Series
Book Four
by
Jade Lee
~
To purchase
The Dragon Earl
from your favorite eBook Retailer,
visit Jade Lee's eBook Discovery Author Page
www.ebookdiscovery.com/JadeLee
~
Discover more with
JADE LEE
has two passions (well, except for her family, but that's a given). She loves dreaming up stories and playing racquetball, not always in that order. When her pro-racquetball career ended with a pair of very bad knees, she turned her attention to writing. An author of more than 30 romance novels, she's decided that life can be full of joy without ever getting up from her chair.
A
USA Today
Bestseller, Jade has been scripting love stories since she first picked up a set of paper dolls. Ball gowns and rakish lords caught her attention early (thank you Georgette Heyer), and her fascination with the Regency began. Now an author of more than 30 romance novels, she finally gets to play in the best girl-heaven place of all: a Bridal Salon! In her new series, four women find love as they dress the most beautiful brides in England. Look for the first books in Feb/March 2012 with
Engaged in Wickedness
, an e-book novella, and
Wedded in Scandal
, a Berkley Sensation novel.