The Viscount's Rose (The Farthingale Series Book 5) (32 page)

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—Meara

THE FARTHINGALE SERIES

My Fair Lily
(Regency Romance) Ewan Cameron, estranged grandson of the Duke of Lotheil, is in London because of a deathbed promise made to his father and has no intention of staying beyond his three month obligation. Nothing can tempt him to remain, not even Lily, the beautiful bluestocking determined not only to restore relations between him and his grandfather, but to turn Ewan into a proper gentleman. Ewan, proud of his Scottish heritage, refuses to admit that Lily, a blue-eyed, English girl, has claimed his heart. It doesn’t matter that his big lump of a sheepdog is madly in love with her. Nor is it significant that Ewan can always tell Lily apart from her identical twin sister. Always.

The Duke I’m Going To Marry
(Regency Romance) Daffodil Farthingale is horrified to learn the man she has just rescued from ruffians outside her townhouse is none other than the notorious Duke of Edgeware. If the Chipping Way curse holds true, she’s doomed to marry the wretched rakehell. Determined to break the curse, she hastily leaves town, little knowing that the duke, equally determined to remain a bachelor, has just left town as well. With the Farthingale family and the duke’s assailants on their trail, the pair find themselves trapped in the same charming inn during a torrential rainstorm… and wind up falling in love.

Rules For Reforming A Rake
(Regency Romance) Daisy Farthingale loves her family and desperately wants to make them proud of her by marrying well; however, her heart refuses to cooperate and keeps leading her to Gabriel Dayne, a man she believes is a wastrel and notorious rake. Gabriel has spent years creating his dissolute image in order to spy on Napoleon’s agents, and he isn’t about to destroy all those years of important work for a snip of a girl who’s somehow stolen his heart. We know that Daisy will find true love only by following her heart and believing in Gabriel. However, in Regency England, a young woman had little chance to succeed on her own merits. Often, the only way to gain the respect of her family was to achieve a brilliant marriage. Daisy will be forced to make that choice, for the handsome heir to one of England’s most powerful families has offered for her hand in marriage and Daisy is feeling tremendous pressure to accept.

A Midsummer’s Kiss
(Regency Romance) Sometimes love happens at the most unexpected times and in the most unexpected places. Sometimes it quietly sneaks up on you, and sometimes it knocks you over on a London street, just as it happens to Lord Graelem Dayne when Laurel Farthingale’s horse runs him over and breaks his leg. Graelem has until Midsummer’s Day, a mere thirty days away to find a wife or lose a large inheritance, so when a remorseful Laurel begs his forgiveness and promises to do anything for him, he takes her up on that promise and insists that she marry him. Laurel Farthingale has no intention of becoming Graelem Dayne’s biddable bride and is furious that he’s tricked her into a betrothal. She plans to marry another, her long-time friend and childhood infatuation who is now in London to propose to her, for she’s a Farthingale and everyone knows that Farthingales only marry for love. But as she comes to know Graelem, she realizes that he may very well be the man she’s destined to love. Can he ever love her above his desire to secure his baronial fortune?

The Viscount’s Rose
(Regency Romance) When Rose Farthingale is saved from the rubble of her pottery workshop, she knows that she must repay this debt to her handsome rescuer by abducting him (at his family’s desperate urging) in order to save him from the clutches of the scheming woman he is presently courting and intending to marry. But Rose never expects to be abducted with him, or to fall in love with him over the course of their captivity. Viscount Julian Emory is a secret agent of the Crown on an important mission to destroy the spy ring Napoleon has established in London. The woman he’s pretending to court is one of Napoleon’s most important spies, for only she knows the identity of the traitor within the royal inner circle. He’s purposely encouraged the courtship and marriage rumors in the hope she will make a slip and disclose the traitor’s identity, but his meddlesome family has just ruined his plans. By forcing him into close quarters with Rose Farthingale, they’ve put both his mission and this delectable innocent in danger. Can he keep himself from falling in love with Rose long enough to bring down Napoleon’s spy organization?

If You Loved Me
(Regency Romance)

KINDLE WORLDS: REGENCY NOVELLAS

Nobody’s Angel

Kiss An Angel

To Neal, Brigitte (my fair Gigi), and Adam, the best husband and kids ever. I’m so lucky to have you as my family. To my own boisterous and meddlesome family, who enrich my life beyond measure with your love and general brilliance. To all my readers for your generosity and support of these stories. I wish you all the beauty in your lives that you’ve given to me. As always, to my intrepid first readers, Barbara Hassid, Lauren Cox, Megan Westfall, Rebecca Heller, and Maria Barlea, and to my longtime friends and terrific authors in their own right, Pamela Burford, Patricia Ryan, and Stevi Mittman. To my talented photographer, Jeff Loeser. To my wonderful web designer, Willa Cline. Heartfelt gratitude to the best support team that any author can have: Laurel Busch, Samantha Williams, Melody Barber, Jennifer Gracen, and Greg Simanson.

Meara Platt is happily married to her Russell Crowe look-alike husband, and they have two terrific children. She lives in one of the many great towns on Long Island, New York, and loves it, except for the traffic. She has traveled the world, occasionally lectures, and always finds time to write. Her favorite place in all the world is England’s Lake District, which may not come as a surprise since many of her stories are set in that idyllic landscape, including her Romance Writers of America Golden Heart award winning story to be released as Book 3 in her paranormal romance Garden Series, which is set to debut in 2016. Learn more about Meara Platt by visiting her website at
mearaplatt.com
.

“WHAT WILL YOU
do to your siblings?” Rose asked, taking a seat at the kitchen table while Julian tossed some more logs into the hearth to stoke the fire, for a chill had set in with the arrival of the storm. It was nearing supper time she supposed, but couldn’t be sure because they had no clock and the midsummer sun that might have guided her was nowhere to be seen. The rain was still coming down in buckets, and the flashes of lightning and thunder rumbling in the distance would be upon them soon. “They meant you no harm.”

Rose moved her stool closer to the hearth, eager for the warmth of the flames to chase away the damp ache still in her bones. The jostling she’d received during the carriage ride had left bruises on her arms and legs, and her attempts to free herself from her bindings had left chafe marks on her wrists. All in all, the damage was not serious, but Julian had noticed these marks immediately and been angered by them.

Perhaps they wouldn’t have been so obvious if her skin wasn’t such a delicate shade of pink. She’d had to assure him they were nothing of consequence, because with each passing moment, he appeared to grow more tense.

“No harm? Other than almost killing me with that overdose and setting you up for ruin?” Julian set aside the andiron and returned to her side, a furious expression on his face. He groaned and ran a hand along the nape of his neck. “Hell, Rose. This is a mess. The younger ones aren’t so much the problem, for I know they didn’t think up this idiotic plan.” He absently rubbed the nape of his neck again, a sign of his consternation. “Nicola must have concocted it, and I don’t know if I can ever forgive her for that.”

Rose’s stomach began to churn, for she had been the original instigator and had helped Nicola come up with their first plan as well as propose other options. But this wasn’t the time to confess her involvement to Julian. He was clearly enraged, but not at her. Thank goodness. She couldn’t blame him for being on edge and angry with his entire family, including his aunt and uncle. However, since an earl outranked a viscount, there wasn’t much Julian could do by way of punishing the elders in his family. For this reason, he was focusing his anger on Nicola. “You must forgive her,” Rose insisted, although there might have been a little pleading in her tone as well. “Losing your love would devastate her.”

“Still loyal to Nicola despite all she’s done to you?” He set the last of the currant scones on a plate and settled his large frame on a stool beside hers. He offered to cut it in half to share but she declined. She’d had one a few moments earlier and couldn’t handle any more to eat. Her stomach was still unsettled because of the effect of the drug still in her veins. As well, she was fretting over being part of this misguided plot they’d hatched. What would Julian do to her when he found out the true extent of her involvement?

She declined the tea he offered her. “Yes. She’s my best friend and always will be. She wishes we were sisters, she’s told me so quite often.”

“I know how much she cares for you, but there is no excuse for what she’s done. Her affection for you doesn’t make it right.”

“I know.” Rose stifled a yawn, not yet able to shake off the effects of the drug, but there was more to do than think of sleep. In truth, attempting to sleep while her body was so lethargic held no appeal for her. Besides, there were things to occupy her time in the lodge. The place was well stocked with food, blankets, and other useful supplies to peruse.

Thinking of sleep would force her to think about sleeping arrangements, and since Julian had broken the cot in the room where he’d been bound, there was only one other cot left in the small chamber beside it. Only one narrow, rickety bed for the two of them to share. Of course, not at the same time. They’d either have to take turns sleeping in it or Julian would have to make a pallet for himself beside the kitchen hearth and sleep on the floor along with the mice and other vermin that had taken up occupancy while the hunting lodge sat unused.

The thought of those creatures creeping up Julian’s boots as he slept on the floor caused a shiver of disgust to run up her spine. She couldn’t allow him to spend the night in such discomfort.

They’d have to share the cot.

Not at the same time, of course, she reminded herself, refusing to consider the possibility of sleeping in his arms, their bodies entangled as she lay atop him, her head nestled against his golden chest. Should she suggest it? Never! She simply couldn’t. But would he?

“You’re tired,” he said, staring at her when she yawned again. “Come along, I’ll set up the cot for you. We haven’t discussed sleeping arrangements.”

“Is there a need?” She blushed, never considering that he had the power to read her mind. But he must have known what she was thinking or he wouldn’t have raised the matter now. Were her thoughts so clearly written on her face? “Separate arrangements, of course.”

“Of course.” The corners of his eyes crinkled as he smiled. “Did you think I’d suggest otherwise?”

This was a moment when she ought to keep her mouth shut and allow the question to quietly disappear into the night unanswered, but most Farthingales were not discreet—in truth, the word did not appear in the Farthingale vocabulary—so she attempted to respond with full knowledge that it was a terribly wrong thing to do. “Um, considering your past behavior toward me… and your lack of… because you kissed me in places…”

“On your body?” He was still smiling and his eyes were now dark and gleaming, or was it merely a trick of the firelight?

“I meant
places
… such as the library… and again here in this lodge.”

The man was now shamelessly grinning at her. “Ah, I thought you were referring to the parts of your body. All quite glorious, by the way. My mistake.”

“Yes, indeed. You are quite mistaken.” She swallowed hard, because the memory of his lips against her skin was making her hot and decidedly uncomfortable. The mere thought of what he’d done to her in the earl’s library was sending her into improper spasms of elation. “My body parts, specifically my breasts, are not your property. Neither the right one nor the left one. You may not touch either of them.”

“That’s quite specific. Any other instructions about what not to do with your breasts? Do they have a vote in the matter or is your edict irreversible and final?” He stood quite close now, close enough for her to feel the heat radiating off his big body. Or was all the heat coming from her own body, which was now a liquid pool of fire?

Hot, buttered crumpets!

She was in deep, deep trouble. Not from Julian, of course. Despite his jest, he was a gentleman to the core and would keep his hands off her if she requested that he do so. But she didn’t wish him to do so, and therein lay the problem, for all she wanted to do was grab him by the lapels and sprinkle hot kisses down his body and… and… then set him loose to do whatever he wished to do upon her body.

She didn’t know what he would do, only that she was certain to like it. “I’m not in the habit of giving any of my body parts a say, other than my brain, of course.”
Which isn’t functioning at the moment.
“Or my heart.” She emitted a soft, shattered sigh. “Too often, my heart.”

“Rose,” he said with a tender ache to his voice, “I’m a beast for teasing you when you’ve been nothing but sweet and generous to me and my family.”

“No, I’m silly and frivolous and quite at fault. In truth, I’m uncomfortable trapped here alone with you. Or rather, I ought to be uncomfortable, but I’m not.” She glanced at him in desperation. “What I mean to say is… I ought not be feeling safe and protected with you. It’s going to get me into trouble.” She stared down at her hands, which were clasped together and resting on the table top.