by Anna Bradley
Some of Pleasant’s merriment dimmed. “No. He’s not here.”
“Hmm. That’s rather odd,” he muttered. “I thought he said—” He was interrupted by another knock at the door. “Ah. That must be him now.”
Without giving Pleasant a chance to move, he crossed the room and opened the door. Pleasant’s heart thudded against her chest when she saw Cornell’s familiar face. And after a brief greeting for the earl, his green gaze shifted and caught hers. As he took in her attire, they visibly twinkled, and her body heated in response.
He removed his outerwear and she saw that he was wearing the same finery as well. He glanced around the room as he walked toward her, completely handsome and devilishly charming. He stopped and offered her an apologetic grin. “Sorry I’m late. I had a few things to take care of.”
“You’re here now,” she returned. “That’s all that matters.”
He offered his arm to her. “Shall we eat?” he asked.
Dinner was filled with fun-filled conversation and laughter. Once they were happily satisfied, they returned to the modest sitting area where a multitude of packages awaited. They all took a seat where they could, and as her siblings excitedly tore into the packages, Pleasant’s eyes filled with tears at the generosity from Lord and Lady Haverton.
When Fiona opened her gift to find a new doll, Louisa remarked, “Papa thought Fi should have a brand new doll instead of one of my old ones. I agreed.”
Pleasant laughed as the boys also opened presents amid similar, jubilant smiles, and she couldn’t help that Cornell was right.
It truly was a Christmas miracle.
Once the merriment had simmered down somewhat, Cornell rose to his feet. He brought Pleasant with him to stand before the mantel. As they stood underneath the kissing bough, he addressed the assembled. “I’m sure you all know that, for the past three weeks, this woman has been my apprentice. She is quite skilled at the trade, and I fear that someday, she might actually teach me a thing or two.”
Pleasant smiled amid a few chuckles. But when he turned to face her, her breathing stuttered. And when he dropped down on one knee, she couldn’t stop a gasp from escaping. He withdrew a small box from his jacket pocket and opened the lid. “Miss Hill, you have taught me what it means to be an honorable man. I may have fought in numerous battles for king and country, but it was you who showed me what it truly means to be a man, and what the power of love and forgiveness can do. Will you do me the great honor of becoming my wife?”
A sob escaped from her throat, but she managed to nod and answer with a rather squeaky, “Yes!” He rose to his feet and slipped the exquisite, emerald ring on her finger.
She threw her arms around him and kissed him unabashedly in front of their entire family. “I love you, Cornell,” she sighed happily.
“I’m glad to hear it,” he drawled. “And so will Madame Caron when she delivers your trousseau.”
She looked at him with sudden understanding. “That was your order?”
“You dared to think otherwise?” he teased, and then he brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “I love you, Pleasant.” He glanced up at the kissing bough and looked back at her with genuine affection shining from his eyes. “And I promise that I always will.”
EPILOGUE
One year later…
Galway, Ireland
“When are they going to get here?” Fiona asked impatiently.
“Stop whining.” Niall rolled his eyes, but there was a decided twitch to his mouth.
Fi turned on him with a mutinous glare. “Louisa is my friend!” She pointed an accusing finger at Conner. “And I know he’s excited to see Freddy. He writes to him as much as I do Louisa.”
“That may be true.” Niall shrugged. “But at least he doesn’t look like a lost puppy dog with its nose pressed against the glass.”
“Must you all bicker constantly?” Three pairs of eyes turned to their elder sister. Pleasant was sitting in the parlor with her siblings, crocheting a pair of booties for the child that would arrive any day. But at her rebuking tone, her siblings fell silent.
“Sorry, Pea,” they grumbled in unison.
But the moment the sound of a carriage could be heard rumbling along the drive, they all jumped to their feet and ran out the door, even Niall, who nearly ran his brother-in-law over in the doorway.
“Whoa!” Cornell laughed as he shook his head and joined his wife on the settee. “Someone is excited about Lord and Lady Haverton’s visit.”
Pleasant rolled her eyes as she set aside her project. Cornell wrapped his arm around her shoulders and she snuggled into her husband’s embrace. The familiar, comforting scents of evergreen and cinnamon floated on the air, and she thought of how far they had come in just twelve months. The time seemed endless, and yet it had flown by. While this time of year would always be bittersweet because of her stepmother’s death, she was thankful for the new life that would soon make an appearance.
“It was rather generous of your brother to sign over this cottage to us as a wedding gift, although I still find it hard some days to imagine that I’m truly back in Ireland.” As she spoke, she could hear the waves crashing against the emerald coast beyond and felt well and truly…content.
“I don’t,” he returned dryly. “For your accent is becoming more pronounced.”
“Is it?” she pondered. “I hadn’t noticed.”
He kissed her temple. “While here I notice everything about you, my love.”
She lifted her head and grinned at him. “That, coming from a master cordwainer,” she teased.
“Indeed.” He wagged his brows at her. “I’m becoming quite famous in my trade.”
She trailed her fingers across his chest. “But don’t forget that I am a quite sought after seamstress as well.”
His eyes darkened with desire as he halted her movements. “I don’t think such vigorous activity is advisable in your condition, Mrs. Reed. Not to mention it would be the height of impropriety should we wait too long to greet our guests.”
She sighed dramatically. “You’re right, of course. We wouldn’t want to take advantage of such a rare, stolen moment…”
He growled deep in his throat, and she knew that she had him exactly where she wanted him. He pulled her to her feet and captured her mouth in a drugging kiss, the kind that never failed to weaken her knees. “Let’s go upstairs.”
She grinned as she looked above them, where one of several kissing boughs was strung about their home. “I thought you’d never ask.”
The End
SNEAK PEEK AT THE WAYS OF LOVE SERIES
Why the Earl is After the Girl
A missing heirloom. A stolen inheritance. Can love conquer mistrust?
Athena Hawthorne knows that she’s been wronged, that her late father’s debts are false. Intending to set things right, she accepts a desperate offer from a handsome stranger to work as a governess.
Orion Ashcroft, the Earl of Rockford, means to keep Athena close at hand, believing she is responsible for the theft of a priceless family heirloom. His grandmother’s dying wish, to see it restored.
It isn’t until a shocking villain threatens all he holds dear, does Rion have to make a choice between duty – and desire.
A CAPTIVATING NEW SERIES!
Behind a Moonlit Veil
An evil lurks in the darkest corners of Victorian London...
Amaris Maxwell has lived her entire life with ill health. As the daughter of a prominent doctor, it never occurred to her to question his abilities, nor his associate’s rather unorthodox treatments. But the life of a withdrawn woman has its drawbacks. She yearns to be normal, to live an existence outside the same four walls. When fate thrusts her into the path of Mr. Jackson Moreland, he makes her question everything she’s ever known. It isn’t until a murderer starts to terrorize the streets of Whitechapel that Amaris realizes things are not always what they appear…
But how close is it to the true villain?
; Jackson Moreland has lived the last two years of his life in a personal hell after the brutal murder of his wife. As he struggles to come to terms with his reality, he is engaged by Scotland Yard to assist in finding Jack the Ripper. But everything changes once he meets Miss Amaris Maxwel. He knows something isn’t right and he’s determined to find out what. As things progress and secrets are revealed amid a growing attraction, they begin to realize that the true threat in London may not be the killer after all.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Tabetha Waite began her writing journey at a young age. At only nine years old, she was crafting stories of all genres on an old Underwood typewriter. She started reading romance in high school and immediately fell in love with the genre. She gained her first publishing contract with Etopia Press and released her debut novel in July of 2016, “Why the Earl is After the Girl.” Since then, she has become a hybrid author, bridging over into indie publishing. She is a certified PAN member of the RWA and has won several awards for her books.
She is a small town, Missouri girl who continues to make her home in the Midwest with her husband and two wonderful daughters. When she’s not writing novels filled with adventure and heart, she is either reading, or searching the local antique malls for the latest inspiration. You can find her on most any social media site, and she encourages fans of her work to join her mailing list for updates.
www.authortabethawaite.wix.com/romance
Her Accidental Groom
Nadine Millard
Her Accidental Groom
Lady Natalia Soronsky was sent to England eight years ago to become a refined lady of quality so she could return to Russia and marry a man whom her father deemed suitable. At twelve, Natalia had no problem with this plan. Now at twenty, and with Papa on his way to England to take her home, she most definitely has a problem.
The only way to stop her father from marrying her off is to make him think she’s already engaged.
Benjamin Trafford, Earl of Staunton is on the verge of bankruptcy and needs an injection of coin into the family coffers. Fast. When his Aunt Elizabeth offers him the money to save himself, Ben thinks all of his problems are solved. That is of course until he hearsthe condition: he must be engaged before he can get his hands on the money.
The only problem is that Ben doesn’t want to get married, and even if he did, where would he find a bride at such short notice?
Ben and Natalia have been enemies ever since she followed him around annoying him as a child. But for now at least, their needs are aligned. Ben needs a fiancée to get his money, and Natalia needs a fiancé to get her freedom.
Like each other or not, a fake betrothal seems the perfect solution to both their problems. What could possibly go wrong?
Other Titles by Nadine Millard
The Ranford Series
An Unlikely Duchess
Seeking Scandal
Mysterious Miss Channing
The Revenge Series
Highway Revenge
The Spy’s Revenge
The Captain’s Revenge
The Hidden Prince
Beauty & The Duke
Box Sets
A Christmas Seduction
Christmas At Brentwood Abbey
Forbidden: A Regency Collection
Yuletide Happily Ever Afters I
Lady It’s Cold Outside
The Saints & Sinners Series
The Monster of Montvale Hall
The Angel of Avondale Abbey
The Devil of Dashford Manor
The Saint of St. Giles
Her Accidental Groom
Copyright © 2018 Nadine Millard
All rights reserved.
To my Auntie Ethel who supports me, always.
PROLOGUE
Lady Natalia Soronsky’s heart was racing, though outwardly she remained calm.
It was a big change for a young woman, moving from Russia to England.
Natalia attending Miss Fincham’s finishing school had been something her English mama had dreamed of for her daughter.
“It shaped me into the woman I am today, Talia. And it will shape you into the woman I know you can become.”
Natalia was a precocious child. She’d heard that sentiment enough to know it must be true.
Papa called her a rough diamond. He was sorry to see her go but could see the merit in her travelling to her mother’s family in England and attending finishing school before returning home and choosing a suitable husband from the Russian nobility.
That was the plan for Natalia’s life, and at only twelve years old, she had neither the inclination nor the wherewithal to argue.
Travelling to England seemed a grand adventure to her young mind.
Certainly, she would miss her family greatly; Mama, Papa, and the twins Petr and Andrei. But she would also get to know her mother’s family properly, given that she would be staying with Aunt Mary, Mama’s sister, when not at Miss Fincham’s.
Natalia stood on the deck of the ship, watching the unchanging expanse of water all around her.
By the time she returned to Russia, she would be a proper English lady, just like Mama.
And, Papa informed her regularly during the long, monotonous trip to England; she would come home, meet the gentlemen that Papa wished her to marry, pick one, and live out her life just as he intended.
CHAPTER ONE
“I just cannot believe it has come around so quickly.”
Talia bit her lip anxiously as she ran her gaze once more over Mama’s elegant handwriting, though she could have recited by heart what the letter contained at this point.
Her friend, Lady Beatrice, reached over and patted Talia’s hand sympathetically.
“Surely your father does not expect you to travel so close to Christmastide?” she said with worry, a frown creasing her forehead.
Natalia shook her head swiftly, her sable curls bouncing with the action.
“No,” she sighed. “He is coming here.”
Her ice-blue eyes scanned the missive once more.
My dearest Natalia,
Your father has decided on three suitable grooms and believes it is time you return home.
We will travel to England to spend Christmas with my sister, and then we will all return home to Russia so you may choose your husband.
The twins are so looking forward to seeing you, as am I, my dear.
Eight years is far too long to spend away from you, my daughter.
With all my love,
Mama
It was true, of course. Eight years was too long. What’s more, it was four years longer than it should have been.
The plan had been for Natalia to come to England and attend Miss Fincham’s finishing school from ages twelve to sixteen then return to Russia, enter Society, and meet the right sort of gentleman.
But from almost the first moment Natalia had arrived in England, she had fallen in love with the country.
And while she missed Russia and her family, she had been so very happy here.
Besides, as she’d gotten older, Natalia had realised that the last thing she wanted was a husband picked for her by her father, especially before she’d even set eyes on him!
Natalia wanted to live her own life. Choose her own path.
And going home to Russia, to a man of whom Papa approved, was certainly not living her own life.
For four years she’d managed to put her father off. First by claiming that she needed to experience a London Season to be a truly well-rounded lady like Mama, then by claiming Aunt Mary was in ill health and needed Natalia by her side.
The latter was only half true. Aunt Mary had been in ill health, but she had never expressed a wish to have Talia remain with her, though she was always happy to have her there.
With only sons, Aunt Mary had enjoyed having a surrogate daughter around.
But Freddie and Joseph were married now, with wives and children, and Aunt Mary had plenty of family nearby.
Talia was r
unning out of excuses. And it seemed like Papa was running out of patience.
“What will you do?” Bea asked now.
“What can I do?” Talia countered.
Beatrice and Natalia had met on the first day of Miss Fincham’s finishing school and had been fast friends ever since.
Bea was the only child of an obscenely wealthy widow, Lady Fortescue.
When they met, her friend had been missing her recently deceased father, and Natalia was missing her family, so the girls had bonded from the start.
Given that Bea had no siblings, only an odious, arrogant cad of a cousin, Lord Benjamin Trafford, Earl of Staunton, the girls had grown closer still, like sisters.
They had been introduced since Lady Fortescue and Aunt Mary were neighbours, their country seats only five miles from one another. But the friendship that had grown from that first introduction was genuine and precious to them both.
The drawing room in which they now stood was as familiar to Natalia as her own home with Aunt Mary, so often did she come here.
How could she leave all of this behind?
How could she say goodbye to Beatrice and the life she’d known here to marry some Russian nobleman she’d never even met?
She couldn’t. It was as simple as that.
“Perhaps, if you reasoned with your father?” Beatrice said now, a tinge of desperation in her voice. “Perhaps, if you explained how happy you are here, how settled?”
“It’s no use, Bea,” Natalia answered, though her mind was whirring with crazy, insane possibilities. “My father isn’t a man to be reasoned with,” she finished distractedly, schemes and potential plans flitting around her head.
