Saving The Lord’s Title (The Regency Renegades - Beauty and Titles) (A Regency Romance Story)
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Saving The Lord’s Title
The Regency Renegades
Jasmine Ashford
RUSHMORE HOUSE PUBLISHERS CO.
Contents
Copyright
A Personal Note From Jasmine Ashford
Dedication
About The Author
Join My VIP Readers’ Club List
SAVING THE LORD’S TITLE
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PROLOGUE
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CHAPTER ONE
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CHAPTER TWO
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CHAPTER THREE
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CHAPTER FOUR
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CHAPTER FIVE
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CHAPTER SIX
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CHAPTER SEVEN
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CHAPTER EIGHT
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CHAPTER NINE
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CHAPTER TEN
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CHAPTER ELEVEN
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CHAPTER TWELVE
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CHAPTER THIRTEEN
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CHAPTER FOURTEEN
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CHAPTER FIFTEEN
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CHAPTER SIXTEEN
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CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
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CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
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CHAPTER NINETEEN
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CHAPTER TWENTY
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CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
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CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
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CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
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CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
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EPILOGUE
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Preview of The Lord’s Secret
Also By Jasmine Ashford
Acknowledgement
If You Have Enjoyed This Book…
Join My VIP Readers’ Club List
Publisher’s Notes
Copyright © 2017 by JASMINE ASHFORD & RUSHMORE HOUSE PUBLISHERS CO.
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. It contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
This book is a work of fiction. Any similarities to real or dead people, places, or events are not intentional and are the result of coincidence. The characters, places, and events are the product of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior written permission from the author/publisher. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
Cover designed by Ms Melody Simmons. Author has the copyrights to this cover.
A PERSONAL NOTE
FROM JASMINE ASHFORD
Dearest Avid Romance Readers,
The characters within my stories have a strong faith of love, they know what they want to pursue during this era. They are constantly looking that true love really exists amid adversaries. Because of these obstacles searching for love, motivates them to overcome challenges they may face while waiting for the person to appear.
Will these obstacles, crisis, insecurities and stigma encourage them in believing true love despite the differences and challenges in social standing that they will face during this Regency Era?
Read on to find out the answers!
Thank you very much for your strong support to my writing journey!
With Lots of Love,
Jasmine
DEDICATION
“A lady's imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony in a moment.”
Jane Austen (1775 - 1817)
This Story Is Specially Dedicated To You, My Avid Romance Reader!
Thank you once again for getting this book and giving me an opportunity to share with you my creative side.
I am truly grateful for this gesture of yours.
I hope you will find my stories both entertaining and inspiring as much as I have enjoyed writing it.
With your utmost support, I will continue to write and entertain for many years to come with my great and interesting stories.
Have you checked out my other historical romance books series?
Click the link below to get started
*** AMAZON USA ***
Do you like what you have read?
I would want to hear from you!
Please do get in touch with me:
https://www.facebook.com/JasmineAshfordBooks/
jasmineashford777@gmail.com
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
“There is nothing so mortifying as to fall in love with someone who does not share one's sentiments.” - Georgette Heyer, Venetia
Whenever Jasmine is feeling down, she always finds solace with this quote. It was Ms. Georgette Heyer that inspires her to the world of the Regency and Victorian.
Jasmine took the pen and the rest is history for her.
In Jasmine’s stories, you will witness how characters that are so complex are actually simple beings waiting to be connected by the Cupid’s arrow. It is just one of the many ways that love will reveal itself?
Jasmine hopes that you will find love, solace, and peace in her stories. When she is not writing, she is enjoying her precious time with her family and her faithful Siberian Husky.
Jasmine
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SAVING THE LORD’S TITLE
THE REGENCY RENEGADES
By
JASMINE ASHFORD
and
Rushmore House Publishers Co.
PROLOGUE
1813
England
On the throne of England, Prince George is ruling for his ailing father, King George. He controls the country and the Navy, which is completely loyal to him. The new Flagship, Swift Sunrise, is honored to sail with some of the country's most celebrated crew. However, it appears some of the crew may have been sailing too long, and disaster awaits them outside the bay....
“How many flowers, my Lady?”
“As many as we can get,” Lady Annabelle Bamber stood in the church, her hands on her hips. “My fiancé is not able to be with us until the day before, but I have his approval. Money is no problem.”
The priest raised an eyebrow. He knew that this was going to be a grand wedding, but this seemed to be going over the top. However, he was not about to tell the lady no.
Lady Annabelle Bamber was due to get married to her long time sweetheart, Lieutenant Harold Harper, when he docked for the last time. Currently, he was sailing on the flagship of the navy. When he docked, they would take a celebration cruise with many of their friends, to celebrate the flagship's inauguration. In two weeks time, give or take a day or two, they would be married. Harper would retire to a desk job, and, eventually, be promoted to Admiral, when the time came. The whole town had been aware of their
courtship for years, and everyone knew that it was their plan to marry eventually; whenever the stubborn Lady Bamber decided on a date. They had waited a very long time, circling each other for years. However, now, it was finally time.
One of the advantages to being Lady of the village was that the church was under her command. If they were a day or two late for the ceremony, it didn't matter. However, Annabelle did intend to have it within 3 weeks, no matter what. She had always planned her whole life out, and no one dared to interrupt her plans.
“Yes, M’lady,” he said. “Will he be joining us for a rehearsal?”
“Maybe,” she said. “But he's been to enough weddings by now; he should know what to do. He was best man at my brother's wedding, if you remember.”
“Yes, M’lady,” the priest said. “We will work it out.”
“Thank you,” she looked around one last time. “That will be all for today.”
“I am at your service if you need anything else,” the priest bowed and Annabelle smiled.
The church was not far from the grand manor that she shared with her twin brother, Lord Aaron Bamber, and his wife and child. Everyone was eagerly awaiting the return of the flagship to the harbor, and Annabelle knew it would be chaos at home. She thrived in chaos, and she couldn't wait until it docked. Being back in her fiancé’s arms had been her dream for weeks now.
“Hello?” she called when she came in the door.
“Annabelle!” She was surprised by Lola Montclair coming down the stairs.
“Lola, I thought you wouldn't be here until tomorrow,” Annabelle opened her arms. Lola was practically her sister, having been close friends with both twins since they were all children. Lola was not a lady, but she might as well be nobility by the way she was normally treated. She was one of the most famous actresses in Britain, and engaged to Aaron's protégé, Earl Rippon, the Midshipman Wesley.
“I decided to not risk it with travel,” Lola replied. “I didn't want to do an evening show and then rush, if they docked. The word was they would want to load and leave as soon as possible.”
“Wesley would wait for you,” Annabelle smiled. “I wouldn't worry.”
“On the off chance he can't control the whole ship, I thought I would put the understudy on.”
“What? They are docked?”
The other Lady Bamber, Shauna, and her daughter Gwendolyn, appeared in the hallway. Shauna would not travel with them, opting to stay with Gwendolyn, but they were still eagerly awaiting the arrival of the ship.
“Not yet, as far as I know,” Annabelle said. “I've just been to the church, though. It's going to be so beautiful.”
“I received the dress you sent me,” Lola said. “It fits perfectly. We are going to be such lovely bridesmaids.”
“It's almost as if we are taking our honeymoon before the wedding,” Annabelle smiled. “I wonder what they are doing right now.”
“Whatever they are doing, I'm sure it's fun,” Shauna said. “When those men get together, it's nothing but laughter.”
“I'm sure,” Annabelle grinned. “Are you sure you wouldn't rather come?”
“I would rather come,” Shauna said. “But Gwendolyn and I will hear of all your adventures when you return.”
“Tell me all the stories,” Gwendolyn said, and Annabelle laughed.
It was going to be the most exciting, most romantic month of Annabelle's life, and she couldn't wait for it to begin.
CHAPTER ONE
FISTS
FISTS
“Harper, NOW!”
Harold Harper sat up with a start, his sleep rudely interrupted. He wasn't one of those people who could jolt out of bed and be on his feet in an instant. His brain was slow to go to sleep and slow to drag out of it, which often didn't go well with his shipmates yelling his name in the middle of the night, just as he had fallen into a deep sleep.
“Wha- huh?”
“Just come, we need your help,” Midshipman Rippon was indicating he should move fast through the door, and so he did. His ears began to perk up as he heard shouting form the lower deck.
“What's going on? Is it Aaron?”
“No,” Wesley said. “Just everyone else.”
“Oh,” Harold said, as he rushed through the small hallways. “That's good, I think.”
“Not when you see it,” Wesley answered. Harold realized that they were about to break up a fight among the lower ranks just before they were upon it. It seemed nearly every man on the ship had picked a side and was throwing punches at each other. This was not the first time this had happened on this ship.
The Swift Sunrise was the newest flagship in His Majesty's Navy, and the men had thought themselves lucky to be assigned to it, a heroic award after their bravery in the past few years. For most of them, it was a symbolic trip before their lives were changing forever.
Harold was on the fact track to Admiral, and would be given a desk position at Navy headquarters in London. When this tour was over, he'd marry his sweetheart, Lady Annabelle Bamber, and be able to come home to her every night as well.
Annabelle's twin brother, Aaron, was his best friend, and his 2nd in command. Aaron had been through a lot in the past few years, including a medical condition that was rendering him unfit for service. With frequent seizures, it was good timing that Aaron was finally able to marry his childhood peasant sweetheart and claim his illegitimate daughter. He would settle into his title of Lord and make Bamber Manor his home, after sailing for nearly 20 years with Harold. They had started as boys in the Spithead and were now practically in charge of ships.
Wesley, however, was the one who was actually going to be in charge on a ship. One of the most brilliant minds in the Navy, and engaged to Aaron's best friend, the famed actress Lola, he was being promoted to Captain as soon as this tour was over, skipping the rank of lieutenant in an unheard of advancement.
Things looked good for the three of them. That was, if they could get the men to stop fighting.
“SILENCE!” Harold yelled, his booming voice carrying through the ship. He had the strongest lungs, the roughest voice, and everyone fell quiet, looking at their officer. “That's better. No one say a word now!”
The men on Swift Sunrise had been fighting since the moment they came aboard. Their Captain, Willcock, was a decorated war hero, and a brilliant mind himself, but that was years ago. Now, it appeared all he did was play favorites, punishing those who annoyed him while uplifting others. It had created two camps on the ship, and they were always at war.
“I tried that,” Aaron was at his side, grinning as always. Despite his physical shortcomings, Aaron was always in a ridiculously good mood. “And then Matheson wouldn't let me get in the middle and break it up.”
“Good for Matheson,” Harold said, dryly, giving the older man a nod across the room. Matheson was the father figure of the ship, and had sailed with them since the beginning He was the ship's bosun and his assistant was the burly Corrigan. Who, at this moment, was in the center of the fight.
“Now,” Harold looked up from his personal moment. “If I see another fist thrown tonight, it will be half rations and 24 hour watch. And that goes for anyone who tries. Is that clear?”
No one dared to say anything. Some men were bleeding, and others were bruising, but they still stayed completely silent. Harold raised an eyebrow, daring them to contradict him, but it appeared his rank as first lieutenant finally came with privileges he could enjoy.
“Good,” he said. “Carry on, then.”
The men dispersed and he let out a loud sigh, turning to Aaron, who was leaning against a post. Once upon a time, the younger lieutenant might have jumped in, with no regards to his health. However, ever since he found out he had a child, he was a lot more cautious. It was as if he realized that life carried on beyond himself.
“Let no one say that sailing on the flagship is boring,” Aaron said, as he pushed himself off the beam he was leaning on. “Sorry to wake you.”
“It wo
uldn't have mattered who was on watch,” Harold replied. “A fight like that will always take all the officers presence on the ship.”
“Except, I note, for Captain Willcock, who still sleeps soundly in his bed.”
“Aaron,” Harold gave him a warning glance as Wesley approached. Once nervous and shy, the young midshipman was coming into his own ever since he became engaged to Lola. The actress had taught him strength and confidence, enough to put aside his past and reclaim his title as Earl Rippon of Ireland. None of them were the same people they had been two years ago. “Earl Rippon, you got awoken too, hmm?”
“I was up, sir,” Wesley replied. “Never quite asleep by this time of night, with the mid-afternoon watch schedule.”