by Jade Lee
PRAISE FOR
Wicked Seduction
“Jade Lee has the heart-stopping tension, wonderful characters, and compelling voice to sweep you away to another time and era. Wicked Seduction’s piratical hero will melt your heart.”
—Sabrina Jeffries, New York Times bestselling author
“Powerfully emotional…A heartbreaking and beautiful story. Don’t miss it!”
—Fresh Fiction
“Wicked Seduction is well written, has compelling protagonists, and has a wonderful romance at its center—all reasons I really loved this book.”
—All About Romance
“Jade Lee has a gift for creating unusual plots with unique characters. She’s definitely found a place on my bookshelf.”
—The Romance Reader
“Up to Ms. Lee’s implacable standards and then some… I am sure that you will find it as intriguing as I did.”
—Night Owl Reviews
PRAISE FOR
Wicked Surrender
“[A] darkly sensual, erotically complex historical romance. Wicked Surrender is a definite keeper.”
—Elizabeth Hoyt, New York Times bestselling author
“Lee’s beautifully nuanced characters and impeccably crafted historical setting are guaranteed to cast their own seductive spell over readers.”
—Chicago Tribune
“I love how Jade Lee guides her readers away from the typical romance novel, giving us more: more plot, more tragedy, and more love story to remember. A ‘do NOT miss’ read.”
—Fresh Fiction
“One of the best historical romances I’ve read this year…This story of a woman yearning for respectability and the two men who want to claim her will linger with readers long after they close the cover.”
—The Romance Reader
“Jade Lee has written an enjoyable character-driven story with style and class. It’s steamy but tasteful and will be enjoyed by readers who like books where love redeems a dark and damaged hero.”
—TwoLips Reviews
AND PRAISE FOR THE OTHER NOVELS OF USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR JADE LEE
“[A] refreshingly different, sexy Regency romance.”
—Chicago Tribune
“Lovely historical romance.”
—Publishers Weekly
“It’s unflinching and unabashed in historic social and cultural detail…Elegant complexity and beautifully rendered.”
—Booklist (starred review)
“Strangely hypnotic.”
—Romance Reviews Today
“An exotic and emotional historical romantic tale.”
—ParaNormal Romance
“I enjoyed the sensual and hot love scenes, and boy were they hot. WOW!”
—Night Owl Reviews
“Lee…[has] brought something new and intriguing to erotic romance…This is what places her in a class with the best.”
—RT Book Reviews
“A highly enjoyable read.”
—All About Romance
“Jade Lee provides a wonderful, refreshing tale.”
—Genre Go Round Reviews
“Delightfully different.”
—Midwest Book Reviews
“An exhilarating, fast-paced tale from start to finish.”
—The Best Reviews
Berkley Sensation Titles by Jade Lee
WICKED SURRENDER
WICKED SEDUCTION
WEDDED IN SCANDAL
Wedded in
Scandal
JADE LEE
BERKLEY SENSATION, NEW YOK
THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) • Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England • Penguin Group Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.) • Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.) • Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi—110 017, India • Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, Auckland 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.) • Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa
Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
WEDDED IN SCANDAL
A Berkley Sensation Book / published by arrangement with the author
PUBLISHING HISTORY
Berkley Sensation mass-market edition / March 2012
Copyright © 2012 by Katherine Ann Grill.
Excerpt from Wedded in Sin by Jade Lee copyright © by Katherine Ann Grill.
Cover art by Judy York.
Cover design by George Long.
Interior text design by Kristin del Rosario.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
EISBN: 9781101560938
BERKLEY SENSATION®
Berkley Sensation Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
BERKLEY SENSATION® is a registered trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
The “B” design is a trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Thanks go to so many people for this book: Kate Seaver, amazing editor; Pamela Harty, amazing agent; and David Grill, amazing husband and hero.
Plus thanks to my amazing friends and supporters: Elizabeth Hoyt, Cindy Dees, and Deb Miller.
But for this book and this series, Kim Castillo is the most brilliant, because the first germ of an idea came from her.
Thank you all!
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Cha
pter 1
“Yer wants to go in there? But, er, why?”
Robert Percy, Viscount Redhill, ignored the mine manager and began stripping off his coat and gloves. They were in the shack outside a coal mine that his father had purchased in a fit of drunken entrepreneurship. Sadly, the earl didn’t fall down in his cups like a normal person. No, instead he bought businesses, which Robert then had to save. And given that no one in his family knew anything about coal mining, this was going to be a challenge indeed.
But the first step in a new venture—or after one of his father’s drinking binges—was to inspect the new property. So he was determined to go down into the hellhole of a mine despite Mr. Hutchins’s objections. He’d already pulled off his coat and folded it neatly to the side, but after one glance outside at the filthy employees all lined up near the mine entrance, he stripped off his waistcoat as well. He would have taken off his fine lawn shirt, but he couldn’t greet his new employees half naked.
“It’s mighty dark down there,” continued Mr. Hutchins, his full whiskers twitching in agitation. Truly, the long nose and scrunched face made the man resemble a rat in some rather unfortunate ways. A rat who obviously did not like leaving his nest.
“Last I recall, the dark never hurt anybody.”
“That’s ’cause ‘anybody’ ain’t been down in the mines,” Mr. Hutchins groused. Then he sighed heavily and pulled his rather impressive bulk out of his chair. “I think yer daft, milord, but if yer insisting, I’ll have Charlie show you about.”
Robert paused, his gaze narrowing down to a few pertinent details. First of all was Mr. Hutchins’s girth. His waist was just the right size if he were a draft horse. Second, everything in here was filthy, but not with coal dust. No, he could barely breathe for the stink of cigar. And third, Mr. Hutchins had a telltale wheeze when he moved even around this small office.
“When was the last time you were down in the mines, Mr. Hutchins?” he asked.
“Wot? Why jest last week, I’m sure. But it’s a filthy place and beastly hot.”
“I believe that a manager should see what he manages, don’t you, Mr. Hutchins?”
“Oh, I do, I do!” he said as he wiped the sweat from his balding pate. “Go down there every year to inspect the new finds. Now, if you wish to see something most interesting, I can take you to inspect our carts. They’re in a terrible way, milord—”
“I will definitely inspect them, Mr. Hutchins. After I see the mine.” And so saying, Robert left the filthy mine office to head toward the black cave hole of an entrance. All around him, scrawny men, women, and children tugged their forelock or curtsied as he passed. He smiled at each of them, feeling the bizarre echo of when he’d last traveled to his family’s Scotland estate. All the servants had lined up then as well to greet the young master of the estate. But those people had been well fed and clean. These people had coal dust encrusted in their very skin and a haunted, hollow look to their eyes.
Bloody hell, what was his father thinking buying such a place? Even half drunk, his father could have seen how very sick these people were. But his father had never actually inspected his new purchase. No, he left that to Robert to perform after all the papers had been signed.
Mr. Hutchins made his way to his side, his wheezing growing louder as they crossed the rocky ground. “You sure ye don’t want to inspect the books? I’m an excellent bookkeeper, I assure you. You’ll find everything in order. Every copper accounted for!”
Robert nodded, his gaze picking out the bleeding hands of a child standing nearby. “Who is that boy there?”
“That? That’s Charlie’s sis Brenda.”
That was a girl? “She works in the mines?”
“Our last mine horse died a year ago from the air. Ain’t good for horses, you know. Then I realized that two or three young uns can pull a cart just as well and they appreciate the work. Helps their families, you know, and is cheaper fer us. Lord Brimley said it were good thinking.”
Robert didn’t doubt it. Lord Brimley was a pinchpenny in all aspects of his life except for his brandy. That made him, of course, a great jolly good friend to Robert’s father.
“As my family now owns this mine, Lord Brimley’s opinions are of no interest to me. And I shall see that there are new horses immediately.”
“Oh. Oh, dear. But what shall I tell the parents of all those dear children?”
“That their children should enjoy the fresh air while they are young. And that they shall be paid for the care of the horses instead.”
Robert didn’t wait to see Mr. Hutchins’s reaction to that statement but bent his attention to the mine entrance. Or more accurately, he spent a moment fighting his nausea at the thought of entering that dark maw. Mr. Hutchins must have sensed his hesitation as he sidled up.
“Perhaps you’d rather see the books first.”
Robert ground his teeth together and forced his stiff legs to obey him. It wasn’t a maw, for God’s sake. It was a mine entrance and dozens of workers went in and out of it every day. Women and children. He could go down despite the air of depressing filth that infused the entire county. An unhealthy miasma, to be sure.
“Charlie! Charlie, my boy!” called Mr. Hutchins. “Come along and show his lordship the ladders. Mind that you point out all the interesting bits.”
Charlie was no more a boy than Robert was. But he was obviously younger than Mr. Hutchins and had a warm smile that included all his teeth. “Aye, sir. Right this way, milord. First ladder is jes’ inside.” Then he walked quick as a wink into that dark maw.
Robert squared his shoulders and followed. He only paused once, and that was to glance back at Mr. Hutchins. “You know, I’m not sure Charlie will know quite all the things to show me. I believe I require your expert guidance.”
Mr. Hutchins had the predictable response: a grimace of distaste quickly covered. But he followed and now Robert was forced to step lively or be shown as craven as the heavyset Hutchins.
They moved slowly, Mr. Hutchins wheezing the entire way. They descended three more ladders, lit two barely flickering candles, and passed a dilapidated cart before Hutchins came to his first interesting tidbit.
“There’s the bones of the first fireman killed here, over a hundred years ago. Was burning off the gas, he was, and not a very fast runner, obviously.”
“My God,” Robert breathed. “Why wasn’t he taken up and buried?”
“Oh, well, it ain’t really his bones,” said Charlie. “Just the spare bits of a horse, I think, but we say it’s a miner to scare the kids into taking the work serious. The little ones especially need to be kept in line. It’s dangerous work down here, and we can’t have them thinking it’s games.”
Robert frowned. “Why would anyone think it’s a game?” When his father had first informed him of this mine purchase, Robert had rapidly tried to learn everything he could about coal mining. He was aware of some of the terrible dangers miners faced daily. He couldn’t imagine a child in this hellhole, much less that any would consider it a game.
“Ah, well, you know children,” Charlie said with a sad smile. “It’s hard on them at first, but there are some that will make fun of the worst things.”
Robert had no answer except that he never wanted this mine to employ a child ever again. If it were up to him, no man would have to come down here, either, but then again the nation needed its coal.
“I think that’s far enough, don’t you think?” asked Hutchins. Robert couldn’t really see the man in the dim light, but he could smell the sweat. Or maybe that was his own, as the heat was suffocating.
“No,” Robert forced out. “Show me where you’re working now.”
“But that’s a ways further down, my lord,” said Charlie, doubt lacing his tone. “And it’s none too pleasant.”
“Lead on,” he said grimly while his gut tightened. Then, to distract himself, he began asking questions of Charlie. Mr. Hutchins didn’t have the breath to answer, but Charlie had a good head and f
ull understanding of the work being done. Robert’s head was nearly bursting with information when they came to the newest cut.
Miners were there with pickaxes and shovels, all stooped over as they worked. Robert’s clothing was drenched in sweat, and his head was pounding from the noise and the thick air, yet he was still compelled to greet every man and compliment his work as any noble lord should. It was his responsibility, and so he did his best though inside he was screaming to leave. And then he asked a most terrible question.
“But,” said Robert, looking at the rickety wood supports in the tunnel, “can those possibly be safe? What if someone accidentally knocked it with a shovel? Or if a child drove a cart into it?”
“We take care not to,” answered Charlie. That wasn’t a terribly inspiring answer to Robert, who was lifting his candle to inspect the wood. To his eye, it was thin and worm-eaten.
“Keep that down!” rasped Mr. Hutchins in a gasping cry. “Do you want to kill us all?”
“There’s no firedamp here, sir,” said Charlie gently, as if he were talking to a child. “We bled off the gas just yesterday. That’s why we’s working here, if you recall. You wanted to tell his lordship about the fresh tunnel.”
“Yes, yes, but you can never be too careful,” said the manager. “Gas is the very plague down here, your lordship. And it hovers at the top of the cave.”
Which was why all the candles were set on the floor or in low crevices, Robert realized. “I’m not so worried about the gas right now as the wood. Where did you get it?”
“Got a right nice lot in a few months ago. Found it meself. Cheap and sturdy.”
Robert looked at the miners. None of them seemed to agree, but they didn’t speak up. Mr. Hutchins must have seen it or perhaps he was used to defending his purchases. Either way he wheezed his way over to the largest of the support beams.
“Sturdy, I tell you. It’s good wood!”
“But it’s too thin, sir,” inserted Charlie. “It don’t hold in place and it don’t hold strong.”
“’Course it does. You just have to make sure it’s seated right. Look here.” He squatted down and brushed at the base of the beam. “Seat it solid like this, and nothing will bring it down.”
