The Earl's Temptation

by Emma V. Leech

  He leaned over and interrupted her conversation with Aubrey as the two of them were bickering quite contentedly as they appeared wont to do.

  "May I have a moment with my wife?" he asked his cousin politely.

  "Lord yes!" said Aubrey, waving his hand in an impatient gesture. "Take her away and give my brain a rest."

  "Bah!" Céleste replied and then glanced to assure herself Aunt Seymour hadn't noticed, relieved to find her too busy reprimanding Aunt Dotty for feeding Bandit from the table. "Odious creature!" she said, returning her attention to Aubrey. "If such a thing existed it would be tired indeed by the exercise."

  "Devil a bit!"

  "Children ..." Alex replied with a sigh, receiving a very black look from both parties as a result. "My Lady, if you would be so kind?"

  With a haughty look at Aubrey she accepted the earl's hand and got gracefully to her feet and then quite spoiled the effect by turning and poking her tongue out at Aubrey and dissolving into laughter as he rolled his eyes at her.

  She glanced up at Alex with a rueful smile. "Oh dear, I think I will make you a perfectly 'orrible wife, won't I?"

  He chuckled and leant down to kiss her nose. "Perfectly," he replied.

  "Where are we going, Alex. We can't go yet the meal isn't over."

  Alex gave a heavy sigh. "No, I know that, we'll return presently as I suppose we must, but ... there is something I want to give you."

  Céleste's eyes widened in surprise as he led her through the door to his study. "More presents? Surely not, Alex, really you don't need to. The beautiful sapphire set and the diamonds, your mother's pearls and all the dresses and shoes and ... oh, everything you 'ave done. I don't need anything more. Truly, I could not be 'appier. If it were even possible I would burst!"

  "Well I think I shall have to take the risk nonetheless," he said, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly. "Though in truth, ma mie, this is not mine to give as it already belongs to you."

  He watched as her smooth brow furrowed a little in confusion. "I don't understand."

  Closing the door quietly behind them, he reached over and picked up a quantity of paperwork from his desk and handed it to her.

  "Read it, love," he said, his voice gentle. She did as he bid her and he waited, sliding his arm around her waist and drawing her against him as she read the rather formal words on the heavy vellum pages.

  "B-but what does it mean?" she whispered, looking up at him with her lovely blue eyes glittering.

  "Just what it says, ma mie, you are confirmed as the Countess of Valrey and all properties and items that have ever belonged to your family are now, quite rightly, yours and yours alone."

  She blinked and when she spoke her voice trembled with the force of emotion. "You did this, for me?"

  "A very small thing, I assure you, but something I was glad to do."

  "Oh, Alex!"

  She wrapped her arms around him and held on to him so tight he was obliged to rescue the papers before they became creased beyond saving.

  "There is something else," he added, almost apologetic as she shook her head and sniffed.

  "Oh, no, Alex, I cannot take anything more it is too much," she said, sounding as though she was between laughter and a real bout of sobbing.

  "But I have so wanted to show you this, mignonne, and I have saved it for today, surely you will not deny me?"

  She laughed at the seriousness of his tone and shook her head again. "As you wish, my Lord, you know I could never deny you anything."

  He stroked her cheek and leaned down, brushing a kiss against her lips. "You are too good," he murmured, turning her around so that her eyes fell upon a large item leaned against the wall and covered with a sheet. It looked rather like a painting. "It has been possible to locate some of the items which once belonged to your family. I'm afraid much of it is lost but there are a few items, paintings and furniture which have been recovered. This one in particular I thought you would like to have close to you." He walked over and carefully stripped away the sheet to reveal a heavy guilt frame and a portrait of a wonderfully handsome couple. The young man had a rather serious mien, though there was laughter in his eyes, and the woman was perfectly ravishing, with her golden curls and her wide blue eyes. Their body language and the air of tranquil happiness between them left even the most careless observer in no doubt that this had been a love match, and a very successful one.

  Alex felt his own throat grow tight as Céleste covered her mouth with her hand and the tears that had threatened earlier finally overspilled the eyes so like those of the woman in the portrait.

  "I thought I should never see them again," she whispered, staring at the picture and unheeding of the tears that fell down her cheeks.

  "Well now you may look upon your parents whenever you wish to, and know that there was a time when their lives were happy and carefree."

  She nodded, her face so full of emotion he found it hard to keep his own composure. "Oui, I should like very much to think of them in 'appier times."

  He returned to her and stood at her back as she stared at the painting, putting his arms around her and holding her close. "You have no notion of the honour you have done me, I think, mignonne, by becoming my wife. But you see, I am taking your happiness very seriously. You must know that I would do anything so that you never have cause to regret this day."

  She turned in his arms, her face one of great indignation. "Oh, Alex, how can you? You know very well that I 'ave loved you since the day I found you on that beach and I would 'ave married you and been the wife of a smuggler and counted myself blessed indeed. I didn't look to be a countess, twice over in fact!" she said, sounding bewildered by the turn of events. "But you could not possibly make me any 'appier. Just love me, mon contrebandier, and I will never, ever regret a single moment."

  "You may have no doubts on that score, love. I intend to do just that for the rest of my days. But I am glad to have restored to you what was rightfully yours and ... perhaps one day we will have a daughter, and she will inherit your title just as a son will inherit mine."

  She smiled and reached a finger up to trace the line of his lower lip, a tender touch that made desire glitter under his skin.

  "A son and a daughter," she murmured. "I should like that very much. 'Ow many children do you think we should 'ave?"

  He nuzzled his face against her hand, kissing the palm, his voice low and full of need. "As many as you like, enough to fill this dusty old house with chaos for years to come."

  She nodded, her face serious. "Well, then," she said with a sigh. "I think perhaps we should waste no more time, there is that big empty nursery to fill after all."

  He chuckled, low in his throat as he pulled her closer and feathered kisses over her face, her nose, the line of her jaw. "Quite right, my Lady. After all, we can't be seen to be neglecting our solemn duty." And with that he took her mouth and kissed his wife in such a way that there could be no doubt in her mind just how seriously he took his responsibilities; and after all, their guests could very well take care of themselves.

  Fin

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  About the Author

  Emma V Leech is currently the author of two series, Les Corbeaux: The French Vampire Legend and Les Fées: The French Fae Legend with much more to come. With the release of The Rogue and The Earl's Temptation she is taking her first foray into the world of Historical Fiction.

  As an accomplished paranormal romance author, Emma won the world’s largest online writing competition ‘The Wattys’ two years running, first with The Darkest Night, and then with her short story, A Dark Imperfection, A Les Fées Novella. Her third published novel, The Dark Prince has been touted as one of The Top 50 Self Published Books Worth Reading in 2015 and is #2 on the list of the Top 50 Indie Books in 2015 as well as being hailed as "An enchanting fantasy with a likable heroine, romantic intrigue, and clever narrative flourishes." by Kirkus Reviews.

&nbs
p; Emma's novels have garnered attention worldwide, and fans who continue to clamour for more through email, Facebook, and Twitter.

  When she's not writing she strives to live as far from the real world as possible. But otherwise she can be found in Darkest Dordogne, South West France with her husband, three children,

  Scandal's Daughter

  Sebastian Grenville, The Duke of Sindalton, known as Sin to the ton, has had his fair share of scandal. His father's involvement in what became referred to as 'The Scandal of the Century' plunged him into the spotlight at the tender age of twelve, and he's been there ever since. Egged on by his best friend, Beau - The Marquis of Beaumont, his life is one of dissipation and ease. But every duke needs an heir and everyone knows Sindalton is in the market for a wife.

  Both men, bored to death by balls and matchmaking mamas, go to a friend's hunting lodge in Cornwall where Sindalton gets caught in a storm and heads for cover. Seeking shelter in a cave, the duke is delighted when he stumbles upon Miss Georgiana Bomford, the niece of the local doctor. But the feisty red-headed beauty is unimpressed by his attempt to entice her. Sindalton however is captivated, and intent on seduction, makes her the target of his all too tempting charms. But Georgiana is not who he thinks she is, and when they meet again in London, the scandalous past is in danger of repeating itself.

  Other works

  by

  Emma V. Leech

  Rogues and Gentlemen

  The Rogue

  The Earl’s Temptation

  Scandal’s Daughter

  The Devil May Care

  Nearly Ruining Mr Russell

  Les Corbeaux: The French Vampire Legend

  The Key to Erebus

  The Heart of Arima

  The Fires of Tartarus

  The Son of Darkness (tba)

  Les Fées: The French Fae Legend

  The Dark Prince

  The Dark Heart

  The Dark Deceit (tba)

  The Darkest Night (tba)

  Novellas:

  A Dark Desire

  A Dark Tale

  A Dark Design

  A Dark Collection

  Want More Emma?

  I would love to hear from you. Please email me at TheKeytoErebus@gmail.com .

  Or feel free to join my website for up to date news, short stories, photos and much more. Membership is always free! :

  Emma V. Leech

  I can also be found on:

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  The Key to Erebus

  Les Corbeaux: The French Vampire Legend

  The truth can kill you.

  Taken as a small child, from a life where faeries, sirens and mythical creatures are real and treacherous, Jéhenne Corbeaux is totally unprepared when she returns to France to stay with her eccentric Grandmother.

  Thrown headlong into a world she knows nothing about she seeks to learn the truth about herself, uncovering secrets more shocking than anything she could ever have imagined and finding that she is by no means powerless to protect the ones she loves.

  Despite her Gran’s dire warnings, she is inexorably drawn to the dark and terrifying figure of Corvus, an ancient vampire and master of the Albinus family.

  Jéhenne is about to find her answers and discover that, not only is Corvus far more dangerous than she could ever imagine but that he holds much more than the key to her heart…

  FREE DOWNLOAD

  Click to download The Key to Erebus from Amazon

  The Dark Prince

  Les Fées: The French Fae Legend

  The man of your dreams is coming ... or is it your nightmares he visits? Laen is Prince of the Dark fae, with a temper and reputation to match his black eyes, and a heart that despises the human race. When he is sent back through the forbidden gates between realms to retrieve an ancient fae artifact, he returns home with far more than he bargained for.

  Océane DeBeauvoir is an artist and bookbinder who has always relied on her lively imagination to get her through an unhappy and uneventful life. A jewelled dagger put on display at a nearby museum hits the headlines with speculation of another race, the fae.

  But the discovery also inspires Océane to create an extraordinary piece of art. Océane's lonely and romantic heart has created the story of The Dark Prince, but it soon becomes apparent that her story cannot be confined to the pages of a book. And it seems that her hero is far from the troubled, romantic figure she had painted, but something far more sinister

  Click to buy The Dark Prince on Amazon

  Acknowledgements

  Thanks as always to my wonderful editor Gemma Fisk of FiskLit for being patient and guiding me through this adventure into Regency England!

  To my wonderful BFF, PA, personal cheerleader and bringer of chocolate, Varsi Richardson Appel, for moral support, confidence boosting and for reading my work more times than I have. I love you loads!

  To the betas! Varsi, Alejandra Avila, Varsha Shurpali, Veronique Glotin Phillips. Thank you so much for all your help and advice.

  To all of the dedicated Dark Addicts and wicked Angels. Thank you all for your continued support and excitement over my work and for taking a chance on what for some of you is a new genre. You guys are such an inspiration and your enthusiasm keeps me excited to write for you. I’m always so happy to hear from you so do email or message me :) thekeytoerebus@gmail.com

  To my husband Pat and my family ... For always being proud of me.