“Ask me what?” Bradford repeated, curiosity glinting in his azure eyes as he came nearer.
“For your sister’s hand in marriage.”
Bradford’s face broke into an immense grin.
“Thank God! I had no idea what I was going to do with her if you two didn’t reconcile.” He planted his hands on his hips. “She’s been in the doldrums for months and months, a regular Friday face, I tell you, scarcely cracking a smile during her fit of the blue devils and—”
Olivia whacked his arm with her fan. “That’s enough, Brady. Say another word, and I shall not invite you to the wedding.”
Revealing his perfect white teeth, Allen returned Bradford’s silly grin. “Then we have your approval?”
“I’ll say.” Bradford chuckled heartily. “My approval, consent, permission, blessing—”
“Bradford,” Olivia warned. Must he carry on so?
His eyes widened in excitement. “By George, I’ll even pay for a special license, and we can have the deed done tomorrow!”
“Not so fast, brother dear.” Olivia swung her gaze to Allen. “I should like a short courtship, but I would also like a wedding. Aunt Muriel will insist upon it, in any case.”
Allen raised her hand to his lips. “Whatever you wish, sweetheart.”
“There you are, Allen.” Miss Rossington glided across the lawn.
Allen?
Only intimate acquaintances addressed one another by their first names, and unless betrothed to a gentleman, a young lady never did so in public.
A Lady’s Guide to Proper Comportment, page thirty-six.
Her fine brow puckered in puzzlement, Miss Rossington looked between Allen and Olivia then turned her attention to Bradford, eyeing him like a delicious pastry she’d like to savor. Or gobble up, rather. She batted her eyelashes and licked her lips provocatively.
Brazen as an east end bit of muslin.
“Whatever is going on?” She lowered her voice to a sultry whisper, her wanton wiles in full play.
Olivia couldn’t suppress her pleased smile as Allen wrapped a muscled arm about her waist and tucked her to his side. “Miss Kingsley has just done me the greatest honor by consenting to become my wife.”
“What?” Miss Rossington blanched and clutched her throat. “Your ... your wife?”
The blonde sputtered and choked, daggers shooting from her eyes. She whipped her arm back as if to strike Allen.
Bradford swiftly stepped forward and snared her hand.
“I wouldn’t. Do you truly want those denizens of the ton witnessing you acting the part of a shrew?” He angled his chin toward the house. “I assure you, a dead codfish has a greater chance of finding a husband amongst the haute ton than you do if you strike the son of a peer.”
Yanking her hand from his, Miss Rossington turned on Allen. “You bloody bastard.”
Teeth clenched and seething with rage, she glared at Bradford then Olivia.
“Damn you all to the ninth circle of hell.”
Hiking her gown to mid-calf, Miss Rossington spun on her satin slippered heel. She proceeded to stomp her way back to the house, muttering additional foul oaths a woman of gentle breeding should never have let pass her lips.
Page nineteen, paragraph two.
“It seems we’ve drawn a crowd.” Chagrin heated Olivia’s cheeks as she canted her head slightly in the terrace’s direction.
At least a score of guests mingled about the porch, their rapt attention focused on the trio left standing on the grass.
Dash it all. Allen hadn’t wanted additional fodder for le bon ton’s gossipmongers.
A roguish glint entered his eyes. “Let’s make it worth their while, shall we, darling?”
A lady never participates in public shows of affection.
Olivia cast a glance heavenward.
Then I guess I’m not a lady, Mama.
She didn’t resist when Allen drew her into his embrace, although she cast her brother a hesitant look.
Bradford winked. “Please do, Wimpleton. Give the chinwags something to babble about. Make it something quite spectacular, will you? Something scandalous to keep their forked tongues flapping for a good long while.”
With a smart salute, he turned his back on them and, whistling a jaunty tune, strolled along the path wending into the garden’s depths.
Bradford was proving to be every bit as indecorous as their aunt.
Olivia inclined her head and eyed Allen. “Well? What outrageousness do you have in mind?”
“A kiss, perhaps?” He ran his thumb across her lower lip.
“Oh, yes.” Olivia quite liked this rakish side of him.
Allen took another step closer, and his thighs pressed against hers, their chests colliding.
She raised her mouth in invitation.
He dipped his dark head until their lips were a hair’s breadth apart. “A kiss for Miss Kingsley?”
“Perfect.” Olivia smiled as his mouth claimed hers.
The End
About the Author
Award winning, best-selling author, Collette Cameron, has a BS in Liberal Studies and a Master's in Teaching. Author of the Castle Brides Series and Highland Heather Romancing a Scot Series, Collette writes Regency and Scottish historicals and makes her home in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and five mini-dachshunds. Mother to three and a self-proclaimed Cadbury Chocolate chocoholic, Collette loves a good joke, inspirational quotes, flowers, trivia, and all things shabby chic. You'll always find dogs, birds, quirky—sometimes naughty—humor, and a dash of inspiration in her novels.
Her motto for life? You can’t have too much chocolate, too many hugs, or too many flowers.
She’s thinking about adding shoes to that list.
ALSO BY COLLETTE CAMERON
THE VISCOUNT’S VOW
The Castle Brides series, Book 1
Soul Mate Publishing
Part Romani, part English noblewoman, Evangeline Caruthers is the last woman in England Ian Hamilton, the Viscount Warrick, could ever love—an immoral wanton responsible for his brother’s and father’s deaths. She thinks he’s a foul-tempered blackguard, who after setting out to cause her downfall, finds himself forced to marry her—snared in the trap of his own making.
When Vangie learns the marriage ceremony itself may have been a ruse, she flees to her gypsy relatives, declaring herself divorced from Ian under Romani law. He pursues her to the gypsy encampment, and when the handsome gypsy king offers to take Ian’s place in Vangie’s bed, jealousy stirs hot and dangerous.
At last, under a balmy starlit sky, Ian and Vangie breech the chasm separating them. Peril lurks though. Ian’s the last in his line, and his stepmother intends to dispose of the newlyweds so her daughter can inherit his estate. Only by trusting each other can they overcome scandal and murderous betrayal.
Purchase THE VISCOUNT’S VOW on Amazon
HIGHLANDER’S HOPE
The Castle Brides series, Book 2
She was the heiress determined to never marry.
Yvette Stapleton is wary of fortune hunting men and their false declarations of love. She’d rather become a spinster than imprisoned in the bonds of marriage. At first, she doesn’t recognize the dangerously handsome man who rescues her from assailants on London’s docks, but her reaction to Lord Sethwick’s kisses soon have her reconsidering her cynical views on matrimony.
He was the nobleman who vowed to make her his own.
Not a day has gone by that Ewan McTavish, Lord Sethwick and Laird of Craiglocky, hasn’t dreamed of the beauty he danced with two years ago; he’s determined to win her heart. On a mission to stop a War Office traitor, he unwittingly draws Yvette into deadly international intrigue. To protect her, he exploits Scottish Canon law to declare her his lawful wife—without benefit of a ceremony.
Yvette is furious upon discovering the irregular marriage is legally binding, though she never said, “I do.”
Purchase HIGHLANDER’S HOPE on Amazon
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THE EARL’S ENTICEMENT
The Castle Brides series, Book 3
Soul Mate Publishing
She won’t be tamed.
A fiery, unconventional Scot, Adaira Ferguson wears breeches, swears, and has no more desire to marry than she does to follow society’s dictates of appropriate behavior. She trusts no man with the secret she desperately protects.
He can’t forget.
Haunted by his past, Roark, the Earl of Clarendon, rigidly adheres to propriety, holding himself and those around him to the highest standards, no matter the cost. Betrayed once, he’s guarded and leery of all women.
Mistaking Roark for a known spy, Adaira imprisons him. Infuriated, he vows vengeance. Realizing her error, she’s appalled and releases him, but he’s not satisfied with his freedom. Roark is determined to transform Adaira from an ill-mannered hoyden to a lady of refinement.
He succeeds only to discover, he preferred the free-spirited Scottish lass who first captured his heart.
Purchase THE EARL’S ENTICEMENT on Amazon
TRIUMPH AND TREASURE
Highlander Heather Romancing a Scot Series, Book 1
Soul Mate Publishing
A disillusioned Scottish gentlewoman.
Angelina Ellsworth once believed in love—before she discovered her husband of mere hours was a slave-trader and already married. To avoid the scandal and disgrace, she escapes to her aunt and uncle’s, the Duke and Duchess of Waterford. When Angelina learns she is with child, she vows she’ll never trust a man again.
A privileged English lord.
Flynn, Earl of Luxmoore, led an enchanted life until his father committed suicide after losing everything to Waterford in a wager. Stripped of all but his title, Flynn is thrust into the role of marquis as well as provider for his disabled sister and invalid mother. Unable to pay his father’s astronomical gambling loss, Flynn must choose between social or financial ruin.
When the duke suggests he’ll forgive the debt if Flynn marries his niece, Flynn accepts the duke’s proposal. Reluctant to wed a stranger, but willing to do anything to protect her babe and escape the clutches of the madman who still pursues her, Angelina agrees to the union. Can Flynn and Angelina find happiness and love in a marriage neither wanted, or is the chasm between them insurmountable?
Purchase TRIUMPH AND TREASURE on Amazon
From the desk of Collette Cameron
Dear Reader,
I never set out to be a romance author. It’s true. I am, like you, first and foremost a devoted reader of romance. That’s what led to this journey. And what a journey it’s been!
It wasn’t until February 2011 that decided to try my hand at this writing business. I soon found that all the creativity I had in me that I kept trying to find other outlets for was meant for one purpose.
Writing.
I confess, I’m a bit obsessed. All right, more than a bit. I have so many stories just waiting for me to put them on the page. And what makes it all worthwhile, is you! Yes, I write because I love to write, but I write romance because I want to impact lives, even if only for a few magical moments.
I’m so thrilled you chose to read A Kiss for Miss Kingsley. As the book was my first attempt at a short story, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I did know that I wanted Allen to have his own story once I’d introduced him in Bride of Falcon, and he’s mentioned briefly in Triumph and Treasure (Highland Heather Romancing a Scot Series).
Please consider telling other readers why you enjoyed this book by reviewing it on the site you purchased it or on Goodreads. Not only do I truly want to hear your thoughts, reviews are crucial for an author to succeed. Even if you only leave a line or two, I’d very much appreciate it.
So, with that I’ll leave you.
Here’s wishing you many happy hours of reading, more happily-ever-afters than you can possibly enjoy in a lifetime, and abundant blessings to you and your loved-ones.
Collette Cameron
www.collettecameron.com
Twitter @Collette_Author
Facebook.com/ColletteCameronAuthor
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Want to find out what happens to the rest of the characters in The Highland Heather Romancing a Scot Series or where you can find Bride of Falcon? Sign up for my mailing list HERE to get updates on book releases, cover reveals, or other tidbits I reserve exclusively for email and newsletter followers. Also, any deals, sales, or special promotions are offered to mailing list subscribers first. I do not share your name or email, nor will I spam you.
A Kiss for Miss Kingsley: A Regency Short Story Page 4
