by Stacy Reid
Slight indiscretion? “You are trivializing my pain.”
He gently placed the magnifying glass on the table. “You are twenty-one, Adel. This is your fourth outing, our coffers are nigh empty and we cannot afford another season for you. The earl is making amends for his actions by offering marriage. I only want what is best for you, my dear.”
She stepped forward, searching his face. “My happiness would be in marrying a man that esteems me…much like you did Mamma. Mr. Atwood has been my friend and our neighbor for years. He has offer—”
“No.”
“Papa, please. If you would meet with him again, you would see what a kind, sensitive, and amiable gentleman he is—”
“Mr. Atwood’s only prospect is a distant baronetcy with little income to support a family. When you marry Lord Vale, you will be a countess,” he said forcefully.
Adel was too stunned to point out that he was only a baronet. In desperation she gripped his fingers. “Papa, if you do not agree on Mr. Atwood. At least give me a few more months to secure another suitor. If I’ve no offer by the year end I will…I will marry your choice.” She almost choked on the words.
“You had a late coming out because of your mother’s passing. I regret that deeply for I feel with her guidance you would have garnered an attractive offer. You’ve attended three seasons and no man wants you with the small dowry I can provide. Five hundred pounds is not enough to tempt any man.”
She flinched and released his arm. She heard what he had not said. Her dark, unfashionable hair, too-rounded hips and bosom did not tempt a man, either, nor the fact that she could read and write in several languages, and cipher.
“You are not to partake in any dances with Mr. Atwood or partner him in any of the parlor and outdoor games. Lord Vale will announce at tomorrow’s ball the news of your engagement, and it would not do for his fiancée to make a hash of things by being silly with another man.”
“Papa—”
“Do you understand me, young lady?”
She pressed a finger to her forehead, and it did nothing to stop the sudden ache pounding through her temple. “Papa, society will speculate on the sudden engagement. He has not been seen escorting me in the country or in London. As far as society knows, we have not been introduced. It is best the earl courts me for several months before there can be talks of an engagement.” Her stomach tightened in knots at the very idea of being in the earl’s presence, but she must do something to discourage her father. Then she would have at least some weeks to figure out how to extricate herself from the earl’s grasping and lascivious clutches if her scheme tonight failed.
“I’ve already given Lord Vale my blessings. It would be dishonorable of me to importune him to change his mind because of your feminine nerves. I expect your obedience or you will gain my severe displeasure.”
Severe displeasure? “And I fear you have lost my good opinion,” she said hoarsely, fighting the urge to cry. “You are supposed to protect me, Papa.”
“I am protecting you,” he said stiffly. “I am doing all in my power to secure your future since you have little thought for it or for your sisters’ and brothers’ future. A connection with the earl will go a long way toward establishing their prospects.”
Of course, my life is not my own. “Mamma would never have pledged me to man who has no respect or affection for me.”
He blanched, but she turned away, and hastened into the night.
She could no longer afford to possess the doubts she had in her heart. She had to act, and it must be tonight.
End of excerpt
Acknowledgment
I thank God every day for allowing me to find my passion.
To my husband, whom I adore. Thank you for being my biggest fan and supporter.
Massive thanks to fellow authors Ally Broadfield, Nicola Davidson and Lily Maxton. You guys did not hesitate to jump on board with this anthology, and it has been amazing working with you all.
Thank you AuthorsDesigns for the amazing book cover design and formatting your team did on A Midsummer Night’s Kiss!
Thank you to Gwen Hayes and Gina Fisovera for their wonderful and invaluable editing.
To you wonderful readers, thank you for picking up A Midsummer Night’s Kiss and giving us a chance! You guys rock.
About Stacy
I am an avid reader of novels, with a deep passion for writing. I especially love romance and adore writing about people falling in love. I live a lot in the worlds I create, and I actively speak to my characters (out loud). I have a warrior way: “Never give up on my dream.” When I am not writing, I spend a copious amount of time drooling over Rick Grimes from Walking Dead, watching Japanese anime, and playing video games with my love, Dusean. I have a horrible weakness for ice cream.
I am always happy to hear from readers and would love to connect with you via my Website, Facebook, and Twitter. To be the first to hear about my new releases, get cover reveals, and excerpts you won’t find anywhere else, sign up for my newsletter, or join me in The Riot
Happy reading!
Other books by Stacy
Scandalous house of Calydon series book one
The Duke’s Shotgun Wedding
Victorian Era England…
As far as rash decisions go, it was formidable. But Lady Jocelyn Rathbourne’s will remains strong. If the only way to save her family’s estate and reputation is by aiming a small pistol at the Duke of Calydon, then so be it. For Lady Jocelyn demands satisfaction – and she will have it at any cost. Even if it means demanding the hand of the intense and foreboding Duke himself…
But she’s made the first move against a very dangerous opponent…
For Sebastian Thornton is no stripling to be trifled with. The lady has played her hand. Now it’s his turn. For Sebastian is in need of a wife. And to find a wife with spirit and fire – even if she means to only marry for his money – would be a great prize indeed. And he intends to thoroughly take his pleasure with her… and demands his own satisfaction in return.
Scandalous house of Calydon series book two
The Irresistible Miss Peppiwell
With a longing for adventure, the last thing Phillipa Peppiwell wants is to marry. After a painful betrayal by a man she trusted, she is wary when she unwittingly catches the attention of roguishly handsome – and sinfully tempting – Lord Anthony Thornton. Forbidden desires she secretly yearns for threaten to crumble her icy facade and reveal a past scandal best kept buried.
Dissatisfied with his empty life, Lord Anthony seeks a deep and lasting connection… and finds himself intrigued by the Ice Maiden of the haute monde. Undaunted by Phillipa’s aloof nature and her distaste for the idea of matrimony, he sets out to thaw the bewitching beauty by enticing her with adventures of the most sensual type. But he, too, hides a scandalous secret… and if it’s discovered it could rip them apart.
Scandalous house of Calydon series book three
Sins of a Duke
She would be his perfect revenge…
All of the young ladies whispered about the Duke of Mondvale in hushed tones, their eyes following his tall, dark figure with barely disguised lust. For the newly-ostracized Lady Constance Thornton, he is magnetic and altogether desirable. Irresistibly so. Since her reputation is already ruined in London society, why shouldn’t she be impudent and dance with the scandalous “Lord of Sin”?
Little does she know of his plans.
The beautiful and innocent Lady Constance is no mere plaything for Lucan Wynwood. She will be his revenge. By ruining her, he will have his vengeance against her brother. Except that the Lady Constance is full of surprises… and now she could well be the ruin of him.
Scandalous house of Calydon series book four
The Royal Conquest
His dark seduction will be her undoing…
After
being cruelly jilted by a lord who claimed to adore her, Miss Payton Peppiwell swore her future husband would be as ordinary as she. Now if only her family would listen to her. Then she meets Mikhail Konstantinovich, an untitled horse breeder, in a highly improper and scandalous encounter. Never had Payton expected to be so attracted to the dark, intriguing man, who seduces her to recklessness with a mere stare.
Mikhail abhors anything to do with intimacy. Yet Miss Peppiwell stirs hunger and a need long forgotten in him. But Mikhail has a dark past—one that means his lust must be sated in a way entirely unsuitable for a lady. But his biggest secret will be the hardest for Payton to overcome: Mikhail is not only titled, he’s a prince…
A novel of the Amagarians book one
Eternal Darkness
The darkest taste of temptation…
Fleeing from a blood oath made against her will to a man known in the seven realms as the tyrant king, the last place Princess Saieke Shyokara, expected to be trapped was in the Darkage, the land of the feared shadowed demons. Even worse, she’s stuck with Archduke Drac EL Kyn, a Darkan–a creature of darkness and sensuality, who entices her with passion, intrigue, and danger. The only thing she needs from the fierce warrior is his body to further her own plot…certainly not the dangerously irresistibly desire he rouses.
As one of the deadliest shadow assassins of his realm, Drac must use his skills to unearth the factions who murdered his king. Drawn by an irresistible hunger to the princess, he struggles to maintain distance from a woman who is utterly forbidden to those of his race. Yet, as she navigates the treacherous schemes and traps laid for her by the kingdoms of the seven realms, Drac must decide if he will claim Saieke as his mate, or will he relinquish this woman, who stirs in him the darkest hunger he’s ever known, to avoid embroiling his kingdom in war…
A novel of the Amagarians book two
Eternal Flames
Tehdra El kyn, a warrior elite of the shadow realm, has infiltrated the Nurian kingdom as a concubine for the merciless King Ajali, a man her demon has claimed as mate. Tehdra enters a court of deceit, political intrigue, and danger. Where she tries to prevent the kings’ assassination without betraying her heart and her realm. Soon she finds that she must make terrifying choices which may result in her death or war for her kingdom.
King Ajali Haddin is powerful, cunning, and ruthless in protecting those he loves. With whispers of the realms plotting his death and the destruction of his kingdom. He uses Tehdra, a suspected spy to draw the enemy into combat. The last thing Ajali expected was to be captivated by Tehdra’s fierceness and her chilling beauty. Resisting her is the hardest battle he’s ever fought, but one he is determine to win. For to claim a woman as Tehdra means betraying his kingdom.
Letters to Emily
Two years have passed since Lady Emily’s beloved Maxwell went to fight in the war. With only letters and one hot night of loving to keep her warm on the coldest of nights, she tries to embrace the future after learning of his death at the Third battle of Picardy. One way to forge forward is to marry his twin brother, Marcellus Alexander Wynwood, The Marquis of Blackthorn, a man she does not love, but one who rouses dark needs in her.
Marcellus wanted Emily from the first moment he saw her two years ago, but had watched from a distance as his brother Max charmed her into falling hopelessly in love with him. In her state of grief over Max, Marcellus ensures her needs are met, breaking down her barriers, tormenting her with wicked erotic loving as he slowly binds her to him.
Despite this, he fears he will lose her once it is revealed that her beloved Maxwell lives. Marcellus prays Emily can surrender to his needs and soul deep desires.
