by Jade Lee
He flashed her a carefree grin. "I do not care. And as for Mother, she has known from the very first. I want to marry you, Gillian, and if the tabbies do not like it, then the Earl and Countess of Mavenford will not grace their functions. Believe me, wealth and a title cover a multitude of sins."
Gillian bit her lip, hardly believing it was possible. Could all her dreams be coming true? "I... I am not a lady."
"Well, of course you are." He laughed, suddenly lifting her high above him again. "I forgot to tell you the most important rule of being a lady."
"What?" she said as he slowly set her down.
"Rule number eighteen: A lady must always follow her heart."
Gillian felt the last of her fears slip away. With an impish grin, she let her body sway indelicately against Stephen. Her fingers entwined in his hair, and he lowered his head to hers. "In that case, my lord, I have been a lady only when in your arms."
He grinned, his lips tantalizingly close as he drew her tighter against the whole length of his powerful body. "Then I hope you intend to be a lady for the rest of our lives."
She sighed, lifting her lips for his kiss. "Most definitely, my lord. Most definitely."
Epilogue
Rule #16:
A lady always follows her heart.
Geoffrey smiled as he read the Times announcement of the wedding of the Earl of Mavenford to Miss Gillian Ames, the daughter of a dear friend of the dowager countess. All rumors of an aborted elopement with himself were miraculously absent, thanks, no doubt, to pressure from Stephen. As for speculation on Gillian's true lineage, he had not heard a single whisper.
All in all, things had worked out for the best, he supposed. He had escaped apparently unscathed from a marriage he had belatedly realized was all wrong. Gillian and Stephen seemed almost sickeningly happy. And, most important, with the disappearance of Amanda Wyndham, his sister became the newest diamond and was now courted by scores of eligible suitors willing to soothe her broken heart. That it was, in fact, only wounded pride made no difference to anyone but himself.
Sophia would be fine.
The only continuing problem was his family's precarious financial position. Geoffrey let his gaze wander around the slightly shabby breakfast room of their London home. What he needed was another heiress, but the list of possibilities remained dismal at best. They were none of them nearly as enticing as Gillian, nor could he easily contemplate a future with any of them. If only...
His thoughts were cut off as his butler entered and discreetly cleared his throat.
"Yes, Santon?"
"Mr. Jeremy Oltheten to see you, sir."
"Really?" he drawled, his curiosity piqued. What could possibly send his usually placid solicitor from his offices at this time of the morning? "Show him in."
The young man wasted no time in bustling in, fairly bursting with excitement. "My lord, I have wonderful news. I have found a sizable investor in your mining enterprise."
Geoffrey felt his attention sharpen with anticipation. "How sizable?"
Jeremy named a figure that made Geoffrey's heart stop. An investment of that caliber gave him considerably more breathing room. Enough, perhaps, that he could postpone his search for a wife until next Season at the earliest.
"Who is this mysterious benefactor?"
The young man colored and looked suddenly ill at ease. "I am afraid I cannot give you his name, but I can tell you he is one of my most august clients and quite trustworthy. He intends to leave all management of the company to you."
Geoffrey's eyes narrowed, suddenly suspicious. Someone who invested that amount of money without any control? "I do not believe it."
"Oh, no, my lord, it is quite true. The gentleman in question has recently become married and wishes to devote most of his time to his new wife."
Geoffrey stared at his solicitor, a slow smile spreading across his face. There was only one recently married man who was also one of Oltheten's "most august clients."
"Excellent," Geoffrey exclaimed, suddenly pushing away from the breakfast table. He had the most uncharacteristic urge to dance a jig. "Come with me to the library and let us see how we can best spend Mavenford's money."
"But..." The young man suddenly faltered. "I mean, I did not say—"
"Of course you did not, Oltheten," he said as he clapped the man on the back. "Now all that remains is to convince my mother that I have no need to become leg-shackled. At least, not this year. Two if we work hard, Oltheten." Then he winked at his startled solicitor. "And believe me, I intend to work very, very hard indeed."
The End
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MAJOR WYCLYFF'S CAMPAIGN
A Lady's Lessons
Book Two
Excerpt from
Major Wyclyff's Campaign
A LADY'S LESSONS
Book Two
by
Jade Lee
USA Today Bestselling Author
MAJOR WYCLYFF'S CAMPAIGN
Reviews & Accolades
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"If you are ill, I shall send for a doctor at once."
He forestalled her words with a low chuckle. "My ailment cannot be cured by any doctor." He set aside an empty brandy snifter. "Do you wish to know of what I was thinking?"
She did not answer. His voice had trapped her, mixing with the moonlight to weave a spell of dark magic around her.
He leaned forward, pulling himself out of the shadows. "Of Spain and war," he murmured. "Of death and angels of mercy. Of you."
She shivered, drawn to him even as she kept a firm grip on the edges of her chair. She closed her eyes, determined to end his strange hold on her, but that only made the memories more clear, the pain more real.
"Do you know what I remember?" she rasped. "I remember sitting like this—in the dark—when you were in the hospital. I told my mother I was going to a musical soiree, but instead I went to you." She stood up, needing to pace away her agitation, but there was nowhere for her to go. So she simply stood, staring into the dark shadows near his shoulders, her words continuing without her willing them. "I remember the smell of blood in the air, the coppery taste of it and the moans from the nearby beds. But mostly, I remember you. I remember listening for your breath, holding my own until I heard yours." She felt a tear slip down her cheek. "Do you know how guilty I felt? Each time you drew breath, I thanked God you were still alive, and yet I knew I was only prolonging your suffering. I knew you would die. We all did."
"But I did not," he said firmly. Loudly. And there was power in each word, enough to ease the ache in her chest, but not take away the fear that it would happen again, the terror that another fever would claim him, that another wound might kill him. Then he stood, his body large and whole before her. "Do not think of it, Sophia," he said. "It is over."
She shook her head, knowing that it would never be over for her, despite his new found strength. She would always remember those days by his side. That last night in the dark. "I had to leave the hospital," she continued. "I could not be out all night." How she wished she had defied convention. How she wished she had ignored the risk of scandal and spent the night by his side. Then she would have known he lived. But she hadn't. "In the morning, they told me you were dead."
"Tis over," he repeated. He touched her then. He reached out and stroked her chin, lifting it until she met his dark gaze. "Think of something else," he urged as he stepped closer. "Think of last night. Of how we kissed."
He made to pull her into his arms, but she shied away, just as she shied away from those memories. She had been drunk, her reason gone, but the experience remained burned in her thoughts. His caresses had seared her skin. His kisses had set her blood afire. And all her resistance had melted away. "I remember that you left," she snapped, using the words to cool the heat he created. "You said I disg
usted you, and then you left."
Again he reached for her, and she turned away, choosing to look out the window. Her gaze roved the moonlit night, but her senses focused behind her. On him.
"I have not left," he said. "I am here." He set his hands on her shoulders, and she tensed, half in fear, half in desire. "I want to have children with you, Sophia."
She bit her lip, startled by his sudden shift in topic and distracted by the strange longing his words produced. When she had decided to take the life of a spinster, she had mourned only one thing—that she would never have any children. It was still an ache, one that caught her unawares at times.
"I want to many you," he continued. "I want to make you my wife and bring you to my bed. I want to spread your golden hair across my pillow and kiss you until your skin glows with passion." Her body tensed with a new hunger, one she could not recall having experienced before. His words were as frightening as they were exciting, and she did not know what she should do or how she should respond.
"You—you should not speak so to me," she stammered.
"Then go, for I will not stop."
Sophia pressed her palms flat against the cool windowpane, using it to steady herself. But, before the temperature could do more than sensitize her hands, he pulled her back against him, pressing her intimately against his broad chest.
"You are different," she said. "You seem..." She hesitated, searching for the right words.
"Determined? Forceful?"
"Stronger," she corrected, her body growing inebriated by the word. He seemed so powerful that despite her determination to resist him, she wondered what it would be like to lie in his arms. To feel his force surrounding her body, holding it, invading it.
"I am tired, Sophia. I have played at butler long enough." His words were almost harsh, but his caress was sensual, warming her, molding her to his will. "I should return to London to see if my new post has been approved. But I will not leave without you."
She could not answer. Not with him touching her, her back pressed intimately against his broad chest. She could not think other than to turn to face him, shifting so she could feel the width of his shoulders and brush her fingers along the rough cut of his jaw.
"Sophia?" His voice deepened, sounding unsteady as he caught her hand, holding it in his firm grasp. She could not respond except to rise up on her toes, seeking his kiss.
Major Wyclyff's Campaign
A LADY'S LESSONS
Book Two
by
Jade Lee
~
To purchase
Major Wyclyff's Campaign
from your favorite eBook Retailer,
visit Jade Lee's eBook Discovery Author Page
www.ebookdiscovery.com/JadeLee
~
Discover more with
eBookDiscovery.com
Page forward and complete your journey
with an excerpt from
MISS WOODLEY'S KISSING EXPERIMENT
A Lady's Lessons
Book Three
Excerpt from
Miss Woodley's Kissing Experiment
A LADY'S LESSONS
Book Three
by
Jade Lee
USA Today Bestselling Author
MISS WOODLEY'S KISSING EXPERIMENT
Reviews & Accolades
"Katherine Greyle (a.k.a Jade Lee) writes with humor and crafts an enjoyable, fast-paced read."
~Romantic Times Book Club
"Miss Woodley's Experiment is just the ticket for anyone who wants to kick back and relax."
~All About Romance
Geoffrey mulled over the situation, a wicked thought stirring his loins. She was beautiful. And curious. He could do no less than teach her that Harry was definitely not representative of his gender. In fact, was that not what riding instructors taught—to get directly back on the horse that threw you?
Lifting his brandy, he kept his voice lazy with just the slightest hint of a challenge. She would not know that inside his ears, blood pounded in anticipation. "I would not worry overmuch," he said. "It was just one kiss, you know, and a bad one at that. There are other men who are less, um, wet in their attentions. One might even say you could find someone who makes you tingle." He smiled at her, a long lazy smile borne of too much brandy and a beautiful girl turning to him for advice on kissing. She responded in kind, her sweet lips lifting in a delicate curve, her eyes alight with curiosity.
He watched her take a sip of brandy, her perfect mouth pressing against the edge of her glass. "Do your ladies tingle when you kiss them?" she asked.
He set down the glass, only vaguely aware of the impropriety of this conversation, more deeply aware of the rosy glow of her skin in the candlelight, the gentle lift and lowering of her breasts as she breathed, and the slight part to her sweet red lips. "I have never thought to ask," he replied as evenly as possible. "Perhaps we could try an experiment."
Miss Woodley's Kissing Experiment
A LADY'S LESSONS
Book Three
by
Jade Lee
~
To purchase
Miss Woodley's Kissing Experiment
from your favorite eBook Retailer,
visit Jade Lee's eBook Discovery Author Page
www.ebookdiscovery.com/JadeLee
~
Discover more with
eBookDiscovery.com
JADE LEE has two passions (well, except for her family, but that’s a given). She loves dreaming up stories and playing racquetball, not always in that order. When her pro-racquetball career ended with a pair of very bad knees, she turned her attention to writing. An author of more than 30 romance novels, she’s decided that life can be full of joy without ever getting up from her chair.
A USA Today Bestseller, Jade has been scripting love stories since she first picked up a set of paper dolls. Ball gowns and rakish lords caught her attention early (thank you Georgette Heyer), and her fascination with the Regency began. Now an author of more than 30 romance novels, she finally gets to play in the best girl-heaven place of all: a Bridal Salon! In her new series, four women find love as they dress the most beautiful brides in England. Look for the first books in Feb/March 2012 with Engaged in Wickedness, an e-book novella, and Wedded in Scandal, a Berkley Sensation novel.
And don’t forget KATHY LYONS! She’s Jade’s lighter, contemporary half. Kathy writes for Harlequin Blaze. She loves the faster pace of category books and that her humor can really let fly. She leaves the dark, tortured love stories to Jade.
If you’re wondering where Katherine Greyle comes in, she’s Jade’s first persona. Sweet, funny, and with a love of all things regency, Katherine started publishing back in the 1900s. (She won’t say how long ago!) But never fear, the romantic soul is the same whether it’s Jade, Katherine, or Kathy!
So if you love that special feeling when two people just fit, then email her through her website www.jadeleeauthor.com . She’s also on social media at Facebook - JadeLeeBooks and Twitter – JadeLeeAuthor.
Other Titles by
Jade Lee
The Bridal Favors Series
Engaged in Wickedness, a novella
Wedded in Scandal
Engaged in Passion, a novella
Wedded in Sin
~
The Way of the Tigress Series
White Tigress
Hungry Tigress
Desperate Tigress
Burning Tigress
Cornered Tigress
Tempted Tigress
~
The Regency Rags to Riches Series
No Place for a Lady
Devil's Bargain
Almost an Angel
The Dragon Earl
~
A Lady's Lessons
Rules for a Lady
Major Wyclyff’s Campaign
Miss Woodley’s Experiment
~
The Jade Lee Fantasies
Seduced by Crim
son
Sexy Bites
A Magic King
Dragonborn
Dragonbound
~
Anthologies, Short Stories and other Novels
Winter Heat, anthology
The Time, a short story
Wicked Surrender
Wicked Seduction
The Tao of Sex
Getting Physical
The Concubine
~
Titles by Jade Lee writing as
Kathy Lyons
Night After Night
Living the Fantasy
Under His Spell
Office Ups and Downs
In Good Hands
~
Titles by Jade Lee writing as
Katherine Greyle
Playing with Matches anthology
By Fate’s Hand anthology
