The butler entered the room.
“A letter for you, Lady Ravenswood.”
Henrietta took the letter from the silver tray. “Thank you, Wilkes.”
With a curt nod, the butler departed.
Two sets of curious eyes then settled on her.
“Who is it from, Henry?” said Peter.
“I shall soon find out.” Henrietta broke the red wax seal and scanned the missive. She smiled. “It’s from Mirabelle.”
“And how is the Duchess of Wembury?” said her husband.
“In very good health, I’m happy to report. We are invited to a christening, my lord, for baby Alice.”
Sebastian sighed. “Too many babies.”
Peter chuckled at that. “And when will you, dear brother, become a father?”
Sebastian made a moue in jest. “Why the devil would I want to do that? Now that you have a son, Peter, I don’t need an heir.”
Peter chortled. “I think your wife might have something to say about that.”
Sebastian looked at his wife.
Henrietta quirked a brow. She had yet to have a babe…but she was determined to change all that.
“No babies, my lord?” she said.
Sebastian pretended to think about it—then a slow and wolfish smile touched his lips. “Well, maybe one brat.”
Peter cradled the babe and pounced to his feet. “Come along, Frederick. I don’t think you need to hear this.”
Father and son quickly vacated the room.
Alone with her husband, Henrietta put all her seductive training to good use, and crossed the rug with very sensual strides.
Sebastian followed her every move with avid interest.
She settled very comfortably on his lap and traced her forefinger along the ridge of his masculine jaw. “Just one babe, my lord?”
He wrapped his arms tight around her waist. “Well, maybe two.”
Henrietta giggled and kissed him with passion. Breathless, she said, “And when will we start to try for this babe or two?”
“How does right now sound?”
She nipped at his lush lip. “It sounds very agreeable. Shall we go upstairs?”
“I’d rather not, Henry.”
She pinched her brow. “But—”
Sebastian wagged his brow. “Billiards, Henry?”
She let out a hearty laugh. “What a wonderful idea, my lord.”
About the Author
ALEXANDRA BENEDICT is a storyteller at heart. A graduate of the University of Toronto, she works part-time in a museum, while penning passionate tales of historical romance. An archaeology buff, she loves to travel and explore ancient ruins. Her hobbies include collecting art and reading classic British literature.
Alexandra invites readers to visit her at www.alexandrabenedict.ca for contest fun, excerpts, and more.
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.
Other AVON ROMANCES
BRIDE ENCHANTED by Edith Layton
A DANGEROUS BEAUTY by Sophia Nash
THE HIGHLANDER’S BRIDE by Donna Fletcher
THE TEMPLAR’S SEDUCTION by Mary Reed McCall
TEMPTED AT EVERY TURN by Robyn DeHart
A WARRIOR’S TAKING by Margo Maguire
WHAT ISABELLA DESIRES by Anne Mallory
Coming Soon
SEDUCTION IS FOREVER by Jenna Petersen
SIN AND SCANDAL IN ENGLAND by Melody Thomas
And Don’t Miss These
ROMANTIC TREASURES
from Avon Books
BEWITCHING THE HIGHLANDER by Lois Greiman
HOW TO ENGAGE AN EARL by Kathryn Caskie
JUST WICKED ENOUGH by Lorraine Heath
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
TOO SCANDALOUS TO WED. Copyright © 2007 by Alexandra Benedikt. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Microsoft Reader July 2007 ISBN 978-0-06-147953-3
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
About the Publisher
Australia
HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.
25 Ryde Road (PO Box 321)
Pymble, NSW 2073, Australia
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.com.au
Canada
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
55 Avenue Road, Suite 2900
Toronto, ON, M5R, 3L2, Canada
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.ca
New Zealand
HarperCollinsPublishers (New Zealand) Limited
P.O. Box 1
Auckland, New Zealand
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.co.nz
United Kingdom
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
77-85 Fulham Palace Road
London, W6 8JB, UK
http://www.uk.harpercollinsebooks.com
United States
HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
10 East 53rd Street
New York, NY 10022
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.com
Too Scandalous to Wed Page 26
