Finessing the Contessa
Page 27
“Yes, but—”
“Perdition, Electra, don’t torture me!” He pulled her into his arms but didn’t actually kiss her. “I love you and want to marry you. I’ll never take another. We were made for each other, and well you know it.”
“Augusto?”
“Needs siblings. I want a large family.” He offered her an indolent smile. “Perhaps we ought to start making them now.”
Her own smile easily outreached his. “I’m not sure if I recall how?”
He laughed. “Witch! I’ll be glad to refresh your memory.”
“You’re really serious about this, aren’t you?”
“Never more so. I’ve already planned our future. I shall use the money my father left me and buy an estate somewhere convenient for London. We’ll follow Charles Billingham’s example and hold chess parties.” It was as though he caressed her with his eyes and Electra was powerless to look away. “What do you say, cara mia? Will you consent to be my wife?”
She hesitated for a moment and then a joyous smile spread across her features. “Yes,” she said, plastering her body against his. “Yes, yes, a thousand times yes.”
* * *
They were the last to join the party in the drawing room. His sister Flick was there, with her husband Darius. Julia seemed to be on her best behaviour. Darius’s mother was also there. So too was Vincenzo, standing beside Beth’s chair.
“There you are at last,” Hal said. “Now that we’re all here, I give you a toast to the Forster heir, Charles Sebastian Henry Forster.”
Everyone raised their glasses and drank to the baby’s health. Darius and Flick then made their announcement. Suitable surprise was expressed and a second toast was drunk.
“Do you have anything for us to drink to, Rob?” Hal asked.
“Absolutely.” He linked his fingers with Electra’s and lifted their joined hands. “To my future wife.”
* * * * *
Passion and scandal run rampant in the first two novels of the Forsters series byWendy Soliman, available now!
Compromising the Marquess
England, 1814
Leah Elliot sells secrets to survive. Donning boy’s clothes, she uncovers society scandals for a London gossip rag to support herself and her sister, who were left destitute after their father’s death. When she meets the dashing—and perhaps dangerous—Hal Forster, the Marquess of Denby, she learns he may be involved in treason. The rumor is too valuable not to sell, despite her attraction to him...
Hal does have a secret, but he’s no traitor: he’s a spy embroiled in a mystery, seeking the man who killed his contact in France. He sees the alluring woman behind Leah’s disguise at once but is intrigued enough to play along...until he realizes that she’s the source of the rumors interfering with his investigation and forcing him into an unwanted betrothal. Now, Hal and Leah must work together to draw out the culprit and undo the damage caused by Leah’s gossip. Or will their passion only cause more scandal?
Beguiling the Barrister
England, 1814
Flick—more properly known as Lady Felicity Forster—was twelve when she decided she was going to marry her handsome neighbor Darius Grantley. Now, embarking on her second season, she’s no nearer to that lofty ambition. She commits to making Darius fall in love with her, if only he’d take a break from pleading the case of the common criminal as a barrister at the Old Bailey.
Darius adores the lovely, high-spirited younger sister of the Marquess of Denby, but he’s all too aware that Flick is far above him in social status, not to mention fortune. Winning the high-profile Cuthbert case will earn him a promised appointment to King’s Counsel and just enough income to provide a home for his well-born lady.
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About the Author
Wendy Soliman was brought up on the Isle of Wight in southern England but now divides her time between Andorra and west Florida. She lives with her husband, Andre, and a rescued dog of indeterminate pedigree named Jake Bentley.
Wendy has more than twenty published novels to her credit—a mixture of Regency and contemporary romance, with a few mysteries thrown in for good measure.
When not writing she enjoys reading other people’s books, walking miles with her dog whilst plotting her next scene, and is on a one-woman mission to save the wine industry from the economic slump. Well, someone’s got to do it!
Wendy’s other books from Carina Press include Of Dukes and Deceptions, A Scandalous Proposition, The Perfect Impostor, Beguiling the Barrister and Compromising the Marquess.
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ISBN-13: 9781426897405
FINESSING THE CONTESSA
Copyright © 2013 by Wendy Soliman
Edited by Deborah Nemeth
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