His Mistletoe Wager
‘Five berries equal the five separate kisses I challenge you to steal.’Notorious rake Henry Stuart, Earl of Redbridge is certain he’ll win his Christmas bet – until he learns he’ll be stealing Lady Elizabeth Wilding’s kisses. A woman who refuses to be charmed!Once jilted, Lizzie must guard her heart because the ton is unaware of her scandalous secret – her son! Despite their increasing attraction, she can’t risk the persistent Hal bringing down her defences. But, when her former fiancé returns Lizzie realises that perhaps Hal’s the one man she can trust – with her heart and her son…
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“Five berries equal the five separate kisses I challenge you to steal.”
Notorious rake Henry “Hal” Stuart, Earl of Redbridge, is certain he’ll win his Christmas bet—until he learns he’ll be stealing Lady Elizabeth Wilding’s kisses. A woman who refuses to be charmed!
Once jilted, Lizzie must guard her heart, because the ton is unaware of her scandalous secret—her son! Despite their increasing attraction, she can’t risk the persistent Hal bringing down her defenses. But when her former fiancé returns, Lizzie realizes that perhaps Hal’s the one man she can trust—with her heart and her son...
Hal quickly closed the distance and whispered again, far too close to her ear.
‘Think, Lizzie. Here we are. The stars are twinkling up above.’ Those strong arms slowly snaked around her waist and pulled her closer. ‘If you gaze up at me with convincing longing, the old fool will assume we are having a tryst.’
Arguing against his logic was prevented by the ominously close sound of another call from her unwelcome beau. ‘Lady Elizabeth! Is that you?’
With the most limpid expression she could manage, in a blind panic Lizzie stared longingly up at Hal. He winked encouragingly then, to her complete shock, dipped his head and pressed his lips to hers.
The sky tilted. Or perhaps it was the floor. Either way, the experience knocked her off-kilter.
Unconsciously her own lips began to respond, her eyelids fluttered closed and she found herself rising on tiptoe to press her body against his. More worryingly, she was reluctant to prise herself away. Later, she knew, she would claim this was all part of her act, but for now she was prepared to acknowledge it for what it was.
A revelation.
After I wrote Her Enemy at the Altar, a few people suggested there should be a sequel. Like me, those people had fallen in love with Aaron and Connie, and wanted the opportunity to see them again. They were such adorable characters—the feisty yet self-conscious heroine and the dashing yet tortured hero—and so perfect for each other. When I was offered the chance to write a Christmas story I decided to treat myself to that sequel and see how they were getting along.
But, as so often happens, I also fell in love with my new characters, and my sequel rapidly became their story first. Connie’s brother Hal is a notorious rake, with no desire to settle down. Lizzie has been badly let down by a man and never wants another one. However, both feel that life is missing something—which is obviously each other, but they were both very troublesome as I got them to realise it.
At times, although they instantly became the very best of friends, the pair of them were so stubbornly resistant to romance that I found myself shouting at my keyboard. Fortunately the story takes place over Christmas. Which means there is always mistletoe…
When VIRGINIA HEATH was a little girl it took her ages to fall asleep, so she made up stories in her head to help pass the time while she was staring at the ceiling. As she got older the stories became more complicated—sometimes taking weeks to get to their happy ending. One day she decided to embrace her insomnia and start writing them down. Virginia lives in Essex with her wonderful husband and two teenagers. It still takes her for ever to fall asleep...
Books by Virginia Heath
Mills & Boon Historical Romance
The Wild Warriners
A Warriner to Protect Her
A Warriner to Rescue Her
Linked by Character
Her Enemy at the Altar
His Mistletoe Wager
Stand-Alone Novels
That Despicable Rogue
The Discerning Gentleman’s Guide Miss Bradshaw’s Bought Betrothal
Visit the Author Profile page at millsandboon.co.uk.
For Nicole Locke.
My first-ever writing buddy.
Thanks for adopting me and showing me the ropes.
Contents
St George’s Church, Hanover Square—June 1815
Every pew was taken. No mean feat in a church as large and grand as this one, yet hardly a surprise when this was the wedding of the Season: the day when the darling of society, the beautiful only daughter of the Earl of Upminster, married her handsome peer.
Even the sun had come out to celebrate and was cheerfully streaming through the imposing stained-glass windows in an exceedingly pleasing fashion and causing a kaleidoscope of colours to decorate the floor. The air hung heavy with the fragrance of lilacs, Lizzie’s favourite flower, and tall vases and boughs festooned the aisle she would soon walk down.
Her wedding dress was embroidered subtly to match and her dainty bonnet decorated with beautiful silk replicas, scaled down to sit in a pleasing fashion. Just as she had always imagined.
