Temptation Of A Governess
‘THIS WILL BE A BATTLE OF WITS, MADAM.’Alex Arrandale, Earl of Davenport, is used to getting what he wants. So when he visits Diana Grensham, governess and joint guardian to his wards, and asks her to vacate his property, he is stunned when she refuses!p>Diana is determined not to bow to Alex’s demands. Her whole life she has believed she is unlovable and worthless, but now, as she and Alex engage in a battle of wills, Diana’s confidence blooms. And soon she finds herself tempted to make a few demands of her own!The Infamous ArrandalesScandal is their destiny!
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The Infamous Arrandales
Scandal is their destiny!
Meet the Arrandale familyâdissolute, disreputable and defiant! This infamous family have scandal in their blood, and wherever they go their reputation will always precede them!
Donât miss any of the fabulous books in Sarah Malloryâs tantalising new quartet!
The Chaperonâs Seduction Already available
Temptation of a Governess Available now
and look for two more sinfully scandalous stories, coming soon!
When I was very young I loved fairytalesâespecially the story of The Ugly Duckling, the little creature who did not fit in. This is how I saw Diana Grensham: a young lady who has been told from a very early age that she is unattractive. She has therefore hidden herself away from the world, living as a governess because, as she says, governesses are of no consequence.
When we meet Alex he is a privileged young man with looks, health and fortuneâa sportsman with an eye for beauty. The world is at his feet and no one has ever opposed his willâ¦until he meets Diana. Despite their differences, Alex is the one man who sees past Dianaâs self-effacing shell to the spirited and beautiful woman inside. He gives her the confidence to believe in herself.
Alex changes, too. He learns that the hedonistic world he inhabits is not the one he wants to live in. He discovers that happiness lies with Diana, but after all he has done to alienate her how can she trust him? The ballroom scene at the end of Temptation of a Governess is one of the most touching I have ever written: so much hangs in the balance, and it is important that both Diana and Alex get it right. That is for you, the reader, to judge.
SARAH MALLORY was born in the West Country and now lives on the beautiful Yorkshire moors. She has been writing for more than three decadesâmainly historical romances set in the Georgian and Regency period. She has won several awards for her writing, most recently the Romantic Novelistsâ Association RoNA Rose Award in 2012 (for The Dangerous Lord Darrington) and 2013 (for Beneath the Majorâs Scars).
To Kathryn, my lovely editor,
and all the team at Richmond, without whom these books would never happen.
Contents
The April sun shone down brightly on the low-slung racing curricle as it bowled through the lanes and Alex Arrandale felt the winter gloom lifting from his spirits. A gloom that had settled and remained with him since he had heard of the shipwreck that had taken the life of his brother James and made him, Alex, the eighth Earl of Davenport. He had neither expected nor wanted the succession. James was only two years his senior and, at thirty, everyone had thought there was plenty of time for him and his countess to produce an heir. That was why the couple had set out on their sea journey, sailing south to warmer climes that the doctors advised might help improve Margaretâs health and allow her to conceive and carry a boy child full-term. The couple already had a healthy little girl, but a series of miscarriages had left the countess very worn down.
They had never reached the Mediterranean, a storm off Gibraltar in October had run their ship aground and all lives had been lost. The news had reached Alex several weeks later and the depth of his grief had been profound. Even now, six months on, he still wore a black cravat as a sign of his loss. In all other aspects of his life his friends found him unchanged. He had spent the winter as he always did, at a succession of house parties where hunting, gambling and flirting were the order of the day. Only his closest friend saw anything amiss in his frantic pleasure-seeking.
âEveryone thinks it is because you do not care,â Mr Gervase Wollerton told him, in a moment of uncharacteristic perception. âI think you care too much.â
Perhaps that was so, thought Alex as he slowed and turned his high-bred team of match greys through the gates leading to Chantreys, but he had been earl for a while now and it was time he made a few changes.
The drive curved between trees that were not yet in full leaf and sunlight dappled the track. Alex slowed, conscious that there might be holes and ruts after the winter. He was just emerging from the woods when he spotted a figure sitting on a fallen tree, not far from the side of the road. It was a young woman with a sketchbook. She had cast aside her bonnet and her red hair glinted with gold in the sunlight. He knew her immediately. He had not seen her for years but the red hair was unmistakable. It was Diana Grensham, sister of the drowned countess and governess to her only child and the other Arrandale waif who had been taken into the late earlâs household. She was so engrossed in her work that she did not even notice his arrival. Alex drew his team to a halt and regarded her for a long moment, taking in the dainty figure clad in a serviceable gown of green and yellow and with her wild red hair gleaming about her head like a halo.
