Tempted By The Roguish Lord
The earl has a proposition He wants her as his mistress! Miss Emma Waverley will do anything for her family – especially since she was the one to ruin their reputations with her failed elopement years ago! They desperately need money and rakish Lance, Earl of Houndsmere, offers his financial support. But in exchange, he expects Emma in his bed! Of course, she must turn him down. Yet Lance’s fine figure and commanding features are all too tempting…
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The earl has a proposition
He wants her as his mistress!
Miss Emma Waverley will do anything for her family—especially since she was the one to ruin their reputations with her failed elopement years ago! They desperately need money and rakish Lance, Earl of Houndsmere, offers his financial support. But in exchange, he expects Emma in his bed! Of course, she must turn him down. Yet Lance’s fine figure and commanding features are all too tempting...
MARY BRENDAN was born in North London, but now lives in rural Suffolk. She has always had a fascination with bygone days, and enjoys the research involved in writing historical fiction. When not at her computer she can be found trying to bring order to her large overgrown garden, or browsing local fairs and junk shops for that elusive bargain.
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Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk.
ISBN: 978-1-474-08879-4
TEMPTED BY THE ROGUISH LORD
© 2019 Mary Brendan
Published in Great Britain 2019
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
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Contents
Circa 1816
‘Please put down the gun, Papa! This gentleman has not harmed me, but done me a great service.’ Miss Emma Waverley strove to keep her voice lowered. From a corner of an eye she’d noticed their neighbour’s curtain twitch in an upstairs window.
‘Done you a service!’ the elderly fellow roared. ‘That’s what he told you, is it!’ He descended another step towards the pavement. By fully stretching out his thin arm, he brought the duelling pistol to within an inch of an elegant waistcoat. ‘These infernal rakes have no shame in the matter.’ He shook the weapon to reinforce his intention to pull the trigger. ‘I can tell he is a villain just by looking at him.’ A pair of rheumy eyes took in the stranger’s slight air of inebriation and dishevelled attire. Even these drawbacks couldn’t disguise the fact he was abominably handsome...and rich. Such expensive tailoring would be cared for by a valet. As for the equipage parked at the kerb, only the wealthiest young bucks took to the road in one of those racy contraptions.
If the individual under threat feared he might soon expire from a bullet, he gave no sign of it. The Earl of Houndsmere had upon his dark features a wearisome expression.
‘Should this business be conducted inside, perhaps?’ he suggested drily and jerked his head to indicate their audience.
Across the road two kneeling servants had halted their yawning and scrubbing to turn on their steps and gawp at the spectacle of an ancient, garbed in flowing nightgown and tasselled cap, pointing a gun at his daughter’s supposed seducer. Soon the emerging dawn would give way to the glorious spring morning promised by the blush on the horizon. This busy square would begin to throng with people and carriages. How they’d appreciate starting their day viewing this tableau.
