Love, Unmasked Page 7

  Grey folded the broadsheet. “There’s a vague report of a dreadful accident, but no details, of course. It seems certain he’s left for the country to recover.”

  Jessica’s shoulders slumped, and Fidelity shared her relief with a small sigh. “Then yes, my husband-to-be, I’ll wear the blue gown on Christmas Eve for your triumphal march.” And make some scandalous memories with you to last us the rest of our lives together.

  A scowl lowered Grey’s brows. “My love, I hope I’ve proven you’ve no reason to fear that—”

  Heavens only knew what word he’d intended to say. Hurriedly she cut him off before he reached it. “Of course you have. But he’s a predator and you can’t protect every young woman there.” She squeezed Jessica’s forearm, and received a grateful sidelong glance in return.

  Grey’s scowl faded away. “Good point.”

  “Indeed, yes.” Georgette’s sewing sat ignored in her lap, her thumb stroking the ivory silk, back and forth, back and forth, as if mesmerized. “Mis-ter Bright-en-burg—” and her singsong voice no longer held any admiration, only scorn “—remains a problem.”

  “No longer our problem, though.” Blue eyes squinting, Jessica stabbed her needle home in a stitch that doubtless would need to be reworked. “He’s gone, and good riddance.”

  But as a solution, a simple relocation wasn’t sufficient; there were young ladies in the country, too, and the man — not gentleman — in question could attack someone there as easily as in Mayfair. They needed a permanent answer to the Brightenburg danger, and in a rush, Fidelity knew what that answer had to be. “Someday I hope he finds someone to love, too.”

  The scoffing sound from Georgette earned another giggle-snort from Jessica. “You’re too generous by far,” Georgette said.

  “No, when he finds real love, a wife, someone to stand beside him — then the young women of Mayfair should be safer. It’s possible that nothing will ever tame him entirely, but it’s also possible that true love will.” True love… Fidelity couldn’t restrain her glance across the room. He watched her — well, of course he did — and the gleam in his eyes matched the melting sensation in her heart. She’d been blind and foolish for so long, but despite herself she’d been found by her own true love, and she reveled in the finding.

  And if she kept staring at him, she’d create all new methods of embarrassing herself. Fidelity nodded at the sleeve Jessica held. “Are you going to finish that or just stare at it?”

  Another sideways glance, this one devoid of anything approaching gratitude. “I’m going to stare at it—”

  “—and I’m going to stare at you.” Grey rose, set the folded broadsheet aside, and crossed the room toward them.

  Around her, the room faded away, leaving Fidelity alone in a muffled and foggy cocoon. Only Grey, her very own Grey, shared the space with her, and as he approached, the cocoon shrank, enfolding them together in its silence and nearness. He took her hand and drew her to her feet, took the unfinished ivory gown and set it aside, then tucked her close against him, closer, even closer, and as their lips met she let her eyes drift shut.

  When she finally surfaced to breathe, air having become scarce and unfortunately necessary, the morning room truly was empty. The girls had vanished and closed the door behind him.

  “Those little minxes,” she said. “They’re supposed to be our chaperones.” But she couldn’t really be angry, not when presented with the opportunity to rest her head upon Grey’s chest and listen to his heart beating, hard and fast.

  Her Grey. Her very own.

  “Well.” His voice rumbled through her, a sensuous vibration, and she shivered in response. “They were our chaperones… until they and I made a deal, that is.”

  She pressed her lips together to stop the laughter. “This deal better not have anything to do with my blue gown.”

  “Mmmm-noooo. Not directly, at least.” His arms tightened around her, one hand stroking her hair in the most delightful and distracting manner. “But they really want to learn where you bought the material, who sewed it, how much it would cost for two more to be made…”

  A distracting manner, indeed. Had he counted on that effect? “And you believe you can convince me to share that information?”

  The hand stroked down her hair, down her neck, her back, and her shivering intensified. Again he leaned closer and her eyes drifted closed. “I can try, can’t I?”

  -30-

  About the Author

  Vivian Roycroft is a pseudonym for historical fiction and adventure writer J. Gunnar Grey. And if she's not careful, her pseudonymous pseudonym will have its own pseudonym soon, too. Plus an e-reader, a yarn stash, an old Hermès hunt saddle, and a turtle sundae at Culver's.

  You can find Vivian and her writing compadre, J.L. Salter, at their shared blog, taketwoonromance.weebly.com/, or follow her on Twitter as @VivianRoycroft.

  Looking for more quality Regencies?

  Shirley Raye Redmond

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  But Margaret is plain and shy. She is repulsed when a swashbuckling baronet, Sir James Brownell, makes her an offer of marriage. With his sunburned skin, eye patch, and indifference to fashion, Sir James is not Margaret’s idea of a romantic suitor. Nor does Margaret enjoy his tales of fighting against Malay pirates and trekking through tropical jungles on the island of Borneo in hopes of capturing a living orangutan.

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  Rupert is a man whose life depends on his ability to remain unnoticed. What, then, is he supposed to do with this family he’s inherited? His life is overrun with an ancient chaperone who would terrify a lesser man, two spirited girls, and the secretive Juliana — someone he comes to think of as his own precious jewel.

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  Hugh McCollum spends his days as a stable hand staying out of trouble and saving for his planned emigration to America. When Lady Caroline asks him to teach her how to kiss so the man she’s set her cap for will find her more sophisticated, he knows he should run in the other direction. But when a pretty young woman falls into his arms and begs for his help, what’s a red-blooded man to do but oblige?

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  Lady Patrina Tidemore gave up on the ridiculous notion of true love after having her heart shattered and her trust destroyed by a black-hearted cad. Used as a pawn in a game of revenge against her brother, Patrina returns to London from a failed elopement with a tattered reputation and little hope for a respectable match. The only peace she finds is in her solitude on the cold winter days at Hyde Park. And even that is yanked from her by two little hellions who just happen to have a devastatingly handsome, but coldly aloof father, the Marquess of Beaufort. Something about the lord stirs the dreams she’d once carried for an honorable gentleman’s love.

  Weston Aldridge, the 4th Marquess of Beaufort, was deceived and betrayed by his late wife. In her faithlessness, he’s come to view women as self-serving, indulgent creatures. Except, after a series of chance encounters with Patrina, he comes to appreciate how uniquely different she is than all women he’s ever known.

  At the Christmastide season, a time of hope and new beginnings, Patrina and Weston unexpectedly learn true love in one another. However, as Patrina’s scandalous past threatens their future and the happiness of his children, they are both left to determine if love is enough.

  A clean Regency by a bestselling author

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  Meanwhile, Luke’s half-brother Chadwick never could resist a good game of Faro, or anything else, for that matter. With the baron away, Chadwick will play — gambling the estate’s remaining funds into oblivion. He needs to devise his own scheme to replace the money he’s lost, before his brother returns.

  In Stockport village, Brigitta Blackburn doesn’t have two sticks to rub together — literally. With the estate in financial distress and rents high, food and wood are scarce. When she sneaks onto the baron’s land to steal some firewood, she’s caught, hauled before the play-acting “baron,” Chadwick, and offered a solution to her plight… and his.

  But Chadwick’s ruse embroils them all. How can Brigitta accept what she thinks to be true, when she really yearns to follow her heart?

  A sweet and traditional Regency

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  Christmas at Rakehell Manor

  A house of sin… shrouded in mystery and steeped in ever more scandalous gossip, where debauchery and wild parties are rumoured to take place.

  A notorious rake… whose wicked reputation sends neighbours swooning over their tea cups. Can he really be as bad as he seems?

  A lonely paid companion… whose prim and practical exterior hides a lush sensuality waiting to be awakened.

  Prudence Eylesbarrow is resigned to dreary spinsterhood and to never finding love. All she wants is one Christmas where she’s not at someone’s beck and call.

  But when Prue finds herself snowbound at the infamous Rakehell Manor, her curiosity with Hugo, Marquess of Warwick — mysterious, handsome, world-weary, cynical — tempts her to reveal passions she never knew she possessed. Even so Prue is under no illusions. It was a fool’s game to think a penniless nobody could tame the master of Rakehell, for that way lay heartache and social ruin.

  Or has the time come for the power of passion, the promise of love, and the magic of Christmas to unite two people from very different worlds?

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  A Courtship for Cecilia

  Cecilia Fletcher yearns for true love with the man of her heart. A life of her own away from her demanding mother would be an added benefit. But in order to do that, Cecilia must live a lie, making it necessary to use a false name in order to hide a family secret.

  Barrington Radcliff was betrayed by a woman who he thought loved him. Because of that, trust is hard to willingly give. When he meets pretty Cecilia Fleming, his heart wants to give her a chance. Something about her doesn’t ring true, but Barrington allows love to overrule his good judgment.

  Can Cecilia and Barrington get past their hurt and secrets long enough to find true love?

  A sweet Regency by a bestselling author

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  Love Before Honor

  Honor. Truth. Loyalty. Love. All of these matter most to Sir Gerald. To avenge his love’s death, he challenges her murderer to a duel. Her twin, however, feels that Alice never loved Gerald and gives him a tea. Alice had also given him teas, which enhanced his love for her, but this tea is different. This tea sends him into the future, to the Regency era.

  Lady Vanessa seeks a Christmas treat when she hears something outside the manor. Upon investigation, she sees a man dressed in armor. Unwilling to turn away a confused man with the approaching holiday, she convinces her parents to house Gerald until the new year.

  Scandal has forced Vanessa’s parents to accept William, a rich suitor, as their daughter’s best chance at marriage. But he does not understand her or her love of books and only sees her for her looks, whereas Gerald listens to her, confides in her and she in him. With the approaching holiday, nothing is certain — not whether Gerald can discover a way back to his duel, whether he can move on from Alice, and not whether this Christmas will be a happy one for either Gerald or Vanessa.

  A sweet time-travel Regency romance

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  The only thing Donovan Ellis, Seventh Duke of Gatewood, wants for Christmas is for it to be over. Too much sadness surrounds the holiday. Horrors he’d prefer to forget. Oh, there’s one present he yearns for with all his heart, but his foolishness pushed her into the arms of another. So if he can’t have the one thing he truly desires, then he just wants to be left alone to drown in his own misery. But when a ghostly apparition visits him, claiming things can be set right, can Donovan believe? Can he trust the Duke of Christmas Past? Or will meddling in the past bring more heartache than he already has to bear?

  A sweet time-travel Regency romance

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  Vidal’s Honor

  When plunged into a world of spies, agents and espionage during the Peninsula wars, Honor, Lady Beaumont, flees for her life when the French capture her husband at Salamanca, and relies on his batman to arrange her safe passage back to England.

  Viscount Charles Vidal is ordered by Robert Dumas, the First Lord of the Admiralty, to travel to Spain and escort the only woman he’s ever loved, Lord Devlin Beaumont’s widow, back home before the French discover her whereabouts.

  Their journey is fraught with danger, least of all knowing whether they are surrounded by friends or foe. Will they survive long enough to explore the possibility of a future together or will whispers of treason be enough to see Honor dispatched to Tyburn first?

  A sweet Regency romantic suspense

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  Tempting the Earl

  Emily must masquerad
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  A sweet Regency full-length novel

  Also by Vivian Roycroft

  writing as J. Gunnar Grey

  The gorgeous woman leaned closer, almost into his personal space, her dark hair falling in gentle waves to her shoulders. Kennie glanced around, uncomfortable even in his fascination. But none of the joggers passing them seemed to notice her, and she wasn’t a woman to be ignored.

  “Do you believe in holiness?” she asked.

  NATO Rapid Response sapper Captain Kenneth Rutland needs something to believe in. His life has gone too far off course, and he’s easily sucked in when a beautiful stranger gives him a chance to escape his cynical, disappointing reality. She offers her hand and he takes it, not caring what awaits him.