Excerpts

Excerpt 1

Unable to see past the large bouquet, Lisa stumbled several times on the journey, the flowers falling to the side.

“Bother,” she muttered after her third attempt at repairing the damage was unsuccessful.

“I think they usually put the tallest ones at the back.”

Spinning around at the sound of a deep, male voice, she was surprised to see Nathaniel leaning against the wall.

“My lord! You startled me.”

He frowned—at her less than servile tone, she imagined—and Lisa offered a belated curtsy.

“Is there anything I can do for you?” she asked when the effect of his unbroken gaze reached an unbearable level.

“You can tell me your name.” His gaze roamed from the top of her head to the hem of her skirt in a shockingly forward manner.

“My name?”

“I’m assuming you have one?”

“Yes, of course. I have a name.”

“Well?”

One of his eyebrows rose, reminding Lisa of a novel she’d read by Mrs Radcliffe describing the hero as having a sardonic brow. She’d always wondered what one looked like, and now she knew.

Pushing away from the wall, Nathaniel walked over to the vase of flowers. With a few deft movements he created something quite presentable out of the jumble she had been fussing with for the better part of half an hour, and Lisa huffed.

“I’m sure you have many talents.” He chuckled at her reaction. “Although flower arranging and pouring hot beverages don’t seem to be among them.”

Unsure how to respond, she stared down at her wringing hands. Miss Brewer would not have approved.

“So, are you going to tell me,” Nathaniel continued. “Or am I going to have to force you to give me the information?”

Looking up, Lisa was surprised to see him standing mere inches away.

“My lord?”

“Your. Name.” He enunciated clearly.

Feeling her cheeks catch fire, she stammered a reply. “Li—Li Lisa.”

“Well, Li—Li Lisa, that’s an unusual name. How about I call you Lisa, or would you prefer Li—Li?”

In hindsight, she should have chosen a name that wasn’t derived from her own, especially considering Nathaniel was an acquaintance of Lord Copeland’s. But it was too late to do anything about it now.

“Lisa. I prefer Lisa.”

“From Elizabeth?” he asked, and she blinked.

“Um, yes, that’s right. From Elizabeth.”

Anneliese had been named after her Danish great grandmother on her mother’s side, or so she had been told, the name not common on English soil.

“I couldn’t make the zed sound when I was little, so I was called Lisa not Liza,” she said, trying to fit her story to his quite understandable assumption.

“How adorable.”

“I suppose that’s one way to describe a childhood lisp.”

“Not just the lisp, you.” Nathaniel smiled.

Lisa’s mouth dropped open. He thought her adorable? Maybe Ruth and Sally were right and Nathaniel was attracted to her even though he believed her a servant.

“There’s something I’ve been wanting to speak with you about. The other morning—”

“You mean the one where you had me banished from serving in the breakfast room on my very first day?” Lisa interjected, forgetting her place once more.

“So you were offended.” He rubbed his jaw.

“Er, of course not, my lord.” She modified her tone, not wanting to get herself banished altogether. “I could have spilled the coffee on you or one of the other guests. It was gracious of you not to have me dismissed.”

“Ah, Lisa, you misunderstood. I wasn’t concerned about your inability to serve the coffee. The excuse to hold your hand was most welcome.”

“What then?” She blurted the words then snapped her mouth shut. Holding her tongue was not a strength, and the unobtrusive nature of her new role was proving a challenge. Fortunately, Nathaniel did not appear offended.

“Are you aware of my father’s unusual standards concerning the treatment of his staff?” he asked, running his fingers over the satiny smooth finish of the side table.

She nodded, though it was difficult to think clearly with him standing so close.

“His Grace wasn’t always so honourable. When I was growing up, I distinctly recall him enjoying the odd dalliance with willing maids, and he did little to hide the existence of his mistresses.”

Lisa frowned. Dalliance was not a word she was familiar with, and as far as she knew, a man’s wife was the mistress of his household, a role that need not be hidden and did not come in multiples.

Nathaniel’s gaze rose to her face. “Don’t worry. You’re quite safe here at Worthington Hall. My father had a rather dramatic change of heart a while back, a conversion of sorts. He now devotes a substantial portion of his time and wealth to the betterment and protection of the working classes, despite the cost to his reputation.”

Lisa had heard as much from her father who had shared the Duke’s opinion.

“Do you follow a similar creed?” she asked.

“Mostly.” Nathaniel shrugged and took a step closer. “I’m happy to honour my father’s wishes, especially in his own home. Although the effort does sometimes come at personal cost.”

Reaching towards her, he ran his forefinger slowly down her cheek. “You have amazing skin. Soft as silk.”

Staring unblinking into his handsome face, Lisa swayed towards him.

Excerpt 2

“Please.” She whimpered.

“Please what?” The softening of his expression gave her no comfort. His eyes darkened, and he raised a hand to run his finger down her cheek. It was the same simple caress Nathaniel had used many times, but she shuddered in dismay at Lord McGivern’s touch. She had thought he was a gentleman after his apology for interrupting them in the study. But it appeared she had been mistaken.

“Please don’t hurt me,” she whispered.

Lord McGivern let his hand fall but did not move away.

“I have no intention of hurting you, Miss Brown. I do not force myself upon unwilling women, nor would I normally encroach on a friend’s territory. I’m here for the answers Nathaniel would have demanded if you hadn’t beguiled him so completely. Is it money you’re after? I’m not sure how much Nathaniel has offered you. Are you open to a higher bid?”

Lisa gasped, shocked by the provocative nature of his comment.

“I don’t want money, yours or anyone else’s.”

His eyebrows rose at her denial.

“The reason I appear something other than a commoner is because my mother, a lady from a good family, married my father, a soldier and business proprietor, for love, something no gentleman seems capable of comprehending. I did fall on hard times. My father died, leaving me orphaned and without protection, and I came to Worthington Hall to find employment in a supposedly safe environment. That is all.”

“But you’ve found a great deal more than that, Miss Brown, if that’s even your name. No matter how enamoured he may be, Nathaniel will never marry you. If this is some misguided attempt to entrap him, you’ll be quite ruined when the truth comes out.”

“I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.” Lisa’s heart ached at hearing her sad reality spelled out, albeit with a sordid twist. “Lord Marsden pursued me, not the other way around. He offered me his protection, and I accepted. The only thing I am guilty of is naïveté, as I had no idea what was involved.”

Lord McGivern stepped back, and she sagged against the wall.

“So you’re saying you have no interest in him?”

“I love him. I always will, no matter how impossible my situation.”

Lord McGivern studied her for a long moment. “If you’re telling the truth, then you have my apology and Nathaniel my congratulations for finding a paramour of exemplary quality in the most unlikely of settings. But I’m warning you, if this is some sort of ruse to discredit Nathaniel, or an attempt to extort financial gain from a family well-known for their generosity, you will regret your deceit.”

“My intentions in coming to Worthington Hall were without guile. I never set out to entrap Nathaniel or to become his mistress—I had no idea such a role existed.”

“How could you not know?”

Lisa saw red, the hurt and betrayal she felt at the hypocrisy she had discovered inherent in her own class causing her to act without circumspection.

“Does Lady Rebecca know the gentlemen pursuing her for matrimony have lain with other women and intend to continue doing so once married? Or that she will be expected to behave as if she has a heart of stone, denying her the passion and pleasure her gentleman husband will take as his right? Or are you the exception to the rule, Lord McGivern, and planning on honouring your wedding vows after you wed?”

His stunned expression turned calculating. “I hope you’re not threatening me, Miss Brown.”

“How could I? It is not like I’ll ever get to meet Lady Rebecca. I am just pointing out that a young woman who’s been sheltered in her upbringing would have no reason to be aware of such things. She will be lucky to have the vaguest clue as to what occurs in a marital bed!”