As the heat
between them sizzles,
each encounter becomes a lesson in seduction…
REAL EARLS BREAK THE RULES
Infamous Somertons #2
Tina Gabrielle
Releasing Nov 21st, 2016
Rules are made to be broken…
He’ll break every rule for her…
She’s forbidden in every way…
1816 England
Brandon St. Clair, the Earl of Vale, has never been one to follow the rules. Even though he must marry a wealthy heiress so that he can be rid of the pile of debt he inherited with his title, he can’t stop thinking of another. Amelia Somerton is the daughter of an art forger and is not a suitable wife. But that doesn’t stop Brandon from making Amelia a different offer, the kind that breaks every rule of etiquette…
Sin runs in Amelia’s family. And even though she now rubs elbows with the aristocracy, she knows the truth—she has the ability to forge priceless works of art. She’ll never be seen as an acceptable wife, not that she wants to marry, anyway. So when the earl scandalously offers her the one thing she’s always dreamed of, she can’t help but take it. But what begins as a simple arrangement, soon escalates into much more, and as the heat between them sizzles, each encounter becomes a lesson in seduction…
Amelia turned to the end of the
sketchbook, and a single candle illuminated her most recent work, a rough
sketch of Lord Vale’s handsome face. She’d captured a knowing glint in his
eyes, a lazily seductive glance that had upset her balance more than once.
A soft knock on her bedchamber door
startled her. She set her sketchbook aside, donned her night rail over her
nightgown, and cracked the door to find the flesh and blood model of her sketch
standing in the hall.
“I saw the candlelight beneath the
door. I’m glad you’re awake,” he said.
Her brow furrowed, and she peeked
around him. “Is something amiss with Chloe?”
“No.”
“Then why are you here?”
“I thought to show you the secret
passageway,” he said.
“Now? It’s well past midnight.”
“All the guests are asleep. It’s the
perfect time.”
Perfect for him. He was fully
dressed, from jacket and waistcoat to shined Hessians. He looked like he was
ready for a ride in the country. Amelia was dressed in her nightclothes. Even
though the fabric covered every inch of her skin, from the high neckline and
long sleeves to her slippered feet, she still felt exposed.
“I’m not sure this is the best time
to—”
“There’s no better opportunity.” He
stepped inside and closed the door. “Your sister watches you like a hawk. My
grandmother misses nothing.”
Amelia backed up a step.
“You’re not afraid, are you?” he
asked.
Now that he was inside her
bedchamber with candlelight flickering across his face, she had second
thoughts. Could she do this? Could she be alone with a man for hours each night
and paint his portrait? She didn’t fear physical harm from him. Her instincts
told her she would be safe with him. But there were other disconcerting
factors—a fluttering at the back of her neck and the wild beating of her pulse
when he looked at her. And the way her heart seemed to rush to the spot on her
hand or arm every time he briefly touched her.
“Let me show you the passageway. If
you have second thoughts, you can back out of our arrangement. I’ll send a
message straightway to Stirling at the Royal Academy
At the mention of the old, master
painter, Amelia shook her head. “No. Show me.”
Art lessons were a once in a
lifetime opportunity and she couldn’t let propriety or discomfort get in her
way, no matter how highly attractive she found her subject.
A second passed, then two, before
Vale nodded. “He carried his candle to the chest of drawers and held the light
close to the paneled wall.
Amelia bent to look where he was
indicating. “I don’t see anything.”
“Look close. Here,” he pointed to
the molding at the base of the wall.
She saw it then. A small crack that
was nearly invisible with the paint.
“If you press the lever by the
molding, you will hear a click and the door will open,” he instructed.
Amelia ran her fingers across the
molding until she felt a small lever. She pressed down and felt a latch release
at the same time she heard a click. A door opened in the paneling, and darkness
met her eyes.
Vale held up his candle, and the
glow lit a passageway. “The passage leads directly to my study. Follow me.”
Amelia reached for her own candle
and followed behind him. Candlelight flickered off the corridor’s walls and the
hair on her nape stood on end. “How far is it?” she whispered.
“We’re almost there.”
She’d never liked small spaces and
the corridor was dim and cramped. A trickle of sweat beaded between her
breasts. Reaching out, she pressed a hand against his jacket between his
shoulder blades. His strength and warmth beneath her palm kept any panic at
bay.
“We’re here.” He lowered the candle
to show her another lever to press. A door sprang open and she followed him
into a room.
She took a deep breath and blinked
as her eyes adjusted from the dimness in the corridor to the brightly lit room.
Three rows of bookshelves lined with
supple leather volumes graced one wall. A large pearwood desk occupied the wall
opposite a stone fireplace with a coal grate. The desk was covered with papers
and a wooden globe rested on an end table.
But it was the two canvases on
easels in the corner that caught her eye. A smaller canvas was for the Aelbert
Cuyp landscape. The larger one, measuring five feet tall and three feet wide,
was the exact dimensions for a portrait that she’d scrawled on a note and
handed to his butler. Her wooden box of art supplies rested on an end table
close by the canvas.
“Are they acceptable?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“You can work here each night after
the guests retire. No one but my butler and most trusted staff enter here. I
often work late at night and they are used to my unconventional work habits.”
In the brightly lit room, Amelia’s
concerns vanished. She could easily paint here for hours without threat of
discovery.
“I have one question,” she said.
“What was the secret passageway used for? Were the past earls of Vale involved
in espionage on behalf of the Crown?”
His lips twitched in amusement.
“Hardly such a noble cause. My great grandfather was profligate and his
mistresses often visited Rosewood. The secret passageway was a convenient means
for his lovers to come to him. I’m certain the tales have been exaggerated, but
the corridor speaks for itself. Only a handful of people have ever known of its
existence.”
She hadn’t expected such an
explanation. She’d imagined spies and noble self-sacrificing men taking risks
on behalf of their country. Not the illicit affairs of an old earl.
She motioned toward the door hidden
in the paneling. “Then why does the passage lead to the study and not the
master bedchamber?”
His smile turned up a notch.
“Because my great grandmother, the countess, would have heard everything.”
“Oh.” Amelia’s face grew warm.
Whatever answer she had expected it wasn’t that. A sudden thought occurred to
her, and she eyed him with newfound knowledge. “You won’t be making any visits
through the passage into my
bedchamber.”
His placed his hand across his
heart. “My vow as a gentleman. I’d never visit a lady’s bedchamber unless I’m
invited.”
Heavens. The way he said it
suggested he was often invited. Amelia felt a rush of heat across her skin. She
hadn’t even started to paint him and she was thinking scandalous thoughts. She
needed to maintain all boundaries.
Arching an eyebrow, she glared at
him. “Since that will never happen, I will begin working tomorrow night, my
lord.”
Best-selling
author Tina Gabrielle is an attorney and former mechanical
engineer whose love of reading for pleasure helped her get through years of
academia. She often picked up a romance and let her fantasies of knights
in shining armor and lords and ladies carry her away. She is the author of
adventurous Regency historical romances. Publisher’s Weekly calls
her Regency Barrister’s series, “Well-matched lovers…witty comradely repartee.”
Tina’s books have been Barnes & Noble top picks, and her first book, Lady
Of Scandal, was nominated as best first historical by Romantic
Times Book Reviews.
Tina lives in New Jersey and is married
to her own hero and is blessed with two daughters. She loves to hear from
readers. Visit her website to learn about upcoming releases, join her
newsletter, and enter free monthly contests at www.tinagabrielle.com
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Thank you for hosting REAL EARLS BREAK THE RULES!
Thank you for hosting REAL EARLS BREAK THE RULES today!
Crystal, Tasty Book Tours
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