Winter Wishes: A Regency Christmas Anthology Read online

  “It’s too generous.” He opened his mouth and then shut it again. He ran his hand through his hair. “But God I love you for it. To know I have your trust… I’m the luckiest man alive.”

  “So you’ll accept. I want you to use the money to buy Wentworth Estate from my father. It solves all our problems. Mother can stay in the house she knows. The staff will have us to ensure they are employed and treated well. We can turn Wentworth back into the best horse stud in Newmarket, besides Rufus’s of course. And you can be near your sister. And father is gone from our lives for good.”

  Daniel looked across at his sister and Rufus.

  Rheda offered an opinion. “I think it’s a wonderful idea. You can keep Tumbury Cliff and breed the cavalry horses you love. And you can breed thoroughbreds here at Wentworth.”

  Rufus added, “We could work together and be the biggest and most successful thorough bred stud in all of Europe. I’ve already agreed to lend you the money to buy Wentworth until Georgiana comes into her trust.”

  Daniel could barely breath he was so filled with love. Georgiana had signed over the money in her trust to him. He would have total control over everything she would receive. He understood just how much of a gesture this was.

  “Sweeting, I’m so touched I barely know what to say. You don’t need to do this to prove your love. I can see it shining in your eyes. I can feel it in your touch. My heart and soul is completely in tune with yours.”

  He watched her smile die as if she thought he would say no.

  He cupped her cheek. “I have another idea. How about we use the money but we put Wentworth into both our names. We would own it jointly.”

  The smile that she sent him made his heart fly. “I love that idea just about as much as I love you.”

  Rheda’s squeal of delight warmed them too. “That’s the best Christmas news of all. You’ll be nearby. I’ll have my brother back in my life, and I’ll have a sister-in-law too.”

  “Rufus and I will speak with your father tomorrow and see what can be arranged. He would have to agree of course.”

  Georgiana shrugged. “He will agree because when you tell him we are to be married, he’ll realize any chance of getting his hands on my trust money is gone. He was counting on my distrust of men. He had thought I’d never marry. He hadn’t counted on fate sending me the man of my heart.”

  “I also want to thank your father. If he had not used Apollo to repay has debt to Rufus, which made you try to steal him back, we may never have met.”

  At Daniel’s words she started laughing. “So father has no one but himself to blame for taking a horse that did not belong to him. Poetic justice I believe that is called.”

  Daniel pulled her into his arms and kissed the woman who owned his heart. “But just so we are sure, having your love is the best Christmas present ever.” Then he soundly kissed her.

  Epilogue

  Wentworth Estate - July

  * * *

  The heat of the midday sun was somewhat muted by the shade from the oak tree they were sitting under. Daniel sat with his back against the tree watching Georgiana playing hoops with Samantha and Wilton. Rheda was lying next to him, her head in Rufus’s lap.

  He’d married Georgiana a few days after New Year by a marriage license, letting Rheda fuss over the wedding to take her mind off her upcoming surgery.

  That was months ago. It had been six months since his sister’s operation and God willing Rheda would be with them well into old age. The surgeon had revealed the lump was merely a vesicle and she did not have the cancer.

  “Daniel, it’s too hot for your wife to be playing with the children in her condition.”

  He smiled to himself. Georgiana had only told him that she was with child this morning. How did Rheda know? “Is this what I am to expect living near you. That you know more than I about my wife and our life,” he said on a laugh.

  “Don’t worry. She hasn’t told me. I caught her cradling her stomach this morning and guessed.” She looked at him with such joy and pride. “You’re not sad you moved here to be near me, are you?”

  He wasn’t. “I still own Tumbury Cliff Manor and in time we will likely spend the winters there as they are milder.” He loved his new home because it was where Georgiana was happiest. Her mother’s state of mind meant moving someplace new was questionable. New faces and new places upset her, except Hascombe for some reason. “Lady Wentworth needs to be here, and Georgiana wishes to stay near her mother.”

  And Rufus added, “And you want to be with the woman you love.”

  He nodded and rose to his feet, his eyes set on his beautiful wife. “On that note I shall go and rescue my wife. A rest from this hot weather is calling.”

  Rufus called after him. “Just remember to let her rest.” His sister’s laughter followed him across the manicured lawn and it warmed his heart.

  Samantha raced up to him and he swooped her up, planting a kiss on her forehead. “Your mother says to collect Wilton, and your father will take you both down to the pond for a swim.”

  The two children raced off squealing so loudly he put his hands up to his ears.

  Georgiana pulled one hand away and held it against her stomach. “You best get used to the noise, my lord, as I want half a dozen children.”

  Her scent swirled round him in the heat, making him dizzy with love. But then, just being near her made him dizzy with love. She was his world, and he thanked God she’d put her faith in him.

  “I thought we should retire from the heat of the afternoon.” He loved the sensual smile that spread across her luscious lips at his words.

  “I know that look. How much resting do you think I’ll get with you in my bed.” Georgiana’s husky words revealed her pleasure at the suggestion.

  “As much as my wife wishes. For fulfilling her desires is my sole goal in this world and the next.”

  She pressed in close and whispered in his ear, “Then you will have a very happy wife.”

  As she walked arm and arm with her husband into the house, the house that was now finally a proper home, the place where their children would be born and raised, she realized that everything that she did, and everyone that she’d met over her life, was in her path for a purpose. Daniel taught her that love is stronger than hate, and that with risks come rewards. Her reward for trust was gaining the most wonderful husband and life she could have ever imagined.

  * * *

  The End

  About Bronwen Evans

  USA Today Bestselling author, Bronwen Evans grew up loving books. She writes both historical and contemporary sexy romances for the modern woman who likes intelligent, spirited heroines, and compassionate alpha heroes.

  * * *

  Her debut Regency romance, Invitation to Ruin won the RomCon Readers’ Crown Best Historical 2012, and was an RT Reviewers’ Choice Nominee Best First Historical 2011.

  * * *

  Her first self-published novella, To Dare the Duke of Dangerfield, was a FINALIST in the Kindle Book Review Indie Romance Book of the Year 2012 and a finalist in the RomCon Readers’ Crown Best Historical 2013.

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  Her first contemporary released December 2012, The Reluctant Wife, won the RomCon Readers’ Crown Best Short Contemporary 2013. She has won the RomCom readers crown three times.

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  You can find details of her work at

  www.BronwenEvans.com

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  A ROGUE’S REPUTATION

  ~ Book 2 of The Rogue Chronicles ~

  * * *

  by

  * * *

  LANA WILLIAMS

  Blame it on the mistletoe...

  * * *

  As the new Earl of Granger, Benjamin Wright is determined to put an end to his family’s reputation of roguish behavior, beginning with his own. When he arrives in London to claim his inheritance, he quickly realizes his plan will not be as simple as he expected.

  * * *

  La
dy Louisa Felton is appalled to learn her mother wrote love letters to the recently deceased earl. Fearing another scandal will cast her mother from Society, leaving her crushed along with Louisa’s hopes for a future, Louisa attempts to retrieve the letters before the new heir finds them.

  * * *

  Discovering a lady dressed in lad’s clothing attempting to steal from him is a surprise to Benjamin, but not as much as his attraction to the reckless lady. Though he vows to keep his distance, the lovely Louisa refuses to stay out of his life. One kiss is all it takes to know she has the power to make him forget his plan to reform.

  * * *

  Benjamin is the exact type of man Louisa’s mother would fall for, making him the sort Louisa intends to avoid. If only she can convince her willful heart of that.

  * * *

  Fate refuses to cooperate with their plans, and what happens at Christmas will change this rogue’s reputation forever.

  * * *

  Copyright © 2019 by Lana Williams

  Chapter 1

  London, England 1814

  * * *

  Lady Louisa Felton tugged at the ill-fitting trousers she wore as part of her disguise and studied the dark windows of Granger House on Grosvenor Street. None of the servants appeared to be awake. Perfect. Yet she couldn’t convince her feet in their unfamiliar boots to move from the cobblestones toward the garden gate.

  The deed could be postponed no longer. The new Earl of Granger was expected to arrive on the morrow or the day after, according to servants’ gossip. She should’ve done this earlier in the week when her mother had first confessed her most recent grievous error. Procuring a lad’s clothing had taken two days, but she’d wanted some sort of disguise for this undertaking. Thank heavens her lady’s maid had a young brother willing to lend her the proper attire. Another day had been spent finding the courage to don the male clothing for this late-night venture.

  Blast her mother for writing love letters to the previous earl, who’d lost his life, along with his wife and son, three weeks past when the ship they’d been on had gone down in a storm. Louisa felt a twinge of sympathy. The late earl had been a rogue of the worst sort with his son following closely on his heels. The Countess of Granger had ignored their terrible behavior by indulging in some of her own. Her penchant for belittling all who crossed her and spreading vicious gossip had been well known amongst the ton. Despite their poor behavior, Louisa certainly hadn’t wished them dead.

  Louisa muttered an unladylike curse under her breath. This was absolutely, positively, the last time she was going to rescue her mother from the brink of scandal. When she’d promised her father on his deathbed some twelve years ago to watch over her mother, she hadn’t realized how difficult a task he’d given her. Her mother’s huge heart and passionate nature often made her reckless, causing her to fling herself from one cause—or man—to another in search of happiness. Unfortunately, she had yet to find it since becoming a widow.

  They could not risk the new earl discovering her letters and sharing them. While many in polite society might look the other way when a married man had an affair with a widow, leaving evidence for his heir to find was a completely different matter. Louisa didn’t care to have her mother’s name bandied about again. Not only did it cause her mother distress, it also tainted Louisa’s future prospects, as would missions such as this one. Heaven forbid if she were caught.

  Steeling herself, she used her own garden gate key to unlock the one before her, relieved they were similar enough to work. Their own home wasn’t far away, but that provided little reassurance. She might have been in another country as strange and disorienting as her mission was.

  In the garden away from the streetlamps, the night was inky black. The late November air held a distinct chill and added to her shivers. She approached the glass-paned door that led to the library, her palms damp from nerves. The layout of the house was similar to hers along with most of the other ones on this street.

  A quick test proved the door locked. With a tug, she freed a hairpin from under her cap and went to work on the lock, something she’d practiced on the library door at home.

  Minutes ticked by before she finally managed it. She drew a breath in an attempt to slow her racing heart as she cautiously opened the door then paused to listen.

  Silence. The lack of sound had never been sweeter. But the darkness was a problem. She rummaged in her coat pocket for the candle she’d brought, relieved to see a few coals still burning in the fireplace and hurried forward to light her candle. Having to do so with the tinderbox would take far too long. The sooner she found what she sought and left, the better.

  She moved to the desk with jerky strides, having already noted the library door that led to the rest of the house was closed, and placed the candle in a candleholder to begin her search. This evening, she should’ve been at a soiree where she might meet a thus far undiscovered paragon of calm, cool, and collected behavior whom she could marry. Why had she been fighting the idea? Marrying a man above reproach sounded lovely now and far from boring as she eyed the three-drawer mahogany desk.

  With a silent prayer that she’d quickly find the letters, she opened the first drawer, dismayed to find it nearly full of papers. She pulled the lot out and paged through them in the dim candlelight with no success. After returning them to their place, she tried the center drawer only to find it locked.

  If a married man wished to hide letters, he’d obviously keep them in that drawer. She retrieved her hairpin once more and set to work. Why her mother had fancied herself in love with the roguish earl escaped Louisa. Nor did she pretend to understand why she’d felt the need to profess her love for a married man in writing.

  Louisa heard a satisfying click as her hairpin unlocked the drawer. But she held still, crouched before the desk. Something was amiss. The fine hairs on the back of her neck told her so. She looked up to see that she was not alone.

  “Looking for something?”

  The man who watched her as he walked forward from the now open doorway was no servant. The breadth of his shoulders, the arrogance in his stance, along with his handsome features said otherwise. An untied cravat dangled about the open neck of his shirt, and his coat was unfastened as well. His gaze raked her over from head to toe, convincing her that he’d seen through her disguise. Her heart hammered with fear.

  The hairpin she clutched would hardly prove a satisfactory weapon. She stepped back from the desk, anxious to put as much distance between her and the stranger as possible then risked a glance over her shoulder to see how far away the door was.

  Too far. She looked back at the tall stranger, dismayed at how much closer he’d gotten so quickly.

  “Who are you?” he demanded, the deep timbre of his voice all the more intimidating. He was close enough to the candle she’d left on the desk to see his attractive features. Dark tousled hair brushed the collar of his shirt. His narrowed eyes were framed by black brows. He had to be the new Earl of Granger. The one who wasn’t due to arrive for at least another day. She had no doubt he was a rogue through and through, much like the rest of his family.

  Blast. So close and yet so far from her goal.

  Louisa had no intention of answering his questions when her voice would give her away if her feminine features hadn’t already. She shook her head, hoping the cap kept her disguised. She held up her hand, palm out, to show she hadn’t taken anything. Then she turned and bolted.

  Before she’d taken more than a few steps, he had hold of her arm with strong fingers.

  “I asked you a question.” He gave her arm a shake and her cap fell off, causing her hair to escape its knot and tumble past her shoulders.

  His surprise at the sight loosened his hold, and Louisa jerked free, filled with hope that escape might yet be possible.

  As she neared the door, she felt his hands grasp her upper arms, dashing her hope. He spun her to face him, his dark gaze raking over her, making her feel as if he’d laid her bare for his
perusal. “Who are you?”

  Benjamin Wright, the new Earl of Granger, couldn’t wrap his thoughts around what was happening. Mayhap his travels had exhausted him more than he realized. He’d arrived in London earlier in the day, still processing the news that had abruptly ended his work abroad. Inheriting the earldom had changed his whole future. Finding a lad in his uncle’s—rather, his own—library was a shock, but to realize he was a she upended his thoughts completely.

  “Release me,” the woman demanded.

  “So you can run again?” He shook his head and firmed his grip. “I think not.” He might not know why she was here, but if she escaped, he’d never discover the reason.

  He eased her closer to the single candle flame that sputtered on the desk to gain a better look. Golden hair the color of spun honey hung in soft waves nearly to her waist. Wide blue eyes framed with dark lashes, arched brows, high cheekbones stained a tantalizing pink, and full lips made him think of a Botticelli painting come to life. She was an English beauty for certain, and he’d been abroad long enough to appreciate the sight thoroughly.

  Her shifting eyes suggested she weighed how best to answer his question.

  He waited, intrigued at what choice she thought she had. Was she a former lover of his uncle’s? She seemed too young, but he well knew money could buy almost anything, and his uncle had made depravity his middle name.