Lottie ran from the room with Eliza in pursuit, closely followed by Bonnie’s twins, Elspeth and Greer.
“When’s he coming back, Lottie?” they cried in unison, their voices echoing as they disappeared.
Lucian sighed and looked to his grandson, Jake. “Come along, let us find somewhere quiet, away from all these noisy girls.”
“Will you teach me to fire a pistol?” Jake asked, his dark eyes alight with hope. “Mama says you’re the best one to teach me, and she’s better than Papa.”
Lucian’s lips twitched. “Is that so? Well, I might, if you promise not to be rude to your sister again.”
Jake gave this the consideration the question clearly merited, before sighing and giving a nod of agreement. “I promise.”
“Very well, then.” Lucian got to his feet to discover Cat leaping up to follow them.
“Can I come too, Papa?”
“We’re keeping away from girls, Cat,” Jake said, folding his arms and looking mutinous.
“But I’m not like the rest of them,” Cat protested, mirroring his stance and glaring at him. “I like all the same things you do.”
“Well, Jake, you must admit there is truth in that.”
Jake sighed a long-suffering sigh and rolled his eyes. “Oh, all right then, but you’re not to be better than me.”
Catherine cut him a look. “But Papa started teaching me last year. I’m bound to be better than you.”
“Ugh. Girls,” Jake grumbled, and stalked out of the breakfast room.
Lucian exchanged an amused glance with Phoebe, took his daughter’s hand, and followed him out.
***
Phoebe watched her father pause as her mother entered the room. Her papa lingered to kiss his wife, whispering something to her that made Mama blush and smack him lightly on the arm before she came and sat down at the breakfast table. Eliza followed her in, holding a rather crumpled letter triumphantly in her hand before flopping down at the table again.
“Am I the last?” Mama asked Max.
“No, we’ve not seen Helena, nor any of her brood yet, though Gabriel is out with Jasper and Jerome.”
“Good morning, Mama.”
Phoebe watched as her brother Philip, or Pip as everyone knew him, leant down and kissed Mama. “We’re going to take a picnic out to Mast Head. Can you tell Florence and Evie where to find us if they ever deign to wake up?”
Phoebe looked her brother over. He had grown into a fine looking man, as handsome as their father, with his pale golden hair but eyes that were more blue than grey. Thomas, the younger, had darker gold hair, but the two of them made an exceptional picture together, and they had become used to the way women gazed upon them and sighed.
A little too used to it, in Phoebe’s opinion.
She hoped some forthright girls were out there waiting for them, and would have the gumption to take them down a peg or two. Not that they were unkind or uncaring, far from it, and she loved them dearly, but they were spoiled and accustomed to having everything their own way.
“Come along, Rose,” Pip said kindly, holding his hand out to her daughter, who was still sulking. “Come to your Uncle Pip and I’ll take you for a ride on my horse while everyone gets ready for the picnic.”
“Oh!” Rose said, instantly mollified as she ran to her uncle and took his hand. “Thank you, Uncle.”
She gazed up with adoration at Pip, and Phoebe smiled.
“Have you finished, love?”
Phoebe looked around to find Max watching her, his dark eyes warm upon her.
“I have, why?”
Max winked at her and got up. Phoebe followed him out, intrigued as he moved towards the stairs.
“Where are you taking me?” she asked suspiciously.
“Somewhere quiet.”
“For example?” she probed, trying to smother a grin as she knew full well what he was about. Max chuckled, grabbed her hand and towed her up the stairs, making her shriek and snatch at her skirts before she tripped over them.
“Both our children are occupied,” he said, his voice urgent. “It’s too good an opportunity to miss in this madhouse.”
Phoebe laughed and ran after him as he tugged her along until they got to their room and kicked the door shut behind him. She hadn’t the time to speak before she was in his arms and decided she didn’t need to say anything after all. Phoebe sighed, tangling her fingers in his thick hair, greying now, far more than her father’s. She liked it, for it made him look quite serious and distinguished when, in truth, he was funny and irreverent and just a bit wicked, a point he proved as his hand yanked up her skirts and burrowed beneath.
“I prefer the good old days when there were no drawers to get in the way,” he grumbled, seeking the slit at the crotch as Phoebe snorted with laughter.
“Yes,” she said. “I remember our return journey from Paris. You made good use of that fact in the carriage, as I remember.”
Max huffed. “You have a different memory of events than me then, love. I was attacked, as I remember, and debauched at every opportunity. There I was, terrified that Jack would murder me, and you were set on having your wicked way whenever you could.”
Phoebe laughed, delighted and unable to deny it. “Oh, let us visit Jack and Pippin after lunch today. I’m so happy those two married at last. I thought Pippin would keep him dancing to her tune to the end of their days.”
“No, love,” Max said gently. “She loved him too much for that. She just wanted him to know she was worth waiting for, so he’d appreciate what he had.”
Phoebe smiled and took his face between her hands, staring into his dark eyes. “I appreciate what I have, Max. I love you more than ever. You know that, don’t you?”
“I do,” he said, his adoration quite visible. “As I love you, and I think it’s about time I reminded you how much.”
Phoebe sighed as his mouth sought hers again and she wrapped herself around him. As his lips drifted from her mouth to her neck and his clever fingers undid her buttons, Phoebe smiled to herself.
“Let’s go back to Paris soon, Max, and to Italy. I should love to see Italy.”
“An adventure, darling?” he murmured against her skin.
“Yes, an adventure,” she whispered, closing her eyes as he got to his knees before her. “Though life is never exactly dull, is it?” she added with a soft laugh.
“With you?” Max replied, looking up at her with wide eyes. “No, love. Life is certainly never dull with you.”
“Nor with you, Max.”
Phoebe sighed as he pushed up her skirts, tangling her fingers in his hair and smiling, as he reminded her how very far from dull her husband really was.
***
If you would like to know more about the enigmatic Comte de Villen and his brother, and all about the next generation of Peculiar Ladies, don’t miss my new series following their scandalous adventures.
The Daring Daughters!
Dare to be Wicked… on pre-order now.
From the author of the bestselling Girls Who Dare Series – An exciting new series featuring the children of the Girls Who Dare...
The stories of the Peculiar Ladies Book Club and their hatful of dares has become legend among their children. When the hat is rediscovered, dusty and forlorn, the remaining dares spark a series of events that will echo through all the families... and their
Daring Daughters
Dare to be Wicked
Daring Daughters Book One
Two daring daughters ...
Lady Elizabeth and Lady Charlotte are the daughters of the Duke and Duchess of Bedwin. Raised by an unconventional mother and an indulgent, if overprotective father, they both strain against the rigid morality of the era.
The fashionable image of a meek, weak young lady, prone to swooning at the least provocation, is one that makes them seethe with frustration.
Their handsome childhood friend ...
Cassius Cadogen, Viscount Oakley, is the only child of the
Earl and Countess St Clair. Beloved and indulged, he is popular, gloriously handsome, and a talented artist.
Returning from two years of study in France, his friendship with both sisters becomes strained as jealousy raises its head. A situation not helped by the two mysterious Frenchmen who have accompanied him home.
And simmering sibling rivalry ...
Passion, art, and secrets prove to be a combustible combination, and someone will undoubtedly get burned.
Pre Order your copy here: Dare to be Wicked
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About Me!
I started this incredible journey way back in 2010 with The Key to Erebus but didn’t summon the courage to hit publish until October 2012. For anyone who’s done it, you’ll know publishing your first title is a terribly scary thing! I still get butterflies on the morning a new title releases but the terror has subsided at least. Now I just live in dread of the day my daughters are old enough to read them.
The horror! (On both sides I suspect.)
2017 marked the year that I made my first foray into Historical Romance and the world of the Regency Romance, and my word what a year! I was delighted by the response to this series and can’t wait to add more titles. Paranormal Romance readers need not despair however as there is much more to come there too. Writing has become an addiction and as soon as one book is over I’m hugely excited to start the next so you can expect plenty more in the future.
As many of my works reflect I am greatly influenced by the beautiful French countryside in which I live. I’ve been here in the South West for the past twenty years though I was born and raised in England. My three gorgeous girls are all bilingual and the youngest who is only six, is showing signs of following in my footsteps after producing The Lonely Princess all by herself.
I’m told book two is coming soon ...
She’s keeping me on my toes, so I’d better get cracking!
KEEP READING TO DISCOVER MY OTHER BOOKS!
Other Works by Emma V. Leech
(For those of you who have read The French Fae Legend series, please remember that chronologically The Heart of Arima precedes The Dark Prince)
Girls Who Dare
To Dare a Duke
To Steal A Kiss
To Break the Rules
To Follow her Heart
To Wager with Love
To Dance with a Devil
To Winter at Wildsyde
To Experiment with Desire
To Bed the Baron
To Ride with the Knight
To Hunt the Hunter
To Dance until Dawn (August 14, 2020)
Daring Daughters
Dare to be Wicked (February 19, 2021)
Rogues & Gentlemen
The Rogue
The Earl’s Temptation
Scandal’s Daughter
The Devil May Care
Nearly Ruining Mr. Russell
One Wicked Winter
To Tame a Savage Heart
Persuading Patience
The Last Man in London
Flaming June
Charity and the Devil
A Slight Indiscretion
The Corinthian Duke
The Blackest of Hearts
Duke and Duplicity
The Scent of Scandal
The Rogue and The Earl’s Temptation Box set
Melting Miss Wynter
The Winter Bride (A R&G Novella)
The Regency Romance Mysteries
Dying for a Duke
A Dog in a Doublet
The Rum and the Fox
The French Vampire Legend
The Key to Erebus
The Heart of Arima
The Fires of Tartarus
The Boxset (The Key to Erebus, The Heart of Arima)
The Son of Darkness (October 31, 2020)
The French Fae Legend
The Dark Prince
The Dark Heart
The Dark Deceit
The Darkest Night
Short Stories: A Dark Collection.
Stand Alone
The Book Lover (a paranormal novella)
Audio Books!
Don’t have time to read but still need your romance fix? The wait is over…
By popular demand, get your favourite Emma V Leech Regency Romance books on audio at Audible as performed by the incomparable Philip Battley and Gerard Marzilli. Several titles available and more added each month!
Click the links to choose your favourite and start listening now.
Rogues & Gentlemen
The Rogue ***
The Earl’s Tempation
Scandal's Daughter
The Devil May Care
Nearly Ruining Mr Russell
One Wicked Winter ***
To Tame a Savage Heart ***
Persuading Patience
The Last Man in London
Flaming June ***
The Winter Bride, a novella ***
Girls Who Dare
To Dare a Duke
To Steal A Kiss ***
To Break the Rules ***
To Follow her Heart
The Regency Romance Mysteries
Dying for a Duke ***
A Dog in a Doublet **
The Rum and the Fox **
The French Vampire Legend
The Key to Erebus (coming soon)
** Available on Chirp
*** Available on Chirp and Audible/Amazon
Also check out Emma’s regency romance series, Rogues & Gentlemen. Available now!
The Rogue
Rogues & Gentlemen Book 1
1815
Along the wild and untamed coast of Cornwall, smuggling is not only a way of life, but a means of survival.
Henrietta Morton knows well to look the other way when the free trading ‘gentlemen’ are at work. Yet when a notorious pirate, known as The Rogue, bursts in on her in the village shop, she takes things one step further.
Bewitched by a pair of wicked blue eyes, in a moment of insanity she hides the handsome fugitive from the local Militia. Her reward is a kiss that she just cannot forget. But in his haste to escape with his life, her pirate drops a letter, inadvertently giving Henri incriminating information about the man she just helped free.
When her father gives her hand in marriage to a wealthy and villainous nobleman in return for the payment of his debts, Henri becomes desperate.
Blackmailing a pirate may be her only hope for freedom.
Read for free on Kindle Unlimited
The Rogue
Interested in a Regency Romance with a twist?
Dying for a Duke
The Regency Romance Mysteries Book 1
Straight-laced, imperious and morally rigid, Benedict Rutland - the darkly handsome Earl of Rothay - gained his title too young. Responsible for a large family of younger siblings that his frivolous parents have brought to bankruptcy, his youth was spent clawing back the family fortunes.
Now a man in his prime and financially secure he is betrothed to a strict, sensible and cool-headed woman who will never upset the balance of his life or disturb his emotions ...
But then Miss Skeffington-Fox arrives.
Brought up solely by her rake of a step-father, Benedict is scandalised by everything about the dashing Miss.
FREE to read on Amazon Kindle Unlimited.. Dying for a Duke
Lose yourself in Emma’s paranormal world with The French Vampire Legend series…..
The Key to Erebus
The French Vampire Legend Book 1
The truth can kill you.
Taken away as a small child, from a life where vampires, the Fae, and other mythical creatures are real and treacherous, the beautiful young witch, Jéhenne Corbeaux is totally unprepared when she returns to rural France to live with her eccentric Grandmother.
Thrown headlong into a world she knows nothing about she seeks to learn the truth about herself, uncovering secrets more shocking than anything she could ever have imagined and finding that she is by no means powerless to protect the ones she loves.
Despite her Gran’s dire warnings, she is inexorably drawn to the dark and terrifying figure of Corvus, an ancient vampire and master of the vast Albinus family.
Jéhenne is about to find her answers and discover that, not only is Corvus far more dangerous than she could ever imagine, but that he holds much more than the key to her heart …
FREE to read on Kindle Unlimited The Key to Erebus
Check out Emma’s exciting fantasy series with hailed by Kirkus Reviews as “An enchanting fantasy with a likable heroine, romantic intrigue, and clever narrative flourishes.”
The Dark Prince
To Dance until Dawn (Girls Who Dare Book 12) Page 23