A Little Winter Scandal: A Regency Christmas Collection

by Christi Caldwell

  In a remarkable contradictory show of disloyalty, Aria gave an enthusiastic nod. “You will,” she silently mouthed.

  Yes, later. But for now, she wanted to be alone and away from the questions and demands. From all of it.

  With her mother and sister left gaping at her, Sybil stalked past them, out into the hall. By servants hurrying about with valises and trunks. “The bloody library,” she muttered as she reached that much talked about room. “As though I give a jot about what damned books I’ve forgotten or might forget.” She pushed the door open. “I…” The words trailed off and she cocked her head. She’d spent these past two days so often thinking of him and dreaming of him, that she’d surely conjured him. Sybil blinked several times. But no matter how many times, the sight remained. Gloriously blond and tall like that golden angel Michael, who’d cast the darkest sinner outside the gates of heaven Nolan stared back.

  “Sybil,” he murmured, that husky baritone washing over her, warming her when she’d been so very cold these two days.

  “Nolan,” she whispered, glancing around. “What—?” He withdrew a sack from his sapphire jacket and her heart lurched.

  “This is yours.”

  This is why he’d come. He may as well have slapped her for the sting of pain that lanced her heart. Lifting her palms, she warded off that damned sack. “It is yours. As is the thousand pounds,” she said, the words coming as though they belonged to another. “I…” I cannot say hired. Not when it would sully what they’d shared. “It was wrong of me to ask you to,” she scrabbled with her skirts, “help, but help me you did.” And showed me more happiness in those handful of days.

  He rocked on his elegant black heels. “I wanted to thank you.”

  “Thank me?” she echoed dumbly.

  “For instilling in me the courage to speak with my siblings about my,” he touched the back of his head. “About my injury. My brother and I have spent the past two days examining business ventures. Lucrative ones.”

  Nolan looked at her. What did he expect of her here? Something was expected but through the tumult of her emotions, she couldn’t puzzle it out. She dampened her lips. “Indeed?”

  He nodded.

  After years of cloaking himself in guilt and shutting out all, including his siblings, he’d let them inside. This is why he’d come. To thank her for that. She drew in a shuddery breath, feeling petty and selfish for this not being enough. But she was grateful just the same because she’d brought something positive and good to his life.

  “We will struggle,” he went on. “Creditors will continue to come…but in time…”

  Sybil let her hands fall to her side. “I am so happy for you, Nolan.” For he’d found peace and there was nothing more important than that. Other than love…

  “Would you please sit, Miss Cunning?”

  Miss Cunning? Her heart ripped. That polite address stripped away all of the tender warmth shared between them.

  He gestured to the leather button sofa closest to him. “Will you please?”

  That entreaty brought movement back to her limbs, only stopping when she’d reached the indicated seat. Sybil searched his face but found no hint of emotion.

  “You are a woman of logic and reason.” He looked at her.

  She wetted her lips. “I was.” Until you.

  “You know precisely what you want and how you will live your life.”

  I thought I did. You showed me I know far less. Unable to humble herself with that truth, she remained silent.

  “As you are logical and practical, Miss Cunning.” He reached down and picked up a thick sheet of vellum on the table beside him. “You know all the reasons I would make you a rotted husband.” He discarded that sheet, setting it down on the rose-inlaid table beside him.

  She froze. And then it made sense. “This is why you’re here,” she said flatly. He’d come not only to share about his healing with his family but also to convince her that she was better off without him. She wasn’t. Her life was fuller with him in it. “I’m not looking for you to marry me,” she said, proud of that even deliverance when, inside, she was breaking.

  Nolan nodded somberly. “I feared as much.” He picked up another sheet. “However, I would be remiss, if I did not at least provide you every reason you should marry me. Or, at the very least, consider it.”

  At that romantic request, a shuddery gasp broke from her lips and she buried it in her fingertips. Love for this man filled her as she looked between him and that page.

  Then, like the most skilled governesses who’d held her riveted with their scholarly lessons, he carried on. “We laugh when we are together. We aren’t afraid to tease one another, Miss Cunning. Which means we would never have one of those dull, formal affairs where we referred to one another by our titles. Unless you wish to refer to one another by proper title.”

  Dazed, she shook her head.

  He grinned. “Splendid. May I continue?”

  “Please,” she whispered. Her love for him swelled all the more.

  He swiftly handed her over that page. She took it with shaking fingers and read the words inked there. Nolan grabbed another sheet. “You’ll never have to give up your scholarly pursuits. I would only ask that you include me when you’re conducting your studies.” He handed over the sheet.

  Tears flooded her eyes. She blinked them back, alternating her blurred gaze between Nolan and those beautiful words.

  “I’ll teach you how to ride a horse because, well, you really should know how to ride a horse.”

  She took that inked promise and lovingly stroked the pledge he’d made there.

  “And swimming. Egads, Sybil, you really must swim again and naked,” he carried on, startling a laugh from her. “But only with me. Also naked, of course.” He followed that with a wink.

  A shocked gasp filtered into the room from the hallway, momentarily distracting them. They looked to the door.

  “Come away, Lady Lovell.”

  “But, Lord Lovell, he said…”

  Sybil’s father ducked his flushed faced inside the room. “Uh, you must forgive me. You know your mother.” He hastily pulled the door closed behind them.

  Sybil stifled the mortified laugh on her lips. “They knew.”

  He nodded.

  She giggled again. So that was the reason for Mother’s insistence. The viscountess had been correct. “I really must apologize to—” She gasped.

  Nolan sank to a knee. “If I were a better man, that interruption from your parents would have bothered me. But I’m not. I’m just a man hopelessly and helplessly in love with you. Asking you to marry me. I—”

  She hurled herself into his arms, knocking him back. He collided with the table and Nolan grunted as they came down hard on the floor. “There are more reasons, love,” he said hoarsely, as he levered them up.

  “Yes,” she rasped, taking his face between her hands.

  “Yes, you’d hear more reasons or yes you’ll marry—?”

  She leaned up and kissed him, willing him to feel all the love she carried for him. Nolan drew her close. So much emotion spilled from his eyes, her chest swelled. “I love you,” she whispered.

  All hint of teasing and his composed self were gone. He cupped her cheek in his warm palm and she leaned into that touch. When he spoke, his words emerged hoarse. “Again, if I were a better man, I would show you the other list.” He shot an arm out and dragged those pages over. “I would remind you of all the reasons why you should never be with me. But I am not. So I come and ask you to be with me, not just for a winter, but forever.”

  Sybil yanked those offending sheets from his fingers. Wadding them in her hands, she tossed the sloppy, haphazard ball aside. “I don’t want a man who is perfect. I want a man who is real and, more, a man who loves me as I am.”

  Nolan dropped his brow atop hers. “I would have you no other way.”

  Her lower lip quivered. “Nor I you, Noel Pratt. Nor I you.”

  “Then, let us s
eal this bargain with a kiss, love.”

  And that was just what they did.

  The End

  Other Books by Christi Caldwell

  “The Minx Who Met Her Match”

  Book 4 in the “Brethren” Series by Christi Caldwell

  Duncan Everleigh, barrister, widower, father. Accused murderer… Found innocent in the death of his wife, Duncan’s reputation is ruined, his law practice is nearly destroyed, and his daughter hates him. He’s content living for his work. Until one day he meets…

  Miss Josephine Pratt…Her life is in tatters. Her oldest brother has brought them to financial ruin. Her betrothed has broken their engagement. Looking to escape, Josephine loses herself in her real passion—her other brother’s law books. A chance meeting in the London streets soon finds her employed by the last man she should, the barrister who’ll be opposing her brother in court.

  Soon, Duncan and Josephine, two people who have vowed to never love again, find the protective walls they’ve each built, crumbling. When past secrets threaten to destroy their future, they’ll have to decide if love is enough.

  “The Rogue Who Rescued Her”

  Book 3 in the “Brethren” Series by Christi Caldwell

  Martha Donaldson went from being a nobleman’s wife, and respected young mother, to the scandal of her village. After learning the dark lie perpetuated against her by her ‘husband’, she knows better than to ever trust a man. Her children are her life and she’ll protect them at all costs. When a stranger arrives seeking the post of stable master, everything says to turn him out. So why does she let him stay?

  Lord Sheldon Graham Whitworth has lived with the constant reminders of his many failings. The third son of a duke, he’s long been underestimated: that however, proves a valuable asset as he serves the Brethren, an illustrious division in the Home Office. When Graham’s first mission sees him assigned the role of guard to a young widow and her son, he wants nothing more than to finish quickly and then move on to another, more meaningful assignment.

  Except, as the secrets between them begin to unravel, Martha’s trust is shattered, and Graham is left with the most vital mission he’ll ever face—winning Martha’s heart.

  “The Lady Who Loved Him”

  Book 2 in the “Brethren” Series by Christi Caldwell

  In this passionate, emotional Regency romance by Christi Caldwell, society’s most wicked rake meets his match in the clever Lady Chloe Edgerton! And nothing will ever be the same!

  She doesn’t believe in marriage…

  The cruelty of men is something Lady Chloe Edgerton understands. Even in her quest to better her life and forget the past, men always seem determined to control her. Overhearing the latest plan to wed her to a proper gentleman, Chloe finally has enough…but one misstep lands her in the arms of the most notorious rake in London.

  The Marquess of Tennyson doesn’t believe in love…

  Leopold Dunlop is a ruthless, coldhearted rake… a reputation he has cultivated. As a member of The Brethren, a secret spy network, he’s committed his life to serving the Crown, but his rakish reputation threatens to overshadow that service. When he’s caught in a compromising position with Chloe, it could be the last nail in the coffin of his career unless he’s willing to enter into a marriage of convenience.

  A necessary arrangement…

  A loveless match from the start, it soon becomes something more. As Chloe and Leo endeavor to continue with the plans for their lives prior to their marriage, Leo finds himself not so immune to his wife—or to the prospect of losing her.

  “The Spy Who Seduced Her”

  Book 1 in the “Brethren” Series by Christi Caldwell

  A widow with a past… The last thing Victoria Barrett, the Viscountess Waters, has any interest in is romance. When the only man she’s ever loved was killed she endured an arranged marriage to a cruel man in order to survive. Now widowed, her only focus is on clearing her son’s name from the charge of murder. That is until the love of her life returns from the grave.

  A leader of a once great agency… Nathaniel Archer, the Earl of Exeter head of the Crown’s elite organization, The Brethren, is back on British soil. Captured and tortured 20 years ago, he clung to memories of his first love until he could escape. Discovering she has married whilst he was captive, Nathaniel sets aside the distractions of love…until an unexpected case is thrust upon him—to solve the murder of the Viscount Waters. There is just one complication: the prime suspect’s mother is none other than Victoria, the woman he once loved with his very soul.

  Secrets will be uncovered and passions rekindled. Victoria and Nathaniel must trust one another if they hope to start anew—in love and life. But will duty destroy their last chance?

  “Her Christmas Rogue”

  Lady Winifred Grisham has been in love with her brother’s best friend Lord Trent Ballantine more years than she can remember. The only problem is, Trent is a notorious rogue who doesn’t dally with the respectable. Except, Winnie doesn’t want a dalliance—she wants his heart.

  Born to a miserable family, Lord Trent has found joy and comfort in the folds of his best friend’s family. Except, over the years he’s begun to notice something. Winnie who he’d always seen as another sister, is in fact something more—a captivating woman. Now, loving Winnie as he does, Trent knows she deserves more than a rogue in her life. With Winnie’s mother rushing her off to try and make a match at Lady Weston’s annual Christmastide house party, Winnie has but a few days to show Trent, that all she needs is his love.

  Is this the Season where anything can happen?

  “Rogues Rush In”

  A Regency Duet by Tessa Dare & Christi Caldwell

  New York Times and USA Today Bestselling authors Tessa Dare and Christi Caldwell come together in this smart, sexy, not-to-be-missed Regency Duet!

  Two scandalous brides…

  Two rogues who won’t be denied…

  His Bride for the Taking by NYT Bestselling author Tessa Dare

  It’s the first rule of friendship among gentlemen: Don’t even think about touching your best friend’s sister. But Sebastian, Lord Byrne, has never been one for rules. He’s thought about touching Mary Clayton—a lot—and struggled to resist temptation. But when Mary’s bridegroom leaves her waiting at the altar, only Sebastian can save her from ruin. By marrying her himself.

  In eleven years, he’s never laid a finger on his best friend’s sister. Now he’s going to take her with both hands. To have, to hold…and to love.

  His Duchess for a Day by USA Today Bestseller Christi Caldwell

  It was never meant to be…

  That’s what Elizabeth Terry has told herself while trying to forget the man she married—her once best friend. Passing herself off as a widow, Elizabeth has since built a life for herself as an instructor at a finishing school, far away from that greatest of mistakes. But the past has a way of finding you, and now that her husband has found her, Elizabeth must face the man she’s tried to forget.

  It was time to right a wrong…

  Crispin Ferguson, the Duke of Huntington, has spent the past years living with regret. The young woman he married left without a by-your-leave, and his hasty elopement had devastating repercussions. Despite everything, Crispin never stopped thinking about Elizabeth. Now that he’s found her, he has one request—be his duchess, publicly, just for a day.

  Can spending time together as husband and wife rekindle the bond they once shared? Or will a shocking discovery tear them apart…this time, forever?

  “His Duchess for a Day”

  Book 4 in the “Heart of a Scandal” Series by Christi Caldwell

  It was never meant to be…

  That’s what Elizabeth Terry has told herself while trying to forget the man she married—her once best friend. Passing herself off as a widow, Elizabeth has since built a life for herself as an instructor at a finishing school, far away from that greatest of mistakes. But the past has a way of finding you, and
now that her husband has found her, Elizabeth must face the man she’s tried to forget.

  It was time to right a wrong…

  Crispin Ferguson, the Duke of Huntington, has spent the past years living with regret. The young woman he married left without a by-your-leave, and his hasty elopement had devastating repercussions. Despite everything, Crispin never stopped thinking about Elizabeth. Now that he’s found her, he has one request—be his duchess, publicly, just for a day.

  Can spending time together as husband and wife rekindle the bond they once shared? Or will a shocking discovery tear them apart…this time, forever?

  “A Matchmaker for a Marquess”

  Book 3 in the “Heart of a Scandal” Series by Christi Caldwell

  She lived by a strict set of rules…

  Meredith Durant believes those who won’t marry, matchmaker, and she’s made a notable career for herself helping young women find the perfect mate. Having suffered a broken heart years before, she’s quite content in her work and determined to never fall prey to love again. Her most recent job finds her working for the unlikeliest of households, never expecting her assignment would be her best friend’s younger brother, Barry—who’s not so little anymore. He’s a grown man who leaves her breathless and wishing just maybe this time she could have a happy ending. But how can that happen when, once her job is done, she must watch him wed another?

  He’s decided to break her rules:

  Barry Aberdeen, the future Duke of Gayle, knew his days of freedom were numbered. With his sister recently married, his mother turned her marital aspirations to him. She’s even gone as far as to hire a matchmaker. Worse, the matchmaker is a childhood friend—Meredith Durant. Only the rigid, serious creature is not the carefree girl he remembered. If he’s going to be saddled with a matchmaker, he’s going to have fun loosening Meredith’s too-tight chignon. What he doesn’t expect is how entranced he’ll be when those strands come falling down around her shoulders.