Except Mr. Dominic Winter was no gentleman.
Not by birth, and certainly not by deed.
The thought of her brother’s bloodied visage was enough to make her shoulders go back, her chin tilt up. Though she was the quietest of her siblings, she was not weak. She loved her family, and she would go to battle for any one of them. She could face this demon and save Max.
She had but seconds to summon every modicum of courage she possessed.
Mr. Winter turned. Slowly. As if he possessed all the time in the world. He moved with the innate grace of a large cat. With the predatory elegance of a lethal creature. But for although she had imagined his countenance to be hideous—a reflection of his inner defections—she had not anticipated the reality of this man.
He stole her breath, and not just because his very presence filled her with an ominous pang of fear. Rather, because of his appearance.
His dark gaze appeared almost black by the glow of the lamp. His hair was raven, his height immense, his chest broad, shoulders filling his coat. Even bathed in sinister shadow, she could see the plain truth of how wrong she had been. Mr. Dominic Winter was not a hideous beast of a man.
No, indeed. He was cruelly beautiful.
“That will be all, Devil,” Mr. Winter said curtly, his voice a lash in the heavy silence which had fallen.
The brute who had unceremoniously hauled her into the chamber released her and disappeared with a surprising amount of stealth for a man his size. Fitting his name was Devil.
But the servant’s departure seemed to suck all the air from the space. Adele was alone with Dominic Winter. Although she had done her utmost to prepare herself for this inevitable moment, her efforts seemed paltry as he skirted his massive desk and prowled toward her.
“Madam,” he drawled, the lone word dripping with a combination of malice and carnality that had her pulse racing. “Your reason for intruding upon my day had better be worthwhile.”
His accent was somehow lacking the unrefined edge she had expected. Either he had taught himself to ape his betters, or someone had seen to his education. Adele had imagined a ruffian who spoke with the lewd tongue of an East End pickpocket.
“Well?” he demanded when she hesitated in her response. “Have you a tongue?”
You can do this, Adele. You must do this.
For Max.
She swallowed. “Of course I do, Mr. Winter. The nature of my visit to you is personal.”
“Personal,” he repeated, sounding amused rather than irritated as he continued his approach.
Mayhap that was a boon. Not his proximity, but his tone.
“Someone beloved to me owes you a vast sum,” she said, seizing hold of her flagging mettle. “It is my understanding that you are willing to accept an alternative form of recompense.”
He stopped, leaving enough distance between them that a chaperone could not have found fault. And yet, she could not shake the sense that his nearness was like a serpent, coiled and intent upon striking.
Awaiting the proper moment.
His lips quirked, but the chuckle he emitted held little mirth. “Who is this spineless cove, so intent upon saving his own hide that he sends a woman to barter herself rather than paying me what is due?”
Disdain dripped from his voice.
She stiffened. “He is hardly spineless. Nor am I his emissary. He has no knowledge of my visit to you today.”
“Ah.” The smile he gave her was feral. “The loving mistress, come to whore herself on her protector’s behalf. How utterly heartwarming.”
Adele did not correct his assumption. If he knew her true identity, she had no doubt this bargain she intended to strike with him would be even more disastrous. A man as callous and greedy as Dominic Winter would think nothing of using the knowledge to ruin her and bring shame upon her entire family.
If she had a prayer of continuing her deception, she needed him to assume she was her brother’s lightskirt. There was no other choice.
She struggled to maintain her composure. To keep herself from thinking upon the result of her actions, should this man accept her terms. Her chest felt as if a weight had been laid upon it.
Adele sucked in one deep breath for daring. “It was my idea to aid him when he mentioned your amenity to debt cancellation with…matters of the flesh.”
She had said it, though the words nearly choked her. And though the very thought of submitting herself to this man’s touch made her shudder and caused her stomach to twist into knots. Everything she knew of Dominic Winter made her find him despicable.
He laughed again. The sound held no levity; instead, it was ominous, sliding over her like rough silk. “If you have come here in the belief I will accept cunny for coin, you have wasted your time, madam. Devil will see you out.”
With that pronouncement, he turned on his heel, giving her his back once more, and returned to his desk. The cut was an unimaginable slight. The very notion of a duke’s daughter being so ill-treated by a common criminal who had somehow swindled his way into the role he now occupied would have been laughable on any other day.
But not this one.
Adele was not amused.
Nor would she be dismissed.
Instead of meekly fleeing his lair, she followed in his wake, desperation and the memory of her brother’s badly beaten face making her bold.
Want more? Get Winter’s Wallflower here!
Don’t miss Scarlett’s other romances!
(Listed by Series)
Complete Book List
HISTORICAL ROMANCE
Heart’s Temptation
A Mad Passion (Book One)
Rebel Love (Book Two)
Reckless Need (Book Three)
Sweet Scandal (Book Four)
Restless Rake (Book Five)
Darling Duke (Book Six)
The Night Before Scandal (Book Seven)
Wicked Husbands
Her Errant Earl (Book One)
Her Lovestruck Lord (Book Two)
Her Reformed Rake (Book Three)
Her Deceptive Duke (Book Four)
Her Missing Marquess (Book Five)
Her Virtuous Viscount (Book Six)
League of Dukes
Nobody’s Duke (Book One)
Heartless Duke (Book Two)
Dangerous Duke (Book Three)
Shameless Duke (Book Four)
Scandalous Duke (Book Five)
Fearless Duke (Book Six)
Notorious Ladies of London
Lady Ruthless (Book One)
Lady Wallflower (Book Two)
Lady Reckless (Book Three)
Sins and Scoundrels
Duke of Depravity (Book One)
Prince of Persuasion (Book Two)
Marquess of Mayhem (Book Three)
Earl of Every Sin (Book Four)
Duke of Debauchery (Book Five)
The Wicked Winters
Wicked in Winter (Book One)
Wedded in Winter (Book Two)
Wanton in Winter (Book Three)
Wishes in Winter (Book 3.5)
Willful in Winter (Book Four)
Wagered in Winter (Book Five)
Wild in Winter (Book Six)
Wooed in Winter (Book Seven)
Winter’s Wallflower (Book Eight)
Stand-alone Novella
Lord of Pirates
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE
Love’s Second Chance
Reprieve (Book One)
Perfect Persuasion (Book Two)
Win My Love (Book Three)
Coastal Heat
Loved Up (Book One)
About the Author
USA Today and Amazon bestselling author Scarlett Scott writes steamy Victorian and Regency romance with strong, intelligent heroines and sexy alpha heroes. She lives in Pennsylvania with her Canadian husband, adorable identical twins, and one TV-loving dog.
A self-professed literary junkie and nerd, she loves reading anything, but especially romanc
e novels, poetry, and Middle English verse. Catch up with her on her website www.scarlettscottauthor.com. Hearing from readers never fails to make her day.
Scarlett’s complete book list and information about upcoming releases can be found at www.scarlettscottauthor.com.
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Wooed in Winter
The Wicked Winters Book 7
All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2020 by Scarlett Scott
Published by Happily Ever After Books, LLC
Kindle Edition
Edited by Grace Bradley
Cover Design by Wicked Smart Designs
This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded, or distributed via the Internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the publisher’s permission. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is punishable by law.
This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events, or locales, is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.
For more information, contact author Scarlett Scott.
www.scarlettscottauthor.com
Wooed in Winter Page 11