Jenna Jaxon - Time Enough to Love 03
Page 22
The threesome, with Geoff stolidly bringing up the rear, reached her. In one smooth move, Geoffrey slid Thomas down and picked her up in his arms, then started off for the house.
“Geoffrey Longford! Put me down. You will injure yourself carrying all this weight. And then what use will you be to me?” She laughed to herself. He would ever be of use to her.
“I am appalled, madam, that you have such little faith in me. As you can see, I can lift you now, even though ’tis obvious you have swallowed a cow.” Geoffrey’s eyes twinkled at her. “Do you not think Mama has swallowed a cow, boys?”
Geoff and Thomas giggled loudly. “Aye, Papa. She does look like she swallowed a cow,” Geoff agreed. “Mama, how did you swallow a whole cow?”
Geoffrey intervened. “Well, perhaps ’twas not a whole cow. Perhaps it was only a calf.”
“Geoffrey!” Alyse could not help laughing. ’Twas the same jest each time she grew great with child.
Geoff was still undaunted. “But Mama, how did you swallow a whole calf?”
Alyse cocked her eyebrow at Geoffrey. “Well, my lord? Will you answer your son?”
Before Geoffrey could stop laughing, Thomas spoke up helpfully. “Perhaps it was a small calf, Papa?”
All four laughed heartily as they entered Longford Manor. Some things remained the same, but others were thankfully changed for good.
Alyse gazed lovingly at the circle of her family—her husband, their son, Thomas’s son—and suddenly more tomorrows seemed possible. More time seemed possible. Time enough for family. Time enough for love.
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Historical Note
The documentation of the life of Princess Joanna of England is uncertain at best, with scholars unable to agree even on the date of her birth. It’s not surprising, therefore, that I’ve had to make choices about the historical information I used in the writing of Time Enough to Love. In all cases, I’ve chosen the dates and places that facilitate the plot and pacing of the story. Where facts are certain, I have included them in my story to the best of my ability.
About the Author
Jenna Jaxon is a multi-published author of historical and contemporary romance. Her historical romance, Only Scandal Will Do, the first in a series of five interconnecting novels, was released in July 2012. Her contemporary works include Hog Wild, Almost Perfect, and 7 Days of Seduction. She is a PAN member of Romance Writers of America as well as a member of Chesapeake Romance Writers. Her medieval romance, Time Enough to Love, is being published this summer as a series of three novellas.
Jenna has been reading and writing historical romance since she was a teenager. A romantic herself, she’s always loved a dark side to the genre—a twist, suspense, a surprise—and tries to incorporate all these elements into her own stories. She lives in Virginia with her family and a small menagerie of pets. When not reading or writing, she indulges her passion for the theatre, working with local theatres as a director. She often feels she is directing her characters on their own private stage.
She equates her writing to an addiction to chocolate because once she starts she just can’t stop.
Connect with me online:
Blog: Jenna’s Journal http://jennajaxon.wordpress.com
Twitter: @Jenna_Jaxon
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Jenna-Jaxon/146857578723570
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4960704.Jenna_Jaxon
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005CHPBD2
More Works by this Author
Only Scandal Will Do
House of Pleasure series, Book 1
He has the woman of his dreams, but what price will he have to pay to win her heart?
Kidnapped and sold at auction in a London brothel, Lady Katarina Fitzwilliam squelches an undeniable attraction to the masked stranger who purchased her, pits her wits against him, and escapes him and the scandal that would ruin her life.
Unable to resist temptation in a London brothel, Duncan Ferrers, Marquess of Dalbury, purchases a fiery beauty. She claims she’s a lady, but how can she be? No lady of his acquaintance in polite society is anything like her. Then he discovers she is who she says, and that this latest romp has compromised her reputation. He knows how that is. One more scandal and he’ll be cast out of London society, but he needs a wife who’ll provide an heir to carry on his illustrious family’s name. He seeks out Katarina, intending only to scotch the scandal, but instead finds his heart ensnared. He’s betting their future he’ll capture her heart, but does he have what it takes to win the wager?
Content warning: A blade-wielding heroine who crosses swords with a master of sensuality.
Only Scandal Will Do
Katarina clutched the chair’s golden upholstery to keep from launching herself at him and wrapping her fingers around his arrogant throat. “I am Lady Katarina Fitzwilliam, sister to the Earl of Manning. I was kidnapped and brought here tonight against my will.”
He cocked his head. Then his mouth twitched. “Truly? What an exciting life you must lead…Lady Katarina, was it?” He chuckled deep in his chest, and took a step toward the chair.
She glared at him. “I am Lady Katarina Fitzwilliam, you dullard.”
“And true ladies always run around London at night scandalously underdressed as Greek slaves?”
“My brother and I were on our way to a masquerade ball when I was abducted.”
“As was I, fair lady,” he bowed with an exaggerated flourish, “when I decided to come to this charming establishment instead. Perhaps if we had continued on our ways uninterrupted, we would even now be dancing together at the ball.” That nasty laugh grated against her nerves worse than the screech of rusty nails, making her contemplate murder. If the scoundrel didn’t believe her story, killing him might be her only means of escape.
Only Scandal Will Do is available at Amazon, B & N., and other e-book retailers.
Only Marriage Will Do
House of Pleasure series, Book 2
Not every happy-ever-after begins at “I do.”
When the hero of her dreams rescues Lady Juliet Ferrers from the man claiming to be her husband, she is sure she has found her one true love. But is she free to marry him? Not to be deterred, Juliet arranges for her hero, Captain Amiable Dawson, to escort her to her family estate, hoping that along the way she can win his love.
Amiable is charmed by the sweet, beautiful woman he rescued, and although he has grave reservations about her marital status, he allows himself to be swept up into Juliet’s romantic spell and the promise of a happy-ever-after.
The spell breaks when legal questions arise and Juliet faces the horror of not knowing if she is married to her knight in shining armor or the cruel viscount who is determined to have her at any price.
Only Marriage Will Do is scheduled for release by Lyrical/Kensington Publishers in early 2015.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Epilogue
Historical Note
About the Author
More Works by this Author
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