With a moan, Kensington dropped to the ground and curled himself into a ball.
What this situation required, Justin assessed, was finesse.
To prevent Miss Mossant from becoming the subject of yet more gossip, he needed to lead her away from watchful eyes, to someplace where she might repair herself. An alluring array of chestnut curls had escaped her coiffure, tumbling down her back. More troublesome, her dress appeared disheveled and had torn in one place. A trickle of blood dripped from her swollen lips.
His gut clenched at the sight.
Justin stepped around Kensington to where Miss Mossant stood frozen. She nearly collapsed before he took hold of her arm. As unobtrusively as possible, he tugged her bodice back into place and then dabbed his handkerchief at her lips. Although his hands were steady, his heart raced.
“Remind me never to anger you, Miss Mossant.”
She didn’t laugh, blink, or respond in any way to his attempt to break through her lifeless trance.
Others strolled nearby, at a distance of fewer than twenty yards.
Maneuvering her so that she would be indistinguishable in his shadow, he tucked her hand through his arm and led them along the veranda away from the ballroom entrance. They had no choice but to pass a few other guests.
“Is everything all right there?” a tall, elderly gentleman turned away from his companion to inquire.
“Positively delightful evening for a stroll.” Justin nodded toward the couple standing near one of the large potted plants. He blocked them from getting a good look at Miss Mossant. “My Lady, My Lord,”
Tall glass-paned doors beckoned at the far end of the terrace, and from what Justin could remember, they led into one of the Crabtrees’ drawing rooms. With any luck, the doors would be unlocked and the room empty.
He steered the passive young lady in that direction and released the breath he was holding when the door swung open. Miss Mossant stepped inside but then stood unmoving while Justin lit a few of the candles.
“An unusually dark night.” Best to burn only a few. He didn’t plan on remaining here long. Just enough time for Miss Mossant to gather her calm so that he could escort her to a ladies’ retiring room.
Her stillness gave him pause. Caramel eyes stared straight ahead, unblinking. She wasn’t trembling or shaking, but she seemed frozen from the inside.
Justin could have gazed upon her silhouette all night long. If he were that sort of fellow, that was. He turned away from her and examined a painting placed at eye level. She needed a moment. He’d give her a level of privacy to compose herself.
The urge to comfort her, to hold her tightly against him, was strong. But with a woman such as she, his initial desire would hastily be replaced by another, less platonic one.
He was a man of the church, but a man, nonetheless.
But that would make him no better than Kensington.
Finally, the rustling of her skirts signaled that she’d cast off whatever spell she’d been under and had crossed farther into the room. Perhaps she was ready to face him now.
When he turned and caught sight of her expression, he tried to interpret her thoughts. Finely arched brows lowered in concentration, and she seemed baffled. Confused. “I–I thank you for your most timely arrival, Mr. White. I cannot imagine… If you hadn’t come along…” Her hands fluttered.
A shiver ran through her, and he glanced around for a quilt. “Are you cold?”
She shook her head.
And then her soulful eyes widened to stare at him. “I must find my mother! She’ll be worried if she doesn’t see me at supper.” The mysterious beauty went to take a step but caught herself on the back of a chair when her knees nearly buckled. “I…”
When he moved to assist her again, she stayed him with one hand, grimaced, and then seemed to shake off her confusion. Moving slower this time, she lifted her skirt as though she’d carefully pick her way to the exit.
Justin seized her by the arm. “First, the retiring room, I think.” If she were to reenter the ballroom in her present condition, her ruination would be complete. He held her gaze steadily, making certain she understood his meaning.
Comprehension dawned, and she nodded slowly. “Yes. Yes, of course.” At least the corridor wasn’t well lit. “Thank you, Mr. White.” Shaking him off, she turned again to leave.
“Miss Mossant?” He stopped her with his voice this time. “You would do well to avoid such circumstances in the future. Not all men are so easily thwarted.” She really was too beautiful, too sensual, for her own good.
Her jaw tightened but she did not meet his gaze again. She nodded. “I am ever so grateful for your kind advice.”
And then she was gone.
About the Author
Married to the same man for over 25 years, I am a mother to three children and two Miniature Wiener dogs After owning a business and experiencing considerable success, my husband and I got caught in the financial crisis and lost everything; our business, our home, even our car.
At this point, I put my B.A. in Poly Sci to use and took work as a waitress and bartender. Unwilling to give up on a professional life, I simultaneously went back to college and obtained a degree in Energy Management. And then the energy market dropped off.
And then my dog died. I can only be grateful for this series of unfortunate events, for, with nothing to lose and completely demoralized, I sat down and began to write the romance novels which had until then, existed only my imagination. I am happy to have found my place in life. Finally.
Ms. Anders loves to hear from readers! Please contact her at: www.annabelleanders.com or any of the social media links below!
Also by Annabelle Anders
The Devilish Debutantes Series
Hell Hath No Fury
Hell in a Hand Basket
Hell Hath Frozen Over (Novella)
Hell’s Belle
Hell of a Lady
To Hell and Back (Novella)
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Not So Saintly Sisters Series
The Perfect Debutante (Louella Rose)
The Perfect Spinster (Olivia)
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Lord Love a Lady Series
Nobody’s Lady
A Lady’s Prerogative
Lady Saves the Duke
Lady at Last
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I love keeping in touch with readers and would be thrilled to hear from you! Join or follow me at any (or all!) of the social media links below!
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Facebook Reader Group: A Regency House Party
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www.annabelleanders.com
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Devilish Debutantes Series
Hell Hath No Fury
(Devilish Debutante’s, Book 1)
To keep the money, he has to keep her as well…
Cecily Nottingham has made a huge mistake.
The marriage bed was still warm when the earl she thought she loved crawled out of it and announced that he loved someone else.
Loves. Someone else.
All he saw in Cecily was her dowry.
But he’s in for the shock of his life, because in order to keep the money, he has to keep her.
With nothing to lose, Cecily sets out to seduce her husband’s cousin, Stephen Nottingham, in an attempt to goad the earl into divorcing her. Little does she realize that Stephen would turn out to be everything her husband was not: Honorable, loyal, trustworthy…Handsome as sin.
Stephen only returned to England for one reason. Save his cousin’s estate from financial ruin. Instead, he finds himself face to face with his cousins beautiful and scorned wife, he isn’t sure what to do first, strangle his cousin, or kiss his wife. His honor is about to be questioned, right along with his self-control.
Amid snakes, duels and a good catfight, Cecily realizes the game she’s playing has high stakes indeed. There
are only a few ways for a marriage to end in Regency England and none of them come without a high price. Is she willing to pay it? Is Stephen? A ‘Happily Ever After’ hangs in the balance, because, yes, love can conquer all, but sometimes it needs a little bit of help.
* * *
Hell in a Hand Basket
(Devilish Debutante’s, Book 2)
Sophia Babineaux has landed a husband! And a good one at that!
Lord Harold, the second son of a duke, is kind, gentle, undemanding.
Perhaps a little too undemanding?
Because after one chance encounter with skilled rake, Captain Devlin Brooks, it is glaringly obvious that something is missing between Lord Harold and herself… pas-sion… sizzle… well… everything. And marriage is forever!
Will her parents allow her to reconsider? Absolutely not.
War hero, Devlin Brookes, is ready to marry and thinks Sophia Babineaux might be the one. One itsy bitsy problem: she’s engaged to his cousin, Harold.
But Devlin knows his cousin! and damned if Harold hasn’t been coerced into this betrothal by the Duke of Prescott, his father.
Prescott usually gets what he wants.
Devlin, Sophia and Harold conspire to thwart the duke’s wishes but fail to consider a few vital, unintended consequences.
Once set in motion, matters quickly spiral out of control!
Caught up in tragedy, regret, and deceit Sophia and Devlin’s love be-comes tainted. If they cannot cope with their choices they may never find their way back once embarking on their journey… To Hell in a Hand Basket…
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Hell’s Belle
(Devilish Debutante’s, Book 3)
There comes a time in a lady’s life when she needs to take matters into her own hands…
A Scheming Minx
Emily Goodnight, a curiously smart bluestocking – who cannot see a thing without her blasted spectacles – is raising the art of meddling to new heights. Why leave her future in the hands of fate when she’s perfectly capable of managing it herself?
An Apathetic Rake
The Earl of Blakely, London’s most unattainable bachelor, finds Miss Goodnight’s schemes nearly as intriguing as the curves hidden beneath her frumpy gowns. Secure in his independence, he’s focussed on one thing only: evading this father’s manipulating ways. In doing so, ironically, he fails to evade the mischief of Emily’s managing ploys.
Hell’s Bell Indeed
What with all the cheating at parlor games, trysts in dark closets, and nighttime flights to Gretna Green, complications arise. Because fate has limits. And when it comes to love and the secrets of the past, there’s only so much twisting one English Miss can get away with…
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Hell of a Lady
(Devilish Debutante’s, Book 4)
Regency Romance between an angelic vicar and a devilish debutante: A must read if you love sweet and sizzle with an abundance of heart.
The Last Devilish Debutante
Miss Rhododendron Mossant has given up on men, love, and worst of all, herself. Once a flirtatious beauty, the nightmares of her past have frozen her in fear. Ruined and ready to call it quits, all she can hope for is divine intervention.
The Angelic Vicar
Justin White, Vicar turned Earl, has the looks of an angel but the heart of a rake. He isn’t prepared to marry and yet honor won’t allow anything less. Which poses something of a problem… because, by God, when it comes to this vixen, a war is is waging between his body and his soul.
Scandal’s Sweet Sizzle
She’s hopeless and he’s hopelessly devoted. Together they must conquer the ton, her disgrace, and his empty pockets. With a little deviousness, and a miracle or two, is it possible this devilish match was really made in heaven?
* * *
Hell Hath Frozen Over
(Devilish Debutantes, Novella)
The Duchess of Prescott, now a widow, fears she’s experienced all life has to offer. Thomas Findlay, a wealthy industrialist, knows she has not. Can he convince her she has love and passion in her future? And if he does, cans she convince herself to embrace it?
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To Hell And Back
(Devilish Debutantes, Novella)
Eve Mossant’s life has been quite turned over. As has the carriage she was traveling in to attend her estranged husband’s funeral. Thank heavens for Mr. Waverly, her ever dependable man of business. She shouldn’t know where she’d be without him…
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Lord Love a Lady Series
Nobody’s Lady
(Lord Love a Lady Series, Book 1)
Dukes don’t need help, or do they?
Michael Redmond, the Duke of Cortland, needs to be in London—most expeditiously—but a band of highway robbers have thwarted his plans. Purse-pinched, coachless, and mired in mud, he stumbles on Lilly Beauchamp, the woman who betrayed him years ago.
Ladies can’t be heroes, or can they?
Michael was her first love, her first lover, but he abandoned her when she needed him most. She’d trusted him, and then he failed to meet with her father as promised. A widowed stepmother now, Lilly loves her country and will do her part for the Good of England—even if that means aiding this hobbled and pathetic duke.
They lost their chance at love, or did they?
A betrothal, a scandal, and a kidnapping stand between them now. Can honor emerge from the ashes of their love?
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A Lady’s Prerogative
(Lord Love a Lady Series, Book 2)
It’s not fair.
Titled rakes can practically get away with murder, but one tiny little misstep and a debutante is sent away to the country. Which is where Lady Natalie Spencer is stuck after jilting her betrothed.
Frustrated with her banishment, she’s finished being a good girl and ready to be a little naughty. Luckily she has brothers, one of whom has brought home his delightfully gorgeous friend.
After recently inheriting an earldom, Garrett Castleton is determined to turn over a new leaf and shed the roguish lifestyle he adopted years ago. His friend’s sister, no matter how enticing, is out-of-bounds. He has a run-down estate to manage and tenants to save from destitution.
Can love find a compromise between the two, or will their stubbornness get them into even more trouble?
A betrothal, a scandal, and a kidnapping stand between them now. Can honor emerge from the ashes of their love?
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Lady Saves the Duke
(Lord Love a Lady Series, Book 3)
He thinks he’s saving her, but will this Lady Save the Duke, instead?
Miss Abigail Wright, disillusioned spinster, hides her secret pain behind encouraging smiles and optimistic laughter. Self-pity, she believes, is for the truly wretched. So when her mother insists she attend a house party—uninvited—she determines to simply make the best of it…until an unfortunate wardrobe malfunction.
Alex Cross, the “Duke of Ice,” has more than earned the nickname given him by the ton. He’s given up on happiness but will not reject sensual pleasure. After all, a man has needs. The week ought to have been pleasantly uneventful for both of them, with nature walks, parlor games, and afternoon teas on the terrace…but for some inferior stitchery on poor Abigail’s bodice.
And now the duke is faced with a choice. Should he make this mouse a respectable offer and then abandon her to his country estate? She’s rather pathetic and harmless, really. Oughtn’t to upset his life whatsoever.
His heart, however, is another matter…
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Lady at Last
(Lord Love a Lady Series, Book 4)
She can't make a baby without a husband!
Or can she?
After witnessing the miracle of birth, self-determined spinster Miss Penelope Crone is having second thoughts about swearing off marriage. She wants – no, she needs – to experience the blessed event herself. Dear God, she’s practically thirty! Time is
running out!
Hugh Chesterton, Viscount Danbury, is relatively intelligent, good looking, unmarried, and most importantly, close at hand. With a little décolletage, a sway of the hips, and a few drinks of brandy, Penelope is certain she can extract a respectable offer.
If only she’d accounted for the power of passion.
Because unchecked lust takes over, leaving Penelope in a most precarious predicament. And Lord Danbury –– the goose-brained jackanapes –– is proving far less attainable than she’d imagined.
Is Penelope to be cast out of society or will Lord Danbury take a leap of faith and save her from ruin? He'd better act fast if he's going to make her his lady. HIs Lady At Last...
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For more info on Annabelle’s Books, go to
AnnabelleAnders.com
To Hell and Back: Regency Romance Novella (Devilish Debutantes Book 6) Page 12