The stranger clicked his heels together and bowed again. “James Bancroft, Viscount Medford, at your service.”
She couldn’t help the tiny gasp that escaped her lips. An aristocrat. The man was a peer. Why on earth would a peer pay her a visit? “Why are you here, my lord?”
Brushing back his coat, he pulled papers from an inside pocket and tossed them on the wooden table.
Her eyes still trained on him, Kate stepped forward and picked up the papers. She scanned the first page. It was a pamphlet. She shuffled through the stack. But the pages were blank.
She gestured to the papers with her chin. “What is this?”
His mouth quirked again. Distracting, that. “You might say I have a bit of a hobby on the side. A printing press.”
Her gaze snapped to his face and she stepped back, clutching the pamphlet, genuinely surprised. And a little bit intrigued. “A viscount in trade?”
He grinned. “That’s the secret.” His grin faded and he strode forward. Bracing his hands apart, he leaned across the table. “I offer women in scandalous situations a unique opportunity. This, Your Grace, is a chance to tell your side of the story.…”
“What do you mean … exactly?”
His eyes blazed at her. His jaw tightened. “Write a pamphlet for me. It will be a top seller, I assure you.”
She shook her head. “A pamphlet? Telling my story? What do I stand to gain from it?”
His eyes, dark green now, captured hers. “What do you want?”
Kate spun around, pacing across the small room. A chance to tell her story? A frisson of hope skittered down her spine. Yes. An opportunity to inform the entire city what a hideous husband George had been. To tell the truth. Lord Medford didn’t know it, but he’d just offered her what she truly wanted. She must handle this carefully, however. There was something else she wanted. Well, two things actually. She turned back toward him. “And what exactly will the pamphlet be named, my lord?”
His jaw relaxed and his eyes lost some of their intensity. He stood up again to his full height and regarded her down the length of his nose. “Secrets of a Scandalous Marriage.”
ALSO BY VALERIE BOWMAN
Secrets of a Wedding Night
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Valerie Bowman grew up in Illinois with six sisters (she’s the youngest) and a huge supply of historical romance novels. After a cold and snowy stint earning a degree in English with a minor in history at Smith College, she moved to Florida the first chance she got.
Valerie now lives in Jacksonville with her two rascally dogs. When she’s not writing, she keeps busy reading, traveling, or vacillating between watching crazy reality TV and PBS.
Valerie loves to hear from readers. Find her on Facebook, Twitter, and at www.ValerieBowmanBooks.com.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
SECRETS OF A RUNAWAY BRIDE
Copyright © 2013 by Valerie Bowman.
Excerpt from Secrets of a Scandalous Marriage copyright © 2013 by Valerie Bowman.
All rights reserved.
For information address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
www.stmartins.com
eISBN: 9781466813205
St. Martin’s Paperbacks edition / April 2013
St. Martin’s Paperbacks are published by St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
Secrets of a Runaway Bride Page 30