Praise for
THE DUKE’S PERFECT WIFE
“The Duke’s Perfect Wife is a sensual, gorgeous story that was captivating from the first page to the very last.”
—Joyfully Reviewed (Recommended Read)
“The unforgettable Mackenzies return as Ashley spins the fourth in the series into another mesmerizing, intensely emotional romance that steals readers’ hearts and minds. With her innovative plots and characters, Ashley pushes the boundaries of the genre and creates ‘keepers,’ because they touch readers on many levels.”
—RT Book Reviews (Top Pick)
“It’s all such a seductive world, you’ll get swept away, just as I did.”
—DemonLovers Books & More
THE MANY SINS OF LORD CAMERON
“Ashley’s latest, flawlessly written historical romance richly rewards romance readers with its multilayered characterization; sexy, secrets-saturated plotting; sharp wit; and enthralling writing.”
—Booklist (starred review)
“Passionate, well-drawn characters, breathless romance, and a memorable love story.”
—Library Journal
“Innovative as ever…a beautifully written, tender, touching romance that will leave readers breathless.Her strong characterizations and poignant yet sensual storytelling draw readers into her unforgettable love stories.”
—RT Book Reviews (Top Pick)
“Readers will love Ainsley.”—Publishers Weekly
“Ashley simply has a gift with her storytelling…Heart-wrenching romance, balanced with a good amount of steamy sex, and an underlying story line all contribute to the…enjoyment.”
—Night Owl Reviews
“Another winner from Jennifer Ashley…It’s romantic and heartfelt, steamy and sexy, with just the right amount of humor. I absolutely love this book and I cannot get enough of the Mackenzies!”
—Michelle and Leslie’s Book Picks
“Jennifer Ashley writes very sensual, sexy books…If you love the first two books in this series, you will enjoy this one as well. If you haven’t tried these, I definitely recommend.”
—Smexy Books
LADY ISABELLA’S SCANDALOUS MARRIAGE
“I adore this novel: It’s heartrending, funny, honest, and true. I want to know the hero—no, I want to marry the hero!”
—Eloisa James, New York Times bestselling author
“Skillfully nuanced characterization and an abundance of steamy sensuality give Ashley’s latest impeccably crafted historical its irresistible literary flavor.”
—Chicago Tribune
“Readers rejoice! The Mackenzie brothers return as Ashley works her magic to create a unique love story brimming over with depth of emotion, unforgettable characters, sizzling passion, mystery, and a story that reaches out and grabs your heart. Brava!”
—RT Book Reviews (Top Pick)
“A heartfelt, emotional historical romance with danger and intrigue around every corner…A great read!”
—Fresh Fiction
“For a rollicking good time, sexy Highland heroes, and touching romances, you just can’t beat Jennifer Ashley’s novels!”
—Night Owl Reviews
“You can’t help but fall in love with the Mackenzie brothers.”
—Loves Romances and More
“This series is a must-read for all historical romance fans.”
—Smexy Books
“I’m a big fan of Jennifer Ashley’s…Deliciously fun.”
—All About Romance
“Ms. Ashley is a superb author who can bring sensuality and passion to life with her characters and pour the emotion off the pages.”
—Fiction Vixen Book Reviews
“Ms. Ashley did not let me down.”
—The Good, The Bad and The Unread
THE MADNESS OF LORD IAN MACKENZIE
“A deliciously dark and delectably sexy story of love and romantic redemption that will captivate readers with its complex characters and suspenseful plot.”
—Booklist
“Ashley’s enthralling and poignant romance…touches readers on many levels. Brava!”
—RT Book Reviews
“A story of mystery and intrigue with two wonderful, bright characters you’ll love…I look forward to more from Jennifer Ashley, an extremely gifted author.” —Fresh Fiction
“Brimming with mystery, suspense, an intriguing plot, villains, romance, a tormented hero, and a feisty heroine, this book is a winner. I recommend The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie to anyone looking for a great read.”
—Romance Junkies
“Wow! One of the best books I have ever read. [It] gets the highest recommendation that I can give. It is a truly wonderful book.”
—Once Upon A Romance
“When you’re reading a book that is a step or two—or six or seven—above the norm, you know it almost immediately. Such is the case with The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie. The characters here are so complex and so real that I was fascinated by their journey…[and] this story is as flat-out romantic as any I’ve read in a while…This is a series I am certainly looking forward to following.”
—All About Romance
“A unique twist on the troubled hero…Fresh and interesting.”
—Night Owl Reviews
“A welcome addition to the genre.”
—Dear Author
Berkley Sensation titles by Jennifer Ashley
The Mackenzies
THE MADNESS OF LORD IAN MACKENZIE
LADY ISABELLA’S SCANDALOUS MARRIAGE
THE MANY SINS OF LORD CAMERON
THE DUKE’S PERFECT WIFE
THE SEDUCTION OF ELLIOT MCBRIDE
Shifters Unbound
PRIDE MATES
PRIMAL BONDS
WILD CAT
MATE CLAIMED
THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
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THE SEDUCTION OF ELLIOT MCBRIDE
A Berkley Sensation Book / published by arrangement with the author
PUBLISHING HISTORY
Berkley Sensation mass-market paperback edition / January 201
3
Copyright © 2012 by Jennifer Ashley.
Excerpt from The Wicked Deeds of Daniel Mackenzie by
Jennifer Ashley copyright © 2012 by Jennifer Ashley.
Cover art by Phil Hefferan. Hand lettering by Ron Zinn.
Cover design by George Long.
Interior text design by Laura K. Corless.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or
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ISBN: 978-1-101-61854-7
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ALWAYS LEARNING PEARSON
Many thanks go, as usual, to my editor, Kate Seaver, for all her help and patience as we journey from manuscript to finished book. Also to Katherine, the best assistant editor ever, for keeping everything on track; and Erin, my fantastic publicist, who is always there with enthusiasm and support. And to my husband, who puts up with the ups and downs, joys and despair, dirty house and potluck dining that goes with living with a writer. Love you, dear! And as always, a special thanks to my readers—you are the greatest!
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
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
The Wicked Deeds of Daniel Mackenzie
Chapter 1
SCOTLAND 1884
Juliana St. John’s fiancé was an hour late to his own wedding. While Juliana sat waiting, resplendent in satin and yellow roses, various friends and family members were dispatched through rainy Edinburgh to find out what was the matter.
The matron of honor, Ainsley Mackenzie, tried to keep up Juliana’s spirits, as did Juliana’s stepmother, Gemma, in her own way. But Juliana knew in her heart that something was terribly wrong.
When Grant’s friends returned, embarrassed and empty-handed, and Ainsley asked her husband, a tall brute of a Scotsman, to go, the result was different.
Lord Cameron Mackenzie opened the vestry door wide enough to stick his head around it. “Ainsley,” he said, then shut the door again.
Ainsley pressed Juliana’s hands, which by now were like ice. “Never you mind, Juliana. I’ll discover what has happened.”
Juliana’s stepmother, only ten years older than Juliana herself, was angry. Gemma said nothing, but Juliana saw rage in every movement she made. Gemma had never liked Grant Barclay and liked Grant’s mother still less.
Ainsley returned in a short time. “Juliana,” she said, her voice gentle. She held out her hand. “Come with me.”
When a person spoke in that tone, terrible news was certain to follow. Juliana rose in a rustle of satin. Gemma tried to follow, but Ainsley held up her hand. “Juliana alone, I think.”
Gemma, of the volatile temper, started to protest, but Gemma was also intelligent. She gave Juliana a nod and squeezed her hand. “I will be here for you, dear.”
Juliana had a temper of her own, but as she stepped out into the gusty rain of the church’s courtyard, she felt nothing but a curious numbness. She’d been engaged to Grant for several years now. The wedding had always been so comfortably far away that it had come as something of a shock to finally reach the day. And now…
Was Grant ill? Dead?
Mist and light rain cloaked the city, obscuring the sky. Ainsley led Juliana in her finery out and through a tiny yard, mud soaking Juliana’s new white high-heeled boots.
They reached an arched breezeway, and Ainsley started down this, away from the main church. Thank heavens, because all the guests were in the church, waiting and watching, speculating about what had gone wrong.
Under an arcade, but still in the chill, Lord Cameron waited alone, a broad-shouldered giant of a man in a Mackenzie plaid kilt. When Ainsley and Juliana reached him, Cameron looked down at Juliana with flint-hard eyes. “I found him.”
Still Juliana felt nothing but numbness. None of this seemed real, not Cameron, not the lowering skies outside the church, not her wedding finery.
“Where is he?” Juliana asked.
Cameron gestured with the silver flask in his hand. “In a carriage behind the church. Do you want to speak to him?”
“Of course I want to speak to him. I am going to marry him…”
She noticed the look Ainsley and Cameron exchanged, caught the glimpse of anger in Ainsley’s eyes, the reflected anger in Cameron’s.
“What is it?” Juliana squeezed Ainsley’s hand. “Tell me before I go mad.”
Cameron answered before Ainsley could. “Barclay eloped,” he said, syllables blunt. “He’s married.”
The arches and the courtyard, solid Edinburgh stone, spun around and around her, but no, Juliana was standing upright, staring at Cameron Mackenzie, Ainsley’s warmth at her side.
“Married.” Juliana’s lips were stiff. “But he’s marrying me.”
She knew that the last thing in the world Lord Cameron Mackenzie had wanted to do this day was hunt down Juliana’s groom and then tell Juliana that the man had run off with another woman. But she kept staring at Cameron, as though if she looked at him hard enough, he’d change the story and tell her a different one.
“He married yesterday afternoon,” Cameron said. “To a woman who was teaching him the piano.”
This was mad. It had to be a joke. “Mrs. Mackinnon,” Juliana said without inflection. She remembered the woman with dark hair and plain dresses who had sometimes been at Grant’s mother’s when Juliana arrived. “She’s a widow.” A choked laugh escaped her lips. “Not anymore, I suppose.”
“I told him he needed to have the decency to tell you himself,” Cameron said in his voice like rough gravel. “So I brought him. Do you want to talk with him?”
“No,” Juliana said quickly. “No.” The world started spinning again.
Cameron shoved his flask into Juliana’s hand. “Get that inside you, lass. It will lessen the blow.”
A proper lady did not drink spirits, and Juliana had been raised to be so very proper. But the turn of events made this a highly un-proper occasion.
Juliana tipped back the flask and trickled a bit of burning Scots whiskey into her mouth. She coughed, swallowed, coughed again, and dabbed at her lips as Cameron rescued the flask.
Perhaps she should not have drunk it. Wha
t Cameron had told her was starting to seem real.
Two hundred people waited in the church for Juliana St. John and Grant Barclay to wed, two hundred people who would have to be told to go home. Two hundred gifts to be returned, two hundred apologies to be penned. And the newspapers would certainly enjoy themselves.
Juliana pressed her hands to her face. She’d never been in love with Grant, but she’d thought they’d at least formed a friendship, a mutual respect for each other. But even that…Grant hadn’t given her even that.
“What am I going to do?”
Cameron tucked the flask into his greatcoat. “We’ll take you home. I’ll have my carriage pull up in the passage at the end of this walk. None need to see you.”
They were kind, Ainsley and Cameron—they were being kind. Juliana didn’t want kindness. She wanted to kick and rage, not only at Grant, but at herself. She’d been so secure in her engagement, rather smug that she was in no danger of being left on the shelf. Not only that, she’d wanted the stability of a normal life, something she’d fought for all her life.
Her future had just crumbled to dust, her safe choice ripped from beneath her feet. Shock still rendered her numb, but she sensed regret coming hard on its heels.
Juliana rubbed her arms, suddenly chilled. “Not yet. Please, give me a moment. I need to be alone for just a moment.”
Ainsley glanced into the courtyard, into which people were now emerging from the church proper. “Not that way. There’s a chapel down here. We’ll keep them out.”
“Bless you, Ainsley.” Juliana could not unclench herself enough to give Ainsley the hug she deserved.
She let Ainsley guide her to the door of the chapel, which Cameron opened. Cameron and Ainsley stepped back, and Juliana went in alone, the door clicking closed.
The chapel was chilly but dim and peaceful. Juliana stood for a moment in front of the bare altar, looking up at the plain cross hanging above it, alone and unadorned.
Grant, married. To Mrs. Mackinnon.
Juliana now realized things she’d seen in the past few months but had paid no mind to at the time—Grant and Mrs. Mackinnon side by side at Grant’s mother’s piano, their exchanged smiles, the looks between them. Grant gazing pensively at Juliana as though he wanted to speak to her about something important, and then making some joke or inane remark instead.
The Seduction of Elliot McBride Page 1