by Emma V Leech
Cassius grinned at the duke. “Oh, I know it, sir. Believe me, I have the deepest admiration for everything you’ve been through.”
“So I should think,” the duke murmured.
He put his arm about Lottie, staring down at the babe in her arms before reaching for Eliza and pulling her close too.
“Eight, children,” he said with a sigh, before adding with desperation, “and five girls. Five beautiful girls! It’s a wonder I haven’t run mad.”
“Yes, and bearing in mind I did all the hard work, might I have my daughter back?” demanded their mama.
The duke laughed and took the baby from Lottie, who appeared loath to hand her back.
“Oh,” she said, clutching her arms about herself. She turned to look at Cassius. “I want one.”
Cassius blanched as Eliza gave a snort of laughter.
“Oh, stop it, Lottie. You’re scaring him.”
Lottie huffed.
“Well, there is no rush,” she admitted. “Besides, I have a project this season. Mama is going to be busy with little Octavia, and so, now I am a respectable married lady, I shall take you to all the best events and get you a husband.”
Cassius laughed as it was Eliza’s turn to blanch, her mouth dropping open.
“Oh, no,” Eliza said, shaking her head. “Indeed not. I know very well you are both desperate to go off on your adventures and I am not stopping you. I shall find my own husband in my own time.”
“Stuff,” Lottie replied. “You need my help for you have rotten taste.”
“Oi!” Cassius glared at his wife, indignant.
“What? She didn’t want you,” Lottie replied.
Both sisters and the duke and duchess had a good laugh at that.
Well, Cassius thought wryly, you knew you were truly part of the family when they began making jokes at your expense.
Lottie drew closer to her sister and lowered her voice. “Did you ever hear any more from… you know who?”
To his astonishment, Eliza flushed scarlet.
“Who?” he demanded, instantly suspicious.
Eliza was his sister now, and therefore under his protection. If some fellow was taking an interest, he needed to know about it. After all, he might not be suitable.
Eliza glared at Lottie before turning back to him.
“No one,” she said, her voice soothing. “You know how silly and romantic Lottie can be.”
“Did we ever discover who sent all those flowers when you were ill?” he asked, not entirely convinced by this evasive answer.
“No,” Eliza said with a shrug. “We never did. Whoever it was is clearly a shy soul and cannot bear to make himself known. So, he’s obviously not the kind of man you need fret over.”
“Hmph.” Cassius remained unconvinced.
Eliza walked back to the bed to sit with her parents and coo over Octavia. Lottie moved to follow but Cassius put his hand out, stopping her.
“You were right,” he said quietly. “We shall have to chaperone her carefully. If she’s even strong enough to attend the season. I admit, I wish I knew who this secret admirer was.”
Lottie nodded. “Yes. We will take the greatest care of her. For we cannot have my dear Eliza giving herself to some man who does not deserve her. That would break my heart.”
“Mine too,” Cassius said, raising her hand to his lips and kissing the fingers. “She deserves to be as happy as we are.”
“Yes,” Lottie agreed, a look in her eyes that made him wish he could take her back home that very moment. “Yes. She does, and we shall help to ensure that she is.”
“Oh, do stop whispering over there,” Eliza said, calling them over to the bed. “I just know you’re plotting, and I won’t have it. I am not going to agree to anything I don’t want. Not ever again.”
This was said with such defiance that her father looked at her in horror.
Eliza laughed and patted his hand. “Oh, don’t fret so, Papa. I’m not about to start a revolution or run off to Gretna Green.”
“I’m very glad to hear it,” the duke said with obvious relief, but Cassius kept his attention on Eliza, long after everyone else had returned theirs to the baby.
There was something dangerous glinting in her green eyes, and he just hoped he and Lottie were up to the challenge.
Lottie watched Cassius as he tugged off the last of his clothes and then turned back to the bed. He paused when he noticed the way she watched him, and stood still, allowing her to look her fill.
“Like what you see?” he asked, lips quirking.
“Oh, yes,” Lottie sighed happily, remembering the last time he’d asked that. “I like it very much. I’m so glad I married you.”
Cassius gave a snort of laughter and then sighed. “You only want me for my body.”
“Oh, that is simply not true,” Lottie protested, pressing a hand to her heart with a theatrical flourish. “You are also a very fine artist and flatter me dreadfully. You know we goddesses need our egos attended to regularly.”
“Is that so?” he asked, climbing onto the bed beside her and making the mattress bounce.
“It is.”
He prowled towards her, lowering his voice to a deep rumble that made her heart skip with excitement. “Well, then. I had better attend to it right now, had I not?”
“I really think you ought.”
Cassius bent and kissed her neck, finding the delicate place beneath her ear that made her giggle and squeal if he nuzzled it just right. He did it just right, as he always did, and she shrieked and wriggled beneath him, clutching at his big shoulders.
“Like this,” he murmured, laughing against her skin.
Lottie sighed and stroked her palm down his spine. How marvellous it was to share her life with this man, this wonderful man who was her friend and her lover. “Just like that.”
He stilled, pulling back to look down at her, his turquoise eyes full of adoration.
“No regrets?” he asked softly. “You don’t wish you’d chosen someone else, someone you haven’t known your whole life? I worry you’ll get bored, knowing me as well as you do.”
“Bored?” she exclaimed, staring at him in shock. “Cassius, you do say the most ridiculous things. How can I possibly get bored when we shall be off on our adventures soon?”
Cassius frowned. “We will?”
“Of course we will,” she said, shaking her head at him.”
“But Eliza—”
“Of course, Eliza, but I’m sure that won’t take long. Everybody loves her, so she’ll have her pick of all the men. I’m sure between us we can find her a nice fellow and she’ll fall headlong into love in no time. Then as soon as she is settled and happy, we shall go away. We’ll go to France first, and you can show me everything you discovered last time.”
“Everything?” he asked, quirking one eyebrow.
Lottie remembered the nude painting of the lovely girl she had correctly assumed to have been one of his lovers.
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Yes, everything, providing I am the only lady you lavish your attentions on.”
“How strict you are. Very well, then. An adventure it is. I shall pack my paints and a hat. What will you need?”
Lottie considered this, biting her lip as she considered, aware that his heated gaze was fixed upon her mouth.
“Just you,” she said at length, grinning at him. “You are all I need.”
“Good answer,” he said with a smug smile. “And how long shall we stay away?”
“Until we miss home, or until you do your husbandly duty and we are forced to return, whichever comes first.”
“My….” he began, and then remembered her demand that he give her a baby. “Oh. I thought you said there was no hurry?”
“Oh, there’s not, we shall see the world, and you shall paint it, and then we will return home and begin another kind of adventure entirely.”
“You have it all planned out, I see.”
“Naturally,” she
replied, sliding her fingers into the silky warmth of his blond hair.
“Naturally.”
“I have tonight all planned out too,” she added, something mischievous twinkling in her eyes.
Cassius quirked an eyebrow. Lottie tugged at his head, pulling him close so she could whisper in his ear.
When he drew back, his eyes were very dark, the pupils blown wide against a thin turquoise rim.
“You wicked girl,” he said, staring at her in shock, an intrigued smile curving about his lips. “I wonder you dare look me in the eye.”
“Oh,” Lottie said with a smile, twining herself about him. “I dare. I shall always dare to be wicked with you.”
The stories of the Peculiar Ladies Book Club and their hatful of dares has become legend among their children. When the hat is rediscovered, dusty and forlorn, the remaining dares spark a series of events that will echo through all the families… and their
Daring Daughters
Next in the thrilling new series…
Dare to be Brazen
Daring Daughters Book Two
Their mothers dared all for love.
Just imagine what their daughters will do…
The perfect lady…
Lady Elizabeth Adolphus, eldest daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Bedwin is the most sought-after young lady of the ton. Seen as the perfect debutante, beautiful, sweet-natured, and demure, she is besieged by offers from eligible gentlemen.
And she doesn’t want any of them.
There is only one man she wishes to pursue, and he is far from eligible.
A dangerous man, with a dark past…
Monsieur Nicolas Alexandre Demarteau, owner of the infamous Parisian nightclub, Rouge et Noir, is the illegitimate half-brother of Louis César de Montluc, Comte de Villen. Having left Paris to escape a scandal, Nic is determined Louis César will marry the perfect English lady to secure his position among the ton, only to discover the woman Louis came to England to pursue is the embodiment of Nic’s every dream. Keeping the promises he made Louis César will test his resolve when every instinct demands he keep Eliza for himself.
An English rose with a will of iron…
Now recovering from a near fatal accident, Eliza may appear more fragile than before, but her determination to make her own choices is stronger than ever. She is tired of always doing the right thing, of being polite instead of speaking her mind, of dancing with respectable men when the one she desires is the personification of wickedness… and he doesn’t even seem to like her very much.
A passionate desire…
All Nic wants is for Eliza to be safe, but how can he protect her when all she wants is him. How can he resist her when she refuses to be the perfect lady a moment longer?
When she’s decided… it’s time to be brazen.
Available April 2, 2021- Pre-Order Here: Dare to be Brazen
The Peculiar Ladies who started it all…
Girls Who Dare – The exciting series from Emma V Leech, the multi-award-winning, Amazon Top 10 romance writer behind the Rogues & Gentlemen series.
Inside every wallflower is the beating heart of a lioness, a passionate individual willing to risk all for their dream, if only they can find the courage to begin. When these overlooked girls make a pact to change their lives, anything can happen.
Twelve girls – Twelve dares in a hat. Twelves stories of passion. Who will dare to risk it all?
To Dare a Duke
Girls Who Dare Book 1
Dreams of true love and happy ever afters…
Dreams of love are all well and good, but all Prunella Chuffington-Smythe wants is to publish her novel. Marriage at the price of her independence is something she will not consider. Having tasted success writing under a false name in The Lady’s Weekly Review, her alter ego is attaining notoriety and fame and Prue rather likes it.
A Duty that must be endured…
Robert Adolphus, The Duke of Bedwin, is in no hurry to marry, he’s done it once and repeating that disaster is the last thing he desires. Yet, an heir is a necessary evil for a duke and one he cannot shirk. A dark reputation precedes him though, his first wife may have died young, but the scandals the beautiful, vivacious and spiteful creature supplied the ton have not. A wife must be found. A wife who is neither beautiful or vivacious but sweet and dull, and certain to stay out of trouble.
Dared to do something drastic…
The sudden interest of a certain dastardly duke is as bewildering as it is unwelcome. She’ll not throw her ambitions aside to marry a scoundrel just as her plans for self-sufficiency and freedom are coming to fruition. Surely showing the man she’s not actually the meek little wallflower he is looking for should be enough to put paid to his intentions? When Prue is dared by her friends to do something drastic, it seems the perfect opportunity to kill two birds.
However, Prue cannot help being intrigued by the rogue who has inspired so many of her romances. Ordinarily, he plays the part of handsome rake, set on destroying her plucky heroine. But is he really the villain of the piece this time, or could he be the hero?
Finding out will be dangerous, but it just might inspire her greatest story yet.
To Dare a Duke
Also check out Emma’s regency romance series, Rogues & Gentlemen. Available now!
The Rogue
Rogues & Gentlemen Book 1
The notorious Rogue that began it all.
Set in Cornwall, 1815. Wild, untamed and isolated. Lawlessness is the order of the day and smuggling is rife.
Henrietta always felt most at home in the wilds of the outdoors but even she had no idea how the mysterious and untamed would sweep her away in a moment.
Bewitched by his wicked blue eyes.
Henrietta Morton knows to look the other way when the free trading 'gentlemen' are at work.
Yet when a notorious pirate bursts into her local village shop, she can avert her eyes no more. Bewitched by his wicked blue eyes, a moment of insanity follows as Henrietta hides the handsome fugitive from the Militia.
Her reward is a kiss, lingering and unforgettable.
In his haste to flee, the handsome pirate drops a letter, a letter that lays bare a tale of betrayal. When Henrietta’s father gives her hand in marriage to a wealthy and villainous nobleman in return for the payment of his debts, she becomes desperate.
Blackmailing a pirate may be her only hope for freedom.
Free to read on Kindle Unlimited: The Rogue.
Interested in a Regency Romance with a twist?
A Dog in a Doublet
The Regency Romance Mysteries Book 2
A man with a past
Harry Browning was a motherless guttersnipe, and the morning he came across the elderly Alexander Preston, The Viscount Stamford, clinging to a sheer rock face he didn't believe in fate. But the fates have plans for Harry whether he believes or not, and he's not entirely sure he likes them.
As a reward for his bravery, and in an unusual moment of charity, miserly Lord Stamford takes him on. He is taught to read, to manage the vast and crumbling estate, and to behave like a gentleman, but Harry knows that is something he will never truly be.
Already running from a dark past, his future is becoming increasingly complex as he finds himself caught in a tangled web of jealousy and revenge.
A feisty young maiden
Temptation, in the form of the lovely Lady Clarinda Bow, is a constant threat to his peace of mind, enticing him to be something he isn't. But when the old man dies his will makes a surprising demand, and the fates might just give Harry the chance to have everything he ever desired, including Clara, if only he dares.
And as those close to the Preston family begin to die, Harry may not have any choice.
A Dog in a Doublet
Lose yourself in Emma’s paranormal world with The French Vampire Legend series…
The Key to Erebus
The French Vampire Legend Book 1
The truth can kill you.
Taken away as a small child, from a life where vampires, the Fae, and other mythical creatures are real and treacherous, the beautiful young witch, Jéhenne Corbeaux is totally unprepared when she returns to rural France to live with her eccentric Grandmother.
Thrown headlong into a world she knows nothing about she seeks to learn the truth about herself, uncovering secrets more shocking than anything she could ever have imagined and finding that she is by no means powerless to protect the ones she loves.
Despite her Gran’s dire warnings, she is inexorably drawn to the dark and terrifying figure of Corvus, an ancient vampire and master of the vast Albinus family.
Jéhenne is about to find her answers and discover that, not only is Corvus far more dangerous than she could ever imagine, but that he holds much more than the key to her heart …
FREE to read on Kindle Unlimited The Key to Erebus
Check out Emma’s exciting fantasy series with hailed by Kirkus Reviews as “An enchanting fantasy with a likable heroine, romantic intrigue, and clever narrative flourishes.”
The Dark Prince
The French Fae Legend Book 1
Two Fae Princes
One Human Woman
And a world ready to tear them all apart.
Laen Braed is Prince of the Dark fae, with a temper and reputation to match his black eyes, and a heart that despises the human race. When he is sent back through the forbidden gates between realms to retrieve an ancient fae artefact, he returns home with far more than he bargained for.
Corin Albrecht, the most powerful Elven Prince ever born. His golden eyes are rumoured to be a gift from the gods, and destiny is calling him. With a love for the human world that runs deep, his friendship with Laen is being torn apart by his prejudices.