HER
MYSTERY DUKE is an erotic Regency historical romance, light BDSM
elements/spanking, Rubenesque /BBW, May-Dec, Nobleman hero-impoverished
heroine. For adults 18+ only.
This novel length ebook is approx. 85,000.
Excerpt From HER MYSTERY DUKE.
Copyright© Natasha Blackthorne, 2013
All Rights Reserved.
Chapter One
London, England
Winter, 1813
Indecent. The tall gentleman’s stare was
the most blatantly indecent assault Jeanne had ever encountered. Deeper than
intense. Intimate, as if he knew everything thing about her.
That penetrating gaze set her palms
sweating and made her mouth dry. It was a direct threat. No one could possibly
know her. She kept herself too well protected, hidden beneath layers of aloof
disinterest. Yet she found herself unable to look away. She just sat there and
let that gaze burn her. Burn through the wall she kept between herself and the
world. It even seeped under her skin and melted her blood into warmed honey.
A single pane of rain-splattered glass separated
them. The thudding of her heart in her ears blocked out the sounds from the
common room of the coffee shop and created a sense of isolation.
He wore no hat and his hair lay plastered
like spilt black ink streaked across his high, broad forehead. Rain dripped
over hard chiseled cheekbones, down an aquiline nose and square jaw, over
shoulders that were made even more impossibly broad by a dark blue greatcoat.
He was like something from a dream. A
harlot’s very naughty dream.
Oh really. A handsome, mysterious stranger,
one who was intensely interested in her and seemed to know all about her? Her
imagination was running away with her, taking a life of its own. She closed her
eyes and shook her head slightly. The wine hadn’t been that strong as to make
her conjure carnal fantasies in mid-afternoon. In public. She dared to look
again.
The tall gentleman was gone.
There, see? An author of fairy stories
couldn’t be fooled by a waking dream. And yet cold, heaviness sank through her
insides, a feeling of loss. How utterly ridiculous. Irritated with herself,
Jeanne bent over her mug, inhaling the fruity, spicy scent of mulled wine, and
listened to the low rumble of conversations around her. Mrs. Roberts had a new
blue bonnet and she was preening like a peacock. Mr. Taylor announced to his
friends that he’d just become engaged to Miss Smith and his companions were
alternately ribbing and toasting him.
Once a week, she ventured from her garret
to this little coffee shop to be among people, as an observer. A customer,
keeping a protective distance.
“Miss Darling.”The slightly nervous, boyish
voice broke into her peace. “You usually come here on Saturday.”
She forced the irritation from her
expression and looked up to meet his freckled face. “Yes, Paul, this week I
decided on a change.”
She kept her tone cool and polite, as
always.
Mr. Ratherford, her publisher, had sent a
note, informing her that she must present herself at his offices and bring the
fairy tales he’d requested. As an author of children’s stories, she’d been
working for months on the stories but she still had one more story to write,
the grand finale in a leather bound volume of the stories that she hoped to
have printed. However, she’d been unable to write for several weeks. The harder
she tried to create a story, the less she liked anything she wrote. Today, that
note had put her into a state of desperation. She’d come here to try and
stimulate her mind. It had worked a little too well judging from the daydream of
the handsome, mysterious stranger.
“A special occasion?” Paul’s words cut into
her thoughts again.
Oh bother! She took a deep breath and
struggled to find more patience. Once Paul Cook started, he never let up. But
he was just a boy, and a kind one at that. She bit back an impatient response.
Her concentration, her peace, however: they
were gone. Never mind. The wind was howling with more intensity outside, and
the winter’s day was growing dark far too early. It was time to leave.
As she reached down to retrieve her
reticule, the odor of wet wool intruded on her senses, mingled with the
citrus-soapy scent of a gentleman’s shaving lotion. A body close to hers. Too
close. She jerked her head up and faced a waking dream.
His greatcoat was opened to reveal a fine,
silk, embroidered waistcoat that encompassed a broad chest, which narrowed into
a flat-as-boards stomach. Water dripped from his hair, leaving wet spots on his
hopelessly crushed cravat. He didn’t seem to be aware of his dishevelment.
She met his eyes. His gaze intensified,
turning to brilliant, intimidating greenish fire, like an emerald catching the
sunlight. Thick, dark lashes and heavy black brows made the color appear even
richer.
“Thérèse.”
His voice was deep yet hushed and utterly
masculine. It sent another curl of heat through her, stronger, penetrating all
the way down from her chest to her navel and into her womb. However, it was the
note of despair that made her catch her breath.
Pressure swelled in her throat, a pang of
sympathy. Sympathy for others was the most dangerous emotion of all. It could
lead one to make painful, unwise sacrifices.
She’d never had such an immediate reaction
like this to any man. Tingles raced from her midsection to her toes, not
arousal this time but an urge to run. He was dangerous.
And Thérèse? Clearly he was grossly
mistaken. Or foxed.
She stood, then took a deep breath,
released it and raised her brows up in a haughty mask.“Pardon me, sir?”
His expression sharpened. He took her arm,
harshly. “Don’t toy with me.”
She pulled back and he tightened his grip.
His hand was large. His hold stronger than any gentleman she’d known.
He leaned so close she could have brushed
her lips against his. “Don’t pretend that you don’t know me?”
His deep, hushed voice sent pleasurable
shivers through her but Jeanne pushed the sensation aside. As his breath wafted
over her, she inhaled deeply but couldn’t detect any odor of spirits. Prickles
raced over her scalp like a thousand needles.
Perhaps the gentleman wasn’t in full
control over his mental faculties. Dear God. Just like Papa. She’d spent her
youth caring for her father in his varying stages of insanity. Life with him
had become a prison. Since his death, she had lived in fear of the unbalanced.
Now she’d become the target of a stranger’s madness. Another series of prickles
raced over her scalp.
She met the stranger’s gaze levelly.
“What’s your game?”
“Thérèse, don‘t be this way.” His whisper,
laced with steel, was so low, that she unwittingly leaned closer. “We needn’t
make any dramatics here. We’re going home.”
This near to him, Jeanne noted the
glassiness of his eyes. Again, she sniffed. No hint of alcohol. But then again,
having experienced all of Papa’s variances of sanity, she had an instinct for
spotting others who were likewise afflicted. This man was definitely afflicted
in his mind.
This was the exact situation she always
dreaded. Since her girlhood, she always watched others, seeking any sign of
madness. She’d had to cope with Papa, that had been her duty, but she was
always careful to keep others who showed any inkling of mental instability at a
safe distance. How stupid of her to have let herself be distracted by this
man’s masculine beauty.
Angry at herself, she jerked her arm,
trying once again to free herself. His grip remained relentless.
“Thérèse!” Again, the low steely whisper.
“Behave yourself.”
How unwise of her. An insane person could
react unpredictably. She ought not provoke him. Yet she knew it was important
to present a strong, confident front.
“Sir, I am not your Thérèse and have no
wish to be. So please unhand me.” Her heart was hammering at her chest wall so
violently, she had trouble keeping her voice even. She lifted her chin and
stared at him steadily. “Now.”
“You are deliberately pushing me, Thérèse.
I don’t appreciate it.”
Boots sounded on the floorboards. The sound
drew her attention to how quiet the public room had become. She glanced around.
The other patrons were staring.
“Miss Darling, is everything all right?”
The tall gentleman turned to Paul and
regarded him with an icy, haughty stare. “The lady is a friend. Please go back
to your counter and mind your business.”
At the velvet over iron tone, the young
man’s eyes grew round. He took one step backward and then another, then stood
looking uneasy.
“Are you having a spot of trouble here,
Miss Darling?”
Jeanne turned to face the shop owner, a
large, barrel-chested man.
The stranger exhaled long and loud. A sound
of complete exasperation. “As I told the boy, the lady is a rather close
friend. I would appreciate a little privacy.”
The shop owner turned to her. “Miss
Darling?”
Her heart froze and her chest constricted. She
placed a hand to her throat. She didn’t know what to say.
“The gent don’t look right to me.”The
owner’s wife squinted at the stranger.
Jeanne glanced at the gentleman’s handsome
profile and the proud jut of his jaw. He gazed at her sideways and she caught
her breath. There was something about that brief gaze. A lost, disorientated
air. Just like Papa when he had been in one of his worst spells and he was
trying to hide it by acting arrogantly assertive.
But she had seen. The stranger was truly
not in his right mind.
He swayed then braced his hands on the back
of the chair and caught himself. Arrogance fell over his face like a mask.
Jeanne’s throat ached. He was so
vulnerable. So alone.
Mrs. Cook motioned to the chair Jeanne had
vacated. “Sir, you better sit.”
The gentleman stared at the matron, well,
rather he glowered down his nose at her. “If you please, the lady and I have
some personal business to attend to.”
His eyes jerked from side to side. At the
alarming motion, Jeanne started.He seemed to lurch forward. She looked down and
saw his hands gripping the chair back. The knuckles were white. The ache in her
throat increased.
“Paul.”
Jeanne glanced back at Mrs.Cook. The woman
wrinkled her forehead. “Go fetch Dr. Miller.”
Paul walked to the door.
“Quickly now.” Mrs. Cook’s voice carried
urgency and she made a shooing motion.
A doctor.
Memories rose in Jeanne’s mind. Her father
screaming, his face contorted in torment as the doctor painted yet another
mustard plaster on his skin in an attempt to draw the poisonous humors out. The
endless purges and emetics. None of it doing anything to cure Papa’s mad fits
and mental lapses. And then finally, the insane asylum.
But that was how people dealt with madness.
It would be how they would deal with this obviously touched gentleman. As if
her stays had suddenly shrunk, her chest constricted. No, no, it wasn’t her
place to step out of her way to aid this gentleman. He wasn’t her
responsibility. She owed him nothing. Her breathing came shorter, faster. It
wasn’t safe to stick one’s neck out. And yet the words rose. She tried to hold
them back but they burst out, “There‘s no need for a doctor.”
Mrs. Cook frowned deeper. “But he called
you Thérèse, that’s a French girl’s name, not yours.”
“He is calling me by my middle name.”
Jeanne held her breath and waited to see if this lie would be accepted.
Mrs. Cook blinked several times. “You have
a French middle name?”
“Yes. My mother’s mother was French.”
Another lie.
The matron’s eyes narrowed. “Just how does
this gentleman know you? He seems very well off to be on familiar terms with a
decent girl from around here.”
Jeanne caught herself biting her lip. She
quickly released it and gave the first answer that came to mind. “He’s my
cousin, on my mother’s side, twice removed.”
Again, Mrs. Cook blinked a few times. Then
her mouth twisted until she looked like she’d just tasted a particularly sour
lemon.
“My cousin is not well.”
“Apparently. More likely drunk as a lord.”
Mrs. Cook’s tone became sourer than her expression. “I don’t like this.”
“Pardon me?”Jeanne tried for genteel
outrage.
Mrs. Cook’s tone became sharper. “I have
known you since you started coming here on Saturdays with your Papa. I always
thought you were such a dedicated daughter. A good girl. But I don’t like
having fancy pieces courting trade in my shop.”
“Mrs. Cook, this man is my cousin.”
“A wealthy relation who didn’t help you
when your dear Papa was ill?”
“My cousin was out of the country at that
time—he was in India, making his fortune.”
Mrs. Cook looked from Jeanne to the
gentleman and back. Several times. “I don’t see any family resemblance.”
Jeanne swallowed against a tightening
throat. Could everyone hear the pounding of her heart? “I favor my father’s
side. H-he is my cousin.”
Her voice came out so strained that she
cringed internally.
The matron’s expression hardened. “I think
you met this gentleman under less than respectable conditions. Perhaps in a
place where you’re known by a false name, a fancy French name to make yourself
sound more interesting to wealthy gentlemen.”
Jeanne’s mouth dried and anxiety twisted
her insides. “That’s not how it happened.”
“I’d appreciate if you took your cousin and
left. I’d also appreciate if you never came back. I run a decent shop here, not
a place of disorderly assignation.”
Jeanne sucked in a deep breath. That had
hurt. More than she wished to admit. This was her place of comfort and respite
when her isolation became too much. And she was a horrible liar. But what else
could she have done? Consigned this gentleman to Bedlam? Oh God. She’d known he
was dangerous. Why hadn’t she listened to that inner voice?
She glanced up at the gentleman. He was
gazing at her with an odd, confused expression. Were his eyes a bit glassy?
Might he be ill, instead of insane? Surely, if he were that ill, he’d be in
bed.
She reached a hand to him. “Let’s leave.”
The gentleman released the chair then took
her hand and laced his fingers with hers as naturally as if he’d always done
so. “Come, Thérèse.”
They walked sedately out of the coffee
shop, just like that, with their gloved hands intertwined.
The rain had let up yet the wind still
gusted. With her free hand, she readjusted her scarf. His hold remained firm on
her hand until they had traveled a block away. The strength of his grip sent
prickles of fear darting into her. He could easily overpower her, if his insane
whim so dictated.
He stopped just as they were about to turn
the corner, and he looked down at her. A slight smile softened his mouth. “My
darling.”
Dear heavens, he was such a gorgeous man.
Dangerous, utterly dangerous. But he was still a madman. Any sensible person
knew well to be frightened of the insane, she more than anyone. She returned
his smile but only to placate him.
“Are we headed in the proper direction for
the mews?” he asked.
“Yes, we are. They are just down this
street and to the right.”
“Esau has the carriage there.”
Well, there it was. She’d done her part
keeping him out of the clutches of an overzealous doctor. God and this Esau
fellow would have to watch over him now. She wasn’t about to get anywhere near
his carriage and risk him shoving her bodily into it.
She offered another, hopefully warm, smile.
She must have succeeded for he relaxed his
grip on her hand and they resumed walking. As they rounded the corner, she
slipped her hand from his.
And ran.
“Thérèse!”
Her heart pounded and she ran faster.
“Stop, please. For the love of God!” His
tone was hollow with desolation. Her sympathy panged her yet again.
Unwittingly, she glanced over her shoulder.
Wind whipped the gentleman’s dark forelock.
He leaned against a street lamp, one hand holding his side. He appeared to be
panting for breath, his expression a mask of loss and despair.
Just like Papa. She’d seen those emotions
on her father’s face too many times. But the expression appeared so out of place
on such an arrogant, masculine face. Her heart constricted. She turned to face
the direction she was running and put all her energy into it.
Something came between her foot and the
pavement. She lost her balance and fell forward. As the bricks rose to meet
her, she threw her hands out to brace her fall. She cried out then reeled from
the fall. Her arm began to burn like fire. She knew she wouldn’t be able to run
easily for much longer.
She hauled herself to her feet and scanned
the shop fronts.
Mrs. Mason’s Bakery.
Relief washed over her. Mrs. Mason had
always been friendly. She had even given her day-old bread, on days when she
couldn’t pay.
She darted into the shop and the scent of
baking bread and spicy cinnamon and apples comforted her.
“Good day, Miss Darling!” Mrs. Mason sang
out. “What shall it be today?
“I think I shall have whatever smells of
apples and spice.”
“You sit and I’ll bring it right out.”
Jeanne sank into the nearest chair. Moments
later, Mrs. Mason brought hot tea and apple pie. But Jeanne found the pie
tasted like ashes and could only manage a few tiny bites. Unable to stop
twitching and fidgeting, she kept catching herself glancing back at the window.
She jerked her head away.
No, don’t look. He is not your affair.
She forced herself to focus on Mrs. Mason’s
steady chatter. The wind made a long, low, threatening howling sound. Such a
dreadful day. What about—
No, he isn’t your responsibility.
A loud crash seemed to rumble through her
body and shake her bones and resound in the pit of her stomach.
What happened? An accident? A carriage
trying to avoid a disorientated pedestrian and yet hitting them all the same?
She jumped to her feet and rushed to the
window. Some crates had blown over. Men were shouting and running about. The
sky had grown darker.
Against all her caution, her gaze was drawn
back to the direction whence she had come.
Oh God, there he was, staggering down the
street in a wavering pattern. For such a stalwart-looking man, the gentleman
walked so oddly, so slowly. Had he been in the war perhaps and suffered some
irreparable head injury that had left him this way?
Almost completely in front of the shop, he
glanced up. He had that lost, desolate look.
Her throat burned.
His gaze sharpened. Honed in on her.
Oh, damn. How stupid of her. Of course,
he’d seen her at the window. She stepped back several paces. But it was too
late. He began walking toward the door.
“Isn’t it just dreadful weather, Miss
Darling?” Mrs. Mason exclaimed. “My Ben can take you home in the gig later, if
you like. Come sit back down and have a chat.”
Jeanne didn’t answer, her gaze was fixed on
the gentleman as he reached for the door. He was coming in. And he looked
absolutely furious, in a cold, controlled way that was all the more
frightening. Her hand flew to her mouth to stop the cry of protest that sprung
from the depths of her and she backed away from the window.
The little bell tinkled as he entered, an
incongruously gay herald. His eyes blazed into hers. She gave a little squeak
and took several steps backwards until her bottom hit one of the display cases.
Blurb for HER MYSTERY DUKE:
Jeanne Darling
spent her adolescence coping with her father’s increasing illness and insanity.
Left alone by his death and plunged into poverty, she did what she had to do to
survive. Now still reeling from the overwhelming physical and emotional demands
her father’s care required, she values her peace above all. She doesn’t need
anyone or anything except her writing and the safety of her rented garret
chamber. She’s about to rise above her past and create financial independence
for herself. What she absolutely does not need is the mysterious and possibly
insane stranger who walks into the coffee shop and into her life.
David Somerville,
the Duke of Hartley, has known pain and betrayal from the people closest to
him. Born to privilege, power and wealth, and filled with idealistic vision for
humane change, he gives all of himself to his political career. He keeps his
life circumspectly under control. But one day, all the carefully arranged
threads of his life unravel and his life intersects with Jeanne’s in a way that
challenges his view of everything he thinks he knows.
Leagues apart in
society, they can only have one possible future, that of protector and
mistress. And neither wants to risk deeper connection. However, their
overwhelming attraction and resulting sexual games provide them with pleasures
neither of them has ever known. Will their sensual journey lead them to
discover something rare and magical? Or will their seemingly insurmountable
differences and passionate personal goals drive them apart?
Reader
Warning: HER MYSTERY DUKE
is a work of historical erotic romance. It is not meant to be a guide to or an
accurate portrayal of modern BDSM lifestyles or practices. This story contains
graphic descriptions of sexual acts and frank sexual language. It also contains
light bondage, anal play, sexual toys, cunnilingus, fellatio, voyeurism,
masturbation and spanking. Please be aware, there are no scenes of ménage or
sexual sharing in this story.
As a bonus, two
erotic Regency era romances from my backlist, A MEASURED RISK and GREY'S LADY,
are both on sale at Amazon and All Romance E-Books for .99 for a limited time.
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