Invitation to Ruin...
Chapter One
London, 1808
The rogue society dubbed "The Lord of Wicked" lurked in the dimly lit recesses of Lady Sudbury's ballroom. To most people the room was the epitome of warmth, with its blaze of candles and displayed finery, but for Anthony James Craven, the fifth Earl of Wickham, it held absolutely no appeal.
He was here to partake in his favorite pastimes --sin and vice. Appetites a notorious rake craved, drew him like a malefactor summoned to hell. Thanks to his father, he was full of sin. Sin he could never atone for. Instead, he chose to lose himself in pleasure. Pleasure, at least temporarily, helped him block the memories he would give his very soul to forget.
He kept to the shadows, hiding from the sycophantic throng, while he searched for the one woman who'd enticed him into breaking all his own rules and attending the event of the Season...
Read More - due for release Feb 2011 Kensington BRAVA
Bronwen Evans's Regency Seductions...
Love -intoxicating and utterly ravishing...
Invitation to Scandal...
Chapter One
Deal, Kent, England 1810
The scent of sex and cheap perfume hung in the air, and a woman's contented sighs filled the Tavern's moonlit bedchamber. However, the mewing sounds were not loud enough to blanket the soft thud of clumsy tiptoeing feet.
"Lord Strathmore, you were wonderful…" If her moans of pleasure had been anything to go by, he'd performed more than adequately for the inebriated gentleman he was portraying.
Perhaps too well.
Thankfully, the thieves were overly bold.
Rufus Knight, Viscount Strathmore, had been aware of the two men the instant they'd entered his room, even though he had been otherwise pleasantly engaged. Normally he preferred to take his pleasure without an audience but tonight he welcomed the intrusion.
The windows of the bedchamber, upstairs in the seethe pit called the Bosom's Inn, were wide open on this humid night and the sound of ships groaning against their moorings provided a soft background symphony. Located next to the Deal docks, the tavern was always full of undesirable's -- cutthroats, roughens and drunkards.
Just the sort of men he sought.
Rufus stilled his rapid breathing. The adrenalin surging to every extremity of his body, kept his post-climatic heart pounding. His plan was working. He was ready. He had laid his trap and the worms had taken the bait...
Due for release 2011 Kensington BRAVA
Lord of Addiction...
Prologue
The Greek Isle of Mykonos, August 1800
Alexander Smythe, the Earl of Montford, on no account considered himself a hero. In all his twenty-three years, he'd never rescued anyone, let alone a young girl.
Her sorrowful cry, vented the still night air, unsettling him. It drifted down the stairs, her fear projected in every note, desperate to be heard over the din from the drunken men in the Taverna below. The human dregs inside ignored it. Too intent on indulging their own imbibing pleasures, drinking all they could before the sun heralded in a new day.
All except Alex.
With a frown he inwardly admitted the night was not progressing as audaciously as he'd hoped. He ached from the strain of not moving; the muscles in his neck corded with tension and his tattered clothes were soaked in sweat. At three in the morning, the cicadas haunting the night air, added to the night's rousing symphony, and the smell from the nearby docks was overpowering.
As the minutes continued to tick by his apprehension mounted. He knew the girl was here, knew she would be frightened, and knew he was her only hope. With each soulful cry carried down the stairs on the putrid breeze, his gut tightened...
Lord of the Wager...
Prologue
London, April 1805
"You aren't having second thoughts are you Grayson? Hell and damnation, I never thought I'd see the day one of the infamous 'Three Devils' wasn't tempted by a beautiful woman."
Grayson Devlin, the fifth Duke of Warrington, ignored the icy tentacles gripping his innards. The evening was not going as planned.
He raised one dark foreboding eyebrow, and turning towards his friend, the Earl of Blackstone, he said, "Don't rush me, Simon. I'm trying to decide if I'll concentrate on pleasuring just one woman, or if I'll have all six." Then breaking into his trademark seductive smile, he added, "At the same time."
"That's more like it. I do admire your composure for a man in your position. I suspect you're having to hold on to every ounce of your stoic reserve given you're current predicament."
His two closest friends, Simon Dutton and Charles Wentworth, were seated in high-backed chairs beside him, their legs out stretched near the fire in Madame Sabine's fine establishment, half empty brandy balloons in hand. They both appeared far too at ease. Although, he grudgingly admitted to himself this was their home away from home. Sabine's sin club was their favorite haunt, part high-class brothel and part gaming hell. Charles, Viscount Hawksvale, was so relaxed, with eyes closed, Grayson wondered if he were asleep.
Tonight the three gentlemen were ensconced in one of the smaller salons for their own private party. The rumor mill would be churning. It had been several months since the 'Three Devils' had been seen together. Society would be waiting with bated breath for all the depraved details of their night. Nothing titillated the ton as the escapades of these three noted rakes.
With amusement in his voice Simon continued, "But we digress. Let's move on to more pleasant tasks. First, you have to choose just one of the delicious beauties before you. You can have the other five lovelies, if you so desire, after you've met the first requirement of our wager."
With a heady mixture of desire and trepidation, Grayson returned his steady gaze to the six, stunningly beautiful, courtesans lounging about the room, openly displaying their bountiful treats. Each of their intoxicating fragrances, mixed with the quantity of brandy he'd drunk, had his head spinning.
"Indeed," Grayson agreed. "So, each delectable beauty in this room represents a town, is that correct? I want to ensure I clearly understand the rules of this wager. I like to win fair and square..."
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