Four Dukes and a Devil by Jeaniene Frost, Cathy Maxwell, Tracy Anne Warren, Sophia Nash, Elaine Fox Read Free Book Online Page B
have come to me for their money,” he added under his breath.
Roan laughed. “Then let me solve the matter now. Your Grace?” he said, offering his hand to his wife.
She placed a gloved hand in his, and he led her to the dance floor. The crowd moved back, and the other dancers stepped back, leaving the floor for them.
“That must have been quite a wager,” Susan murmured.
Her husband smiled. “My lips are sealed.”
The music started, and, for a second, Susan was lost in the perfect wonder of the evening. They moved as one, and she was so caught up in the music and being in the arms of the man she loved, she forgot about their audience. She forgot her past. She forgot about everything but her present and her future.
Too soon, the music came to an end.
Both Roan and Susan were startled, and very flattered, when the crowd clapped for their performance. Susan knew she had been accepted.
Her husband leaned close. “Don’t be too ahead of yourself,” he warned. “After all, we have to sit down the table from Marlborough and the others.”
Susan rewarded his impudence with a kiss that delighted the crowd, who swooped in on them with their well-wishes. Ellen and Jane found themselves standing on the fringes of the crowd.
Rees couldn’t help but smile. He was relieved he wasn’t going to have to make good on all those bets.
Lady Theresa stood by the doors leading out to the garden watching all this. Miss Rogers looked so happy, so loved.
And she felt so alone.
Tears threatened. She slipped outside, wanting a private moment alone. If her father saw her crying, he’d be very annoyed.
She swiped her cheeks with the back of her hand. She’d been such a fool. Gerald had loved her, and she’d treated him badly. What she wouldn’t give to have his love back—
“ Theresa. ”
It was her beloved Gerald’s voice. At first, she thought she was imagining things, but then she saw him. He stood in the night shadows by the garden gate.
Without hesitation, she lifted her skirt hem and ran to him. His arms around her were strong and secure. They kissed, and she wept, overwhelmed with her love for this man. Her parents would never approve of him…but she could love no one else.
“I was so wrong,” she declared, but he shushed her with a kiss.
When they could speak again, her beloved asked, “Will you go to Scotland with me, Theresa?”
She turned, looked back at the glittering company in the ballroom that could be seen through the glass doors. Her heart twisted at the thought of her parents—and yet, this was her life.
She chose Love.
“Now,” she answered Gerald. “This very minute.”
And so it was that on that March night, a new set of lovers eloped.
Because in the end, the measure of a well-lived life is not titles or riches. It’s not even measured by the people we please, especially at the cost of our own souls.
No, the true measure of a well-lived life is how well we love…and how well we are loved in return.
About Cathy Maxwell
CATHY MAXWELL spends hours in front of her computer pondering the question, “Why do people fall in love?” It remains for her the great mystery of life and the secret to happiness. She lives in beautiful Virginia with her children, horses, dogs, and cats. Fans can contact Cathy at www.cathymaxwell.com .
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.
The Duke Who Came to Dinner
Elaine Fox
Chapter One
D istracted, Sam Gregory took a sip of his scalding coffee and nearly spit it all over the windowpane. Swallowing painfully instead, he leaned toward the glass and stared out the window into the dawnlight of the village street.
Pedaling a bicycle with all the determination of Dorothy’s Wicked Witch of the West was a slender, fair-haired, stark-naked woman.
Stark, he marveled, forgetting his coffee.
Naked.
He moved right, nearly overturning a table lamp, to look out the next window as she sped past.
Her hair
Roan laughed. “Then let me solve the matter now. Your Grace?” he said, offering his hand to his wife.
She placed a gloved hand in his, and he led her to the dance floor. The crowd moved back, and the other dancers stepped back, leaving the floor for them.
“That must have been quite a wager,” Susan murmured.
Her husband smiled. “My lips are sealed.”
The music started, and, for a second, Susan was lost in the perfect wonder of the evening. They moved as one, and she was so caught up in the music and being in the arms of the man she loved, she forgot about their audience. She forgot her past. She forgot about everything but her present and her future.
Too soon, the music came to an end.
Both Roan and Susan were startled, and very flattered, when the crowd clapped for their performance. Susan knew she had been accepted.
Her husband leaned close. “Don’t be too ahead of yourself,” he warned. “After all, we have to sit down the table from Marlborough and the others.”
Susan rewarded his impudence with a kiss that delighted the crowd, who swooped in on them with their well-wishes. Ellen and Jane found themselves standing on the fringes of the crowd.
Rees couldn’t help but smile. He was relieved he wasn’t going to have to make good on all those bets.
Lady Theresa stood by the doors leading out to the garden watching all this. Miss Rogers looked so happy, so loved.
And she felt so alone.
Tears threatened. She slipped outside, wanting a private moment alone. If her father saw her crying, he’d be very annoyed.
She swiped her cheeks with the back of her hand. She’d been such a fool. Gerald had loved her, and she’d treated him badly. What she wouldn’t give to have his love back—
“ Theresa. ”
It was her beloved Gerald’s voice. At first, she thought she was imagining things, but then she saw him. He stood in the night shadows by the garden gate.
Without hesitation, she lifted her skirt hem and ran to him. His arms around her were strong and secure. They kissed, and she wept, overwhelmed with her love for this man. Her parents would never approve of him…but she could love no one else.
“I was so wrong,” she declared, but he shushed her with a kiss.
When they could speak again, her beloved asked, “Will you go to Scotland with me, Theresa?”
She turned, looked back at the glittering company in the ballroom that could be seen through the glass doors. Her heart twisted at the thought of her parents—and yet, this was her life.
She chose Love.
“Now,” she answered Gerald. “This very minute.”
And so it was that on that March night, a new set of lovers eloped.
Because in the end, the measure of a well-lived life is not titles or riches. It’s not even measured by the people we please, especially at the cost of our own souls.
No, the true measure of a well-lived life is how well we love…and how well we are loved in return.
About Cathy Maxwell
CATHY MAXWELL spends hours in front of her computer pondering the question, “Why do people fall in love?” It remains for her the great mystery of life and the secret to happiness. She lives in beautiful Virginia with her children, horses, dogs, and cats. Fans can contact Cathy at www.cathymaxwell.com .
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.
The Duke Who Came to Dinner
Elaine Fox
Chapter One
D istracted, Sam Gregory took a sip of his scalding coffee and nearly spit it all over the windowpane. Swallowing painfully instead, he leaned toward the glass and stared out the window into the dawnlight of the village street.
Pedaling a bicycle with all the determination of Dorothy’s Wicked Witch of the West was a slender, fair-haired, stark-naked woman.
Stark, he marveled, forgetting his coffee.
Naked.
He moved right, nearly overturning a table lamp, to look out the next window as she sped past.
Her hair
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