The Trouble With Seduction. Victoria Hanlen

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Название The Trouble With Seduction
Автор произведения Victoria Hanlen
Жанр Историческая литература
Серия
Издательство Историческая литература
Год выпуска 0
isbn 9781474049641



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       Rebellious, Scandalous, and Irredeemable

      Sarah, Lady Strathford is ready for a little harmless frivolity with a man of her own age and her own appetites… surely that’s not too much to ask! After the death of her beloved husband years before, Sarah is ready for an adventure… Enter the dashing, roguish – and baffling – Mr Cornelius Ravenhill.

      Ravenhill, however, is not the gentleman he seems, and soon Sarah finds herself battling against the corrupt and harsh world around her as it threatens to destroy all she holds dear. The question is, will her seduction at the hands of Mr Ravenhill prove to be her savior or her downfall?

       The Trouble with Seduction

      Victoria Hanlen

       www.CarinaUK.com

       VICTORIA HANLEN

      Award winning, historical romance author, VICTORIA HANLEN, has worked at a wide range of jobs, from fashion, to corporate business, to treading the boards of stage and professional opera. A lifelong writer, she once put her skills to use in PR and advertising. But the writing she enjoys most is dreaming up stories with happily ever afters. Victoria and her husband live in rural New England surrounded by a host of wildlife. For more, please visit her at:

       http://victoriahanlen.com

       https://www.facebook.com/VictoriaHanlen

       https://www.twitter.com/VictoriaHanlen

      Immense gratitude goes to my fabulous editor, Victoria Oundjian, for her patient guidance and for taking a chance on a new author. Many thanks goes to the very talented Carina UK team. You continue to amaze me with your brilliant, creative work.

      To Ann Clement, Julia Gabriel, Anna James, Jael Wye, Jamie Beck and Jessica Trapp—thanks for the honesty, laughter and enthusiasm. It’s meant the world to me. I so appreciate the camaraderie and encouragement of the Connecticut Romance Writers of America.

      I’m also grateful for my very supportive family. You are my moorings and inspiration.

      Most of all, thank you dear reader for choosing to spend a few hours with The Trouble with Seduction. I hope Sarah and Damen entertained you.

      To my husband.

       Contents

       Cover

       Blurb

       Title Page

       Author Bio

       Acknowledgments

       Dedication

      Chapter One

      Chapter Two

      Chapter Three

      Chapter Four

       Chapter Eight

       Chapter Nine

       Chapter Ten

       Chapter Eleven

       Chapter Twelve

       Chapter Thirteen

       Chapter Fourteen

       Chapter Fifteen

       Chapter Sixteen

       Chapter Seventeen

       Chapter Eighteen

       Chapter Nineteen

       Chapter Twenty

       Chapter Twenty-one

       Chapter Twenty-two

       Chapter Twenty-three

       Chapter Twenty-four

       Chapter Twenty-five

       Chapter Twenty-six

       Chapter Twenty-seven

       Chapter Twenty-eight

       Chapter Twenty-nine

       Chapter Thirty

       Chapter Thirty-one

       Chapter Thirty-two

       Chapter Thirty-three

       Epilogue

       Excerpt

       Endpages

       Copyright

       CHAPTER 1

       London, England, April 1855

      Sarah Strathford brushed a pesky curl out of her eye and glanced at the clocks lining the shelves of her elegant boudoir. Their mélange of rhythms had gone from cheerful patter to nettles in her ears. Each tick taunted that her time had once again been appropriated.

      Megpeas, her butler, appeared in the doorway. “My apologies, my lady…”

      “I know, I know. Is my brother still here?”

      “Yes, my lady. He and Lord Lumsley have made themselves comfortable in the parlor.” Megpeas’s stiff mask indicated they’d run roughshod over him again.

      Sarah capped her fountain pen, slid her Mission of Mercy’s account ledger into her desk and tried not to frown at her butler. It wasn’t his fault this made the third time this week her brother and his boon companion decided to pop by. “Very well, I will see to them now.”

      While descending the stairs, Sarah fumed over what this would do to her crowded schedule. Idle hands were the devil’s handiwork, but more importantly, being productive kept her mind from dwelling on uncomfortable subjects.

      As a consequence, she did not like surprises. Especially surprise visits from her brother on the pretext of a friendly chat with his choice for her next husband. Hopefully, after a polite word or two, she could send them on their way.

      When Sarah reached the first landing of the grand, heart-shaped staircase, she paused to gaze at the magnificent rotunda with the larger-than-life statue of David. The sight still took her breath away. Though not as large as Spencer House, Strathford