A Lady of Expectations and Other Stories. Kasey Michaels

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      From acclaimed authors Stephanie Laurens, Nicola Cornick and Kasey Michaels come three enchanting tales to exceed expectations.

      A Lady of Expectations

      Jack Lester seeks the perfect bride—one who is attractive and kind, but who also loves him in spite of his wealth. Which is why he keeps this trifling detail hidden. But when Sophie Winterton enters his life, believing he must marry into wealth to run his family’s estate, how will he convince her that she is the woman he desires—and that he can be the husband she deserves?

      Secrets of a Courtesan

      Eve Nightingale thought she had put her past as mistress to the Duke of Welburn behind her. But when the handsome duke strolls into her small village, she finds it hard to keep her secrets concealed…and to keep her heart from stirring for him once again.

      How to Woo a Spinster

      Governess Maggie Stover is outraged when she is coerced into harboring a pirate in her home, lest her family face eviction. Though she may have a change of heart when she realizes the pirate is in fact the long-lost, and devilishly alluring, Duke of Trevere.

      Praise for #1 New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Laurens

      “All I need is her name on the cover to make me pick up the book.”

      —New York Times bestselling author Linda Howard

      “Laurens’s writing shines.”

      —Publishers Weekly

      “Superbly sensual…elegantly written…splendidly entertaining.”

      —Booklist

      Praise for USA TODAY bestselling author Nicola Cornick

      “Her books are fabulous.”

      —New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn

      “A rising star of the Regency arena.”

      —Publishers Weekly

      “A wonderfully original, sinfully amusing and sexy Regency historical by the always entertaining Cornick.”

      —Booklist on The Confessions of a Duchess

      Praise for USA TODAY bestselling author Kasey Michaels

      “Kasey Michaels aims for the heart and never misses.”

      —New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts

      “The historical elements…imbue the novel with powerful realism that will keep readers coming back.”

      —Publishers Weekly on A Midsummer Night’s Sin

      “One of the finest Regency writers does it again… Wit, humor and cleverness combine to create an utterly delicious romance, just the kind readers relish.”

      —RT Book Reviews on The Taming of the Rake

      A Lady of Expectations and Other Stories

      A Lady of Expectations

      Stephanie Laurens

      The Secrets of a Courtesan

      Nicola Cornick

      How to Woo a Spinster

      Kasey Michaels

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

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      Contents

       A Lady of Expectations

       The Secrets of a Courtesan

       How to Woo a Spinster

      A Lady of Expectations

      Stephanie Laurens

      Readers can contact Stephanie at [email protected]. For information on all of Stephanie’s books, including updates on novels to come, visit Stephanie’s website at www.stephanielaurens.com.

      Contents

       Chapter One

       Chapter Two

       Chapter Three

       Chapter Four

       Chapter Five

       Chapter Six

       Chapter Seven

       Chapter Eight

       Chapter Nine

       Chapter Ten

       Chapter Eleven

       Chapter Twelve

       Chapter Thirteen

       Chapter Fourteen

      CHAPTER ONE

      “LADY ASFORDBY, OF ASFORDBY GRANGE, requests the pleasure of the company of Mr. Jack Lester, of Rawling’s Cottage, and guests, at a ball.”

      Ensconced in an armchair by the fireplace, a glass of brandy in one long-fingered hand, the white card of Lady Asfordby’s invitation in the other, Jack Lester made the pronouncement with ill-disguised gloom.

      “She’s the grand dame of these parts, ain’t she?” Lord Percy Almsworthy was the second of the three gentlemen taking their ease in the parlour of Jack’s hunting box. Outside, the wind howled about the eaves and tugged at the shutters. All three had ridden to hounds that day, taking the field with the Quorn. But while both Jack and his brother Harry, presently sprawled on the chaise, were clipping riders, up with the best of them, Percy had long ago taken Brummel’s lead, indefatigable in turning out precise to a pin but rarely venturing beyond the first