Synopsis
London, 1838
The handsome Earl of Summersby may just be the most eligible bachelor
in London, but has no interest in a wife. As a member of the
Brotherhood, Bennett Haile is far more vested in his undercover duties
for the crown and protecting the Queen from would-be assassins. For now
he has the perfect tool with which to lure out the villains—a young
woman with an uncanny likeness to the queen.
The spirited Evelyn Marington is about to live out every country girl's
dream—becoming royalty overnight. Under the tutelage of the arrogant
Earl of Summersby, she'll have to fool the entire court that she is, in
fact, the queen. But as danger threatens from every side, Bennett
realizes that his lovely little protegé isn't just placing her life in
his hands... She's stealing his heart.
Excerpt
“Stand and walk to the other side of the
room,” he said.
“I beg your pardon?”
“I must evaluate how you walk.”
She gaped at him. “How I walk?”
“Do try and keep up, Miss Marrington.
People will be watching.”
“Is there something wrong with how I
walk?”
“Your walk is ...” No. In truth, she
walked with an unconscious grace and agility he found charming. There
was nothing studied about her movements, nothing calculated. She
managed to be both completely natural and totally bewitching, which was
entirely beside the point. “Your walk is unstudied.”
“Are you staying I'm clumsy?” Her gaze
sparked with indignation, but perhaps a flash of pain as well. “I am
well aware that I lack the grace and cultivation of my older sisters,
but I assure you I am not some clumsy oaf who can't be trusted to walk
into a room.”
He drew in a deep breath, praying for
patience. This was why he wasn't yet married. This was why he was
absolutely the wrong man for this job.
“Your mannerisms must match hers,” he
said tightly.
She closed her eyes and took several
deep breaths before standing, then walked across the room. It was not a
clumsy or awkward gait, but not regal either.
“No.” He shook his head. “Try it again
but slower, yet with more purpose.”
She crossed her arms over her ample
bosom. “This is ridiculous.”
He allowed his gaze to linger on her
tempting curves before stepping over to her. “Miss Marrington, do you
want to do this assignment or not?”
Her mouth opened, then she paused and
her brows slanted down in anger. “My Lord, I realize that you are an
Earl and of relation to our Queen and our Society deems you more
important than I. Perhaps they are even correct; however, it would seem
to me that you,” she jabbed a finger into his chest, “need me more than
I need you for this assignment. Thus far you have insulted my family,
the way I walk and my hair. You are arrogant and rude and sorely
lacking in manners.” Her hands fisted on
her hips accenting their roundedness.
How was it that this little slip of a
woman showed no fear of him? He’d frightened women merely by walking
into their drawing room. And here, he was being a bully—and for good
reason—to Evelyn Marrington, but she was quite obviously not afraid of
him. He couldn’t help but find that both infuriating and alluring.
“You have obviously decided that I do
not possess the intelligence nor grace to succeed in this charade. I
will not stand for this sort of treatment. I should like a carriage to
bring me home on the morrow. Good day, Lord Somersby.”
She turned and marched from the room.
He watched her go in complete disbelief.
No one had ever spoken to him in such a way. Arrogant and rude! She was
the only lacking in manners. This entire assignment echoed with idiocy.
Ellis had claimed his cousin amiable and clever, neither of which
Bennett had seen. All he had witnessed was her sharp tongue.
Damned if he didn’t find her sass
alluring as hell. All the more reason to send her back home and tell
Potterfield she refused to participate. Bennett couldn’t be blamed for
this failure if she was the one who walked away.
This would work out perfectly. He’d get
to continue with the Brotherhood and not be distracted by the
ridiculously attractive and fiery-tongued Miss Marrington. It would
almost be worth completing the assignment just to see if she was as
passionate in other areas. Almost.
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Author Info
National Bestselling author, Robyn DeHart's
novels have appeared in the top bestselling romance and historical
romance lists. Her books have been translated into nearly a dozen
languages. Her historical romantic adventure series, The Legend
Hunters, were not only bestsellers, but also award-winners, snagging a
Reader's Crown and a Reviewer's Choice award. She had three releases in
2013 and 2014 will see four more, all set in the popular historical
romance Regency and Victorian eras. Known for her "strong dialogue and
characters that leap off the page" (RT Bookclub) and her "sizzling
romance" (Publishers Weekly), her books have been featured in USA Today
and the Chicago Tribune. A popular writing instructor, she has given
speeches at writing conferences in Los Angeles, DC, New York, Dallas,
Nashville and Toronto, among many others.
When not writing, you can find Robyn hanging out with her family,
husband (The Professor) a university professor of Political Science and
their two ridiculously beautiful and smart daughters, Busybee and
Babybee as well as two spoiled-rotten cats. They live in the hill
country of Texas where it's hot eight months of the year, but those big
blue skies make it worth it.
Author Links:
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Rafflecopter Giveaway
Grand Prize: $25.00 eGift Card to Choice Book Retailer (Amazon,
B&N or iTunes)
First Prize: Gifted Ebook Copies of the Forbidden Love Series; A Little
Bit Wicked, A Little Bit Sinful and A Little Bit Scandalous
Second Prize: Gifted Ebook Copies of the Masquerading Mistresses Series
of novellas; No Ordinary Mistress, For Her Spy Only and Misadventures
in Seduction
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