A Lady's Revenge (39 page)

“Oh, Guy.” She felt the sharp needles of despair closing her throat. His impassioned speech strained her conviction. She wanted nothing more than to live that future with him. But choices she had made years ago now dictated the structure of her happiness, and that structure did not include marriage to an earl. “You must see the impossibility of the situation.”

His jaw firmed. “I do not. Pray enlighten me.”

Cora could not stop the instinctive contraction of her muscles at his high-and-mighty tone. “Despite your stubborn tendencies, you must realize any association with me would mean social ruin for you. I love you too much to watch the
ton
turn their backs on you, one after the other, because of your poor choice of a bride. I was not exactly discreet while in France, and you know as well as I do that the English Channel will not keep the gossip from reaching British shores. You deserve someone who will bring honor and beauty into your life, not ruination and a dark past that could devastate your good name and destroy your children’s chances at respectable marriages.”

Much to her chagrin, he seemed more interested in the laces at the top of her nightdress than her proclamation of his social doom.

“My ‘good name’ has survived five hundred years of politics, war, and scandal, despite the efforts of some incredibly reckless ancestors.”

Cool air breezed over her aching breasts. She glanced down at her gaping nightdress, then back up to the sensual lines of his handsome face. Confusion kept her mute for several heartbeats. How could he be so unconcerned about the
ton
’s collective power over his fate? Did he not grasp the number of influential doors that would be closed to him and his offspring?

“Times are different, Guy,” she said. “Society is much less tolerant of disgraceful behavior than they were even a decade ago. The
ton
will feed off my past, making it impossible for us to live happily among them.”

Slowly, inexorably, he used the sheer mass of his big body to force her into a reclining position. She stared up into his determined dark gaze, and her heart stuttered at what she found there. “Guy, you’re not listening to me!”

“Finally we agree on something.”

She tried to wriggle out from beneath the cage of his arms. “If you won’t consider the repercussions to yourself, think of how it will affect your heir.”

He slid his tongue along the valley between her breasts. “I
am
thinking of my heir.”

She pressed her lips together, suppressing a laugh despite her irritation with the obstinate man. “You’re not. You’re thinking of
making
your heir.”

“A minor technicality, I assure you.”

“Stop!” She clamped her hands around his face and forced him to meet her gaze.

“Yes, love?”

“I don’t know how to make you understand what is at stake here,” she whispered. “What if my father supplied the French with information? Good God, we won’t survive such a scandal.”

The smile he sent her was so filled with love that she felt it spill over onto her in soft, calming waves. “What’s at stake is
us
, Cora. I will not allow the petty vindictiveness of society to ruin our opportunity at a future together. And whatever Somerton discovers about your father, we will deal with it. Together. No other will do for me but you, Cora Marie deBeau, and I will make the
ton
acutely aware of that fact. Say you will have me.”

Cora stared at him in stunned disbelief, her vision blurring with emotion. Could Guy really care so little about what the
ton
thought of his countess? Was his place in society so secure that their opinions held no sway over his activities, or power against his family?

Cora understood society’s need to separate its members into two distinct categories—respectable and ruined—and there was little one could do when labeled the latter. It never occurred to her that one could balance a foot on each side of the equation—it simply wasn’t done.

At least, not until Guy changed the rules. For her.

He was willing to bear society’s ridicule in order to spend the rest of his life in her company. The prospect filled her heart with the sweetest joy she ever felt. Her hold around his face loosened, shifting from shield to caress. “A-are you absolutely sure?”

He nuzzled her nose. “Yes.”

“You won’t come to resent me when the
ton
turns its back on us?”

“Never.”

Cora knew she would forever regret her decision if she did not jump at this miracle chance at love. At having a family, with little Trevelyans calling her Mama.

They would face the dragons together.

Together.

Joyful tears slid down her cheeks. “Yes, I will have you, if you will have me.”

His mouth curled up into a teasing angle. “Give me a moment to think on it.”

She whacked his shoulder.

“Ow! Yes!” he said on a laugh. Then his voice lowered, “Yes.”

“A priceless earl,” she murmured against his lips, unable to keep the silly, wobbly smile off her face. “A woman has no need of diamonds with you by her side.”

“Does that mean you accept my marriage proposal?”

Her eyes sparkled. “I don’t recall receiving such a tempting request.”

“No?” His hands curled around her bottom, bringing her into sharp, potent contact with the evidence of his desire. “How remiss of me.” He stood abruptly and removed his clothing with preternatural speed. “I shall have to remedy that oversight.”

She stretched her arms high above her head, arching her back. “Does a lady not deserve a proper proposal from bended knee?”

He stood naked at the edge of the bed; his broad shoulders and beautifully carved frame blocked out one side of the room. As her gaze raked over the contours of his body, she catalogued each delectable spot she wanted to further investigate.

She finally arrived at his fully aroused staff, and a searing wave of desire struck her with the force of a cannon blast. Her eyes widened farther when his fingers curled around his thick staff, and his hand slid down to the smooth, rounded tip.

“Yes,” he hissed between clenched teeth. “A lady would deserve such a paltry show of a man’s affection. However, the Raven shall benefit from a proper ravishment from a husband who loves her to distraction.”

“Mmm, I like the sound of that,” she crooned, flipping back the covers to welcome him inside. He helped her peel off her nightdress, and when bare flesh met bare flesh, they both moaned their delight.

Caught up in the extraordinary sensations soaring through her, Cora carefully placed her body over his and stared into fathomless dark eyes. A lifetime of suppressed hope and forbidden dreams welled up and drenched her world in a watery haze. She tried to blink back tears, but a part of her still could not believe his acceptance of her past. “Say it again.”

The half smile he sent her was all predatory male. “I love you, Cora.” He kissed the corner of her mouth.

Not to be outdone, she hooked her leg around his hip. “Again.”

“I love you.” He placed another promissory kiss to the delicate lid of her right eye.

She trailed her hands down the rippling muscles of his back. “Again.”

“Love you,” he whispered the beautiful words against her lips. “Always.”

Yes
, she agreed.
Always.

Much later, when the tempest of their collective heartbeats waned, Cora unwound her quivering limbs from Guy’s body, and winced with regret when he slid free and flopped onto his back. Guy’s hand sought hers as they both lay there, staring at the ceiling, dazed and depleted of strength.

“I can’t believe it’s over,” she whispered into the silence.

She sensed more than saw his head angle her way. “I will never allow anyone to hurt you again. Not even me.”

“Nor I you.”

He released a resigned sigh, and she smiled.

“Have we not discussed this bothersome need of yours to protect me?” He rested his arm over his eyes.

“I do recall something of the sort,” she mused, glancing over at his partially concealed profile. “But now that we are betrothed, I have an even greater interest in your continued welfare.”

His full, luscious mouth curled up into a knowing smile. “Hmm, why is that, my Raven?”

She turned into him, sliding her hand over his chest. “Because ravens mate for life, my lord.”

As with any debut novel, I have many people to thank. Without the help and encouragement of the following people,
A
Lady’s Revenge
would still be languishing on my computer—promising, but hopelessly flawed.

First off, a huge hug and thank you to my friends, critique partners, and Romance University blogmates Adrienne Giordano and Kelsey Browning for all your support, wise counsel, and crazy good times. Theresa Stevens, thank you for being the link that bound me to these two wonderful ladies and for always being there to answer my goofy craft and publishing questions. High fives to my other fabulous RU blogmates—Carrie Spencer, Jennifer Tanner, Becke Martin Davis, and Robin Covington. Thank you for all your wonderful work and dedication and for making RU a fun place to learn and hang out! I also owe a debt of gratitude to my marvelous critique partners Victoria Gray and Lucie J. Charles. Thank you, ladies, for all your pearls of wisdom and encouragement.

Of course, Cora and Guy would never have had their fifteen minutes of fame without the extraordinary guidance of my editor, Deb Werksman, and agent, Donald Maass. Thank you both for taking a chance on a historical writer who loves to torture her hero and heroine and for handing me the golden shovel, with the directive, “Dig. Deeper.”

A shout out to the Hearts Through History RWA, most especially the Critters group—Kathleen Bittner-Roth, Tessy Grillo, Jenny Ramirez, Eliza Knight, Joan Maze, and Valerie Oakleaf. I really appreciate all your hard work on
A Lady’s Revenge
. I also want to thank the Beau Monde RWA ladies for their invaluable Regency-related expertise. And major thanks to my Windy City RWA sisters for helping a shy greenhorn navigate the publishing world. An extra special thanks goes to chaptermates Sherry Weddle, Melody Thomas, Chris Foutris, and Ann Macela for your one-on-one support.

Big hugs to the brilliant Franzeca Drouin, whose indispensable knowledge of all-things-historical made
ALR
a much richer, more accurate read.
Merci, mon amie.
PS—Sorry, z, I couldn’t give up the shiv.

No acknowledgement of this novel would be complete without recognizing Brenda Novak for her efforts with the Online Auction for Diabetes Research, where she connects aspiring authors to publishing professionals of every variety while raising funds for an amazing charity. Through Brenda’s 2007 auction, I got the chance to work with two incredible and generous authors—Madeline Hunter and Candice Hern. They were the first to read
ALR
in all its raw glory, and I wish to publicly apologize to both authors for putting them through such agony. Thank you, ladies, for your much-needed and much-appreciated feedback.

And to all of my fabulous readers—thank you, thank you, thank you!

Tracey Devlyn writes historical romantic thrillers (translation: a slightly more grievous journey toward the heroine’s happy ending). She’s also a co-founder of Romance University, a group blog dedicated to readers and writers of romance.

An Illinois native, Tracey spends her evenings harassing her once-in-a-lifetime husband and her weekends torturing her characters. For more information on Tracey, including her Internet haunts, contest updates, and details on her upcoming novels, please visit her website at
www.TraceyDevlyn.com
.

Lord and Lady Spy

by Shana Galen

No man can outsmart him…

Lord Adrian Smythe may appear a perfectly boring gentleman, but he leads a thrilling life as one of England’s most preeminent spies, an identity so clandestine even his wife is unaware of it. But he isn’t the only one with secrets…

She’s been outsmarting him for years…

Now that the Napoleonic wars have come to an end, daring secret agent Lady Sophia Smythe can hardly bear the thought of returning home to her tedious husband. Until she discovers in the dark of night that he’s not who she thinks he is after all…

“An excellent book, full of great witty conversation, hot passionate scenes, and tons of action.”
—BookLoons

“The author’s writing style, how this story is built and all of the delicious scenes, and the characters themselves are just so rich, so enjoyable I found myself smiling and absolutely enjoying every single page.”
—Smexy Books

For more Shana Galen, visit:

www.sourcebooks.com