Helena Emerson yearns for romance and adventure, and dreams of wedding a duke for love. She knows she would never be able to endure a marriage with the serious Viscount of Addersley, no matter how handsome he might be. Consumed with logic and good sense, the man might as well be a statue. He does not even dance! She declines his offer, much to the outrage of her family, determined to wed happily or not at all.
But Joshua Hargood, Seventh Viscount of Addersley, is not the man Helena assumes him to be. He put aside his rakehell ways a decade before, blaming himself for the accident that claimed his intended. He has, however, never been able to resist a dare if the reward was worthy, and the challenge of undermining Helena’s assumptions is tempting beyond all. He takes a disguise, planning to be a rogue only for the lady he desires to wed, convinced that this is the merit of his scandalous past. Helena is captivated by her mysterious suitor and soon pierces his disguise, only to learn that the viscount lost his betrothed years before—is his heart even available to claim?
No sooner is Joshua convinced of success in his suit than his notorious brother, believed dead at Waterloo, returns to demand his due. Joshua knows that his embittered brother will only be satisfied when Addersley itself is destroyed, along with Joshua’s own happiness and prospects. Is he doomed to watch past tragedy repeat itself, or can Joshua save both his legacy and his beloved Helena?
Genre: FICTION / Romance / RegencyThis is book four in the series. Please begin any translations with book one, The Christmas Conquest.
It has often been said that those who eavesdrop seldom hear good of themselves. Joshua Hargood, seventh Viscount of Addersley, had never believed as much until this day.
Of course, he was not inclined to eavesdrop. In this particular instance, he overheard the comments of his servants entirely by accident. He was seeking his butler, Fairfax, to communicate that he would assume his late father’s habit of dining in the library when alone. Enough of the lonely sound of one set of silverware on the china, echoing in that vast chilly space. Bachelor and viscount, Joshua could do as he chose. Perhaps he would become eccentric early.
The fact was that solitude chafed upon him. It had been easy to keep his vow to his father when there was a task that had consumed him utterly. The end of the war meant the end of that labor, though. He missed analyzing messages from spies and covert individuals, seeking the patterns and aiding in the crown’s strategies. Tending his hereditary responsibilities at Addersley Manor simply could not compare.
Joshua was haunted by that season in London, its revels and pleasures. Though he had no desire to return to such reckless abandon, he tired of a staid and predictable life. Surely, there was some middle ground, one that would not require breaking his promise to his father.
He had need of a quest, but had yet to discover one of merit.
Joshua slowed on the stairs at the sound of voices in the kitchen, then halted entirely when he heard his own name.
“’Tis a right shame, it is, his lordship being such a good man but nary an inclination to marry,” his cook, Mrs. Baird, said with a heavy sigh. “’Tis unnatural. There shall never be any wee bairns in this house, if matters continue as they are.”
Joshua could readily imagine the stocky older woman shaking her head.
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Italian
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Already translated.
Translated by Letizia PIPERO
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Portuguese
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Already translated.
Translated by Evelyn T M Martins
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Spanish
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Already translated.
Translated by Nieves Llorente
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