The Lady Unmasked Read online

  “Hypothetically?” She tilted her head to the side as though she was trying to sort him out.

  “Well, not so hypothetically. Braden’s asked for us to spend Christmas in Yorkshire at Danby Castle to keep an eye on our sisters.”

  Lila’s brow furrowed as though she was thoroughly confused. “Anna goes to Italy and we’re headed to Yorkshire?”

  Quent chuckled. “Would you rather head to Italy?”

  Lila shook her head. “Not if your sisters need you in Yorkshire. I don’t care where we are or where we go, Quent, not as long as you’re with me. Besides who knows when Tilly and Mr. Garrick will finally get married? She'd never forgive us if we weren't there.”

  Quest pressed a kiss to her brow. “On my word, Lila, we will be home for Tilly’s wedding. Garrick wouldn’t dare marry her while we’re away.”

  She grinned again. “In that case, I’ve never been to Yorkshire.”

  There wasn’t much to see, but as she’d agreed to travel with him, he wasn’t in a hurry to dissuade her now. “Well, then we’ll have a grand time of it.”

  “I always have a grand time with you.”

  And Quent would make sure that they had a grand time for the rest of their lives. He didn’t give her any warning at all before he scooped her up in his arms and started for the corridor.

  She slid her arms around his neck and giggled. “Quentin Post! What are you doing?” she giggled.

  “Taking my wife bed. It has been several hours since I’ve made love to her, several tortuous hours.” He bit back a smile as he navigated the corridor and headed for the family wing.

  “You poor thing,” she giggled again. “So surprising you’ve survived the rest of the day.”

  “Indeed,” he agreed. “But not to worry, love. I’ll make sure we’ll have a grand time of it.”

  Then she echoed her earlier words once more. “I always have a grand time with you, Quent.”

  Author’s Note

  As we were collaborating on One More Haunted Evening, we wanted to draw inspiration from real haunted stories as our foundation. We pored over many different stories, watched a variety of documentaries and researched quite a few hauntings. The story of the haunted Dibbuk Box, which has garnered international attention, served as the basis for the ancient jewelry box in which Quent, Sidney and David discover the cursed Roman ring from this anthology. And like the box that served as our inspiration, we didn’t want there to be an easy fix for our heroes and heroines in this set of stories. The Roman ring is still cursed, but hidden away in the hopes that no one else will ever open the box and release the entity within.

  Exorcisms today follow the guidelines established by Pope Leo XIII in the late 19th Century. However, His Holiness would have only been 6 years old at the time of One More Haunted Evening; therefore the exorcism performed by Father Matthew in the dungeons of Marisdùn Castle would have been altogether different than the ones performed today.

  About Ava Stone

  Ava Stone is a USA Today bestselling author of Regency historical romance and college age New Adult romance. Whether in the 19th Century or the 21st, her books explore deep themes but with a light touch. A single mother, Ava lives outside Raleigh NC, but she travels extensively, always looking for inspiration for new stories and characters in the various locales she visits.

  @Ava_Stone

  AvaStoneAuthor

  www.AvaStoneAuthor.com

  [email protected]

  Ava Stone’s Scandalous Series

  A Scandalous Wife

  A Scandalous Charade

  A Scandalous Secret

  A Scandalous Pursuit

  A Scandalous Past

  My Favorite Major

  The English Lieutenant’s Lady

  To Catch a Captain

  Encounter With an Adventurer

  In The Stars

  Promises Made

  A Scandalous Deception

  Ava Stone’s Regency Seasons Series

  A Counterfeit Christmas Summons

  By Any Other Name

  My Lord Hercules

  A Bit of Mistletoe

  The Lady Vanishes

  Prelude to a Haunted Evening

  The Lady Unmasked

  Lady Patience’s Christmas Kitten

  Lady Hope’s Dashing Devil

  Lady Grace’s Husband Hunt

  Ava Stone’s Desolate Sun Series

  Contemporary New Adult Romance

  Live Like You Mean It

  Catch Me Now

  Hold Me Tight

  Like It’s The First Time

  Stay With Me