A Scandalous Pursuit Read online

  His brow lightened and he smiled at her. “You’re supposed to remain calm, aren’t you?”

  Livvie nodded. “Doctor’s orders.”

  “I’m afraid I haven’t made that very easy for you. How are you feeling, sweetheart?”

  “So much better now that you’re here.”

  Alex moved his hand to her belly and lovingly traced the small bump that had already formed. “Have you felt anything yet?”

  “No. Caroline says I won’t until the fifth month.”

  He smiled with relief. “I won’t miss another moment. Not after realizing how much of my life has been spent wasted.”

  Livvie kissed his strong jaw, wishing she could kiss away all the years of suffering he’d endured.

  “Olivia!” Poppy’s voice echoed through the house.

  Alex laughed. “She’s still yelling through the house?”

  “It’s a hard habit to break, apparently.”

  “In here, Poppy,” Alex called back.

  Moments later Poppy and the dowager duchess stood in the doorway, then her step-daughter rushed to Livvie and Alex on the settee. “Olivia!” Poppy gushed, “Grandmama has lots of puppies. She says I have to ask you if I can have one.”

  Livvie’s eyes flew to the soft blue gaze of her mother-in-law.

  “They are very tame,” the dowager said softly. “You can visit them in the kennels if you like until you feel more comfortable. Poppy says you plan to spend your confinement here, so you have time.”

  Livvie smiled. They all had time now. Time for Alex and his mother to know each other again. Time for Poppy to enjoy her grandmother. Time for Livvie and Alex to love each other without the spiteful eyes of the ton watching their every move. And time, apparently, for her to get accustomed to sheepdogs.

  “I think I would like that.”

  June 1815 – Everett Place, Hampshire

  Livvie had no idea how difficult it was to be a new mother and throw a house party. But after hosting friends and family the last three weeks at Everett Place, she felt guilty for all of her complaining about Juliet Beckford’s party the year before. As lovely as it was to see everyone—with the exception of Cordie, since her friend’s husband felt it would be too difficult for her to make the journey—Livvie was glad to have her peaceful home returned to her.

  Lying on a soft blanket atop an Aubusson rug, she caressed her son’s face. Tiny Lucien Everett, the Marquess of Brockenhurst, batted at her hair, cooing.

  “Brock, my little darling,” Livvie began, tapping the infant’s nose. “You look more like your father every day. You’ll be the most handsome boy in all of England.”

  Poppy flopped down on the blanket next to them, frowning slightly at her baby brother. “I don’t think he looks like Papa at all. He’s bald and chubby and doesn’t have any teeth.”

  “All babies are chubby,” Alex said from the doorway. “You were as well, angel.”

  “Was I as chubby as Brock?”

  Alex stepped forward, as if he was seriously considering the question. Then he nodded. “Oh, Poppy, I’m afraid you were even chubbier than your brother.”

  When her step-daughter squeaked from horror, Livvie sent Alex the most annoyed look she could muster, which, while playing with their son, was not all that annoyed. “Pray, do not worry her over such nonsense. Poppy dear, only pay attention to half the things your father says.”

  “Ah, but the trick is knowing which half,” Alex teased with a wink for his daughter.

  Mrs. Bickle cleared her throat in the corner of the room. “Your Grace, it is time for the lad’s nap.”

  Livvie smiled into her son’s adorable face. Already she could detect just a hint of a mischievous sparkle in his bluish-silver eyes. She hated to relinquish him, but the child did get cranky if his schedule got disrupted. She kissed his chubby little cheek. “Sleep well, my love.” Then she handed the child to his nurse.

  “And you come along too, Miss Poppy,” Mrs. Bickle said. “Your grandmother is waiting for you near the kennels to give Unicorn his exercise.” All agreed it was a silly name for a sheepdog, but Poppy had been allowed to name the puppy. None of them should have been surprised.

  When everyone else had finally left the room, Alex pulled Livvie up from her spot on the blanket. “I have a present for you,” he said with a lascivious twinkle in his eyes.

  Livvie grinned at her husband. “A present?”

  “Hm.” He quickly undid his cravat.

  “How sweet of you, my love,” Livvie responded with a saucy tip of her head, slowly crossing the room out of his grasp. “But I do not have need of a cravat.”

  Alex stalked towards her, a wolfish smile tugging at his lips. “Close your eyes.”

  “Absolutely not.” She feigned indignation. “You see, I find Your Grace morally lacking, and I don’t trust you at all.”

  He chuckled. “You’re a very disobedient wife. Didn’t you vow otherwise?”

  Livvie playfully cocked her head to one side. “You paid no attention at all during that ceremony. So, you have no idea what I vowed to or did not, Alexander Everett.”

  He pulled her against his chest and covered her mouth with his. The evidence of his desire pressed against Livvie’s belly and she sighed. She would never tire of his passion or his love. Alex’s hands caressed her, sliding up her back, and then before she realized what had happened, a blindfold tightened around her eyes.

  The cravat.

  The devious duke.

  “There,” he said triumphantly.

  “I was right not to trust you,” she giggled.

  Alex spun her around and placed his hands on her hips. “Follow my direction.”

  She didn’t have much choice, not that she wanted to resist him anyway. He gently pushed her forward and then right, down a long corridor. When her feet reached a set of stairs, her back straightened. “Alex, where are you taking me?”

  “It’s a surprise.”

  He urged her forward and Livvie tentatively climbed the steps, listening to his direction. “Last one, sweetheart.”

  Then he led her down another hallway and a few more steps. Alex’s hands momentarily left her waist and then she heard a door open in front of her. “All right,” he whispered in her ear, “you can open your eyes.”

  Livvie ripped the cravat from her face and blinked her eyes open. In the middle of Alex’s chamber stood a large, mahogany wardrobe adorned with a lavish, red bow.

  “Happy Anniversary.”

  She recognized the wardrobe instantly as the one from Prestwick Chase. She could never forget it. Her life had never been the same since she climbed inside it. “Is that really what I think it is?”

  Alex’s roguish smile returned. “It took quite a lot of negotiating to get Beckford to part with it.”

  “It did?” she asked, still stunned.

  “Hm.” Alex wrapped his arms around her middle and nuzzled against her neck. “They wouldn’t hand it over for anything I offered. Apparently it’s some old Prestwick heirloom.”

  “Then how did you get it?”

  “I made a deal with your cousins. They made me promise never to leave you again and make sure you were happy all of your days or they’ll take the thing back.”

  Livvie’s grin spread across her face. The two of them had never been happier in their lives. Neither of them would ever leave the other again. “They took a sucker’s bet.”

  “They did, indeed.”

  The author of several Regency Noir Romances, Ava Stone first fell in love with Mr. Darcy, Jane Austen and Regency England at the age of twelve. And in the years since, that love has never diminished. If she isn't writing Regency Era romance, she can be found reading it.

  Her best-selling Scandalous Series is filled with witty humor and centers around the friends and family of the Machiavellian-like Lady Staveley, exploring 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 stori
es and characters in the various locales she visits.

  Ava loves to hear from readers.

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  A Scandalous Wife

  © 2011 Ava Stone

  Looks can be deceiving, the same is true for reputations

  As the head of his family, Robert Beckford, the Earl of Masten, was accustomed to dealing with various problems his siblings had caused of one sort or another. However he wasn’t prepared when his cad of brother ruined and then abandoned a young lady. To right the wrong, Robert married the girl himself; but his chivalry only went so far. He didn’t want a wife, and most certainly not a scandalous one. So after repeating his vows, he sent her packing, off to a secluded estate and expected her to stay put.

  After years of mistreatment at the hands of her family, Lydia was prepared to be an accommodating wife; but her rigid and unforgiving husband asked too much of her. After languishing for years in her opulent prison, Lydia leaves her country estate for the glamour and excitement of London—and unfortunately her husband’s path.

  A Scandalous Charade

  © 2011 Ava Stone

  When fire meets ice

  Handsome ladies’ man Lucas Beckford has agreed to help his friend, an impoverished baron, win the affections of an icy heiress. It should be a simple task, especially for a seducer of his reputation. However when Luke catches sight of the enchanting lady, he is captivated with her pretty brown eyes, quick wit, and sharp tongue; and his desire to see his friend marry the girl quickly evaporates. Now he just has to find a way to convince the penniless lord to turn his attentions elsewhere—leaving the Ice Princess to him.

  Lady Juliet St. Claire has always believed that her fortune would protect her from ever having to relinquish her freedom in marriage. Though fortune hunters endlessly hound her, Juliet’s outwardly cold demeanor keeps most of them at bay, licking their wounds or patching up their pride. However when Luke charms his way into her life, he easily melts more than just her heart. Unfortunately, the rogue is of the love ‘em and leave ‘em variety, and leaves Juliet’s tender heart in pieces. But when her fortune lands her in danger from an unscrupulous foe, Luke returns to her side, offering his help and protection. Now Juliet has to decide if her heart is strong enough to trust the rogue a second time.

  A Scandalous Secret (novella)

  © 2011 Ava Stone

  Is the second time the charm?

  Chester Peyton, the Marquess of Astwick, has never forgotten his first love. Nor has he ever gotten over her. But now thirteen years later, time has come for him to finally settle down and do his duty as far as both his title and his dragon of a mother are concerned. Everything would be so much easier if Chet’s heart didn’t still belong to the enchanting Scot he gave it to once upon a time.

  After following her late-husband’s regiment from one end of the continent to the other, Lady Hannah Campbell returns to London a very different woman than the naïve lass she once was. With her two sons in tow, she now has to navigate the waters of the ton, which seem more foreign than the lands she has traversed the last dozen years. And all the while, she has to keep hidden the scandalous secret that made her flee England so very ago.

  A Scandalous Past

  © 2011 Ava Stone

  At cross purposes

  After years of abuse at the hands of her mother, Cordelia Avery knows the only way out is marriage to the perfect man. A man who will allow her all the freedom she has ever craved. And she has the perfect man picked out. The scandalous Marquess of Haversham might not be perfect to anyone else, but taking the man’s black reputation under consideration, Cordie believes she’ll enjoy all the freedom she’s always wished for in his disreputable arms. If only she could get her heart to go along with the plan and to stop leaping whenever Lord Adonis…er…the Earl of Clayworth is nearby. But the very proper earl is most assuredly the wrong sort for her purposes.

  Brendan Reese, the Earl of Clayworth, has no intention of ever marrying again. He’s still trying to clean up the mess his first wife left him, even years after her death. To all the world, Clayworth is the epitome of the perfect English gentleman, and he so wishes that image was the truth. But the truth, as it often can be, is ugly. After all, a perfect English gentleman would never have a traitor for a mother. And unless Clayworth can find the evidence his late wife hid, he could face the gallows himself. But a chance encounter with the reckless Cordelia Avery gives him the best lead he’s had in years to finally putting his family’s past to rest. Unfortunately, focusing on anything other than Miss Avery seems a nearly impossible task.

  My Favorite Major

  HEROES RETURNED, Book 1

  © 2012 Ava Stone

  Very few men are heroes to the last…

  When her longtime fiancé returns home from the victory at Waterloo, Amelia Pritchard suspects he’s not the noble, upstanding gentleman she’s always believed him to be. After breaking their betrothal, she flees to London with the hope of starting her life over and putting the past firmly behind her.

  Battle weary Major Philip Moore finds himself intrigued by the lovely Miss Pritchard. Though he’s recovering from a broken heart of his own, more than just his honor urges him to protect the lady when her nefarious ex-beau arrives in Town with the most wicked of intentions.

  The English Lieutenant’s Lady

  HEROES RETURNED, Book 2

  © 2012 Ava Stone

  When love and honor are at odds…

  Phoebe Greywood has waited quite a while for her betrothed to return home from the Peninsular Wars, but when he finally does, she’s heartbroken to discover he’s changed in more ways than one. Most alarmingly, he doesn’t seem to care one whit about her anymore. But one man who hasn’t changed a bit after his time on the continent is her betrothed’s boorish brother…

  Lieutenant Tristan Avery would like to pound some sense, or perhaps honor, into his older brother. Why the cad treats Phoebe so callously, Tristan can’t understand. But what he truly can’t understand is why he suddenly seems drawn to the chit as they’ve never been fond of each other.

  When the truth of Tristan’s feelings for Phoebe become clear, his own honor is put to the test and all of his plans for the future are turned upside down.

  To Catch a Captain

  HEROES RETURNED, Book 3

  © 2012 Ava Stone

  Caught between honor and desire…

  After receiving what seems like an offer of employment from an English countess, orphan Bridget Kelly leaves her uncle’s house in Dublin to make her own way in the world. But making her way in England is easier said than done, especially for an innocent Irish lass with no family or connections. In fact, she’ll be lucky if she can make it to Derbyshire alive.

  Still smarting from his brother and former fiancée’s betrayal, rakish Captain Russell Avery arrives at his sister’s Derbyshire estate, looking for something or someone to help soothe his bruised ego. When a pretty little Irish maid stumbles into his chamber one morning, Russell is certain he’s found just the distraction he’s looking for. Well, at least until he learns who the lass truly is and the place she’s to hold in his sister’s household.