A Baron for Becky by Jude Knight – Day Four

Day Four of A Baron for Becky with Excerpts Five & Six.

Jude Knight writes strong determined heroines, heroes who can appreciate a clever capable woman, villains you’ll love to loathe, and all with a leavening of humour.

Jude Knight is the pen name of Judy Knighton. After a career in commercial writing, editing, and publishing, Jude is returning to her first love, fiction. Her novella, Candle’s Christmas Chair, was released in December 2014, and is in the top ten on several Amazon best seller lists in the US and UK. Her first novel Farewell to Kindness, was released on 1 April, and is first in a series: The Golden Redepennings.

Book Blurb

Becky is the envy of the courtesans of the demi-monde – the indulged mistress of the wealthy and charismatic Marquis of Aldridge. But she dreams of a normal life; one in which her daughter can have a future that does not depend on beauty, sex, and the whims of a man.

Finding herself with child, she hesitates to tell Aldridge. Will he cast her off, send her away, or keep her and condemn another child to this uncertain shadow world?

The devil-may-care face Hugh shows to the world hides a desperate sorrow; a sorrow he tries to drown with drink and riotous living. His years at war haunt him, but even more, he doesn’t want to think about the illness that robbed him of the ability to father a son. When he dies, his barony will die with him. His title will fall into abeyance, and his estate will be scooped up by the Crown.

When Aldridge surprises them both with a daring proposition, they do not expect love to be part of the bargain.

Excerpt 5 G heat level

Aldridge was early. She crossed to the sideboard where she kept his favourite brandy, and was pouring him a glass by the time she heard his steps in the hall. Two sets of steps? Who did Aldridge have with him?

The other man was as tall as Aldridge, but dark to his fair. He must once have been stunningly handsome, one side of his face still carved by a master. Subtle curves and strong planes combined in a harmonious whole, speaking of strength and, in the lines at the corners of his eyes, suffering.

On the other side, dozens of scars pitted and ridged the skin, as if it had been torn and chewed by an animal—an animal with jaws of flame, by the tell-tale burn puckers. Thankfully, whatever it was had missed his eye, now glaring at her.

“Well?” he demanded. Shaken by his voice, rich and mellow despite the curt syllable, she realised she had been staring. How rude. But for some reason, she didn’t apologise as she should, but instead blurted, “I am glad whatever injured you spared your eye.”

He looked startled, and suddenly friendlier. “Thank you. I am glad too.”

That voice! He could read a linen inventory, and she would listen for hours.

“An unusual approach to an introduction,” Aldridge observed. Becky collected herself and smiled at her protector. “No one is more important than the man who keeps you,” a mentor had once told her. “When he is present, see no one else, except as it reflects well on him.”

Becky’s attention had been entirely misdirected. She had presented her cheek to Aldridge for his kiss, given him the expected squeal in return for his squeeze, and returned the kiss, all without being aware of anything but Aldridge’s guest.

“A more traditional introduction would be welcome,” she said.

“My dear, you have heard me speak of my friend, Hugh, Baron Overton.”

Excerpt 6 G heat level

It hadn’t occurred to Becky until this moment that they never talked about Aldridge. Never. And what a large oversight that was. He was supposed to be Hugh’s best friend, and had, in his own way, been a good friend to her, but in this house, he had ceased to exist.

“She says he is still wearing a black armband and enjoying sympathy, presumably, mostly from women,” she told Hugh, trying to keep the hurt and anger from her voice.

“That sounds like Aldridge.” He looked down at the letter.

Becky took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Calm. Stay calm. “I wrote to the duchess to ask if she would find us a governess, Hugh. Miss Wilson only came for a short time, and it has already been three months.”

“Oh.” His face flushed, and he shifted again from foot to foot, avoiding her eyes. Good. He should be embarrassed to think so ill of her. “I… can we start again, Becky? Can I go out and come in again and just pretend this never happened?”

They should talk about it. She shouldn’t let him just brush it away. But she could not stay cross while he smiled at her, begging with his eyes. She smiled back and nodded, and he tiptoed to the door with ostentatiously large steps, trying to make her chuckle. Which she did, just to please him.

Moments later, he poked his head around the door again. “Becky, my love, I’m home.”

“Hugh, how lovely. You’re early.”

“I finished early, and could not wait to see my lovely wife.”

He’d crossed and was now kneeling beside her, his hand tipping her forward for a kiss. She poured all the love she was afraid to confess into that connection between them, opening her lips to his tender invasion, sucking gently on his tongue and sliding hers to explore his mouth in her turn.

“And what are you doing here, Becky?” he asked, when they paused, both short of breath. “Writing letters?”

“I have heard from the Duchess of Haverstock,” she told him, playing along. “Hugh, she has found us the perfect governess! All the accomplishments we were looking for, and just think, Hugh, she has a daughter almost the same age as Emma! I have been so concerned; I tell Sarah and Sophie that they must include her, but she struggles to keep up, and they do forget. Besides, three is an awkward number. However kind the older girls might be, Emma keeps getting left out, and they are not always kind, Hugh.” She was babbling. She knew she was babbling. But his face—the unscarred side—had gone cold and still. What had she done wrong?

Links

Buy links

Amazon http://amzn.to/1C3hFNl

Amazon UK http://amzn.to/1H3YmTk

Amazon Aus http://bit.ly/1HzUZ9R

Smashwords http://bit.ly/1HzUXPf

Barnes & Noble http://bit.ly/1GRTvkR

iBooks http://apple.co/1FVFNfU

Kobo http://bit.ly/1NzI2LK

Jude’s social media

Visit Jude’s Website http://judeknightauthor.com/

Like Jude on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/JudeKnightAuthor