Regency Vows: A Gentleman 'Til Midnight / The Trouble with Honour / An Improper Arrangement / A Wedding By Dawn / The Devil Takes a Bride / A Promise by Daylight. Julia London
me down!” She grabbed the hem of his tunic and thumped her fist against his back. “I shall kill you in your sleep if you don’t put me down this instant!”
His reply was impossible to make out, but his unconcerned tone reached her perfectly. Already they were halfway through the ballroom, headed toward the doorway as the crowd closed in behind them. Then they were outside in the damp darkness. She fought and struggled, but his arms held her fast as mooring lines.
Even as people spilled out of the doorway he forced her into his waiting coach, somehow managing not to bang her head against the side. And then the door slammed shut and the coach lurched forward.
“Devil take you, James!” She pushed against him, but he held her fast by his side. “I swear on my life, if you don’t release me right now I will consult an apothecary, and you won’t like the result!”
He was still breathing hard from their fight. “If you still wish to murder me after I’ve had my say, I invite you to try.”
“Where are you taking me?”
He looked at her—inches away from her face—and smiled a little. “I’ve ordered the coachman to take a detour through the countryside.”
“You’ve gone mad.”
“No.” With his torn shirt and his earrings glinting in the darkness, he looked exactly like the fearsome corsair he portrayed. “I’m in love with you.”
She stared at him. Every emotion she’d spent the past week fighting tooth and nail threatened to overcome her. Whatever she’d thought he might say, this was not it.
“I don’t believe you.” She didn’t dare believe him. She knew better. “You knew what Dunscore meant to me. You knew how I valued my freedom.”
“I did.”
And that, she’d realized in the ballroom, was exactly why he’d done it. Because he feared he’d never win her without taking her.
She pushed away from him. “Let me out of the coach.”
“Damn you, Katherine.” In the dim light she could see the frustration in his eyes. The pain. “I’m asking your forgiveness.”
“No—damn you, James. You say you love me, but you—” her voice caught “—all you want is to own me. Possess me.”
He trapped her face in his hands. “You’re damned right I want to possess you,” he said harshly, so close she could feel his breath against her lips. “For Christ’s sake—you possess me, Katherine. Down to my very last drop of blood. You own me, body and soul. You want to know why I did what I did? That is why. Because I love you, and I don’t want to live without you, and I knew that given the chance you would turn away from me and never look back.” His voice tore. “And now I will never know if by some bloody miracle you might have chosen me, anyway.”
He was such a fool. “I chose you days ago. Weeks ago.” She paused. “I love you.” She practically spat the words.
His hands tightened. “Katherine—”
“But I can’t surrender. I can’t.”
“I don’t want your surrender,” he said roughly. “I want your choice.”
Her heart ached as if it should be mangled and dead, but it pounded fiercely with life.
Her choice. His feelings were unmistakable, and yet—
“A ship can only have one captain,” she said. “Or so I’ve heard.”
He searched her eyes. “Then I shall be your captain,” he said, smoothing his thumbs across her face, “and you shall be mine.” The raw hope in his voice said more than he ever could have—this man who had once nearly killed her and then appointed himself her savior, and failed at both. This man, who made her senses come alive and made her hope again, who made her daughter find the happy things.
“I love you, James.” A great weight lifted off her heart as she spoke the words.
Her name exhaled from him as he pulled her into his arms and held her as if she were the only thing keeping him alive.
She closed her eyes and let herself relax in his embrace.
* * * * *
Praise for New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author
‘Julia London writes vibrant, emotional stories and sexy, richly drawn characters.’
—New York Times bestselling author Madeline Hunter
‘The Last Debutante is another successful merger of witty writing and passionate romance that gracefully delivers everything romance readers could want.’ —Booklist
‘… London’s story is satisfying as it builds on the excellent chemistry of the leads, gracefully unfolding with the perfect amount of tension.’
—Publishers Weekly review of The Revenge of Lord Eberlin
‘Exceptionally entertaining … sinfully sexy’
—Booklist on The Dangers of Deceiving a Viscount
‘As London explores the intricate, authentic-feeling relationships blossoming among the players, her masterful ability to bring characters to life makes this romance entirely absorbing.’
—Publishers Weekly on The Dangers of Deceiving a Viscount
‘London’s love story is tense and tender, held aloft by endearing, dynamic characters.’
—Publishers Weekly review of The Perils of Pursuing a Prince
JULIA LONDON is the New York Times, USA TODAY and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of historical romance, contemporary romance and women’s fiction with strong romantic elements. She is a six-time finalist for the RITA® Award of Excellence in romantic fiction and the recipient of RT Bookclub’s Best Historical Novel. She lives in Austin, Texas.
I am so excited to present The Trouble with Honour to you! This is my first book for Mills & Boon, but I have written many historical romances, almost all of them set in the Regency period. I love the pageantry of the era and how society and the concern for appearances ruled the gentry. But I imagine that, human nature being what it is, there were those who did not like to live by the rules, who chafed at being ruled at all and who dared to break the rules.
In this series about the Cabot sisters, I introduce four young, privileged women who are expected to aspire to a very good marriage and not much else. But when their fortunes begin to change, these four are determined to break the rules that bind them and define happiness on their own terms. However, when one is raised in the lap of luxury, and learns nothing more taxing than some intricate stitching, one may not be equipped to circumvent the rules. One’s attempts to do so may go very, very badly. I hope you enjoy the Cabot sisters and their shenanigans as much as I enjoyed writing them.
Happy reading,
Julia London
For my mother,
who instilled a love of books and reading
in