Purchase
Iris Press
February 2011
On Sale: February 10, 2011
Featuring: Lord Peregrine Trumbull, Viscount Roxleigh; Gideon Alrick Trumbull, Duke of Roxleigh
400 pages
ISBN: 0981672051
EAN: 9780981672038
Kindle: B004KABASW
e-Book
Add to Wish List
Romance Erotica Sensual, Romance Historical
April, 1880
Madeleine ran as if the devil himself were on her. She
looked back when she heard the hounds and tripped on some
underbrush, scraping her hands as her head whipped forward,
striking a tree root. She groaned, feeling the trail of
blood marching slowly down her forehead, the coinciding
beats in her skull growing with the advance. She scrambled
forward, slowly at first, dirt caking the scrapes on her
palms as she gathered up her skirts and got to her feet. He
will never catch me, she thought. I will never go back, I
will never be his, I will die first. The thought steeled
her to her goal. She tried desperately to catch her breath
as she stumbled wildly. Tears spilled cutting pale streaks
in her dirt-stained cheeks as she fought the barrage of low-
hung branches and high-reaching roots. Her hand shook as
she leaned against a tree trunk to steady herself and
yanked at her corset, trying to loosen it.
She heard the dogs spread to her right and concentrated
on her bearing. This was her only chance. The earl was
becoming more daring and devious with every sunset and she
didn’t believe her fiancé intended to wait to pledge his
troth before going further. She shifted direction to
compensate for the chase and saw the bright sunlight of a
break in the tangled woods. She knew it wasn’t far to the
manor, but had no idea how she was to survive the run
across open meadow with his hounds on her. Surely Lord
Hepplewort will call them off before the Duke discovers his
trespass, she thought, surely I will make it to safety.
She heard the rumble of a carriage and drove herself to
it through the trees as one of the hounds tore at her
skirts. The horns blew recalling them as she launched
herself out of the protective cover— directly into
the path of a team of startled horses.
"Ah— mon Dieu!" she screamed, feeling the words
rip through her throat like a jagged knife as the large
black horses reared with frightened neighs.
As she fell she saw the man at the rein stand and
attempt to pull the horses away while endeavoring to
stabilize the small black curricle, but it was too late on
both counts. The horses came down, stomping about her, one
hoof dispatching the hound at her feet as the curricle lost
its ground and the driver leapt to safety. Madeleine
attempted to shield her head with her arms as she gasped
desperately for air.