Working for room and board as a scullery maid at the
Pleasure Emporium, April Jardine has dreamed of changing
her lot in life. Finding the madam's diary has given her
the opportunity to do just that, posing as the illegitimate
daughter of the man named in the diary. But when April
arrives at Blackheath Manor, she gets more than she
bargained for -- an unexplainable attraction to Lord
Blackheath, Riley Hawthorne, and the urge to keep and love
the family she's found.
Riley Hawthorne has spent his life preventing scandal from
touching his family, and he knows the girl who claims to be
his sister is not. How could she be when he is so attracted
to her? In order to save the family from another possible
scandal, Riley announces his engagement to April. But when
the constables come to arrest April for her misdeeds, their
short-lived happiness may come to an abrupt end.
When you come from nothing and have nothing, sometimes you
must lie, steal or blackmail a bit to get ahead. This rags-
to-riches story by debut author
AN EROTIC SECRET
As a maid at The Pleasure Emporium, Miss April Jardine has
witnessed her share of sinful acts, but nothing as brazen
as her own money-making scheme. By blackmailing the
gentlemen named in the Madame’s private diaries, April can
escape a life of drudgery — as long as she avoids the
hangman’s noose. All goes swimmingly until she crosses
paths with Lord Blackheath, the most powerful judge in
England. His wicked gaze suggests he is torn between
exposing April and seducing her — and April is only too
pleased to oblige.
A SCANDALOUS EMBRACE
Blackheath has no doubt that the alluring firebrand could
cripple his family’s finances and reputation with the bat
of an eyelash. And yet…April outshines every dull Society
belle he’s ever known, and nothing compares to the sensual
bliss they share. But trusting this scheming Miss could
cost him everything. Will he ever be able to welcome her
into his home — and his heart?
Excerpt
Snuggled deep underneath a thick, warm comforter, April
dreamed she was duchess of her own fiefdom, walking down
the halls of her artfully decorated manse. She walked past
rooms where servants gleefully dusted the furniture and
arranged flowers, and she sighed contentedly at the
knowledge that she was safe behind the walls of her riches
and titles. Suddenly, she heard a rumbling footfall behind
her. She turned but saw no one. Frightened by the
thundering noise, she began to run. It seemed there were
hundreds of men running after her, pounding closer and
closer, until she felt them reach out for her…
April woke with a start. Dazed, she heard the rumble
still. It came from beneath her window, in the courtyard
below – the thunder of hooves on the flagstones. Ignoring
her state of dishabille, she ran to the window and threw
back the curtains. The late morning sun exploded in her
face. Too late to make good their planned escape.
The voices below distracted her. A number of servants had
assembled on the courtyard, huddling in a semicircle around
the carriage, bowing and curtseying to the open door. Two
men emerged, and disappeared into the house.
Jenny stormed in, startling April. “You overslept!”
“So did you!” April retorted.
“What are we supposed to do now?” Jenny’s question hung in
the air.
There was a knock at the door, and an elfin chambermaid
entered. “Morning, miss. Brought your breakfast tray.”
“Yes, come in,” April told her, ignoring Jenny’s nervous
pacing. The slender maid set the tray down on the table,
and efficiently began to tidy the bed linens.
“What was all that commotion downstairs?”
“The master of the house, miss. He and his father have
just come home. Sorely missed, he is. Master Riley has
been too long a time away at court.”
“Court? Was he attending the monarch?”
The maid giggled as she fluffed the pillow. “Oh, no,
miss. Not that court. The Assizes. Master Riley serves
as the Circuit Judge.”
“What?” shouted April and Jenny simultaneously, making the
poor maid jump.
“I mean,” assuaged April, more composed, “did you say that
Master Riley is a judge?”
“Why, yes, miss. We’re very lucky to have our Master Riley
on the bench. And it’s not just ‘cause he’s a noble. He
studied law at university. That makes him more qualified
than anyone in the county to be judge. You’ll not find a
more moral, upright man in all England. Straight as an
arrow is our Master Riley. He’s as fair and true as they
come. Friend to the honest man, I like to say, and worst
nightmare to the ne’er-do-well. Don’t you worry, miss,
you’re as safe as mother’s milk in this house,” she said
proudly, and closed the door behind her.
April and Jenny looked at each other, neither able to
speak.
Jenny was the first to find her tongue. “I told you to
leave well enough alone, didn’t I? I told you that £2,000
were enough, didn’t I? I told you we should’ve stopped,
didn’t I?”
“Shut up! I have to think.”
“We’re for it, now!” Jenny continued, her voice
trembling. “We’ll be arrested. He’s going to throw us in
jail for sure. D’ye have any idea what it’s like in a
women’s jail? Oh, I wish I’d never left London!” Jenny
began to cry.
“Don’t say that!” April threw her arms around her
friend. “Look, we’re not for it. He hasn’t even met us
yet. All we have to do is keep up the act. As long as we
can convince them we’re April Devereux and her maid,
nothing can go wrong. You just leave it to me. Just help
get me dressed, and I’ll have him eating out of me palm
before you can say flibbertigibbet.”
With a calm she did not feel, April descended the grand
staircase toward the morning room behind Forrester. She
didn’t like the idea of being introduced to the men alone;
single ladies never entertained men unaccompanied. But
shaken by the news that they were trapped in the house of
the highest judiciary officer in the county, Jenny was in
no fit state to meet the judge and his father.
Forrester stopped before the ornate double doors, and April
took a deep breath.
Inside, three men came to their feet. She smiled at
Jeremy. He smiled right back.
“April,” he began, drawing toward her with the older
man, “may I present our father, Jonah Hawthorne, Duke of
Westbrook. Father, this is April, whom I told you arrived
yesterday. She’s Vivienne’s daughter.”
Jonah was a large man, but clearly the ghost of a man much
taller and more robust. His hair was thinning and streaked
with gray, and he leaned heavily on his cane.
The older man took her gloved hand gently. She smiled at
him. “Your Grace, I’m so pleased to finally meet you.”
She curtsied, her hand still held by his.
His eyes never left hers. He peered at her face,
assessing, remembering.
“I…have a daughter?”
She smiled sheepishly. “Mother told me about you, but I
regret that she never told you about me. I’m very sorry
for springing upon you unannounced, but I knew no other way
to contact you with discretion.”
Her hand still clasped tightly in his, April began to grow
slightly uncomfortable under his scrutiny. She could sense
him swaying from past to present, then to now, comparing
her likeness to a memory. Surprise, guilt, tenderness,
regret: his face was a kaleidoscope of emotions.
Jeremy spoke up again. “And this is our brother, Riley,
Lord Blackheath.”
A curious excitement, laced with fear, rushed through her.
Her eyes swept the room, and what they saw surprised her.
She had expected to see a scholarly man, bespectacled and
stooped from poring over legal tomes. She had expected to
see a man whose frame was as brittle as the pages in
ancient books of law. She had expected to see a man whose
expression was frozen into a perpetual air of disdain.
Instead, she saw Riley. And he was magnificent.
Easily among the tallest men she had ever seen, he was as
imposing as if he had been the only person in the room. He
was standing beside the tea table, pouring some of the
steaming liquid into a china cup, and the sight of so large
a man handling so delicate a teapot was oddly fascinating.
His head was forested with hair as dense and black as a
murder of crows, and it spiked over a snowy cravat. His
face was harder and leaner than his brother’s, but there
was the trace of a little boy in the impossibly thick
fringe of black lashes that seemed to be a family trait.
He was considerably younger than she imagined, thirty-five,
perhaps, but his bearing was as incontrovertibly
authoritative as it was vibrantly confident.
He looked up, and their eyes met. They were beautiful…an
unusual shade warring between blue and green. From beneath
the thick eyebrows that feathered back toward his temples,
those eyes regarded her with a keen perspicacity that
unsettled her. The person standing before her was the
picture of a gentleman, but something lurked behind the
regal façade. It was something so instinctively male, so
seductively primitive, that she was forced to look away.
Her gaze lowered, mesmerized by the way his shoulders
filled the beautiful swallowtail coat, its fabric taut with
the width of him. Lower her eyes went, trailing down the
long lines of him that narrowed at his waist and widened at
the sinews that stretched his dove‑gray breeches.
A flush suffused her face, she was sure, and she fervently
hoped he hadn't noticed the trail her gaze had taken. Her
attention flew back to his dazzling blue-green eyes, which
were now narrowing suspiciously upon her.
“I’m very pleased to meet you,” she said, extending her
hand.
Riley stared into her face, probing beneath the pleasant
smile she offered him. “Yes, I can see you are,” he
answered, bringing the cup to his lips.
Mortified, April retracted her hand as fast as if he had
slapped it away. His face became smug as he peered at her
over the brim of his cup. She had never looked at a man
the way she looked at him, and to be caught doing so was
more than her pride could bear.
Jeremy, uncomfortable with their tense exchange, cleared
his throat politely. “Mrs. Perkins brought in the tea.
May I pour you some, April?”
She blazed at Riley. “Thank you, no, Jeremy. I just came
down to meet our father.”
Jonah, who had not taken his eyes off of April, grew weak
at the knees and had to sit down. “Do forgive me, but I’m
afraid this is all just a little too much to absorb.”
April sat in a nearby chair. “It is I who should
apologize, Your Grace. I suspected that the news would
shock you. But it was imperative that I come to meet you.
After all these years, I had to know my father.”
Jeremy brought over a glass of brandy, and Jonah’s hand
trembled as he raised it to his lips. “I don’t
understand. Why did Vivienne keep you from me all this
time?”
It was an odd question. “She spoke of you often, Your
Grace, and always with fondness. But she never told me why
she kept me a secret. Judging from your station in life, I
can only imagine it was out of respect for your reputation.
She simply didn’t want to defile your family name.”
He looked aggrieved. “Oh, my poor Vivienne.”
While April puzzled at his response, Riley snorted
derisively. “Father, don’t tell me you believe this girl’s
fish tale.”
Jeremy responded. “Oh, it’s true, Riley. It’s as I told
you in my letter. She knew all about Vivienne: where she
came from, where she lived…everything.”
“That's hardly privileged information, Jeremy,” Riley
answered, never for a moment wavering his eyes from April.
“There are things she knows. Tell them, April. Tell them
about Vivienne and Father.”
She didn’t hear the question at first. That man Riley kept
staring at her. He didn’t even seem to blink. If it
weren’t for the steady rise and fall of his chest, she
would have thought him a statue.
With great force of will, she tore her eyes from Riley’s.
Focusing on Jonah’s expectant face, she recited some of the
details she had gleaned from the diary. Under the guise of
reminiscences, she fabricated a vignette of a life with the
Madame, made up of half-truths and carefully embellished
stories from the Madame’s diary. April wove in moments
where the Madame had shared confidences about her love
affair with Jonah. She was secretly pleased at how
convincingly she incorporated herself into the Madame’s
life.
It would have been her finest performance yet, except that
she kept glancing over at Riley, and every time she did so,
her mind went blank. He was no statue, as she originally
mused. He was far too alive, too alert, to be made of
stone. Everything she uttered was eagerly absorbed by
Jeremy and Jonah, as if her words were drops of water
falling on parched soil. But that man Riley was not so
receptive. He listened attentively, probingly, collecting
every stutter and hesitation like he was searching for a
chink in her armor.
When April reached the part about the Madame’s death, she
had to stop. Jonah was almost in tears.
“She was such a good woman,” he said removing a
handkerchief from a pocket. “I was wrong to let her go.
I’ll never forgive myself.”
Jeremy threw an arm around him. “It’s all right, Father.
Don’t mourn what you could never have.”
Their reaction bewildered her, but she was careful not to
betray it.
Jonah looked up at her. “I’m sorry that your mother is
gone, child. She meant the world to me. She was the most
wonderful woman I have ever known.”
Riley bristled, and she felt an immense relief that his
attention was finally drawn elsewhere. “That is because
you have very low standards, Father.”
“I beg your pardon?” he said, turning towards his son.
Riley met his stare. “Firstly, I will not be drawn into a
discussion wherein the praises of Vivienne Devereux are
sung. And secondly, I have never heard such a heap of
rubbish in my whole life. Damn it, Father, it’s not like
you to be so credulous. Can’t you see how artfully this
girl is playing upon your romantic sentiments?
Jonah glowered at Riley. “You’ll have to forgive my son,
Miss Devereux. Riley is a good lad, but he’s a man of the
law, and therefore highly skeptical. I’ll concede that I
too was dubious when I received word of this. But I’m not
anymore. Which makes me surprised at Riley. He is usually
a very good judge of character.”
Riley moved to an armchair directly opposite April, his
nearness sparking an alarm within her. April got that
unsettling sensation again, the distracting impression that
she was sitting too close to a viper that was about to
strike, just as soon as it found the right vein.
“Tell me, Miss Devereux, what evidence do you have that you
are who you claim?”
Jonah frowned at him. “You heard the girl. She knows
things that no one but Vivienne and I were privy to.
Conversations we’ve had, places we’d gone. The exotic
flowers I brought her. Things that took place twenty years
ago. How else could she know? She must be Vivienne's
daughter.”
“Yes, but is she your daughter?”
There was a long pause. She watched as his frown
dissipated into a proud smile. “Even if she isn't mine,
she's Vivienne's, and that's good enough for me.”
His words pulled her out from under the weight of Riley’s
stare. April had been surprised by his grief at Vivienne’s
supposed death, but she was astonished by his blind
acceptance of her for Vivienne’s sake. Something warmed
within her. April had that feeling again, that she was
somehow out of her depth. Every instinct in her told her
to run, that things here were not as they seemed. But
these strangers were openly offering something that April
didn’t even know she craved – a family of her own.
Riley leaned back in his chair. “Oh, come now, Father.
Just have a look at her. I can’t even tell what side of
the cradle she favors. She doesn’t look like the Vivienne
I remember. There’s absolutely no resemblance to either of
you. Go on, girl. Pack your things and get out.”
Jonah shot his son a pleading look. “No, Riley. Please.
She’s all I have left.”
Riley’s swung his stormy gaze from his father’s wistful
face back to April, who straightened under his
inspection. “Very well, Father. Prove it to me. Why
should I believe she is who she claims?”
Jonah reached into his waistcoat pocket and pulled out his
watch. He released the catch and offered it to
him. “There. In there is a picture of Vivienne. Maybe
that will refresh your memory. See how much they look
alike? What can you possibly remember of her? You were
just a boy.”
Riley studied the inside of the watchcase. “Father, this
is a silhouette.”
“That's right. Can't you see? They have the same nose!”
Riley rolled his eyes heavenward and sighed
impatiently. “Notwithstanding your nasal similarities,
Miss Devereux, I fail to connect you in any way with our
family. Furthermore, I do not know why you should choose
to show up on our doorstep now, claiming to be some long
lost and best‑forgotten relative. What, exactly, are your
intentions toward us?”
April squirmed. “I…I want only to be reunited with my
father.”
Jonah’s eyes softened. “You have been, child. You’re part
of our family now.”
There it was again, that softening of her heart. The
feeling of being accepted, of belonging…it filled her with
a strange elation.
Riley’s sensual mouth thinned, and his striking eyes
retreated under his thick black eyebrows. “I can see I've
been away at court too long. Have you both become so
vulnerable to a woman’s charms? All she needed was a
little information and a pretty smile, and she got you two
to take her in like a lost puppy. Need I remind you what a
precarious situation she has placed us in? Her very
presence here is enough to cast suspicion upon us. She is
the daughter of a harlot, and very likely one herself. I
don’t know what you two intend, but I won’t have our family
name tarnished by any sort of connection with a girl like
that.”
Her teeth clenched uncontrollably. She could hardly
believe his insufferable haughtiness. How dare he think
his family above her kind, considering his own father
bedded one of it! Much as it galled her, her indignation
at his disdain gave way to a fierce obligation to protect
those he maligned, many of which were her friends, Jenny
included.
Rising from her chair, she put on her best lady-like
hauteur. “Although my mother was indeed a harlot, sir,
neither she nor I were ever accustomed to being treated
like one. I came only out of a desire to learn the
identity of my father – and to comply with my mother’s
dying wish that I seek him out to ask him to look after
me. I have done both. Now I shall trouble you no longer.
Your Grace, Jeremy, thank you for your hospitality. Be
assured I will leave as soon as my maid packs our things.”
Her skirts whirled as she made for the door.
Amid their protestations, she heard only one remark. “Make
certain she packs only your things.”
She cringed. She’d be damned before she left this house
trounced by Lord High and Bloody Mighty. She turned upon
him.
“As far as I’m concerned, your lordship, you can take the
entire bloody manor and shove it right up your bottom!”
With that, she turned and stormed out of the room.
Fifteen minutes later, April groaned into the pillow. “Oh,
Jenny, I’m a fool. A right bloody brainless fool!”
Jenny sat beside her on the bed. “Stop kicking yourself.
You did the right thing. Imagine the cheek!”
April jerked the pillow away from her face. “We really
have to leave now, you know. There’s no way they’d let us
stay.”
Jenny smiled sympathetically. “You know I’m not
disappointed about that. I’m glad to be quit of this
place. Let’s just take our loss and get out.”
April rolled her eyes upward. “But this house… And you
should have seen the morning room! It was so beautiful,
overlooking the gardens and all. Oh, I can’t stand it!”
Jenny pried the pillow from April’s face. “What good does
it do to ‘ave all these rooms if it makes you mean and
selfish? Is that what you want, to be like that Riley
fellow? All uppity and ‘olier-than-thou? I don’t think
I’d like you very much if you became like that.”
“I just wish I hadn’t let my temper get the best of me,
that’s all. He was testing me – I could feel it. And I
rose to the bait. Some ‘lady’ I turned out to be.”
“You are a lady,” Jenny insisted.
“Yes, but ladies don’t go about telling gentlemen to stuff
themselves, do they?”
Jenny giggled. “Not usually, no. But you stood up for
what you believed in, and that makes you lady enough in my
book.”
A knock sounded on the door, and they froze. April leapt
off the bed and told Jenny to start throwing their things
in their valise. April then opened the door.
She blinked in disbelief. It was Riley.
“Lord Blackheath,” she breathed. “I did not expect to see
you.”
He looked down, a lock of black hair falling onto his
forehead. “I did not expect to come. May I speak with you
a moment?”
She swallowed hard. “Of course.”
Now that he stood so near, she was able to appreciate his
size. He was unusually tall for an Englishman, and
incredibly broad about the shoulders. As he brushed past
her, his masculine scent, mingled with a whisper of
sandalwood, made her senses kindle in response.
The immense bedroom she so loved seemed cramped now that he
stood in the center of it. He glanced at Jenny, and April
realized he wanted her to dismiss her servant.
“Jenny, please excuse us.”
“Yes, miss,” she said haltingly, and practically ran out
into the other room.
When they were finally alone, Riley spoke. “I cannot seem
to dispel the memory of your parting remarks. It was
rather less cordial than I am accustomed to.”
Despite the stern reprimand, she would not give him the
satisfaction of appearing contrite. “If you’ve come
seeking an apology, Lord Blackheath, I fear you may have
wasted your time.”
“Actually, I came to make one.” Riley raked his fingers
through his hair in the impatient gesture of a man who was
forced into a course of action that countermanded his
better instincts. “My father would have you stay on a bit
longer, if you’ve a mind to. As you may have surmised, he
was quite fond of Vivienne, and you are his link to her
memory. He also has no wish to turn you out. Therefore, I
invite you to be our guest here at the Manor, and if you
would be so kind, acquaint my father with the years of
Vivienne’s life since he saw her last.”
Wearing her triumph like a crown, she strode to the
window. “I am not certain I can accept your invitation.
Given what passes for a welcome here, I expect I shall be
much more comfortable at the finishing school.”
She could not see him, but she heard him inhale
sharply. “I shall have Forrester situate you in the
Queen’s Bedchamber during your stay. It’s the suite Her
Majesty uses when she visits, the finest in my home. I
trust it will make you comfortable.”
April’s heart leapt at his sweetened offer of hospitality,
but she quelled the delight. “I don’t think so, Lord
Blackheath. I did not make arrangements for an extended
stay. My things are not here. Please convey my regrets to
His Grace.”
Riley made a guttural noise, and she could sense his
palpable irritation at his vulnerable position. “My entire
household will be at your disposal. I will have Forrester
assign a contingent of servants to wait upon you, and if
you wish, you can order a consignment of dresses from
London so that you may remain fashionable while in the
country. With my compliments, of course.”
April’s eyes gleamed. She was glad that she was not facing
him, because she could not suppress her exhilaration at his
offer. Her breathing quickened, and she could not erase
the smile from her lips. What a victory!
She cleared her throat. His hospitality was not Riley’s
own idea. He was clearly making amends at his father’s
behest. “Perhaps I may be persuaded to stay on for a short
time, until I find alternate arrangements,” she said,
hoping her words cut him.
“Of course.”
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him turn towards the
door.
“Is that all?” April called out, halting him.
His eyebrows drew together. “Excuse me?”
“You said you came to make an apology, and I have not yet
heard it.” She faced him in a bold challenge.
Riley’s eyes widened, but he swallowed his flaring
temper. “Yes, well, I realize I was a bit harsh on you,
and I apologize if I insulted you or Vivienne Devereux.”
She boldly walked up to him. “You were exceedingly harsh,
sir, both to me and to the memory of my mother. I knew
there would be questions, but I did not expect an
interrogation.”
Riley’s jaw clenched. “I do beg your pardon once more.”
“I must say I expected more of someone of your privileged
upbringing. And indeed, of someone who is in fact my own
blood relation.”
He moved so quickly, April jumped. In a second, his large
hands slammed against the wardrobe on either side of her,
pinning her between his massive arms.
“Don’t even try it! You may have charmed my father, Miss
Devereux, but don’t think for one moment that you have
fooled me. You haven’t uttered a single honest word since
you entered my house, and I do not suffer liars gladly. I
strongly suggest you abandon all pretenses, or you may find
out what happens to those who try to deceive me. Do we
understand one another?”
The heat emanating from his fiery eyes made her gasp for
air. Even if she could, she dared not answer him.
He tore himself away and stormed out of her room, leaving
in his wake only the sound of the vibrating wardrobe
doors.
Her heart hammered against her chest. She chided herself
for a fool. It had been an imprudent move to challenge
him.
There was no turning back now. The war with Riley was
underway
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