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Philomena
Davenport is shocked at her first sight of Breckenhill Keep, the
monstrous ruin she had inherited from the father who had deserted her
as a child. Even more shocking was the mysterious stipulation in the
will that required her to remain at the Keep for three months, before
she could claim her inheritance. How could she do that when the
Guardian of the Keep, the handsomely daunting Byron Carstairs, wants
her gone, and the spine chilling howls echoing up from the bowels of
the ruin urge her to escape while she still can? But Phil is made of
firmer stuff than that. She will take on the denizens of this dark
domain, and make the place her own. No monster or man would keep her
from it, and only love could drive her away.
For Byron, Phil is a light in the darkness of his duty-bound life. He had never expected to meet someone as beautiful, courageous or compassionate as she. In only days, she manages to spin her magic around the hearts of all who dwell within the sanctuary. But no matter how much they needed her, it is no kindness to keep her there. She deserved far better than a burdened man and a castle filled with monsters. For her own good, he must drive her light from his dark life.
>>>Recommended for readers who enjoy steamy but wholly romantic love scenes
Excerpt:
‘You will find everything you need in
this room. There’s a chamber pot under the bed and there will be
fresh water to wash with in the morning. Not before. Do not, under
any circumstances, try to leave your room until I come for you in the
morning. Keep your door locked at all times. There is a key on the
inside. Use it.’
She stood in the doorway of her new
room and stared up at him. He had the strongest desire to tear off
her bonnet and loosen her hair so he could see what colour it
actually was. At the moment, in the glow from the lamp, it looked
like burnished copper. He wanted to feel the silky texture of it
between his fingers. He wanted to brush the stray locks back from her
pale face.
As they stared at one another, it
seemed as if time had stopped. He watched in bemused delight as her
cheeks darkened with a blush and her eyes sparkled. Her breasts, so
tightly cocooned beneath the sober bodice, rose upward and seemed to
struggle to escape their bondage. She swallowed and sucked in her
lush lower lip, chewing on it nervously. Something had shifted
between them and he could see that she was as affected by it as he
was.
‘You…You are still trying to
frighten me away. Can you not see that such a ploy will not work with
me?’ she asked softly, brushing back the errant lock he had wanted
to touch.
‘I am not trying to frighten you. I
am trying to protect you. You have no idea what your pride has led
you into.’ His voice was little more than a whisper, and she
shifted forward slightly to catch his words.
‘Who are you?’ Her mouth formed a
moue, as if caught on the last word. ‘Why would you want to protect
me?’
Byron lifted his hand and let his
fingers touch those pouting lips. Like a sea anemone, they withdrew
from his invasion.
He grunted at his own lack of
restraint. He had more pressing matters with which to concern himself
than this pretty Miss. Yet he regretted her rejection of his touch.
It stung.
‘I am Byron Carstairs. I was your
father’s assistant.’
Her eyes lit with amusement. ‘You had
a poetry lover for a parent, I assume?’
Byron groaned. His mother’s love of
Lord Byron’s poetry had indeed been the reason for his name. He had
been teased mercilessly throughout his school years for it, and he
had never liked his namesake’s writing. It was highly unrealistic
in its romanticism.
‘Good night, Miss Davenport. I will
see you in the morning.’ He tried to maintain his fierce persona
but she had dislodged it with her amusement, and though he knew it
was no time for frivolity, he felt lightness in the moment.
She smiled a slow and knowing smile
that created dimples in her flushed cheeks. ‘Goodnight to you, Mr
Carstairs. I will look forward to it.’
His pulse raced and, for one daring
moment, he thought of dragging her into his arms and kissing those
smiling lips. She was like nothing he had ever known. In this dark
place, with its horror and pain, she was a glimpse of light that
shone brighter than the sun. He wanted to bath in it, soak up the
warmth of it, and let it drive the darkness away…
If only for a few precious moments.
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