Spotlight & Giveaway: An Unsuitable Lady for a Lord by Cathleen Ross

Today it is my pleasure to Welcome author Cathleen Ross to HJ!

Hi Cathleen and welcome to HJ! We’re so excited to chat with you about your new release, An Unsuitable Lady for a Lord!

 
Hello Everyone
 

Please summarize the book a la Twitter style for the readers here:

Lord Aaron Lyle has one hell of a choice: a bankrupt dukedom, or marriage to some simpering society miss so his spendthrift father can get his hands on her huge dowry. He won’t do it. He has a reputation to maintain, and besides, he’d rather run naked through the streets of London than marry anyone at all. Surely, there must be a third option.

Then Lady Crystal Wilding walks into his life, a bluestocking, full of subversive thoughts, who hates the notion of marriage even more than he does. He is intrigued…and suddenly he has an idea. He invites the totally unsuitable lady home on the pretext of presenting her as a possible match…but in truth, Aaron has something far more pleasurable in mind. For her part, Lady Crystal has her own reasons for going along with his harebrained scheme.

Imagine their shock when his highly proper family loves her and starts planning the wedding. Good lord. Now what?
 

Please share the opening lines of this book:

Prologue
The Duchy of Lomond, 1811 Thursday
Lord Aaron Lyle, the Marquis of Lyle and heir to the powerful Duke of Lomond, said goodbye and bowed to the latest lady his father, the duke, had invited to Lomond House.
She smiled as she curtsied, revealing teeth the size of a horse’s, and laughed as if he’d said something witty, which he hadn’t, because all wit had died after spending an excruciating hour with the lady.
Aaron turned to his father as the carriage made its way down the long driveway of the estate. “You can’t seriously think I would consider her?”
“Your problem, Lyle, is you can’t see past looks,” his father said.
Nor past that dreadful laugh. Haw, haw, haw. Aaron
shuddered. How could he grow to love a woman whose proximity made his stomach turn? It rankled deep inside him that he couldn’t choose his own wife.

Please share a few Fun facts about this book…

• It’s 1811 and set in Regency Scotland. Anyone who has been there will understand my love for the place.
• My heroine gets so angry when she’s speaking on women’s rights, that she accidentally blurts out that women enjoy sexual congress.
• My hero thinks only a mad woman would admit such a thing.
• This isn’t a fun fact but an interesting fact that Scottish white slavery existed in the 17th and 18th centuries. I wonder what happened to all the poor Scottish people sold off to the American plantations?

What first attracts your Hero to the Heroine and vice versa?

Hero to heroine.
She looks ladylike and comes from an ancient line of Scottish lords but she calls a spade a spade.

Heroine to hero
In spite of his attraction to her, he gets involved in her causes and gives from the heart.

I think I fell in love with him too.
 

Using just 5 words, how would you describe Hero and Heroine’s love affair?

sexy, hot, exciting, loving, illicit.
 

The First Kiss…

“Aye. Whatever this is, we must see it through, because I cannae rest, either.”
A ripple of pleasure sizzled through her at his tone. Confident, and yet vulnerability echoed, too.
He rose from his seat and pulled her into his arms. His hands cupped her face, and he leaned down, touching his mouth to hers. Gently, he licked along the seam of her lips.
Heat, delightful and wicked, went down her spine, tingling all the way to settle between her legs.
She raised her arms and wrapped them around his neck as the kiss intensified. He copied her motion, lashing her to him with his strong arms so their bodies were pressed together. She opened her lips, excited to deepen the kiss. He tasted of claret and man. She’d never experienced the strange sensation of a man’s tongue in her mouth before, and there was something distinctly addictive about the feeling it gave her. She met his tongue with her own, tasting
and testing. It seemed wicked and pleasurable at the same time.
Her whole body pressed against his, and she started to tremble as he kissed her. Even her knees became weak.
He moaned deep in his throat, and she realized he was feeling it, too. Indeed, with any more encouragement, she knew he’d strip her down and take her. How she wanted him to! Even though society would surely punish her for having such a scandalous thought.
She pulled back with a moan. “This is so new, so wonderful, I feel heady. As if I’m going to faint.”
He smiled, and his eyes darkened with pleasure. “It is exactly as I imagined kissing you would be.”
“That I would feel faint, you mean?” she asked, sliding her arms from the back of his neck. “I’ve never fainted in my life.”
“I expect not. But you’ve never been kissed before, have you?”

Without revealing too much, what is your favorite scene in the book?

I worked hard on my opening scene, wrote and rewrote it. I hope you like it.

Chapter One
Edinburgh, 1811 Friday evening
When the wild Scottish wind swept Lady Crystal Wilding’s straw bonnet from her head, she didn’t expect it to fly, complete with ostrich feathers, right into the hands of the most compelling gentleman she’d ever seen.
He leaped with masculine grace, snatched the offending black hat from the air, and, on seeing its owner, bowed deeply. His thick, dark hair and perfectly trimmed sideburns had not been mussed by the leap, and the first thing she noticed was the amusement in his midnight blue eyes. He was exquisitely attired in a double-breasted black tailcoat, tan breeches, and black leather shoes. His cream silk cravat was tied superbly in a complicated pattern only a highly paid servant could manage. A hint of his brocade waistcoat showed under his well-tailored tailcoat.
“Lord Lyle at your service, Miss…”
“Lady Crystal Wilding.”
She strode a few feet over to him, bobbed a curtsy, and
caught his compelling blue-eyed gaze for a second too long. She usually regarded powerful lords with some contempt… but something about this man grabbed her attention and wouldn’t let go.
She deliberately shook it off. She really needed to refocus and not allow herself to be distracted. “Thank you for saving this miscreant of a hat, my lord. I dinnae ken how it came loose.”
He fluffed the elaborate plumed creation before placing it in her hands and giving her a wicked smile. “Perhaps it was trying to return to its former avian owner.”
A ripple of laughter left her lips, and he joined her, his stern, noble face softening with enjoyment. Up close, he smelled of fine wool and the delicious scent of lime.
Just then, Hilda, Crystal’s maid, approached her. “I’m sorry, my lady. I should have tied the hat better.”
“No matter. You may go, Hilda. Take the hackney cab back to Old Town. I can see Sir Walter Scott is waiting for me at his front door,” she said. She was looking forward to meeting the famous poet and author.
“Aye, my lady.” Hilda curtsied and left her.
“So, you’re attending Sir Walter’s soiree? I heard there is a right harridan of a speaker tonight,” Lord Lyle confided, leaning close to her. “Let me escort you to the door.” He held out his arm for her.
She took it and walked with him down North Castle Street, conscious of how well built he was, with broad shoulders, narrow hips, and long legs.

“A harridan, you say?” she mused, biding her time. “She sounds right frightening. Does she come with horns?” He laughed again, and she noticed how his intense blue eyes warmed to her humor. He had a dimple in one cheek when he smiled, which was rather appealing, despite his
cutting words.
“She’s a bluestocking, I’m told. One of those dreadful
mannish creatures, no doubt with a mustache, who’ll probably bore us. Certainly, she’ll not be a bonny lass like you.”
He found her beautiful? Well, her heart certainly beat faster when he was close, but it irritated her that he thought a woman should be comely if he was expected to listen to her. She turned to him, raised her eyebrows, and looked him up and down as they approached Sir Walter’s gate. “Why are you attending the salon if you’re not interested in this boring, frightening orator?”
“The whisky is excellent, and Sir Walter is a dear friend,” he said with a wink.
Sir Walter Scott held on to the rail and limped down his front stairs to greet them. “Lord Lyle, I see you’ve already met our charming presenter, Lady Crystal Wilding.”
Lord Lyle blanched, his handsome face becoming all angles and planes, making his blade of a nose appear sharper under his high cheekbones. “Our speaker, you say?”
Crystal calmly rubbed above her upper lip, where her mustache would be if she were the harridan he had expected. “Aye, the lord has made my acquaintance and entertained me with his views. I look forward to sharing some of mine, for I’m sure he’ll eat up my words.”
Or learn to eat his own.

If your book was optioned for a movie, what scene would be absolutely crucial to include?

I enjoyed writing the first salon scene where my hero and heroine meet. It shows the time they lived in, context being crucial. My heroine has a fierce Scottish temper and she loses it.

Lord Lyle stood. “I have a question to ask the lady.”
Sir Walter looked at Lady Crystal. She nodded.
“I happen to agree with your opinion, my lady, only I’d
like to take it a step further. In a time when others are able to choose, gentlemen from the great houses cannae choose their wives, either. I think all men should be free to do so.”
Will pulled at his coat. “What’s got into you? Sit,” his brother hissed.
Lady Crystal’s face softened as she listened to him, and his heartbeat quickened, compelled by her gaze. By God, she was lovely. “Then we are in complete agreement, my lord. Love is an important ingredient in marriage.”
“Hear, hear,” Lady Hamilton said. The room erupted as the gentlemen began to call out their views.
“Your modern ideas are not wanted here,” the fiery- haired aristocrat snarled. “Men may do as they wish, but women are inferior creatures and should do as they’re told.” Others joined in, and the din rebounded off the salon walls.
“Please let Lady Crystal finish. Then you may all have your say,” Sir Walter called out, standing by Lady Crystal’s side.
Lady Crystal put her hands on her hips and glared at the audience. “You men think you know it all. It is time men knew the truth. Women feel desire just like a man. They want to love and marry a man they care about. It’s degrading to women that marriage should be a financial arrangement.
Women want to enjoy sexual congress, and that is difficult to achieve when a husband is chosen for her, often twice her age and with no thought to compatibility.”
She was utterly shocking. No one clapped; instead, the audience sat dumbstruck, and silence pervaded the salon. Neither a breath, nor a cough, nor a rustle stirred the air.
Aaron spluttered mid swallow, his whisky burning his throat and making his eyes water. The idea that proper women felt desire was outrageous. No genteel woman he’d ever met had wanted sex or admitted to such a yearning. That was the province of whores and the mentally unstable.

Readers should read this book …

Readers who love Scottish historicals and enjoy their history well researched.
Readers who enjoy a fun and yet intense story.
Readers who love Scotland. It’s my heritage and I’ve been several times.

What are you currently working on? What other releases do you have planned?

I’m working on a 80,000 word historical book set in the 1920s about the theosophical movement. The theosophists living at The Manor in Sydney were planning for The Christ to appear in Sydney. It’s a bizarre concept but they spent 22, ooo pounds to build an amphitheatre to welcome The Christ. I spent 5 years researching this story while writing my other books. I’m pleased to say it’s finally finished and with my agent and that my lovely editor has seen it and wants to see the rewrite. I would love this to go into print.

Thanks for blogging at HJ!

Giveaway: ebook copy of An Unsuitable Lady for a Lord.

To enter Giveaway: Please complete the Rafflecopter form and Post a comment to this Q: What interests you about historical romance? How important is the accuracy of the history to you?

 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
 

Excerpt from An Unsuitable Lady for a Lord:

Saturday morning
Aaron awoke with his arms wrapped around Crystal. Her long blond hair was loose on the pillow, her eyes closed, her chest rising and falling. He gazed on her beauty, noticing how long her eyelashes were, how kissable her lips. She’d insisted on sleeping in her shift, but it wouldn’t take much to coax her out of it. Would she be ready to take his cock this morning? He hoped so. He’d never remembered a time in his life when he’d been so happy, so contented, as he was now with her. She had such integrity that, for the first time, he thought he’d found a woman he could trust. Not one who wanted him simply because he was heir to a grand title.
She was there in his bed, risking everything for him, without the pressure of marriage. It was so new, so precious, he could barely put words to his happiness.
He wanted to whisk her away to the family seat so he
could have her to himself every day. Edinburgh was too busy and too risky. The last thing he wanted was for Crystal to be compromised.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Someone hammered on his front door loud enough to echo up three flights of stairs.
What the hell? He didn’t even have his butler this morning to tell them to move on.
Crystal’s eyes snapped open in alarm. “What was that?”
“Someone fool enough to bother me, which isn’t going to happen while I have you in my bed,” he growled. “I should have thought to close my bedroom door last night. They can just go away.” He snuggled up behind her, looping his arm around her waist and pressing his aching cock against her backside. She was nice and warm and sleepy. He reached down, cupped her round bottom to knead, and started to nuzzle her neck.
“Mmm,” she sighed, rolling onto her back and smiling at him in welcome. “What a glorious way to awaken. I had no idea of the delight being in your bed could bring.”
His door knocker banged, a sharp clacking sound that seemed to echo up the stairwell and into his bedroom. Then the sound of a key turning in the lock fully roused him.
Who the hell was impudent enough to disturb him now? He leaped off the bed, wondering if it was his brother, who was the only other person to have a key to this house. Pulling on his banyan, he leaned over the stair rail. “Is that you, Will?”
“Aye. You’d best get yourself dressed, and the lassie, too, if she’s up there,” Will called, looking up from the entry landing. “I’ve something important to share.”

“Just a minute. I’m coming down.” How could Will know Crystal was here? He looked over at her. She’d sat up, her delicious blond curls falling over her shoulders and her beautiful breasts, the nipples pointed beneath her shift.
Hell and damnation, he’d send Will on his way with a flea in his ear for troubling him, unless this was urgent business. He had a morning cockstand, and he knew exactly where he wanted to put it. Last night, they’d come so close, but she’d needed more time, and he was willing to give it to her. This sensuous unveiling was one of the most erotic things he’d ever done.
She was so special to him.
He pulled on his breeches and hoped his damned cock would deflate as he thumped down three flights of stairs to the landing.
Will held up a broadsheet. “I think you should see this. Luckily for you, I was up early this morning and bought it, so you can read it for when you’re asked to comment.”
“What time is it?” he said, taking the broadsheet from him.
“Nearly noon.”
“Is it? I would have sworn it was just dawn.” He yawned and stretched, still lost in the heady abandonment of sexual pleasure.
Will raised an eyebrow. “I can see you’ve been otherwise engaged.”
Aaron brushed his hand through his hair and over his jawline. He had no idea how late he and Crystal had delighted in each other. She was so fascinated with him— what pleased him and what didn’t. His gut had told him she’d be a willing pupil, and, much to his pleasure, he’d been right. Technically, she was still a virgin, but he’d come close to taking her several times last night. No wonder they’d both slept in. He needed a shave and a wash.
He opened the broadsheet to see his and Crystal’s names on the front page and an eye-catching headline: TWO LORDS AT WAR OVER HERO’S DAUGHTER.
“Oh, hell. They must have held the presses to get this out.” Urgently, he scanned the article, which reported the incident with Angus Stuart calling Crystal a whore. Unfortunate, but at least the journalist had kept to the facts. The article gave a detailed description of the fight and Aaron’s spirited defense of the lady. Fair enough. His gaze alighted on the last few lines. How long before Lady Crystal Wilding is compromised, now that her benefactor, the Marquis of Lyle, heir to the Duke of Lomond, has his sights on her? A rake like Lyle is well-known for meeting and spurning ladies of worth.
“It isn’t good, but there’s naught here to sue them over,” Will said.
“Damn! I knew we’d end up in the papers. It’s not exactly flattering, though I suppose I will have to wear it. I hardly consider myself a rake. Spurning well-born ladies? What ladies?” He scrunched the broadsheet in his hand, wanting to shred it.
Will held up his fingers. “Lady Sybil, Lady Prunella, and the Devonshire earl’s daughter. I forget her name.”
“Lady Honora. They were ladies Lomond insisted I meet, and Lady Sybil ran crying because our grandmother said there was madness in her family.”
“Is Lady Prunella still in the running for your hand?” Will asked.

“The dowager told her she was born of a syphilitic drunk, and she ran off, too, so hopefully not,” Aaron said, turning his attention back to the broadsheet.
“No wonder Lomond made sure the dowager wasn’t at Lomond House when Lady Honora called.”
“I wish she had been,” Aaron muttered. “How dare they print that I intend to compromise Lady Crystal?”
Will raised his eyebrows and stared at him.
“Don’t say a word,” Aaron warned his brother. He needed to think, because from the outside, it looked the way of the article. No one had any idea how he felt about Crystal. Although he put a good face on it to Will, the allegations in the article made him so furious he wanted to punch the wall.
He couldn’t think when he was angry. He stomped down the hall and made his way to the kitchen with Will following him. “Light the stove, will you? I want to read this again. I’ve had the cook set up the coffeepot. We’ve only to heat water to put through it.”
Will took two cups down from the cabinet.
Aaron glanced up. “Pull down another cup, will you? Crystal will want some when she learns about this.”
“So, you’ve seduced her already,” Will said with a look of disapproval.
“How is this any of your damned business?” Aaron asked as guilt started to eat into his soul. Crystal would be upset with this article, but he needed to show her so they could work out what to do together.
“Where’re your servants?” Will asked as he opened the stove door and lit the already stacked wood and paper.
“I gave them time off today. They’ll be back to cook my dinner. I didn’t want word getting out about Crystal. The

fewer people who know she’s spent the night, the better.” “Aye, well, it won’t be because of your servants, you ken. You’re doing well enough on your own. Now the whole of Edinburgh knows of your interest in the lady,” Will said,
pointing at the broadsheet.
Aaron resisted the urge to dive over the table and punch
Will in the head. If he’d been younger, he would have, but as adults they’d learned to resolve their differences in a more civilized way. His brother was only trying to warn him, but it was Will’s underlying disapproval that grated on his nerves. Will could be so like their father sometimes.
“Aaron, you’re compromising a lord’s daughter. Earl Wilding had great standing in our country, and the lassie is a good woman, but she has no one to protect her.”
Aaron clenched his jaw and scrunched the broadsheet. “She doesn’t need protection. She has me.”
“You. Will. Ruin. Her,” Will said through gritted teeth, condemnation in his eyes. “Why couldn’t you seduce a divorcee or a widow? This is a young lass fresh from the Highlands who knows naught about men. She’s full of ideas, and she’s very clever with words, but some ideas are impractical in our society. Is she nothing but prey to you? Let her go.”
“How dare you!” Aaron stood, the chair he sat on crashing backward.
He wasn’t ready to acknowledge this relationship out loud. It was too new. Too precious. He was falling for Crystal in a way he’d never experienced before. He couldn’t call it love. Could he…? He barely knew her. But what he felt was rich and special, like finding a deep seam of diamonds in a coal mine. So unexpected. So joyous—and he wasn’t ready

to share a sentiment that barely had a name.
Not until he’d shared it with Crystal first.
To admit his feelings to his brother would split him
wide open. His brother’s censoriousness intruded on this exquisite, fragile feeling, which was not controlled by the bonds of society.
“Lady Crystal doesn’t wish to marry,” he said, his voice cool and blunt.
“You mean you dinnae wish to marry.” Will raised his voice.
“No. I meant what I said. She wants to get to know me well, and I’m verra content with the progress. Why do you even care?”
Damn you, Will. Get out before I throw you out!
“Because I admire the lady. She’s brave and sweet, and she deserves better. She cares about others more than she cares about herself, and if you have any regard for her, you’ll let her go before you destroy her.”
“Destroy her? I’d never do that.” Aaron’s fists bunched with fury, though he forced himself to swallow it like the rank medicine it was.
The fire took, and Will closed the stove door, pushing a kettle onto the stove. “You do realize Lomond will never allow you to marry her. She’s too outspoken and too independent.”
“Of course I can’t marry her. I know what’s expected of me. I will marry a biddable, wealthy heiress of Father’s choosing. But they’re all so unappealing. Ugh!” He took the chair, righted it, and sat stiffly.
“This will kill Lomond when he reads it. Is that what you want? There is nothing he hates more than a scandal,”

Will said, pointing to the broadsheet. “You know how highly he regarded Earl Wilding, and now you’re treating his daughter like a whore.”
“Keep your voice down,” Aaron said. “None of it is any of your damned business. This is an arrangement we are both happy with.”
“It seems it has become everyone’s business,” Crystal interjected, her voice concerned. “Good morning, Lord William, Aaron.” She padded into the room, dressed in a soft muslin morning gown with a pink shawl over her shoulders. Her hair was done in a loose but neat bun, and she looked every bit the lady.
“Good morning. We have an unexpected visitor,” Aaron said.
“My lady.” Will bowed. “Apologies for disturbing your morning, but I feel there is a broadsheet you should read. With that, I’ll take my leave. I can see my advice is unwelcome.” He bowed again and turned to go.
“Will?” Aaron said.
His brother looked at him, and he saw the hurt dulling the blue of Will’s eyes.
“Thank you for the warning,” Aaron said, his love for his brother overriding his darkening mood.
Will shrugged and left the kitchen, his footsteps retreating down the hallway.
Crystal patted her hair, appearing at ease, but her cheeks were bright pink and her mouth wobbled. How awkward this must be for her.
“I’m sorry, my dear. Will and I have had a disagreement. We differ in our opinions sometimes,” he said, desperately worried about how much she had heard.

“I need to see this broadsheet,” she said.
Aaron jumped to his feet and pulled out a chair for her. “We knew eventually something would be printed about us. It isn’t bad about you, more about me. I’ll go and see the editor, explain that I’m your benefactor, and insist on an apology.”
She sat and reached for the paper, reading parts of the contents aloud. “How long before Lady Crystal Wilding is compromised… A rake known for meeting and spurning ladies of worth.” She looked over at him, her eyes wide, as if assessing him for the first time. “It seems you have quite the reputation,” she said, her voice icy, so different from the willing wanton he’d left in his bed.
“It isn’t as it seems,” Aaron said, anxious to placate her. “It is as I explained to you. The duke insisted I meet prospective wives, but I refused all of them and put a stop to the introductions. You know I don’t agree with forced marriage. You don’t, either.”
She swallowed, looking at him. “It seems to me the ladies were humiliated, and you clearly played a part in that.”
“I agreed to three separate introductions to appease the duke. None of the ladies were to my taste, so I refused to meet more, but you are very well aware of how difficult the situation is for me. I don’t wish to marry a woman who cares nothing for me, though I realize, eventually, I may be forced to. Dammit, Crystal, I love my father, but we are at loggerheads over this.” Unable to bear her scrutiny, he stood, strode over to the stove, took the hot kettle, and poured water into the French drip coffeepot. He crossed his arms while he waited for the water to make its way through the cloth filter. “Have some coffee. We need to think.”
She continued looking at him, her expression blank, appearing dazed. Finally, she stood, took the two china cups from the bench, and set them on the kitchen table. “Coffee would be good. I feel it is time we talked about our
situation,” she said slowly and thoughtfully.
He watched her face crumple, though she held her
chin high. Was she rethinking her decision to see him? He couldn’t bear to lose her. She was the only one who gave him joy. Confound it!
She pushed the broadsheet away. “I heard you speaking to Lord William. I know you’re not a rake, even though the gutter press is trying to make you seem that way. Nevertheless, we need to talk about us,” she said, her voice cracking.
“Please have faith in me,” Aaron begged, pouring a cup of coffee for her.
“I care for you, Aaron, more than I’ve ever cared for any man, but I don’t want to be run out of town. There are young lives at stake here.”
“Yes, our lives,” he said with desperation. There was a coolness to her voice he hadn’t heard before, and he didn’t like it one bit.
“I also overheard that you feel the duke would consider me to be unsuitable as a marriage partner.”
Hell! No woman ever wanted to hear that, even if it was true. He started to speak, but she held up her hand to silence him.
“Which is irrelevant. It’s taken me all my life to break free from my father telling me what to do, how to behave, and what to think. I’ll never let a man have power over me again.”
Aaron sat next to her and put his arms around her, but
she remained stiff, unbending, refusing to cuddle into him as she had last night.
“I understand, which is why this arrangement suits us very well,” Aaron said.
She shrugged off his arms, picked up the china cup, and drank deeply. Her fingers were trembling, and she looked down at her lap. Finally, she glanced over at him. “I can’t see you alone for some time.”
“What do you mean?” he asked, stung.
“I mean privately. Like this. Unattended.”
She said the words as if he were a dolt or hard of hearing. “Then how will we—”
“We can’t, for the moment,” she said.
“Crystal, this will blow over. We can go to my father’s
estate when he isn’t there. The servants won’t talk if they wish to keep their jobs.”
“You have to understand, there is so much I wish to do in this city, so many women I want to help. There are ladies offering to be my benefactors and others to teach. I can make a real difference here.”
“And you can still do that. You have my complete support,” he said, totally frustrated. “I’ll give you whatever you need.”
She reached over and held his hand. “You have a place in my heart forever, and I don’t regret a minute of what we’ve done, but I can see, coming here, sharing your bed… If I’m discovered, I will be a social pariah.”
“I can’t— I won’t give you up. You make me happy. With you, I can forget all about my duty. My home is happier with you in it,” he said, his voice raw with misery.
She reached over and hugged him then, and he felt her
lithe frame tremble in his arms. “I don’t want to give you up, either. It’ll just be for a short time, while the gutter press is watching.”
“I need you in my life, Crystal. Everything you do or say is important, and I’m committed to getting to the bottom of the slavery issue you brought to my attention. These causes are important. I gave you my word I would do something about it. I’m expecting you in my office Monday morning with the girls. Bring Hilda so there is a chaperone.”
This had started off as a game, a light amusement. How had things changed so much in a blink of an eye?
She pulled out of his arms. “We will continue to do good work, but don’t fall in love with me, Aaron. You have to marry. You must appease the duke and do as he wishes.” Her lips wobbled as she spoke, and he knew it cost her.
“What are you saying? That you’re giving me your blessing to marry someone else?” It was both a freedom and a brutal betrayal of the heart. He couldn’t get his head around it.
She looked deeply into his eyes. “There is no other way forward, my darling. Not for us.”
“What if you fall in love with me? What will you do when I’m forced to marry? I don’t want you to hate me when I’m married. Would you then be prepared to be my mistress?”

Excerpts. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
 
 

Book Info:

Lord Aaron Lyle has one hell of a choice: a bankrupt dukedom, or marriage to some simpering society miss so his spendthrift father can get his hands on her huge dowry. He won’t do it. He has a reputation to maintain, and besides, he’d rather run naked through the streets of London than marry anyone at all. Surely, there must be a third option.

Then Lady Crystal Wilding walks into his life, a bluestocking, full of subversive thoughts, who hates the notion of marriage even more than he does. He is intrigued…and suddenly he has an idea. He invites the totally unsuitable lady home on the pretext of presenting her as a possible match…but in truth, Aaron has something far more pleasurable in mind. For her part, Lady Crystal has her own reasons for going along with his harebrained scheme.

Imagine their shock when his highly proper family loves her and starts planning the wedding. Good lord. Now what?
Book Links: Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Goodreads |
 
 

Meet the Author:

Cathleen Ross
Award Winning
Cathleen Ross is a quirky writer who lives on Sydney Harbor with her husband, daughter and very loved dog, Denzel. As an English teacher and editor, she has always surrounded herself with books. When she’s not giving psychic predictions for her family and friends, she’s writing romances where her heroines always get their man. She’s a multi-award-winning author who regularly hits the Amazon best-seller lists. You can find her on https://www.facebook.com/cathleen.ross.3
Website | Facebook | Twitter | | Instagram |