Naughty and Nice, book 7
Tessa Abbott had never known contentment until she came to stay with her distant cousins, the Coopers. But it’s the eve of a wedding, and nothing will ever be the same again. When the bride and groom finally leave, Mrs. Cooper will be taking a holiday, and Tessa will be sent away from the only place she’s ever wanted to be…at home with the man of her dreams.
When Robin Cooper took in Tessa Abbott, he found a kindred, though wary, spirit he soon wished to spend the rest of his life with. But finding opportunities to declare his interest has been impossible with his family demanding almost all of Tessa’s attention. So he’s made a plan for after the wedding. She’s the plan. She just doesn’t know it yet.
A Ramshackle Start is a standalone regency romance short romp.
- Friends to Lovers
- Best Friends Brother
- Forced Proximity
Read an Excerpt
Saying goodbye to Mr. Robin Cooper was very much on Tessa Abbott’s mind as her last full day in his home ended. Unfortunately, her cousin’s mind was focused on an entirely different gentleman.
“Oh, please say yes to William’s brother’s offer of marriage. We could be sisters then, not just distant cousins,” Anna Cooper pressed as the candle sputtered and died, leaving them in complete darkness in Tessa’s bedchamber. “I know you like George Leven enough to at least consider him,” Anna argued without the faintest idea she was so very wrong.
Tessa was, unfortunately, already in love, and to give George false hope, or marry him, would be cruel in the extreme.
Tessa lay on her back and stared into the darkness above her head as she grappled with the best way to decline her cousin’s suggestion without revealing her reasons for doing so. “I don’t like him enough to marry him. I was only being polite for your sake. I never meant to encourage a serious attachment,” she revealed in a whisper.
“Well, George is mad for you, no matter what you did or didn’t do. He talks about you all the time. He’s even talked about leasing a property on the same street where William and me will live, too,” Anna assured her as they lay under the comforter of Tessa’s bed together, as they’d done on so many other nights before this one. Tessa had been a guest of the Cooper family for some time, a recipient of their charity and surprisingly warm affection. “You have to marry someone eventually to have a family of your own. Why not marry George?”
Of course, Tessa wanted a family, but it didn’t seem likely that she could marry Robin Cooper. The object of her affections was oblivious to her admiration. “Perhaps I will meet the love of my life in Begley,” Tessa suggested.
Begley Cottage was a world away from London. It was where Anna’s crotchety grandmother, Tessa’s great-aunt, lived all alone.
Anna burst out laughing, and Tessa quickly slapped her hand over her cousin’s mouth to quell the sound before the noise of it traveled too far. She did not want to bring Mrs. Cooper into her room tonight or disturb Robin. “Quiet, or you’ll wake them.”
Mrs. Cooper and the unattainable Mr. Robin Cooper had been her two favorite people, but they were also the people who had the power to hurt her most of all. She was entirely at their mercy.
“Mama can sleep through anything at this time of night,” Anna complained. “But heaven forbid we disturb his peace.”
“Shh, you’ve no right to complain about your brother,” Tessa insisted. “Robin has been very generous to allow me to stay this long.”
“Not long enough for my liking,” Anna whispered angrily, citing a well-worn topic of private complaint. “Robin has funds enough to keep you, and yet he still hasn’t expended the energy to set up a dower, even when he hinted he might.”
It was inevitable that Robin had been unwilling to dower her, but as an orphan and a very distant relation, she had no right to expect anything at all. She was lucky this family had allowed her to live with them for this long.
To every other relation, she’d been considered nothing more than an unpaid drudge. Convenient until they had no use for her.
Anna had declared Tessa her sister right from the start. She was deeply offended by Robin’s reluctance to dower her, reducing her appeal to potential suitors. However, no man truly gave her a second glance once they learned she was a charity case.
“I suppose if I am ever to marry, I will have to attract a suitor with my smile and my flirtatious wit,” she joked.
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Book Info
Publish Date: December 1, 2020
Digital ISBN: 978-1-925239-86-7
Genre: Regency Historical Romance
Related Books
Naughty and Nice Series
1. One Wicked Night
2. In the Widow’s Bed
3. Love Me Tender
4. Love Me True
5. Wicked Mourning
6. A Husband for Mary
7. A Ramshackle Start
8. Let it Snow
9. Coming Together
10. Unforgettable