Naughty and Nice Book 5
Widow Clara Blackstone is a faithful woman who has mourned her philandering husband for the last six months. Sheltered from pity and whispering tongues at a friend’s country estate, Clara awaits the birth of her first child with mounting confusion. Despite the tiny life growing inside her, she dreams of passion in her friend’s arms. And the erotic fantasies grow more compelling every day.
When Reginald Moore’s wife died in the arms of her lover, Clara’s husband, he whisked pregnant Clara away from false friends to protect her from the strain of the scandal. After six months of mourning, Reggie is done thinking of his faithless wife and, despite his originally noble intentions, he longs to have Clara in his bed—unborn child and all. Are his skills of persuasion enough to convince Clara to choose a new life with the one who stood by her, no matter how improper it might seem?
Wicked Mourning is a standalone regency romance short story.
- Friends to Lovers
- Forbidden Love
- Second Chance Romance
Read An Excerpt
Reginald Moore gestured to the oak tree beyond his window. “This isn’t amusing, Clara.”
He made room so Clara Blackstone, the widow of his former business partner, could stand between him and the farce occurring outside.
She drew in a sharp breath. “No, of course not, Reggie. It’s downright dangerous.”
Beneath his bedchamber window, a young lady—one he’d previously thought to be above such foolishness—hung from a high branch wailing pitifully. Her legs kicked in the air ineffectually, her hair—fallen from its moorings—blinded her to the full extent of danger. Beneath her, her father stood shouting up at the branches and Reggie feared she might faint from the parental scolding and lose whatever precarious hold she had.
Her miserable shrieks gathered strength and then a particularly high and desperate one made him shudder. “Why do you think she attempted the climb and came to be stranded?”
“I imagine she heard the rumor that you sleep with the window open and was attempting to further her acquaintance with you. It is entirely your fault the local lasses are forced to ridiculous measures to catch a glimpse of you. If you could be the least bit pleasant, and do the pretty once in a while, things would go much better for you. Now you’re officially out of mourning the town speaks of nothing but what a grand matrimonial prize you are.” She sighed softly. “One of them means to have you, but the size of the tree was clearly a small concern in Miss Allen’s mind when she set out to catch you.”
Reggie let his gaze linger on the widow beside him. Almost equal to his height, he had a fine view of Clara Blackstone’s features. She was exceptionally pretty: flawless pale skin, full rosy lips, but her soft doe brown eyes no longer sparkled with warmth as she spoke. Was that a hint of sadness in her tone?
What had caused today’s disappointment? He’d give everything he had to make her smile again. “More’s the pity. Did it not occur to the chit that the span of the tree fell somewhat short of my window?”
Clara leaned closer to the glass and her black bombazine gown whispered across his leather-encased foot. Another distraction, added to the shock of her surprising invasion of his bedchamber. He’d never imagined she’d seek him out here for conversation, but he could certainly grow used to such intimate moments. “That truly is a matter the girl should have taken into account before the attempt, isn’t it?”
He kept his distance from the glass and from his friend’s widow. Neither the spectacle below nor the temptation before him was safe for closer inspection. Not yet at any rate. One day soon, however, he hoped to make a marked change in Clara’s situation. But he had to be patient and wait for the conclusion of one last matter. Then neither hell nor high water would prevent him having his way, of speaking of his feelings, and securing Clara as a permanent fixture in his life.
Clara’s shoulders sagged. “Ah, the gardener has brought ‘round a ladder.”
“Good grief,” Reggie groaned, “is Andrews to fetch her down? Well, we’ll have two burials to attend to now.”
“No, not Andrews, the younger gardener—the tall strapping Welshman.”
Hearing Clara describe another man with such glowing approval in her tone unnerved Reggie. He frowned at her somber attire, thankful that her involvement with the situation below the window hid his annoyance. He had waited patiently for Clara to put her husband’s death behind her and notice how much he worried for her welfare and happiness. These months of wretched celibacy couldn’t be for naught.
“Hmm, he’s climbing up after her.” Clara pressed a hand to the glass, fingers splayed close to the action. She gave no further commentary, but a sigh passed her lips.
As always, his glance fastened on her ring finger. A single band of gold still encased it. “I think I have kept you in the country too long if the servants are beginning to appeal to you.”
Clara chuckled, a rich throaty laugh that distracted him more the longer he knew her.
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Book Info
Publish Date: 14 June 2011
Digital ISBN: 9780987097941
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