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Not Just a Wallflower
Carole Mortimer
Enigmatic beauty Ellie Rosewood is the talk of the ton. Her appointed guardian, Justin, Duke of Royston, has one job – to find Miss Rosewood a husband. But confirmed rake Justin wants Ellie all for himself!With her coming out a huge success, Ellie is overwhelmed by the attention of London’s most eligible bachelors. She finds an unexpected haven in the company of the arrogant Justin, and he begins to discover there is more to this unworldly wallflower than first appears…
A SEASON OF SECRETS
A lady never tells …
Elena Leighton and Ellie Rosewood might only be a lowly governess and a lady’s companion, but there is more to these women than meets the eye!
For their meek and respectable demeanour hides this season’s most scandalous secrets … and all is about to be deliciously revealed!
How far will the Duke of Royston go to lay bare the real Ellie Rosewood?
NOT JUST A WALLFLOWER December 2013
And Lord Adam Hawthorne makes a date with impropriety in
NOT JUST A GOVERNESS Already available
And in eBooks from Mills & Boon
Historical Undone!
NOT JUST A SEDUCTION Already available
Praise for Carole Mortimer:
‘Mortimer understands the time and place so well that she paints a colourful and accurate portrait of the era.’
—RT Book Reviews on SOME LIKE IT WICKED
‘This book would be a typical romance, but by adding the strong themes of family and loyalty she shifts her novel into something with an underlying power that touches the heart.’
—RT Book Reviews on THE LADY FORFEITS
‘This longtime plot theme works nicely for Mortimer, who infuses her tale with an independent-minded heroine, a dangerously sexy hero and a bit of danger and sexual tension that make for a quick and enjoyable read.’
—RT Book Reviews on THE LADY GAMBLES
‘Mortimer completes The Copeland Sisters trilogy, about three women who flaunt society and their guardian to find their own futures, with a charming, fast and sweetly sensual romance.’ —RT Book Reviews on THE LADY CONFESSES
CAROLE MORTIMER was born in England, the youngest of three children. She began writing in 1978, and has now written over one hundred and fifty books for Harlequin Mills & Boon®. Carole has six sons: Matthew, Joshua, Timothy, Michael, David and Peter. She says, ‘I’m happily married to Peter senior; we’re best friends as well as lovers, which is probably the best recipe for a successful relationship. We live in a lovely part of England.’
Previous novels by the same author:
In Mills & Boon
Historical Romance:
THE DUKE’S CINDERELLA BRIDE* (#ulink_57687d87-5da5-50ab-89b1-9b675971dcea)
THE RAKE’S WICKED PROPOSAL* (#ulink_57687d87-5da5-50ab-89b1-9b675971dcea)
THE ROGUE’S DISGRACED LADY* (#ulink_57687d87-5da5-50ab-89b1-9b675971dcea)
LADY ARABELLA’S SCANDALOUS MARRIAGE*
THE LADY GAMBLES** (#ulink_181ac5c6-7c82-5ddf-9d81-1b6b58e087bc)
THE LADY FORFEITS** (#ulink_181ac5c6-7c82-5ddf-9d81-1b6b58e087bc)
THE LADY CONFESSES** (#ulink_181ac5c6-7c82-5ddf-9d81-1b6b58e087bc)
SOME LIKE IT WICKED† (#ulink_983c3bc0-879a-5445-90d2-e8308384c05d)
SOME LIKE TO SHOCK† (#ulink_983c3bc0-879a-5445-90d2-e8308384c05d)
NOT JUST A GOVERNESS‡ (#ulink_e010418d-f741-503c-861c-ef68c357db5c)
* (#ulink_773ce459-daa1-5673-9bf3-ee24dcfd7061)The Notorious St Claires
** (#ulink_312441ce-1148-5cca-952e-ce4f4612641d)The Copeland Sisters
† (#ulink_fb0b2ab3-4535-5f21-b26d-323db17a479c)Daring Duchesses
‡ (#ulink_2f464b0a-6ea7-5de5-a1f3-15bc8fe519aa)A Season of Secrets
You’ve read aboutThe Notorious St Clairesin Regency times. Now you can read about the new generation in Mills & Boon
Modern
Romance:
The Scandalous St Claires:Three arrogant aristocrats—ready to be tamed!
JORDAN ST CLAIRE: DARK AND DANGEROUS
THE RELUCTANT DUKE
TAMING THE LAST ST CLAIRE
And in Mills & Boon
HistoricalUndone!eBooks:
AT THE DUKE’S SERVICE
CONVENIENT WIFE, PLEASURED LADY
A WICKEDLY PLEASURABLE WAGER** (#ulink_181ac5c6-7c82-5ddf-9d81-1b6b58e087bc)
SOME LIKE IT SCANDALOUS† (#ulink_983c3bc0-879a-5445-90d2-e8308384c05d)
NOT JUST A SEDUCTION‡ (#ulink_e010418d-f741-503c-861c-ef68c357db5c)
And in M&B
RegencyCastonbury Parkmini-series:
THE WICKED LORD MONTAGUE
Not Just a
Wallflower
Carole Mortimer
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
To Peter, the love of my life, for all of my life.
Contents
Chapter One (#ubdd5203c-ce94-5591-b3f3-11a8e2c21848)
Chapter Two (#uc7652970-9ce7-551f-8934-ea9a4f42c3d1)
Chapter Three (#ue9c893ff-8c71-5d30-90bb-d361ba02bcbd)
Chapter Four (#ubdccc451-868e-512e-9556-6fb2d3131043)
Chapter Five (#uf101e64b-385c-5584-927b-697dd1975a23)
Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Fifteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Sixteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Seventeen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Eighteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter One
June, 1817—Lady Cicely Hawthorne’s London home
‘You must be absolutely thrilled at the news of Hawthorne’s forthcoming marriage to Miss Matthews!’ Lady Jocelyn Ambrose, Dowager Countess of Chambourne, beamed across the tea table at her hostess.
Lady Cicely nodded. ‘The match was not without its...complications, but I have no doubts that Adam and Magdelena will deal very well together.’
The dowager countess sobered. ‘How is she now that all the unpleasantness has been settled?’
‘Very well.’ Lady Cicely smiled warmly. ‘She is, I am happy to report, a young lady of great inner strength.’
‘She had need of it when that rogue Sheffield was doing all that he could to ruin her, socially as well as financially.’ Edith St Just, Dowager Duchess of Royston, and the third in the trio of friends, said, sniffing disdainfully.
Lady Jocelyn turned to her. ‘How are your own plans regarding Royston’s nuptials progressing, my dear?’
The three ladies, firm friends since their coming out together fifty years ago, had made a pact at the beginning of this Season, to see their three bachelor grandsons safely married, thereby ensuring that each of their family lines was secure. Lady Jocelyn was the first to achieve that success, when her grandson had announced his intention of marrying Lady Sylvianna Moreland some weeks ago, the wedding due to take place at the end of June. Lady Cicely had only recently succeeded in seeing her own grandson’s future settled, his bride to be Miss Magdelena Matthews, granddaughter of George Matthews, the recently deceased Duke of Sheffield. It only remained for Edith St Just, the Dowager Duchess of Royston, to secure a future duchess for her own grandson, Justin St Just, the Duke of Royston.
Not an easy task, when that wickedly handsome and haughtily arrogant gentleman had avowed, more than once, that he had no intention of marrying until he was good and ready—and aged only eight and twenty, he had assured his grandmother that he did not consider himself either ‘good’ or ‘ready’ as yet!
‘The Season will be over in just a few weeks...’ Lady Cicely gave her friend a doubtful glance.
The dowager duchess nodded regally. ‘And Royston will have made his choice before the night of the Hepworth ball.’
Lady Cicely gave a gasp. ‘But that is only two weeks away!’
Edith gave a satisfied smile. ‘By which time St Just will, I assure you, find himself well and truly leg-shackled!’
‘You are still convinced it will be to the lady whom you have named in the note held by my own butler?’ Lady Jocelyn also looked less than confident about the outcome of this enterprise.
At the same time as the three ladies had laid their plans to ensure their grandsons found their brides that Season, the dowager duchess had also announced she had already made her choice of bride for her own grandson, and that Royston would find himself betrothed to that lady by the end of the Season. So confident had she been of her choice that she had accepted the other ladies’ dare to write down the name of that young lady and leave it in the safe keeping of Edwards, Lady Jocelyn’s butler, to be opened and verified on the day Royston announced his intention of marrying.
‘I am utterly convinced,’ Edith now stated confidently.
‘But, to my knowledge, Royston has not expressed a preference for any of the young ladies of the current Season.’ Lady Cicely, the most tender-hearted of the three, could not bear the thought of her dear friend being proved wrong.
‘Nor will he,’ the dowager duchess revealed mysteriously.
‘But—’
