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Lady Olivia And The Infamous Rake
Janice Preston
'He’s completely unsuitable…he’s a rake.'Part of The Beauchamp Heirs: After being plucked from peril by resolute bachelor Lord Hugo Alastair, Lady Olivia Beauchamp is secretly outraged that he doesn’t even try to steal a kiss! He’s a notorious rake amongst the ton and as a result, utterly forbidden to an innocent debutante like her. But their attraction is magnetic. Will she risk her reputation for a passionate encounter?
“He’s completely unsuitable...
he’s a rake.”
Part of The Beauchamp Heirs: after being plucked from peril by resolute bachelor Lord Hugo Alastair, Lady Olivia Beauchamp is secretly outraged that he doesn’t even try to steal a kiss! He’s a notorious rake among the ton, and as a result, utterly forbidden to an innocent debutante like her. But their attraction is magnetic. Will she risk her reputation for a passionate encounter?
The Beauchamp Heirs
Book 1—Lady Olivia and the Infamous Rake
Look out for the next book, coming soon!
“A captivating, sweet tale of heartbreak and hope.”
—RT Book Reviews on “Awakening His Sleeping Beauty” in Regency Christmas Wishes
“The second of the Beauchamp Betrothals is a warm and lively romance...it truly is an enjoyable read.”
—RT Book Reviews on Scandal and Miss Markham
JANICE PRESTON grew up in Wembley, North London, with a love of reading, writing stories and animals. In the past she has worked as a farmer, a police call-handler and a university administrator. She now lives in the West Midlands, with her husband and two cats, and has a part-time job as a weight management counsellor—vainly trying to control her own weight despite her love of chocolate!
Also by Janice Preston (#uc9e1bfdc-1609-5f4d-8f22-c6a750234f7d)
Mary and the Marquis
From Wallflower to Countess
The Governess’s Secret Baby
Regency Christmas Wishes
Men About Town miniseries
Return of Scandal’s Son
Saved by Scandal’s Heir
The Beauchamp Betrothals miniseries
Cinderella and the Duke
Scandal and Miss Markham
Lady Cecily and the Mysterious Mr Gray
The Beauchamp Heirs miniseries
Lady Olivia and the Infamous Rake
Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk).
Lady Olivia and the Infamous Rake
Janice Preston
www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
ISBN: 978-1-474-07402-5
LADY OLIVIA AND THE INFAMOUS RAKE
© 2018 Janice Preston
Published in Great Britain 2018
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.
By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.
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www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)
To Ian.
Thank you for understanding
when I disappear into my own little world.
Contents
Cover (#ub73f9602-9e82-5144-9d81-f8e0bbd6ed5a)
Back Cover Text (#u1df361a8-d50b-5a45-960d-f8fcd7bf499c)
About the Author (#uc36f9b58-6bcf-5da8-bd61-31f11c3c4a35)
Booklist (#u3485db4a-f1dc-5ac8-bd90-c7345e7643f8)
Title Page (#ua5510ec0-e093-54d0-8c4a-b494941b6ee1)
Copyright (#uee381dd2-29e7-5de9-8b2e-790944f51040)
Dedication (#u0c5e905d-da9a-5ef6-8593-9b670f11108b)
Chapter One (#u6c3f680f-a485-523c-b35b-a46ff29b4494)
Chapter Two (#u05303b08-4a7a-5a72-b917-ae1d3559d6f4)
Chapter Three (#ub4d5adac-b321-5a9b-a3f2-f6377b4210d0)
Chapter Four (#u6300b721-b865-51e0-a22a-786db1861ad0)
Chapter Five (#uc3749ae3-141f-579e-93bb-e3ad7b0ac406)
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 Nineteen (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty-One (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter Twenty-Two (#litres_trial_promo)
Epilogue (#litres_trial_promo)
Extract (#litres_trial_promo)
About the Publisher (#litres_trial_promo)
Chapter One (#uc9e1bfdc-1609-5f4d-8f22-c6a750234f7d)
‘Where have you been? Do you know how long we’ve been waiting? We were about to give up.’
‘It’s not my fault,’ Lady Olivia Beauchamp retorted to her brother, Alexander. ‘Do you even know how hard it is to sneak out without bumping into a servant? They’re everywhere. And what do you mean...we?’
‘Never mind that now.’ Alex grabbed her arm and bundled her unceremoniously towards the waiting hackney. ‘Hurry up. If anyone should catch us, there’ll be hell to pay.’
Huffing at his cavalier treatment of her, Olivia clambered inside, then stopped short at the sight of a figure already seated within. Alex put his hand between her shoulder blades and shoved. ‘Move. It’s only Nev. He’s come to help me keep you out of trouble.’
Olivia sprawled inelegantly on the seat opposite Neville Wolfe as her brother leapt in behind her and slammed the door. Immediately, the hackney rocked into motion, causing Olivia, by now half-upright, to tip over once more.
‘Alex,’ she wailed.
Neville’s hand covered his mouth, but he failed to muffle his snort of laughter. Olivia glared across the carriage at him.
‘Oh, God,’ Alex muttered, as he reached across and hauled her upright. ‘Tonight is bound to be a disaster.’
Neville passed a flask to Alex, who drank before handing it back.
‘Can I have a drink?’ Olivia asked.
‘No, you cannot,’ Alex retorted. ‘That’s all I need...you half-cut!’ He eyed Olivia sternly. ‘Two hours and not a minute longer, d’you hear? We’ve got better things to do tonight than dance attendance on a troublesome chit like you.’
The carriage passed under one of the new gas street lamps at that moment and Alex’s eyes widened as the light caught the ruby and diamond bracelet on Olivia’s gloved wrist. He reached across and grabbed her hand, holding it up to examine it.
‘That’s from Mama’s parure. What the devil are you about? What else have you got on?’
He yanked down the hood of her cloak, revealing the pair of exquisite eardrops and the matching necklace she wore. The set had been a wedding gift from their father, the Duke of Cheriton, to their late mother. Olivia fingered the necklace—remembering how beautiful Mama had looked, all dressed up and wearing the parure—before battening down the guilt that stirred her conscience. She stuck her nose in the air.
‘They belong to me, not Rosalind.’ Rosalind was their new stepmother and Olivia was finding it hard to adjust to calling her Stepmama, although she took care not to call her Rosalind to her face. Or in front of her father. ‘Papa said that Mama would have wanted me to have them.’
‘He also said you’re not allowed to wear them. They’re totally unsuitable for a chit in her first Season.’
‘Exactly! So when people see a masked lady tonight, wearing such fine jewellery, it will help my disguise. No one will guess I am your younger sister. They will think I am your light o’ love.’
‘That’s enough. Where did you hear such language?’
‘From you,’ she retorted.
Really! Alex is such a hypocrite!
‘God’s teeth, Olivia, you’d try the patience of a saint. How did you get the jewels, anyway? I thought Father kept them locked up in his safe.’
‘He does.’ But she also knew where Papa kept the key.
