The Fall into Ruin, page 24
“How goes your afternoon?” Rose countered. “You look as though you have fit another piece of the puzzle.”
Rose came to stand next to him at the desk, leaning over his notes and map. There was a new mark over the Caribbean.
“I can’t believe she sent you a letter,” he said.
Her attention was diverted when he spun her so the backs of her thighs rested against the solid timber. “What did you learn at the brothel, Rose?”
Her cheeks warmed and she had to remember to keep eye contact lest he think her lying. He’d taught her that. “I only asked about the missing jewels and the Douglas lad. I am still a lady.”
Her husband made a sound like pfft through his lips before lifting the hem of her mud caked gown. “Breeches,” he muttered. “I really am beginning to hate the inventor of these blasted things.”
“All right, almost a lady,” she conceded. When he went to work on the laces at her waist, she said, “My gown is ruined and you can’t just lift my skirts whenever it takes your fancy.”
He gave her a lazy shrug and dropped her hem, only to turn her just as quickly until she was bent over the desk, her cheek to the map somewhere over the Americas. “You won’t mind if I ruin it a little further, will you, wife?”
The winged creatures that lived inside her took flight as they did when he treated her like this. Her skirts were flicked up and over her back and her loosened breeches were yanked down.
He stroked her.
She groaned and pushed back against him.
He may claim no link to being a pirate like his father once was but he knew how to behave as one when they were alone. She worked to loosen one ankle when he gave her bottom a sharp slap.
Rose stilled. His words reached her. “Did you hear a noise like that on Mayfair, Rose? Or was it sharper? Louder?”
She raised her head and caught a glimpse of his expression over her shoulder. His green eyes were glazed and his expression was intent, heated, hungry. “You’ve been there.” It wasn’t a question so much as an accusation.
“Perhaps.”
And he showed her something new, bent over his desk, her ankles trapped in the breeches she insisted on wearing despite his protests. They would both receive dirty looks from the butler when they would eventually emerge.
A slip of paper floated to the floor when a ledger was pushed to the carpets.
Dearest Rose,
I wanted to apologise for all of that nasty business at the docks. I don’t think you would have been harmed, M is rather fond of you after all, but probably a good thing your Germaine rescued you. The journey was interminable and I added a screaming child to it. Tell Josiah he has his eyes. Tell your brothers I won’t be back. You can be rest assured I won’t be coming anywhere near England ever again.
I have all that I need.
Best of wishes,
L
The End
Want more? Check out Darius and Eliza’s story in The Slide into Ruin!
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Author’s Note
One of the hardest parts of writing a romance set in such an intriguing time in history is naming all the characters! The most avid Regency buffs might have wondered why the Earl of Clairmont’s surname is also Clairmont. Hell’s Gate is obviously a fictional castle standing on almost inhospitable terrain and has been in place for hundreds of years, as has the family name and seat. Just like Princess Diana’s father, the Earl of Spencer, if the title is old enough or new enough, the title and family name would be the same. Rose just seemed like a Clairmont despite not wanting to be a part of the family. We are who we are and while we can choose friends and lovers, we cannot choose our family…
I promise this won’t be a trend in my books and if you want to reach out to me, feel free to hunt me down on the socials or my website contact—www.bronwynstuart.com.
You can find all of the Daughters of Disgrace books at tulepublishing.com/authors/bronwyn-stuart and where good books are sold!
If you enjoyed The Fall into Ruin, you’ll love the other books in….
The Daughters of Disgrace series
Book 1: The Road to Ruin
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Book 2: The Slide into Ruin
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Book 3: The Fall into Ruin
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About the Author
Bronwyn Stuart is a multi-published, award-winning author of both contemporary and historical romantic fiction. Her latest Regency series, Daughters of Disgrace, will be released July 2020 by Tule Publishing. She and her shoe collection share a house in the Adelaide Hills with her husband, kids, dogs and cat. She’s a sucker for a love story and a bad boy. You can find out more at www.bronwynstuart.com
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Bronwyn Stuart, The Fall into Ruin
