Fragile Mask (37 page)

‘
If you knew how smug you look!’

‘
I have every right to look smug,’ retorted Unice. ‘I have
assisted in making a most delightful match.’

‘
You think she will make him happy, then?’

His wife’s eyes softened into tenderness. ‘She loves him,
Osmond.’

‘
In that case, my darling,’ he said, slipping his arm about
her, ‘his happiness is assured.’

‘
And hers.’

Verena, resting in Denzell’s close embrace, her head on his
shoulder, was aware of a feeling of ease within her breast and the
gentle touch of Denzell’s fingers stroking in her hair. She sighed
contentedly, and felt him raise her head so that she had to look up
at him.

The misted eyes of blue roved her face in mute
question.

A smile wavered on her lips. ‘I rather think you have
prevailed, Mr Hawkeridge.’

Denzell grinned. ‘I rather think you have succumbed, Miss
Chaceley.’

A little laugh escaped her. ‘Yes, I have. I cannot say that
all my fears are laid to rest, not yet. But what can I do, Denzell?
My shield has gone beyond my reach. If there is a risk, I have no
choice but to take it—with you.’

His fingers cradled her
cheek as he scanned her eyes.

They were smiling, free of shadows, and Denzell’s heart
soared.

‘
No more mask then, Snow Maiden?’

Verena’s hand reached up, and their fingers met, and
laced.

‘
What mask, sir, is that?’

Elizabeth Bailey
grew up in the open spaces and tropical atmosphere of
colonial Africa, one of four siblings with distinctly
unconventional parents. Reading and drama were inculcated from an
early age and both have borne adult fruit in acting, directing and
writing. Elizabeth returned to the England of Mary Quant and
geometric hair, and ended a brief secretarial career by landing in
drama school and thence treading the boards. In her thirties,
Elizabeth discovered her true métier as a writer and fulfilled an
early addiction to Georgette Heyer by launching into historical
romance. It took the proverbial lengthy apprenticeship before
Harlequin Mills & Boon accepted her first novel, but they have
overall published 18 of her novels.

Elizabeth’s writing swerved in a new
direction with the publication of the first two in a Georgian
historical crime series, THE GILDED SHROUD and THE DEATHLY PORTENT,
published by Berkley Books (Penguin US). But since she still loves
writing romance, Elizabeth is delighted with the opportunity to
publish her work independently.

More to be found at:

Follow Elizabeth Bailey on twitter @lizbwrites
or on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/elizabeth.bailey.391

ALSO BY
ELIZABETH BAILEY

and available
in digital format

Mademoiselle
at Arms

Threatened with a pistol
by the young lady discovered in a deserted mansion, Major Gerald
Alderley is intrigued. Who is the beautiful intruder? Why does she
disguise herself as a nun? Her accent is French, yet Mademoiselle
insists she is English.
Set on unravelling the mystery, Gerald begins a relentless pursuit
- to the indignation of Mademoiselle. With her life in danger from
the villainous Valade, Gerald has his work cut out. Because
Mademoiselle, engaged in a desperate battle to prove her identity,
believes she is well able to take care of herself and is determined
not to be rescued.

TRAILER:
http://animoto.com/play/XRkPHKvVsuUgYDaOyLRjaQ

The
Conqueror’s Dilemma

The last thing William
Westerham needs is his carefully maintained position in Society
endangered by the allure of a pair of impish eyes. Particularly
when they belong to a girl perched precariously on the edge of
social disaster. Can the Conqueror afford to recognise Miss Tiffany
Felton, whose chaperon is a creature beyond acceptance?

Wholly at sea among the
unfamiliar rules of convention, Tiffany is torn between gratitude
for the Conqueror’s help and distress at his crushing rejection.
Can the social barriers be breached? Or is Tiffany doomed to yearn
hopelessly for what can never be?

TRAILER:
http://animoto.com/play/1EC6GylJicjgcui70d18xQ

A Lady in
Name

On discovering she is the
love child of a peer of the realm, Lucy Graydene, bereft and
grieving, sets out to confront Lord Pennington with the result of
his misdeeds. She finds instead his autocratic heir, Stefan
Ankerville, and is dragged willy-nilly into the new earl’s
unconventional family. Lucy is driven to battle for her
independence while she struggles against the venom of the
half-sister she never knew she had.

When the secrets of Lucy’s
past begin to unravel, she is reluctantly obliged to rely on
Stefan’s help. Can Lucy overcome a dangerous attraction to the
earl, with whom an alliance is impossible? Or is there a faint hope
of happiness in the hidden truth of her origins?

TRAILER:
http://animoto.com/play/AExiOCdosINEjG2JgimuUA

Sweet
Sacrifice

(originally published by
Mills & Boon Limited)

When the Earl of Sothern
is set upon by a young lad in the early hours, it takes minutes for
him to realise that his assailant is in fact a girl of gentle
birth. Intrigued, and hoping to find out why Clementina has run
away, Jake puts her in the care of his grandmother.

While glad of the earl’s
protection, Clementina dare not trust this dangerous rake with her
secrets, until a chance encounter drives her into flight, and
straight into the hands of her enemies. Will Jake’s dramatic rescue
settle the matter, or will it all end in tears?

TRAILER:
http://animoto.com/play/ZFVDUaEqONq866wiK8x0hQ

Hidden
Flame

(originally published by
Mills & Boon Limited)

Seeking shelter from a
violent storm, Benedict Beckenham assists a woman as embarrassed in
circumstance as he is himself. Weeks later, on visiting his
godmother, he is astonished to find the damsel in distress in
residence.

For her part, Theda is
dismayed by the rise of passion between them which threatens to
jeopardise her precarious position as companion to a dying woman.
But when a shocking inheritance blasts their friendship apart,
Theda is forced to confront the ghosts of her past.

Will the blistering
scandals of yesteryear keep Theda and Benedict forever divided? Or
will the flame of love triumph?

TRAILER:
http://animoto.com/play/DJydJ5r1Lq9EmHS2CV8N0A

Friday
Dreaming

(originally published by
Mills & Boon Limited)

Bookish Friday Edborough’s
secret dream looks set to come true when childhood friend, the
gorgeous Nicolas Weare, proposes—if only he was behaving like a man
in love. All too soon, Friday’s worst fears are confirmed when she
finds Nick has been forced into the betrothal to stop him marrying
the beautiful but ineligible Hermione.

Caught between love and
loyalty, Friday ends the engagement, leaving Nick to realise the
value of what he’s lost just as he discovers Hermione’s true worth.
But with the lines joining love and hate beginning to blur, has
Nick’s change of heart come too late?

TRAILER:
http://animoto.com/play/H1rKLTXkgvPWD2wYL4YQlQ

An Angel’s
Touch

(Originally published by
Mills & Boon Limited)

Outspoken Verity Lambourn
berates the mentor of two lost children, having no idea that the
lame young man with the vibrant black eyes is the widowed Henry,
Marquis of Salmesbury. When she knocks him flying in Tunbridge
Wells, Verity realises she has not been able to get him out of her
mind.

Tumbling towards a
promising future, Verity must confront the shadows of Henry’s
tragic past. Matters come to a head when the children are
kidnapped, but it takes a threat to Henry himself to test the
strength of Verity’s love and the truth of a gypsy’s
prophecy.

TRAILER:
http://animoto.com/play/rJA90kzsF9R8SW1Xe8fxow

Fated
Folly

When youthful Clare
Carradale beards the ogre in his den, she is instantly smitten with
Sir Rupert Wolverley’s raw and powerful attraction. In an attempt
to prevent her brother eloping with Sir Rupert’s niece, Clare is
herself compromised. She must either marry his young cousin, Lord
Ashendon, whom she detests, or Rupert himself.

Can Clare’s hopes of a
radiant future be realised in this uneven and improbable match?
Both Fate and Ashendon conspire against her. But Clare’s true
battle lies in overcoming Rupert’s inner demons, if she is to save
her marriage and win through to a promise of happiness.

TRAILER:
https://animoto.com/play/5HJfgXwNE750bwrsYHMPzg

The Viscount
Besieged

Isadora’s secret plan to
save her family is frustrated by the arrival of the Errant Heir,
with plans of his own. As Isadora prepares to thwart him, Lord
Roborough’s friendliness and warmth undermines her
determination—until she discovers he is a hardened
gamester.

As Roborough struggles to
recover a wasted inheritance and counter Isadora’s attempts at
sabotage, he is both intrigued and infuriated by her mercurial
temperament. Bitterly hurt by her lack of trust, he despairs of a
happy outcome.

Will the truth serve to
effect a reconciliation? Or will Isadora’s outrageous plot signal
the end of all hope?

TRAILER:
https://animoto.com/play/aRn0hzWfBQrCPj3YWDmSGA

Seventh
Heaven

Septimus Berowne, poet,
does not expect to succumb to the charms of wealthy Lady Louisa
Shittlehope, although his brothers are eager to court her. Hampered
by the shocking Berowne reputation, Septimus struggles to stop
Louisa embroiling herself in his family’s affairs and keep her safe
from his dissolute brother Quintus.

But the tribulations of
the Berowne girls capture Louisa’s warm heart and she cannot help
but interfere. Quintus strikes, involving Louisa and the Berownes
in a madcap chase to rescue her love-struck ward. Will they be in
time? Can Louisa brave Society’s disapproval to snatch at the
promise of happiness?

TRAILER:
https://animoto.com/play/wEdC11De0n4GEmG2Jy5f0A

Just
Deserts

A stormy encounter in the
park sets Baron Chiddingly firmly against the newly arrived heiress
from India. But Miss Winsford in company is charming, and his
friend Fitz is enchanted by her unconventional manners. A startling
revelation at the lady’s come-out ball changes
everything.

Chiddingly hopes to fund
his search for a racing champion, but his pursuit of Penelope
Winsford is hampered by the wild antics of her horse-mad sister
Persephone. When his new stallion is endangered, there is hell to
pay, and not only for the horse!

Is there any way through
the ensuing disastrous tangle?

TRAILER:
https://animoto.com/play/BfAmepdkq81BprqOM9JxgQ

An Undesirable
Liaison

To support her young
sister and herself, Florence Petrie desperately needs employment.
Through the agency of an unexpected and valuable find, she ends up
as companion to the dowager in the household of Jerome, Viscount
Langriville. The violent attraction between them brings Flo to the
brink of the abyss she fears most. Is she doomed to repeat her
mother’s history?

Freed from the hideous
scandal of the past by his wife’s death, Jerome is horrified to
find himself in thrall to a new threat: an impossible liaison. Can
he withstand Florence’s allure, when his desire can only mean her
ruin?

TRAILER:
https://animoto.com/play/yxzUb7i0gyvd6DTrlnqrqA