The Scoundrel and I: A Novella (18 page)

The moon had ceded the night to the stars when she arrived at the meeting place they had agreed upon via letter: a small ancient cemetery surrounded by a fence and hedges on a street still busy with carriages and horse traffic. A long black cloak and veil aided the dark in disguising her.

Jonah walked beside her, a hood drawn around his face as well, but he would not accompany her to the meeting. For all his taunting, Peregrine did not frighten her. A man who dedicated his leisure time to rescuing strays was unlikely to harm a lone woman.

The cobbles shimmered with an earlier rain as she gestured for Jonah to remain across the street. Lamps lit this part of London irregularly, and the break in the wall was in shadow. Beside the gate stood an enormous man.

“Ma’am.” The behemoth bowed. “He awaits you within.”

It was immediately clear why he had suggested this place. The thick hedge within the walls created a bower of privacy and the gravestones scattered unevenly throughout made swift escape impossible.

He had staged the situation to his advantage too. He stood among the stones not four yards away, a lamp on the ground behind him casting him in silhouette. He was tall, and the breadth of his shoulders and solid stance suggested a man of fine physical conditioning. The night was mild and he wore no hat or overcoat—nothing to disguise him.

He was entirely willing for her to know his true identity.

The gate creaked closed behind her.

“Good evening, madam,” he said into the darkness. “It is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance. I have looked forward to this moment for years. But, of course, you already know that.” His voice was smooth and low, far from menacing, rather intimate, and shockingly, unbelievably, horribly familiar.

Only hours earlier this elegant voice had proposed marriage to her.

“I am Gray,” he said. “Now remove that veil and tell me your name.”

Click here to buy The Earl in e-book or paperback.

Many of you will have recognized my humble nod to
My Fair Lady
, one of my favorite musicals. While I was writing the ball scene in
The Scoundrel & I
, I went around the house singing, “I can tell that she was born Hungarian! Not only Hungarian, but of royal blood. She is a princess!” I simply could not resist the allusion. It was also my secret way of attaching this story to my novel
How to Be a Proper Lady,
which features sailors and includes a cameo of Bishop Frederick Baldwin. Two of my other seafaring heroes appear by name in this novella as well, Nik Acton of
A Lady’s Wish
and Luc Westfall of
I Married the Duke
. For more of Tony, you can find him featured in my Prince Catchers Series novella,
Kisses, She Wrote,
which tells the story of Cam and Jacqueline’s romance, and the prequel to that,
I Married the Duke
.

The Scoundrel & I
is itself a prequel to
The Earl,
Lady Justice and Peregrine’s love story and the finale to my Falcon Club Series (published by Avon Books). Of their letters collected at the end of this novella, many are drawn from the first four books in the series:
When a Scot Loves a Lady, How to Be a Proper Lady, How a Lady Weds a Rogue,
and
The Rogue
. (
The Rogue
double-duties as the first book in my Devil’s Duke Series). You can find plenteous information about all my series and books on my website at
www.KatharineAshe.com
. While you’re there, I hope you will subscribe to my e-mailing list to receive announcements about my new books as well as a free Falcon Club short story.

A final fun historical note: in the final chapter of
The Scoundrel & I
, I included
Falconer’s New Universal Dictionary of the Marine
as a nod to my Falcon Club Series. But it was indeed a real reference book originally published in 1769, and almost entirely revised for the second edition in 1815. It is a big, thick, wonderful compendium of all things nautical and it plays a key role in my novel
In the Arms of a Marquess
.

Twist Series

My Lady, My Lord

Again, My Lord

The Devil’s Duke

The Rogue

The Earl

The Duke
(coming 2017)

click here for more about this series

The Prince Catchers

I Married the Duke

I Adored a Lord

I Loved a Rogue

The Falcon Club

When a Scot Loves a Lady

How to Be a Proper Lady

How a Lady Weds a Rogue

Rogues of the Sea

Swept Away by a Kiss

Captured by a Rogue Lord

In the Arms of a Marquess

Captive Bride
(A Regency Ghost Novel)

Novellas

Kisses, She Wrote

How to Marry a Highlander

A Lady’s Wish

The Scoundrel & I

And don’t miss the anthologies …

At the Duke’s Wedding

&

At the Billionaire’s Wedding

The help of generous friends and colleagues made this book possible. Thank you to Marcia Abercrombie, Georgie C. Brophy, Nita Eyster, Sonja Foust, Lee Galbreath, Meg Huliston, Beverly Jenkins, Caroline Linden, Mary Brophy Marcus, Stephanie McCullough, Miranda Neville (especially for Lady Gaga), Maya Rodale, and Jen Underhill, and special thanks to Diane Michel (for hatching bridges). To Donna Finlay, whose kind query regarding Lady Justice and Peregrine’s letters inspired this entire book, and for her generosity of spirit, I am especially grateful. To all of my Princesses, who have helped me with many details of this book and others, I dedicate it with profound and affectionate gratitude.

Copious thanks to the talented women whose work is all over this book: Georgann T. Brophy, Lori Devoti, Carrie Divine, my editor Anne Forlines, and copy editor Martha Trachtenberg. To Cari Gunsallus, the most wonderful author’s assistant in the world, and to Kimberly Whalen, my fabulously supportive agent, I send up special thanks.

I am so grateful for my precious writing companion, Idaho, and for my husband and son whose constant and loving support and enthusiasm are the wind in my sails.

Last but never least, to my readers whose letters, emails, tweets, and posts mean more than you can know, from the bottom of my heart I thank you.

THE ROGUE

“A strong and independent female protagonist.”

Library Journal
(starred review)

“The chemistry between them is electric … Ashe’s writing is lyrical and almost poetic in places, the plotting is tight, the romance is sensual and beautifully developed; and Saint is easily one of the finest romantic heroes I’ve read in quite some time.”

All About Romance (Desert Island Keeper)

“The desperate yearning—and dangerous secrets—between the star-crossed lovers had my stomach in knots until the very end of this hypnotic book.”

Amazon’s Omnivorous (Best Romances of the Month)

“The romance between Saint and Constance is truly stellar.”

BookPage (featured review)

“Powerful, suspenseful and sensual.”

RT Book Reviews
(TOP PICK!)

HOW A LADY WEDS A ROGUE

Recommended Read!

Women’s World Magazine

“Emotionally touching and sexually taut.”

Kirkus Reviews

HOW TO BE A PROPER LADY

Ten Best Romances of 2012

Amazon Editors’ Choice

“Everything fans of historical romance could want in a book.”

Joyfully Reviewed

WHEN A SCOT LOVES A LADY

“Lushly intense romance . . . radiant prose.”

Library Journal
(starred review)

“Sensationally intelligent writing, and a true, weak-in-the-knees love story.”

Barnes & Noble “Heart to Heart” Recommended Read!

HOW TO MARRY A HIGHLANDER

A Falcon Club novella

RITA® Award Finalist 2014

Romance Writers of America

I LOVED A ROGUE

“Passionate, heart-wrenching, and thoroughly satisfying.”

All About Romance (Desert Island Keeper)

“Katharine Ashe’s historical romances are rich and inventive, unexpected and smart, and she doesn’t pull any emotional punches. She writes with a wry, provocative, angst-y energy that compels you to keep turning pages, even when it means the thrill of a blissful read will be far too soon behind you. Oh, yeah. This author rocks historical romance.”

USA Today
, Must-Read Romance of 2015

I ADORED A LORD

“A riotous good time… Delicious.”

Publishers Weekly

“In the vein of the British country house mysteries of the golden age of that genre when authors such as Agatha Christie, Dorothy B. Sayers, Georgette Heyer, and Margery Allingham were turning out classic tales. … Ashe’s novel is a worthy successor … If you like your romance with a shade of difference, a generous serving of mystery, and a blend of tenderness and sizzle, I highly recommend
I Adored a Lord
.”

The Romance Dish (5 stars)

I MARRIED THE DUKE

“Historical Romance of the Year”

Reviewers’ Choice Award nominee 2014

“Just the kind of rollicking historical romance you want if you’re in the mood to be swept away on a grand adventure.”

RT Book Reviews
(TOP PICK!)

KISSES, SHE WROTE

A Prince Catchers novella

“Typical of Ashe, these characters are smoldering.”

Library Journal
(starred review)

“Finished it with tears in my eyes. Yes, it was that good.”

Elizabeth Boyle,
New York Times
bestseller

KATHARINE ASHE is the award-winning and
USA Today
bestselling author of historical romances that reviewers call “intensely lush” and “sensationally intelligent,” including her acclaimed Devil’s Duke Series, and
My Lady, My Lord
and
How to Marry a Highlander
, finalists for the prestigious RITA® Award of the Romance Writers of America. Her books are recommended by
Publishers Weekly
,
Woman’s World
Magazine,
Booklist
,
Library Journal
,
USA Today
, Kirkus Reviews, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and many others, and translated into languages across the world.

Katharine lives in the wonderfully warm Southeast United States with her beloved husband, son, dog, and a garden she likes to call romantic rather than unkempt. A professor of European History, she writes fiction because she thinks modern readers deserve grand adventures and breathtaking sensuality too. For more about Katharine’s books, please visit
www.KatharineAshe.com
.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this e-book, or portion thereof, in any form. This e-book may not be resold or uploaded for distribution to others.

THE SCOUNDREL & I: Copyright © 2016 Katharine Brophy Dubois.

Cover design © Carrie Divine/Seductive Designs.

Image © Novelstock

Image © Nongkran_ch (Nongkran Pornmingmas)/Depositphotos.com

ISBN 9780991641246 (E-book)

Published by Billet-Doux Books.

Amazon Edition