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BOLD SEDUCTION
The Hornsby Brothers #1
Karyn Gerrard
Releasing Sept 1st, 2015
Lyrical Press
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BOLD SEDUCTION
An Intriguing Proposition
Passion. Seduction. Pleasure. These are the qualities of any courtesan worth her salt. As owner of The Starling Club, London’s most notorious house of ill-repute, Madame Philomena McGrattan has seen it all, heard it all, done it all. There is little that surprises her anymore, and even less that excites her. So when she is presented a chance at an irresistible seduction, she can’t help but rise to the challenge.
A Dangerous Game
Studiousness. Practicality. Discipline. Such are the attributes of a good scholar, and such are the principles Lord Spencer Hornsby has built his life around. Alone in the Welsh countryside, with only his wolfhounds for company, Spencer has thrown himself into his work. There is little time for the pleasures of society, not even to think of the joys of the fairer sex. But when an unexpected guest arrives at his isolated hunting lodge, Spencer cannot help but be baffled by the presence of this dangerously beautiful woman. And when he discovers the reason for her arrival, and the pleasures she promises, he cannot help but find himself irresistibly intrigued . . .
Phil
did have a fondness for reading Gothic novels. In fact, she’d
brought a copy of Elizabeth Gaskell’s The Doom of the Griffiths
with her. Never dreamed she would find herself in a Gothic setting,
but here she stood, smack in the middle of one.
The
hallways were dark and narrow, which made traversing difficult.
Everything smelled of damp and decay. The lighting in the place
consisted of a strange combination of candelabras and oil lamps,
which showed how new mixed with old. With each step she took, the
floor groaned and squeaked in response. At the end of the long
hallway, a light flickered from under the door. The sound of barking
dogs startled her; she nearly jumped out of her skin.
“Justinian,
Theodora, quiet!”
Phil
stopped dead in her tracks at the deep, commanding voice. The animals
immediately silenced. Who wouldn’t at such a tone? It must have
been the professor. Taking a deep breath, she stepped to the door and
knocked. No response. She tried again.
Nothing.
To
hell with it. She turned the handle and crossed the threshold. What
struck her all at once was the coziness. A fire blazed in a large
stone hearth on the left side of the room. Before it laid two large,
gray dogs the size of ponies. Good God. The hounds of hell. They eyed
her with indifference, but a keen intelligence shone in their gazes,
which they kept firmly on her. What were the beasts, wolfhounds?
Enough speculation on the dogs. Phil swung her gaze to the large,
ornate desk at the front of the room and the man sitting behind it.
The
professor sat hunched over, his pen scratching furiously. He was a
great hairy man with nary an inch of skin showing through. From the
light of the lamp on his desk, it appeared his long wavy locks
contained a curious mix of gold and brown as they hung forward like a
curtain. He did not look up.
Phil
scanned the room. Bookcases stuffed with ancient tomes filled every
wall. On either side of the desk were two tables, the surface covered
with books, maps, scrolls, and a thin layer of dust. No doubt the man
himself would smell as musty as this room with dust and cobwebs
collecting on his shoulders.
“You
may leave the tray, Mrs. Brickell.”
Phil
gave herself a moment to let the sultry and deep rumbling tone of his
voice seep into her being. The sound lingered and made her weak in
the knees. Quite a surprise, since most men didn’t garner any
response from her at all. His voice, though cultured and refined,
held the dangerous purr of a large predatory cat. Oh enough, Phil.
Suddenly,
he stopped writing, flipped through a stack of papers, stroked his
beard, glanced at the nearby bookcase, and muttered a quiet “oh.”
He rose from his chair, and the loud creak that accompanied his
movement meant the source to be either the banker’s chair or the
professor. Revulsion moved through her upon seeing him lurch toward
the bookcase to retrieve a stack of yellowed and stained parchment,
keeping the same bent posture he had while sitting. Bloody hell, was
the man a cripple? Another important fact those idiotic bastards
neglected to mention. She shook the shocking revelation from her
mind. The professor then moved swiftly back to his chair and sat all
the while keeping the same crooked stance. Another disturbing creak
could be heard, and she exhaled as she realized the sound came from
the oak chair. The poor man was a hunchback. Well, no matter. She was
paid to do a job regardless of the customer’s appearance.
“If
you are referring to that drunk, putrid, old woman lurking about your
filthy kitchen, I regret to inform you she’s done a runner.”
The
professor laid his pen on the desk and slowly lifted his head, cocked
his thick eyebrows, and gazed at her. “Indeed?”
Good
God, she was correct, a great hairy beast. His unruly hair stuck out
in all directions, as if it hadn’t been combed in many days. He
stared at her with great owl eyes. His spectacles were huge, taking
up one half of his face while the other half was covered in a bushy
beard of all shades of color. Wouldn’t be surprised to find a
swallow making a nest in it. The attraction that occurred at hearing
his voice dissipated like a morning fog.
This
man resembled one of the filthy beggars frequenting the streets of
London. A duke’s son? Impossible.
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As long as she can avoid being hit by a runaway moose in her wilderness paradise she assumes everything is golden. Karyn’s been happily married for a long time to her own hero. His encouragement keeps her moving forward.
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