In Debt To The Earl

In Debt To The Earl
Elizabeth Rolls

‘If you wish, I can take you out of all this. ’In his quest for revenge against a disreputable card sharp James, Earl of Cambourne, discovers the man’s innocent daughter. While her surroundings are impoverished, her dignity and refinement are unmistakable, and James faces an unsettling question – what will be her fate if he brings her father to justice?Although yearning for love and comfort, Lucy resists the Earl’s surprising offer of protection. That is until a price is made on her virginity, and James is the only man who can save her!

‘I must say I envy Hensleigh,’ murmured her unwelcome guest.

Lucy stiffened, but continued polishing so that the table wobbled noisily.

‘Lucky fellow,’ he went on, ‘having a wench willing to clean his lodgings and warm his bed.’

Everything inside her stopped as well as the polishing rag. And the temper her grandparents had tried so hard to curb slipped its leash. Slowly she straightened and faced him, the dusting rag clenched in her fist. ‘Wench?’ She restrained the urge to throw the rag in his face.

His brows rose. ‘A poor choice of words,’ he said. ‘You could do better than Hensleigh.’

‘Really?’ Rage slammed through her, but she kept her voice dulcet. ‘You, for example?’

He smiled. ‘If you like. If you tell me where he is.’

‘They say it’s a wise child who knows its own father,’ she said, her stomach twisting.

James wondered if he’d been hit on the head with a brick as the implications slammed into him. No one had suggested that the woman in Hensleigh’s lodgings was his daughter!

Author Note (#ulink_0dccd1b3-471d-5392-823f-80e93cdaeeb8)

This story takes place a little earlier than the rest of my stories, in 1802. Some years back I wrote a short story called The Funeral, and for various reasons needed an earlier setting. This was the genesis of James and Lucy’s story. A throwaway line about her father’s gambling debts gave me the lead into this book. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have enjoyed finding out more about them.

Readers familiar with the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century will recognise James’s godfather, Charles James Fox. Fox’s real-life love affair with the courtesan Elizabeth Armistead is one of the world’s great love stories, and I was delighted to be able to include them in this book.

In Debt to the Earl

Elizabeth Rolls

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

ELIZABETH ROLLS lives in the Adelaide Hills of South Australia with her husband, teenage sons, dogs and too many books. She is convinced that she will achieve a state of blessed Nirvana when her menfolk learn to put their own dishes in the dishwasher without being asked and cease flexing their testosterone over the television remote.

Elizabeth loves to hear from readers, and invites you to contact her via email at books@elizabethrolls.com.

For Sharon.

For Sharon. We share a birthday and a love of tea. You share your daughters with me, and we’ve stood beside too many soccer pitches to count, cheering each other’s kids on. This one is for you.

Contents

Cover (#uf3e01ca1-4e74-5b67-8103-5fd87c833b8f)

Introduction (#uaa0162ec-44e6-5bab-81b5-f6ae4ad768dd)

Author Note (#ucecb81a7-d072-5439-af0b-375169041b22)

Title Page (#uf48166e8-1896-55e3-808a-b9772d1e6378)

About the Author (#u2da3fc55-ded4-52fd-b751-269e5aa6df77)

Dedication (#uab2b7fc7-0b65-5108-a764-ed710a2c2b20)

Prologue (#u5ca3929a-838a-507b-aa32-ea557a23be7e)

Chapter One (#u581ecd0c-8c24-5cc4-b8d2-e2e4f7148ded)

Chapter Two (#uf4673599-8525-52ed-ad57-2fba63fb7b64)

Chapter Three (#uc4aa6afd-8ebe-59d4-ba4f-81ea48fcf3cb)

Chapter Four (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)

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)

Extract (#litres_trial_promo)

Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)