Return Of Scandal's Son

Return Of Scandal's Son
Janice Preston

Scandal Comes Courting!Caught in a coach accident, Lady Eleanor Ashby seeks help from a mysterious stranger. But the dashing Matthew Thomas is not all he seems. And when it appears someone is trying to hurt her Eleanor doesn’t know who to trust. Disowned by his family, Matthew is living under an assumed name. Falling under Eleanor’s spell, he determines to protect her. It’s time for Matthew to return home and confront his scandalous past if Eleanor is to be part of his future... Men About Town: Traders in Temptation...

Matthew held her gaze, his ragged breathing loud in the silence of the room. She pushed harder against him and stepped back. Instantly his gaze sharpened and he gripped her shoulders, preventing her from retreating further, wringing a gasp from her.

“I have been searching for you … following you … trying to catch up with you … worrying about you …’

‘But … why? I thought you were—’

‘You need protection. I—’

‘Protection?’

Eleanor, now with her wits fully about her, stiffened. For one fleeting, joyful second she had thought maybe he had followed her for her own sake—because he felt something for her. As speedily as the thought arose she quashed it, inwardly berating herself for being a romantic fool, beguiled by a handsome face and rugged charm. She and Mr Thomas were worlds apart.

Author Note (#ulink_271d3ac5-6fed-50d8-a3b0-10aefe8ad955)

Eleanor, Baroness Ashby, is a rarity: a peeress in her own right. The early English baronies were created by a writ of summons to Counsel or Parliament (rather than by letters patent, as later became the norm). The remainders of these baronies by writ devolve upon the ‘heirs-general’ rather than being limited to male heirs, meaning an only daughter can inherit the barony. It’s interesting that if there are two or more daughters the title will fall into abeyance until the co-heirs can come to an honourable agreement as to which of them will claim the title. The claimant must then petition The Crown to have the abeyance terminated.

I really enjoyed writing about Eleanor—she is loyal, courageous and independent, but her outer confidence masks a deep insecurity at her core. She is also impulsive at times, and I knew she needed a resilient hero. Enter Matthew: strong and honourable, but with a secret in his past that might easily damage Eleanor’s determination to be fully accepted by Society and to gain admittance to Almack’s Assembly Rooms.

I thought it would be fun to see how a proud man like Matthew would cope with falling for a wealthier, higher-ranking woman than him.

If you have read Mary and the Marquis you might like to know that Eleanor is the cousin of Lucas, Marquis of Rothley. Lucas’s mother, Lucy, is Eleanor’s chaperon, and his younger brother, Lord Hugo Alastair, also makes an appearance.

Return of Scandal’s Son

Janice Preston

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

JANICE PRESTON grew up in Wembley, North London, with a love of reading, writing stories and animals. In the past she has worked as a farmer, a police call-handler and a university administrator. She now lives in the West Midlands with her husband and two cats and has a part-time job with a weight management counsellor (vainly trying to control her own weight despite her love of chocolate!).

For Elizabeth Bailey, whose encouragement and advice during my early writing attempts was invaluable.

Contents

Cover (#u2a0f1a9e-3309-565a-a4ab-fdb0f06efc52)

Introduction (#u26205bad-1808-5d8d-8717-14fb4f38404f)

Author Note (#uf799e170-4e6c-5777-a972-f99ec507e1bb)

Title Page (#uc254f320-77fc-5dd9-a5b6-6e0637fdd189)

About the Author (#u7813c0a9-eadd-5c85-b5e2-9ac72ef55634)

Dedication (#u930ae41f-d881-536a-bfb2-d15215381f96)

Chapter One (#ucf2dbd35-5116-5efc-93e5-7a9c89576134)

Chapter Two (#u25321de3-4d55-521e-a6df-12bf5c2d4017)

Chapter Three (#ud9f9cbfd-1d0d-52e2-9079-84beb08af322)

Chapter Four (#ua3625747-83f4-5fd6-a30b-0ac3edb0c584)

Chapter Five (#u2fe6e183-16cf-50ff-aa62-9ec8c4966108)

Chapter Six (#u58fe0c7a-6971-50ef-ba4f-f8a77cd5595e)

Chapter Seven (#u96cfa3ce-deb0-5553-846b-a23cd95e3b10)

Chapter Eight (#uffa3e7e2-c5ed-5671-831a-96b26ac3d0e4)

Chapter Nine (#ubaa60d98-6591-5bcf-81c3-3ac14839c7ce)

Chapter Ten (#ud82126ae-49ea-5b02-95c1-56cd776b7f9f)

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)

Chapter Twenty (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twenty-One (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twenty-Two (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twenty-Three (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twenty-Four (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twenty-Five (#litres_trial_promo)