What the Mistress Did
Blurb:
Oh, the delicious peril of
deception…
Lady Marianne
Gillingham has no intention of ending her affair with David Dunscombe, Earl
Harrington, despite his pending nuptials. She craves his attentions, and he
satisfies her deepest yearnings.
Yet, when his
fiancée, the sweet, innocent and oh-so-very young Annabelle Frazier, appears on
her doorstep to demand the end of the association, Marianne realizes she does
not wish to be second in David’s affections. She also cannot resist issuing a
warning. The earl will bed his wife with tedious regularity, but never reveal
his more unusual desires.
To Marianne’s
amusement, her prediction comes true, with a surprising twist. The countess is
back with a new demand: repair the problem her prophetic words created. Taking
pleasure in imagining the other woman’s fear and horror, Marianne rekindles the
affair to demonstrate exactly how to fulfill David’s lascivious desires—while
Annabelle secretly watches from the shadows.
She never
expected Annabelle to prove so resilient and surprisingly easy—not to mention
delicious—to corrupt. Or that the ensuing erotic tangle would be impossible to
put right without heartbreak.
Buy Links:
Historical erotica (Georgian-set)
Excerpt One:
Such
a delectable morsel.
Standing
in front of the fireplace, fingers knotted into the sides of her skirts, Miss
Annabelle Frasier tries to stare me down. The generations of aristocracy in her
lineage allow a credible effort, but it isn’t enough. No matter the careful
styling of her wig into a powdered coiffure fit for a queen, the width of her
panniers or richness of her accoutrements. To me she is a fledgling, sweetly
young, trying wings not yet adult enough for the journey attempted.
The
sight of her moves and angers me, stirring feelings I never imagined
experiencing under such circumstances. She is an unwelcome disruption in the
carefully crafted pattern of my life, and the urge to set her upon her ear is
hard to resist.
Oh,
the delicious danger of it.
“You
must realise he is now mine, Lady Gillingham. Surely you know the time has come
to let him go.”
My
gaze travels slowly from the pale heart-shaped face to the tips of her pink
shoes peeping from beneath costly striped sarcenet, trimmed with the finest
Brussels lace, and back up again. Compounding the insult, with a sweep of my
hand I encompass the room and, by extension, the entire house. “My dear Miss
Frasier, do you see your intended husband here? Believe me when I say I am not
holding him captive.”
For
a long moment, she simply stares at me, the remarkable grey-green eyes
flashing, lips parsimonious with annoyance.
Even
so vexed, she is a fetching sight and, although still amused, a frisson of fear
touches my spine. Skin like a peach just ripe on the branch rises above the
low-cut bodice of her striped gown. Eyes clear, wide-set and beautiful, even
without the aid of cosmetics. Not a wrinkle or line mars her complexion. I
know, without even a glance in the mirror, the same can no longer be said of
me. When she finally replies, I watch the movement of her soft pink mouth,
fascinated against my will.
“Lord
Harrington and I are to wed, my lady. Surely your conscience tells you there
cannot be three in a marriage? The vows taken are sacred, not to be trifled
with.”
It
takes some effort to bank my annoyance and present only laughter. “I take no
vows, madam, make no promises, so my conscience is clear.”
Excerpt One Question: What are the names
of the people getting married?
Bio:
After living a checkered past, and
despite an avowed disinterest in domesticity, multi-published erotic romance
author Anya Richards settled in Ontario, Canada, with husband, kids, an
adorable pup and a cat that plots world domination, one food bowl at a time.
Her slightly darker alter-ego, Anya Delvay, emerges occasionally to write
erotica.
Interested in all things historical
and hysterical, Anya describes herself as intensely curious, (although the word
‘nosy’ has been bandied about) and a life-long people-watcher. Using what she’s
discovered about people, places and various weird and wonderful things, Anya
has written contemporary, historical and paranormal/fantasy romance novels,
novellas and short stories for Samhain Publishing, Ellora’s Cave, Cleis Press
and Spice Briefs.
To find out more, please drop by
Anya’s website at www.anyarichards.com, follow her
on Twitter or like her
on Facebook.
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