Wedded in Scandal
Authors: Jade Lee
P
RAISE FOR
Wicked Seduction
“Jade Lee has the heart-stopping tension, wonderful characters, and compelling voice to sweep you away to another time and era.
Wicked Seduction’s
piratical hero will melt your heart.”
—Sabrina Jeffries,
New York Times
bestselling author
“Powerfully emotional…A heartbreaking and beautiful story. Don’t miss it!”
—
Fresh Fiction
“
Wicked Seduction
is well written, has compelling protagonists, and has a wonderful romance at its center—all reasons I really loved this book.”
—
All About Romance
“Jade Lee has a gift for creating unusual plots with unique characters. She’s definitely found a place on my bookshelf.”
—
The Romance Reader
“Up to Ms. Lee’s implacable standards and then some… I am sure that you will find it as intriguing as I did.”
—
Night Owl Reviews
P
RAISE FOR
Wicked Surrender
“[A] darkly sensual, erotically complex historical romance.
Wicked Surrender
is a definite keeper.”
—Elizabeth Hoyt,
New York Times
bestselling author
“Lee’s beautifully nuanced characters and impeccably crafted historical setting are guaranteed to cast their own seductive spell over readers.”
—
Chicago Tribune
“I love how Jade Lee guides her readers away from the typical romance novel, giving us more: more plot, more tragedy, and more love story to remember. A ‘do NOT miss’ read.”
—
Fresh Fiction
“One of the best historical romances I’ve read this year…This story of a woman yearning for respectability and the two men who want to claim her will linger with readers long after they close the cover.”
—
The Romance Reader
“Jade Lee has written an enjoyable character-driven story with style and class. It’s steamy but tasteful and will be enjoyed by readers who like books where love redeems a dark and damaged hero.”
—
TwoLips Reviews
A
ND PRAISE FOR THE OTHER NOVELS OF
USA T
ODAY
BESTSELLING AUTHOR
J
ADE
L
EE
“[A] refreshingly different, sexy Regency romance.”
—
Chicago Tribune
“Lovely historical romance.”
—
Publishers Weekly
“It’s unflinching and unabashed in historic social and cultural detail…Elegant complexity and beautifully rendered.”
—
Booklist
(starred review)
“Strangely hypnotic.”
—
Romance Reviews Today
“An exotic and emotional historical romantic tale.”
—
ParaNormal Romance
“I enjoyed the sensual and hot love scenes, and boy were they hot. WOW!”
—
Night Owl Reviews
“Lee…[has] brought something new and intriguing to erotic romance…This is what places her in a class with the best.”
—
RT Book Reviews
“A highly enjoyable read.”
—
All About Romance
“Jade Lee provides a wonderful, refreshing tale.”
—
Genre Go Round Reviews
“Delightfully different.”
—
Midwest Book Reviews
“An exhilarating, fast-paced tale from start to finish.”
—
The Best Reviews
Berkley Sensation Titles by Jade Lee
WICKED SURRENDER
WICKED SEDUCTION
WEDDED IN SCANDAL
Scandal
BERKLEY SENSATION, NEW YOK
THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.) • Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England • Penguin Group Ireland, 25 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2, Ireland (a division of Penguin Books Ltd.) • Penguin Group (Australia), 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia (a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.) • Penguin Books India Pvt. Ltd., 11 Community Centre, Panchsheel Park, New Delhi—110 017, India • Penguin Group (NZ), 67 Apollo Drive, Rosedale, Auckland 0632, New Zealand (a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.) • Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196, South Africa
Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
WEDDED IN SCANDAL
A Berkley Sensation Book / published by arrangement with the author
PUBLISHING HISTORY
Berkley Sensation mass-market edition / March 2012
Copyright © 2012 by Katherine Ann Grill.
Excerpt from
Wedded in Sin
by Jade Lee copyright © by Katherine Ann Grill.
Cover art by Judy York.
Cover design by George Long.
Interior text design by Kristin del Rosario.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
EISBN: 9781101560938
BERKLEY SENSATION®
Berkley Sensation Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
BERKLEY SENSATION® is a registered trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
The “B” design is a trademark of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
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If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”
Thanks go to so many people for this book: Kate Seaver, amazing editor; Pamela Harty, amazing agent; and David Grill, amazing husband and hero.
Plus thanks to my amazing friends and supporters: Elizabeth Hoyt, Cindy Dees, and Deb Miller.
But for this book and this series, Kim Castillo is the most brilliant, because the first germ of an idea came from her.
Thank you all!
Chapter 1
“Yer wants to go in there? But, er, why?”
Robert Percy, Viscount Redhill, ignored the mine manager and began stripping off his coat and gloves. They were in the shack outside a coal mine that his father had purchased in a fit of drunken entrepreneurship. Sadly, the earl didn’t fall down in his cups like a normal person. No, instead he bought businesses, which Robert then had to save. And given that no one in his family knew anything about coal mining, this was going to be a challenge indeed.
But the first step in a new venture—or after one of his father’s drinking binges—was to inspect the new property. So he was determined to go down into the hellhole of a mine despite Mr. Hutchins’s objections. He’d already pulled off his coat and folded it neatly to the side, but after one glance outside at the filthy employees all lined up near the mine entrance, he stripped off his waistcoat as well. He would have taken off his fine lawn shirt, but he couldn’t greet his new employees half naked.
“It’s mighty dark down there,” continued Mr. Hutchins, his full whiskers twitching in agitation. Truly, the long nose
and scrunched face made the man resemble a rat in some rather unfortunate ways. A rat who obviously did not like leaving his nest.
“Last I recall, the dark never hurt anybody.”
“That’s ’cause ‘anybody’ ain’t been down in the mines,” Mr. Hutchins groused. Then he sighed heavily and pulled his rather impressive bulk out of his chair. “I think yer daft, milord, but if yer insisting, I’ll have Charlie show you about.”
Robert paused, his gaze narrowing down to a few pertinent details. First of all was Mr. Hutchins’s girth. His waist was just the right size if he were a draft horse. Second, everything in here was filthy, but not with coal dust. No, he could barely breathe for the stink of cigar. And third, Mr. Hutchins had a telltale wheeze when he moved even around this small office.
“When was the last time you were down in the mines, Mr. Hutchins?” he asked.
“Wot? Why jest last week, I’m sure. But it’s a filthy place and beastly hot.”
“I believe that a manager should see what he manages, don’t you, Mr. Hutchins?”
“Oh, I do, I do!” he said as he wiped the sweat from his balding pate. “Go down there every year to inspect the new finds. Now, if you wish to see something most interesting, I can take you to inspect our carts. They’re in a terrible way, milord—”