Changing the Earl’s Mind
by Kristen McLean
The Lords of Whitehall #3
Publication Date: March 26, 2017
Genres: Adult, Historical, Romance
For nearly a decade, Drake Ramsey, the disciplined and logical Earl of Saint Brides, has been the driving force behind the Home Office; meeting with foreign leaders to negotiate treaties, spurring a lethargic Parliament into action, and directing a secret army of spies. The last thing he wants to find while taking a well-deserved vacation is a dangerous fugitive. Nevertheless, when he catches a beautiful murderess hiding in his hunting cabin, he has little choice but to bring her to justice, landing himself in a battle for control he could never hope to win.
…meets a woman determined to prove him wrong.
Marrying a stranger simply to gain access to her dowry and travel the world, admittedly, was the biggest mistake of Sarah Tindall’s life. In fact, she would readily admit to making several big mistakes. Killing her husband, however, is not one of them. When a starchy lord takes it upon himself to bring her to a London prison, she is determined to escape him and prove her innocence, yet every attempt ends with her back in her handsome captor’s arms. Even if her innocence is proven, his forbidden and passionate kisses leave her uncertain if escape was ever an option.
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Excerpt
“Trouble?” He echoed the vague response as though he
hadn’t heard it more times than he could count.
She nodded.
“Mrs. Tindall, nearly everyone on this miserable
planet is in some sort of trouble. It doesn’t explain why you have invaded my hunting
cabin or threatened to shoot me.” He was not prepared for the interrogation of
an impertinent beauty in the moors. He was prepared for solitude and quiet, relaxation.
Or, in the very least, a moment of self-reflection followed by a week of
wallowing in depression.
“With what gun? I am unarmed,” she pointed out.
“I said threatened,”
he emphasized. “Had you been armed, would you have shot me?”
Large, hazel eyes focused steadily on him. “Yes.”
Now his head began to throb, and his teeth ached from
the pressure of his jaw.
“Where is your husband, Mrs. Tindall?”
“I am a grown woman, plenty old enough to be about on
my own.”
She didn’t look a day past twenty, but he was in no
mood to dispute anything that wasn’t completely necessary. It was too much
damned effort, especially compounded with the effort needed to ignore her—or
more accurately, to ignore his body’s response to her.
The dress she wore was threadbare and torn, showing
shapely ankles disappearing into ragged half boots. Her sleeve had been ripped at
the shoulder, sliding down her arm and sending the neckline dangerously low on
her generous bosom. He fought to keep his attention on her face, but even that
was a distraction. Her eyes were ethereally vivid, her mouth full and wide, and
her neck a lovely arch beneath it all.
Bloody hell, why her?
Why him? What god or demon had he insulted so gravely as to deserve this? All
he wanted was a damned holiday, a well-deserved one, he might add.
“You are Mrs.
Tindall,” he said doggedly. “Surely there’s a Mr. Tindall?”
“Yes, there was…
but he is no longer amongst the living.”
His fists clenched at his sides, forcing himself to
calm. She was a widow. Good manners dictated he grant her some measure of
consideration.
“I am sorry to hear it. When did this happen?”
“Two days ago.”
To his credit, the curse that nearly flew from his
mouth stayed obediently behind his teeth.
Two days? A landlord who evicted a woman immediately
after the death of her husband ought to be publicly flogged, and Drake would
jump at the chance to administer the punishment. Particularly since, in this
case, it meant she had been booted out of her home and into his hunting cabin.
“Have you no family or friends who can take you in?”
“No,” she said. “I know two or three people, but no
one I could impose upon.”
“Of course not,” he muttered. “Why impose upon those
you know when there is a perfectly good stranger handy.”
Her eyes flashed. “Under the circumstances, I couldn’t
possibly ask someone I hardly know to shelter me.”
“Circumstances,” he echoed. “Circumstances being the
death of your husband? Is that the trouble you have found yourself in?”
She looked away. “More or less.”
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Even the mask of an expert spy is no defense against his own heart.
With a reputation as dark as his appearance, Greydon Sharpe, the Marquess of Ainsley, ought to have been the last agent assigned to the daughter of a well-respected Member of Parliament. However, when she is brutally attacked and left for dead, it becomes clear he is the only one with the skills to keep her alive. All it will take are a few lies to keep her breathing long enough to capture the villain. Then he can send her on her way. If she would only behave herself, he might be able to complete his mission before she turns his contentedly miserable life into a chaotic mess.Marriage is not an option … until it is.
Lady Kathryn Bryant, the adventure-seeking socialite, has no plans to behave. Kathryn would much rather spend her time in subterfuge, nabbing villains and finding clues. However, when her memory is lost in an attack, she has little choice but to trust the handsome Marquess. Though she is almost certain he is hiding something, she is helpless against his disarming smile and warm touch. Eventually, his lies will come to the surface, leaving only one question: Is England’s deadliest spy equipped to save a broken heart?
Kristen McLean is a regency-era romance novelist with a flair for humor and suspense. She has always had a love of novels, with a special place in her heart for historical romance. Now she has the pleasure of writing at home, tucked away in a forest with her husband, two children and their cat. Her husband is loving and impressively patient, their two beautiful children strive to embarrass and exhaust her, and the cat hates everyone, but tolerates—well, she tolerates whoever will feed her.
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