The authors at #MFRWHooks here http://mfrwbookhooks.blogspot.com have some great excerpts. Mine is found @https://wwweclecticwriter.blogspot.com and is from Gemstones . The heroine and her ssiters must leave India after their father's death.
BLURB;
When Nicola Gordon and her younger sisters travel from India to England, she goes to a marriage she doesn’t want.
Drew Barlow has no desire for marriage, but his distant cousin and Nicola’s grandfather, ran the estates into debt. Drew agrees to the marriage for the money and to please the Dowager, Nicola’s grandmother, but he has no trust for women or for love.
When the two meet they clash and come together, igniting a blazing attraction they cannot resist.
Janet Lane Walter's latest book Gemstones is a stunning tale of the differences between two cultures, English and Indian, and what occurs when two different cultures clash. After the death of her father, eldest daughter Nicola Gordon must take charge of her family, fifteen-year-old Elizabeth, a budding flirt, and ten year old Margaret, a hoyden of the worst degree.
Drew thought of the trunks already at Denmere. How much more could his future wife want or need? He remembered his father’s shouts and his mother’s tears. They had argued constantly about her desire for jewelry and clothes. The man she’d gone away with had been able to provide her with all the luxuries she carved. But she had left that man as well.
His wife would soon learn to live within the allowance he granted her. Though she brought wealth to the marriage, he would hold control.
He followed Mr. Grey from the room. He walked to his betrothed’s side.
She smiled. "We are ready and
it lacks a quarter hour of the time you set." She reached for her sisters’
hands. "You’ve met Margaret. This is
The girl was neither child nor woman. She curtsied. "I am most pleased to meet you, my lord."
Though she gazed at him through lowered lashes, there was no hint of shyness in her eyes. She showed a promise of great beauty, yet he found neither her looks nor her manner to his liking.
"Charmed." The word emerged clipped. The chit reminded him of the flirtatious young women he had no patience with. For the first time since he’d hurried home to deal with Aldora’s disaster, he felt thankful Nicola Gordon would be his bride.
He turned and shook Mr. Grey’s hand. "I’ll be in touch with you about the business matters and we’ll see you at Denmere in five weeks."
Mr. Grey nodded. The older man
hugged each of the girls. He pulled on the end of Margaret’s braid. "No
mischief, child. Cook may never recover from the discovery of a live chicken in
her cooking pot." He turned to
Drew didn’t hear what the older man said to her. He struggled with a primitive urge to wrest his future wife from the older man’s arms.
She stepped away from Mr. Grey and turned to Drew. "My lord, there are two other members of our family you haven’t met." She indicated the dark-skinned couple. "Prabha, our amah and her son, Sarad, have been members of our family since I was born. Sarad is my best friend."
The warmth in her voice raised a bolt of jealousy. His hands clenched. Her best friend. Why did this announcement upset him? He had no reason to believe her caring for the young man went beyond the responsibility and duty she felt toward her family.
He nodded in acknowledgment. "Let us be away. Our destination is at a distance." He strode to the door.
Once the women were inside the coach, he climbed onto the box beside Jem. The Indian boy rode with the driver of the second coach. Drew flicked the reins and concentrated on the route through the bustling streets of town and into the countryside.
At dusk, they reached the inn where he’d arranged for rooms. Had he known the size of the party, he would have rented a third sleeping room. While Sarad carried the portmanteaus upstairs and Nicola herded her sisters and the female servant after him, Drew spoke to the landlord and arranged for a meal to be served in a private parlor.
As he turned to leave the common room, a commotion in the hall pulled him to the door. Margaret raced down the stairs with Nicola on her heels.
"Margaret, come back."
The door of the inn opened and a dandified young man sauntered into view. Margaret plowed into him. His cane flew into the air. The elaborately arranged neckcloth unraveled. His hat landed on the floor beneath him.
Drew choked back a laugh. The incident couldn’t have happened to a more deserving man. Viscount Devonley was a man full of himself and the wealth he stood to inherit on his elderly father’s death.
The doomed man sputtered. Nicola Gordon laughed softly. Drew’s shoulders stiffened like a soldier’s at attention. Her laughter brought images of his mother to his mind.
"Margaret." Drew pointed to the private parlor. "Go inside and wait for me." The child couldn’t continue to behave like a hoyden.
"Well if it ain’t the Parson Earl."
Drew extended his hand and helped the young man to his feet. "Devonley."
The young man’s eyes narrowed. His lips curled into a smile. "And who might you be?"
Drew breathed in relief when Miss Gordon pulled her sister away. "She’s a young relative of the Dowager’s. I’m escorting her to Denmere for a visit." No need to announce the girls’ identity, Drew thought. News of Aldora’s granddaughters would sweep through the ton all too soon.
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