Silence Of Scandal (Unrivalled Regency Book 1)
A Regency Romance.
The war is over for the nation but not for the new Duke of Ormond. With death and debt stalking his every waking moment, caught between blackmailers and his brother’s deepest secret, Alexander’s dreams lie in tatters but he never surrendered on the battlefields of the Peninsular and he’s not about to admit defeat now. Even if that means marrying a woman he has never laid eyes on before.
With her father’s warnings still fresh in her mind and her imperfections obvious to any who know her, Elizabeth’s options for freedom are diminishing with every trembling step. Available suitors are few and far between. Marriage to a debt ridden, aging fortune hunter will not be easy but with no other alternatives and destitution threatening she cannot escape her fate.
Falling in love hadn't been a possibility Alexander ever considered but one glance at his beautiful bride’s tear filled onyx eyes has his blood surging through his veins, his heart pounding in his chest and he can no longer hide his emotions behind a facade of polite indifference.
Elizabeth hadn’t expected him to be handsome. She hadn’t expected him to greet her with a sparkling sapphire gaze. She hadn’t expected gentle fingertips on her skin or her heart to break at the tender words on his lips.
With Ormond and the family jewels at stake, Alexander’s resolve to defeat his enemies is soon put to the test as rumour, intrigue, and scandal threaten his and Elizabeth’s blossoming affections. There is clearly another plan. There had always been another plan. A plan of greed and vengeance devised to ruin Ormond and its descendants for all time.
Silence of Scandal is a light-hearted, easy read suitable for age 16 and upwards. (Contains some swearing and sensual love scenes)
The war is over for the nation but not for the new Duke of Ormond. With death and debt stalking his every waking moment, caught between blackmailers and his brother’s deepest secret, Alexander’s dreams lie in tatters but he never surrendered on the battlefields of the Peninsular and he’s not about to admit defeat now. Even if that means marrying a woman he has never laid eyes on before.
With her father’s warnings still fresh in her mind and her imperfections obvious to any who know her, Elizabeth’s options for freedom are diminishing with every trembling step. Available suitors are few and far between. Marriage to a debt ridden, aging fortune hunter will not be easy but with no other alternatives and destitution threatening she cannot escape her fate.
Falling in love hadn't been a possibility Alexander ever considered but one glance at his beautiful bride’s tear filled onyx eyes has his blood surging through his veins, his heart pounding in his chest and he can no longer hide his emotions behind a facade of polite indifference.
Elizabeth hadn’t expected him to be handsome. She hadn’t expected him to greet her with a sparkling sapphire gaze. She hadn’t expected gentle fingertips on her skin or her heart to break at the tender words on his lips.
With Ormond and the family jewels at stake, Alexander’s resolve to defeat his enemies is soon put to the test as rumour, intrigue, and scandal threaten his and Elizabeth’s blossoming affections. There is clearly another plan. There had always been another plan. A plan of greed and vengeance devised to ruin Ormond and its descendants for all time.
Silence of Scandal is a light-hearted, easy read suitable for age 16 and upwards. (Contains some swearing and sensual love scenes)
Get Your Copy Here: http://bit.ly/2b5q4qPSilenceofScandal
Jackie Williams, Romance writer.
I was born in Essex England during the mid sixties but I missed all the fun. Being only young, I assumed that all Beatles were six legged creatures and Flower Power was something to do with the vigorous way my mother kneaded the bread dough.
My wonderful parents brought me up with a huge love of books. We read anything and everything. Bedtime stories were a treasured time of adventure and mystery. My sister and I sat wide eyed in wonder and to this day I worry about Dinah and Dorinda being pricked with pins because they grew so fat, and I never pull faces at the a waning moon (or was it a waxing one?) just in case my chops stay that way . (The Wind On The Moon)
I began reading romance while still at school. The fuel for many a teenage fantasy leapt from between the covers of wildly romantic books and my passion still lingers now for all those dark haired heroes.
My own beautiful teenage daughter persuaded me to write my first romance. She was only fourteen at the time and between books for children and adults. She couldn't find anything that ticked all her numerous and particular boxes and so she asked me to write a book, with all the exact ingredients just for her. Though not just a book for teens, she enjoyed the resulting tale so much that she shared it with her friends and I eventually published A Perfect Summer as an ebook on amazon.
But I have discovered that writing is not easily stopped once you start. It has turned into a grand passion that I just cannot hold back. The fingertips start tapping the keys and ideas suddenly come flooding, far too many for just one book and so I began another and then another. Twenty-two books later I am still nowhere near done. Book twenty-three is on its way and only just the other night I woke from a wild and wonderful dream with book sixteen fully formed in my head.
Romance will always be my first love but recently I was so influenced by a tiny polished plaque on a sea wall that I gave paranormal romance a try. (Echo Beach) Mixing the two genres was a real challenge for me but I was delighted with the result. Historical romance is my latest genre. All those fabulously titled and passionate men are impossibly hard to resist!
I hope you enjoy all of my efforts and I look forward to your comments and reviews.
If you are interested in finding out more, you can see what I get up to at:
http://www.romanticsuspensebooks.org/
Don’t forget to sign up to my newsletter for all my latest goings on:
http://www.romanticsuspensebooks.org/contact-us/
You can find me on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and Pinterest:
https://twitter.com/wackyjackyful
https://www.facebook.com/jackiesbrilliantbooks?ref=bookmarks
https://plus.google.com/110732409254057058928/posts/p/pub
https://www.pinterest.com/wackyjackyful/
And you can always Email me at:
Jackie@romanticsuspensebooks.co.uk
I was born in Essex England during the mid sixties but I missed all the fun. Being only young, I assumed that all Beatles were six legged creatures and Flower Power was something to do with the vigorous way my mother kneaded the bread dough.
My wonderful parents brought me up with a huge love of books. We read anything and everything. Bedtime stories were a treasured time of adventure and mystery. My sister and I sat wide eyed in wonder and to this day I worry about Dinah and Dorinda being pricked with pins because they grew so fat, and I never pull faces at the a waning moon (or was it a waxing one?) just in case my chops stay that way . (The Wind On The Moon)
I began reading romance while still at school. The fuel for many a teenage fantasy leapt from between the covers of wildly romantic books and my passion still lingers now for all those dark haired heroes.
My own beautiful teenage daughter persuaded me to write my first romance. She was only fourteen at the time and between books for children and adults. She couldn't find anything that ticked all her numerous and particular boxes and so she asked me to write a book, with all the exact ingredients just for her. Though not just a book for teens, she enjoyed the resulting tale so much that she shared it with her friends and I eventually published A Perfect Summer as an ebook on amazon.
But I have discovered that writing is not easily stopped once you start. It has turned into a grand passion that I just cannot hold back. The fingertips start tapping the keys and ideas suddenly come flooding, far too many for just one book and so I began another and then another. Twenty-two books later I am still nowhere near done. Book twenty-three is on its way and only just the other night I woke from a wild and wonderful dream with book sixteen fully formed in my head.
Romance will always be my first love but recently I was so influenced by a tiny polished plaque on a sea wall that I gave paranormal romance a try. (Echo Beach) Mixing the two genres was a real challenge for me but I was delighted with the result. Historical romance is my latest genre. All those fabulously titled and passionate men are impossibly hard to resist!
I hope you enjoy all of my efforts and I look forward to your comments and reviews.
If you are interested in finding out more, you can see what I get up to at:
http://www.romanticsuspensebooks.org/
Don’t forget to sign up to my newsletter for all my latest goings on:
http://www.romanticsuspensebooks.org/contact-us/
You can find me on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and Pinterest:
https://twitter.com/wackyjackyful
https://www.facebook.com/jackiesbrilliantbooks?ref=bookmarks
https://plus.google.com/110732409254057058928/posts/p/pub
https://www.pinterest.com/wackyjackyful/
And you can always Email me at:
Jackie@romanticsuspensebooks.co.uk
Each book is a stand alone story, but they are best read in order to fully appreciate all the characters and locations which are current throughout the series.
A Murderous Masquerade (Placed 9th in ReadFree.ly's top 50 books of 2015)http://bit.ly/2bh6EQ4
A Gallant Gamble: http://bit.ly/2bh6msHAGallantGamble
Dangerous Deceptions: http://bit.ly/2btr09xDangerousDeceptions
An Elusive Escape: http://bit.ly/2bs71oOAnElusiveEscape
A Gallant Gamble: http://bit.ly/2bh6msHAGallantGamble
Dangerous Deceptions: http://bit.ly/2btr09xDangerousDeceptions
An Elusive Escape: http://bit.ly/2bs71oOAnElusiveEscape
Enjoy An Excerpt From Silence Of Scandal
Silence of Scandal Excerpt from Chapter Seven.
Giles sighed wearily. Three days of solid drinking were telling on him. He raised his eyebrow at the landlord and then had to wink several times to get it come back down from his forehead again. He rubbed his eyes and yawned.
“Have a heart. There will be no moving him tonight. Bring him a blanket, will you. That will suffice for now. I’ll take him home in the morning, banshees, serpents, mermaids or not.”
The landlord threw up his hands in despair. The two gentlemen had appeared within an hour of each other three evenings previously and had spent the intervening period attempting to drink his cellars dry. The innkeeper had heard many lurid stories in the intervening days since Alexander’s wedding ball but he had wisely kept his mouth shut and refused to be drawn on the young grooms where-a-bouts.
Giles had remained marginally more sober throughout the affair though not by much. Now he moved to the other, still upright chair by the fire and slumped down in it. He stared down at his sleeping friend and then looked up briefly as the landlord returned with two blankets. The man passed one to Giles.
“I’ll be bringing you both tea from now on. And I want you both gone in the morning.” He threw the other blanket over Alexander’s prostrate form and retreated from the room, gathering the empty brandy bottles as he went.
Alexander opened his eyes and shut them again quickly. Sunlight streamed in at the window and he covered his face with his forearm as he struggled to open them again. He attempted to sit up but had to give up and lay there for several seconds as the room spun, righted itself, then tipped before it settled itself again. His head pounded and for a moment he wondered if he had been punched but after running his hand over his stubble covered jaw, snippets of memory came back to him.
He couldn’t even think how long he had been there but from the sour smell wafting from his own body and the length of his beard he guessed that it must be several days. He looked around the room and noticed Giles slumped in a chair beside the fire. He was about to speak when the door cracked open and the landlord came in bearing a tray of tea and pastries. He looked down at Alexander who didn’t even try to pretend he was anywhere near sober.
“There’s a bath waiting in your room, Your Grace. I suggest that you drink this and eat a bite, then go and partake of it while I see what we can do with your clothes. Your cravat is going to be impossible I’m afraid but Annie may be able to do something with your shirt and trousers.”
Alexander glanced down at his ruined cravat and attempted to reply but found, rather alarmingly, that his tongue was stuck to the roof of his mouth. He nodded and kicked out his boot towards Giles’s foot. His friend grunted, opened his eyes then shot up in the chair and flung his hands up over his face.
“Don’t let her take my soul!” Giles shouted into his palm before realizing that he had been dreaming.
Alexander snorted with laughter but then stopped as his head felt as though it was about to explode. He tore his tongue from the roof of his mouth and shook himself.
“Good Lord! I feel as though I have been preserved in brandy.”
The landlord began pouring the tea.
“You both smell as though you have been preserved in brandy.” He observed as he passed a cup of dark brew to both of the young men and then offered them a pastry before shaking his head in dismay and walking out of the room.
Alexander sipped the beverage gratefully and chewed the sugared dainty. He drew a sharp breath and clapped his hand to his brow as the sugar rushed to his head.
Giles gulped down his tea and reached over to pour another. He drank the second cup more slowly as he gathered his thoughts.
“This won’t do you know. You have to go back to Ormond and sort this out. There really is no such thing as a banshee or a mermaid. The poor woman clearly has a speech impediment.”
Alexander sighed and put his cup on the table.
“I know that, but it was such a shock what with her maid ordering us about and my bride waving her arms while making that God awful noise. You saw how tiny and beautiful she is. Graceful too. We’d danced so beautifully together and I thought things were going well, all things considered but then there was this horrible loud braying. Absolutely dreadful! It sounded exactly like the knife sharpener’s donkey when he doesn’t want to pull the cart. It was so incongruous coming from such a beauty that I panicked. It’s quite clear now why her father wanted rid of her and bought up all of Phillip’s debts. Expensive way to get rid of her if you ask me. By the looks of her many men would have done it for nothing but I don’t know what she or any of our guests must be thinking of me. I’ve acted like a complete arse!”
Giles laughed and nodded in agreement but then stopped as his head felt as though it might wobble from his neck. He waved his hand dismissively.
“Forget about the guests. Grady saw them all off not long after you had retired for the night. They weren’t expecting too much anyway what with the hurried nature of the wedding and the lateness of the invitations. They didn’t have a clue about you leaving Ormond but I can take a pretty good guess what your wife is thinking about you. She’s going to think that you are a rude, inconsiderate, miserable lout and she wouldn’t be far wrong. Her wedding night Alex? What on earth were you thinking?”
Alexander raised an ironic eyebrow.
“Thanks for spelling that out so graphically. It was my wedding night too you know but you have made me feel so much better about myself,” he said sarcastically as he shoved his booted feet beneath him and staggered upwards. He bent and righted the fallen chair and then massaged his hands into the small of his back. “I had forgotten what sleeping on a hard floor feels like. I’m going up to take advantage of that bath our landlord has graciously supplied and then I’m going home to face the music. I want to sleep in my own bed tonight.”
Giles levered himself out of the chair.
“Want me to come along as back up?” he asked as he picked up the last pastry.
Alexander shook his head and was relieved to find that the hammering had receded slightly.
“No, I’ll have to do this myself or forever be named a coward. I feel bad enough about it as it is. Arabian banshees with serpents coming out of their heads indeed! Thank goodness it was only us two that heard me say it.”
Giles slapped his friend on the back.
“I’m surprised that you recall even that much though you appear to have forgotten that she might be a mermaid too what with the way she swallows sailor’s souls.”
Alexander rolled his eyes.
“Good heavens! I clearly have an excellent imagination when in my cups but really, it’s not one of my better memories I can assure you.” He plucked at his filthy shirt. “You could do me one favour. Send up to Ormond for Grady. Ask him to bring fresh clothes and my shaving gear. I don’t think whatever Annie can do is going to be good enough to sort this lot out.”
Giles raised his eyebrows and grinned at what had been Alexander’s wedding outfit. He looked down at his own sorry appearance and decided he could do with a bath also. He strode through to find the landlord to send a message to Ormond and then he followed Alexander up the stairs to repair his own attire.
Giles sighed wearily. Three days of solid drinking were telling on him. He raised his eyebrow at the landlord and then had to wink several times to get it come back down from his forehead again. He rubbed his eyes and yawned.
“Have a heart. There will be no moving him tonight. Bring him a blanket, will you. That will suffice for now. I’ll take him home in the morning, banshees, serpents, mermaids or not.”
The landlord threw up his hands in despair. The two gentlemen had appeared within an hour of each other three evenings previously and had spent the intervening period attempting to drink his cellars dry. The innkeeper had heard many lurid stories in the intervening days since Alexander’s wedding ball but he had wisely kept his mouth shut and refused to be drawn on the young grooms where-a-bouts.
Giles had remained marginally more sober throughout the affair though not by much. Now he moved to the other, still upright chair by the fire and slumped down in it. He stared down at his sleeping friend and then looked up briefly as the landlord returned with two blankets. The man passed one to Giles.
“I’ll be bringing you both tea from now on. And I want you both gone in the morning.” He threw the other blanket over Alexander’s prostrate form and retreated from the room, gathering the empty brandy bottles as he went.
Alexander opened his eyes and shut them again quickly. Sunlight streamed in at the window and he covered his face with his forearm as he struggled to open them again. He attempted to sit up but had to give up and lay there for several seconds as the room spun, righted itself, then tipped before it settled itself again. His head pounded and for a moment he wondered if he had been punched but after running his hand over his stubble covered jaw, snippets of memory came back to him.
He couldn’t even think how long he had been there but from the sour smell wafting from his own body and the length of his beard he guessed that it must be several days. He looked around the room and noticed Giles slumped in a chair beside the fire. He was about to speak when the door cracked open and the landlord came in bearing a tray of tea and pastries. He looked down at Alexander who didn’t even try to pretend he was anywhere near sober.
“There’s a bath waiting in your room, Your Grace. I suggest that you drink this and eat a bite, then go and partake of it while I see what we can do with your clothes. Your cravat is going to be impossible I’m afraid but Annie may be able to do something with your shirt and trousers.”
Alexander glanced down at his ruined cravat and attempted to reply but found, rather alarmingly, that his tongue was stuck to the roof of his mouth. He nodded and kicked out his boot towards Giles’s foot. His friend grunted, opened his eyes then shot up in the chair and flung his hands up over his face.
“Don’t let her take my soul!” Giles shouted into his palm before realizing that he had been dreaming.
Alexander snorted with laughter but then stopped as his head felt as though it was about to explode. He tore his tongue from the roof of his mouth and shook himself.
“Good Lord! I feel as though I have been preserved in brandy.”
The landlord began pouring the tea.
“You both smell as though you have been preserved in brandy.” He observed as he passed a cup of dark brew to both of the young men and then offered them a pastry before shaking his head in dismay and walking out of the room.
Alexander sipped the beverage gratefully and chewed the sugared dainty. He drew a sharp breath and clapped his hand to his brow as the sugar rushed to his head.
Giles gulped down his tea and reached over to pour another. He drank the second cup more slowly as he gathered his thoughts.
“This won’t do you know. You have to go back to Ormond and sort this out. There really is no such thing as a banshee or a mermaid. The poor woman clearly has a speech impediment.”
Alexander sighed and put his cup on the table.
“I know that, but it was such a shock what with her maid ordering us about and my bride waving her arms while making that God awful noise. You saw how tiny and beautiful she is. Graceful too. We’d danced so beautifully together and I thought things were going well, all things considered but then there was this horrible loud braying. Absolutely dreadful! It sounded exactly like the knife sharpener’s donkey when he doesn’t want to pull the cart. It was so incongruous coming from such a beauty that I panicked. It’s quite clear now why her father wanted rid of her and bought up all of Phillip’s debts. Expensive way to get rid of her if you ask me. By the looks of her many men would have done it for nothing but I don’t know what she or any of our guests must be thinking of me. I’ve acted like a complete arse!”
Giles laughed and nodded in agreement but then stopped as his head felt as though it might wobble from his neck. He waved his hand dismissively.
“Forget about the guests. Grady saw them all off not long after you had retired for the night. They weren’t expecting too much anyway what with the hurried nature of the wedding and the lateness of the invitations. They didn’t have a clue about you leaving Ormond but I can take a pretty good guess what your wife is thinking about you. She’s going to think that you are a rude, inconsiderate, miserable lout and she wouldn’t be far wrong. Her wedding night Alex? What on earth were you thinking?”
Alexander raised an ironic eyebrow.
“Thanks for spelling that out so graphically. It was my wedding night too you know but you have made me feel so much better about myself,” he said sarcastically as he shoved his booted feet beneath him and staggered upwards. He bent and righted the fallen chair and then massaged his hands into the small of his back. “I had forgotten what sleeping on a hard floor feels like. I’m going up to take advantage of that bath our landlord has graciously supplied and then I’m going home to face the music. I want to sleep in my own bed tonight.”
Giles levered himself out of the chair.
“Want me to come along as back up?” he asked as he picked up the last pastry.
Alexander shook his head and was relieved to find that the hammering had receded slightly.
“No, I’ll have to do this myself or forever be named a coward. I feel bad enough about it as it is. Arabian banshees with serpents coming out of their heads indeed! Thank goodness it was only us two that heard me say it.”
Giles slapped his friend on the back.
“I’m surprised that you recall even that much though you appear to have forgotten that she might be a mermaid too what with the way she swallows sailor’s souls.”
Alexander rolled his eyes.
“Good heavens! I clearly have an excellent imagination when in my cups but really, it’s not one of my better memories I can assure you.” He plucked at his filthy shirt. “You could do me one favour. Send up to Ormond for Grady. Ask him to bring fresh clothes and my shaving gear. I don’t think whatever Annie can do is going to be good enough to sort this lot out.”
Giles raised his eyebrows and grinned at what had been Alexander’s wedding outfit. He looked down at his own sorry appearance and decided he could do with a bath also. He strode through to find the landlord to send a message to Ormond and then he followed Alexander up the stairs to repair his own attire.
