Excerpt: 'A Kiss for Lady Mary' by Ella Quinn

Ella Quinn stops by HEA today to share an excerpt from her new release, A Kiss for Lady Mary, book seven in her Marriage Game series.

First, here's the blurb (courtesy of Lyrical Press):

Ella Quinn's bachelors do as they like and take what they want. But when the objects of their desire are bold, beautiful women, the rules of the game always seem to change…

Handsome, charming, and heir to a powerful Viscount, Christopher "Kit" Featherton is everything a woman could want—except interested in marriage. So when he hears that someone on his estate near the Scottish border is claiming to be his wife, Kit sets off to investigate.

Since her parents' death, Lady Mary Tolliver has been hounded by her cousin, a fortune-hunting fool after her inheritance. Refusing to settle for anything less than love, Mary escapes to the isolated estate of rakish bachelor, Kit Featherton. Knowing he prefers Court to the country, she believes she will be safe. But when Kit unexpectedly returns, her pretend marriage begins to feel seductively real…

Ella sets the scene for us …

Ella: One of my favorite scenes in my latest release, A Kiss for Lady Mary, is when the hero finds out that a woman is living at a property he had not visited since inheriting it and posing as he wife. Due to the behavior of his older half-brother whose life ended in a duel, Kit Featherton became the perfect gentleman. His affairs are discreet, he dances with wallflowers, putting them at ease, and is the gentleman every hostess can count on not to arrive late and leave early. In short, he has led a scandal-free life. So throwing him into a scandalous situation was a lot of fun. And who better to break the news to him than his father, who has been pushing him to marry?

EXCERPT

A quarter hour later, Kit entered his father's study. A decanter of brandy and a half-full glass sat before Papa on the desk. Kit had never known his father to drink this early in the day. At least not brandy. Something must be terribly amiss. "What's wrong?"

Papa ran a hand down his face. "You might want to sit, my boy."

If this had something to do with Kit, he'd rather not. "I believe I'll stand."

His father took a sip, then leaned back in his large, dark leather chair. The exact same position Papa had taken the few times Kit had ever been in trouble. His father cleared his throat. "I realize you have been reluctant to marry. One might say you've been avoiding choosing a bride. Is there a particular reason you have been so hesitant?"

Other than having not seen, Lady Mary, the only woman he could consider living the rest of his life with for a long time, no reason at all. It occurred to Kit that he'd never realized how important his marrying was to his father. Perhaps he should have been more assiduous about finding a mate. He would do so this Season.

He shrugged lightly. "Not exactly. Why?"

After taking another sip of the brandy, his father stared at him. "I want you to tell the truth. I do understand youthful indiscretions. We went through more than a few with Crispin. To tell the truth, too many of them. You have not caused anywhere near the worry he did. In fact your behavior has been exemplarily, and I promise neither your mother nor I will be upset. We'll find a way to make the best of it."

Make the best of what? Why was he bringing up his dead brother? Unlike Crispin, whose behavior had been nothing short of scandalous, Kit had never done anything truly rash in his life. "Sir, I think you'd better just tell me what it is you're talking about, because I haven't the least idea."

"Kit, are you already married?"

His breath stopped as if one of Jackson's punches had landed square in the middle of his stomach. He sat with a plop. "Married! What the deuce gave you that idea?"

His father poured brandy in a glass, pushing it across the desk to him. "You'd better have some of this."

Kit took a sip, then set the tumbler down. This was no time to have his brain muddled. That would come later. When for the second time in his life he would drink himself into a stupor. "Where did you get the idea I had wed?"

"Lady Bellamny was in Northumberland to fetch her goddaughter's daughter whom she is sponsoring for the Season. While she was there—"

The hairs on the back of Kit's neck prickled. "Where in Northumberland?"

"Rosebury."

Rose Hill.

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Find out more about Ella and her books at www.ellaquinnauthor.com.