More Than a Mistress

Ann Lethbridge

Public Gentleman, Private Rogue!Charles Mountford, Marquis of Tonbridge, has long felt the weight of responsibility. He knows he must do his duty and take a wife. But when he’s left snowbound with the unconventional Miss Honor Meredith Draycott, he finds his inner rogue wants to come out to play…Merry doesn’t need a man – no matter how handsome he is! Sadly society takes a different view. Charlie is more than happy to make her socially acceptable, but only if she acts publicly as his betrothed and privately as his mistress!

‘Afraid you will lose again?’

‘Not at all,’ Charlie drawled. ‘My interest is waning. I’m afraid I need more of a challenge.’

Merry eyed him suspiciously. ‘Fifty guineas a point and a hundred for a win is reasonably challenging.’

‘I’m not trying to fleece you, Merry, but I think both of us can lose a few hundred guineas in a night and not turn a hair.’

Her eyes widened a fraction. ‘Do you want to make it thousands?’

He grinned and leaned on his cue. ‘That is more of the same, isn’t it?’ Oh, God, he was going to hell for this. ‘In this next game, how about for each point we lose we remove an article of clothing?’

AUTHOR NOTE

This is my second story about the Mountford twins. You will recall Robert in THE GAMEKEEPER’S LADY. This is his older brother Charlie’s story. Charlie is the heir to the dukedom, and you couldn’t meet a man more different from his brother—although their twin bond is strong. The women who catch the eye of these brothers are not at all alike. In this story Merry surprised and intrigued me, I must say. It was only when we had completed our journey together that I fully understood her.

I had fun writing the same scene in both books from the perspective of each brother, though it is the only place their stories intersect. The fact that this summer I visited the place where this scene happens made it all the more interesting.

The story is set against the backdrop of Yorkshire, with its moors and sheep and woollen mills. I enjoyed my visit and I hope you do too.

If you want to know more about my books and my research, you can visit me at http://www.annlethbridge.com. I love to hear from readers.

About the Author

ANN LETHBRIDGE has been reading Regency novels for as long as she can remember. She always imagined herself as Lizzie Bennet, or one of Georgette Heyer’s heroines, and would often recreate the stories in her head with different outcomes or scenes. When she sat down to write her own novel, it was no wonder that she returned to her first love: the Regency.

Ann grew up roaming England with her military father. Her family lived in many towns and villages across the country, from the Outer Hebrides to Hampshire. She spent memorable family holidays in the West Country and in Dover, where her father was born. She now lives in Canada, with her husband, two beautiful daughters, and a Maltese terrier named Teaser, who spends his days on a chair beside the computer, making sure she doesn’t slack off.

Ann visits Britain every year, to undertake research and also to visit family members who are very understanding about her need to poke around old buildings and visit every antiquity within a hundred miles. If you would like to know more about Ann and her research, or to contact her, visit her website at www.annlethbridge.com. She loves to hear from readers.

Previous novels by this author:

THE RAKE’S INHERITED COURTESAN

WICKED RAKE, DEFIANT MISTRESS

CAPTURED FOR THE CAPTAIN’S PLEASURE

THE GOVERNESS AND THE EARL

(part of Mills & Boon New Voices… anthology) THE GAMEKEEPER’S LADY (linked to More Than a Mistress)

and in Mills & Boon

Historical Undone eBooks:

THE RAKE’S INTIMATE ENCOUNTER

THE LAIRD AND THE WANTON WIDOW

ONE NIGHT AS A COURTESAN

UNMASKING LADY INNOCENT

MORE THAN

A MISTRESS

Ann Lethbridge

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

All the characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author, and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not e