Having said her farewells to her son when he departed for his Grand Tour of Europe, Patience Grayson, the newly widowed Marchioness of Billingsley, heads for the country. She intends to spend at least a year living by herself in the Grayson family estate in Shropshire.
If only her traveling coach could make it that far. When a wheel breaks, it does so in a most inconvenient location.
Saddled with an earldom left nearly bankrupt by his late father’s gambling and drinking, Max Higgins, Earl of Greenley, hasn’t had a good day for over twenty years—not since the woman he was supposed to marry threw him over for another. Ever since, his bitterness has him known throughout Staffordshire as the Earl of Grump. Although he found another to be his countess, the poor woman died giving birth to his heir, some say to escape his surly moods.
Max’s solitude in his Staffordshire country manor house is about to be shattered when the cause of his grumpiness invades his home—and his bedchamber—on a late winter night.
Will life ever be the same?
Genre: FICTION / Romance / Historical / VictorianAfter 90 days in Kindle Unlmited, this book has released to all other major online retailers. It currently has 111 ratings (4.4) on Amazon and ranks at 3200 in Victorian Romance.
“How do, Max?” she asked as her gaze locked with his. When Max continued to mutely stare at her, she inhaled softly. “First, I wish to apologize profusely for having disturbed your evening. It was not my intention to do so,” she said, once she had her feet firmly beneath her. She was still pressed against the earl, though, which had Jeffrey concerned.
“Do you require assistance, my lady?” the driver asked, about to step forward in an attempt to put himself between his mistress and Greenley.
“Who the hell are you?” Max asked, his sudden ire apparent.
The change in the man—from confusion to anger in only a moment— had Jeffrey cowering in fear. “Lady Billingsley’s driver, my lord,” he said as he quickly bowed.
“A wheel broke on the coach, right at the end of your drive,” Patience quickly said, fearing poor Styles was about to faint from fear.
Max turned his angry expression onto Patience. “Oh, so it’s blocking the drive, I suppose,” he groused.
Patience winced at hearing the words, as if he thought it had been done deliberately, but she was determined not to show fright in the earl’s presence. “It’s blocking the road. Not your drive,” Patience clarified. “And seeing how it won’t be possible to find a wheelwright this time of the night and we’re still so far from Grayson Park, might we prevail upon your hospitality for the night? There are two horses and Mr. Styles, of course,” she said in a rush. “And me.”
Max’s eyes rounded before they narrowed again. The word hospitality and him had probably never been associated with one another before. He swallowed, apparently aware his outburst had been an overreaction. “For how long?”
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Italian
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Translation in progress.
Translated by Cecilia Metta
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Portuguese
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Already translated.
Translated by Tânia Nezio
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Spanish
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Already translated.
Translated by Diana Zamora Cuesta
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Author review: Diana's work was excellent and she delivered the translation on time. I look forward to working with her again. |
