Seducing The Bride (Brides of Mayfair 1) (31 page)

The last thing Prudence Atwater wants is a husband, for her sole purpose in life is to run The Atwater Finishing School for Young Ladies. But her beloved institution is not just
any
finishing school, for secretly, her ambition is to rescue unfortunates from the streets, even if it means dressing up as a streetwalker herself in order to infiltrate their world. What she doesn’t count on one memorable night outside Drury Lane is to be propositioned by a devilishly handsome nobleman who leaves her breathless…

After a night at the theater, Lord Alfred Weston is surprised to find himself engaged in a most titillating conversation with a strangely intriguing and intelligent light-skirt. The moment ends in a heated kiss, followed by an inconvenient turn of events that leaves him desperate to track down the cheeky tart who caused him to wind up in the
Times
. Imagine his surprise when he discovers that by day, she is a bookish, innocent school-marm!

Like Prudence, Alfred has no interest in the shackles of marriage, but this strikingly beautiful and recklessly independent young woman arouses his passions—and his frustrations—at every turn. Alfred vows to have her in his bed, and to do that he must find a way to tame her.

“Filled with a colorful cast of characters and laugh-out-loud moments, the story of Lord Weston and the incomparable Miss Prudence Atwater is an enjoyable, entertaining, and deliciously sexy Regency romp.” –
USA Today bestselling author, Julianne MacLean

Purchase TAMING THE BRIDE on Amazon

HIS COURTESAN BRIDE

Brides of Mayfair Series – Book 3

When Miss Serena Ransom is caught in a scandalous embrace with Lord Kane at a Mayfair ball, her reputation is destroyed and her future looks grim. But when she joins The Courtesan Club, conceived by the famous courtesan, Lady Night, Serena begins a new life and vows to take charge of her own destiny as never before. Serena is a celebrity, and London’s most powerful men are competing to become her lover and protector.

Everything is falling into place, except for the one man who threatens everything—Darius Manning, the Earl of Kane.

Serena stirred Darius’s passions as no other woman ever had. Even as he kissed her that night at the Mayfair ball, he knew he could never make her his wife, for he was pledged to another. Now, years later, Darius is free at last and cannot forget the passionate, auburn-haired miss that still fires his blood. The wealthy Lord Kane makes Serena an offer she can’t refuse, to share his bed as his exclusive courtesan.

But as Darius and Serena begin a journey of unbound pleasure together, they soon learn that the most dangerous emotion of all isn’t passion, or desire… but love.

Purchase His Courtesan Bride on Amazon

Read on for an excerpt from TAMING THE BRIDE…

Excerpt from

TAMING THE BRIDE

Book 2 in the Brides of Mayfair Series

Copyright © 2016 Michelle McMaster

Chapter 1

London, 1816

“There, Miss—” Dolly said as she yanked Prudence’s plunging neckline quite decidedly lower, “ye looks just like a proper Drury Lane trollop. Sort o’ like me when I was plyin’ the trade.”

“I do look most convincing, thanks to your expert touch, Dolly,” Prudence replied, assessing her reflection in the mirror.

She had done this so many times, yet still the sight of herself thus dressed—or
undressed
, as it were—still surprised her, to say the least. Thanks to Dolly’s ministrations, Prudence’s breasts swelled enticingly over the tight, red satin bodice, like cream-puffs rising out of a pan. Her skirts were hiked up to expose a generous length of her thigh, which was clad in a scandalous striped silk stocking. Her flame-colored hair, usually held captive in a severe knot, now fell wildly about her shoulders in a tangle of curls.

She looked like a harlot.

Which was exactly what she wanted to look like.

She wondered if she would she ever get used to it. But what choice did she have?

Dolly bent down to tuck Prudence’s skirts up around the red satin garter that hugged the top of her thigh. “That red hair o’ yours naturally draws the eye,” she pronounced, “and when they see this shapely leg—ye’ll be stealin’ all the gents away from the proper lightskirts, or my name ain’t Dolly Simms.”

Apparently satisfied with her handiwork, Dolly regarded Prudence with a serious expression. “But miss, are ye sure ye should be doin’ this? A young lady like ye walkin’ the streets—well, it don’t seem right, it don’t. Ye should be settin’ at the fire with yer needlepoint, not dressin’ up like a tart and lurkin’ about London at night.”

“I like to think of it as more of a treasure hunt,” Prudence said, patting her friend’s arm. “And I have Mungo with me for protection. How else am I to find more students to keep you company at the Atwater Finishing School for Young Ladies? Why, you and I would never have met if I didn’t make a habit of walking the streets.”

“That may be true, miss, but for ye to be puttin’ yerself in danger for the likes o’ us—”

“The ‘likes’ of who?” Prudence said, cocking an eyebrow. “There are only
ladies
at the Atwater School, Dolly—no ‘likes’ of anyone at all. And there is no danger. None that I can’t handle, at any rate.”

Dolly laughed. “If ye say so, miss.”

“I do, Dolly,” she confirmed. “Danger or no danger, it is our duty to help those who are not as fortunate as ourselves. That is what Papa taught me—that education is the great equalizer of society. With the Atwater Finishing School for Young Ladies, I intend to take as many unfortunate girls off the street as I can, and give them a quality education. It is what Papa would have wanted to do himself, if he had lived longer.”

“Lud!” Dolly exclaimed. “What would ’e say if ’e saw ye now—lookin’ like a such a lewd hussy? I daresay ’e wouldn’t let ye go about town in such a manner, no matter what ye say.”

Prudence felt a lump form in her throat and promptly swallowed it. “He would understand the necessity of such actions,” she said, quietly. “I’m sure he would.”

Dolly put an arm around Prudence’s shoulder and gave a gentle squeeze. “An’ so ’e would. Yer father must ’ave been quite a man indeed. Raised a right fine lady, so ’e did—and ye just a girl when yer poor mother died. She’d be proud of such a courageous daughter, I’ll reckon.”

Dolly smiled warmly at her. “I remember the night ye come across me, miss…rainin’ as ’ard as it was, and ye tryin’ t’ pass ye’self off as a lightskirt. Ye looked like a drowned rat, so ye did. If ye ’adn’t taken me home with ye, well it don’t bear thinkin’ about. I ’adn’t eaten for days, and there was no work that night. Probably would o’ died if it ’adn’t been for ye. And now thanks to ye, I’ve got a real job as a housekeeper. I thank ye miss—ye and Lady Weston both.”

Prudence fastened the clasps on some cheap-looking earbobs and said, “I shudder to think of our patroness’s reaction to knowing I was dressed like this, out on the streets myself. Lady Weston might very well pull her support from the Atwater School, and we need her funds to stay afloat. We must strive to keep my nocturnal adventures a secret from the dear old lady.”

“Not t’ worry, miss,” Dolly replied. “I’ve told a few white lies in me time. I can tell a few more.”

“Thank you, Dolly. Now, be a dear and tell Mungo that I will be down in a few moments.”

Dolly nodded and left Prudence alone in her bedchamber.

Prudence applied the finishing touch to her costume, fastening a custom-made garter around her thigh. It held a sheath and a sharp little dagger which Mungo assured her would do considerable damage if need be.

It was Mungo who had crafted the garter for her out of leather, and he who had shown her how to defend herself with a blade. So far, she had never had to use the skills the former pirate had taught her. Settling her skirts to conceal the weapon, she hoped she never would.

Looking at the clock, Prudence threw her cloak over her shoulders and headed downstairs. It was almost time for the theater to let out. And that was when most of the customers would come by, looking for a little more entertainment after they’d enjoyed a conventional performance. The streetwalkers would be waiting for them in their usual places. And Prudence would be waiting for the streetwalkers.

“Ah, Miss Atwater,” Mungo said, stooping his towering form to bow as she entered the salon. “Ye look delightful this evening.”

“Delightful?” Dolly said, quizzically. “She don’t look delightful. She looks a disgrace, just as she should.” She fussed with Prudence’s hair and adjusted the violet silk cloak about her shoulders. “There. Every harlot should be so lucky.”

“Thank you for all your help, Dolly,” Prudence said, smiling at her friend. “But Mungo, we must make haste. The theater will be letting out. Have you the carriage ready?”

“Yes, Miss. And ’ave you that little dagger I give ye?”

Prudence patted her thigh. “Right here, Mungo.”

“But ye won’t need t’ use it with ol’ Mungo around,” he said, smiling a gap-toothed grin. “I still got a few pirate tricks in me yet, miss, never fear.”

“What would I do without you, Mungo? And you, Dolly—” Prudence asked.

“Probably some more lady-like things than this,” Dolly muttered.

Prudence chuckled and took Mungo’s offered arm. “Alas, duty calls. Don’t wait up.”

“But ye knows I always do, miss,” Dolly answered.

Mungo opened the door to the carriage and handed Prudence in. Soon they were on their way, and the clip-clop of the horse’s hooves echoed down the dark cobblestone street. As she stared out the window, Prudence thought of the task that lay ahead of her this evening.

How many girls could she reach tonight? And how many would she never have the chance to help at all? It was the latter thought that sent a chill to the pit of her stomach.

Prudence had to show these unfortunate women that there was a better way…that there was hope. She had already done so successfully with almost a dozen girls. She hoped to add to their number tonight.

The carriage stopped down the lonely street where it usually did. She heard Mungo hop down from the top and then the door swung open, his big strong hand reaching in to help her out. He spoke a few words to the driver instructing him to wait. Then they headed down the dark narrow lane towards the Theater District.

“Why does ye go t’ all this trouble, miss?” Mungo asked. “For a bunch o’ whores? I mean, I think it’s lovely, ye dressin’ up an’ all, but why don’t I just swipe a few for ye? Save a lot o’ time, it would.”

“No, Mungo,” she replied. “They must come to the school of their own free will. Kidnapping these girls would do no good. They’d simply run away.

One thing my father taught me was that you can’t force happiness on a person. They must reach for it themselves.”

Prudence motioned for them to stop behind a leafy oak. The light from a nearby gaslamp fell in a dappled pattern across Mungo’s face and made him look even more terrifying than usual. Prudence wanted to laugh, for in truth Mungo Church was as gentle and faithful as an old dog, though he liked to play the roaring lion. Tonight, she would need the lion’s protection as she went on the hunt.

“I see a few girls across the street, there,” Prudence said. “I’ll stand here for awhile and make my way over to them. You may keep watch from behind this tree, Mungo, but keep well-hidden. No one must see that you are with me. If I need help, I’ll scream.”