Alexandra Hawkins - All Night with a Rogue

All
Night
with a
Rogue

Alexandra Hawkins

St. Martins Paperbacks

NOTE: If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as unsold and destroyed to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this stripped book.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously.

ALL NIGHT WITH A ROGUE

Copyright 2010 by Alexandra Hawkins.

Excerpt from Till Dawn with the Devil copyright 2010 by

Alexandra Hawkins.

All rights reserved.

For information address St. Martins Press, 175 Fifth Avenue,

New York, NY 10010.

ISBN: 978-0-312-58019-3

Printed in the United States of America

St. Martins Paperbacks edition / February 2010

St. Martins Paperbacks are published by St. Martins Press,

175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

This book is dedicated to my amazing editor,
Monique Pattersonand our mutual appreciation
for unrepentant bad boys.

With appreciation, I would like to thank Liam Shannon for lending his expertise and assisting me with the Latin phrases in this book.

Virtue has a veil, vice a mask.

VICTOR HUGO (18021885)

London, May 27, 1820

SEDUCTION WAS NOT foremost in Lady Juliana Iverss thoughts. However, the same could not have been said for her escort, Mr. Engelheart. The moment she had agreed to step out onto the upper garden terrace with him, her amiable supper companion at Lord and Lady Lettlecotts prestigious ball had turned into a lecherous, brutish knave.

So naturally Juliana ended up in the Lettlecotts hazel tree.

Juliana pressed her lips against the comforting trunk and uttered a brief prayer of appreciation for the beautiful old tree that had been coppiced in its youth, four distinct trunks radiated out from the ground at thirty, fifty, and seventy-degree angles. In spite of the hindrance of her evening dress, she had managed to use one of the opposing low-lying trunks as a step as she carefully inched her way high enough for the foliage to conceal her.

Her beautiful dress was ruined.

The stylish frock of white satin with pearl and jet beads dangling from the short sleeves was now etched with smudges of dirt and lichen from the trunk of the tree. The higher confusion of corkscrew branches and spiky serrated leaves caught at the jet beads and flounces adorning the bottom of her skirt and her upswept hair. Even her sandal slippers and white kid gloves had not been spared the abuse.

Maman would likely despair over the loss. The tumultuous five years following her husbands unexpected death had cast their family on the precipice of financial ruin. Maman had done her best to provide for their basic needs and the considerable investment needed to launch Juliana and her two older sisters, Cordelia and Lucilla, into polite society. When Maman had summoned a modiste from London to their rather unassuming house in Norfolk, the widowed Marchioness of Duncombe had vowed to see each of her daughters married and their future secured.

She would undoubtedly be shocked to see Juliana perched in a tree as she tried to escape the potential suitor.

Lady Juliana!

She froze at the sound of Mr. Engelhearts voice. In the distance, Juliana could hear the merry tempo of string instruments and a tambourine as the musicians in the ballroom played the old ballad Blow the Candle Out. It was a cautionary tale of a young lady and her apprentice lover. Without a doubt, the song added a certain irony to Julianas predicament. One that would be likely lost on her lovelorn supper companion.

Juliana had hoped Mr. Engelheart would have given up by now. After she had broken free from his unwanted embrace, she had spun around and escaped down the polished stone steps that led into the Lettlecotts expansive back gardens. The moonlight and flickering lanterns that lit up the meandering paths had bolstered her nerve. She had assumed that the gentleman would have surrendered with dignity.

Sadly, the mans head was as thick as his hands were clumsy.

Her illuminated path to freedom also fired Mr. Engelhearts passion to catch his slippery quarry. She veered off the gravel paths into a small thicket. The time had come for drastic measures.

Hence the hazel tree.

Lady Juliana? Mr. Engelheart was close enough that she heard the fine tremor in his inflection. You have nothing to fear from me. I just want to escort you safely into the ballroom.

He paused and listened to the night sounds for some clue to her whereabouts.

Julianas lips thinned as she wondered how long would she have to remain in the tree? Minutes? An hour? The rest of the evening?

Juliana shifted her body in an attempt to scoot down from her perch. A faint hiss escaped Julianas lips as the sharp point of a broken branch punctured her stocking and scratched her left calf. Leaves rustled a warning as she struggled to free herself. Her struggles only made matters worse. Portions of her skirt were snagged, and the more she moved, the higher the hem crept up her legs. She was soundly caught by this wretched tree!

Then soft feminine laughter floated like pollen on a spring breeze, and Juliana came to a halt at the throaty sound.

Catch me if you dare, the unidentified woman called out to someone, probably her lover, as she unknowingly raced toward the tree Juliana was starting to view as her own.

There was the sound of multiple footfalls on the gravel path and a brief tussle. It was followed by a high-pitched burst of laughter. Clearly the lady had been caught by her male companion.

However, sheer panic set in when a dark-haired woman adorned in a black bombazine dress carelessly brushed against the nearby shrubbery and staggered toward the bench next to the hazel tree. She slipped onto the bench and extended her outstretched gloved hand to the man casually strolling into Julianas line of vision and for some reason her heart immediately began to pound.

This gentleman was no Mr. Engelheart. He moved stealthily, like a well-fed predator in his prime. His dark hair was long and straight. Most of the length was tied in a queue at the back of his nape. However, some of the dark, glossy ends had escaped during his playful romp with his lover and the ends curled slightly at his jawbone. Juliana could only see intriguing glimpses of his face. Her elevated position and the shadowy thicket deprived her of details, but Juliana sensed his gaze was fixed on the lady beckoning him to join her on the bench.

I have been waiting all evening for this, the woman purred.

Julianas forehead furrowed in puzzlement. The womans voice sounded dreadfully familiar.

Half the fun is the chase, the man said, his low, smooth tones trailing down Julianas spine like phantom fingers. He clasped his companions wrist, drawing her up so that her breasts were flush against his chest. Besides, I doubt you want an audience when we fuck.

Julianas breath caught and she found her eyes locked on this depraved gentleman in fascination.

He lowered his head and claimed the womans lips. For a few minutes, the only sounds were breathy gasps and moist sucking sounds of fervent kissing.

Or maybe you do, the man chuckled with something akin to admiration in his silky, rich tone. He tugged on her full sleeve and bared her left shoulder. The woman clutched him tightly and moaned when he put his mouth on the exposed flesh.