PRESENTS. . .
A Cover Reveal for
Duty and
Desire
Book 2 of The
Hearts of Honour Series
by Elise de
Sallier
Release Date:
June 18 , 2015
~~SUMMARY~~
Grace Daniels, the village of Hartley’s
resident midwife and herbalist, would like nothing more than to ease the
suffering of Jonathan Loring’s young son, Peter. But the Blackthorn estate
manager, a proud if fallen gentleman, is as prejudiced against her illegitimacy
as he is her “witchy” profession . . . or so she believes. When Peter’s
physicians say they can do no more for the boy, Jonathan finds himself in the
unenviable position of having to turn to the woman whose skills he has scorned.
Calling an uneasy truce, the couple work together to save Peter’s life, forming
an unlikely friendship in the process.
After being rejected by the society in
which she was raised, Grace has no intention of submitting to the bonds of
matrimony. She has found a degree of independence unheard of for a lady and
fears a husband will seek to control her while expecting her to give up her
healing profession.
Having lost his inheritance and now
forced to work for a living, the widowed Jonathan cannot afford another wife.
Nor does he want one, as his first experience with the institution left him
seriously doubting its benefits.
While drawn together out of duty,
Jonathan and Grace’s relationship soon becomes characterised by a not-so-hidden
desire. With marriage out of the question, their only option is both shocking
and dangerous . . . to become lovers.
~~EXCERPT~~
Accord
Grace Daniels pulled her cloak tightly
around her shoulders. The blustery wind tugged strands of her long, black hair
free from her bun, intent on using them to whip her face. To add insult to
injury, the misty rain—which she could have borne quite easily—was now falling
in heavy splats. Several icy drips had worked their way through her worn,
woollen wrap, sending shivers down her spine.
What joy.
As the midwife and herbalist for the
village of Hartley, Grace traipsed around the countryside in all sorts of
weather, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t a trial. She really should have taken
up William, the viscount Blackthorn, on his offer to supply her with a
horse-drawn chaise. How she would find time to care for a horse was beyond her.
There were so few hours left in her day already, certainly not enough for a
decent night’s sleep on the rare occasion she wasn’t called out to assist with
a birth or an emergency. If the viscount knew the reason for her
reluctance, he would probably offer to pay for a stable boy to assist her. But
Grace didn’t like to feel beholden—not even to her best friend’s
husband—although it was somewhat unavoidable, considering he now funded her
work.
Startled by a horse’s whinny, she looked
over her shoulder to see—as if conjured from her imagination—just the sort of
hooded chaise[1] [HGF2] William had suggested would be suitable for her
needs. Unfortunately, the driver was more likely to appear in her nightmares
than her daydreams.
Jonathan Loring, retired military officer
and the Blackthorn Viscountcy’s new estate manager.
“Get in. You can ride with me the rest
of the way up to the manor.”
Grace bristled at her unwelcome
rescuer’s tone even as the wind tugged at the ribbons of her bonnet. Personable
in appearance, with golden hair and a close-trimmed beard, Mr Loring was
already well-respected by the local populace, though he had a knack for rubbing
Grace the wrong way. If she were a cat, she would have hissed.
“Don’t dawdle, Miss Daniels,” he added
in his typically autocratic manner. “There’s no point getting any wetter than
you already are, unless you enjoy impersonating a drowned rat?”
Grace narrowed her eyes. She would have
given a great deal to be able to turn her back on the obnoxious man and keep
walking, but a not-so-distant clap of thunder heralded a strengthening in the
storm. If only she hadn’t misread the weather.
“Oh, very well,” she muttered,
clambering aboard with little of the attribute for which she was named evident
in either movement or demeanour. To make matters worse, the bench seat was
barely wide enough to accommodate them both. Leaving a respectable distance between
them simply wasn’t possible, as she was forced to squeeze into the narrow space
between the sidewall and Mr Loring’s immovable thigh. Thankfully, he made no
comment about her damp skirt pressing against him, merely jerked his chin
towards the prancing bay gelding.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t climb down to
assist you, but Ned’s hard to handle in this weather.”
After placing her bag next to her feet,
Grace gave him a withering glance. “That would have been unnecessary, as I am
quite capable of getting into a vehicle unaided. It also would have been
unwise, as it’s plain to see you need to keep both hands on the reins lest your
horse bolt. I’ve no desire to be bowled over and left facedown in the
mud.”
“Neither do I, which is why I wasn’t
fool enough to attempt the manoeuvre.” Mr Loring huffed a breath while urging
his horse to trot up the steep, muddy road that led to Blackthorn Manor. “I was
merely trying to explain my less-than-gentlemanly behaviour.”
“Since we both know I’m not a lady, the
gesture would have been wasted. Unless you’re trying to convince me you would
show the same courtesy to your average, run-of-the-mill servant?”
“If a woman needed my help, then I would
render assistance regardless of her station,” he replied, biting off each word
as if displaying the early signs of lockjaw.
While the man was as irritating as a
prickle in one’s shoe, Grace couldn’t deny she received an inordinate amount of
pleasure from goading him.
~~ABOUT THE
AUTHOR~~
A great believer in living happily ever
after, Elise began her lifelong obsession with the romance and paranormal
genres when she was far too young to be reading either. After more than thirty
years of marriage to her very own romantic hero, she now knows great relationships
don't just happen, they take work . . . which doesn't mean writing about them
can't be a whole lot of fun!
While raising a family, Elise
established a career as a counsellor and family therapist. Seeking an escape
from the stresses of her work, she discovered the world of fan fiction, and her
timid writer's muse made its voice heard. After 2.3 million hits, 20,000
reviews, and an e-mail from an acquisitions editor at The Writer's Coffee Shop
Publishing House, her life found a new and fascinating direction.
Elise likes to see her characters grow,
experience passion and adventure, tackle some difficult issues, and find
lasting love . . . eventually.
~~CONNECT WITH THE
AUTHOR~~
~~OTHER TITLES IN THE SERIES~~
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