A Lady's Brush with Romance

A LADY'S BRUSH WITH ROMANCE "A masterpiece of love, painted with every kiss..." ELLA EDON CONTENTS Thank you About the book Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 — Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Epilogue Extended Epilogue Afterword Do you want more Romance? His Lady of Seduction Never miss a thing Thank you About the Author THANK YOU I want to thank you personally for purchasing my book. It really means a lot to me. It’s a blessing to have the opportunity to share with you my passion for writing through my stories. As a FREE GIFT, I am giving you a link to my first novel. It has more than 150 reviews, with an average rating of 4.4 out of 5 It is called “The Duke's Darkest Desire”, and you can get it for FREE. Please note that this story is only available for YOU as a subscriber and hasn't been published anywhere else. Please click on the cover to download the book ABOUT THE BOOK Her siren's call is a lethal temptation, but he can't resist her charms… Cecilia Wallace's world is shattered when she is forced to raise her sick brother alone. Desperate to save him, she turns to a ruthless moneylender, only to find herself a pawn in his manipulative games. In a stroke of cunning and as a final attempt to free herself, Cecilia turns to canvas and brush, using her talent to create a breathtaking masterpiece she will claim is the work of her famous, deceased father. And what better way to set the art world further ablaze, if not to transform herself into the very Nymph of the painting? Ezra Spencer, the Duke of Marlborough, has known great sorrow. After the tragic loss of his wife and child, he found solace in the timeless beauty of art. Drawn to its immortal allure, he has dedicated himself to collecting rare and exquisite pieces. Until, one day, he encounters the mystical Nymph, calling to him like a siren yearning to possess his soul. Due to this very encounter, he eventually meets Cecilia Watson, the owner of a lost painting by the illustrious Thomas Wallace. As he works to uncover the secrets hidden within the brushstrokes of the masterpiece, a fiery attraction burns between them. And when a moment of vulnerability exposes their desire for each other, Ezra is forced to offer Cecilia a marriage of convenience to avoid a scandal. As they embark on a tumultuous journey together, Ezra finds himself falling hopelessly in love, despite his fear of losing her, as he has lost so much before. But when Cecilia's troubled past comes back to haunt her, threatening to ruin their future, will their love be the final chapter of their troubled past, or will it be the beginning of a new one? "A masterpiece of love, painted with every kiss..." * * * PROLOGUE Ezra Spencer, Third Earl of Marlborough, preferred to ride in the mornings, even when staying in London. While most of his peers were sleeping off the excesses of the previous night, with most failing to surface before one or two in the afternoon, Ezra found the relative peace of the morns to be preferable to the unrelenting pressure of performing for the Beau Monde. So far, his day had been almost enjoyable. Sir John Sloane had invited him to view his collection, no doubt thinking that the unreasonably early hour of ten in the morning would encourage the young Duke to decline the visit. Ezra smiled at the memory. “It seems I misread your nature, my boy,” the crotchety old man had eventually conceded. “I took you to be as foolish as the rake in Hogarth’s paintings. Well,” he paused, “I do like to be wrong from time to time. It keeps one sharp.” “Perhaps in my youth, Sir John,” he’d replied, his eyes feasting on an exquisite watercolor by Richard Westall. “These days I prefer the company of art to that of people.” Sir John had made a sound somewhere between a laugh and a grunt, then drawn his attention to a series of portraits sketched by Sir John Mortimor. Yes, it had been a good morning, and Ezra was almost content with the world. Even here in Hyde Park, which was never truly empty, there was enough space to feel he was back on his estates and far from the pressures of High Society. His favorite spot was close to the Serpentine, near to where the dilapidated remains of the old Cheesecake House still stood, and where there was a rich planting of old trees that felt like a mystical forest. Even now, with the sun climbing to its highest point for the day, there was no sign of another living soul around him. As he neared the shoreline, he became aware of someone singing. A young woman's voice, he guessed, with her beautiful tones rising and falling in a folk song that sounded vaguely familiar but he couldn't quite remember. “Woah, boy,” he murmured to his horse, pulling lightly on the reins to guide Atticus to a standstill. The distant sounds of the city seemed to fade away, and all he could focus on was that beautiful singing. “The water is wide, I cannot get over And neither have I wings to fly. O go and get me some little boat, To carry o’er my true love and I. A-down in the meadows the other day, A-gathering flowers both red and blue, A-gathering flowers so fine and gay, I little thought what love could do.” He patted his horse lightly on the neck. “Can you hear that, too, boy? Or have I finally lost my mind?” Atticus snorted in response, and Ezra chuckled. “Well, maybe I am imagining things, my friend, but you have to admit that singing is beautiful. I’d not forgive myself if