Lord Lancaster Courts a Scandal


 
 
 
 Cranford Estate Siblings
 Wherever the siblings of Cranford Estate go, scandal is sure to follow!
 As the future marquess, William must marry appropriately, yet he’s tempted by his close friend’s sister, Anna... A most inconvenient attraction indeed!
 Tilly flees London with her reputation in tatters! And promptly meets Lucas, the Earl of Clifton, and his adorable baby nephew. But with scandal hot on her heels, will she make a suitable wife?
 Eligible bachelor Charles is stunned when strikingly unconventional Lucy goes out of her way to avoid him. They have a connection, but Lucy is hiding a heartbreaking secret...
 Read William’s story inLord Lancaster Courts a ScandalAvailable now
 And look out for Tilly’s and Charles’s storiesComing soon
 
 
 Author Note
 After spending several years in India, Lord William Lancaster is returning to England to take up his position as the future Marquess of Elvington. When his close friend is killed, Lord Lancaster, wealthy and aristocratic, seems the answer to a young girl’s prayers—but not so for Anna Harris, his friend’s sister. Before his death, his friend appointed Lord Lancaster as her guardian for the time it takes them to reach England.
 Anna is a resentful, smoldering young woman who proves to be quite a handful for the dark and rather sardonic Lord Lancaster, in spite of the unexpected passion that erupts between them on board the East Indiaman. Finding herself a wealthy young woman, nineteen, beautiful and impulsive, she wants to build a new life in England. It proves to be a turbulent voyage as she tries to fight her attraction to Lord Lancaster, but she is too vulnerable to his potent masculinity.
 From India’s shores to Regency London, their tempestuous romance is played out, a romance between two people destined for each other.
 
 
 HELEN DICKSON
 Lord Lancaster Courts a Scandal
 
 
 
 Helen Dickson was born and still lives in South Yorkshire, UK, with her retired farm manager husband. Having moved out of the busy farmhouse where she raised their two sons, she now has more time to indulge in her favorite pastimes. She enjoys being outdoors, traveling, reading and music. An incurable romantic, she writes for pleasure. It was a love of history that drove her to writing historical fiction.
 Books by Helen Dickson
 Harlequin Historical
 Caught in Scandal’s Storm
 Lucy Lane and the Lieutenant
 Lord Lansbury’s Christmas Wedding
 Royalist on the Run
 The Foundling Bride
 Carrying the Gentleman’s Secret
 A Vow for an Heiress
 The Governess’s Scandalous Marriage
 Reunited at the King’s Court
 Wedded for His Secret Child
 Resisting Her Enemy Lord
 A Viscount to Save Her Reputation
 Enthralled by Her Enemy’s Kiss
 To Catch a Runaway Bride
 Conveniently Wed to a Spy
 Cranford Estate Siblings
 Lord Lancaster Courts a Scandal
 Castonbury Park
 The Housemaid’s Scandalous Secret
 Visit the Author Profile pageat Harlequin.com for more titles.
 
 
 Contents
 Chapter One
 Chapter Two
 Chapter Three
 Chapter Four
 Chapter Five
 Chapter Six
 Chapter Seven
 Chapter Eight
 Chapter Nine
 Chapter Ten
 Chapter Eleven
 Chapter Twelve
 Epilogue
 Excerpt from Meeting Her Promised Viscount by Carol Arens
 
 
 Chapter One
 1810
 The sun was high and a quiet wind blew the clouds slowly across the sky as William Lancaster, Lord Lancaster and future Marquess of Elvington, rode into the suburbs of Bombay, having travelled over many days from Agra in the north of India, stopping at established campsites along the way.
 Slowing his horse to a gentle trot, he delighted in the scents and sounds all around him. The road was busy with all manner of traffic—bullocks and mules pulling carts piled high with wares of every description, wheels and hooves churning up clouds of dust in their wake. The whole of India was dry and exhausted as it awaited the longed-for downpours of the monsoons.
 With amazement and interest William reined in his mount when a horse and rider drew his attention. The rider was a young woman and he paused to observe her as she rode over the vast landscape, as refreshingly cool as an invigorating wind. It was her sheer energy and vibrancy that drew him to her. She was seated with ease astride a spirited light grey mare, which she controlled superbly. He noticed her hands, the reins looped loosely through them, fine hands, light but strong, and he had no doubt that she knew how to handle even the most spirited horse.
 She presented a lovely picture in her blue-sprigged dress, which spread over the flanks of her horse, outlining her long slim legs beneath her skirts and setting off to perfection her trim waist and firm breasts. A wide-brimmed hat sat on her head and a heavy plait as thick as his wrist and the colour of ripe corn bounced against her spine. With a gentle kick of her heels, she gave her mount its head with a graceful expertise, breaking into a gallop and scattering birds and a couple of grazing cows. She rode like the wind, leaping effortlessly over a low fence, horse and rider locked together as one entity.
 It was most unusual for a young European lady to adopt the masculine form of riding—they usually chose to ride side-saddle, at least when in public, and with more decorum, although he suspected that here was no ordinary young lady, but one who cared little for convention. It was clear she had no regard for her safety. Why had she no groom to protect her from the dangers that lurked in every shadow? Not until she had disappeared from view did he continue on his journey.
 Four inches over six feet tall, William Lancaster was a man diverse and complex and could be utterly ruthless when the need arose. He possessed a haughty reserve that was not inviting and set him apart from others in society. There was a hard set to his firm jaw and his wide, well-shaped mouth was often in a stern line. There was an aggressive confidence and strength of