One Perfect Dance

One Perfect Dance A Twist Upon a Regency TaleBook 2 By Jude Knight © Copyright 2023 by Jude Knight Text by Jude Knight Cover by Kim Killion Dragonblade Publishing, Inc. is an imprint of Kathryn Le Veque Novels, Inc. P.O. Box 23 Moreno Valley, CA 92556 [email protected] Produced in the United States of America First Edition May 2023 Kindle Edition Reproduction of any kind except where it pertains to short quotes in relation to advertising or promotion is strictly prohibited. All Rights Reserved. The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author. License Notes: This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook, once purchased, may not be re-sold. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. 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CEO, Dragonblade Publishing Additional Dragonblade books by Author Jude Knight A Twist Upon a Regency Tale, The Series Lady Beast’s Bridegroom (Book 1) One Perfect Dance (Book 2) Snowy and the Seven Doves (Book 3) The Lyon’s Den Series The Talons of a Lyon Table of Contents Title Page Copyright Page Publisher’s Note Additional Dragonblade books by Author Jude Knight About the Book Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Chapter Eighteen Chapter Nineteen Chapter Twenty Chapter Twenty-One Chapter Twenty-Two Chapter Twenty-Three Chapter Twenty-Four Chapter Twenty-Five Chapter Twenty-Six Chapter Twenty-Seven Chapter Twenty-Eight Chapter Twenty-Nine Chapter Thirty Chapter Thirty-One Author’s Note Excerpt from Snowy and the Seven Doves About the Author About the Book Regina Paddimore puts her dreams of love away with other girlish things when she weds her father’s friend to escape a vile suitor who tries to force a marriage. Sixteen years later, and two years a widow, she seeks a husband who might help her fulfill another dream—to have her own child. Elijah Ashby escapes his abusive stepfamily as soon as he comes of age, off to see the world. Letters from his childhood friend Regina are all that connects him to England. Sixteen years later, now a famous travel writer, the news she is a widow brings him home. Sparks fly between them when they meet again. Regina begins to hope for love as well as babies. Elijah will be happy just to have her at his side. However, Elijah’s stepbrothers are determined to do everything they can—lie, cheat, kidnap, even murder—so that one of them can marry Regina and take her wealth for themselves. Love and friendship must conquer hatred and spite before Elijah and Regina can be together. Chapter One London, April 1802 Elijah Ashby was polishing his stepbrother’s boots. Choosing this task first was a calculated risk. Dilly was more likely to find a sneaky way to cause him pain if the boots did not shine to his exacting standards. Compared to his older stepbrother, who would just clout Elijah if he was late cleaning the grate in his room. While Elijah polished, he entertained himself with visions of their reaction the day of his birthday, when he would tell them their skivvy and whipping boy was leaving. Elijah had started as valet to his stepbrothers when he was fifteen, not long after his mother married Major Deffew. “Good training for the boy,” the major told Elijah’s mother. “You know he will have to earn his own living one day, my dear. Not as a valet, perhaps, but hard work will be the making of him. If you will excuse my saying so, Mrs. Deffew, if his father had not lived the wastrel life of a younger son, you and he would be much better off.” Elijah’s mother could have pointed out that the major’s sons, both older than Elijah, had never done a day’s work in their lives. However, she said nothing, a habit that came from years of not criticizing Elijah’s father, who was inclined to be nasty in his cups, which was most of the time. Elijah became valet to his stepbrothers. From the day he cleaned out his first grate, the Deffew men had mangled his surname to Ash Boy, though not when his mother was around to hear. Elijah retaliated by silently renaming them, in his turn. Matthew was the older of the two, ten years Elijah’s senior, with pretensions to excellence in all gentlemanly sports. He was happy to give his opinion on any topic and expected Elijah to take his frequently erroneous facts as gospel truth. Elijah’s private name for him, Mouth Almighty, fitted him perfectly. David was two years younger than Matthew, and fancied himself as a connoisseur of fashion, a veritable Tulip. Nothing was