Three Wicked Nights with a Notorious Earl

Three Wicked Nights with a Notorious Earl
 a steamy Regency romance
 Sandra Sookoo
 
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 THREE WICKED NIGHTS WITH A NOTORIOUS EARL ©2023 by Sandra Sookoo
 Published by New Independence Books
 ISBN- 9798215205709
 Contact Information:
 [email protected]
 [email protected]
 Visit me at www.sandrasookoo.com
 Book Cover Design by The Midnight Muse
 https://midnightmusedesigns.com/site2/
 Font placement and back cover by: Sandra Sookoo
 Publishing History:
 First Digital Edition, 2023 Contents
 Dear Readers,
 Dedication
 Blurb
 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
 Epilogue
 Regency-era romances by Sandra Sookoo
 Author Bio
 Stay in Touch
 Dear Readers,
 
 A couple of times a year, I put out very steamy standalones at the request of my readers who don’t want to worry about immersing themselves into a series so they won’t have to keep track of characters.
 Three Wicked Nights with a Notorious Earl came about the moment I saw the cover. Like, I saw the cover, the muse gave me the plot, scenes, and characters immediately following, so I had to buy the cover.
 This romance is quite steamy and quite wicked, so read at your own peril 😉 But the characters are well-matched and their happily ever after is very satisfying. I hope you enjoy this story.
 Have fun! 😉
 Sandra
 Dedication
 
 Alison Pridie, thank you for putting your unique light into the world and for all you do for the author community. It’s appreciated.
 Blurb
 
 Can a marriage arranged in childhood survive the earl’s infamous reputation?
 The Honorable Miss Evangeline Rigsby has been engaged from the age of five to a man about whom she has only heard improper tales. On her twenty-sixth birthday, she is sent to the wild Cornish coast to wed her reclusive betrothed, sight unseen, and with no choice in the matter, for he holds her father’s vowels and the mortgage to his townhouse in London. Beyond annoyed, she is more than ready for a challenge of thwarting the wicked earl at every turn.
 Sebastian Hamilton, unrepentantly corrupted Earl of Reddingham, has been rejected from the London ton for a myriad of reasons. As duties and responsibilities press in, he’s compelled to put his life in order, and since he has been engaged from a young man of fifteen, it’s time to make the sacrifice. The one saving grace of being leg-shackled is introducing his innocent bride to forbidden carnal pleasures. Perhaps she might help him regain his rightful place in society and respectability.
 Following a rather tempestuous nuptial ceremony, the earl sets out to initiate Evangeline into the world of scandal and sin. As each sensual night passes, confidences are exchanged that provide a closeness physical intimacy doesn’t. Shared emotions surprise them both, enhanced by mutual heat and attraction, but as an unexpected romance grows, fears creep in to stall their union. When a vicious squall blows in on the coast, they’ll need to decide that vulnerability and wanting love isn’t as horrid as they previously thought.
 But will three wicked nights be enough?
 Chapter One
 
 ––––––––
 May 1, 1813
 Satterfield House
 London, England
 The Honorable Evangeline Rigsby, only daughter to the Viscount of Satterfield, had never been quite as annoyed as she was now.
 Her parents had called her into the drawing room on May Day, and instead of informing her that they would seek out some sort of entertainment to mark the day, they had, instead, asked her to sit, and with somber expressions had told her the contents of a letter her father held, of which she was still reeling.
 “You cannot be serious.” Shock kept her chest tight, for never had she thought this particular eventuality would have happened, especially now when she had her own hopes and dreams glimmering before her like stars.
 “I am afraid this is all too true, dear,” her mother said, with an odd mix of sadness and relief in her gray eyes, which were so much like Evangeline’s. “It would seem that Reddingham’s father is dead, and he wishes to make good on your engagement.”
 “An engagement Papa made with the earl’s father when I was a child.” It wasn’t a question, and when they both nodded, her annoyance built into the next level. They were they clinging to the old arrangement when she had never had cause to meet the new earl?
 “Yes.” Her mother nodded.
 So did her father, but at least he had the grace to appear embarrassed. Briefly. There was no trace of anger or regret in his expression, only the same relief her mother suffered. “We really must do this.”
 “When did his father die?”
 “That information wasn’t included in the letter.”
 Interesting. It could have been as early as a couple of years ago or many. It didn’t matter that the earl was just now acting upon the old engagement. “So then my marrying Reddingham is to be your sacrifice how?” Truly, being forced into such a thing was beyond the pale. She was six and twenty, and these weren’t the Middle Ages any longer. Surely, she had a say in guiding her own future.
 Her parents exchanged a speaking glance. Then her mother nudged her father in the ribs and encouraged him with a nod. “Best have it all over and done with.”
 “Right.” He folded the letter and set the missive on a nearby table at his elbow. “If there was any other way around the current difficulties, we would take them. Honestly, there is nothing else to be done.”
 That didn’t clarify the position. Evangeline stared at him, not