A Flaming Lady's Secret Valentine

A Flaming Lady's Secret Valentine A REGENCY ROMANCE NOVEL HENRIETTA HARDING Copyright © 2023 by Henrietta Harding All Rights Reserved. This book may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written permission of the publisher. In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher. Facebook: Henrietta Harding Table of Contents Table of Contents Free Exclusive Gift A Flaming Lady's Secret Valentine Introduction 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 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Epilogue Sins of a Roguish Duke Introduction Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Free Exclusive Gift Sign up for my mailing list to be notified of hot new releases and get my latest Full-Length Novel “The Lord's Favourite Game” (available only to my subscribers) for FREE! Click the link or enter it into your browser http://henriettaharding.com/diana A Flaming Lady's Secret Valentine Introduction Lady Cecilia Norbert has always played by the rules, which is probably why rebellion felt so good. While the clock is ticking on her freedom, the enthralling Cecilia has to thwart her persistent father’s matchmaking plans and escape marriage. That is until she catches the eye of her father’s seductive steward, who is precisely the type of man the daughter of a Duke should avoid, and the one she desires the most. What happens when honor clashes with irresistible passion? Mr. Raphael Travers has fought hard to get where he is in life and nothing will stand between him and his career. Nothing except his employer’s tempting daughter. Little did he know that when the fiery Cecilia would enter his life, a long buried secret would come to surface. Enthralled by her beauty and her untamed spirit, Raphael is painfully aware that there’s too much at stake… Will their scandalous affair cost him everything he has ever worked for? As Cecilia and Raphael’s attraction grows, so does the great chasm. Their sinful game will come to a head at a Valentine’s Day masquerade ball, where masks will slip. Divided by class, torn asunder by their lust, the two valentines will have to sacrifice all they hold dear. Will they dare to risk it all or will their lives begin to crumble around them? Chapter 1 February 1821, Berilton Court, Norwich If the truth must be told, the first time Cecilia Norbert caught sight of her father’s steward, she thought he was rather odd. He was absurdly handsome, of course—or so Cecilia believed him to be from her secret vantage point behind the stairs. With sun-bleached chestnut hair, shoulders that inspired wickedness, and legs so long she feared he might topple over, he drifted elegantly after her father, the duke, into the study. No, there was nothing strange about his appearance—if only that it was strange for any man to look like he had sprung to life from the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel. What piqued Cecilia’s curiosity, in that moment and for months to come, was the way Mr Travers held himself. He had the sort of posture that is learned with time and effort, not to impress but to hide. His back was arched, almost imperceptibly, like a wary tomcat. His hands were half-flexed, at all times primed to defend himself. He looked around before entering a room, as though checking for hidden traps. He did all that and more while exuding confidence and class, and making her father genuinely laugh, and making everyone else fall a little in love with him. Cecilia could not name the feeling he incited within her, but it made her uneasy. He was a walking paradox, imposing and cowering all at once. And so, one winter morning, when her truest friend Daphne said, “What is your steward’s story? He seems to me a curiosity. So burdened with labour so young, and without a wife! It makes one wonder,” Cecelia was all too inclined to agree. “Would that I could tell you. Funnily enough, we do nothave much to say to one another. In the same way I know nothing of Holly and Sarah in the kitchens, or the rest of father’s instruments… It is quite sad when you think about it.” “Pooh! Your steward makes me feel anything but sad.” Daphne’s breath misted up the window. She groaned and wiped the glass with her sleeve, better revealing the gardens beyond. “Heavens, could you not look at him all of this day and the next? I just might, you know, instead of attending the Earl of Radcliff’s dreary party tomorrow eve.” “I will make no excuses for you. If the earl asks, I shall let him know all about your ogling.” Cecilia thumbed the lace curtains aside, quite guilty of ogling herself as Mr Travers chattered on with the gardener. He laughed, and the echo of it travelled into her bedchamber. A chill ran down her spine, and she shivered. Daphne side-eyed her, smirking. “What is the matter, Cecilia? Quite overcome with sadness, are you?” “There’s a draught. Oh, the sooner we get back to choosing our gowns, the better,” she grumbled, but her feet refused to move. Suddenly, Mr Travers turned around. He stared straight up at the house as though someone had called him, his soft brown hair blowing in the wind, his expression utterly mirthless. Cecilia shrieked and ducked, pulling Daphne down with her out of sight. The girls toppled to the ground in shock, their day gowns billowing beneath them, before bursting out laughing. “We deserved that,” Cecilia panted, covering her face with her hands. “Surely, he could not have seen us!” Daphne