His Spirited Lady

His Spirited Lady Enterprising Women, Book 2 Peri Maxwell © Copyright 2023 by Peri Maxwell Text by Peri Maxwell 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 April 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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Without your support, there is no ‘us’, so we sincerely hope you adore these stories and find some new favorite authors along the way. Happy Reading! CEO, Dragonblade Publishing Additional Dragonblade books by Author Peri Maxwell Enterprising Women Series His Enterprising Duchess (Book 1) His Spirited Lady (Book 2) For Terri, the boss who became my friend—who indulges my love of good bourbon. Table of Contents Title Page Copyright Page Publisher’s Note Additional Dragonblade books by Author Peri Maxwell Dedication 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 About the Author Chapter One Norfolk, England October, 1847 Amelia Chitester was bored. She was well-bred enough to feel guilty about it. After all, it was a lovely fall day. The sky was a blue so bright that it stung to stare too long. Wisps of pure white clouds drifted across it, casting shadows on the ground below. Birdsong floated on a breeze sweetened by rain the day before, the same gentle storm that had gilded the early fall colors on the leaves. This was everything she’d missed in London. Almost. Amelia filled her lungs as much as her corset would allow, using the country air to dispel the grayness that had settled in her chest during her, thankfully, interrupted Season. The sunshine warming her through her riding habit helped, as did the feel of her beloved gray mare, Molly, beneath her. Still, there was a spot that couldn’t be reached. Amelia tightened her knee around the pommel and wriggled in the saddle, hoping to loosen her laces. “Would you like to rest a moment, Miss Chitester?” She turned to her riding companion and smiled. “No, Mr. Raymond, thank you. I’m quite well.” “It would be understandable if you wished to turn back,” he insisted. “We’ve been riding longer than most ladies do this time of year.” He was right. Had they been in London, a few turns in the park counted as a ride, even though horses and carriages were so crowded that it could scarce be called riding. However, going to stand in the park did not have the same appeal. Not that it mattered. The purpose of a ride in London was to be seen. Amelia had seen Ethan Raymond often during the summer in London, and even during her abbreviated fall visit. He drew attention for his impeccable fashion as much as for his height and his excellent seat on a massive white gelding. He must have considered tailoring and horsemanship to be intertwined, for here he was in the countryside, in a hat polished to a sheen that matched his tall riding boots, a jacquard waistcoat the color of wheat at harvest, and a teal blue coat. Who was he dressing for out here? The squirrels? Wry humor at her own joke gave way to guilt over her nastiness. Amelia knew full well why Ethan was riding next to her in rustic Norfolk rather than in Hyde Park. She also knew all the women in London were stretching their necks to search for him in a crowd, fluttering their fans to hide their stares. They would have been reveling in his undivided attention, not grousing over having to wear a too-heavy habit on an unusually warm morning. Perhaps her parents were right, and she did spend too much time alone. “It is a relief to be out in the air after being penned in yesterday,” Amelia said, purposefully brightening her smile. It wasn’t Ethan’s fault that she wished to be somewhere else entirely. Nor was he to blame that they’d quit the house so that Doctor Anderson could visit with her father again. The doctor had visited every day upon their return from London a fortnight ago, though Father had stopped him upon Ethan’s arrival. He’d said he didn’t want to dampen the visit, but Amelia knew better. Her father didn’t want to be seen as