The Moonstone Marquess

The Moonstone Marquess Moonstone Landing SeriesBook 2 byMeara Platt © Copyright 2023 by Myra Platt Text by Meara Platt Cover by Dar Albert 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 June 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. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it or borrow it, or it was not purchased for you and given as a gift for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. If this book was purchased on an unauthorized platform, then it is a pirated and/or unauthorized copy and violators will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Do not purchase or accept pirated copies. Thank you for respecting the author’s hard work. For subsidiary rights, contact Dragonblade Publishing, Inc. ARE YOU SIGNED UP FOR DRAGONBLADE’S BLOG? You’ll get the latest news and information on exclusive giveaways, exclusive excerpts, coming releases, sales, free books, cover reveals and more. Check out our complete list of authors, too! No spam, no junk. That’s a promise! Sign Up Here * Dearest Reader; Thank you for your support of a small press. At Dragonblade Publishing, we strive to bring you the highest quality Historical Romance from some of the best authors in the business. 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 Meara Platt The Moonstone Landing Series Moonstone Landing (novella) Moonstone Angel (novella) The Moonstone Duke The Moonstone Marquess The Moonstone Major The Book of Love Series The Look of Love The Touch of Love The Taste of Love The Song of Love The Scent of Love The Kiss of Love The Chance of Love The Gift of Love The Heart of Love The Hope of Love (novella) The Promise of Love The Wonder of Love The Journey of Love The Dream of Love (novella) The Treasure of Love The Dance of Love The Miracle of Love The Remembrance of Love (novella) Dark Gardens Series Garden of Shadows Garden of Light Garden of Dragons Garden of Destiny Garden of Angels The Farthingale Series If You Wished For Me (A Novella) The Lyon’s Den Series Kiss of the Lyon The Lyon’s Surprise Lyon in the Rough Pirates of Britannia Series Pearls of Fire De Wolfe Pack: The Series Nobody’s Angel Kiss an Angel Bhrodi’s Angel Also from Meara Platt Aislin All I Want for Christmas Table of Contents Title Page Copyright Page Publisher’s Note Additional Dragonblade books by Author Meara Platt 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 Excerpt from The Moonstone Major Also by Meara Platt About the Author Chapter One Moonstone Landing Cornwall, England July 1818 Cormac Stockwell, Marquess of Burness, stumbled out of his newly acquired seaside home in Moonstone Landing, his throat parched and his shirt unbuttoned. He groaned as his gaze met blinding sunlight and pain seared through his brandy-soaked head. “Blast it, Melrose. Why did you summon me out here at the break of day?” “My lord,” his head butler said in a tone that revealed his disapproval of the orgy that took place last night—and was still going on, if one considered the naked bodies littering his parlor, “it is noon.” “Have you no shame?” A young woman with a melodic voice dismounted her horse and strode across the courtyard toward him. Without so much as a greeting, she launched into a diatribe. “You are a disgrace. How could you be so depraved…wonk, wonk, wonk…debauched…wonk, wonk, wonk…vile…” He blinked and tried to focus on the little harpy with an angel’s voice, but it was hard to do while she was talking so fast and his head was splitting. He could hardly keep up with her words. It was all a buzzing blur. “Never, in all my days…wonk, wonk, wonk…amazed you still have a functioning organ left in your body…wonk, wonk, wonk…” He glanced down at his trousers. Well, that organ was working perfectly fine. Not that he intended to advise her of that fact. Indeed, not. It was a wonder he had managed to properly button his falls, something not easily done when drunk and functioning only with one arm. As for his shirt, a formal one for evening wear, he’d merely tossed it on and left it open and untucked to flap in the wind. It was the best he could do on short notice. If she did not like it, she could leave. He blinked again, intending to move his gaze upward to focus on her face as they stood in the brilliant sunshine, a soft sea breeze whirling around them while she continued to excoriate him for his bad behavior. But it took too much effort to move his gaze off her breasts when they were swelling magnificently as she continued her scathing rebuke. “Reprehensible…wonk, wonk, wonk…vile…” She was repeating herself now. He was certain she had already referred to him as vile. So what if he was? What business was it of hers how he chose to destroy himself? Who was she, anyway? Miss Temple of Virtue? Well, she did have the