The Rake I Wished For

THE RAKE I WISHED FOR MAYPOLE IN MAYFAIR TAMMY ANDRESEN CONTENTS Untitled Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Epilogue The Prince I Wished For FREE book alert!! Also by Maggie and Katherine UNTITLED The Rake I Wished For PROLOGUE At six years old, Miss Jocelyn Barrow was well accustomed to the sound of her mother weeping. So this particular afternoon, it wasn’t the sound that startled her, but the fact that her mother caught her spying in the doorway. “Jocelyn?” her mother called from where she sat before her vanity. “Come on in here, poppet.” Hesitantly, Jocelyn did as she was told, crossing the plush carpet that seemed to capture her mother’s sobs, making them seem ghostly and distant when Jocelyn heard them in the hallway. “Why are you crying, Mother?” Jocelyn asked as her mother hitched her up into her lap. Her mother swiped away a lingering tear and tried to smile, but the smile looked so sad it made Jocelyn want to weep as well. “It’s nothing for you to worry about, my dear,” her mother said. But Jocelyn did CHAPTER ONE Jocelyn leaned so far forward in her seat, her hair brushed against her opponent’s as they stared down at the chess board. “The clock is ticking, Jo,” her opponent said blandly. Jocelyn huffed with irritation, the action sending a lock of dark brown hair flying from where it had fallen into her face as she lifted her head to face Mr. John Harlow, her brother’s lifelong friend. “I don’t nag you when you’re thinking, Harlow.” But far from being chastened, Harlow gave her the slow, crooked smile that made weaker women swoon. “I’m not nagging. Merely stating a fact.” He glanced at the small clock set on the table between them. “You’re distracting me,” she said, once more returning her gaze to the game at hand. Fortunately, Harlow chose to lean back in his seat, giving her space to breathe. She narrowed