Saved by the spell, p.15
No Good Dare goes Unpunished (Wagers and Wallflowers Book 10), page 15
Racing after a toddler who had decided to be as fleet as a deer probably did not assist in maintaining proper decorum; he wondered if perhaps a children’s maid should be employed to help with controlling his beloved niece before she also turned into a scandalous hellion. He had to admit, however, that his sister outshone most of the flamboyant ladybirds whose charms were available in London’s demi-monde. The truth was that Fanny, or more correctly Frances, was far too lovely for her own good. Men, and not all of them decent gentlemen, would pursue such a beauty avidly; and, regrettably, most of them would not consider offering her marriage.
Fanny hesitated. “She will be a distraction.”
“A loving one. Take the day off and relax, sister.”
Her blonde curls bounced on her cheek as she nodded her head. “I believe I shall visit the circulating library. I have not read a decent novel in a while.”
Rising onto her toes, she kissed her daughter’s forehead before turning away.
“Fanny,” Colin said softly.
Pausing, she turned to face him. “Yes?”
“Have you given any thought to hiring a nursemaid for her?”
His sister’s lips firmed in a stubborn line. Since the birth of her daughter, she had been her sole caregiver. Feeding the child herself and caring for her in every manner. It was evident to him that Fanny adored her child, but he also felt the manner in which she dedicated herself to rearing Lily left little room for Fanny herself to find some measure of happiness.
“A nursemaid is not necessary. I am perfectly capable of minding my daughter.”
“Fanny—”
“No, Colin. I…” her voice broke. “Simon often spoke about his nanny who raised him. His first memories were of her…not his mother. I do not want that for Lily. Ever.” She took a steady breath, staring at her love child cuddled into his arms. “She looks just like him, don’t you think so?”
Him—Simon Gracely, the second son of Viscount Havisham. The gentleman his sister had been recklessly and passionately in love with; and, in the vein of being a ‘bad Fairbanks’, with whom she’d had a child out of wedlock. The scandal and condemnation she faced back then, coupled with the grief of her love dying in the war, had almost broken his sister.
“She is the very picture,” Colin said gently.
His sister smiled, and his damn heart ached to see the sadness in it. She needed to be out in society, and perhaps then she might find another gentleman to love. His sister was astoundingly beautiful and perhaps the most composed out of all his siblings. At three and twenty she had met her fair share of sorrows. Colin would have to be very careful in his dealings in the ton. It could not come out that Fanny had given birth to Lily outside the bonds of matrimony.
The first step really was to begin to paint a respectable picture for the ton and those nosey journalists who were determined to unearth all of the scandals about his family. If a wife was what his family needed, a wife he would procure. And not just any wife. One whose absolutely impeccable breeding would be without reproach, who would be an excellent hostess and a respectable lady of quality with an understanding of all the required etiquette and protocols of society.
One must do everything for family. And even if he did not like it, he would grit his teeth and power through. Family was first and always, even the bad, no-good ones.
ALYSSA’S OTHER BOOKS
Wagers and Wallflowers series
Love me, If you Dare
Marry me, If you Dare
Seduce me, If you Dare
Ruin me, If you Dare
Kiss me, If you Dare
Tempt me, If you Dare
Wrong Earl, Right Dare
Daring with the Rogue
The Difference a Dare Makes
No Good Dare Goes Unpunished
Beauty Dares the Beast
The Devil’s Own Dare
Those Very Bad Fairbanks
Taming of the Rogue
The Viscount and the Hellion
Slightly Wicked
Seven Nights with the Duke
Between Scandal and Desire
My Fair Rakess
The Scoundrel You Know
Dear Mr. Fairbanks
A Pocket Full of Mischief
Miss Charlotte and the Duke
When the Rogue Met his Match
In Scandal with an Earl
ABOUT ALYSSA CLARKE
Alyssa Clarke writes steamy Regency Historical Romances featuring swoon-worthy heroes and sassy, sometimes unconventional heroines! Her debut novel—Love me, If you Dare: Wagers and Wallflowers, came to her in a dream as a hot, fun enemy to lover romance where she played the leading lady who fell in love with a duke who looked remarkably like Henry Cavill.
When not writing, Alyssa enjoys hiking, games/movie night with her husband and two beautiful children, and her Siberian Husky—Cronus. She is a lover of wine, cheesecake, and more wine.
If you would like to keep up to date with her new releases, please sign up for her Newsletter, and follow her on Instagram, Bookbub, and Facebook. She also has a fan group Alyssa’s Coterie, which would be fun to join. In her Coterie you can receive Advance Reader Copies of her books!
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Alyssa Clarke, No Good Dare goes Unpunished (Wagers and Wallflowers Book 10)
