Regency Ladies Series by Josephine Barly

Lady Cordelia Radcliff has three names. One of the lords is behind the biggest pain she has ever felt, and she is set on discovering the truth. At three and twenty, she cannot move on from her grief until she finds the answer she seeks, and even if her dear friend Jemima Bennett is at times hesitant, she understands that Cordelia needs the truth to put the past behind her... moreLady Cordelia Radcliff has three names. One of the lords is behind the biggest pain she has ever felt, and she is set on discovering the truth. At three and twenty, she cannot move on from her grief until she finds the answer she seeks, and even if her dear friend Jemima Bennett is at times hesitant, she understands that Cordelia needs the truth to put the past behind her.But at a masquerade Cordelia meets a stranger who makes her feel alive, and as she meets the two dukes and the earl, she can feel the danger threatening her and those she loves, as well as truths she had ignored that start revealing themselves.Will she find the truth before someone gets hurt? And what can her life become once she learns secrets she knew nothing about?Warning: There are explicit romantic scenes. For mature audiences (+18).--------------ExcerptCordelia Radcliff had three names scribbled on a scrap of paper:Nathaniel Pembroke, Duke of AshburyBertram Fletcher, Earl of SurreyGrayson Berkeley, Duke of EssexOne—or the three—were behind the biggest and most dreadful ache Cordelia had ever felt. At least she could be comforted by the fact that, a year after that wrecking eve, she would find justice.She kept the list in her reticule, even if she knew she would never forget the names. But it kept her motivated, as they were evidence, a reminder, of what had happened, and of the bravery of her witness to reveal the identity of the three men who had been seen entering the house that evening. Unfortunately, that same witness had drunk a little bit and could not remember who had gone in first or last, as that would have been indication enough of who had committed the crime.Cordelia sat on the settee in the drawing room, waiting for her friend. She had little else to do and, in all honesty, even if she sat at the pianoforte, she would not be able to play any music.She had received the three names the evening before, and she had spent every waking moment trying to devise her course of action.Of course, Cordelia had been thinking for the better part of the year what she would do, but once she knew the identities—and station—of the men she suspected of the crime, she had needed to adapt certain matters.“Will you stay here all day?” Cassandra, Cordelia’s older sister, asked from the doorway. She was tall and striking with black hair and green eyes, unlike Cordelia, who was of average height and average looks, and she was four and twenty.“Jemima is visiting me,” Cordelia told her. “Where are you going?”“Bond Street,” Cassandra replied. “Anne wants to buy some muslins and ribbons, and she asked me to join her.”“I’m certain you will enjoy yourself. Where is Mother?”“In her rooms,” Cassandra told her what she had been expecting to hear.“Of course,” Cordelia’s smile was forced, and after a courteous glance, Cassandra left.Cordelia couldn’t help but wonder if their lives would ever be the same—if Cassandra would be courted again, if their mother would regain her health, if their father would stop busying himself with his work…But it wasn’t the time to ponder such things.Cordelia heard a carriage and after checking through the window, she stood, awaiting her friend. less

Benedict Fortescue, the Earl of Coventry, is on his way to his estate in Worcestershire, looking to put some distance between London—and his mother’s insistence that he find a suitable wife—and himself. But he halts the carriage as he sees a woman unconscious on the side of the road, and intrigued and captivated, he takes her to his estate to let her recover.The lady wakes up with no notion of who she is or memories of her life... moreBenedict Fortescue, the Earl of Coventry, is on his way to his estate in Worcestershire, looking to put some distance between London—and his mother’s insistence that he find a suitable wife—and himself. But he halts the carriage as he sees a woman unconscious on the side of the road, and intrigued and captivated, he takes her to his estate to let her recover.The lady wakes up with no notion of who she is or memories of her life. She doesn't know how she ended up in the middle of the road or anything at all. She is given a place to stay while Benedict asks around, and by the time he gets a possible answer, he finds he does not wish to part from her.Warning: There are explicit romantic scenes. For mature audiences (+18).--------------ExcerptBenedict Fortescue, the Earl of Coventry, was on his way to his estate in Worcestershire. He had been looking forward to setting some distance between himself and London.His mother’s constant reminder that he was eight and twenty, single, quite handsome, and needing an heir, were starting to get on his nerves. Hence, some weeks—maybe even months—in Worcestershire could be a good change.He was looking out the open window at the changing landscape when something on the side of the empty road caught his attention.“Stop!” Benedict shouted at the coachman and the carriage halted.He jumped out as the coachman and footman frowned at him, but he ignored them.The rain of the previous summer night had left mud, and among bushes and in a basic brown gown he saw an unconscious woman. Her brown hair was tangled, she was pale and her lips were full and red, and she had long lashes that made Benedict think she was probably quite beautiful under different circumstances.“My Lord,” the footman walked up to him. “That’s probably a harlot, sleeping off a night of gin.”Benedict checked to see if she was still breathing, and when he moved her head he saw dry blood on the side of her forehead. And in the entangled hair, an emerald pin.“She’s not a harlot,” Benedict said as he struggled to pick her in his arms and he then carried her into the carriage as the coachman and footman stared, astonished. “I think she’s a lady. I shall call for a physician or surgeon once we get to the estate. Let us waste no more time,” he nodded at them and soon enough the carriage started moving again.Benedict watched the woman lying in front of him and felt a pang in his chest.Was she, in fact, a lady?Besides the pin there was no other jewelry, her gown was nothing particularly noteworthy, and there were no marks of a wedding ring. She appeared to be twenty or so, but that didn’t mean anything.And why had she been in the middle of the road? Had she been on her way to London, or fleeing just as he had been? Had someone left her to fend for herself?She didn’t strike him as fragile, but no gentleman could leave a lady on her own, especially not in the road where she could be easily attacked by highwaymen.Benedict was suddenly quite angry, and he found himself yearning to learn everything about the lady because he felt a strange urge to avenge her. He would make sure that whoever had left her in such a state of disarray would face justice.The lady had to survive. less

Lady Cassandra Radcliff has suffered emotional blows, the latest of which involves her father's death. Now the role of the Duke of Sutherland goes to the next male heir - none other than Dougal Hunter. The man from Edinburgh never expected to inherit the title, so he is in dire need of some assistance to get acquainted with polite society and to help him sort out through all his new responsibilities... moreLady Cassandra Radcliff has suffered emotional blows, the latest of which involves her father's death. Now the role of the Duke of Sutherland goes to the next male heir - none other than Dougal Hunter. The man from Edinburgh never expected to inherit the title, so he is in dire need of some assistance to get acquainted with polite society and to help him sort out through all his new responsibilities. Who best to assist him than Lady Cassandra, who is reluctant and resentful of the very improper man who keeps mocking her and who doesn't show his new situation the respect it deserves.Warning: There are explicit romantic scenes. For mature audiences (+18).--------------ExcerptLady Cassandra Radcliff paced around the drawing room, straightening the flowers in the vases, checking that the paintings were aligned, fluffing the cushions…Yes, she knew that housemaids had already taken care of those activities earlier in the morning, but she was waiting for someone to arrive and she knew everything had to be perfect. The good thing was that she had been educated to be a flawless duke’s daughter, and she knew exactly what to do, when to do it, and how to do it.She took a deep breath in and stood straight. She didn’t even attempt to read a book or find something more productive to do—she knew she wouldn’t be able to concentrate.Her black dress was flawless, and she wore a pearl necklace to not be so glum. After all, she would be meeting the new Duke of Sutherland, and she didn’t want him to be completely depressed the moment he set foot into his new estate in London.Cassandra needed to be on the new Duke of Sutherland’s good graces; even if she was set to inherit a portion of her father’s wealth and her mother would be moving to an estate in the countryside, she had to do right by her family and by the title.Cassandra’s father had died two months earlier during his sleep, in a sudden and painless way. It had taken Cassandra those two months to find her father’s male heir—a fourth cousin’s Scottish son, who had been in the Continent at the time of death.Lady Radcliff, who had become a recluse since her son’s death three years prior, had been of no assistance in trying to set matters in order. And Cordelia, Cassandra’s younger sister, had recently given birth to her second child and had enough to deal with. Cordelia’s husband, Lord Nathaniel Pembroke, the Duke of Ashbury, had offered what assistance he could, but Cassandra was good at managing and dealing with problems, and this occasion was no different.She heard a carriage pull up and looked out the window.Her unlikely superior had arrived. less