“My lord, it would seem you have the same gift for observation as your friend. I would love nothing more.”
The orchestra changed from a quadrille to a waltz. Moreham stepped away and bowed. “My lady wife, may I have this dance?”
She nodded her agreement and gave him her hand. The music rose in a crescendo and James swept her down the length of the ballroom before dipping her into the first turn.
“We never discussed our wager from our ride in the park. You never requested payment.”
Moreham deftly eased out of the flow of dancers and through the French windows onto the terrace. She giggled as he eased her into a dark corner at the end of the terrace.
He nibbled at her ear and moved downward to her neck. “No, I never did, did I?”
She giggled but refused to give in to the delightful tickling without an answer to her question. “Well?”
James heaved a sigh before moving away. “I declare the wager null and void. I have all that I could ever desire at this moment. The only other wish I could ask will become a reality in, if I remember my biology, in about seven months.”
“Hmmph! You know? I thought I was being so sly. I planned to have dinner in our sitting room tomorrow evening and tell you our news then. And you’re right, we’ll have a babe by mid-summer.”
James, grabbed her, swung her around and whooped like a schoolboy
“Maybe I shouldn’t manhandle you so.” He set her back down on the terrace. She took his hands then placed them over her belly. They stood in the dark grinning at each other until Timmons came looking for them.
“My lord, ’tis time to address the guests.”
Her husband kept his gaze trained on their hands. “Timmie, I’m far too busy at the moment to do so. Make my apologies. Tell the assemblage I am in the gardens kissing my wife—”
“Indeed, my lord.” The butler bowed and left.
“—the mother of my child.”
The newssheets the following day commented on the unseemly early departure of the Earl and Countess of Moreham from their own ball.
The End
Other Books by Ann Chaney
Dangerous Pursuit (Lords of Whitehall Book 1)
Thank You
I hope you enjoyed reading Dangerous Liaison as much as I enjoyed writing Gillian and Moreham’s story. I’m so happy to finally see Dangerous Liaison in print. This book and I have had many challenges to overcome since Christmas 2019. As I’m sure so many of you will understand and agree, the first six months of 2020 has tested me in ways I never imagined which says a lot since I have a very vivid imagination.
Publishing this book is a personal victory that I intend to enjoy.
If you are so inclined, please post a review. You can email me at ann@annchaney.com. I’m also on Facebook @annchaneyauthor.
Acknowledgments
My heartfelt thanks to my dear friend and writing cohort, Sharon Marie Lightsey was my first writing buddy for the last ten years. I have said many times to anyone who will listen meeting authors like Sharon Marie and sharing our writing journeys has been one of the sweetest surprises in my life. Thank you, Sharon Marie for all your support and love.
About the Author
Ann Chaney, now retired, is a nomad. In the last 36 years, she and her husband have moved eleven times. Her professional career included serving on active duty in the US Army for seven years and working 35 years in Human Resources and university administration. The first of her family to attend college, she attended University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She was also the first woman in her family to serve in the US military on active duty.
In 2010, Ann began her writing journey by completing a collection of essays of her childhood memories before venturing into the world of Regency romance. Today, Ann writes historical romance novels set in Regency England in the early 19th century. A member of Lowcountry RWA in Charleston, SC, Heart of Carolina RWA in Cary, NC, The Golden Network chapter and The Beau Monde, Ann has learned her craft from the members and educational programs of these chapters.
In 2018, following the path of her first book, Dangerous Pursuit, Dangerous Liaison finaled in RWA’s Kiss of Death Chapter’s Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery & Suspense. Both books are part of her Lords of Whitehall series where gentlemen put honor and duty first until their world is turned upside down by equally determined and honorable ladies.
