Never Disregard a Wallflower
Never Disregard a Wallflower
Neverhartts Book Two
Dawn Brower
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Never Disregard a Wallflower © 2021 Dawn Brower
Cover art by Midnight Muse
Edits by Victoria Miller
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
The more I know of the world, the more I am convinced that I shall never see a man whom I can really love.
Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility
Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Epilogue
Afterword
Excerpt: Never Dare a Hellion
Prologue
Chapter 1
Excerpt: When an Earl Turns Wicked
Dawn Brower
Prologue
Chapter 1
About The Author
Also by Dawn Brower
Acknowledgments
In life many people come and go, but some leave an impression you never forget. This book is for Aunt Rose Green. She is adored by her family and will be missed by us all.
I am certain my dad, and her other siblings are already making her welcome in heaven. Thank you for being you, Aunt Rose I hope you are at peace now, give my dad a big hug from me.
Prologue
A loud noise reverberated through Lady Theodora Neverhartt’s bedchamber. She inhaled a deep, sharp breath as she sat upright. A storm. Thunder and lightning always left an uneasy feeling in her stomach, and this time was no different. She hated them, and had for as long as she could recall. At five and ten that seemed like a lot of years, and in some ways, it seemed like none at all.
She slid her legs over the side of the bed and pulled on her wrapper. As long as there was a storm raging outside she would not get any further sleep that night. To help her pass the time she would retrieve a book from the library. Teddy didn’t bother with a candle. She’d become accustomed to traveling the halls of her family home in darkness. Her father, the Earl of Seville, was often short of funds. That meant they didn’t always have the income necessary to run a earl’s estate properly. It was best to preserve the candles for when they truly needed them. Besides she had grown up there and knew the layout well. A candle wasn’t necessary.
A roll of thunder echoed around her and she jumped again. Teddy swallowed hard. She could do this, she could…and perhaps, if she told herself that enough, she’d believe it too. Teddy took a deep breath and continued down the hall and slowly made her way down the stairs. When she reached the bottom, she let out the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding, then turned down the hall leading to the library.
Light spilled out of her father’s study. Was he awake or had he left a candle burning? Either way, it made her stomach turn. That light was not a good omen. She hoped he had not drowned his difficulties in a bottle of brandy. She hated being around her father when he was inebriated. His drunkenness was hard to bear and made her uncomfortable.
Could she slip by his study without him noticing?
Maybe. But she wasn’t certain if she could. If her father noticed her she’d have to extricate herself somehow, but it would not be easy. She would have to try her best to pass by unnoticed. Teddy didn’t want to return to her chambers without something to distract her from the storm. It would be a tension-filled night without the diversion. She’d like to prevent that if she could.
She started down the hall again, this time on her tiptoes. Teddy stayed close to the wall, on the opposite side of her father’s study, hoping he wouldn’t notice her as she scurried past it. She kept her breathing as even as possible. Her heart raced faster and faster with each careful step she took. The study was only a couple footsteps away. She held her breath and placed a tentative step, then another, until she was on the other side. She let out the breath once she reached the other side.
“Who’s there?” her father called out, slurring his words as he spoke.
Drat. She hadn’t gone as unnoticed as she had hoped she would. Instead of answering she kept going. The library was close and she could slip inside. When she reached the library she rushed inside and across the room. Lightning struck, illuminating the many shelves lining the back wall. She went over and plucked a book off, not looking at it. Teddy didn’t care what she read, as long as it kept her mind occupied.
She turned to leave but stopped suddenly. A large man filled the doorway. It didn’t look like her father, but it was dark. Perhaps she was mistaken and imagining things.
“Well, well,” the man said. “What do we have here. Looks like Seville was right. One of his brats is wandering around the house. What did you hear?”
“Noth..ing,” she stumbled over the word as she spoke. “I came for a book.” Who was this man? Why was he so concerned about what she may have heard? “I promise I heard nothing.”
He sighed. “What am I going to do with you.” He stalked forward and grabbed her arm.
“You’re hurting me.”
He shook her and laughed maniacally. “I haven’t begun to hurt you.”
The book she’d been holding slipped to the floor. He reached over and cupped her breast. “You’re a ripe young thing, aren’t you? So innocent.”
A tear slipped down her cheek. He squeezed her breast. Teddy tried to pull away, but he had a tight grip on her arm. “Let me go,” she demanded. Why was he hurting her? She hoped
