SNIPPET ONE - REGENCY ROMANCE
The days that passed were lonely, despite Susan having plenty of company. The problem was that it wasn’t the kind of company she was after. None of her friends had been to visit her, none of them responding to her correspondences either. Susan had heard nothing from Fitzroy, and was starting to give up any hope that she would.
The times when she was by herself, she pondered how she had reached such a point in her life. How had she managed to fall so hard from such a good place? It struck her as unfair that creating a good name in society required so much work, when one small moment could break her name entirely.
It certainly had a way of putting things in perspective.
The carriage rattled and shook the thoughts from Susan’s mind. As far as her family was concerned, she had simply decided to go out for a turn in the carriage to clear her head. However, as she and her faithful carriage driver knew, she was headed back toward the docks. Thankfully for Susan, she’d had the same man drive her around since she was born, and he was kind enough to keep her secrets when necessary.
It was Edward’s company that had been keeping her busy over the last few days. Not so much in person, but mentally. He had taken her to see the paintings, and they had discussed some of the terms of their deal. He would get what was owed to him, and he promised her that he would be a gentleman.
SNIPPET TWO - REGENCY ROMANCE
Madalene did not flee from him, a reaction that he might have gotten from most other women. His actions should have scared her, that’s what he had hoped to do in that split second when he had pinned her to the wall.
While he had let go of her, he did not step away. Frederick did not want her to think that he would back down from the argument. For weeks he had been waiting for her to bring it up in conversation, or for her to apologize for what she had done.
She had said nothing. Life had gone on as if none of it had happened, but he knew that it had been done on purpose, and for a reason. He had tried to figure that reason out on his own and had come up with nothing.
“So tell me then, why did you do it?” he asked plainly.
He stared her in the eyes, forcing honesty out of her.
It had been many years since he’d been in that kind of place. He’d been there before with Ava, who also had a knack for pressing his buttons, but he’d enjoyed it then because he’d reaped the benefits of the relationship as well.
Madalene stared at him.
“I had no choice,” she said.
“Rubbish,” he snapped. “You can’t possibly mean that.”
“But I do,” she said. “You behave as if I’m not even here. It doesn’t matter what I do, I get no reaction from you at all.”
