How to Romance a Rake

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This is a work of ction. All of the characters, organizations, and eventsportrayed in this novel are either products of the authors imagination orare used ctitiously.

Copyright 2012 by Manda Collins.Excerpt fromHow to Entice an Earlcopyright 2012 by Manda Collins.

All rights reserved.

For information address St. Martins Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York,NY 10010.

ISBN: 978-0-312-54925-1

Printed in the United States of America

St. Martins Paperbacks edition / August 2012

St. Martins Paperbacks are published by St. Martins Press, 175 Fifth

Avenue, New York, NY 10010.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

NOTE:If you purchased this book without a cover you should beaware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as unsoldand destroyed to the publisher, and neither the author nor thepublisher has received any payment for this stripped book.


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One

From his close-cropped golden curls to his gleamingdancing shoes, Lord Deveril was a man envied by men andadored by women.

And he was bloody tired of it.A leader of the fashionable set, he was dressed tonight

for his familys annual ball in a style slavish young fops

had dubbed Deverilish, which was marked by a blend ofBrummells simplicity and a hint of dash. His pristine neckcloth was skillfully tied in a knot calledwhat elsetheDeveril, and was anchored by a ruby stickpin that couldkeep a young buck in hats for a century or more. The cut ofhis black coat was looser than in Brummells day but thetailoring was exquisite. And at his wrists he wore just a hintof lace.

It was not, he reected, as he kissed the elderly LadySophronia Singletons gloved hand and complimented herhorric scarlet turban, that he minded his popularity somuch. Given the snubs hed endured from the hypocriticaltonwhen his father had still been drinking and whoring hisway through London, the tons approval had been a welcomechange at rst.

It hadnt happened overnight, of course. He had beenruthless in his social campaign for those rst few years.

Hed worked hard to establish himself as a man of sub-stance as well as style. He gambled, but only enough to


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2 Manda Co l l i n s

prove himself honest. He had his share of liaisons with will-ing widows and even kept a few mistresses. But though hedenjoyed the affairs while they lasted, always in the back ofhis mind was the memory that he was proving to the worldjust how different he was from his father.

And eventually, his diligence had paid off. Whereas hedleft university still in the shadow of his fathers notoriety,now he was considered a good un by the gentlemen, and a

catch by marriage-minded mamas.Given what his social status might have been, then, Alecknew just how ungrateful it was for him to admit he was lessthan satised with it. His ennui sprang, he supposed, fromthe knowledge that if he so chose, this same pattern couldcontinue on into his dotage. Breakfast at Whites, horseeshat Tattersalls, seeing and being seen in the park, followedup by some evening entertainment or other. The same

people, the same food, the same conversation.

Why so gloomy, Deveril? Colonel Lord Christian Mon-teith asked from his usual post, one shoulder propped againsta marble column. Trouble with the old cravat? Champagnenot shining your Hessians as bright as youd like? Stickpinpoking you in the . . . ?

Dont be an ass, Monteith. Alec raised his quizzingglass and a dark blond brow, channeling his annoyancethrough the eyepiece.

Sorry, chap, that thingummy doesnt work on me, Mon-teith said apologetically. My heads too thick. Its powerscannot penetrate to my brain.

With a sigh, Alec tucked the glass away. Should haveknown youd ignore it.

Taking up a position on the other side of Monteiths pil-lar, he nodded toward the ballroom oor. Why arent youdancing? he asked.

Already did.

What, you danced once and having done your duty,retired here to this pillar? It was unfair for Monteith to


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How t o Romanc e a Rak e 3

shirk his duty when Alec knew full well that there wereplenty of ladies who would be without a partner. Ladies likehis sisters. He ignored the fact that his own failure to marrysomeone who could serve as a chaperone for them mightalso impact their social success or lack thereof.

For your information, Lord Hauteur, Monteith re-turned, I danced with at least ve ladies and now I am rest-ing my tired bones, rather than sprinting to the card room as

my less noble spirit would have me do.Oh. Wheres Winterson?The Duke and Duchess of Winterson had become good

friends with Alec earlier in the season through their inves-tigation of the Egyptian Club, of which Alec had been amember. Theirs had been a rather hasty marriage, but tohis delight they seemed blissfully happy together. Winter-son and Monteith had served in the campaign against

Napoleon together and were often to be seen surveying the

crowds at these tonentertainments.Keeping watch over his lady wife, Monteith said with

a frown, and intimidating young swells into paying courtto her cousins.

Alec felt an unfamiliar pang of jealousy. Hed been con-sidering the possibility of marriage as a means of curing hisennui, and the Duchess of Wintersons cousin Lady Made-line Essex was high on his list of potential candidates.

Curvy, blond, and quiet, Madeline would make an excel-lent viscountess. And her easy manners would endear herto his sisters. But if Monteith beat him to the punch, itwouldnt matter whether his sisters liked her or not.

How is that working? he asked, careful to keep his toneneutral.

Not too well. The taller man grinned. I dont thinkMiss Shelby or Lady Madeline care for being managed by

their cousins husband. Took quite a bit of convincing to get

Lady Madeline to dance with me, and that was only grudg-ingly done. I do not think the lady cares for me.


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Something in Alecs gut unknotted. He had come toadmire both ladies over the past few weeks. But he had nowish to compete with his friend as a rival for Lady Made-lines hand. He was quite sure he could hold his own, butMonteith could be charming when he set his mind to it.Things would be much better if Monteith set his sightson Miss Juliet Shelby, the Duchess of Wintersons othercousin.

Slim and fair of complexion with deep auburn hair, MissShelby could have been the toast of the tonwere it not foran accident during her teens that had left her with a pro-nounced limp. Alec had been partnered with her at a cardparty some weeks ago and found her to be a sensible andwitty young woman. She was not one to suffer fools gladly,and he could only imagine her annoyance at Wintersonsinterference. If he guessed right, shed much rather have

spent the evening at home working on one of her composi-

tions for the pianoforte.On the other hand, Monteith continued, Miss Shelby

and I had a delightful conversation speculating over theidentity of the artist everyone is chattering about. She thinkshes probably some unknown trying to gain the spotlight.I think its probably some chap with a agging career whowishes to raise speculation about his work.

Il Maestro,you mean?

All of London had been engrossed with learning theidentity of the mysterious artist who had begun showing hiscontroversial paintings a little over a month ago. The galleryowner claimed not to know, as did the few who had pur-chased pieces from the show. And it was generally agreedthat the longer he kept his identity a secret the more in-trigued the public would become.

Who else? Monteith said with something like disgust.

I blame Byron for all of this ado. He swans about with his

dark looks, spouting poetry and seducing women, and nowevery other fellow with the least bit of artistic inclination


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thinks a foreign sobriquet and risqu art are the shortcut tocelebrity.

Yes, Alec reasoned, but Byron didnt keep his iden-tity a secret. He makes sure everyone knows its himselfhes writing about.

The other man grimaced. Just wait. Il Maestro willhave a grand unmasking as soon as hes whipped the ladiesinto a sufcient frenzy of curiosity. He smiled. All except

for Miss Shelby, that is. I think a surfeit of chatter aboutthat blighter is what sent her over the edge.What do you mean? Alec asked, his brow furrowed.

Is she unwell?He did not like to think of Juliet ill. And it was the duty

of a good host to ensure the comfort of all his guests, ofcourse.

Monteiths glib tone turned serious. I think her leg might

be paining her a bit, he said. And of course her harridan of

a mother refused to allow her to take the carriage home.On that point, Deveril and Monteith were in rm agree-

ment. Lady Shelby was one of the most beautiful women tograce the ton. She and her two sisters had taken society bystorm when theyd made their debuts some two and a halfdecades earlier. The daughters of an undistinguished Dor-set squire, theyd been introduced to the tonby a distantcousin and within months married three of the most eligible

bachelors in town. Of the three, Rose was the least admired.Not because of her looks, which had only improved withage, but because of her unpleasant nature.

It would have surprised me to hear she had done so, heremarked. Lady Shelby loves no one but herself. And eventhose feelings come with conditions.

The other man made a snort of agreement.His respite from his guests over, Deveril took leave of

his friend and wandered over to the line of chairs that had

been set out for the matrons and those young ladies whoeither did not care to dance, or had not been asked. An


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empty seat next to Lady Madeline Essex beckoned, but ashe glanced up he saw a familiar gure slipping through thedoors leading to a hallway off the family rooms. Changingdirection, he threaded his way through chattering guests,and nally made his way to the exit.

When he reached the corridor, it was deserted except fora few wandering pairs taking advantage of the less crowdedroom for quiet conversation. Or perhaps for assignations.

He was hardly one to judge.Turning into a side hallway, he saw what he was lookingfor. A familiar man was turning a key in the door of Alecsofce.

Uncle, he said, making no effort to hush his approach.Is there something I can help you with?

Roderick Devenish gave a start at being caught, butquickly regained his composure.

Nephew. He nodded, revealing the extent to which his

graying hair had begun its slow retreat toward the back ofhis scalp. I was just wondering if you had any of thoseSpanish cheroots you like so much.

Bollocks.But Alec did not challenge him.Were you, indeed? he asked blandly, letting his eyes

convey what he really thought of that falsehood. I wouldhave offered one if I knew you wanted one. Of course Ididnt realize you had a key.

A pregnant silence fell between the two men. Alec mar-veled at his uncles audacity. He was just like Alecs latefather.

A legacy of my youth, Im afraid, Roderick said, n-gering the key in his hand. And I thank you for the offer,but Ive decided I dont wish to indulge after all.

Then Ill have to ask you to return to the ballroom,Deveril said, his voice still calm. If the other guests nd

you wandering about in the family quarters then theyll

think were actually family.At the cut, Roderick let his urbane mask slip.


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You know as well as I do that the same poisonousblood runs in us both.

His sneer made him look every one of his fty years.Unwilling to be led down that path tonight, Alec shook

his head. Get out, he said simply. The steel in his tonewas sharp and cold. But rst give me the key.

The naked hatred on his uncles face was nothing new. Itwas akin to the look his own father had turned on him so

many years ago. Grudgingly, he slapped the key into Alecsoutstretched hand. Turning, he stalked back down the hall-way in the direction from which Deveril had come, his dis-pleasure evident in every step.

When he was sure Roderick was gone, Alec let himselfinto the study to ensure that nothing had been disturbed.To his relief nothing had. He did nd, however, a collarthe same sort worn by the housemaids. He had no illu-

sions that it had been dropped in the course of her regular

duties. Roderick, it seemed, was as ever, just like his latebrother.

The same blood might run in both of them, but Deverilwas determined to ensure no woman he encountered wouldever nd herself a victim of it. Hed built his entire adultlife upon that principle.

When he stepped back into the hall, he saw that the doorto the music room three doors down was slightly ajar, and

strode down the hall. Tonight, it seemed, the ballroommight be the least crowded room in Deveril House.

Hiding behind a screen was not how Miss Shelby had in-tended to spend the bulk of the Deveril ball.

When shed arrived an hour earlier, she and her cousinMadeline had dutifully made their way to the side of theballroom, where chairs had been set up for the chaperones

and wallowers. Though their other cousin, Cecily, had re-cently wed the Duke of Winterson, Juliet and Maddie had


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Its insulting to anyone of taste, Lady Felicia continued.As if weve forgotten how the Ugly Ducklings languishedwith the rest of the ineligibles these past three years. DoesCecily Hurston really believe that her lucky marriage willerase Lady Madelines plumpness or Miss Shelbys unfortu-nate limp?

Juliet could hardly be surprised at Felicias unkind words,but hearing them aloud stung. For the three years since their

debut, when Amelia had dubbed the unfashionable cousinsthe Ugly Ducklings, theyd been subjected to one un-kindness or another from the blond beauty and her friend.Though she had hoped that Cecilys marriage to the Dukeof Winterson would give the cousins a much needed so-cial boost, it would appear with Amelia and Felicia thechange in status for Cecily had barely registered. And itmost certainly hadnt erased their derision for Madeline

and Juliet.

Cecily Hurston may have trapped Winterson into mar-riage, Amelia said, but there is no way that Lady Made-line or Miss Shelby can possibly expect to make comparablematches. Why, the idea is preposterous.

While it is certainly within the realm of possibility thatMadeline will go on a strict reducing regimen, Amelia con-tinued, warming to her topic, there is certainly nothing thatJuliet can do about her unfortunate limp. I had supposed

that one such as she would be conned to her home and notbe thrust upon genteel society. I wonder what her parentswere thinking to bring her out as if she were any normalgirl.

Juliet felt her cheeks redden with anger. It wasnt as ifshe had never heard such sentiments expressed before. In-deed, her own mother had at times said similar things,though she had had the decency to keep her thoughts out of

hearing of the public. So long as Juliet kept the true nature

of her unfortunate injury secret, Lady Shelby had agreedthat her daughter might attend as many society events as


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she wished. But to hear Amelia Snowe, who had fooled thegentlemen of the toninto believing her to be a sweet andnurturing angel, express such sentiments was infuriating.

I daresay, Felicia responded, they are hoping to marryher off to some aged lord who has already sired an heir.The idea of anyone else wishing to marry such an antidoteis laughable. What man would possibly wish for the motherof his children to drag herself around with a walking stick?

As she listened to the two girls share their mirth at herexpense, Juliet vowed to accidentally trip Amelia at therst opportunity.

You dont suppose theyve already chosen someone, doyou? Amelia asked, once her giggles had subsided. Be-cause I would dearly love to be present at that wedding!How does one stumble down the aisle, do you think?

At least we would not be forced to see her dance at her

own wedding! Imagine what a spectacle that would be!

Carroty hair mixed with a halting gait. She will be as amus-ing as a performer at the circus. This came from Lady Fe-licia.

The laughing t brought on by that bit of mean-spiritednesswas interrupted by a cough. A gentlemans cough.

Miss Snowe, Lady Felicia, she heard a deep voice say.How is it that you are not on the dance oor?

Juliet could all but hear Amelias simpering smile slide

back into place.Your lordship, she cooed, what a delightful enter-tainment youve hosted this evening. Felicia and I were justtaking a bit of a rest in between sets.

I thank you for the compliment, Viscount Deveril saidsmoothly, though was that a hint of annoyance Juliet heardin his voice? I must ask you to return to the festivities, hecontinued, his voice denitely cool. This room is for family

use only.

And you two are not family, his voice implied. Juliet bitback a cheer.


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How to Romance a Rake

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