Make Mine a Marquess by Tina Gabrielle – Chapter Excerpt

MAKE MINE A MARQUESS

He lost everything. Now he’s come to take it all back—along with her—in this entrancing romance that’s ideal for fans of Sophie Jordan and Eloisa James

Everyone thought that the Marquess of Landon was lost at sea. Instead, Robert Kirkian defied all the odds and survived. Now he’s returned to London to reclaim his title, his property, and his lands from the foul snake who tried to have him killed: his own cousin. But proper vengeance requires patience—and the perfect weapon. Which is precisely when Robert meets his cousin’s charmingly spirited betrothed…

Miss Phoebe Dawson is everything an ambitious gentleman could desire in a wife. Wealthy, exceedingly lovely, and with a sparkle in her blue eyes that could entice even the most reluctant suitor. But Phoebe’s come too close to ruin—the humiliation of it!—to be fooled by yet another handsome face and silken words . But oh, how he makes her feel. So flustered, so flushed…and so thrillingly alive.

Phoebe knows that love is a fool’s game, even if the Marquess does play his hand like an expert. Her reputation can nary afford the tiniest spark of scandal, let alone those slow, deep kisses that leave her breathless. But she’s about to discover the only thing more dangerous than a rogue is a wronged man hellbent on revenge…

Make Mine a Marquess by Tina Gabrielle – chapter excerpt

Hertfordshire, July 1827

His enemy was close.

Standing in the shadows of the garden, Robert Kirkian, Marquess of Landon glanced inside the ballroom. Strains from the orchestra reached him as masked couples danced by the open French doors. He spotted the baron, his cousin, Lord Willard. He wore a King Henry VIII costume, complete with a rose velvet doublet and cap with a white feather. Unlike the other guests, he was unmasked.

Landon’s gut clenched, longing for revenge. He exhaled slowly, calming his hammering heart. 

As he watched, Lord Willard escorted a blond woman onto the terrace, then down the stairs into the gardens. With her gold half mask, Landon couldn’t see her face, but her figure was tall and willowy.

Landon pressed his back against the stone wall as they walked past then stopped at a stone bench by an old oak tree.

Spying on the pair, Landon moved behind a nearby hedgerow. A full moon and a single torch by the bench illuminated the couple. The lady’s fair hair was stylishly fashioned in a crown of curls, a heavy mass shimmering from the glow of the torch like molten gold.

“You look lovely this evening, Miss Dawson,” Willard said.

“Thank you, my lord.” She was dressed like the goddess Diana with a white dress and a small, decorative quiver of arrows strapped to her back.

From his distance, Landon couldn’t make out her eye color. She smiled, her teeth even and straight. His thoughts raced dangerously. This was the woman betrothed to the baron, a dastardly man.

His cousin took her slender hand. “Miss Dawson, there is no mistaking my feelings.”

Her lips parted. “Lord Willard, I—”

“Your father gave his blessing.” He stepped closer. “There is no reason for shyness between us.” He pulled her into his arms and lowered his head.

The lady pressed a hand against his chest, holding him off. “I mean to wait, my lord.” The baron kept his hold around her waist. “Even for a kiss?”

She stepped out of his embrace and smoothed her skirts. “A kiss can lead to much more. The house party has just begun, and I have hopes we can learn more about each other.”

Willard hesitated, and Landon wondered if he would force a kiss upon her. His muscles tensed, and he was ready to burst forth from behind the hedgerow without a thought about his well-laid plans.

His cousin gave her a crocodile smile. “You are right, my dear. The ball is just the beginning of the house party. We will have opportunity to spend more time together.” He raised her gloved hand and pressed a kiss against the satin, his dark gaze never leaving her face. “I look forward to every moment.” He turned away, then glanced back. “Before I leave, would you like me to send your cousin or mother?”

She shook her head. “No. I’ll be along in a moment.”

“As you wish.” He bowed, then departed.

The lady let out a loud sigh, then sat on the stone bench and slipped her quiver of arrows from her shoulders. Her brows drew together as her left gloved hand rubbed where Lord Willard had kissed her. Then, reaching behind her head, she untied the gold half mask, removed it, and set it beside her.

The moon shifted from behind a cloud, and Landon’s breath stalled in his chest at the sight of her unmasked face. The rumors of her beauty had not done her justice. She had a heart-shaped face, a slender nose, and a porcelain complexion. Thick dark lashes framed deep blue eyes. Her blond hair was lustrous beneath the moonlight. After investigating, he’d learned the baron’s betrothed’s name was Phoebe Dawson, properly addressed as Miss Dawson.

Seizing the opportunity, Landon stepped into view. “Lady Diana, you look lonely.” He’d addressed her as she was costumed, not her real name.

The lady jumped to her feet to face him. Her blue eyes widened, and her gaze traveled from his face, taking in his costume—black half mask, black shirt, black breeches, and boots—before meeting his eyes. “Do I know you, sir?”

“Not yet.”

Her brow creased and she glanced back at the house. “Then it’s not proper for us to be alone.” She turned to leave.

He wanted her to stay, to engage her, to plant the seed for his plans. “A goddess would never forget her quiver of arrows.”

Her eyes sparked with annoyance. “I do not need an arrow to defend myself from a pirate.” 

Landon had chosen the pirate costume in case he was spotted slipping in through the back doors of the mansion. If discovered, he could pretend to be a drunken, wayward guest.

He opened his hands wide. He did not wish to appear threatening. At least not to her. “I would not harm you.”

She eyed him warily. “Says the rogue to the lady.” “What makes you believe I’m a rogue?”

She shook her head, as if the question wasn’t worth answering. “Feminine instinct.”

He flashed her a wolfish grin. “Who am I to argue with such intuition?”

She tilted her head to the side and studied him for a moment. “I did not see a pirate inside the ballroom.”

She was observant. He made a mental note of it. “Perhaps you missed me in the crush.”

She let out an unladylike laugh. “I doubt that.”

“Please tell me you have a weakness for pirates.” Before she could answer, he took a daring step closer until he was an arm’s length from her. She did not back away, and her perfume wafted to him, a delicate lavender, not the cloying scent of many of the other ladies he’d known. This close, her eyes were like the Mediterranean Sea on a warm summer day. The water could be deceptive—lovely and calm on the surface, a dangerous undertow beneath.

“You have an inflated sense of self-worth, lord pirate,” she said.

“I don’t deny it.” He dared to reach out to touch a fat blond lock that had escaped her pins to curve around her cheek. “Perhaps you are right, and you should be wary.”

Pursing her pink lips, she arched a delicate eyebrow. “Why? Will you toss me over your shoulder like a pirate would his booty?”

The image made his cock twitch in his trousers. He was momentarily at a loss for words. Frustration tightened his chest. He’d wanted to fluster her. Instead, she was turning the tables.

A flash of disapproval crossed her face—her lips thinned, and her brows drew slightly together. Had he not been watching her as closely as he was, he would have missed it. “Do not worry,” she said. “I have more sense than to fall beneath your rakish spell.” She spoke like she’d once been a fallen woman. His curiosity was piqued. As Landon stepped back, the curl slipped from his fingers to bounce upon her smooth cheek. “It’s been interesting, lord pirate.” She slipped her mask back on, and without a backward glance, she picked up her quiver of arrows from the stone bench, and walked away, leaving him in the moonlit gardens. He watched as her white- clad figure ascended the terrace steps and disappeared into the ballroom. The baron’s betrothed was no wallflower. She was unexpected, a challenge, and if he wasn’t careful, she could throw him completely off his course of revenge.

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Best-selling author Tina Gabrielle is an attorney and former mechanical engineer whose love of reading for pleasure helped her get through years of academia. She often picked up a romance and let her fantasies of knights in shining armor and lords and ladies carry her away. She is the author of adventurous Regency historical romances for Kensington and Entangled Publishing. She also writes cozy mysteries as Tina Kashian.

Tina’s books have been Barnes & Noble top picks, and her first book, “Lady Of Scandal,” was nominated as best first historical romance by Romantic Times Book Reviews. Tina loves to hear from readers. Please visit her website to learn about upcoming releases and to join her newsletter and enter to win free monthly contests and giveaways. www.tinagabrielle.com

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