Julia Justiss - The Tempting Of The Governess

His new governess...

Is getting under his skin!

Infuriating, impertinent ...just some of the words Colonel Hugh Glendenning could use to describe Miss Olivia Overton! She’s insisting he spend time with his orphaned wards—which has forced him to admit he’s been keeping the world at arm’s length since losing his wife and baby son. That’s not all that’s disturbing him. It’s the new temptation Olivia’s sparking in Hugh to enjoy life again—with her !

JULIA JUSTISSwrote her own ideas for Nancy Drew stories in her third-grade notebook, and has been writing ever since. After publishing poetry in college she turned to novels. Her Regency historical romances have won or been placed in contests by the Romance Writers of America, RT Book Reviews , National Readers’ Choice Awards and the Daphne du Maurier Award. She lives with her husband in Texas. For news and contests visit juliajustiss.com.

Also by Julia Justiss

Hadley’s Hellions miniseries

Forbidden Nights with the Viscount

Stolen Encounters with the Duchess

Convenient Proposal to the Lady

Secret Lessons with the Rake

Sisters of Scandal miniseries

A Most Unsuitable Match

The Earl’s Inconvenient Wife

The Cinderella Spinsters miniseries

The Awakening of Miss Henley

The Tempting of the Governess

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk.

The Tempting of the Governess

Julia Justiss

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-0-008-90131-8

The Tempting of the Governess

© 2020 Janet Justiss

Published in Great Britain 2020

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.

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To my darlings Anna, Samantha and Bennett.

You prove every day what a delight little girls can be.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Note to Readers

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Extract

About the Publisher

‘I am very sorry, Miss Overton, but you have no more money.’

Numb with shock, Olivia Overton walked slowly back down the stairs from the solicitor’s office, his unexpected and horrifying news still echoing in her ears.

Reaching the pavement, she hesitated. The prospect of returning home to Upper Brook Street brought back all the unhappy memories of two weeks earlier, when she’d come in to discover her mama expired upon the drawing-room sofa.

Adding in the unpalatable fact that the home she’d occupied for more than twelve years now belonged to someone else and she knew she couldn’t bring herself to cross that threshold again just yet.

She’d go visit Sara Standish and reveal her drastically changed circumstances to her best friend, the one person in London who would understand her shock, pain and distress.

Thinking with gallows humour that she’d better enjoy the luxury of travelling by hackney before her few remaining funds ran out, she walked down the street and found a jarvey to convey her to Hanover Square.

A short time later, the butler escorted her to the Standish town house’s small back parlour. ‘I’ll send Miss Standish down immediately,’ he whispered, his cautious glance towards the grand front salon letting her know that Sara’s mother, who had long enjoyed being an invalid, must be reclining on her couch there, receiving friends conveying the latest ton gossip.

A ripple of anguish went through as she realised that the next likely topic of gossip would be her.

Have you heard? That Overton girl has lost all her money! A shame she’s so odd—and plain. No chance of her getting some gentleman to rescue her with an offer of marriage.

She took a deep, steadying breath. Ton gossip would soon be the least of her worries. Whatever she decided to do next, she would have very little time to figure it out—before her cousin Sir Roger and the new Lady Overton arrived in London to take possession of her house.

Too restless to take a seat, she paced back and forth in front of the mantel, halting when Sara appeared on the threshold. Taking one look at Olivia’s face, her quiet, gentle blonde friend came over and pulled her into a hug. ‘My poor dear! Have you been missing your mama badly today?’

For a moment, Olivia clung to Sara, to the person who seemed her last safe haven in a suddenly chaotic and threatening world. ‘No more than usual,’ she said, releasing her to take a seat beside her on the sofa. ‘Isn’t it strange how you can live with a person for years, finding them an indifferent companion, sometimes even an annoyance, and yet miss them quite dreadfully when they are gone?’

Sara cast a glance towards the front parlour. ‘I understand completely. And Mama isn’t even much involved in my life, having taken to her couch and delegated all responsibility for me to Aunt Patterson years ago. Whereas your mother actually dined with you and took you into society with her.’