Catherine Tinley - The Captain's Disgraced Lady

Who is Captain Harry Fanton?

When Juliana Milford first encounters Captain Harry Fanton, she finds him arrogant and rude. There’s no way she’ll fall for his dazzling smile! Her visit to Chadcombe House was always going to prompt questions over her scandalous family, so she’s touched when Harry defends her reputation. She’s discovering there’s more to Harry than she’d first thought...

A man so plagued by the demons of war, he’s sworn he’ll never marry, no matter how tempted...

Without any further warning, Harry bent his head and kissed her.

Shocked, Juliana could only feel the warmth of his lips, the taste of him, the brief touch of his breath before it was gone again. Not a moment too soon, as some guests appeared round the arc in the corridor. He had timed the kiss to perfection, in the brief instant when they were alone, and in that split second Juliana’s senses swam, her stomach flipped and her nerve endings tingled.

Her heart was pounding with what must be outrage. ‘Thank you? I should thank you for kissing me without my permission?’ Her voice squeaked a little. She cleared her throat. ‘Why on earth would I do such a thing?’

‘Because, my darling Juliana, I wished you to know yourself. To know the passion within you...a passion that would be smothered by the wrong man. You would end up half alive.’

‘You have no right to make such remarks—or to kiss me!’ Surprisingly, Juliana felt close to tears. What was happening to her?

He looked closely at her and his gaze softened. With a rueful half-smile, he murmured, ‘You must believe me when I tell you I have only your interests at heart.’

Praise for Juliet Landon

“Charming, romantic and historically accurate; it’s a feast for the history lover.”

—RT Book Reviews on Scandalous Innocent

“Landon has written a titillating and entertaining battle of the sexes, one in which readers cannot help but take sides—both of them. SENSUAL.”

—RT Book Reviews on His Duty, Her Destiny

“Readers who enjoy medieval love stories...will enjoy immersing themselves in this tale.”

—RT Book Reviews on Captive of the Viking

The Captain’s Disgraced Lady

Catherine Tinley

www.millsandboon.co.uk

CATHERINE TINLEY Catherine Tinley has loved reading and writing since childhood, and has a particular fondness for love, romance and happy endings. She lives in Ireland with her husband, children, dog and kitten, and can be reached at catherinetinley.com, as well as through Facebook and @CatherineTinleyon Twitter.

Books by Catherine Tinley

Mills & Boon Historical Romance

The Chadcombe Marriages Waltzing with the Earl The Captain’s Disgraced Lady

Visit the Author Profile page at millsandboon.co.uk.

Before you start reading, why not sign up?

Thank you for downloading this Mills & Boon book. If you want to hear about exclusive discounts, special offers and competitions, sign up to our email newsletter today!

SIGN ME UP!

Or simply visit

signup.millsandboon.co.uk

Mills & Boon emails are completely free to receive and you can unsubscribe at any time via the link in any email we send you.

For my family—

Andrew, Danny, Aoife and Maeve—with love.

And for my friends Bryan and Beryl,

for loyalty and love through good times and bad.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Praise

Title Page

About the Author

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

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Epilogue

Author Note

Extract

Copyright

Chapter One

Dover—March 1815

‘Come along, Mama—it’s this way.’

Juliana moved confidently along the wharf, ignoring the rain, the sailors, dockworkers and passengers. She wore a fashionable travelling gown of dark-green merino, which clung to her form, and a fetching hat with a small feather stuck in it at a jaunty angle.

‘You there!’ Her voice was strong, clear and assured.

‘Yes, miss?’ The docker doffed his hat, despite the rain.

‘We require a carriage—a good carriage. It will take us to Ashford tonight, then on towards Surrey.’

‘Yes, miss. Right away, miss.’

‘The porter will bring our luggage. We shall require a place to wait, out of the rain, while our luggage is brought from the ship.’

‘Er, yes, miss. You won’t want to go to the Swan—it’s not for the likes of you. You’d be better suited to the King’s Head.’ As he spoke, the docker indicated the King’s Head, failing to conceal his horror at the thought of two gently bred ladies wandering into the Swan in broad daylight. Juliana tried not to smile.

‘Thank you.’ Her voice gentled. ‘See, Mama? Did I not tell you all would be well?’

Her mama did not look convinced. She glanced around fearfully, clinging to her reticule as if convinced it would be stolen from her at any moment. Juliana sighed inwardly. Her mama’s anxiety was even worse than she had anticipated. She needed to get her indoors and offer her reassurance. Ignoring the spring rain, which was getting heavier by the minute, Juliana marched purposefully to the inn, her mama following in her wake.

The King’s Head had seen better days. The sign over the door was a little faded, as was the wool rug on the floor of the taproom. The wooden panelling and gloomy portraits on the walls gave an air of an age gone by, but the stone floor was clean and the brass taps shone.

The landlord, assessing their quality at a glance, bustled forward to welcome the two ladies. Inviting them to follow him out of the common taproom to the cosy parlour, he asked for their requirements—tea, cakes, and the fire to be built up. As usual, Juliana took charge, making her requests politely but firmly. They were to have sole use of the parlour. The tea should be served very hot, with an additional pot of hot water.

Mama sank into the nearest chair with an attitude of great relief.

Juliana immediately went to her. ‘Oh, Mama! You look fagged to death. And I have dragged you across the sea when you never wanted to come. You know I could have travelled to visit Charlotte with just a maid to accompany me. You did not have to come! Here, let me put this cushion behind you. Your tea will be here directly.’ She threw an imperious glance at the landlord, who quickly absented himself in pursuit of the hottest tea he could procure. Good! Now she could spend the next hour or so seeing to her mama’s comfort, soothing her and ensuring she was relaxed enough to cope with the next part of the journey.

Juliana knew exactly what her mama required, for had she not done this many times before? Mama needed solitude—the parlour door closed against strangers, along with hot tea and reassuring words.

Mama waited until the door had closed behind the landlord, before declaring tremulously, ‘I do not mind, Juliana. Well, that is to say... I cannot claim I wanted to come, but I could not let you travel by yourself, all the way across the sea. Why, you have never been to England before!’