If the Viscount Falls

If the Viscount Falls
1



Winborough Estate in Yorkshire

May 1829

FOUR DAYS AFTER his arrival at Winborough's Whitsuntide house party, Dom rummaged through the drawers of the desk in his half brother's study. Where in blazes did Tristan keep his sealing wax? So far, Dom had found a penknife, some string, seventeen quills, a lint-clad lemon drop, a stack of foolscap, and a lacy garter, but no sign of wax.

He didn't even want to think about why the garter was in there. The thought of Tristan and Dom's new sister-in-law, Zoe, doing . . . whatever upon the desk made him feel like a Peeping Tom.

Just as Dom slammed the top drawer shut, he spotted the sealing wax, set neatly beside an inkpot atop the desk. Right there before his eyes, blast it all. Clearly he was losing his mind.

Dom dropped into the chair. It was all Jane's fault. Set to inherit the Rathmoor title now that George was dead, he ought to be concentrating on his return to Rathmoor Park today and his attempts to get it out of arrears. Instead, Jane consumed his thoughts.

It was ludicrous. They were nothing to each other now. Certainly, he was nothing to her. After more than twelve years unmarried, she'd finally gone and got herself engaged to Edwin Barlow, the newly minted Earl of Blakeborough.

She would soon be out of Dom's reach for good, and he couldn't change that. He didn't want to change it. That time of his life was gone forever, as well it should be. He was quite a bit older and wiser, not to mention rougher, and she was still an heiress. They had nothing in common. They were different people.

And perhaps if he said it enough, he would finally believe it. He had to believe it. He had to excise her from his mind somehow.

"Zoe wants to know if you intend to join us for services at their church in town."

He jerked his head up so quickly that he nearly knocked over the Argand lamp. "Blast it, Lisette, don't sneak up on me like that!"

With a toss of her

Sabrina Jeffries is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of several Regency-set historical romance series, including the Royal Brotherhood, the School for Heiresses, the Hellions of Halstead Hall, the Duke's Men, and the Sinful Suitors. When she's not writing in a coffee-fueled haze, she's traveling with her husband, caring for her adult autistic son, or indulging in one of her passions: jigsaw puzzles, chocolate, music, and costume parties. With more than nine million books in print in twenty languages, the North Carolina author never regrets tossing aside a budding career in academics for the sheer joy of writing fun fiction and hopes that one day a book of hers will end up saving the world. She always dreams big.