The Earl’s Daughter and the Reformed Rogue
Elizabeth Reed
- This
- is
- a
- steamy
- historical
- romance
- short
- story
- (word
- count
- 4,991).Claire,
- despite
- having
- to
- persuade
- her
- father,
- an
- influential
- Earl,
- of
- her
- choice
- of
- husband,
- is
- happy
- to
- be
- marrying
- her
- fiancé,
- Marcus,
- the
- second
- son
- of
- the
- landed
- gentry.
- He
- has
- everything
- she
- could
- hope
- for
- in
- a
- groom:
- intelligence,
- wit,
- an
- adventurous
- and
- easy
- nature,
- not
- to
- mention
- the
- fact
- that
- he
- is
- dashingly
- handsome
- and
- excites
- her
- in
- more
- ways
- than
- one!Despite
- seeing
- all
- Marcus’s
- good
- qualities,
- she
- cannot
- overlook
- his
- colourful
- past
- reputation,
- with
- the
- result
- that
- she
- reluctantly
- asks
- him
- on
- the
- eve
- of
- their
- wedding
- day
- if
- he
- will
- promise
- to
- remain
- true
- and
- be
- faithful
- to
- her.
- Claire
- knows
- full
- well
- that
- she
- stands
- to
- lose
- Marcus,
- if
- he
- wishes
- to
- keep
- a
- separate
- private
- life.Marcus,
- for
- his
- part,
- is
- taken
- aback
- by
- Claire’s
- ultimatum,
- which
- is
- not
- at
- all
- the
- custom
- among
- London
- society.
- It
- is
- not
- that
- he
- does
- not
- have
- a
- liking
- for
- his
- fiancée—in
- truth,
- he
- finds
- Claire
- to
- be
- beautiful
- and
- of
- good
- character—it
- is
- just
- that
- he
- is
- unsure
- if
- she
- will
- be
- able
- to
- cope
- with
- his
- desires,
- or
- even
- if
- he
- wants
- her
- to,
- as
- his
- perception
- of
- Claire
- is
- only
- that
- of
- a
- good
- and
- pure
- gentle
- lady.It
- is
- only
- when
- Claire
- and
- he
- have
- a
- brief
- moment
- of
- passion
- that
- Marcus
- starts
- to
- realise
- that
- his
- future
- bride
- may
- have
- a
- very
- passionate
- side
- of
- her
- own.
- And
- if
- he
- should
- dare
- agree
- to
- her
- demand,
- he
- might
- just
- find
- out
- that
- Claire
- is
- all
- the
- woman
- he
- will
- ever
- need
- or desire!
