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Betraying Mercy
by Amber Lin
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Can
she be more than a mistress?
With
a tarnished reputation, Mercy Lyndhurst expected to become the Earl of
Rochford's mistress, not his wife. Immediately abandoned by her husband after
their wedding, Mercy transformed herself from commoner to countess, vowing to
protect the lands and people her husband was forced to leave.
Over
the past six years, William has restored the family fortune all the while
tortured by his memories of Mercy…and the dark night he killed a man. When a
threat draws him home, William learns just how much has changed—including his
wife. While the passion still flares between them, he fears he has wounded her
too badly to regain her trust. But as the danger grows they must unite to save
the estate…and possibly their marriage.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EXCERPTS
William stopped beside his horse, staring into the gray
hills.
“Back there,” Beck said. “My lord, it was murder.”
His heart squeezed tight. Murder. “He was going to hurt her.
You saw it.”
“He was drunk and unarmed but for a piece of glass. You came
to the house with a pistol. It will look like revenge. There are limits to what
the law will accept, even for a peer.”
William paused, swallowed. “No. There aren’t.”
A part of him wished Beck was right, that someone would
punish William for what he had done, that someone would protect this young
woman from his misuse. But that part of him was very small and William spoke the
truth. That was the problem with being an earl, even a poor one—there was no
one to stop him.
The young woman crossed the marshy grass in her thin
nightgown—already halfway to translucence in the rain. She faced him with a
blankness he recognized in himself. Shock at what had happened. Acceptance of
what was to come.
Sweet little Mercy Lyndhurst, and here he was to defile her.
The last time he’d seen her she’d been a waif of a girl. Now
she was all woman. And why shouldn’t he take her? He could have her and help
her at the same time.
A poor excuse.
He examined her, struggling for detachment. Already the rain
was clearing some of the fog from his mind, allowing rays of sanity to peek
through. The thought of going home alone to the empty cavern of a house chilled
him. He might as well be a stranger in his own lands for all that he knew
anyone here.
He was selfish to take her this way, but concern whispered,
too.
What would she do here? Jasper may have been a poor excuse
for a caretaker, but a young woman with no means could starve in the next cruel
winter. She deserved better than him for a rescuer, but he was all she had.
Another excuse. The simple truth was, he couldn’t quite
bring himself to leave her here, in a place that reeked of death.
“Did you send the note?” he asked suddenly. He didn’t know
where the idea had come from, but he knew the answer even before she nodded.
She’d sent the note, because she knew there was trouble.
She’d used code from their childhood, so that he would understand. And that was
as good a reason to take her as any—there were very few people he could trust.
Just her, perhaps.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Amber Lin writes
edgy romance with damaged hearts, redemptive love, and a steamy ever after. Her
debut novel, Giving It Up, received The Romance Review’s Top Pick, Night Owl
Top Pick, and 5 Blue Ribbons from Romance Junkies. RT Book Reviews called it
“truly extraordinary.” Since then, she has gone on to write erotic,
contemporary, and historical romances.
To stay up to
date with upcoming releases, sign up for her newsletter: http://authoramberlin.com/newsletter
You can also
follow her on twitter:
https://twitter.com/authoramberlin
and
Facebook:.https://www.facebook.com/authoramberlin
Buy Links:
Barnes and Noble
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/betraying-mercy-amber-lin/1119289880?ean=9781460338377
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