Ashton Laytham was a happy little boy until, at the age of seven, he lost his parents. Sent to Fayerweather to be brought up by his uncle and his uncle’s wife, he was perceived to be an unhappy, unlovable child. Shunned by family and servants and permitted no friends to visit, he grows to adulthood alone and aloof, with only an occasional illicit rendezvous to lighten his days. When his uncle dies, leaving the estate virtually bankrupt, it’s left to Ashton to make good on his uncle’s gaming debts and save Fayerweather. But how? The family talisman, worth thousands of pounds, has been stolen and the suspects vanished in the night, leaving Ashton to face the loss of the home he’s come to love. Geo Stephenson, who works in His Majesty’s civil service, has ghosts of his own. The product of a marriage of convenience, Geo has known all his life his father never loved his mother, and he vows that will never happen to him. Marked by a physical scar earned in battle, none of his previous lovers could bear looking at it without shuddering; his mental scars are due to the many friends lost in useless battles. Geo arrives with a fistful of Sir Eustace Laytham’s IOUs and a solution: Ashton accommodating him in bed, thereby paying off the debt. Attracted to Geo in spite of himself and desperate for any human kindness, Ashton agrees ... never expecting to lose his heart to a man who has sworn he’ll never give his. Can these two men find a measure of happiness together?

Bless Us With Content

I did get something of my own back, when William said, “Let’s take our steeds over some jumps today. We’ll head out to Three-Penny Field.” He glowered at me. “Any objections, Awful?”


I shrugged. I’d protested once, when Giffard, who managed Fayerweather lands, had already planted a crop in that field. They would have ridden it anyway—and seen I got the blame—but Giffard happened to be there examining the hops for insects, so William had led the band around and back home. This season, however, the field was lying fallow, so they could do as they pleased.


John, no doubt seeking to curry his older brother’s favour, ordered me to saddle his Welsh pony. I could see he fully expected me to refuse, giving him the perfect excuse to knock me down


“Yes, John,” I said meekly, and I trotted to the stables while the three brothers gave hoots of laughter at having finally taught me my place.


Chapter 5