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

My throat felt clogged, caused by the cloying odour of the flowers, I had no doubt. I poured myself a glass of sherry and took it to my study. I’d have dinner there.


I didn’t see the ladies again until dinner the following evening.


“I trust you had an enjoyable day, Miss Munro?”


“Oh, yes, Sir Ashton. Dear Lady Cecily was so kind as to show me around Laytham Hall. You have a very impressive home, and it contains so many lovely things.” She glanced at me from under her lashes. “I understand your lands are equally lovely.”


“I must agree, but then this has been my home for most of my life.”


“Lady Cecily was telling me about how you lost your parents at such a very tender age.”


“Indeed.” The last thing I wished to discuss was that tragic time. A change of topic was necessitated, and I said the first thing that popped into my head. “If you like, I’ll be happy to take you around the estate.”


Chapter 76