The Postilion (The Masqueraders #2) - S.M. LaViolette Page 0,142
was one of horrified fascination, the expressions usually a combination of morbid attraction and sexual curiosity. Being with a man with such a savage visage allowed them to experience danger, even if it was only second hand.
John had long ago become accustomed to people gawking at his face and it had ceased bothering him, if it ever had. He had never put much value in appearances. How could he when he’d seen such pretty, handsome people do such vicious, cruel things?
And why wouldn’t people stare at him? He was hideously scarred. Most people only looked out of curiosity, not malice.
But she had looked at him like a kindly school mistress assessing a troublesome student.
John had felt like a book she’d opened and begun flipping through. Could she see the things he had done? The things he was still doing? The things he had planned for her family?
The notion was foolish, whimsical, and unlike him. It was far more likely the woman was merely more self-possessed than most people. What had looked like cool contemplation had probably been her polite mask of shock and revulsion. He knew women of a certain class—her class—were taught to control and conceal their feelings.
His reaction to her reaction told John he’d become far too reliant on using his scars to intimidate and manipulate people. Some people required more subtlety.
And why was he standing there thinking about her? Again.
He wanted her.
Why did he want her? He had no earthly reason.
It didn’t matter how often he told himself, that she was just another impoverished spinster, a woman of average beauty who was well past her prime. That she was nothing special.
No, that argument was as toothless as an old crone.
John pushed away any thoughts of the woman he’d just left and tucked the fragrant cloth he’d stolen into his pocket. He made his way to the far end of the narrow alley, where he’d left his horse. He tossed a coin to the boy holding his mount and reached for the reins.
The lad, no older than ten or twelve, tilted his head back and stared up a good two feet at John.
“’E bit me, sir.” He held out a scrawny limb as proof. His arm was stick-like with pasty skin stretched over bone, the half-starved body of a street urchin. The undeniable U-shaped mark of equine teeth reddened his small forearm.
John swung himself into the saddle and then looked down at the lad’s upturned face. “He bit you, but you did not let him go?”
“No, gov.” The boy’s pinched face was serious and his dark-circled eyes were steady. He held his ground even though most grown men quailed beneath John’s stare.
John tossed him another coin. “If you want to get bitten again come to St. James’s Square; I have need of a stable hand.”
The boy grinned and the expression transformed his homely face while exposing a set of teeth that were two short of their normal complement.
“Aye, gov.”
John snorted at the boy’s enthusiasm and wheeled his mount.
“But which ‘ouse?” he asked, trotting alongside him.
“The biggest one on the street.”
His soot-smudged forehead wrinkled. “But ain’t that the Duke of Falkirk’s house?”
John smiled and kneed his horse into a canter. “Not anymore.”
Hope you enjoyed the sneak peak!
You can pre-order your copy of The Bastard, HERE.
If you haven’t read my SEDUCERS series you can give it a look here:
Melissa Griffin is quite literally sick and tired. She’s the owner of one of London’s most exclusive brothels, but her failing health is telling her she can’t continue to keep working at her current pace. A relaxing stay in the country is exactly what she needs. Falling for the small town’s gorgeous young vicar—a virgin, no less—was never part of her plan. Their love is scandalous, forbidden…and everything Melissa never knew she wanted. Denying her feelings is unthinkable. Avoiding devastation when her past inevitably drives them apart? Impossible.
Magnus Stanwyck never resented his vow of celibacy…until meeting Melissa. As beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside, the mysterious woman captures his heart in a way he never could’ve anticipated. No matter what stands between them, no matter the cost, he'll do whatever it takes to possess her—heart, body, and soul.
By day, they’re opposites who were never supposed to be together. By night, their passion threatens to overtake them. When all is said and done, can Melissa and Magnus overcome the obstacles (and enemies) that stand between them? Or will fate deny them their happily ever after?
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Looking for more unusual heroes and heroines? Have you tried THE ACADEMY OF LOVE series?
Finding out that her husband was a bigamist didn’t devastate Portia Stefani; she held her head high when she forced him out of her life. But losing her beloved music school as a result of the traitorous bastard's gambling debts almost destroyed her. The only way she’ll be able to make ends meet is to accept a lucrative tutoring position in remote Cornwall. What Portia hasn't anticipated is the life-altering impact that her mesmerizing new employer has on her.
Stacy Harrington learned the hard way to keep people at a distance. Playing the piano is the only thing that makes his solitary life enjoyable these days, and he’ll be damned if he allows his albinism to keep him from everything he loves. Bringing a private music tutor into his home is disruptive, but it’s the only solution. Unfortunately, nothing could have prepared him for the overwhelming attraction he feels toward his fiery new employee.
It’s not long before a shared passion for music develops into something infinitely deeper. But when ghosts from the past—along with some very dark secrets—emerge to threaten everything they’ve built, can Stacy and Portia continue to make beautiful music together? Or will their happily ever after end on a painful, discordant note?
You can check out the rest of the series HERE
Who are Minerva Spencer & S.M. LaViolette?
Minerva is S.M.’s pen name (that’s short for Shantal Marie) S.M. has been a criminal prosecutor, college history teacher, B&B operator, dock worker, ice cream manufacturer, reader for the blind, motel maid, and bounty hunter. Okay, so the part about being a bounty hunter is a lie. S.M. does, however, know how to hypnotize a Dungeness crab, sew her own Regency Era clothing, knit a frog hat, juggle, rebuild a 1959 American Rambler, and gain control of Asia (and hold on to it) in the game of RISK.