"Then help me."
"Gladly. Always," she purred, stripping them and the shirt off until she was naked.
He caressed her boldly, his eyes never closing as he drank in his fill of the lovely sight of her creamy flesh, her lush pinkness. He tugged her onto his abdomen, straddling her legs over his jutting hips, and spreading them wide.
He steadied her with both hands on her waist, and she sat astride him, melding them into one. She undulated her hips in a compelling rhythm, until he was panting, shivering, so close to the edge he was sure he would explode.
Yet somehow she could keep him dangling infinitely, poised on a knife-edge of maddening need, almost completely fulfilled, yet still wanting and needing so much more.
"Mmm, yes, always and forever, my dearest Sarah, my love, my wife," he rasped, before surrendering to the sensual bliss with a sigh.
She smiled down at him, her soft words echoing in his head as she pushed his passion up and over the edge into oblivion. "Forever, my precious love."
Afterword
In this novel I wanted to consider the issue of what constitutes identity. The war against Napoleon in Spain and France fragmented many lives, and not just with weapons. Many men, and women too, were displaced, dispossessed, and the war often treated as an opportunity for profit and plunder upon innocent victims.
Jane Austen has often been criticised for not dealing specifically with the implications of the war against Napoleon in her novels. But we can find many military characters, such as Captains Wentworth, Benwick, Harville and Admiral Croft, in Persuasion, and are given ample clues as to the hardships that they faced.
Perhaps she avoided writing about it because it was too close to home, with her brothers and no doubt many other male acquaintances embroiled in the long war on land and at sea.
Alexander Deveril, actually Jason Alexander Davenport, struggles to discover his identity, and comes to terms with the shocking reality of what has happened to him and what he has done. He is scarred in both body and mind, and it will take some time for him to adjust to life in post-war Europe. We will be seeing him in later novels as he tries to find a niche for himself once more and settle down as a family man. As you can guess, they are Rakehells, so their life together is not going to be completely uneventful!
Jonathan has developed throughout the three novels thus far, as has his sister Sarah. Thus I thought it was high time she had a thrilling adventure and love affair of her very own.
Another character in this series who has developed is young Elizabeth Eltham, the Duke of Ellesmere's sister. As you will recall from the start of this novel, Elizabeth has gone off to Ireland with her brother and the other Rakehell founder, Clifford Stone and his wife. Some interesting adventures will await them there, and fans of my novel Scars Upon her Heart are about to be reunited with some old friends. And enemies? Only time will tell!
We will also be seeing Blake, Michael, and Gareth all coming home soon. The details of the battles of Bayonne and Toulouse are all factual, as are the details about the end of the war in 1814. We will also still have Napoleon's return of the Hundred Days to look forward to in coming novels.
The Rakehell Regency Romance Series
Book 5
THE SCARRED HEART
Sorcha MacMurrough
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SYNOPSIS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
REVIEWS
COPYRIGHT
CAST OF CHARACTERS
CHAPTER 1
CHAPTER 2
CHAPTER 3
CHAPTER 4
CHAPTER 5
CHAPTER 6
CHAPTER 7
CHAPTER 8
CHAPTER 9
CHAPTER 10
CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 12
CHAPTER 13
CHAPTER 14
CHAPTER 15
CHAPTER 16
CHAPTER 17
CHAPTER 18
CHAPTER 19
CHAPTER 20
CHAPTER 21
CHAPTER 22
CHAPTER 23
CHAPTER 24
CHAPTER 25
CHAPTER 26
CHAPTER 27
CHAPTER 28
CHAPTER 29
CHAPTER 30
CHAPTER 31
CHAPTER 32
CHAPTER 33
CHAPTER 34
CHAPTER 35
AFTERWORD
SYNOPSIS
Ireland, 1814
Elizabeth Eltham, beloved sister of the Thomas, the Duke of Ellesmere, travels to Ireland with her brother and his friend Clifford. After the tragic death of their sister Jane, Thomas and his friends the Rakehells want to protect her more than ever from the flock of fortune hunters who circle her at every turn.
Elizabeth doubts she will ever find a man who can truly love her for herself, not her rank and fortune. But one chance meeting with a dashing stranger in a cave is enough to awaken Elizabeth as a woman ripe for love. Everyone she meets in Ireland longs to marry a Duke's daughter; she must trust her instincts to choose the man who loves her best.