A Lady — Jessica N. Lane

Nestled in the picturesque outskirts of Regency London, the halls of Carington Manor have fueled the rumor mills of polite society for the past twenty-one years with the most scandalous and worst kept secret of the ton. Ellena Carington is the only child of the esteemed Mr. Charles Carington and former slave Helen Conors. Because of her illegitimacy and her mixed heritage, she is nobody's idea of a lady. Not only must she face the stares and whispers of London's upper class, but she must also endure the constant scorn of her stepmother. When her neighbor's mysterious nephew comes to London for the social season, the two of them embark on a flirtation that quickly evolves into more than either of them bargained for. But will Ellena come out of it with her reputation, virtue, and heart intact?

-Excerpt-

I lowered my eyes to the floor, and tipped my head forward slightly so that my bonnet would hide my face. For some reason, I was suddenly shy and unsure of myself. No doubt, the fact that I was about to be introduced to Lord Farley's nephew was to blame, but why? I had been introduced to young gentlemen on many occasions since coming out into society two years ago, and most had responded to me with a polite austerity that was just sharp enough to ensure that I made no mistake of their indifference toward me. I'd always taken it on the chin, and not allowed it to bother me too much, so why was I suddenly dreading this man's inevitable rejection.
“Ah, Mrs. Carington, Ms. Carington. Allow me to introduce my young nephew, Mr. Thomas Aragon of Barcelona Spain,” Mr. Farley said, making introductions.
I curtsied lowly the way Martha had shown me, my eyes steadily on my shoes, and murmured a soft greeting of “Mr. Aragon.” I realized then how silly I was being. Mr. Aragon would pass me over like all the other young gentlemen of the ton had done before him. Why prolong the inevitable? I inclined my head, and raised my eyes to meet Mr. Aragon's, and had to wrangle the sharp intake of breath my body instinctively wanted to take when I was greeted with the sight of him. His dark eyes widened when he took in my appearance as well, but they didn't fill with disgust the way I'd seen some other young men's do upon first meeting me.
He had the darkest eyes I'd ever seen, almost black, but they weren't flat and dull like one would expect such dark eyes to appear. They caught the light in such a way that they reflected shades of blue and violet. His hair was so thick, not as thick as mine, but it was definitely the most impressive head of hair I'd ever seen on a man. He secured the chestnut tresses at the nape of his neck, but a few tendrils had managed to free themselves and fall into his face. His face... he was even more handsome than I'd first thought. His well-sculpted features held none of the childlike roundness of youth that could still be seen on most of the other young gentlemen here.
Without hesitation, and never removing his eyes from mine, he reached out and took one of my gloved hands in both of his. “Ms. Carington,” he murmured in a low baritone as he bowed over our joined hands. I cursed Martha for insisting I wear gloves today. What would it feel like to have his bare hands touching mine? Had it been bare, would he have kissed the back of my hand just now? I felt my face flush even further if that was possible. “I hope you will honor me by accepting my offer of partnering with me for the first set.” He spoke in a slightly-accented voice that had me wishing he'd say more.

-End of Excerpt-