Excerpt from Chapter Two: [This is a scene where Lord Navan Beaufort and Lord Alexander Dutton are standing in line to be admitted to Lord and Lady Godfrey’s masque. In book 2, Lyon’s Obsession, you, the reader, learn what Alexander was thinking, but this book is told from Navan’s point of view. Remember, he is further behind Alexander in the line.]
Navan knew Alexander was ahead of him in the line waiting to be admitted into Lord and Lady Godfrey’s ball. The evening was proving to be quite the “squeeze,” as he had overhead several of those who also waited refer to the event, and it was all because of the rumored presence of the mysterious Marquis of Honfleur at the ball.
“Could that be him?” Lady Shanley asked from her place behind Navan. The matronly viscountess was dressed as a French aristocrat from the early 1700s. Perhaps the woman thought her garb would bring her to the notice of Lord Honfleur. If Lady Shanley had any notion of what Navan had learned in the last several days, her ladyship would not have gone to such extremes. Lord Honfleur was not a marquis nor was he French.
Navan turned his attention in the direction of where a middle-aged man was assisting a young lady to the ground from his carriage. Like it or not, and Navan assuredly did not approve of his reaction to the girl, his heart hitched higher and his groin tightened in interest. The girl was reportedly Honfleur’s niece, not the daughter, which meant it would be Alexander’s domain to court the lady, as Navan had been assigned the French lord’s daughter to woo. However, Navan would gladly switch with Marksman. Even so, he found the young woman’s apparent innocence and the lady’s countenance endearing. “She is frightened out of her wits,” he thought as a desire to protect her lodged in his chest.
He overheard several whispers regarding the costume the young woman wore and the elaborate mask she had slipped on over the upper portion of her face when prompted to do so by her uncle. The mask had gold trimming, as did the costume she wore, that is, if one could call what she wore a “costume.” She was dressed as if she had just stepped from a sheik’s tent, rather than a carriage. Part of her midsection was covered with a sheer netting. As English women made the conscious choice not to show an ankle or too much cleavage, this woman’s garb was assuredly a statement being made by her uncle.
Without a doubt, it had its impact on the men in line. More than one raised an eyebrow in interest. Including him, all the males stood straighter so they might watch the girl’s progress from the coach to the receiving line, though Navan told himself his interest was purely based on the government’s investigation. However, the shortness of his breath said otherwise.
Customarily, his string of female companions, including Julia, all resembled a British lass, not an Irish one, for he had always felt his homeland was treated as an unwanted half-brother. Foolish as it might sound to many, he never thought of his keeping an English mistress as anything more than a man satisfying a need. He most assuredly never considered it a political protest regarding how the British used and abused his homeland, but, now that the idea had found a footing, Navan was no longer so confident. He knew without a doubt that he could not seduce an Irish girl, though many could use the coin he provided Julia. He simply could not imagine satisfying his base desires with an Irish lass unless he meant to marry the chit.
“Quite a looker, though scandalous,” Lady Shanley complained.
For some unknown reason, Navan did not want the girl to be the object of gossip, or should he say, “More gossip than normal.”
“I have it on good credit that the young woman is not Lord Honfleur’s daughter, who was supposed to accompany the marquis this evening. The girl at his lordship’s side is his niece, a poor relation who serves as a companion to Lady Caroline Moreau, the marquis’s daughter. Lady Caroline’s travel has been delayed and the costume was made for the daughter, though it would be scandalous on many women. Likely it was quickly altered for the niece.”
“How do you know this?” Lady Shanley asked, though the woman appeared to be delighted to learn something the others gathered about did not possess.
“I still have relatives in France,” he declared, knowing his family name was common among those originating from Norman and French Huguenots. “Like you, my lady, I was curious regarding Lord Honfleur’s arrival. Therefore, I wrote to cousins in St Helier to inquire of what they knew of the man. I was delighted to learn that the marquis’s daughter was a bit shorter than the niece and was dark of head. Black hair, in fact. The girl at the gentleman’s side is his niece, daughter of his half-sister. His lordship raised the girl as a playmate, and, later, companion to his daughter.”
“I appreciate the information, my lord,” Lady Shanley said. “I shan’t press my daughter to befriend the girl nor my son to call upon her for a possible courtship.” Her ladyship leaned closer to ask, “Do we know when the marquis’s daughter shall arrive?”
Navan tilted his head to the side as if he was sharing a secret. “The young lady is to leave France on Monday.”
“Much appreciated information, my lord.”
Lyon in Disguise: Lyon’s Den Connected World
A handsome rake meets his match in a red-headed enchantress who is his enemy!
They may be on different sides of the law, but Lord Navan Beaufort is not going to permit that to stop him from protecting Miss Audrey Moreau. Navan has never thought truly to love anyone, but when he laid eyes on the red-headed beauty, his world shifted. Unfortunately, the lady appears to prefer Lord Alexander Dutton to him, though Navan has rarely had the opportunity to speak to her privately. That is, until he saves her from a fire one miraculous night. From there forward, she is his hope. His future.
Miss Audrey Moreau depends exclusively on her Uncle Jacobi for a home and protection. The man rescued her from a bayman’s plantation in the West Indies when she was five; yet, she well knows the “Marquis of Honfleur’s” schemes. She thought once Jacobi was caught, all would be well, but even from his jail, the man means to rain down harm upon her.
Can two lost souls find happiness together, when everyone in whom they had previously placed their trust have left them alone in the world?
Tropes You’ll Love:
- Enemies to lovers
- Self-declared bachelor
- Friends to lovers
- Adversaries
- Damsel in distress
- Best friend’s sister
- Different worlds/experiences
- Soul mates
- Emotional scars
- Fish out of water
Read in Kindle Unlimited!
Enjoy book one in a new series within The Lyon’s Den Connected world by Regina Jeffers.
Book 1 – Lyon in the Way
Book 2 – Lyon’s Obsession
Book 3 – Lyon in Disguise
Book 4 – Lost in the Lyon’s Garden
Book 5 – Lyon on the Inside
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0G1V963YZ
Please Note: The price of this book will increase to $3.99 on 11/26/2025.
Every Woman Dreams... 
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