Never dare a hellion, p.1
Never Dare a Hellion, page 1
Never Dare a Hellion
Never Dare a Hellion
Neverhartts Book Three
Dawn Brower
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Never Dare a Hellion © 2021 Dawn Brower
Cover art by Midnight Muse
Edits by Victoria Miller
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced electronically or in print without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews.
Sometimes the right dare can lead you to the one person meant for you. Don’t give up on love, and if the opportunity presents itself, take that dare. Some risks are worth taking.
“The more I know of the world, the more I am convinced that I shall never see a man whom I can really love. I require so much!”
Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility
Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Epilogue
Afterword
Excerpt: Never Deceive a Bluestocking
Prologue
Chapter 1
Excerpt: Confessions of a Hellion
Dawn Brower
Prologue
Chapter 1
About The Author
Also by Dawn Brower
Acknowledgments
Prologue
A warm summer breeze tousled Lady Christiana Neverhartt’s loose, pale blonde curls. Not that she cared. Her maid would have a fit when she had to disentangle them later, but for now, it was worth every second she spent outdoors. She hated being cooped up inside. Most days, her parents didn’t pay her any attention. They were too embroiled in their own affairs, and that suited Chris fine.
“Where are we going?” Carolina asked. Her twin sister’s blonde curls were plaited, and no strands dared come undone. Chris and Carly were identical in appearance, but Chris tended to be more unruly in personality and form. “Shouldn’t we go inside?”
“Carly I am disappointed in you.” Chris wrinkled her nose. “There are more adventurous things than burying your nose in a book.”
“I could say I’m equally disappointed in you. A well-educated mind will help you far more in life than all these schemes you devise.” Carly lifted her chin. “Besides, some adventures can only truly be discovered inside the pages of a book. Ladies are not given the same choices as men.”
“Well, I don’t care,” she told her sister. “I’m going to do whatever I choose, and all the gentlemen who stand in my way will rue the day they tried to stop me.”
Carly chuckled. “Somehow, I think you’ll do it too.” She shook her head. “I’m not as brave as you are.”
“But you’re much smarter,” Chris told her. “We have to use the gifts given to us if we hope to have any say in our lives.” She hugged her sister, then stepped back. “Don’t worry. I’ll be brave enough for the both of us.”
She fully intended to. Their older sisters, Billie and Teddy, tried to look out for them, but there was only so much they could do. It was the way things were. Chris and Carly were barely five and ten. Teddy was two years older, and Billie three. Their parents hadn’t been the best and often neglected them. Chris feared what would happen if their father managed to bankrupt them completely.
“I don’t need you to be brave for me,” Carly said, bringing Chris out of her own thoughts. “I need you to be a little more considerate of the consequences to your actions.”
“I can’t make any promises,” Chris said solemnly. “I’ll break them, and you know it.”
Carly sighed. “Fine. Let’s do something less risky today, and then I can return to my book.”
“What did you have in mind?” Chris lifted a brow. It wouldn’t be as daring as something she’d plan, but Carly could surprise her from time to time.
Her twin tilted her head to the side and tapped her chin with her forefinger. “We haven’t been riding in a while.”
“We only have one horse.” Chris rolled her eyes. For their birthday the previous year, their father had given them a horse to share. It was irritating because they couldn’t go riding together. It was a surprise that he’d given them something so extravagant to begin with. On any other birthday, they’d been lucky he’d remembered it at all. They did adore that horse though.
“We can ride together. It’ll be fun.”
“You don’t think that would be too risky?” She lifted a brow. “We won’t be able to ride properly if we do.”
“Then we won’t,” Carly replied and then shrugged. “We’ll ride like men and have Calliope run at a full gallop.” She leaned close and taunted her, “Unless you’re too afraid.”
“Nothing scares me.” Chris would not admit if she were. She had to act the part even when she was terrified. Sometimes she was scared, but didn’t feel as if she could actually show any weakness. With the constant turmoil they lived in she didn’t believe she could afford to give in, and let her fears rule her. She had to be strong, for herself, and for her family. “Let’s do it.”
They walked side by side toward the stables. It took them a quarter hour to reach them. Most of the horses and carriages had been sold to pay household bills. They had one carriage and matching pair, and Calliope. The mare was a deep chestnut with a black mane and tail. She was beautiful.
“This was a grand idea,” Chris said. “I’m glad you suggested it.”
They walked into the stables and stopped short. Their father was inside by Calliope’s stall. There was a younger gentleman with him. He had dark hair so black it was the color of the night sky. He had a lean build and held himself with a confidence that was almost disconcerting.
“She looks pretty enough,” the man said.
“She’s the best. I promise,” their father told him.
The man stared at Calliope and frowned. “I don’t like this. I’d prefer you pay your debt in another way.”
Their father shook his head. “Unless you want me to give you one of my daughters as payment, the horse is all I have.”
Chris had never been so appalled in her life. Surely he wasn’t serious? Would he really consider selling one of them to pay a debt. Her stomach churned, and she felt as if she might lose the contents within it. She couldn’t let her father do it. That was her horse, and she wanted to keep it. She stomped forward and demanded, “What are you doing?”
“Go inside,” her father ordered. His eyes had widened with surprise when he first caught sight of them, but it had quickly turned to anger. Chris was famililar with this reaction. He was embarrassed he’d been caught doing something his family wouldn’t approve of. Not that he’d apologize. Her father didn’t believe in saying he was sorry for anything. “This has nothing to do with you.”
“It has everything to do with me,” she told him. “That’s my horse.”
“I do not have time for your theatrics. Go. Inside. Now.” Her father’s tone was harsh and unrelenting. Chris knew she shouldn’t push him, but she couldn’t stop once she started.
“No,” she said like a petulant child. “I came here to ride my horse, and I’m going to.”
“Can’t you control your child?” the man drawled. “This is rather unseemly.”
Chris turned to the man and sucked in a breath. Up close, he was devastatingly handsome. His eyes were the color of grass on a bright summer day. The contrast with his dark hair was appealing. His face was, to put it simply, almost pretty. He was the type of man fairytales were written about. A man so gorgeous should not exist. “Perhaps you should be the one to leave if you find my presence so offensive.”
He ignored her and said, “I suppose this is one of the daughters you offered instead of the horse. I’m going to have to decline to accept her. She’s too unruly for my taste. The horse will have to do.”
How dare he! “It’s a good thing I’m not available for you to take instead. I’d never go anywhere with you.”
The man turned to her then. Having his full attention on her did not help her fascination with him. Why did he have to be so darn attractive? “Love,” he said in a voice so sweet it gave her a toothache. “If I wanted you, trust me, you’d willingly fall at my feet.” He turned to her father and said, “Send the horse to Foxworth Hall. I’ll consider the debt paid.”
“You won’t regret this,” her father said.
The man nodded and walked past her. Carly came to her side and hugged her. It was no surprise her sister had remained silent through the encounter. She didn’t like to cross their father. “Who was that?” Chris asked.
“That, my dear, was the Marquess of Foxworth. You’ll remember that name. He is not a man to cross.”
Chris fully intended to remember his name. Cross him? She’d do more than that. One day, she’d meet him again and she’d make him understand that she was not a lady to trifle with, and damn it all, she’d never fall at his feet.
Chapter 1
Two years later...
Chris stared out the window of Miss Agatha’s School for Young Ladies, the finishing school she’d been exiled to. She had been sent to her chambers as p unishment. Not a day had gone by since she’d been sent to the school that she hadn’t been sent into seclusion for a minor indiscretion. She was always finding trouble. Chris liked being naughty. In some ways, it was an integral part of her personality, and she refused to apologize for being herself.
The worst part of her exile…not being near her twin. The Duke of Graystone, her sister’s husband, had decided they would benefit from being separated. Chris had been sent to Scotland, and Carly to Wales. A plain old English school wasn’t good enough for either of them. Graystone had decided they needed as much distance as possible from each other.
What she hated to admit…he was right. If they were at the same school, or even one within a reasonable distance from each other, they’d have run away. Chris was still tempted to daily. If not for her frequent letters from Carly, she might have. Her twin was the more sensible one and had convinced Chris to stay at finishing school until the end.
The end had not come soon enough…
She had to suffer through another sennight, and then she could return home. Not that she considered the duke’s residence home. For her, home would always be at Seville. The ancestral estate belonged to Damon once he was old enough to take control of his inheritance. Until then, Chris had to suffer through the duke’s generosity. That was the lot a woman had to undergo in life. She had little choices, and the ones she did have, she hated. Marriage was the last thing she wanted. Chris wanted to be free. Unfortunately, freedom wasn’t one of those choices she had before her.
Perhaps it was time to redefine what a lady could or could not do. Finishing school had taught her a lot. All of it nonsense in her opinion, but it had done one important thing. It had showed her what she didn’t want from life. Though she probably could have learned those lessons anywhere. Finishing school had been her punishment, and she had stayed and endured it. Chris wasn’t certain she could remain at Miss Agatha’s for one more day, or through one more night of seclusion. The headmistress hated her, and had hated her from the moment she’d stepped foot on the school grounds. So much so, Chris had to wonder exactly what the duke had told Miss Agatha about her.
She frowned.
Chris doubted her new brother by marriage would have said anything negative. At least not intentionally… So why did Lady Agatha hate her? She smiled. Not one of those serene tilts of her lips, but one of the wicked ones. She had a sennight left. Why not cause a stir on her way out the door…or more precisely…in the next hour or two? She would not stay in her chambers one second longer. There really was no reason to continue following the rules. Not that she ever really did, but that was beside the point.
She turned away from the window and surveyed her room. The personal items inside had been limited…one of Miss Agatha’s rules. Chris had exactly three gowns. All serviceable without any frills. That part didn’t particularly bother Chris. She didn’t need fancy gowns, but because she could be contrary, she…disliked being told she couldn’t have a pretty dress.
Packing wouldn’t take long. She retrieved her valise and stuffed her two clean dresses inside followed by the stack of letters she’d received from her sisters. Carly wrote her the most, but Billie and Teddy sent letters too…even if the two of them were enamored with their husbands and expanding families. Billie was expecting her first child soon, and Teddy probably wouldn’t be far behind her in that endeavor. It sickened Chris a little when she thought about it. She adored her family, but she had no desire to have one of her own. Somehow, she doubted that would ever change.
Once everything was gathered, she slipped out of her chambers and tiptoed down the stairs, then exited through the back entrance. The sun had already started to set. She would use the darkness to hide her escape. The pin money Graystone had sent her over the several months she’d been at school would help her on this adventure. She had everything she would possibly need.
The sound of voices echoed back to her…a male and a female were talking in hushed tones. They were up ahead and that made them directly in the middle of her route. Drat… She’d have to circle back and go the long way around. When she heard her name, she stopped to listen.
“How has the fair Christiana been?” a man asked.
Chris wrinkled her nose. Who was that? She froze and leaned against the wall when she realized who was there…the Marquess of Foxworth. What was he doing at Miss Agatha’s school? Part of her wanted to march up to him and smack him on principle alone. She loathed that man, and it couldn’t be good he was at her school. She may not know what he was up to, but she was certain it couldn’t be good. Her heart beat heavily inside her chest and heat flooded her cheeks. Chris clenched her fists, but somehow managed to refrain from acting on her worst impulses.
“Lady Christiana is doing well,” Miss Agatha said. “I’ve done as you asked and kept an eye on her. You were right. She’s trouble.”
She rolled her eyes. That woman wouldn’t know true trouble if it landed at her feet. Clearly, she was an imbecile. Did she not know that the marquess was the worst sort of rake? Even she’d heard the tales, and she hadn’t been launched in society yet. Though, to be fair, Chris had done a little sleuthing to discover every little bit of information available about him. After that fateful meeting in the stables, she’d been determined to see him brought low…somehow. The bloody bastard didn’t even have the wherewithal to recognize her when he’d met them at Graystone’s estate.
“I did warn you.” He sighed. “It’s too bad she cannot stay here longer. I fear the ruin she’ll bring upon her family when she returns to the fold.”
Was he the reason she’d been exiled at the school this long? Originally, she’d been set to leave three months earlier. Something had changed though, and she’d been informed she’d remain under Miss Agatha’s care longer than planned.
“I’m afraid I have stalled as long as I can. Her sister is insisting she go home. I wish I could be of more assistance.”
“Don’t agonize over it,” he said in a smooth tone. The cur could be charming when he chose to be. Not that Chris had ever experienced it personally… “You’ve taught her all you can. The rest must be left to her, I’m afraid.”
Pain seized her heart as she listened to their conversation. She had known he didn’t like her, but she hadn’t realized his hatred had run that deep.
Chris had heard enough. She’d wondered why Miss Agatha had hated her. Now she had her answer. The blasted marquess had poisoned the headmistress against her. She’d wanted to make him pay for his actions against her before—well, now her efforts must be doubled. First, though, she was going to return home.
She turned away from them and headed toward the path that ran through the woods. Walking in the dark could be cumbersome, but there was no other choice. Not if she hoped to leave Miss Agatha’s school that night anyway.
It didn’t take her long to reach the forest nearby the school. She went to the path and followed it until she was deep inside. It would be hours before anyone noticed her missing. By then, she’d have reached the town and secured a seat in the mail carriage. It would take days to reach home, but she was determined. She didn’t need the comfort of the duke’s carriage. All she needed was a way to get there, and she could certainly find that on her own.
Chris kept moving through the woods until she heard the crack of a branch. She froze. Never once had she considered someone else might be in the forest. It could be an animal of some sort…
“Please be an animal,” she muttered under her breath. “A small one preferably…”
“No jist haud on,” a man said. His Scottish brogue was thick, and Chris could barely understand him. She cursed Graystone for sending her to the highlands. It had probably been the Marquess of Foxworth’s idea. The man began speaking again, “That fancy school isn’t fae from here. We hae tae wait fae a wee bit before we go inside.”
