She meant to rescue a frightened woman. She accidentally knocked an earl unconscious.
Lady Rose Sheffield has spent her life being everything a proper lady should not be: outspoken, stubborn, and impossible to control. But after her father dies only days after disinheriting her for refusing to marry her insufferable cousin, Rose begins to wonder whether her rebellious nature has cost her everything.
Determined to become the quiet, obedient woman her father wanted, she travels to stay with her great-aunt. Her good intentions last precisely until a terrified young woman bursts into her room claiming she is being pursued by a beast.
When an enormous, furious man follows, Rose does the only sensible thing.
She strikes him over the head with a bed warmer.
Henry Grayson, the Earl of Ashbourne, has long been called the Black Earl?and his formidable appearance and notorious temper do little to discourage the name. He had merely traveled to collect a companion for his recently widowed mother. Now the woman has fled, Henry has a pounding head, and the sharp-tongued beauty responsible refuses to apologize.
Since Rose deprived his mother of a companion, Henry insists she take the woman's place.
At Ashbourne Hall, Rose discovers that the supposedly beastly earl is fiercely devoted to his family?and that his "invalid" mother is far more capable, and considerably more devious, than Henry realizes. Soon Rose is helping Lady Beatrice arrange a house party designed to drag Henry back into society, all while concealing the countess's schemes from the one man Rose is finding increasingly difficult to resist.
But Henry has already had his heart broken once. When the newly widowed woman who rejected him returns, Rose fears she will always be his second choice. With her great-aunt summoning her to Scotland and the secrets inside Ashbourne threatening Henry's trust, Rose must decide whether to run before she is hurt?or remain and fight for the beast who has somehow claimed her heart.
A fiery historical romance filled with enemies-to-lovers tension, forced proximity, meddling relatives, biting humor, scandalous misunderstandings, and two stubborn hearts perfectly matched for mayhem.
The Black Earl and His Rose is a standalone [Regency / Victorian] romance. For fans of Lisa Kleypas and Scarlett Scott.
