Once Upon a Marquess (The Worth Saga 1)

Still, Judith knew her. Those eyes. That chin. Her nose. All the years hadn’t changed her sister in any of the essentials.

“Camilla?” Judith’s voice broke. It had been so, so long. They’d looked. They’d advertised. She’d refused to lose hope, no matter how options had dwindled as the months passed.

She’d been right not to lose hope. Her sister was here.

Theresa followed right behind her. “Camilla?”

Judith threw her arms around her sister. “Where have you been?”

“Never mind.” Christian was there. “Come in. We have food and towels.”

Camilla looked into Judith’s eyes. “Judith, I need your help.”

“Anything.”

Camilla took a deep breath. “I’m married.”

In typical Worth family fashion, everyone spoke at once.

“What?”

“To whom?”

“When?”

“Do you love him?” The last was Judith.

Camilla’s chin wobbled a moment. But it was just for a moment. When she spoke again, her voice was firm. “It hardly matters,” she said. “You see, I want—no, I need—an annulment. And you’re the only one who can help me.”

Thank you!

Thank you for reading Once Upon a Marquess. I hope you enjoyed it.

So what happens with everyone else in the Worth family?

Once Upon a Marquess is the first book in the Worth Saga—a series about the Worth family that will span years and continents. Obviously, there’s a lot of story left to tell for Benedict, Camilla, Theresa, and Anthony—along with some others you haven’t yet met.

If you want to know when the next book in the Worth Saga will be out, please sign up for my new release e-mail list at www.courtneymilan.com.

What can you tell me about the next books?

Next up is Her Every Wish, a novella about Daisy Whitlaw (Judith’s best friend) and Crash. (Crash doesn’t have a last name.) It will be out in mid-January so make sure to either sign up for my new release list or to preorder it, although preorders won’t be available everywhere.

What do you mean others you haven’t yet met?

There are seven full-length books in the series. The Worth Saga is, of course, a series about the Worth family. But it’s also a series about an organization (which you’ll discover in Book 3, The Devil Comes Courting) and another family (which you’ll meet for the first time in Book 2, After the Wedding). And, as with all my series, there will be a handful of novellas that explore side characters.

After that (as I am sure you have already guessed) is Camilla’s story, After the Wedding.

You can read excerpts from these books right after this page.

When will all these books release?

I’m not a fast writer, unfortunately, and I’m extremely bad at predicting when I’m going to finish a book. At my best guess, maybe late in 2016 for Camilla’s book? Add question marks to the end of any date I ever give you. Add lots of question marks. If you want to get an email when my books become available, you can sign up for my new release e-mail list at www.courtneymilan.com. Or you can follow me on twitter at @courtneymilan, or like my Facebook page at http://facebook.com/courtneymilanauthor.

I don’t want to wait that long! What can I do in the meantime?

I have three other finished historical romance series (as well as a handful of stories that aren’t in any series). If you’re new to my books, I suggest starting with The Duchess War. It’s free on most platforms right now. It’s the first book in the Brothers Sinister series, and it’s about Robert Blaisdell, the Duke of Clermont, who doesn’t want to be a duke, and Minnie the shy wallflower who doesn’t want to be a duchess. Don’t listen to me. I’m terrible at describing my own books.

If you haven’t tried it yet, I also have a contemporary romance series. Trade Me is the first book in the series. It has all the things you know and love about Courtney Milan books (humor, angst, and lengthy author’s notes about things I couldn’t stop researching), but there are bonus smartwatches. Come for the technology; stay for foul-mouthed billionaires and jokes about insider trading.

If you’ve already read all my books, I have a list of recommendations for other authors on my website.

Her Every Wish: Excerpt

Crash has never let the circumstances of his birth, or his lack of a last name, bother him. His associations may be unsavory, but money, friends, and infamy open far more interesting doors than respect ever could. His sole regret? Once lovely, sweet Daisy Whitlaw learned the truth about how he made his fortune, she cut him off.

Daisy’s father is dead, her mother is in ill health, and her available funds have dwindled to a memory. When the local parish announces a charity bequest to help young people start a trade, it’s her last chance. So what if the grants are intended for men? If she’s good enough, she might bluff her way into a future.

When Crash offers to help her prevail, she knows he is up to no good. But with her life in the balance, she’s desperate enough to risk the one thing she hasn’t yet lost: her heart.

From Chapter One

“Daisy,” Crash called behind her.

The snow had changed from delicate white lace to the disgusting, dingy slush of well-trodden streets. Icy water seeped through the seams of her shoes. A cold wind tugged at her, and she cinched her scarf around her neck. She didn’t look back. She wasn’t foolish.

“Daisy.”

She wouldn’t turn. That little skirling breeze coming up behind her would make her eyes water, and she was not, she absolutely was not, going to let Crash see her cry. Not even if her tears were wind-induced.

But Crash had never been deterred by…well, anything, Daisy suspected. Certainly not anything so mild as someone purposefully failing to hear him. He came jogging up to her, settling to a walk at her side.

“Daisy,” he said. “You rushed off far too soon.”

She made the mistake of looking at him just as he cast a glance in her direction. He was a man who had mastered the speaking glance. This one could have been an epic saga. It was the unshakeable look that a farm lad gave to his sweetheart when she was sentenced to be fed to a dragon. Don’t worry, it promised. I’ll save you. I’ve a plan.

It was the kind of look that would have that blushing farm girl spreading her legs for her love in the barn the night before she was condemned to die. She’d give up her virginity, her trust, her love, her future in one trembling hour. When she bid her swain farewell through tears and kisses, she would believe in her soul that he was going to kill the beast. She’d believe he would save her right up until the moment the dragon crunched her between its teeth.

Even now, even knowing Crash as she did, a flush of heat blossomed along the back of her neck at that look.

Daisy’s mind knew all about Crash, even if her body pretended ignorance. She’d already given him everything. She’d had that trembling hour. Eighteen months later, Daisy had no virginity, no trust, no love, and her future was chockfull of dragons.

“Aha,” Crash said, coming to a temporary halt. He snapped his fingers. “Right. Of course. I forgot. I’m to address you as Miss Whitlaw now.”

He gave her a mocking smile, arranged the cloth at his neck that passed for something like a cravat, and shifted his tone. When he spoke again, he sounded almost proper—the way Daisy’s mother sounded at her most querulous. The way Daisy spoke, when she wanted people to take her seriously.

“My dear Miss Whitlaw,” he said in a distinctive, plummy-sounding voice, “I know you’ve little desire to speak with me at the moment. But I have a business proposition to put before you.”

“You may recall,” Daisy said severely, “that I do not care for your line of business.”

That smile on his face flickered. “My line of business is the business of making people happy.”

Ha. “Yes,” she said. “A great many people.”

“A great many people,” he agreed, instead of getting angry

at her implication like a normal person would. “I’m here to offer my services.”

“I had your services once,” Daisy snapped. “I don’t need them any longer.”

“A good thing,” Crash said with a slow grin. “The sort of services I offer don’t come any longer—or thicker—or harder than I have on offer.”

Her cheeks flamed in memory. “Crash. Please don’t say things like that.”

He shrugged. “It’s simple. I saw what happened back there. They’re planning to make a joke of you, you know. All they want is to laugh at you.”

“I know,” Daisy said through clenched teeth.

“You should give up now.”

“I know.” Her teeth ground against each other.

“But you won’t.”

He knew that, too. His knowing things about her had fooled her thoroughly. She’d thought she was special. She had thought he actually cared. She’d been such an idiot.

“And since you won’t give up,” he said, “then you cannot leave them with one single thing to laugh at. You know that’s how it works, yes?”

“I know,” she whispered.

“You will have to be brilliant.” He looked at her. “You won’t be able to hesitate. You’ll have to make them believe that nobody will be able to survive without your chop house. That means…” He paused, a little overdramatically. “You will have to practice.”

“I know all these things,” Daisy growled.

“You’ll need an audience to test yourself against.” Crash continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “Not your friend the marchioness, nor your mother, nor the girls who work in your flower shop. You need to practice in front of someone who you hate. Someone who makes your stomach curdle. Someone who will ask questions while you want to smash his face in. If you can impress that man, you can impress anyone.”

She looked over at him.

He took off his hat and gave her a flourishing bow. “I am, as ever, at your service.”

Want to know what happens? Her Every Wish herewill be available in mid-January of 2016. Click here to find out more.

After the Wedding: Excerpt

From Chapter One