“
Passion
certainly lives up to its name . . . entertaining and absorbing . . . That special book that mixes a sizzling romance with an intriguing story, and it’s a real treat for readers.”

—
The Romance Reader

“Sensual and intriguing . . . Truly a memorable read.”

—
The Romance Readers Connection

“This erotic Victorian romance will elicit moans from the audience whenever the lead male makes his mark . . . Lisa Valdez heats up the era with a fine historical starring two ardent lovers defying society’s norms.”

—
The Best Reviews

“It’s quite a fix they’re in, and how Mark pursues his pleasure and his passion is as irresistible to readers as it is to Passion. Valdez lets you indulge in a bit of sizzling fantasy that leaves you sighing with pleasure. Like Susan Johnson, she mixes history, colorful details, and a strong plot with a large dose of sensuality. Savor the satisfaction of a little
Passion
. Very sensual.”

—
Romantic Times

“Highly emotional and sexually breathtaking novel.”

—
Fresh Fiction

Berkley Sensation Titles by Lisa Valdez

PASSION
PATIENCE

THE BERKLEY PUBLISHING GROUP
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA
Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto, Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada
(a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)
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(a division of Pearson Australia Group Pty. Ltd.)
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(a division of Pearson New Zealand Ltd.)
Penguin Books (South Africa) (Pty.) Ltd., 24 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank, Johannesburg 2196,
South Africa

Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

PATIENCE

A Berkley Sensation Book / published by arrangement with the author

PRINTING HISTORY
Berkley Sensation mass-market edition / April 2010

No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

For information, address: The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.

eISBN : 978-1-101-18628-2

BERKLEY
^®SENSATION
Berkley Sensation Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group,
a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.,
375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014.
BERKLEY
^®SENSATION and the “B” design are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

http://us.penguingroup.com

For my beautiful and loyal readers who,
despite intense anticipation and thwarted desire,
gracefully submitted to waiting for this story.
Thank you for
staying
.
You are patience personified.

For musical inspiration,
I thank George Michael for his sensual song “Father Figure,”
and George Frideric Handel for his “Sarabande,”
one of the most beautiful, reverent pieces of music I’ve ever heard.

A Letter of Little Consequence

June 13th, 1851

My Dear Henrietta,

You simply can’t imagine all the scandalous goings-on! You’re missing everything! Of all the times for you to be in Italy! I tell you, my dear, there isn’t likely to be a grander entertainment than this in all our lifetimes. And wait until you hear who is at the center of it all. I daresay you shall never guess. For until his engagement, he was considered one of the most eligible bachelors in England. Have you guessed? It is none other than the very man who you had once hoped to match with your daughter. Yes, Mr. Matthew Morgan Hawkmore!

Oh, Henrietta, where shall I begin? Let me just say that once you have heard what’s happened, you will be thankful that Mr. Hawkmore never took to your Amarantha. Had he, you would now be embroiled in a scandal from which you would never recover. Never, I tell you!

Are you ready, my dear? (You should sit down if you aren’t already seated.)

It turns out that the rich, handsome, charming, and popular Mr. Hawkmore is a bastard! Yes! And to make matters ever so much worse, his real father was a gardener! It’s really true! And the whole thing came to light in a most shocking and unseemly way.

You remember from my last letter that Mr. Hawkmore’s brother (I must say half brother now, mustn’t I?), the Earl of Langley, had become engaged to a commoner by the name of Charlotte Lawrence? Well, it turns out that the chit’s mother was blackmailing the earl into marrying her daughter. The woman had in her possession some letters that revealed the truth of Mr. Hawkmore’s parentage—letters written by none other than the earl and Mr. Hawkmore’s mother, Lady Lucinda Hawkmore! Yes, she wrote the letters that damned her bastard son and herself!

Henrietta, how a mother—a lady—could write such disgusting letters, I’ll never know. One was actually printed, my dear, and spread all over London. I saw it myself in Lady Winston’s parlor, and it was perfectly awful. In it, the Countess gloated, and spoke of how it pleased her to see her little bastard in the Hawkmore linens. She even spoke of the possibility of him inheriting the earldom one day! Can you imagine?

Anyway, the whole blackmail scheme was revealed in the society pages of the
Times
. Though no names were mentioned, everyone knows exactly who was being referred to. Oh, and it turns out that the revelation of the truth was very fortunate for Mr. Hawkmore’s brother, the Earl of Langley. Who knew, but it seems that he really is in love with a commoner—only it isn’t Miss Charlotte Lawrence. It’s some widow from Lincolnshire! A Mrs. Passion Elizabeth Reddington (have you ever heard such an outrageous name?). Apparently he is head-over-heels for her, and is to marry her within the next fortnight. Some have the idea that she’s a distant relation of this Miss Lawrence, but I don’t have that on any authority. Anyway, it’s all too romantic, and everyone is just dying to meet her.

But as for the unfortunate Mr. Hawkmore—well, his fiancée, the Lady Rosalind Benchley, has broken with him. And her father, Lord Benchley, is in an absolute fury over the whole thing. He believes Mr. Hawkmore knew of his bastardy all along, which might be true. This, of course, would make Matthew Hawkmore not only a bastard, but a liar and a fraud as well.

God knows what the truth really is. Right now, opinions do seem to be split on the matter. Some agree with Benchley, some are uncertain, but everyone is striking Mr. Hawkmore from their guest lists, so I suppose it doesn’t really matter. He is now persona non grata—an exile, an outcast.

If you come home now, Henrietta, you won’t miss whatever is to come—for, surely, there is more to come. Who is this bride of the earl’s? Does she have any family? Will the Lady Rosalind get engaged again? If so, to whom? And most interesting of all, what will become of Mr. Matthew Morgan Hawkmore?

Yours,
Augusta

Chapter One

PATIENCE

Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair, thou hast doves’ eyes.

SONG OF SOLOMON 1:15

June 30, 1851
Wiltshire, England ~ Hawkmore House,
County Seat of the Earl and Countess of Langley

His cock throbbed and his blood coursed.

Clenching his jaw, Matthew Morgan Hawkmore drew in a slow, silent breath. He’d been seething beneath a deluge of fury and resentment. But then
she
had walked in, and her presence had pulled his passions in an entirely different direction.

He watched her pause just inside the broad entrance as moonlight, soft and pearlescent, filtered through the windows that lined one side of the long portrait gallery. She strolled slowly forward, her satin dressing gown glowing softly, as she stopped here and there to study the faces of the Hawkmores, to whom she was now related by marriage.

Patience Emmalina Dare, his new sister-in-law.

With his emotions already running high, his reaction to the beautiful sight of her moving in and out of the bright moonlight was strong and immediate. Avidly, he followed her slow walk through the gallery. His heart quickened and his cock swelled. Like a wolf watching a stray sheep, he sat quiet and tense in the shadows as she came closer and closer. He watched her glance up at the two life-sized portraits—his mother and the man he’d formerly called father.

A narrow table separated the two portraits, as if to keep them apart. He watched as Patience stepped forward, reaching for the paper he’d left there. Picking it up, she lifted it to the bright moonlight.

His shoulder cramped. He should stop her.

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