The 11th Commandment: A Serial Regency in Ten Parts

By Jaimey Grant

("The 11th Commandment" was a serial Regency romance written for publication in InD'Tale Magazine. This edition is all 10 installments.)

Approximate word count: 21,000 (novella)

Lady Katherine never learned the fine art of hiding one's indiscretions. Thus her one mistake became Society's biggest scandal. Can she overcome the shame and learn to love again?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jaimey Grant
• Release date: Jun 1, 2013
• ISBN: 9781617521768

Jaimey Grant

Jaimey first delved into the Regency time period almost two decades ago and hasn't stopped since. After several years of tapping away at a keyboard for her own entertainment, she finally took the next step and self-published four of her Regency romances in 2008. In 2010, she signed a contract with TreasureLine Publishing.

Book preview

The 11th Commandment

A Serial Regency Romance

in

Ten Parts

by

Jaimey Grant

The 11th Commandment

A Serial Regency Romance

By Jaimey Grant

© 2012-2013 Laura J Miller

All Rights Reserved.

This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means without prior written permission of the author, except as provided by United States of America copyright law.

First published in InD'Tale Magazine

www.indtale.com

Compilation published by TreasureLine Publishing

www.treasurelinebooks.com

Cover design by Laura J Miller

www.anauthorsart.com

The following is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are fictitious or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, to factual events or to businesses is coincidental and unintentional.

Smashwords Edition License

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Dedication

For Tammy, Linda, and Rachel.

Author's Note

The 11th Commandment originally appeared as a serial romance in InD'Tale Magazine, starting in the July/August 2012 issue. Over the course of a year, all ten parts were published in this new periodical catering to readers and writers of independently published romantic fiction. These installments are compiled here, with permission from TJ MacKay, the editor of InD'Tale, for the readers who would like to have the story in one place, conveniently on their e-reading devices.

I'd like to thank each and every reader of InD'Tale Magazine. You are the reason for its success.

Other titles by Jaimey Grant

Full-Length Regency Romances

~chronological order~

Honor

Betrayal

Deception

Entangled (Spellbound)

Heartless

Redemption

Short Stories and Novellas

My Lady Coward: An Episodic Regency Romance

The 11th Commandment: A Serial Regency Romance

Assassin's Keeper / Survival in Unlocked: Ten Key Tales

Eliza's Epiphany in Whispered Beginnings

The Dragon's Birth (fantasy)

Table of Contents

Part I ~ The Return

Part II ~ The Will

Part III ~ The Confession

Part IV ~ The Pact

Part V ~ The Insult

Part VI ~ The Invitation

Part VII ~ The Escape

Part VIII ~ The Proposal

Part IX ~ The Truth

Part X ~ The Finale

Death Becomes Her Excerpt

About the Author

Part I

The Return

Lady Katherine Henschel carried a stigma. As the daughter of an earl and the wife of a duke, she knew exactly where she stood in Society. She was anathema to them, evidence that one of their own was fallible.

The carriage hit a rut, jostling her with enough force to start a violent drumming behind her eyes. As if that wasn't enough, a cramp started in her leg from her position in the mail-coach. It was the last time she'd ever travel with the mail just to get to London from Edinburgh in less than two days. And all for what? Further humiliation, no doubt.

Katherine earned Society's censure when she was caught in the arms of her lover. Had she been more discreet, more aware of the possibility of discovery, she'd have been spared the loss of her friends, family, and acquaintances. She'd never have lost her vouchers to Almack's weekly assemblies and she never would have had to endure the whispers behind fans, the lowered eyes, or the snubs from those she'd once considered her closest friends.

The other mail-coach passengers ignored her, but being ignored was something she'd long grown used to. When she stretched out her leg in an effort to relieve some of the pain, the woman beside her turned her head just a touch, shooting a glare from the corner of her washed-out blue eye.

Pardon me, Katherine murmured, tucking her leg back under her and stifling the pinch of agony that shot up the abused limb.

The sensation was nothing compared to what she'd endured at her husband's own hand. When she failed to produce the coveted male heir, he berated her, as if she alone were to blame. It took three failed pregnancies in five years to finally convince him she wouldn't breed. He bemoaned fate for saddling him with such a flawed wife, his diatribes becoming more violent and hurtful with each passing day. For five long years she'd watched her husband's love fade to resentment, bitterness, and abuse.

Injured feelings, minor bruises on her otherwise flawless skin, and the sympathy of one she'd long considered her friend led to her downfall. It wasn't planned, far from it. Never had she considered playing her husband false. It was the trait she most abhorred in Society wives.

But she faltered. Anger, resentment, and Simon's sudden arrival just when Jarvis was out of Town left her vulnerable. Then Katherine broke the most important of all the commandments, the one Society held above all others. The unspoken one. The eleventh.

Thou shalt not get caught.

Simon Delacourt was everything her husband was not. He lacked Jarvis's charm and blond good looks. He eschewed Society and their hypocrisies, spending little time in London and never in the ballrooms. He lacked a title and possessed only a modest income.

Katherine had known Simon as long as she'd known Jarvis. But Jarvis was the man she loved and as a wealthy duke, he presented far more security than a plain mister. So she married the Duke of Jarvis.

Hours passed, the creaking from the carriage all that broke the heavy silence. In time, they entered London's West End. Katherine paid little attention to her surroundings. She only wanted to get to the posting house, hire a chaise, and get to her destination. She wanted this day over, wanted an end, finally, to the misery she'd caused. And perhaps, just perhaps, she'd be able to finally leave Simon in her past, forgotten, and forgive herself.

Jarvis had chosen that morning of all mornings to enter her chamber unannounced. There was a certain tragic comedy to the way she scrambled to cover herself and the way Simon barely noticed her actions. The laughter she released at the time mocked both men but really she mocked herself.

It was the worst thing she could have done. Simon's head snapped toward her, his dark eyes blazing. You scheming slut! This —encompassing the bed and their naked bodies in a sweeping gesture— "was nothing more than a means of revenge?"

Shock froze Katherine's tongue. Before her mind could form a denial, Simon surged from the bed, anger radiating from every inch of his muscular form. He scooped his clothes from the floor and turned to leave. As he passed Jarvis, Simon paused as if to say something, but he must have thought better of it. He gave the slightest of bows in the duke's direction. Katherine's dressing room door slammed as Simon made good his exit.

"Well, darling, it