The Disobedient Ward

By Heather Sunnydale

Miss Charlotte Wright is a grown woman fully capable of looking after her own affairs, as such she sees no reason whatsoever why should be assigned a guardian to teach her to be a lady, no matter how devilishly handsome and broody he happens to be. She remains determined, there is no way on earth that she is going to obey her warden’s every word and command no matter what he may believe!

The last thing Philip, the new Earl Russell needs is to take on forced responsibilities as a warden, which would only stand as a distraction and inconvenience to his life as a gentleman of leisure and pleasurable pursuits. He is therefore ready to shy away from his duties, well that is until that is, he meets Charlotte his ward and all of a sudden he finds himself not ever wanting to let her go!

• Language: English
• Publisher: LB Books
• Release date: Jul 26, 2017
• ISBN: 9781386100935

Book preview

Chapter 1

‘My Lord...you have a visitor.’

‘Who is it Roger? This is not good timing, whoever it is will just have to come back to see me later on when I am less busy,’ Lord Philip Russell growled back at his butler, who stood outside his shut bedroom door of his London apartment. He continued to suppress his need to groan out freely as his mistress trailed her sultry lips down his muscled stomach to his crotch area.

‘My Lord...I apologise for the interruption...I am aware that you are engaged at the moment,’ Roger spoke awkwardly, and coughing in between words, ‘but I thought you should know that a young lady has arrived to see you, she says her name is Charlotte and the lawyer with her has instructed her to come to your residence, to sort out the details of your father’s will.’

‘Damn it! Alright Roger tell my guests that I will be down shortly, direct them to my study to wait for me,’ Philip spoke with frustration as he moved his mistress from on top of him and sat up on his bed, his right hand settling on top of his thick dark brown mane of hair.

‘Yes Lord Russell I will do as you request, leaving your guests to await your presence in your study, just as you have said,’ Roger spoke with relief as he turned to leave to take care of the unexpected guests.

‘Philip can you not delay your meeting by a few minutes?’ His mistress spoke coyly with a smile.

‘Claudia you and I both know that if we get started on what we were just about to do we will need more than a few minutes,’ Philip replied back bluntly whilst running his left hand down to cup her breast before pinching at her erect nipple.

‘Ahhh...Oh my,’ Claudia moaned out, ‘well if I cannot tempt you, we will have to reschedule our appointment.’

‘You can count on it,’ he winked at her as he stood up and started to put his clothes back on.

‘I wonder what can be so important that a lawyer should turn up unannounced at your door with a woman?’ Claudia spoke with curiosity, but when she looked up to see the dark scowl on Philip’s face she knew immediately that she had made a mistake in forgetting her place. For her lover was not one to disclose personal information about himself that he deemed unnecessary.

‘Is that the time, I should be going, now that you have excused me, I might just be able to do a spot of shopping if I am quick,’ Claudia changed the subject abruptly as she followed Philip’s suit and started to put her clothes back on.

‘Claudia if you don’t mind I will take my leave to see to this business, you can tidy yourself up and leave when you are ready,’ Philip spoke bluntly, all traces of emotion now removed from his voice.

‘Yes of course darling I do not want to keep you.’

‘Good...see you later Claudia,’ he reached down to give her a small kiss goodbye on her left cheek before he made to exit the room without another look back at her.

His mistress once alone removed the fake smile from her lips as she pondered for what seemed like the hundredth time on the mystery that was her lover!

She just could not understand how his character and temperament could be so changeable, one minute he was the most fantastic lover taking her to so many different places and making her experience and feel things that she had never felt before. But then the next moment he was looking at her with a cold disinterest as if they had not been sharing a bed together for several months.

A moment of clarity then struck Claudia, that perhaps that was the very reason why she could not quite bring herself to detach herself from him; unlike her past lovers who all had short expiry dates once she found herself bored of them when the honeymoon period ended. But with Philip it always felt as if the honeymoon was just beginning, and with each moment she spent with him she could not help but become even more attached. To the point that when he had made the casual remark that he would see her later, she had had to quite literally bite her tongue to stop herself from requesting of him of just how much later he meant!

Claudia signed as she decided that she would just have to remain patient and hope that soon or later Philip would open up to her!

‘So what is the meaning of you turning up at my doorstep for an impromptu meeting?’ Philip raised his voice as soon as he entered into his study.

‘My Lord, I am sorry to disturb you...but the matter could not wait any longer.’ The lawyer got up to speak apologetically.

‘What matter?’

‘Lord Russell, I am sorry for interrupting you this afternoon, I sent several letters before my arrival to try and explain the reason for the meeting today, but I did not hear back from you. I had therefore no other alternative than to come here directly?’

‘Fine...I suppose it does not matter anymore you are here now, so please do sit down and get on with what you are about to so desperately tell me,’ Philip seemed to have calmed down somewhat in his rather harsh manner as he took his seat behind his desk and yawned out loud after his words.

‘Well My Lord...it is about shall we say some rather delicate details pertaining to your father’s will.’

‘What details...I thought you said it was all straight forward and my father had been generous enough to leave me all his fortune...though I was quite surprised that he had, for he had shown me little attention when he had been alive and certainly not given me any indication I would reap anything from him on his death.’

‘Yes My Lord...the vast amount of his wealth and of course his title as an Earl is now yours, but in