May Wedding

By Ellie Thomas

Sequel to The Misfit

Some of the gentlemen who meet weekly for supper at The Golden Lion in London’s St. James’ are preoccupied with the prospect of matrimony.

The Honourable Percy Havilland is at full organisational pelt for his sister’s triumphant society marriage, ably backed by his friends. His frequent stress-induced outbursts are endured by his ever-patient lover, Nathan.

Percy has mixed feelings about the upcoming nuptials, the sorrow at losing one of his precious sisters balanced by the opportunity of exhibiting his exquisite good taste to make this the wedding of the season.

His friend Jo Everett reacts differently to the wedding, desiring an equivalent opportunity to mark his enduring love for Daniel Walters.

Will Percy manage to survive the wedding without falling out irreparably with Nathan? And might Jo and Daniel discover they have the support of their close circle to celebrate their own special day?

• Language: English
• Publisher: JMS Books LLC
• Release date: May 21, 2023
• ISBN: 9781685504502

Book preview

May Wedding

By Ellie Thomas

Published by JMS Books LLC

Visit jms-books.com for more information.

Copyright 2023 Ellie Thomas

ISBN 9781685504502

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Cover Design: Written Ink Designs | written-ink.com

Image(s) used under a Standard Royalty-Free License.

All rights reserved.

WARNING: This book is not transferable. It is for your own personal use. If it is sold, shared, or given away, it is an infringement of the copyright of this work and violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

No portion of this book may be transmitted or reproduced in any form, or by any means, without permission in writing from the publisher, with the exception of brief excerpts used for the purposes of review.

This book is for ADULT AUDIENCES ONLY. It may contain sexually explicit scenes and graphic language which might be considered offensive by some readers. Please store your files where they cannot be accessed by minors.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are solely the product of the author’s imagination and/or are used fictitiously, though reference may be made to actual historical events or existing locations. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Published in the United States of America.

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Thank you to all the readers who have faithfully followed my Regency boys so far on their romantic adventures and life’s journey.

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May Wedding

By Ellie Thomas

Chapter 1

London, Spring 1817

The Honourable Percy Havilland minutely examined his appearance in the full-length mirror of his dressing room. Today, of all days, nothing less than perfection would pass muster for his sister’s wedding. Rather than preening at his admittedly exquisite form, he critically scrutinised his burnished golden curls arranged in an elegant Cherubin style, the precision of his Oriental knotted cravat, and his flawless peaches and cream complexion above his smoothly shaved chin.

With one final assessing scan of his reflection, Percy was satisfied. Daniel has outdone himself, he thought with genuine admiration for his favourite tailor’s skills. The dove grey tailcoat was so closely cut that he needed assistance from William, his butler and de facto valet, to don the garment without a single wrinkle, let alone a strained seam.

The neutral colour not only brought out the cerulean blue of his eyes but emphasised the lean masculinity of his figure, nipped in at his swooningly slender waist, the perfectly cut pantaloons showing off Percy’s enviably long, slim legs. Percy tweaked one golden curl a fraction of an inch into place. Not too bad for an old man of nearly twenty-six, he thought with some satisfaction that his startling youthful beauty had not faded completely.

He grinned naughtily, spoiling the impression of a sketched fashion plate in The Gentlemen’s Magazine. Nathan won’t know where to put himself when he sees me in this. He imagined his long-term lover’s rousing reaction to Percy’s most outstanding qualities packaged in such an enticing mode.

Nathan had remained the love and light of Percy’s life for the past two and a half years and, with God’s good grace, until the end of his days. That is when they weren’t squabbling over some inconsequential trifle or imagined slight.

Approaching forty and brusquely sensible, Nathan was a physical contrast to the dazzling Percy. He was marginally shorter, with indeterminate receding dark hair, middling-brown eyes, and thickset and muscular in build. Also, he hadn’t a smidgen of vanity and frequently bridled at Percy’s obsession with his appearance and the long but necessary hours spent before the looking glass, frequently causing them to be more than fashionably late.

When lingering during such an instance in the doorway of Percy’s dressing room, Nathan had raised a cynical eyebrow at Percy’s declaration of requiring a new suit for Araminta’s wedding from Shelford’s, the tailoring establishment in Bond Street. Percy was a frequent customer who provided free advertising for the shop’s wares. He took great