The Blue Rose Regency Romances: The Culpepper Misses Series 1-5 Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Digital Starter Library!

  Contents

  THE EARL AND THE SPINSTER

  The Earl and the Spinster: Chapter 1

  The Earl and the Spinster: Chapter 2

  The Earl and the Spinster: Chapter 3

  The Earl and the Spinster: Chapter 4

  The Earl and the Spinster: Chapter 5

  The Earl and the Spinster: Chapter 6

  The Earl and the Spinster: Chapter 7

  The Earl and the Spinster: Chapter 8

  The Earl and the Spinster: Chapter 9

  The Earl and the Spinster: Chapter 10

  The Earl and the Spinster: Chapter 11

  The Earl and the Spinster: Chapter 12

  The Earl and the Spinster: Chapter 13

  The Earl and the Spinster: Chapter 14

  The Earl and the Spinster: Chapter 15

  The Earl and the Spinster: Chapter 16

  The Earl and the Spinster: Chapter 17

  The Earl and the Spinster: Chapter 18

  The Earl and the Spinster: Chapter 19

  The Earl and the Spinster: Epilogue

  THE MARQUIS AND THE VIXEN

  The Marquis and the Vixen: Chapter 1

  The Marquis and the Vixen: Chapter 2

  The Marquis and the Vixen: Chapter 3

  The Marquis and the Vixen: Chapter 4

  The Marquis and the Vixen: Chapter 5

  The Marquis and the Vixen: Chapter 6

  The Marquis and the Vixen: Chapter 7

  The Marquis and the Vixen: Chapter 8

  The Marquis and the Vixen: Chapter 9

  The Marquis and the Vixen: Chapter 10

  The Marquis and the Vixen: Chapter 11

  The Marquis and the Vixen: Chapter 12

  The Marquis and the Vixen: Chapter 13

  The Marquis and the Vixen: Epilogue

  THE LORD AND THE WALLFLOWER

  The Lord and the Wallflower: Chapter 1

  The Lord and the Wallflower: Chapter 2

  The Lord and the Wallflower: Chapter 3

  The Lord and the Wallflower: Chapter 4

  The Lord and the Wallflower: Chapter 5

  The Lord and the Wallflower: Chapter 6

  The Lord and the Wallflower: Chapter 7

  The Lord and the Wallflower: Chapter 8

  The Lord and the Wallflower: Chapter 9

  The Lord and the Wallflower: Chapter 10

  The Lord and the Wallflower: Chapter 11

  The Lord and the Wallflower: Chapter 12

  The Lord and the Wallflower: Chapter 13

  The Lord and the Wallflower: Chapter 14

  The Lord and the Wallflower: Chapter 15

  The Lord and the Wallflower: Chapter 16

  The Lord and the Wallflower: Epilogue

  THE BUCCANEER AND THE BLUESTOCKING

  The Buccaneer and the Bluestocking: Chapter 1

  The Buccaneer and the Bluestocking: Chapter 2

  The Buccaneer and the Bluestocking: Chapter 3

  The Buccaneer and the Bluestocking: Chapter 4

  The Buccaneer and the Bluestocking: Chapter 5

  The Buccaneer and the Bluestocking: Chapter 6

  The Buccaneer and the Bluestocking: Chapter 7

  The Buccaneer and the Bluestocking: Chapter 8

  The Buccaneer and the Bluestocking: Chapter 9

  The Buccaneer and the Bluestocking: Chapter 10

  The Buccaneer and the Bluestocking: Chapter 11

  The Buccaneer and the Bluestocking: Chapter 12

  The Buccaneer and the Bluestocking: Chapter 13

  The Buccaneer and the Bluestocking: Chapter 14

  The Buccaneer and the Bluestocking: Chapter 15

  The Buccaneer and the Bluestocking: Chapter 16

  The Buccaneer and the Bluestocking: Chapter 17

  The Buccaneer and the Bluestocking: Chapter 18

  The Buccaneer and the Bluestocking: Chapter 19

  The Buccaneer and the Bluestocking: Chapter 20

  The Buccaneer and the Bluestocking: Epilogue

  THE LIEUTENANT AND THE LADY

  The Lieutenant and the Lady: Chapter 1

  The Lieutenant and the Lady: Chapter 2

  The Lieutenant and the Lady: Chapter 3

  The Lieutenant and the Lady: Chapter 4

  The Lieutenant and the Lady: Chapter 5

  The Lieutenant and the Lady: Chapter 6

  The Lieutenant and the Lady: Chapter 7

  The Lieutenant and the Lady: Chapter 8

  The Lieutenant and the Lady: Chapter 9

  The Lieutenant and the Lady: Chapter 10

  The Lieutenant and the Lady: Chapter 11

  The Lieutenant and the Lady: Chapter 12

  The Lieutenant and the Lady: Chapter 13

  The Lieutenant and the Lady: Chapter 14

  The Lieutenant and the Lady: Epilogue

  Other Collette Cameron Books

  About the Author

  THE BLUE ROSE REGENCY ROMANCES:

  The Culpepper Misses Series 1-5

  By

  COLLETTE CAMERON

  Blue Rose Romance®

  Portland, Oregon

  Sweet-to-Spicy Timeless Romance®

  The Blue Rose Regency Romances: The Culpepper Misses Series 1-5

  Copyright © 2019 Collette Cameron

  Cover Image and Artwork by The Midnight Muse

  Cover Design by Sheri McGathy

  The Earl and the Spinster

  Copyright © 2015 by Collette Cameron

  The Marquis and the Vixen

  Copyright © 2016 by Collette Cameron

  The Lord and the Wallflower

  Copyright © 2017 by Collette Cameron

  The Buccaneer and the Bluestocking

  Copyright © 2018 by Collette Cameron

  The Lieutenant and the Lady

  Copyright © 2019 by Collette Cameron

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By downloading or purchasing a print copy of this book, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this book. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented without the express written permission of copyright owner.

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  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publish­er, except where permitted by law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the address below.

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  Portland, Oregon 97203

 
ISBN eBook: 9781950387342

  ISBN Paperback: 9781950387335

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  THE EARL AND THE SPINSTER, Book One

  Formerly titled Brooke: Wagers Gone Awry (Conundrums of the Misses Culpepper, Book 1)

  An angry earl. A desperate spinster. A reckless wager.

  For five years, Brooke Culpepper has focused her energy on two things: keeping the struggling dairy farm that’s her home operating and preventing her younger sister and cousins from starving. Then one day, a stern-faced stranger arrives at their doorstep and announces he’s the dairy’s new owner and plans on selling the farm. Though she’s outraged, Brooke can’t deny the Earl of Ravensdale makes her pulse race in the most disturbing way.

  Heath is incensed to discover five women call the land he won at the gaming tables their home. Their guardian made no mention of his beautiful, impoverished wards, nor did he reveal that he forced Brooke to send him the dairy’s proceeds or he’d evict them. Heath detests everything about the country and has no desire to own a smelly farm, even if one of the occupants is the most intelligent, entrancing woman he’s ever met.

  Desperate, pauper poor, and with nowhere to take her family, Brooke rashly proposes a wager. Heath's stakes? The farm. Hers? Her virtue. The land holds no interest for Heath, but he finds Brooke irresistible and ignoring prudence as well as his sense of honor, he just as recklessly accepts her challenge.

  In a winner takes all bet, will they both come to regret their impulsiveness, especially when love is at stake?

  THE MARQUIS AND THE VIXEN, Book Two

  Formerly titled Blythe: Schemes Gone Amiss (Conundrums of the Misses Culpepper, Book 2)

  A tormented marquis. A vivacious vixen. A deadly foe.

  Dragged to London for a Season, Blythe Culpepper is dismayed to learn her guardian has enlisted the devilishly attractive Lord Leventhorpe—the one man she detests—to assist with her launch into Polite Society. Since their first encounter, hostile looks and cutting retorts abound whenever they meet. Still, she cannot deny the way her body reacts when he’s near. So, perhaps it’s no surprise that upon overhearing another woman scheming to entrap Tristan into marriage, Blythe must warn him.

  Tristan, the austere and controlled Marquis of Leventhorpe, usually avoids social gatherings. So why, against his better judgement, does he agree to aid his closest friend in presenting the Culpeppers to Society? Might it be because one particular fascinating Culpepper stirs more than his interest? Blythe taxes him to his limits with her sharp wit and even sharper tongue. Yet, he cannot deny the beauty captivates him like no other.

  However, when a past enemy comes calling, using Blythe to settle old scores, Tristan must decide if restoring his family’s tarnished honor—something he’s worked toward for years—is more important than winning the heart of the woman he’s come to love.

  THE LORD AND THE WALLFLOWER, Book Three

  Formerly titled Brette: Intentions Gone Astray (Conundrums of the Misses Culpepper, Book 3)

  A rogue turned rector believes his adventures are over until a precocious debutante bursts headlong into his life.

  When duty decrees former rogue Alexander Hawksworth fill the vacant vicarship a male in his family has held for generations, he resigns himself to a sober existence. Though he’s committed to his parish, he misses the soirées and parties, especially after the precocious Brette Culpepper arrives in London. After he unexpectedly inherits an earldom, he’s determined to make her his countess—until he’s accused of murdering the previous earl.

  New to Society, Brette adores the whirlwind social scene and the slightly-sensual verbal sparring with the devilishly attractive Alex Hawksworth. She finds herself falling in love with the charming vicar, but when rumors circulate, she’s a peer’s illegitimate granddaughter, her world turns upside down. To make matters worse, a newly appointed guardian emerges, intent on forcing her to wed an elderly degenerate instead of Alex.

  Time is against them as Alex struggles to clear his name and deliver the woman he loves from an unthinkable fate.

  THE BUCCANEER AND THE BLUESTOCKING. Book Four

  Formerly titled Blaike: Secrets Gone Askew (Conundrums of the Misses Culpepper, Book 4)

  Can a sea captain overcome his tarnished past and forge a future with a gently-bred hellion?

  Captain Oliver Whitehouse has two goals: make the final payment on his ship and exact revenge for his grandfather’s murder. He certainly shouldn’t interrupt years of planning to save a damsel in distress and see her safely to England. Nor should he foolishly entertain romantic notions about a future with the impulsive beauty that her guardian has warned him away from. Even if she is the loveliest creature he’s ever laid eyes on, and only she makes him forget his past.

  Ward to a powerful earl, gentlewoman Blaike Culpepper once craved adventure and excitement. Until her impetuousness nearly caused her ruin. Now shadowed by scandal, and pursued by a madman, she finds herself obligated to the darkly handsome sea captain for rescuing her. A man she’s been attracted to since they first met at a ball and she’s now grown to love. Though Blaike saves the swashbuckling scoundrel’s life and they enjoyed a tantalizing kiss, the infuriating man won't pursue her.

  Once Oliver returns Blaike safely to England, he must make an agonizing decision. Dare he risk everything to pursue her, despite the vast difference in their social stations? Or should he sail away, leaving his heart behind?

  THE LIEUTENANT AND THE LADY, Book Five

  How can he choose between duty and the woman he’d give his life for?

  When Blaire Culpepper returns to England, she hopes to finally declare her love to dashing Lieutenant Julian Drake. Except, in her absence, he’s inherited his brother’s estate, sold his commission, and has been courting another woman. According to the rumor mills, a marriage announcement is expected any day.

  From the moment Julian laid eyes on Blaire many month ago, she entranced him. But as soldier far beneath her station, he battled his growing fascination. When his brother dies, Julian social status changes. But so does his newfound intentions of courting Blaire and winning her hand…

  Circumstances and honor have forced him into considering a union with another woman. But that means breaking Blaire’s heart and his own as well…

  Other Collette Cameron Books

  About the Author

  Even when most prudently considered, and with the noblest of intentions,

  one who wagers with chance oft finds oneself empty-handed.

  ~Wisdom and Advice—The Genteel Lady’s Guide to Practical Living

  Esherton Green,

  Near Acton, Cheshire, England

  Early April 1822

  Was I born under an evil star or cursed from my first breath?

  Brooke Culpepper suppressed the urge to shake her fist at the heavens and berate The Almighty aloud. The devil boasted better luck than she. My God, now two more cows struggled to regain their strength?

  She slid Richard Mabry, Esherton Green’s steward-turned-overseer, a worried glance from beneath her lashes as she chewed her lower lip and paced before the unsatisfactory fire in the study’s hearth. The soothing aroma of wood smoke, combined with linseed oil, old leather, and the faintest trace of Papa’s pipe tobacco, bathed the room. The scents reminded her of happier times but did little to calm her frayed nerves.

  Sensible gray woolen skirts swishing about her ankles, she whirled to make the return trip across the once-bright green and gold Axminster carpet, now so threadbare, the oak floor peeked through in numerous places. Her scuffed half-boots fared little better, and she hid a wince when the scrap of leather she’d used to cover the hole in her left sole this morning slipped loose again.

  From his comfortable spot in a worn and faded wingba
ck chair, Freddy, her aged Welsh corgi, observed her progress with soulful brown eyes, his muzzle propped on stubby paws. Two ancient tabbies lay curled so tightly together on the cracked leather sofa that determining where one ended and the other began was difficult.

  What was she to do? Brooke clamped her lip harder and winced.

  Should she venture to the barn to see the cows herself?

  What good would that do? She knew little of doctoring cattle and so left the animals’ care in Mr. Mabry’s capable hands. Her strength lay in the financial administration of the dairy farm and her ability to stretch a shilling as thin as gossamer.

  She cast a glance at the bay window and, despite the fire, rubbed her arms against the chill creeping along her spine. A frenzied wind whipped the lilac branches and scraped the rain-splattered panes. The tempest threatening since dawn had finally unleashed its full fury, and the fierce winds battering the house gave the day a peculiar, eerie feeling—as if portending something ominous.

  At least Mabry and the other hands had managed to get the cattle tucked away before the gale hit. The herd of fifty—no, sixty, counting the newborn calves—chewed their cud and weathered the storm inside the old, but sturdy, barns.

  As she peered through the blurry pane, a shingle ripped loose from the farthest outbuilding—a retired stone dovecote. After the wind tossed the slat around for a few moments, the wood twirled to the ground, where it flipped end over end before wedging beneath a gangly shrub. Two more shingles hurled to the earth, this time from one of the barns.