Excerpt: 'Only Marriage Will Do' by Jenna Jaxon

Jenna Jaxon shares a snippet from her new release, Only Marriage Will Do.

About the book (courtesy of Lyrical Press):

Not every happy-ever-after begins at "I do."

When the hero of her dreams rescues Lady Juliet Ferrers from the man claiming to be her husband, she is sure she has found her one true love. But is she free to marry him? Not to be deterred, Juliet arranges for her hero, Captain Amiable Dawson, to escort her to her family estate, hoping that along the way she can win his love.

Amiable is charmed by the sweet, beautiful woman he rescued, and although he has grave reservations about her marital status, he allows himself to be swept up into Juliet's romantic spell and the promise of a happy-ever-after.

The spell breaks when legal questions arise and Juliet faces the horror of not knowing if she is married to her knight in shining armor or the cruel viscount who is determined to have her at any price.

Jenna sets the scene for us …

Jenna: Today I'm sharing one of my favorite scenes from Only Marriage Will Do. I have several favorite scenes, and although I would love to show you my very favorite one, it comes a bit later in the book and would give a little too much away. But this scene is my second favorite and is a lot of fun. It shows the hero and heroine being playful and the hero being a good sport under rather trying circumstances. It also gives you a good idea of their characters overall.

At this point in the story, Captain Amiable Dawson has decided to act as escort to Lady Juliet Ferrers on her way to her family estate near the Scottish border as she flees a man who claims she is his wife and is trying to take her to France. Juliet loathes the man and insists on traveling as far from London as possible.

Due to a constant rain, Amiable and Juliet have spent most of the day in the carriage talking and getting to know one another. Juliet has developed a tendre for Amiable, who is trying to resist her charms and failing miserably.

They arrive at a coaching inn where they and Juliet's maid are to spend the night, only to find the ground a sea of mud.

EXCERPT

"Oh, how wretched the ground looks, Amiable." Juliet wrinkled her petite nose and frowned. "My pattens are in my luggage, I fear."

With a laugh at her woebegone face, he swung out of the carriage and sank almost to his ankles in the mire. Damn. Nothing to laugh about here. It would be a tricky business to get the women into the inn without mishap. The single possible way would be to carry them. He motioned for Juliet.

She scrambled toward the open door.

Without warning, he swooped her into his arms, surprising a shriek out of her.

She grasped his neck.

"Glynis, stay in the carriage. I'll come back for you." He slipped and slithered through the mud, maneuvering as best he could with Juliet attached to him like a limpet. Her heartbeat hammered against his chest and his own pounded even louder because of her proximity. Spending most of the day in her company had softened him. Now, holding her close, breathing her subtle flowery fragrance, her soft body nestled close to him, his protective instincts warred with his unmistakable lust. He tightened his arms around her and she sent him a tentative smile then laid her head back on his shoulder. He concentrated on his footing.

At last, they arrived at the inn's doorway. She slid down his front onto her feet, sending sudden heat coursing through him. Did she do that on purpose? Minx.

She clung to him for just a moment, her body pressed against his.

Sublime torture. "Stay right here, my dear, while I rescue yet another damsel in distress." He slogged back toward the carriage and breathed easier.

Once there, he attempted to put his arms around the maid, but she proved more skittish than Juliet. When he finally coaxed her out of the carriage, Glynis lay straight and stiff in his arms. She kept her arms crossed over her chest so he had a much less secure grip, carrying her as he would a platter overburdened with a roast pig.

About midway to the inn door, a coach and six thundered into the yard, horses snorting, their hooves splashing mud.

The conveyance was nowhere near them, but Glynis let out a yelp of fright and tried to rise straight out of his arms.

He wobbled, tried to find his balance as she twisted in his arms. His feet skidded in the treacherous mud. Damnation. If he could compensate a little more.

Glynis threw her arms around his neck.

Too little too late. The next thing he knew, he lay flat on his back, Glynis sprawled on top of him, both of them plastered with mud. The maid had, of course, fared better, having used her rescuer as a cushion against both the fall and most of the sticky muck. Her clothes might be salvageable.

"Damn it to hell." He wanted to curse the maid, horses, rain, mud, everything he could think of that had brought him to this pass. He raised his head. A disgusting sucking sound as it came away from the muck made him cringe.

Wide-eyed, Glynis stared into his face and tried to scramble backward off him.

"For God's sake, stay where you are, woman. The whole point of this gallant gesture was to keep you from getting filthy. It will not be to my credit at all if I fail abysmally at this point."

Juliet, hand clasped over her mouth, took a tentative step forward.

"Juliet, have you taken leave of your senses? Don't you dare stir a step, lest you end up in the mud alongside us."

She skittered back inside the inn, so at least she had some sense.

Meanwhile, Roberts calmly waded through the mire and plucked Glynis up from her muddy bower.

She latched onto him with the speed of a striking snake, and the two moved off toward the inn.

Amiable winced as he sat up, peeling his jacket away from the gummy ground. He rose to his feet and trudged toward the doorway, his clothes leaden.

Just inside the door, Juliet burst into giggles.

He glared at her as long as possible, though her merry peals were infectious. He must look ludicrous. A chuckle shook him then grew into whoops of laughter. "I'll have you know, madam," he said, gasping in a breath, "this jacket cost me almost half a month's salary and now it won't be fit for a dog to sleep on. Fortunately, the pants are leather and I hope can be cleaned. But my coat and waistcoat are ruined." He grinned. "You will now have to go without new frocks until the loss can be redeemed."

"Oh, Amiable." At last, she stopped laughing and wiped her eyes. "I am so sorry, my dear. You looked so surprised, don't you know?" She widened her eyes and opened her mouth in a big O, imitating his expression, which set her off laughing again. She even snorted once. Very unladylike, but utterly charming.

Find out more about Jenna and her books at jennajaxon.wordpress.com.