A Country Scandal: a sexy, scandalous page-turner Read online

  SCANDAL

  Sasha Morgan

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  About this Book

  About the Author

  Table of Contents

  www.ariafiction.com

  About Scandal

  As the new custodian of the ancestral home, Treweham Hall, Tobias Cavendish-Blake soon discovers exactly what he’s inherited. Instant financial action is needed if the Hall is to survive the mounting debts it’s racking up. Adding insult to injury the family is forced to sell the Gate House on the estate to lottery winners Gary and Tracy Belcher – not the kind of neighbours Tobias was hoping for.

  Megan Taylor inherits her grandmother’s country cottage in the village of Treweham and decides to make a fresh start there, taking a job at the local country pub.

  When Megan meets Tobias, the attraction is clear, but she is determined to resist his charms, put off by his reputation and that of his best friends - the rakish Seamus Fox, son of a millionaire race horse trainer and dastardly jockey Dylan Delany. But Tobias is a hard man to resist…

  Contents

  Welcome Page

  About Scandal

  Dedication

  Cast of Characters

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Chapter 52

  Chapter 53

  Chapter 54

  Chapter 55

  Chapter 56

  Chapter 57

  Chapter 58

  Chapter 59

  Chapter 60

  Chapter 61

  Acknowledgements

  About Sasha Morgan

  Become an Aria Addict

  Copyright

  For my dad, who enjoyed a flutter on the horses.

  ‘C’mon my son!’

  Cast of Characters

  Tobias Cavendish-Blake – the new custodian of Treweham Hall with a wild-child reputation.

  Megan Taylor – bequeathed her gran’s cottage in Treweham and decides to make a new start after her boyfriend cheats on her.

  Dylan Delany – Champion Jockey and lovable rogue, unable to resist any temptation.

  Flora – stable girl at Treweham Hall, falls madly for Dylan’s charm.

  Ted – old gentleman living next door to Megan.

  Seamus Fox – childhood friend of Tobias and Dylan, with a matching reputation.

  Nick Fletcher – local vet who has a rather curious side to him. Archenemy of Tobias.

  Sebastian Cavendish-Blake – gay younger brother of Tobias, quite dramatic.

  Finula – local barmaid, becomes a good friend of Megan’s.

  Dermot – Finula’s father, landlord of The Templar.

  Gary Belcher – lottery winner from the North with a happy-go-lucky attitude.

  Tracy Belcher – Gary’s wife, with a quiet, caring side to her.

  Lady Cavendish-Blake (Beatrice) – Tobias and Sebastian’s rather cosseted mother.

  Aunt Celia – sister to Lady Cavendish-Blake, a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is old tartar.

  Sean Fox – race-horse trainer and bullying father to Seamus.

  Adam – Megan’s cheating boyfriend, with a self-regarding attitude.

  Chris Taylor – Megan’s older brother.

  Mr and Mrs Taylor – Megan’s parents.

  Carrie – Tobias’ late fiancée.

  Jennifer Goldsmith – Adam’s very efficient secretary.

  Samantha Tait – rich wife with horses, takes a shine to Dylan.

  Sadie Stringfellow – a kiss-and-tell opportunist, who also takes a shine to Dylan.

  Sharon – Tracy Belcher’s jealous friend.

  Wifrid – Aunt Celia’s holiday companion.

  Kate – Megan’s old friend from the office.

  Marcus Devlin – Irish TV producer with an eye on Finula.

  Chapter 1

  It was day break. A rosy, warm sunrise glowed over the valley. Galloping through the early morning mist, Tobias Cavendish-Blake finally slowed his horse to survey the sight before him. Treweham Hall stood proud and majestic against the smooth, rolling hills. The imposing building was made of sandstone with four corner turrets and sturdy buttresses that gave it a castle-like appearance. Gothic windows with stained glass twinkled in the sunlight. He sighed heavily: would it always remain so resilient, the fortress of his family?

  That seemed dubious, going through the estate accounts. His father, the late Lord Richard Cavendish-Blake, had looked after the place well – too well. All the contingency funds had haemorrhaged, bled completely dry relentlessly maintaining the upkeep of the Hall. The outgoings far outweighed the incomings. The payroll of the staff alone made Tobias’ eyes water, not to mention the colossal energy bills. Tobias had suggested shutting down the many vast unused rooms, but his mother wouldn’t hear of it. Lady Cavendish-Blake had been sheltered by her late husband, leaving her totally oblivious to the fact that her home was a money pit and the current state of affairs could only be described as dire. As the new custodian, it was down to Tobias to keep the place running. He was responsible not only for the staff, but the village tenants too. Feeling the burden weighing down on his broad shoulders, he realised it was time to grow up. Time to settle down. The future meant kissing goodbye to the wild parties for which he was notorious.

  His thoughts turned back to his thirtieth birthday bash, making him wince. It hadn’t been so much a party, more a two-week brawl around Europe with a few friends, including his oldest childhood chum, Seamus Fox, son of a millionaire racehorse trainer. The two of them together had been a lethal combination, each egging the other on, the more daring and outrageous the exploits the better, resulting in the occasional brush with the tabloids. The picture of him and Seamus plastered over the front page of a newspaper showing them tumbling out of a St Tropez nightclub, legless (and trouserless) with a beauty on each arm, was one he couldn’t forget. His father wouldn’t let him. They’d been dubbed ‘the Heir and the Fox’. Ironically, Tobias wasn’t a natural wild child, the opposite in fact.

  His one true love, Carrie, had been a local girl from the village. They’d always been close. Even when he had been sent to Eton they’d written, phoned and constantly made arrangements to meet. When Tobias had turned twenty-one he had proposed, claiming she was the only thing he wanted. Both families had been happy with the arrangement. Carrie’s parents were glad that being married
to Tobias meant she would stay in the village close to them and obviously be well looked after. Tobias’ parents were just plain relieved he wanted to settle down with a sensible, local girl, instead of turning to drink and drugs like so many of his peers. Then one year after their spectacular engagement celebration, Carrie had been hit by a drunken driver and killed instantly. Tobias had been inconsolable; not even the Fox could calm him. He turned his back on society and locked himself away, refusing to talk or open up to anyone. His mother had been sick with worry, every attempt to reach him futile. Then, as if overnight, he completely changed. After twelve months of grieving, Tobias stopped being angry with the world and everyone in it and decided to rip the hell out of it instead. He forced himself to live life to the max, which meant spending his considerable allowance on any substance necessary to get the highs he craved, not to mention a string of stunning girlfriends who were more than happy to be showcased on the arm of a lord.

  *

  But now those days were over. Treweham Hall needed him and life had to be different. Even Seamus had grown up and settled down with Tatum, a red-haired beauty, with a red-hot temper, to boot. If anyone could tame the Fox, Tatum could; and he adored her for it, along with their two daughters, whom he worshipped. Tobias envied them. Deep down that’s what he wanted, too, but how? Instead he would have to face some difficult choices alone. The one and only love of his life was gone for ever. She was lying in the village graveyard next to his own family crypt.

  Chapter 2

  Adam narrowed his eyes and settled further back into his office chair. His secretary was sporting a pale, see-through blouse today, revealing a black, lacy bra, along with a short, tight pencil skirt. He leant forward slightly, certain he couldn’t see a visible panty line, so he assumed she must be wearing a G-string. He admired her long brown legs, slim ankles and red-painted toenails, revealed by stiletto sandals. She was playing a game and they both knew it.

  At first he’d been quite shocked at her behaviour, brushing past him so her breasts gently stroked his arm, bending over his desk to expose a more than generous glimpse of ample cleavage, dressing more provocatively by the day as the dresses and skirts got shorter and tighter, the neckline lower, the material more transparent. Her body language was open, the innuendos grew a little more risqué, and she was definitely giving him the green light. He’d gone from being shocked to amused, to burning-hot curious as to what was under that damn sexy outfit. Now she was standing to the side of him by the filing cabinet. She dropped a file and slowly picked it up, revealing two pink nipples peeking out from the black lace cups. He watched her pert buttocks bend over, making the skirt ride further up her endlessly long legs. ‘Clumsy me,’ she smirked, seeing the lust in his eyes, then licked her lips.

  He got up and sidled behind her, playfully slapping her bottom. ‘Ready for some dic-tation, Moneypenny?’ he asked. She giggled, liking the nickname. Good job, seeing as he couldn’t for the life of him remember her name. Was it Fay or Kay? Or maybe May? Well, he couldn’t remember everything, could he, with his high-powered new job as a partner? Recalling the name of his temporary secretary wasn’t at the top of his list of priorities. She certainly helped to pass the long, stressful days, though. His hands reached round to cup her large breasts, which felt firm and heavy. More giggles.

  ‘Adam, we can’t. What if someone comes in?’

  ‘But that’s what makes it so exciting,’ he whispered thickly in her ear, as his thumbs slowly circled her nipples, transforming them to hard buttons. She let out a sigh of pleasure, and he sniggered; that’s how much she wanted him to stop. His hands slid to her waist, then down again over her hips and thighs and began slowly to hitch the skirt up, uncovering two smooth, brown cheeks, one of which was decorated with a red love heart tattoo. He was wrong about the G-string, though – she wasn’t wearing any knickers at all.

  He laughed under his breath. ‘Well, someone came prepared, didn’t they?’

  She sighed again. He gently pushed her legs apart and explored between them. He gasped at how warm and ready she was. The gasp was returned, but it seemed to come from the doorway…

  ‘Megan!’ He shot up. ‘I can explain…’ he began, with his hands up his secretary’s skirt.

  Walking straight backed, with her head held high, Megan Taylor weaved through the busy office, ignoring the smirks and sniggers that followed her. Did everyone know but her? She hurtled out of the building, tears stinging her face. Traffic whizzed by, headlights illuminating puddles of rain as the passing cars threatened to drench her. Walking home wasn’t an option. She dug out her mobile and rang the voice of reason, who would always offer the comfort and reassurance she badly needed.

  ‘Dad, can you come and get me?’ she choked.

  *

  Adam and her relationship had been good in the beginning, she reflected, once she was sitting silently in her dad’s passenger seat. Luckily he could read his daughter well enough to know just what to say and, more importantly, when not to say anything. On first meeting Adam, Megan had been struck by his boyish good looks and charm. She liked the way his copper hair flopped into his blue twinkly eyes, the way his full mouth smiled mischievously, his ability to make her laugh with his quirky sense of humour, but all that seemed gradually to vanish over the months and was slowly replaced with an air of confidence bordering on contempt, assuming he could take his girlfriend for granted. So what if he appreciated other girls, there was no harm in looking, was there? Well, yes, there was, conceded his friends when they could see how blatantly he flirted with them in front of Megan. Even they were perplexed at why she tolerated him. Well, not any more. His lovemaking had gone from tender and caring to an almost mechanical, cold act, which had left Megan feeling lost and lonely. It was over. Thankfully she hadn’t properly moved into his flat, so there was no need to call and retrieve her possessions, just a few bits and pieces that she could do without, or at least replace easily enough; she thought of her Ed Sheeran CDs, her Bridget Jones DVD, her collection of Jane Austen books and Cath Kidston toiletries, which all looked so out of place in Adam’s modern, black and white apartment, with chrome fittings and wooden flooring.

  Her dad cast a sideways glance. ‘You all right love?’

  ‘No,’ she sobbed, ‘I can’t face having to work with him.’

  ‘Hmm,’ he replied by way of agreement. She could just imagine the gossip this would cause. The girls in her admin team often told Megan to dump Adam, but funnily enough it didn’t deter them from fluttering their eyelashes at him every time he entered their office. It didn’t help either that Adam was particularly good at his job as a solicitor. He had a way with words and knew exactly how to pitch his spiel and work his charm. Whether it be with a senior partner of the firm, or a rich client, he always extracted everything he wanted from them. As a result he was the golden boy, inevitably going places. Whereas Megan wasn’t going anywhere, she conceded. She was one of the many faceless admin staff that quietly went about their business. In fact, it was a miracle to her that Adam had even noticed her in the first place.

  It had been a rainy Monday morning and Megan had forgotten her umbrella. She was rushing to the office, dodging the puddles, when suddenly the huge canopy of a golf brolly had covered her head. Sharply turning round, she was greeted by the most beautiful blue eyes and engaging smile.

  ‘Here, let me,’ Adam had said easily, walking alongside her. ‘We work in the same building, don’t we?’

  ‘Y… yes,’ stammered Megan, not quite believing the office heart-throb was actually talking to her. Droplets of rain ran down her cheeks, and she quickly wiped them away. He smiled again. That big, confident grin was beginning to melt her. Reaching the stone front steps to the solicitors’ office building, he casually held out his hand to guide her in, and for a second he touched her arm and it sent electric pulses through her.

  ‘Would you like to go for a drink after work?’ he simply asked, whilst pulling down his umbrella and opening the large g
lass door for her. Megan couldn’t believe it. The delayed reaction caused him to look quizzically at her, but still with an air of assurance.

  ‘Er… yes, thanks,’ Megan had finally replied.

  ‘Great. I’ll meet you here at six o’clock then,’ and with a final winning smile he took the lift to the second floor, where his office was and where a one-shot skinny latte was waiting for him on his desk.

  All that seemed a lifetime ago now, Megan sadly reflected. It was impossible to believe that the Adam she had just caught fondling his secretary had been the handsome, charming man that had gallantly offered cover that bleak morning.

  Turning to her dad, she noticed that his eyes were tired and swollen. ‘Dad?’

  He put one hand over her clenched ones. ‘I’m sorry, love, I know this is bad timing, but it’s Gran.’

  ‘Gran?’ she interrupted urgently. ‘What’s happened?’

  ‘She passed away, love, early this morning.’

  A dull, sickening force hit Megan full in the stomach. No, not Gran.

  Chapter 3

  Tobias knocked back the malt whisky in one. Feeling the hot liquid shoot through his system, he ducked down under the bubbles and shut out the world and its worries. Under the warm water he relaxed momentarily before resurfacing, pushing his long black hair away from his face. He rubbed the dampness out of his greenish hazel eyes, laid back in the roll-top bath and contemplated.

  He would have to talk to his mother after dinner: she had to know the position they were in. After the initial grief of her husband’s death, Beatrice had carried on as before, spending money like it was going out of fashion. Tobias shook his head – no wonder they were in this state. His father had totally indulged her, never giving her reason to stop and think just how much she was getting through. Luxuries were everyday things to Beatrice. The grand flower displays gracing the Hall, the running of her Mercedes and Daimler, her regular foreign holidays, designer clothes, the exquisite antiques she collected as well as the impressive art work – it all had to stop. This wasn’t going to be easy.