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    The Devil to Pay: Devilish Devalles, #1
    The Devil to Pay: Devilish Devalles, #1
    The Devil to Pay: Devilish Devalles, #1
    Ebook86 pages1 hour

    The Devil to Pay: Devilish Devalles, #1

    By Catherine Gayle

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    Over the years, Gabriel Devalle has more than earned his reputation as one of “those devilish Devalles.” No one is more surprised than Gabe, therefore, when a debutante tosses herself into his path, only to have her gown “accidentally” ripped by her mischievous and alluring sister, all in the name of causing a scandal. Or was it to prevent a scandal? Either way, the gown-ripping sister has certainly drawn his notice.

    Miss Miranda Hunt will do anything to prevent her sister from making a mistake which would bring scandal down upon their family…even make a deal with the devil. Mr. Devalle is no angel—fallen or otherwise—but he is devilishly handsome, shamelessly wicked, and as infamous a gentleman as Miranda has ever known. He promises to circumvent her sister’s schemes…for a price. What is a proper young lady to do when she has The Devil to Pay?

    ***A novella of approximately 20,000 words***

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherNight Shift Publishing
    Release dateMay 10, 2013
    ISBN9780988335486
    The Devil to Pay: Devilish Devalles, #1

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      Book preview

      The Devil to Pay - Catherine Gayle

      The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

      The Devil to Pay

      Copyright © 2013 by Catherine Gayle

      Cover Design by Adrienne Thorne

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any electronic or mechanical means—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without written permission.

      For more information: catherine@catherinegayle.com

      To Jenny, Owen, Melanie, Curtis, Sheila, and Patrick…for being the inspiration for this band of devilish siblings.

      Over the years, Gabriel Devalle has more than earned his reputation as one of those devilish Devalles. No one is more surprised than Gabe, therefore, when a debutante tosses herself into his path, only to have her gown accidentally ripped by her mischievous and alluring sister, all in the name of causing a scandal. Or was it to prevent a scandal? Either way, the gown-ripping sister has certainly drawn his notice.

      Miss Miranda Hunt will do anything to prevent her sister from making a mistake which would bring scandal down upon their family…even make a deal with the devil. Mr. Devalle is no angel—fallen or otherwise—but he is devilishly handsome, shamelessly wicked, and as infamous a gentleman as Miranda has ever known. He promises to circumvent her sister’s schemes…for a price. What is a proper young lady to do when she has The Devil to Pay?

      ***A novella of approximately 20,000 words***

      THE DEVIL TO PAY is the first novella in the Devilish Devalles series. The second novella, A DANCE WITH THE DEVIL, is available now.

      I don’t understand, Miranda Hunt said in a feverish whisper to her elder sister, Samantha. Miranda glanced surreptitiously about the ballroom from behind her fan, making certain no one could overhear them. This was the very sort of conversation over which Papa would berate them for hours if he caught them holding it in a public place, but she wouldn’t let that stop her as long as no one was nearby. "If Mr. Devalle killed someone, how on earth could he be here at a ball in Mayfair and not in gaol?"

      Samantha shook her head hard enough that her brown ringlets bobbed beside her head. "I didn’t say he’d killed someone. Just that he hadn’t saved them. Do keep up, Miranda."

      Samantha’s fan then whipped into action, creating a breeze around the two of them far stronger than any air coming through the open windows and doorways. It had been an uncharacteristically hot day in London considering it was only May, and the evening was proving to follow the same pattern as the rest of the day had done. Between the crush of bodies crowding Lord Leicester’s ballroom, the hundreds (if not thousands) of candles lighting the area, and the lively country dance being executed by a few more couples than could reasonably fit on the dance floor, the air was stifling.

      It was a wonder any of them could breathe at all.

      Is it illegal now to not rescue someone? Miranda whispered, straining for comprehension. She’d never heard of the like in all her twenty years and doubted she ever would again.

      Samantha chortled in a decidedly unladylike manner. You were the one who enquired about gaol, not me. To my knowledge, there was nothing remotely illegal about what Mr. Devalle did or didn’t do. I just mentioned that this was why he’s so scandalous. The fact that she was a…well, a harlot...that didn’t help, either. Nor did the fact that the Devalles are known to always be involved in some scandal or another. You know, I’ve overheard some people calling them the Devils, even.

      Heavens! Miranda had had no idea.

      If there was one thing Papa would always insist upon with his two youngest daughters, it was that they never consort with anyone scandalous or unsavory. Although, consort was probably not the best choice of words to use. Associate might be a better choice. Still, scandal must never be associated with the Hunt family or the Calstock Viscountcy.

      We must be certain not to ever be seen with Mr. Devalle, then, Miranda said decisively with a brisk nod of her head.

      The seriousness of her tone actually surprised her. Striving to meet Papa’s expectations had always been important to her, of course, but there was something grander behind her reaction. Something more personal to her and not simply related to Papa and his wishes.

      She’d heard enough gossip tossed around in enough ballrooms in her two previous Seasons to know she never wanted any of it to be associated with her. Not for any reason. The very thought of it sent goose flesh racing down her spine. Miranda, for one, had no intention of ever meeting this apparently lecherous man, or anyone at all from the Devalle family. The risk to her reputation was not worth any slight thrill she might experience over meeting someone of such infamy.

      Hmph.

      That reaction was the furthest thing Miranda would have expected from her sister, so unexpected that she turned to make certain she hadn’t been mistaken. Sure enough, Samantha’s lips were turned down into a frown as she scanned the ballroom with an intensity Miranda had rarely seen from her sister.

      Goodness! Did Samantha want to be embroiled in scandal? But why?

      You don’t agree? Miranda asked when her tongue would once again cooperate. Oh, how she hated the fact that so often, if she felt flummoxed by something or someone, she lost the ability to speak coherently at least for a time. It was bothersome to the

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