All I Want.doc

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1、All I Want by Lynsay SandsPrologueChapter OneChapter TwoChapter ThreeChapter FourChapter FiveChapter SixBut the real gem is the last story All I Want by Lynsay Sands. This is a gentle, funny story of a young lady in a trouble family. Brother was killed race carriages through London; Father now drink

2、s and gambles his money away, leaving Mother, young daughter and Pru making wishes they wont end up in the poor house before New Years Eve. Pru, like all Lynsays spunky characters, decides to take matters into her hands and corner papa in the gambling hell. Her efforts to get inside the Men Only clu

3、b is a riot that will have you howling out loud. And naturally, who should she meet and fall for - the owner of the gaming hell. But can he make her wishes come true? Lynsay is tops at giving you really funny situations, without insulting the intelligence of the characters or the readers. This is on

4、e of those stories that will linger in your mind for years to come.Sands - All I Want - Prudence Prescotts father is drinking and gambling his family into the poor house. All her mother wants for Christmas is for her husband to stop gambling, and Prudences mission is to make this wish come true. She

5、 attempts to confront her father at his favorite gambling den, Ballards, and meets the infamous owner, Lord Stockton. Needless to say, sparks fly - leading to a fun and hilarious story. I chuckled through much of this story - Sands has a great sense of humor. Prudence and Stockton are great characte

6、rs, people who the reader will be rooting for all the way to the end. There is real chemistry between the hero and heroine. Great plot, good characters, good story. I will be looking for Sands books from now on.The fourth story by Lynsay Sands was the real jewel in the book it had me laughing out lo

7、ud several times. Its about a woman that wants to stop her father from gambling away the familys finances. While trying to stop her father she gets into a lot of scrapes and meets Lord Stockton the owner of the club her father goes to, and the worst thing, a nobleman in trade. It was a lot of fun re

8、ading about them, I never wanted the story to end. I am definitely going to buy some of her books and see if she really is that good a writer. Prologue A doll just like the one in Wersters window. Thats what I want for Christmas.Prudence smiled slightly at her sisters words as the younger girl hugge

9、d their mother and kissed her good-night. Charlotte had been making her wishes known for weeks now, and Prudence and her mother had been working very hard at making a similar doll for her for most of that time. The doll itself was finished, though not completely satisfactorily. They were not profess

10、ionals at the job, but they had done the best they could. Charlotte was a good girl, though; she would love it no matter its imperfections. Especially since they were making tiny little dresses for the doll that matched each of the girls own gowns. Prudence was positive the child would be pleased.Go

11、odnight, Pru!She gave a grunt as her younger sister launched herself at her, hugging her hard before spinning away to rush out of the room. Prudence watched the little whirlwind go with affection, then glanced at her mother, frowning when she saw the unhappiness on her mothers face as she peered out

12、 the window.What would you like for Christmas, Mother? she asked after a moment, hoping to distract her from whatever thoughts troubled her. Meg Prescott remained silent, so Prudence moved to her side to peer out and see what distracted her so.Outside, two men stood on the front stoop arguing with B

13、entley. The last of their male retainers, the older man served as butler, valet, stablemaster, and anything else that was required. His wife, Alice, was their last female servant. The two did their best to keep the house running as smoothly as possible, but if things did not soon change, even they w

14、ould have to be released. Prudence watched sadly as the older man doggedly shook his head and finally sent the two men on their way.Creditors, she muttered with disgust as she watched them go, though who the disgust was for she couldnt say. She could hardly blame anyone for attempting to get funds o

15、wed them. If her father would justAll I want for Christmas is for your father to stop his gambling before he sees us in debtors prison.Prudence glanced at her mothers strained face. Apparently she had heard the question after all. Her gaze returned to the two men as they went through the front gate

16、and pulled it closed with an angry clang. Creditors were starting to arrive at the door every day now. And there were a lot of them. Her father, of course, was never available. When he was home, he was sleeping off the drink from the night before. When he was awake, he wasnt home but off drinking an

17、d gambling them closer to ruin. Bentley had managed to turn away the creditors so far, but soon they would not be brushed off. Debtors prison was becoming a very real possibility. Why could her father not see what he was doing?She glanced at her mother again and felt her heart tighten at the weary g

18、rief on her face. Things had been bad since Prus brother John had died in a carriage accident. He had belonged to the Four Horsemens club, where the sons of nobility went to race carriages they really didnt have the skill to drive. He had died when his carriage lost a wheel and hed been sent flying

19、into a tree and broke his neck. That was when their father, Edward Prescott, had started to drink and gamble. He had taken the loss of his oldest child and only son poorly.That is all I want for Christmas, her mother said now. And I pray to God for it every day.For a moment Prudence felt sadness wei

20、gh her down; then she grimly straightened her shoulders. Her mother was of the old school, where a wife did not question her husband or his behavior. Prudence was of the firm belief that when the husband was destroying his family, someone needed to alert him to the matter. Besides, it had always bee

21、n her opinion that God helped those who helped themselves. Which left it up to her to see if she could not help God wrap this Christmas wish up for her mother.-Chapter One Prudence accepted the hack drivers assistance to alight, paid him, then turned to stare at the front of Ballards. The building w

22、as clean and stately looking, with windows on every level. It looked like a home. No one seeing it would know that it was a gaming hell where men gambled away their lives and the lives of the family members they were supposed to love.Prudence blew an irritated breath out as her conscience pricked he

23、r. She supposed calling it a gaming hell was not being quite fair. There were no Captain Sharpes here waiting to cheat the gamblers who frequented the establishment. This was, by all accounts, an honest concern. But it was not a private club either. Membership was not necessary to enter. However, it

24、 did only cater to better-quality patrons. Proper decorum and a certain caliber of dress were required to enter, as well as the desire to stay and gamble your life away.Fingers tightening around the handle of her umbrella, Prudence scowled at the building, then glanced to the main door and the three

25、 men entering. Two men, she corrected herself. The third appeared to be the doorman. He nodded, held the door for the other two, then closed it and settled in, arms crossed over his barrel-like chest, an intimidating expression on his face.Prudence felt her heart sink. She very much suspected that t

26、he man was not going to let her enter. It might not be a private club, but that didnt mean women were any more welcome. Except as servants, she amended. Prudence had heard that Lord Stockton, the owner, had taken the innovative step of hiring female servants to serve the food and drink that persuade

27、d clients to stay longer and lose more money. But those were the only women welcome inside.Nay, the man guarding the door would not be eager to allow her entry. To be honest, Pru wasnt enthusiastic about the idea herself. It certainly wouldnt do her reputation any good. Not that there was much to wo

28、rry about. She, her mother, and her whole family had already been as good as ruinedor would be the moment it was revealed the depths to which her fathers gambling had brought them.It would be only a matter of time, she thought unhappily. The rumors and gossip were already beginning to flow. The diff

29、erence in the way the ton in general responded to the Prescott family was already notable. They were starting to distance themselves, not shunning the family openly yet that would wait until the rumors and gossip were proven truebut invitations to balls had all but stopped and no one spoke to them a

30、t those they did attend. Pru supposed that was why her mother now prayed that her father would stop before they were in debtors prison and not before the family was ruined. It was too late for the latter.Still, it was one thing for her father to see them ruined, quite another for Prudence to throw h

31、er reputation away, which was what she was doing with this visit. But this was the only way she could think of to get to see her father. Talking to him at home would have been easier, of course, but Edward Prescott had developed the inconvenient habit of leaving the house the moment he awoke each da

32、y, leaving his daughter little opportunity to speak to him. Perhaps that was why he did it.The hack she had hired to get her here began to pull away, the clip-clop of the horses hooves drawing her from her thoughts.Standing about staring up at the building like a scared ninny would not get the task

33、done, she reprimanded herself. Action was what was needed! Straightening her shoulders, she forced her chin up and marched forward.Prudence hadnt really considered how she would get past the doorman zealously guarding Ballards entrance, but taking him by surprise seemed her best chance. That being t

34、he case, she started out walking parallel to the building as if she meant to walk past it. She moved at a quick clip, as quickly as the slippery walk allowed. It had been unseasonably warm and had rained earlier, which was why she had her umbrella with her. But the temperature was dropping now that

35、night had fallen and ice was forming, making walking treacherous.She waited till the very last moment; then, when she was directly in front of the entrance, Prudence veered sharply to the right and straight for the doors. She nearly smiled upon seeing that the man was distracted talking to a new arr

36、ival and that her path was clear. Tasting victory, she picked up her speed and barreled ahead. That speed almost saw her tumbling backward onto her fanny when the doorman suddenly stepped into her path. He was a solid wall of human flesh, and Prudence crashed into him, the air rushing out of her wit

37、h an oomph, then bounced backward, grabbing frantically for something, anything, to keep her feet. She ended up with a handful of his shirtfront clutched in one hand, the other waving her closed umbrella rather wildly as she fought to regain her balance.Aint no women allowed.Prudence grimaced at the

38、 growled announcement as she found her footing. Releasing her hold on the mans shirt, she took a step back, tipping her head up. Way up. The man was huge. Unnaturally tall, she decided as her neck began to complain at the distance it was being forced backward. Finally able to focus on his face, she

39、forced her prettiest smile.Good evening.His already smallish eyes went even smaller, signifying unpleasant suspicion in his bulldoggish face. Evenin.I am sorry to trouble you, sir, and I do realize that ladies are not generally allowed inside. HoweverNever.Never? she asked warily.Ladies aint never a

40、llowed. Never ever.Never ever? she repeated dully, then scowled. Aye, but you see, this is a somewhat urgent matter, so if you wouldWhat sort of an urgent matter?Prudence paused, her mouth still open and her mind blank. She really should have considered a handy lie with which to answer such a questi

41、on, she realized with dismay. He began to nod his head knowingly.It aint real urgent, is it?OhIBut Feeling panic set in as her chances of entrance dwindled, Prudence let her reticule drop to the ground between them. As one would expect, the doorman bent to pick it up. Seeing the opportunity Prudence

42、, quite without thinking, cracked her umbrella down hard over his big thick head. Much to her alarm, rather than bringing down her intended victim, the umbrella snapped in half.Now, whatd ye go and do that for? the man asked irritably, scowling at her as he straightened.Prudence stared wide-eyed fro

43、m him to her broken umbrella, quite overcome with shame and horror. She had never, ever, used physical violence in her life. It only served her right that the first time she did, shed broken her umbrella. Oh, this wasnt working at all! She would never convince her father to quit his gambling and dri

44、nking. They would all be in debtors prison by Christmas, and would probably die there. She pictured her mother there, wasting away, her little sisters youth and beauty fading, her own hopes of a husband and children dying a slow, miserable death and, much to her horror, she felt her eyes brimming wi

45、th tears.Oh, now, dont start crying. That wont work with me.Prudence heard the panic that belied the mans words, and that only made the tears come faster. When he moved closer and began clumsily patting her, she turned instinctively into his chest and blubbered like a baby.Please stop now. I aint an

46、gry with ye. Ye didnt even hurt me none, if thats what youre crying about. When that simply made her cry harder, the doorman began babbling desperately. Ye can hit me again if ye like. Ill let ye inside, I will. Just stop your crying andPrus tears died abruptly. Her eyes shining with hope and gratit

47、ude, she peered up at him. You will?Ah, damn. The man sighed unhappily. Youre gonna see me out of a good job, arent ye?Plunkett! What goes on here?Hands whipping quickly behind his back, the doorman stepped away from Prudence and whirled guiltily to face the owner of that commanding voice.Stephen. L

48、ord Stockton. Prudence recognized the man at once as she turned to see him stepping down from his carriage. Everyone knew Lord Stockton. The dashing man was rather infamousa member of the nobility who was accepted only reluctantly by the ton. If they could, Pru felt sure society would have given him the cut direct and excluded him from the more elite balls and soirees. It wasnt that the man wasnt noble enough; his blood was almost bluer than the kings, and his history could probably be traced farther back. Unfortunately, the man had comm