title: Despised & Desired: The Marquess' Passionate Wife (Love's Second Chance Series) (Volume 3)
author:  Bree Wolf 
description: <b>Read an excerpt:</b><br /><br />Drawing in a deep breath, Ellie hastened down the corridor, crossed the grand foyer and approached her husband&apos;s study in record time, her heart racing in her chest. Before knocking on the door, though, she took a few calming breaths, feeling suddenly shy at the thought of him seeing her excitement.<br /><br />Hearing his voice bidding her to enter, Ellie clenched and unclenched her hands, willing them to stop trembling. Then she opened the door, and the moment her eyes met his, all air was knocked from her lungs.<br /><br />To her great pleasure, Frederick stared at her with the same childish delight she felt in her own heart, the paper in his hand long forgotten. Before long he swallowed and cleared his throat. &quot;Is there anything I can do for you...Elsbeth?&quot; he asked, returning the paper to his desk and coming toward her.<br /><br />A glorious tingle surged through her body at hearing her name on his lips, and a deep smile came to her own. Unable to bear the distance between them any longer, Ellie closed the door behind her and approached him. &quot;I came to speak to you about the tea party?&quot; she said, hoping her voice did not sound as unsteady as it felt. &quot;We agreed that the 28th would be perfect.&quot;<br /><br />A frown drew down his eyebrows,and for a moment, Ellie feared that something was wrong. &quot;Tea party?&quot; he asked. &quot;What tea party?&quot;<br /><br />Eyeing him curiously, Ellie took another step forward. &quot;The tea party for Maryann.&quot; When the confused expression on his face did not clear, Ellie laughed. &quot;They came to speak to you about it yesterday. Do you not remember?&quot;<br /><br />For a moment,his eyes widened as though the suitable memory had come to him at last.However, a second later, he averted his eyes and cleared his throat as though embarrassed.<br /><br />&quot;Is something wrong?&quot; Ellie asked. &quot;Is there a problem? Have you changed your mind?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;No, no.&quot; He shook his head, hands suddenly linked behind his back. &quot;The 28th is fine.&quot;<br /><br />Narrowing her eyes, Ellie looked at the slightly flustered expression on his face. &quot;You really do not remember that they came to talk to you about that?&quot;<br /><br />&quot;Well, I...&quot; He swallowed, his hands gesturing futilely.&quot;I was distracted,&quot; he finally admitted. Returning to his desk, he shuffled through the papers before him, moving them from one side to the other and back again.<br /><br />&quot;Distracted?&quot; Rounding the desk, she came to stand before him. &quot;What distracted you?&quot;<br />Straightening, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then he turned to her and met her enquiring gaze. A soft smile curled up his lips as he spoke,&quot;You.&quot;<br /><br />Ellie&apos;s eyes opened wide. &quot;Me?&quot; A delicious warmth spread through her body, and she swallowed as his eyes burned into hers. &quot;But I...I wasn&apos;t even in the room. How could I have...?&quot; Her voice trailed off when realisation dawned and she finally understood just how she could have posed as a distraction even in her absence.<br /><br />&quot;You were still on my mind, though,&quot; he admitted somewhat sheepishly, confirming the line of her thinking. &quot;I admit I did not hear a word they said.&quot;<br /><br />Once again, butterflies took flight in her belly, and Ellie would have loved nothing more than to dance around the room in his arms. However, the hint of apprehension, almost hidden in the corners of his eyes, told her that he was not ready for such displays of affection. So instead, Ellie smiled at him, her hands once more coming to rest on his chest as though they belonged there. &quot;I myself experienced a similar inattention only this morning,&quot; she confessed, feeling his heart jump against her palms at her open words. &quot;Your mother had to remind me of the date we had agreed on for I honestly could not recall it.&quot;<br /><br />A soft laugh left his lips and fell onto her own. &quot;I have never experienced anything like it.&quot;<br /><br />Ellie smiled, holding his gaze. &quot;Nor I.&quot;
zlib_text: **Her Missing Marquess**
  
   **Wicked Husbands Book Five**
  
  By  
  Scarlett Scott
  
  Nell, Lady Needham, has earned her scandalous reputation by devoting her days
  to an endless barrage of wild parties in the wake of her husband’s devastating
  betrayal. But her appetite for distraction is no longer as voracious as it
  once was. She longs for a true marriage and a family, and she has finally
  found just the man to give her both. All she has to do is convince the
  Marquess of Needham to grant her the divorce she requires so she can move on.
  
  Three years ago, Jack ruined his marriage in a moment of drunken stupidity. He
  gave his wife the distance she wanted and deserved in an effort to atone for
  his sins. But when she writes him requesting a divorce so she can marry
  another man, he realizes the time has come for him to return home and attempt
  to reclaim the woman he’s never stopped loving.
  
  Nell has no intention of giving Jack a second chance, for the pain he caused
  her runs far too deep. When her h