Tuesday Teaser/First Paragraph - The Governess Affair

Today's teaser is from  The Governess Affair by Courtney Milan, who is my go-to for historical romance. This is the prequel to her Brother's Sinister series. And yes, I'm hedging a bit, stepping a little beyond the two sentence allowance, but only because I love this bit, and no, this isn't a "random" selection, but when I read it, I had to share it.

The Blurb:
Hugo Marshall earned the nickname "the Wolf of Clermont" for his ruthless ambition--a characteristic that has served him well, elevating the coal miner's son to the right hand man of a duke. When he's ordered to get rid of a pestering governess by fair means or foul, it's just another day at work.

But after everything Miss Serena Barton has been through at the hands of his employer, she is determined to make him pay. She won't let anyone stop her--not even the man that all of London fears. They might call Hugo Marshall the Wolf of Clermont, but even wolves can be brought to heel...

The First Paragraph:
London, October 1835
   The door to the upstairs library slammed viciously, rattling the frame. Heavy steps marched across the room, bearing down on Hugo's desk. Fists slammed against the wood surface.
   "Damn it, Marshall. I need you to fix this."
   Despite that dramatic production, Hugo Marshall did not look up from the books. Instead he waited silently, listening to boots marking a path upon the carpet. He wasn't a servant; he refused to be treated as one.

The Teaser:
  Before she could lose her nerve, Serena made a fist and delivered an extremely rude gesture. He stood at the window, stock-still, before turning away.
  She received his note not two minutes later. She opened it, her heart pounding. But there were only two words on the paper.
  Marry me.


Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following: Grab your current readOpen to a random pageShare two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page. BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! To see what others are sharing on the Teaser Tuesdays, check the comments at: http://shouldbereading.wordpress.com/ 

Share the first paragraph (or a few) from the book you are reading. Here's the link:  Bibliophile By The Sea