[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-detail-114487-en":3,"doc-seo-114487-105":28,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":90},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",{"doc_id":7,"user_id":8,"nickname":9,"user_avatar":10,"doc_module":4,"category_id":11,"category_name":12,"doc_title":13,"doc_description":14,"doc_content":15,"file_id":16,"file_url":17,"file_type":18,"file_size":19,"view_count":11,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":11,"is_downloadable":11,"audit_status":11,"page_count":20,"language":21,"language_code":22,"site_id":23,"html_lang":22,"table_of_contents":24,"faqs":25,"seo_title":13,"seo_description":14,"update_tm":26,"read_time":27},114487,687197207639,"Asher","https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_a8503ba1806abce46bf441b54a3ca4cd",1,"Story & Novel","Scandalous Lord Dere - Stephanie Laurens","An opening chapter follows Adrian Andrew Hawsley, the sixth Viscount Dere, on New Year’s Day, 1823, as he flees the restless attentions and gossip of a society ball. Disillusioned with being treated as a performer for the amusement of wealthy and determined women, he turns from chasing scandal to steering his life toward deeper, more personal purpose. He travels toward Exeter and considers returning to Bellevere to rebuild the shattered legacy of his estranged past.","Contents  \nChapter One  \nChapter Two  \nChapter Three  \nChapter Four  \nChapter Five  \nExcerpt from Viscount Breckenridge to the Rescue  \nCover  \nTitle Page  \nPrologue  \nChapter One  \nExcerpt from In Pursuit of Eliza Cynster  \nCover  \nTitle Page  \nPrologue  \nChapter One  \nAbout the Author  \nPraise  \nEnter the World of Stephanie Laurens  \nCopyright  \nAbout the Publisher  \n[OceanofPDF.com](OceanofPDF.com)  \nChapter One  \nNew Year’s Day, 1823  \nA FTER THE C AVENDISH-M AYHEWS’ New Year ’s Eve ball, Adrian Andrew Hawsley, sixth Viscount Dere, swore off women. He had had enough—figuratively and literally.  \nSlowing his blacks for a turn, Adrian drew in the chill air, then exhaled; his breath misted instantly.  \n“There ’tis.” From his perch behind him, his tiger, Bolt, a grizzled veteran, pointed to a sign.  \nAdrian nodded. Although it was past midday, the grip of the early morning freeze had yet to slacken; he kept his horses to a wary trot as he set the curricle down the road to the southwest.  \nDespite the weather, he was determined to press on. With every mile that passed he felt better, as if a vise locked about his lungs for so long he’d forgotten it was there were finally easing open, as if a weight he’d forgotten he was carrying on his shoulders were lifting away.  \nBy the end of last night’s ball, he’d been fed up—overwhelmingly bored and not a little disgusted. If a crown existed for the premier lover in the ton, he could probably legitimately claim it—indeed, it would very likely be offered to him on a purple silk pillow. Discretion, absolute and inviolate, might have been his watchword for years; despite that, the ton had learned enough to form its own opinion of his prowess, his expertise. Much of the gossip was true, which left him with little doubt as to the sources of the information. As a result, a competition had developed with  \nladies vying to see who next could command his highly regarded attentions. Over the past few years, he had never lacked for invitations to ladies’ beds. Bad enough. The Cavendish-Mayhews’ball had been worse.  \nLadies of amorous intent had surrounded him until he’d felt hunted. He did not appreciate the inversion of roles—as far as he was concerned, he was the hunter, they should be the prey. These days that wasn’t how it was. Two sorts of women lay in wait to ambush him—most were married ladies whose only interest was in trying out his paces so that they could say they, too, had partaken of the latest acclaimed experience. Such mesdames jostled check by jowl with unmarried ladies plotting his matrimonial downfall, their calculating eyes fixed on his title and burgeoning wealth rather than on his more personal talents.  \nHe didn’t know which he disliked more. He’d felt like a fox cornered by slavering hounds.  \nEnough. More than enough. It was time to take charge of his life and steer it…into deeper waters.  \nHe uttered a short laugh. The superficiality of his life did indeed grate. He was thirty today—it was his birthday. What had he thus far accomplished in his life? Nothing. Where was his life headed? He didn’t know, but he was determined to set his wheels on a different road.  \nAt present his curricle’s wheels were rolling down the road to Exeter. He’d left the Cavendish-Mayhews’ mansion outside Glastonbury early that morning while all the bejeweled ladies were still snug in their beds. None had shared his, which fact had caused no little confusion and even some annoyance. He was there, wasn’t he? They expected him to perform, to live up to his scandalous reputation, all for their amusement. The ton, as he well knew, could be a demanding world. They could demand all they liked—he was no longer interested in playing their games.  \nAround him the countryside lay silent, a dappled world of dark brownsand white, the bare branches of trees and the patches of cold earth contrasting against the light covering of snow. There was more on the way, but he knew whither he was headed, knew the road lik","cbCaifchUpMaksw2","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaifchUpMaksw2","pdf",627597,42,"English","en",105,"# Chapter One\n## New Year’s Day, 1823\n## Adrian’s post-ball departure\n## Journey toward Exeter and the moor","[{\"question\":\"What prompts Adrian Andrew Hawsley to leave after the New Year’s Eve ball?\",\"answer\":\"He becomes overwhelmed by boredom and disgust at society’s pursuit and the way women treat him as a spectacle. He decides he no longer wants to play their games.\"},{\"question\":\"How does Adrian describe the women who are trying to get his attention?\",\"answer\":\"He distinguishes married women seeking a claimed experience and unmarried women plotting his matrimonial downfall, both focused on his title and wealth as much as on him.\"},{\"question\":\"Where is Adrian heading and why?\",\"answer\":\"He drives toward Exeter after leaving the Cavendish-Mayhews mansion. He intends to go home to Bellevere and rebuild a life marked by estrangement and regret.\"}]",1785400315,65,{"code":4,"msg":29,"data":30},"ok",{"site_id":23,"language":22,"slug":31,"title":13,"keywords":32,"description":14,"schema_data":33,"social_meta":85,"head_meta":87,"extra_data":89,"updated_unix":26},"scandalous-lord-dere-stephanie-laurens","",{"@graph":34,"@context":84},[35,52,67],{"@type":36,"itemListElement":37},"BreadcrumbList",[38,42,46,49],{"item":39,"name":40,"@type":41,"position":11},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":43,"name":44,"@type":41,"position":45},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":47,"name":12,"@type":41,"position":48},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/story-novel/",3,{"item":50,"name":13,"@type":41,"position":51},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/scandalous-lord-dere-stephanie-laurens/114487/",4,{"url":50,"name":13,"@type":53,"author":54,"headline":13,"publisher":56,"fileFormat":59,"inLanguage":22,"description":14,"dateModified":60,"datePublished":61,"encodingFormat":59,"isAccessibleForFree":62,"interactionStatistic":63},"DigitalDocument",{"name":9,"@type":55},"Person",{"url":39,"name":57,"@type":58},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-08-01","2026-07-30",true,{"@type":64,"interactionType":65,"userInteractionCount":11},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":66},"ViewAction",{"@type":68,"mainEntity":69},"FAQPage",[70,76,80],{"name":71,"@type":72,"acceptedAnswer":73},"What prompts Adrian Andrew Hawsley to leave after the New Year’s Eve ball?","Question",{"text":74,"@type":75},"He becomes overwhelmed by boredom and disgust at society’s pursuit and the way women treat him as a spectacle. He decides he no longer wants to play their games.","Answer",{"name":77,"@type":72,"acceptedAnswer":78},"How does Adrian describe the women who are trying to get his attention?",{"text":79,"@type":75},"He distinguishes married women seeking a claimed experience and unmarried women plotting his matrimonial downfall, both focused on his title and wealth as much as on him.",{"name":81,"@type":72,"acceptedAnswer":82},"Where is Adrian heading and why?",{"text":83,"@type":75},"He drives toward Exeter after leaving the Cavendish-Mayhews mansion. He intends to go home to Bellevere and rebuild a life marked by estrangement and regret.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":50,"og:type":86,"og:title":13,"og:site_name":57,"og:description":14},"article",{"robots":88,"canonical":50},"index,follow",{"doc_id":7,"site_id":23},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":91},[92,95,99,103,108,113,118,123,128,131,135],{"id":11,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":44,"category_name":12,"show_sort_weight":93,"slug":94},90,"story-novel",{"id":45,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":44,"category_name":96,"show_sort_weight":97,"slug":98},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":51,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":44,"category_name":100,"show_sort_weight":101,"slug":102},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":104,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":44,"category_name":105,"show_sort_weight":106,"slug":107},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":109,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":44,"category_name":110,"show_sort_weight":111,"slug":112},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":114,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":44,"category_name":115,"show_sort_weight":116,"slug":117},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":119,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":44,"category_name":120,"show_sort_weight":121,"slug":122},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":124,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":44,"category_name":125,"show_sort_weight":126,"slug":127},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":126,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":44,"category_name":129,"show_sort_weight":126,"slug":130},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":132,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":44,"category_name":133,"show_sort_weight":132,"slug":134},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":136,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":44,"category_name":137,"show_sort_weight":104,"slug":138},19,"General","general"]