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Hereâs the story-
When the magic of love becomes something darker and the night hides more than just May Day revels.
Deep in the Essex countryside, the Grey Lady of Patience Bridge lures unwary travelers to their deaths. At nearby Temple Roding manor, superstitious maidservant Letty believes herself cursed, and is desperate for help. The irrepressible Perkin is secretly enlisted to quell her fears but he soon discovers that something unearthly is stalking Letty. Why has it picked on this innocent young beauty, and could the haunting be connected with the Grey Ladyâs tragedy?
To free herself, Letty hazards everything in a daring gamble, and the smitten Perkin agrees to help. But if her plan fails, it wonât just be the dead who are determined to take their revenge on the pair, but the living as well.
And the living can be far more dangerousâŚ
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âSizzling chemistry.â âThis was a perfect read.â âLove it when the villain gets his comeuppance.â

Miss Athene Hartville must marry quickly, before her inheritance runs out. When her flirtatious chaperone secures an invitation to spend the week with an eccentric duke and his guests, Atheneâs hopes of finding a rich husband soar. Until, that is, her childhood nemesis Viscount Rushbourne, arrives. He threatens to trample her ambitions into the dust. Struggling to manage his ailing father, a maverick younger brother, and an unwieldy earldom, Rushbourneâs reunion with the fiery Athene is a welcome distraction. Then he uncovers a conspiracy against him that could lead to his total ruin. His only hope is to win Atheneâs heartâŚbut can he pay the price and accept her bitter revenge?
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Here’s the story-
Thereâs a price on her headâŚ
Miss Alexandra Isaacs learned many things at finishing school but how to run a vast smuggling empire wasnât one of them. Sheâs desperate to protect this perilous inheritance because so many lives depend on it. However, thereâs a traitor in their midst, and Alex must risk exposure to unmask him. Thereâs external danger, too, in the shape of a cleverânot to mention compellingâexcise officer. It would be utter folly to allow the captain any closer, but thatâs precisely what a blackmailing matchmaker forces Alex to do.
âŚand he means to claim it.
The reward for capturing the smugglersâ ringleader is hugely tempting to Captain Giles Harewood. His sisters are in dire need of dowries and the Bath Season is in full swingâthe perfect opportunity to find husbands for them. But the implacable Lady Pandora Osbourne has other plans for this confirmed bachelorâplans that could destroy all his hopes.
Who will win and who will lose in this deadly game of Hazard?
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Superbly read by the accomplished British actress, Carmen Rose, here’s what you can expect from the story:
Miss Charlotte Allston is unwittingly ensnared in a sinister web of traitors and spies when she is literally swept off her feet by a handsome stranger on the beach. Fiercely determined to redeem his honor after a humiliating military defeat, the Earl of Beckport is living incognito, hunting a band of smugglers at the center of a French plot to invade England.
The enigmatic Miss Allston instantly becomes a person of interest to the earl…and not just in the smuggling case. Passion flares swift and hot between the two. But when her attempts to help with his secret mission only endanger it, he must question where her loyalty truly lies.
Stunned by the sudden revelation that the woman he is falling for is the daughter of a notorious smuggler, Beckport feels duty-bound to report her. But then Charlotte is captured by the very traitor he’s after, forcing the earl to decide between redemption…and love.
Fame and Infamy- Regency Quiz
Fame and Infamy in the Regency era
The Regency era, and those years immediately before and after, threw up a wealth of colourful characters. Some were heroes, some were creative, and some simply scandalous. This quiz introduces you to a few of them. Just pick what you think is the correct answer from the multiple choice.
Q1. For what is Harriette Wilson best known? Is it for:
a) peddling fake healing waters at Bath?
b) writing a salacious memoir detailing her affairs with famous Regency gentlemen?
c) blackmailing the Prince Regent?
d) taking London by storm with her portrayal of Lady Macbeth?Â

Q2. Which of these quotes is NOT attributed to Arthur Wellesley, the Duke of Wellington?
a) âPublish, and be damned!â
b) âDonât shoot until you see the whites of their eyes.â
c) âI begin to believe the finger of God is upon me.â
d) âI donât know what effect these men will have upon the enemy, but, by God, they terrify me.âÂ
Q3. For what crime was Jane Austenâs aunt, Mrs Leigh-Perrot, arrested? Was it for:
a) flashing at a parson after imbibing too much gin?
b) stealing a bolt of woollen cloth from a market stall?
c) stealing a hogshead of ale?
d) taking two cards of lace from a millinerâs shop when sheâd only paid for one?Â

Q4. In what manner did Beau Brummel famously insult the Prince Regent? Did he:
a) refer to him as a âtwo-legged, over-upholstered sofaâ?
b) fart in the royal presence?
c) ask of Lord Alvanley, âWhoâs your fat friend?â
d) mock him for wearing old-fashioned breeches rather than trousers?Â
Q5. How did Queen Carolineâs supporters demonstrate their rage when she was locked out of her husbandâs Coronation? Did they:
a) pelt Westminster Abbey with rotten potatoes?
b) distribute a pamphlet lampooning all the kingâs mistresses?
c) fly a hot air balloon decorated with Carolineâs portrait high over London?
d) raise petitions in the provinces and march on London in protest?Â
Q6. Which of these did the Prince Regent, the future George IV, NOT do?
a) write suicide notes to Caroline of Brunswick to ensure she married him?
b) secretly marry Maria Fitzherbert, a catholic widow?
c) pay women to sleep with him, then refuse to honour his debt?
d) claim he had been present at the Battle of Waterloo and had delivered the finishing blow to Napoleon?Â
Q7. How did Lady Caroline Lamb react when Lord Byron ended their affair? Did she:
a) dress up as a page boy and come to his house to shame him in front of his neighbours?
b) grab a knife and try to stab herself as he watched?
c) challenge him to a duel?
d) seize a knife and attempt to cut off all his hair?Â
Q8. For what is Thomas Rowlandson best known? Is it for:
a) his opposition to the Slave Trade?
b) his caricatures and satirical cartoons?
c) his torrid affair with Caroline, Princess of Wales, during her tour of Europe?
d) his invention of a steam-powered locomotive?Â
Q9. For what was Mrs Dorothea Jordan best known? Was it for:
a) being the first successful female stage magician?
b) revealing her lack of underwear when falling from a horse in Hyde Park?
c) having ten bastard children with the Duke of Clarence?
d) hatching a plot to assassinate the Prime Minister, Spencer Perceval? Â
Q10. How was poet Lord Byronâs coming of age celebrated?
a) His friends pronounced him âabbotâ and drank his health from a human skull.
b) He was locked in a room and not allowed out until heâd completed his âChilde Haroldâ poem.
c) He was given a wooden boot to counteract his lameness.
d) He enjoyed a boxing match with the renowned Gentleman Jackson.
Answers:1) b, 2) b, 3) d, 4) c, 5) d, 6) a, 7) b, 8) b, 9) c, 10) a
Sit back and relax…
And listen to an audiobook. Well, one in particular, because my international bestseller, DISTRACTING THE DUKE, is out as an audio book today, read by Deborah Balm. Her voice is absolutely perfect for a Jane Austen-era sizzling romance! You can grab your copy HERE. This is the first time I have had a book out in audio, and I look forward to hearing listeners’ opinions!
If you already own the Kindle version, you can add audio to it for just $8.96 or you can listen to the book for free with an Audible membership.
Hereâs a bit about the story-
Determined to avoid the strife-filled marriage of his parents, Marcus, the Duke of Ulvercombe, wants an amenable, biddable wife, and has set his cap for a certain pretty miss. Unfortunately, her vastly opinionated, frustrating, and lamentably beautiful guardian, Lady Clara Tinniswood, keeps distracting him, tempting him to consider a far more tempestuousâand passionateâunion.
Recently widowed Lady Clara Tinniswood wants only to organize a quiet new life for herself, beyond the control of any man. But one shockingly unguarded moment while confronted by Marcus’s gloriously naked body catapults her headlong into a forbidden passion and threatens to undermine all her well-laid plans.
Even if Marcus abandons his sweet ideal and surrenders to his growing desire for Clara, there’s one unalterable issue which could destroy their hopes forever . . .
Why is a Regency lady dressed in men’s clothes helping herself to someone else’s brandy? Read on…
The extract below is from A GAME OF HAZARD, which features in the WEDDING WAGER anthology. You can pre-order the anthology HERE. Every author is a bestseller or award-winner. You can’t go wrong with this collection! And it’s only $0.99.
Chapter One
Miss Alexandra Isaacs had learned many things at finishing school, but how to run a vast smuggling empire in Regency England was not one of them. This was why sheâd spent the best part of the night trying to discoverâwithout being arrestedâif one of her men had been watering down the Dorset Circleâs brandy. Such treachery would never have happened in Papaâs dayâno one would have dared to cheat the infamous Isaac Abrahams.
Alex was currently attired in menâs clothes, these being better suited to nefarious nocturnal dealings. Sheâd scrambled over gates, scaled walls and pushed through hedges, and had been about to give up the entire enterprise when she discovered an unlocked French window.
Huzzah! This gave her direct access to the library in Lady Pandora Osbourneâs Bath residenceâthere was bound to be a decanter of contraband brandy in there! Yes, there it was, on a low side-table. She stole across the room, removed the stopper, and took an unladylike swig of the cognac.
âMerciful heavens! What the devil are you up to?â
Alex spun around, hurriedly gulping down the liquor. It burned her throatâbut not as much as it should. A million curses on whoever had watered it down!
âMadam, please donât be alarmed.â Her voice was rough from the brandy, hopefully concealing the fact that she was no man. âIâm from the Dorset Circle, come to make sure your cognac is of good quality.â
How daft that soundedâcouldnât she have come up with a better line? Standing with her legs apart, she prayed she looked like a man and locked gazes with the new arrival.
The black-clad female raised a quizzing glass and examined her, taking in everything from Alexâs battered boots and worn woolen jacket to the old-fashioned tricorn hat that concealed her russet curls.
Alex exhaled slowly, her fingers still clutched around the decanter. Thankfully, the woman hadnât screamed upon finding a strange man in the house, but such scrutiny was dangerous. She stepped into the shadows. Hopefully, the lady would only see what she was supposed toâa tall, gangly youth, narrow-shouldered, and lacking in muscle.
âIt would take more than this to alarm Pandora Osbourne. You donât fool me for one moment.â
Alexâs jaw clenchedâsheâd been discovered by Lady Osbourne herselfâwhat appalling luck! The crystal decanter trembled in her hand, so she set it down quickly and remembered to bow rather than curtsy.
âI swear Iâm telling the truth, madamâthe butler or the housekeeper normally deals with the Circle.â Was she managing to sound like a man at all? Maybe she should stop talking. Or wave her pistol around a bit to frighten the unwelcome intruder, then escape.
No. That was the last resort. âIâm no thief, I promise you. If I were, Iâd have been out of that window in a heartbeat.â
âMove into the light.â
âI will not.â
âPah! No needâitâs plain enough that youâre no man. Come now, explain yourself.â
This female was used to command. Alex was rapidly losing control of the situation.
âIâd best not linger, your ladyship. It will be full dark soon, and I canât risk being caught by the watch.â Or by the soldiers. There were far too many redcoats in Bath at present.
âNonsense.â Lady Osbourne strode across the room, snapped the shutters closed, then lit a lamp on the desk. It picked out silver glints in her elaborately curled hair, and Alex could see sheâd once been strikingly beautiful. Unlike herself.
âYouâre going nowhere, my girl.â
Why hadnât she made a run for it when she had the chance? This was a foolish errandâshe should never have come in person. Her mind returned to the pistol tucked in her belt and the knife sheathed in her boot. They were there as deterrents or for self-defenseâbut how did one defend oneself in a situation like this?
âI regret disturbing you. Iâll be on my way now.â She took hold of the shutter bar, hoping she sounded authoritative.
âI have but to make one movement or cry out, and my footman will have you by the heels.â
Alex turned slowly. Lady Osbourne was by the fireplace with the bellpull in her hand.
âA scream could summon the entire household but would be undignified.â She pointed to a chair. âBe seatedâI wish to speak to you.â
Short of shooting her way out or assaulting one of the Circleâs best customers with a knife, there was little Alex could do. She must brazen it out.
Lady Osbourne steepled her fingers. âDonât tell me again that you are not a girl. Speaking as if you have a throat full of gravel is not enough to hide your femininity, nor is your inelegant way of moving.â
Inelegant, was she? Wellâshe knew it. Her teachers had utterly despaired of training her in the skill of deportment. Alex had hoped this lack of female refinement would enhance her disguise. But, evidently, she was less convincing than sheâd hoped. It was the kind of mistake that could get her killed if she wasnât careful.
âI donât wish to appear feminine.â
Menâs clothes, breeches, and stockings, or trousers, were far more convenient when going on rum runs, bestowing barrels in secret cellars, or leading donkeys along the narrow coastal paths of her home county of Dorset. She feltâshe hopedâthat dressing up like one of the men made the other smugglers respect her more.
âNonsense. I daresay you have some hare-brained reason, but every girl likes to be beautiful. You would be mad not to want to.â
But who would she look beautiful for? That boat had sailed long ago, when sheâd developed legs as long as a storkâs, cultivated a rash of freckles, and grown so tall that she overtopped every other female in the school, including the adults.
She pushed the chair back and stood but was prevented by an authoritative gesture.
âIâm not finished with you yet. No, donât scowl at me. You know you canât go until I let you. Iâve already seen that bulge beneath your jacket, but we both know you wonât use your weapon. You canât escape through the house. And even if you get out through the French window, youâll still have to scale the wall. You must be adept at climbing.â
âI suppose I must be.â
Lady Osbourne stared at her intently a moment, then nodded to herself. âWell, Iâd prefer you to do less of that in future as no doubt would your mama. I presume youâre Mrs. Louisa Isaacsâs daughterâI read in the Chronicle that youâd lately arrived in Bath. You take after your father rather than your motherâI met him once. Isaac Abrahams. Could you not have changed your surname to something a little less obvious than his Christian name, if you wished for anonymity?â
Alexâs jaw dropped. How could her identity have been discovered so swiftly?
âI can see that you are, indeed, Miss Abrahams. I mean, Isaacsâyour expression says it all. Never challenge anyone to a game of cards, childâyou would betray your hand the instant it was dealt to you.â
There was no point in further denial. Alex straightened her shoulders and spoke normally. âOf course, I wonât shoot your ladyship, or attack youâit would be bad for business. NowâI sense you want something from me. Does it have something to do with contraband?â She hoped she sounded forceful and confident.
âAha! So, it is as I surmised. Your late father did not abandon his wicked ways when he turned informant in exchange for a pardon. He must have known he was in his last illness when he did so, and that he had nothing to lose. He was just cocking a snoop at the authorities and when he died, his smuggling empire carried on without him. I wondered whoâd inherited his empireâhe had no son that I ever heard of. Your mama? Surely notâshe is very much the fine lady. You?â
Lady Osbourne moved closer and raised her quizzing glass. Alex eyed the door beyond and wondered if it were true about the footman just outside. Was it worth the effort of escaping? Although she had come here with the best intentions, her plan was unraveling by the secondâand this woman already knew too much.
Gliding over to the decanter, her ladyship poured two snifters of brandy, handed Alex a glass, then took a seat opposite.
Alex sipped her drink and grimaced.
âI must apologize for the cognac, your ladyship. Itâs why I came, to find out what was amiss with that batch of liquor. There have been complaintsâweâve lost custom.â
âWhat made you suspect he was watering it down?â
âHe?â
âI know about that wall-eyed villain who sneaks our supplies in through the coal cellar. Be assuredâI know everything that goes on beneath my roof, child, wherever that roof happens to be. The man has been watering down the spirits to make them stretch further and pocketing the extra money he makes. You, of course, objected to this and required proof before confronting him. Which means you are in charge. Interesting.â
So that was that. Alex might as well admit to it all. âExactly. I have a purse here so I can reimburseââ
âI donât want your moneyâI donât need your apologies. But I may be able to find a purpose for you.â
Alex spluttered into her brandy. âWhat use could I be?â
âNever mind that now. For the moment, Iâll make myself useful to youâIâll help you sort out your double-dealing miscreant, and if I canât do it directly, Iâll find someone who can. I mean to present you with a potential husband.â
A husband? What was this woman playing at? What on earth did Alex want a husband for? That would risk everything she held dear.
She held Lady Osbourneâs gaze. âI have a business that requires my full attention, and the fewer people who know what that business is, the better. A husband would be a hindrance rather than a help.â
Her ladyship lifted her chin. âOn the contrary. You need a husband to run what you must surely by now have discovered to be a manâs business. You wonât get the respect of your underworld associates by simply dressing as a man. But your husband, if he were the right sort of man, would command exactly the loyalty you need. And the person I have in mind for you is just such a one.â
She had someone in mind already? This Lady Osbourne was a shrewd woman who could wield more power with a word or a look than a general with an entire army at his back. But Alex mustnât succumb, simply because her opponent was of superior birth. There was too much at stake.
âYouâre asking a great deal of me.â
âAnd youâre risking a great deal. Iâm sure youâd rather fall in with my plans than feel the noose tighten around your neck or be transported to the colonies. Make no mistakeâyouâd have a babe in your belly by the time you arrived onshore, and no idea which of the men whoâd forced himself on you was the father. Trust meâmy way is far more civilized. I donât wish to expose you, but be in no doubt that I can cause you, your mama, and your customs-avoiding friends a good deal of harm.â
Alex swallowed. How could she counter this kind of threat? Perhaps her fatherâs second-in-command, George Prowse, was rightâshe should have let him take over. A woman was far more vulnerable than a man. Perhaps then he wouldnât have felt obliged to line his pockets by short-changing the customers. If it was himâŚ
She stalled for time. âSo, how exactly do you plan to find me a husband? And what makes you think anyone would be interested in me? Iâm not exactly the toast of the town, nor what you would call a diamond of the first water.â
Lady Osbourneâs eyes glittered at the word âdiamondâ.
âI can see that you are not, but I donât need you to improve your appearance or behavior. The man I choose for you wonât care for any of those things.â
Gazing at her ladyshipâs determined expression, Alex spared a momentâs sympathy for whoever the unlucky fellow might be. No doubt he had beenâor was about to beâblackmailed in a similar fashion to herself. Maybe they could be fellow conspirators and escape both the leg shackles of marriage and the influence of the implacable Lady Osbourne.
âIf I canât beautify myself, how will I attract a beau? Unless youâve inveigled some poor fellow in the same way you have me. I wonder that your conscience can allow you to importune people so.â
âPerhaps one day youâll find out and understand my motives. But for now, be assured that I wonât force you to marry. Once youâve been introduced to your suitor, Iâll leave you in peace and play no further part in the courtship. And if, by the time the Bath season starts in earnest in October, neither of you has seen the sense in your marrying, our arrangement will be at an end. You may both continue depressingly, joylessly single.â
Lady Osbourne came to stand before Alexâs chair, so she rose and unwillingly shook the hand that was extended to her.
âDo we have an agreement?â Her ladyshipâs hand was as cold and hard as her nature.
âWe have an agreement.â At least for now. âSo, may I take my leave?â
Her ladyshipâs mouth widened, and her eyes sparkled. âWhich way do you intend to go, may I ask? Shall I have you escorted to the front door? Or will you scramble back over the wall? I must have some prickly bushes planted beneath it and ensure that this door is locked at all times.â
Alex knew how much servants talked, and dared not test her disguise out on the main street. âIâll leave the same way I entered,â she said stiffly.
âVery well. You and your mama will receive an invitation from me to attend a ball at the Assembly Rooms at the end of the week. Be sure to comeâI shall accept no excuses. You know whatâs at stake.â
A cloud of dread descended on Alex as she raised the bar and pulled the shutters open. How could she possibly allow herself to be courted by a gentleman for a whole month? It didnât matter that sheâd be freed from her obligations thereafterâif any man spent time with her, heâd have to be a fool indeed not to discover the source of her income or the unconventional way in which she spent her time. Once unmasked, how was she to save her neck? She also had responsibility for the well-being of those who risked themselves and their families for the Dorset Circle. Low-life they might be, but there was a code of honor common to felons. Even more importantly, the well-being and security of her mother were at stake.
This was a game of hazard she could not afford to lose.
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An exclusive sneak peek at a rip-roaring romance!
A GAME OF HAZARD, my story in the outstanding THE WEDDING WAGER anthology, is all polished and primed and I feel brave enough to share a couple of extracts with readers!
In the meantime, you can pre-order the whole collection at a discount price of $0.99 right HERE on AMAZON, NOOK, and iBooks. Authors include Collette Cameron, Chasity Bowlin, Emily Royal, Sydney J Baily, Rachel Ann Smith, Tabetha Waite, and Elizabeth Ellen Carter.
Let us begin with The Prologue (puts on Frankie Howerd voice here… and reveals ones age).

Prologue
âI doubt there are many confirmed bachelors in Bath at this time of year.â Lady Octavia Sewellâs mouth thinned in a mirthless smile.
Her cousin, Lady Pandora Osbourne, turned away from the window. âEnough for me to make good my side of the wager, I can assure you.â In truth, sheâd just spotted a determinedly-single gentleman she knew giving alms to a disabled beggar by Pulteney Bridge.
âBut you have nowhere near the size of hunting ground you might have in London. Are you not nervous that you may fail to make good your boast of being the best matchmaker in the country? Itâs September already, and the Bath season has yet to begin.â
âIâm not in the least bit nervous.â Pansy tucked a wayward silver curl beneath her lace-edged cap. âWho says I canât make more than one match in a month? Thereâs plenty of time for me to win ownership of Grandmotherâs diamond tiara. WhyâI already have an idea for my next project.â
A rustle of silk and the heady scent of otto of roses proclaimed Octaviaâs arrival at the window. âYour target is outside? Which one is he? He must be totally against wedlock, you understand, so if youâre thinking about marrying off that military officer talking to the veteran, youâre doomed from the start. Heâs far too handsome to escape the parsonâs mousetrap for long. You canât choose him.â
Pansy smiled to herself. What her cousin did not knowâbecause she was too lazy to do the researchâwas that the officer had not two pennies to rub together. He was therefore the perfect mark for her next scheme.
âThat gentleman is Captain Giles Harewood. I happen to know that he canât afford a wife because heâs supporting a brood of sisters. Despite his height, good looks, and measured charm, he can never marry well, so he has decided not to marry at all. Ask anyone whoâs anyone in Bathâtheyâll tell you.â
What the man needed to tempt him into wedlock was an heiress, but he had not a catâs chance in hell of winning one. Unless she, the best matchmaker in England, stepped in to assist himâŚ
âHe has a kind heart, as well as his exceptional good looks, to recommend him.â
Lady Octavia snorted. âNeither of which will put food on the table, Pansy. I donât know any mother prepared to let her daughter marry into poverty, no matter how unmarriageable the girl might be. If yon fellow really does have pockets to let, I fear heâs beyond even your skills.â
âWhich makes the challenge of finding him a match even more enticing.â
Octavia abruptly turned away from the window and glared at Pansy, then broke into her tinkling laugh. âYouâre serious, arenât you, my dear? Well, I shall await developments with interest. But donât forget the terms of our wager. Whoever you find to match with the good captain must be off the marriage market, on the shelf, a confirmed spinsterââ
âYes, yes. I havenât forgotten the terms of our agreement. But Iâll need time to settle on a suitable young female now that Iâve picked my mark.â
âYou must also hope that the captain will be staying in Bath. A military man might be called away at any moment.â
Pansy nodded solemnly, hoping the gleam in her eye was hidden from her cousin. Because she knew something Octavia did not, and that was that the impecunious Captain Giles Harewood planned to remain for some time in Bath in hopes of bringing in a prize that would make his fortune. He was after the leader of a massive smuggling network, believed to stretch from the Dorset coast up into Wiltshire, Hampshire, and even as far as Gloucestershire. The reward money had been increasing in direct relation to the annoyance of the customs officials, constantly deprived of their rightful revenue.
Sadly, the captain would find little assistance in Bath, since most of the wealthy residents bought their tea, fine lace, tobacco, and brandy as contraband. At leastâtheir housekeepers and stewards did. The ton wouldnât sully their hands by dealing directly with such low-life.
But if Pansy were to drop hints, she might encourage him to stay long enough to put her matchmaking plan into action. Lady Octavia neednât know what methods she employedâsheâd never agreed when theyâd made the wager that she would play fair.
Pansy reached for the quizzing glass that hung around her neck and gazed at the two men across the street. âRemind me, cousin, of what you consider to be ineligible? In a young woman, I mean.â
âShe must be too short or too tall, too fat or too thin, preferably poor as a church mouse, with a bad complexion, a lisp, a squint, bad breath, or red hair and freckles, for good measure.â
Pansy groaned inwardly at Lady Octaviaâs shallow assessment of womanhood. âNot every man cares about a ladyâs looks. Or the size of her purse.â
âHa! I defy you to find any that donât. I canât imagine a single fellow at the Assembly Rooms next week who wonât be tempted by either beauty or a fortune. Unless heâs a fool.â
Pansy continued to stare out the window. The captain had been joined by another scarlet-clad officer, and both had moved away from the beggar, their heads close like fellow conspirators. She must engineer a meeting with Harewood very soon and take his measure so that she knew how to proceed.
There was a flurry of movement beyond the glass, and she pulled back from the window with a gasp.
âWhat is it?â Octavia hurried to her side.
âOnly that the one-legged beggar by the bridge is a fakeâa trickster of the worst kind. He has just unfolded his âmissingâ leg, pocketed his capful of coins and dashed off toward Sydney Gardens. Our heroic warrior has wasted alms on the undeserving.â
âAh. So, Giles Harewood has been made a fool of. I told you that the possession of a generous heart was a failing. Youâll have your work cut out for you, cousin. Iâm going to celebrate the fact with a glass of sherryâif you have no objection.â
âHelp yourself.â The sherry was good, her supplier reliable. Pansy wished she could say the same for the brandyâweak as a virginâs water. She must tell her butler to have words with the wall-eyed ruffian who sold them the liquor. The man always delivered after dark, and she had no illusions about the source of her brandy. Nor did she believe that the correct duties had been paid. But since everyone got their luxuries this way, she felt no guilt.
Maybe Captain Giles Harewood would be less of a problem than sheâd supposed. If he could be hoodwinked by a beggar, she would surely be able to manipulate him into marrying whomsoever she chose.
Grandmotherâs tiara would be hers by Christmas.
I’ll be posting Chapter One shortly.
An original, absorbing Regency romantic adventure for just $0.99
Finally, a Regency love story that sweeps you out of the ballroom and onto the open road, in the company of rogues, wreckers and a wicked hero who needs to mend his ways. A POTION FOR PASSION is the perfect conclusion to the Wanton in Wessex series.
When naĂŻve Miss Flora Hartington crosses paths with a traveling apothecary, she seizes her chance to escape the shackles of propriety. It doesnât hurt that heâs incredibly attractive, and kind in his own way. But itâs a temporary solution to her very big problemâânamely, her controlling family.
Kidnapped by traveling folk as a child, Lawrence Campion yearns to be a real doctor, which means earning passage to America. The last thing he needs is to be saddled with the irksome, feisty Flora. However, heâll do whatever it takes to protect her, and then be off to fulfil his dreams. But Lawrence has a past that is quickly catching up with him. And he carries a secret that could destroy both their plans.
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