Lady Adventuress 01 - His Wayward Duchess (33 page)

When she handed him her handkerchief with the lock of hair that would never be
Wooley’s prize, he wondered if this little lapse was the first of many.

Then, they wer
e off. As Holly expertly guided her Phaeton to victory, Sylvester remembered how good it felt to be flying across country with the wind in his hair.

The race was easily the most fun he had had in years, and he found that he did not even mind the dust on the road as they overtook Wooley. His blood coursed with excitement, matching the thundering of the horses’ hooves.

“There is only one problem I foresee, Sylvester,” Holly said, when they had at last arrived in Brighton well ahead of Lord Myles.

“And what would that be? Convincing Compton to collect his winnings?”

“No, that is all taken care of. I do anticipate a winter wedding for them. In the snow. It will be very pretty.”

“Then
what did you mean?”

“
You seem to have decided that I am something out of the common way, I fear. But you see, the trouble is that I am not really wonderful at all. In fact, I would venture to say that I shall only grow more dull with time,” Holly said, with an alluring smile about her lips. She was reeling him in on purpose and enjoying every moment.

He returned an alluring smile of his own.

“Then we are well-matched after all, and it is only right that we should grow dull together,” said the duke, laughing that genuine laugh she had come to adore.

They watched the busy streets around them for a while.

“Lady Louisa said that love is a game of deception and illusion – but I think she is wrong. There could never be any such between us, because at last I think you know my heart as I know yours,” Holly told Sylvester quietly.

Love r
eally was what you made of it, she decided.

There could be no greater felicity than in knowing that
she and Strathavon were joined together for the rest of their lives. There was a bond of love between them that it would be impossible to sever.

To share in passion and memory, and to stand together against
all the world if they had to.

It was, she
thought happily, nothing less than love.

Fin.

Thank you so much for taking a chance on my book, and I very much hope you’ve enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. It’s always an honour to know that people are reading my stories. Hopefully, this book has made your day just a little bit brighter!

If you enjoyed this book, please consider leaving a review for it on Amazon – it doesn’t have to be a long one, but positive customer reviews are the best way to attract new readers and to help them gage if i
t’s a book they’d like to try. Your review will be greatly appreciated.

I also love to hear from my readers and you can get in touch by emailing me at
[email protected]
. You can also connect with
me on Twitter (@MsDaphneduBois) or Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/MsDaphneduBois).

Have a great day and happy reading!

Daphne

As usual, there are a lot of very dear people who have made this book possible, and I’m grateful to every one of them.

Firstly, I’d like to thank my
amazing family for all their love and their incredible support in the past year. I would also like to thank Ali and Chantelle for having my back, believing in me, stuck and all the many ways they’ve helped me. Besties and sisters doesn’t begin to describe them.

Thanks to Richard, who proofread this thing when he had so much of his own work to do, and who took an interest in the story and championed
Byron. Huge thanks to Kim for running around London with me, for all those hours of watching middle class Batman and all her other generosity and support.

I’d also like to thank Alex for bouncing ideas, pointing out all the times I
was being ridiculous and being totally team Daphne.

Heartfelt thanks to
Nancy Jo and my many other internet, writing and blogging friends for your invaluable insight into the story.

Daphne has always had a passion for novels and history and one day it occurred to her: what better way to use her English Literature degree than to write about Regency romps and romance? She hasn’t looked back since. Admittedly, her addiction to all things Jane Austen from a very young age had probably somewhat informed her choice of subject matter…
Daphne has stacks of notebooks full of stories that still need to be written, which she insists on bringing with her when she moves around the world (she’s done this a lot!). She likes her books full of romance, adventure, witty repartee and a dash of silly humour. When Daphne isn’t writing, she can be found painting, picnicking, reading and listening to all sorts of exciting music.

She also writes fantasy under the pen name Emily de
Courcy.

You can email Daphne at
[email protected]
or follow her on Twitter @
MsDaphneduBois. She pins pretty and interesting things at: http://www.pinterest.com/daphnedubois/boards/

The Scoundrel’s Secret Siren
, by Daphne du Bois
When bored Miss Lorelei
Lindon sneaks out in the middle of the night in search of ghosts, she finds rather more than she bargained for in the enigmatic Lord Winbourne. And when he does a dastardly thing and steals her treasured necklace as a memento of their midnight encounter, she must find a way to retrieve it without causing a scandal.

Throw in a few well-meaning relatives, a niece stubbornly caught up in her own romantic dilemmas and duel to the death, and Lorelei’s life will surely never be boring again…

The Rogue’s Reluctant Rose
, by Daphne du Bois
Miss
Araminta Barrington, clever, pretty and unexpectedly poor, bravely decides to sacrifice her own happiness in a marriage of convenience, in order to save her family from certain ruin. She sets out to win a proposal from the wealthy Sir Timothy Stanton while struggling with her guilt over using a good man so poorly.
Just when success is in sight, she catches the eye of Jasper Devereaux, the scandalous Marquis of Chestleton, whose own growing fascination with the enigmatic young woman compels him to pursue her at all costs. If he can only win her into his bed, his absurd fascination will surely evaporate!
Araminta knows that to be seen in Chestleton’s company could ruin her chances of securing a marriage that will save everything she holds dear. Love is a luxury she cannot afford. When a riding accident forces her to be his unwilling guest at a secluded country house, will her undeniable attraction override her sense of duty?

From Fairies and Creatures of the Night, Guard Me:
An Anthology
In this collection of short stories, enter a world where a young woman paints the future, for a terrible price, and an automaton comes to life; where wizards roam the night, ice pixies invade every Yuletide, and a vampire meets Death on a rainy night. Here, a musician plays cards with a fairy king in a game that isn’t really about cards at all, and a king’s long-suffering councillor must figure out a way to deal with a very pesky monster.

Learn the price of immortality and the meaning of loss, and discover the power of love, humour and friendship in these 17 tales of magic and wonder. Explore the evanescent world of the Hinterlands, where words, wishes and music are so much more than you would ever expect…

Look out for
Book 2 of the Annwn Cycle,
Winterreise
(out late 2014)
Life in the old city of
Aldgard is (almost) never boring.

When musician Penny Wells first met the
Erlking, she had an inkling that trouble would follow. Especially since she had a thesis to write and concert to prepare for, and she definitely didn’t have time for magic.

So it really stands to reason that Penny should have known better that to stroll into the Hinterlands to return a strange locket he’d left behind – because nothing is ever accidental when it comes to the
Erlking.

And when she does so anyway and awakens an ancient
valkyrie, seriously annoying the Norse Gods (well, most of them), she finds that she has to set things right before they use her new friend for their upcoming ritual sacrifice. Because Penny won’t stand for that.

But first, she has to figure out what it is they’re really worried about and what all of it has to do with a Schubert song cycle that the
Aldgard University music department will be putting on in just a matter of weeks.