Sari Robins - [Andersen Hall Orphanage] (28 page)
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Authors: What to Wear to a Seduction
E
dwina and Prescott were married in the chapel at Andersen Hall Orphanage later that month. It was an unconventional affair, being in an orphanage, with the Earl of Wootton-Barrett giving away the bride, Dr. Winner serving as best man and Janelle, Ginny and Sir Lee standing up as witnesses.
From her seat, Fanny Figbottom waved proudly to her fiancé as he executed his duties as best man, and she winked when, not caring that anyone saw, he blew her a kiss from the pulpit.
Sitting next to her, Mrs. Nagel commented to Miss Figbottom that there had been an awkward moment when Lady Ross had first been introduced to Catherine Dunn, but that the two ladies had soon been comparing notes about their nuptials and were now dear friends.
Only one guest, Lord Kendrick, was heard to remark on the irregularity of having a scarred child be part of
the bridal party. But Mrs. Nagel gave him a resounding thwack on his knuckles with her fan as Little Evie happily tossed rose petals down the aisle for the procession, and the man never said another word.
Catherine had insisted that she and her husband Marcus host a banquet in the garden in the bride and groom’s honor, and all gave thanks that the gods shined favorably upon them, providing the loveliest day they’d had in weeks.
The only people missing from the excitement were Lady Daphne Pomfry who was at that moment trying to charm Warden John Newman into letting her have a second maid in her quarters at Newgate Prison while awaiting trial, and Mr. Todd, also known as Mr. Quince, the man who’d started the whole drama.
At Sir Lee’s urging, Mr. Quince had confessed all, and the only thing that had saved his hide from hanging had been that he hadn’t killed “those two blokes” from the Foreign Office, having instead granted each an expenses paid holiday in the country. Mr. Poppet and Mr. Wiggins hadn’t even been aware that they’d been missed.
Mr. Tristram Wheaton, Sir Lee’s former protégé at the Foreign Office, also interrogated Mr. Quince, and thereafter decided that he had a use for the man on distant shores. So the choice was given: prison or government service under Tristram Wheaton.
Never having been one for cramped places, Mr. Quince was now on his way to Australia, courtesy of the British government. Sick as a dog, he hung over the side of the
Mary IV,
bemoaning his sins. All he had left for his troubles were a hole-ridden pair of François Millicent shoes.
I
hope you enjoyed Edwina and Prescott’s story. I always knew that
What to Wear to a Seduction
would be about Prescott Devane. First introduced in
More Than a Scandal
as Catherine’s best friend, he developed into a man tortured by his parents’ mistakes and in need of the right woman to unlock his heart.
I don’t recall the instant that his story came to me; there was no “aha” moment. It was more of a natural evolution, originating with one of my favorite characters, Sir Lee Devane.
First presented in
All Men Are Rogues,
Sir Lee was inspired by my cousin Lee. Sir Lee is nothing like my cousin, in temperament, age, physical stature or in his panache for manipulation. My Sir Lee is an old gent burdened with regrets of mistakes past and trying to do better in his sunset years. Nothing remotely like my cousin Lee. But Sir Lee has that bit of prankster, of
good-humored sensibility, that had its origins in his namesake. Inspiration is in the eye of the writer, I suppose.
So thank you, Lee, for the seed of a concept that blossomed into Prescott’s story. Edwina and I are both grateful.
Special thanks go to my family and friends, who continue to enthusiastically champion my efforts, especially my sister, Nanci (I don’t want to ever write a book without you!) and my mother, who is the best promoter a daughter could have.
I want to acknowledge specifically the following people for their wonderful support: Nancy Yost, Susan Grimshaw, Jan Epstein, Martha Jo Katz, Barbara Kaufman, Esther Levine, Liz Hayes and Carol Nagel, Laurie Ann Goldman, Paloma Llorens, Willa Cline, Barb and everyone at Romance and Friends, Frances Drouin, The Paradies Shops, Becky Rose, Joahnna Barron, Tonda Fuller, and the lovely ladies at A Nose for Clothes.
My heartfelt thanks to the incomparable Avon Books team, including but not limited to: Darlene; the two Brians; Donna, Judy, and the entire Merch Sales Team; Mike, Carla, and the whole Field Sales Team; International Sales; Adrienne and Nicole in Marketing; Pam and Joan in Publicity; Lara and Laurie for Foreign Rights/Sub Rights; Tom, Gayle, and Patricia for my gorgeous covers; Managing Editorial; Carrie, May and most especially, Lyssa!
Finally, I sincerely thank my husband and children for giving me the opportunity to follow my passions and meet my deadlines.
Your support means the world to me.
SARI ROBINS
was born and raised in New York, married a Southern gentleman, and lives with her family in Georgia. Having spent years working as a tax attorney, she realized that deep inside her beat the heart of an author. Since leaving her law practice behind, she hasn’t looked back and gets to be more creative in her writing than she ever could have been with a legal brief. She loves writing fiction, particularly narratives set in England’s Regency period, the setting for her exciting Andersen Hall series, which began with
One Wicked Night
and
More Than A Scandal
. In
What To Wear To A Seduction
, Sari tells Prescott’s story and how the love of a good woman helps heal his wounded heart.
Stay tuned for the next installment of the Andersen Hall series, out in 2007!
Sari loves to hear from readers. Please visit her at
www.sarirobins.com
.
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AVON ROMANCES
A
NGEL
I
N
M
Y
B
ED
by Melody Thomas
T
HE
B
EWITCHING
T
WIN
by Donna Fletcher
K
ISS
F
ROM A
R
OGUE
by Shirley Karr
P
RIDE AND
P
ETTICOATS
by Shana Galen
A S
TUDY IN
S
CANDAL
by Robyn DeHart
T
HE
V
ISCOUNT’S
W
ICKED
W
AYS
by Anne Mallory
W
INDS OF THE
S
TORM
by Beverly Jenkins
Coming Soon
H
OW TO
S
EDUCE A
B
RIDE
by Edith Layton
S
INFUL
P
LEASURES
by Mary Reed McCall
And Don’t Miss These
ROMANTIC TREASURES
from Avon Books
D
UKE OF
S
CANDAL
by Adele Ashworth
P
ORTRAIT OF A
L
OVER
by Julianne MacLean
P
ROMISE
M
E
F
OREVER
by Lorraine Heath
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
WHAT TO WEAR TO A SEDUCTION
. Copyright © 2006 by Sari Earl. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
ePub edition February 2007 ISBN 9780061755781
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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