When She Was Wicked (41 page)
Well. Though sorely tempted, she would not retaliate in kind. “I am sorry to hear it.”
He studied her, no trace of remorse on his face. “I require a word with you, in private.”
Daphne glanced around the drawing room. The closest person was several yards away, and her curiosity was piqued. “I’m listening.”
The earl pinched the bridge of his nose. He was perhaps the most impatient person Daphne had ever met. “The matter I wish to discuss is of a delicate nature. I think it would be best to arrange a meeting for tomorrow.”
“I confess I’ve never had such an odd or intriguing request.” She’d received her fair share of improper advances from men, but Lord Foxburn didn’t seem the type of man to force his attentions on a woman. With his striking good looks, Daphne was quite sure he wouldn’t have to.
Perhaps he wanted to share some information about Lord Biltmore. The young viscount had mentioned that Lord Foxburn had been his brother’s closest friend and
that, after his death, the earl had helped him adjust to his new role. But what did that have to do with her?
“I realize this must seem forward. However, I think you’ll appreciate the need for discretion once the topic of our discussion becomes clear. May I call on you tomorrow?”
Daphne pretended to regard him thoughtfully for several moments, in order to give the impression that a fierce debate raged inside her. In truth, she was much too curious to say no.
“I’m staying here, with my sister, while our mother is in Bath.”
Concern flicked across his face. So, he wasn’t as unfeeling as he’d like people to think. “Taking the waters?”
“No, Mama’s surprisingly healthy. But she’s not accustomed to the parade of parties and social engagements. I think she just wished to escape it all.”
“Your mother’s a wise woman.” The earl rose and inclined his head in a manner that could be perceived as either polite or mocking. “Until tomorrow, Miss Honeycote.”
Before she could ask one of the twenty questions swirling through her mind, Lord Foxburn walked away. For someone with an injured leg, he made an amazingly hasty departure. How vexing. And unpardonably rude to leave without giving some hint of what he wanted to discuss, some clue as to why he insisted on secrecy.
If he was toying with her, she did not care for the game. His brooding, cynical air might intimidate some, but a girl from St. Giles didn’t survive long if she was the cowering type.
She’d never been one to shy away from a challenge.
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Dear Reader,
“Everybody’s changing and I don’t feel the same.” That’s a lyric from Keane, one of my favorite bands, and it could easily be applied to Bay Harper. She’s the heroine of the fourth book in my Dark Dynasties series, IMMORTAL CRAVING, and she’s grappling with the kind of changes that would send even the most well-adjusted people into a tailspin.
Bay is a character near and dear to my heart. In a series where just about everyone grows fangs, fur, or wings, she’s incredibly human. And though I myself haven’t had to deal with my best friend becoming a vampire, I found it very easy to relate to her struggle with the upheaval around her. I’m a Navy wife—it’s a job that involves regularly scheduled chaos. Every few years, I pack up kids, pets, and boxes of stuff that seem to reproduce when I’m not looking. Then I move to a different part of the country and start again. It can be exciting, or infuriating, or just completely overwhelming… sometimes all three at the same time. In IMMORTAL CRAVING, Bay’s going through all of those feelings. The difference is that in her case, she’s not the one moving. It’s everything around her that refuses to stay still. With her best friend now a vampire queen and her town being overrun with vampires and
werewolves, Bay is clinging to what shreds of normalcy she can.
We all need things to hang on to when times get tough. For me, I rely on my family, my constant companions on this crazy journey. Bay takes solace in her cozy nest of a house, her big slobbery dog (I also have a pair of those, and I can attest that sometimes a dog hug makes everything better), and her job. Still, no matter how hard you fight it, nothing ever stays the same. And when lion-shifter Tasmin Singh shows up on Bay’s doorstep—well, floor—she’s finally forced to decide which things in her life she really needs to be happy, and which she can let go of.
Change happens to everyone eventually, whether you’re a Navy wife or have lived in the same town all your life. I hope you’ll enjoy watching Bay and Tasmin discover, as I have, that even when your entire world seems to have been upended, the people by your side can make all the difference in the end.
Happy Reading!
Dear Reader,
Don’t you just adore makeovers?
I do. Give me a dreary, pathetic “before” with the promise of a shiny, polished “after,” and I’m hooked. The obsession began with Cinderella, when a wave of her fairy godmother’s wand changed her rags into a sparkling ball gown. (With elbow-length gloves!) If only it were that easy.
Reality TV (which I also happen to love) serves up a huge variety of makeover shows. When I’m flipping through the channels, I can’t resist them—room makeovers, wardrobe makeovers, relationship makeovers, and more. Even as I’m clucking my tongue and shaking my head at the “before” pictures, I’m envisioning the potential that’s underneath, seeing what could be. Of course, every makeover show ends the same way—in a big (often tear-filled) reveal. The drama builds to the moment when we finally get to witness the person or thing transformed. And it feels sort of magical.
In WHEN SHE WAS WICKED, Anabelle gets a little makeover of her own. When we first meet her, she’s a penniless seamstress with ill-fitting spectacles and a dowdy cap. She resists change (like a lot of us do) but eventually finds the courage to ditch the cap and trade in her plain dresses for shimmering gowns. But her hot new look is only half the story. Her
real
transformation is on the inside—and that’s the one that ultimately wins Owen over.
Makeovers inspire us, and I think that’s why we’re
drawn to them. We may not have fairy godmothers, but we have hope… and reality TV. We all want to believe we can change—and not just on the outside.
Happy Reading!
Dear Reader,
Do you ever wonder where characters go after their story is told? If the book is a Scottish medieval romance, can you see them slipping away into the mist? Perhaps walking across the hills and disappearing into the gloaming?
SEDUCTION OF A HIGHLAND WARRIOR ends my Highland Warriors trilogy, and I’m betting readers will know where Alasdair MacDonald and Marjory Mackintosh enjoy spending time these days, now that their happy ending is behind them. Their favorite “hideout” is extra-special, as I’m sure readers will agree when Alasdair and Marjory take them there.
Scotland brims with special places.
Is there anywhere more romantic? Anyone familiar with my work knows how I’d answer that question. Nothing fires my blood faster than deep, empty glens, misty hills, and high, rolling moors purple with heather.
Toss in a chill, damp wind carrying a hint of peat smoke, a silent loch, and a spill of ancient stone, and my heart swells. Add a touch of plaid, a skirl of pipes, and my soul soars.
My passion for Scotland has always been there.
So has my belief in Highland magic.
I always weave such whimsy into my books, and my Highland Warriors trilogy abounds with Celtic myth and lore. Readers will find an enchanted amber necklace, a magical white stag and other fabled beasties, and even a ghostie or two. There are mystical standing stones and enough Norse legend to lend shivers on cold, dark nights. My characters live in a world of such wonders. The Glen of Many Legends, the sacred glen shared by the three clans in these stories, is a magical place.
But at the heart of each book, it’s always love that holds the greatest power.
Alasdair fought against his love for Marjory. If, at the beginning, you asked him what matters most, he’d answer kith and kin, and Blackshore, his beloved corner of the glen. He’s a proud chieftain and a fierce warrior. He knows that giving his heart to Marjory will destroy his world, even causing the banishment of his people. As clan leader, the weal of others must come first. Yet for Marjory, he risks everything.
A strong heroine, Marjory is sure of her heart, refusing to abandon her love for Alasdair even in her darkest, most dire hours. She also desires the best for the glen. But as a passionate woman, she battles to claim the one man she can’t live without.
As Marjory and Alasdair enjoyed the special place noted above, a bit of Highland magic entered my own world. In the story, Marjory has a much-loved blue ribbon.
The day I finished copy edits, I received a lovely, hand-made quilt from a friend. On opening the gift, the first thing I saw was a beautiful blue ribbon.
I smiled, my heart warming.
I’m sure the ribbon was a wink from Marjory and Alasdair.
Highland Blessings!
