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It means that I never again need put myself under the control of a man— any man. So, no, I have no interest in joining you at dinner. I know perfectly well that Lord Dimble-Dumble has been summoned to audition as my next husband. I don’t want him. I’d be more likely to come to dinner if you had invited the butcher.”
A Gentleman Never Tells by Amelia Grey, Paperback | Barnes A Gentleman Never Tells by Amelia Grey, Paperback | Barnes
You make it sound as if he dropped a tea cup, Lizzie observed, unable to stop herself. I would call the fact that Adrian died in the act of tupping Sadie Sprinkle inconsiderate in the extreme. Frank Melrose is on the cusp of taking his father's printing business global - the last thing he needs is the distraction of any woman, let alone the dazzling Taya Winters. I am not hiding, Lizzie said, stung. I take fresh air and moderate exercise every day. I simply like reading in bed. Or in a chair.
He's under pressure from the newspaper to unmask the mysterious highwayman causing havoc in Belmore Square, but his infuriating clashes with Taya keep slowing him down. Perhaps you should explain to me, Lizzie had said, because my father unaccountably forgot to mention it. As did you, I might add. I peek up and find Lady Taya waving a foolscap folio before her face, the piece replacing her fan. I gasp and reach forward, snatching it from her grasp, and she recoils, surprised. My God, did she read it? Why would she visit the father who had turned her away when she ran to him in desperation? The father who had known precisely what a disaster her marriage would be, but didn’t bother to warn her?
a Gentleman Never Tells - Jodi Ellen Malpas An excerpt from a Gentleman Never Tells - Jodi Ellen Malpas
I’ve written lots of novels (around 25, when I’m writing this), and one of my favorite tropes is the virgin widow. Hey, this is fiction, not real life. I wanted my heroine to feel humiliated by something far more grave than the mean names that Oliver passed around. Her husband was genuinely unkind, neglectful, and deceitful. Helping Lizzie to heal is part of Oliver’s recompense for his foolish actions as a young man. I know you feel ashamed to be in company,” her sister continued, energetically digging her own grave, as far as Lizzie was concerned. “Unfortunately, most people are aware the circumstances of your marriage, not to mention the fact that Adrian was so imprudent as to die away from home.” But we can’t bother with that now,” Adrian had told her briskly. “Sadie is upset about this mess, naturally enough. I promised her I’d be home by four. My mother takes her luncheon on a tray. There are a couple of maids, but it would be good if you could bring it in yourself. She complains of being lonely.” Eighteen months ago, Lizzie Troutt’s husband died in his mistress’s bed, leaving her determined to never marry again….and unfortunately virginal.We might begin with the fact that you were never in love with Adrian. Cat began walking around the bedchamber, waving her hands as she waxed eloquent about her late brother-in-law’s flaws. You make it sound as if he dropped a teacup,” Lizzie observed, unable to stop herself. “I would call the fact that Adrian died in the act of tupping Sadie Sprinkle inconsiderate in the extreme.” Lizzie,” Cat said ominously, sounding more like an older sister—which she was—with every word, “if you don’t get out of that bed, I shall drag you out. By your hair!” I refuse to allow you to wither away in bed simply because your husband was infatuated with Shady Sadie,” Cat said, using the term by which the gossip rags had referred to Adrian’s mistress. “You must put all that behind you. Sadie has another protector, and you are out of mourning. It’s time to stop hiding.”
A Gentleman Never Tells - Jodi Ellen Malpas A Gentleman Never Tells - Jodi Ellen Malpas
Lizzie felt a spark of real annoyance. “You already dragged me to your house for this visit. The least you could do is to allow me to read my book in peace.”I couldn’t do that, Cat said, in a sudden digression. Mr. Lyddle has developed a most unfortunate addiction to strong ale, and he’s regularly found lying about in the gutter singing, rather than butchering meat. What’s more, he’s sure that the highwayman is right under their noses – and that exposing their identity will not only end his story, but ruin his family, too… The carriage starts rumbling along, and Taya pulls out a fan, wafting it leisurely in front of her face, blowing her unmanageable hair around her face. My God, what is she doing? I don’t know, but I’m beginning to think that the hair matches the owner. Unmanageable. Let it be known, that fan is not there to cool Lady Taya Winters down, for London is hardly boasting soaring temperatures today. No, that fan is a tool, and by God it works.
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