The Scoundrel and I - Katharine Ashe Page 0,66
street. Lamps lit this part of London irregularly, and the break in the wall was in shadow. Beside the gate stood an enormous man.
“Ma’am.” The behemoth bowed. “He awaits you within.”
It was immediately clear why he had suggested this place. The thick hedge within the walls created a bower of privacy and the gravestones scattered unevenly throughout made swift escape impossible.
He had staged the situation to his advantage too. He stood among the stones not four yards away, a lamp on the ground behind him casting him in silhouette. He was tall, and the breadth of his shoulders and solid stance suggested a man of fine physical conditioning. The night was mild and he wore no hat or overcoat—nothing to disguise him.
He was entirely willing for her to know his true identity.
The gate creaked closed behind her.
“Good evening, madam,” he said into the darkness. “It is a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance. I have looked forward to this moment for years. But, of course, you already know that.” His voice was smooth and low, far from menacing, rather intimate, and shockingly, unbelievably, horribly familiar.
Only hours earlier this elegant voice had proposed marriage to her.
“I am Gray,” he said. “Now remove that veil and tell me your name.”
Click here to buy The Earl in e-book or paperback.
To My Wonderful Readers
Many of you will have recognized my humble nod to My Fair Lady, one of my favorite musicals. While I was writing the ball scene in The Scoundrel & I, I went around the house singing, “I can tell that she was born Hungarian! Not only Hungarian, but of royal blood. She is a princess!” I simply could not resist the allusion. It was also my secret way of attaching this story to my novel How to Be a Proper Lady, which features sailors and includes a cameo of Bishop Frederick Baldwin. Two of my other seafaring heroes appear by name in this novella as well, Nik Acton of A Lady’s Wish and Luc Westfall of I Married the Duke. For more of Tony, you can find him featured in my Prince Catchers Series novella, Kisses, She Wrote, which tells the story of Cam and Jacqueline’s romance, and the prequel to that, I Married the Duke.
The Scoundrel & I is itself a prequel to The Earl, Lady Justice and Peregrine’s love story and the finale to my Falcon Club Series (published by Avon Books). Of their letters collected at the end of this novella, many are drawn from the first four books in the series: When a Scot Loves a Lady, How to Be a Proper Lady, How a Lady Weds a Rogue, and The Rogue. (The Rogue double-duties as the first book in my Devil’s Duke Series). You can find plenteous information about all my series and books on my website at KatharineAshe. While you’re there, I hope you will subscribe to my e-mailing list to receive announcements about my new books as well as a free Falcon Club short story.
A final fun historical note: in the final chapter of The Scoundrel & I, I included Falconer’s New Universal Dictionary of the Marine as a nod to my Falcon Club Series. But it was indeed a real reference book originally published in 1769, and almost entirely revised for the second edition in 1815. It is a big, thick, wonderful compendium of all things nautical and it plays a key role in my novel In the Arms of a Marquess.
Books by Katharine Ashe
Twist Series
My Lady, My Lord
Again, My Lord
The Devil’s Duke
The Rogue
The Earl
The Duke (coming 2017)
click here for more about this series
The Prince Catchers
I Married the Duke
I Adored a Lord
I Loved a Rogue
The Falcon Club
When a Scot Loves a Lady
How to Be a Proper Lady
How a Lady Weds a Rogue
Rogues of the Sea
Swept Away by a Kiss
Captured by a Rogue Lord
In the Arms of a Marquess
Captive Bride (A Regency Ghost Novel)
Novellas
Kisses, She Wrote
How to Marry a Highlander
A Lady’s Wish
The Scoundrel & I
And don’t miss the anthologies …
At the Duke’s Wedding
&
At the Billionaire’s Wedding
Thank You!
The help of generous friends and colleagues made this book possible. Thank you to Marcia Abercrombie, Georgie C. Brophy, Nita Eyster, Sonja Foust, Lee Galbreath, Meg Huliston, Beverly Jenkins, Caroline Linden, Mary Brophy Marcus, Stephanie McCullough, Miranda Neville (especially for Lady Gaga), Maya Rodale, and Jen Underhill, and special thanks to Diane Michel (for hatching bridges). To Donna Finlay, whose kind query regarding Lady Justice and Peregrine’s letters inspired this entire book, and for her generosity of spirit, I am especially grateful. To all of my Princesses, who have helped me with many details of this book and others, I dedicate it with profound and affectionate gratitude.
Copious thanks to the talented women whose work is all over this book: Georgann T. Brophy, Lori Devoti, Carrie Divine, my editor Anne Forlines, and copy editor Martha Trachtenberg. To Cari Gunsallus, the most wonderful author’s assistant in the world, and to Kimberly Whalen, my fabulously supportive agent, I send up special thanks.
I am so grateful for my precious writing companion, Idaho, and for my husband and son whose constant and loving support and enthusiasm are the wind in my sails.
Last but never least, to my readers whose letters, emails, tweets, and posts mean more than you can know, from the bottom of my heart I thank you.
Praise for The Falcon Club
THE ROGUE
“A strong and independent female protagonist.”
Library Journal (starred review)
“The chemistry between them is electric … Ashe’s writing is lyrical and almost poetic in places, the plotting is tight, the romance is sensual and beautifully developed; and Saint is easily one of the finest romantic heroes I’ve read in quite some time.”
All About Romance (Desert Island Keeper)
“The desperate yearning—and dangerous secrets—between the star-crossed lovers had my stomach in knots until the very end of this hypnotic book.”
Amazon’s Omnivorous (Best Romances of the Month)
“The romance between Saint and Constance is truly stellar.”
BookPage (featured review)
“Powerful, suspenseful and sensual.”
RT Book Reviews (TOP PICK!)
HOW A LADY WEDS A ROGUE
Recommended Read!
Women’s World Magazine
“Emotionally touching and sexually taut.”
Kirkus Reviews
HOW TO BE A PROPER LADY
Ten Best Romances of 2012
Amazon Editors’ Choice
“Everything fans of historical romance could want in a book.”
Joyfully Reviewed
WHEN A SCOT LOVES A LADY
“Lushly intense romance . . . radiant prose.”
Library Journal (starred review)
“Sensationally intelligent writing, and a true, weak-in-the-knees love story.”
Barnes & Noble “Heart to Heart” Recommended Read!
HOW TO MARRY A HIGHLANDER
A Falcon Club novella
RITA® Award Finalist 2014
Romance Writers of America
Praise for The Prince Catchers
I LOVED A ROGUE
“Passionate, heart-wrenching, and thoroughly satisfying.”
All About Romance (Desert Island Keeper)
“Katharine Ashe’s historical romances are rich and inventive, unexpected and smart, and she doesn’t pull any emotional punches. She writes with a wry, provocative, angst-y energy that compels you to keep turning pages, even when it means the thrill of a blissful read will be far too soon behind you. Oh, yeah. This author rocks historical romance.”
USA Today, Must-Read Romance of 2015
I ADORED A LORD
“A riotous good time… Delicious.”
Publishers Weekly
“In the vein of the British country house mysteries of the golden age of that genre when authors such as Agatha Christie, Dorothy B. Sayers, Georgette Heyer, and Margery Allingham were turning out classic tales. … Ashe’s novel is a worthy successor … If you like your romance with a shade of difference, a generous serving of mystery, and a blend of tenderness and sizzle, I highly recommend I Adored a Lord.”
The Romance Dish (5 stars)
I MARRIED THE DUKE
“Historical Romance of the Year”
Reviewers’ Choice Award nominee 2014
“Just the kind of rollicking historical romance you want if you’re in the mood to be swept away on a grand adventure.”
RT Book Reviews (TOP PICK!)
KISSES, SHE WROTE
A Prince Catchers novella
“Typical of Ashe, these characters are smoldering.”
Library Journal (starred review)
“Finished it with tears in my eyes. Yes, it was that good.”
Elizabeth Boyle, New York Times bestseller
About the Author
KATHARINE ASHE is the award-winning and USA Today bestselling author of historical romances that reviewers call “intensely lush” and “sensationally intelligent,” including her acclaimed Devil’s Duke Series, and My Lady, My Lord and How to Marry a Highlander, finalists for the prestigious RITA® Award of the Romance Writers of America. Her books are recommended by Publishers Weekly, Woman’s World Magazine, Booklist, Library Journal, USA Today, Kirkus Reviews, Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and many others, and translated into languages across the world.
Katharine lives in the wonderfully warm Southeast United States with her beloved husband, son, dog, and a garden she likes to call romantic rather than unkempt. A professor of European History, she writes fiction because she thinks modern readers deserve grand adventures and breathtaking sensuality too. For more about Katharine’s books, please visit KatharineAshe.