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#1 New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Laurens continues the bold tales of the Cavanaugh siblings as the sole Cavanaugh sister discovers that love truly does conquer all.A lady with a passion for music and the maestro she challenges in pursuit of a worthy cause find themselves battling villains both past and present as they fight to secure life's greatest rewards - love, marriage, and family.i>Stacie - Lady Eustacia Cavanaugh - is adamant marriage is not for her. Haunted by her parents' unhappy union, Stacie believes that, for her, marriage is an unacceptable risk. Wealthy and well-born, she needs for nothing, and with marriage off the table, to give her life purpose, she embarks on a plan to further the careers of emerging local musicians by introducing them to the ton via a series of musical evenings.Yet despite her noble status, Stacie requires a musical lure to tempt the haut ton to her events, and in the elevated circles she inhabits, only one musician commands sufficient cachet - the reclusive and notoriously reluctant Marquess of Albury.Frederick, Marquess of Albury, has fashioned a life for himself as a musical scholar, one he pursues largely out of sight of the ton. He might be renowned as a virtuoso on the pianoforte, yet he sees no reason to endure the smothering over-attentiveness of society. Then his mother inveigles him into meeting Stacie, and the challenge she lays before him is ... tempting. On a number of fronts. Enough for him not to immediately refuse her.A dance of subtle persuasion ensues, and step by step, Frederick finds himself convinced that Stacie's plan has real merit and that it behooves him to support her. At least for one event.Stacie's first musical evening, featuring Frederick as the principal performer, is a massive success - until Fate takes a hand and lands them in a situation that forces them both to reassess.Does Frederick want more than the sterile, academic life he'd thought was for him?Can Stacie overcome her deepest fears and own to and reach for her girlhood dreams?Impulsive, arrogant, and used to getting his own way, Frederick finds his answer easily enough, but his new direction puts him on a collision course with Stacie's fears. Luckily, he thrives on challenges - which is just as well, because in addition to convincing Stacie that love can, indeed, conquer all, he and she must unravel the mystery of who is behind a spate of murderous attacks before the villain succeeds in eliminating all hope of a happy ending. A classical historical romance set in London and Surrey, in the heart of the ton. Third novel in The Cavanaughs - a full-length historical romance of 122,000 words.i>Praise for the works of Stephanie Laurens"Stephanie Laurens' heroines are marvelous tributes to Georgette Heyer: feisty and strong." Cathy Kelly"Stephanie Laurens never fails to entertain and charm her readers with vibrant plots, snappy dialogue, and unforgettable characters." Historical Romance Reviews."Stephanie Laurens plays into readers' fantasies like a master and claims their hearts time and again." Romantic Times Magazine"Stacie and Frederick, both members of the nobility, have long opposed marriage for reasons of their own. The love story that eventually blossoms between them will please historical romance fans!" Kristina B., Proofreader, Red Adept EditingThis fast-moving historical romance features more than a few delicious twists that represent Laurens at her best, serving up her fine blend of romance and intrigue in such a way that her readers have learned to expect the unexpected." Angela M., Copy Editor, Red Adept Editing"In her lyrical new romance, New York Times Bestselling Author Stephanie Laurens masterfully weaves a taut tale of fiery passion, soaring love, and spellbinding intrigue set against the impeccable manners and mores of nineteenth-century England." Rene R., Proofreader, Red Adept Editing
About the Author
#1 New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Laurens began writing romances as an escape from the dry world of professional science. Her hobby quickly became a career when her first novel was accepted for publication, and with entirely becoming alacrity, she gave up writing about facts in favor of writing fiction.Laurens's novels are set in the time period of the British Regency, and her settings range from Scotland to India. Laurens has published fifty works of historical romance, including 29 New York Times bestsellers. All her works are continuously available in print and digital formats in English worldwide, and have been translated into many other languages. An international bestseller, among other accolades Laurens has received the Romance Writers of America prestigious RITA Award for Best Romance Novella 2008, for The Fall of Rogue Gerrard.Her continuing novels featuring the Cynster family are widely regarded as classics of the genre. Other series include the Bastion Club Novels and the Black Cobra Quartet.Following is a brief autobiography of Stephanie's life before becoming a romance novelist:My early life was not all that ordinary - I was born in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) many years ago, at a time when the recently independent British colony still behaved socially very much like an outpost of the British Raj. So I know what "tiffin" is. It was a strange society - one that has now died - but I still remember snippets.At age 5, my family upped stakes and moved permanently to Melbourne, Australia, where they've remained ever since. I did all my schooling in Melbourne, finished university with a Ph.D. in Biochemistry, then moved on, together with my husband, acquired along the way, to London.Of course, we didn't just hop on a plane and fly. No. We took what proved to be one of the last true overland journeys from Katmandu to London - through northern India and the Ganges valley, up into Kashmir to laze on houseboats on the lake at Srinigar, then through Pakistan and on up the Khyber Pass into Afghanistan (pre-destruction) . From Kabul, we continued west, across Iran (then still with the Shah) , down to Isfahan, then up to the Caspian Sea, then all the way across Turkey to the ages-old fascination of Istanbul. I still have the most vivid memories of Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey - the most wonderfully dramatic and lonely scenery - places where Nature really impinged on your consciousness. After wandering across Europe, we eventually reached London, after what will undoubtedly rank as the journey of our lives.In London, I took up a position as a research scientist - and my husband did, too. We lived in a lovely little cottage - a 16th century woodcutter's cottage, complete with 16th century tiles (you can tell by the wooden pegs that hold them on) , built onto an oast house (those places with conical roofs where they used to dry hops) , surrounded on all sides by the lush green fields of rural Kent. Of course
