âDash it, Miss Forrester, what are you doing up here?â
The Earl of Hartwick delights in scandalizing the ton with his behavior. But itâs his turn to be scandalized when, on an escapade, he bumps into Miss Sarah Forresterâin the rain, at night, on a rooftop!
Sarah is hunting for a diamond, and the last thing she needs is the infuriating Hart distracting her. But heâs looking for the jewel, too! They may be rivals, but the sparks between them are uncontrollable. And soon Sarah finds herself longing for another treasureâbecoming Hartâs countess!
Secret Lives of the Ton
What Society doesnât know...
Meet Julian Carlisle, the Duke of Lyonsdale, Gabriel Pearce, the Duke of Winterbourne, and Phineas Attwood, the Earl of Hartwick.
In the eyes of the Ton, these three gentlemen are handsome, upstanding men whoâmostly!âplay by the rules. But what Society doesnât know is that behind closed doors these three men are living scandalous lives and hiding scandalous secrets!
Read Julianâs story in
An Unsuitable Duchess
Read Gabrielâs story in
An Uncommon Duke
And read Hartâs story in
An Unexpected Countess
All available now!
Author Note
Hart and Sarah werenât supposed to fall in love. When I started writing An Unsuitable Duchess I simply intended them to be the best friends of my hero and heroine. But as I wrote that book it became obvious to me that these two would be perfect together. They needed their own story, and that story would open with them running into each other on a rooftop in London in the middle of the night. I just needed to figure out why they were there!
Around that time I read an article about the Sancy Diamond. This diamond was once part of the pre-Commonwealth Crown Jewels of England, but was sold by James II to Cardinal Mazarin in 1657. In 1792 the Sancy, along with the rest of the French Crown Jewels, was stolen when the Royal Treasury was stormed during the French Revolution. The Sancy Diamond disappeared, and its whereabouts was unknown until Prince Demidoff, a Russian nobleman, bought it from an unnamed source in 1828. The mystery of where it had been for thirty-six years was too intriguing to pass up, and it gave me a reason to put Hart and Sarah on that roof.
I hope you enjoy reading their story. For information about my other releases visit my website at lauriebenson.net. While youâre there you can also search my blog to find information about some of the other interesting historical titbits I uncovered while doing research for this book.
LAURIE BENSON is an award-winning historical romance author and Golden Heart® Award finalist. She began her writing career as an advertising copywriter, where she learned more than anyone could ever want to know about hot dogs and credit score reports. When she isnât at her laptop, avoiding laundry, Laurie can be found browsing in museums or taking ridiculously long hikes with her husband and two sons. You can visit her at lauriebenson.net.
Books by Laurie Benson
Mills & Boon Historical Romance
Secret Lives of the Ton
An Unsuitable Duchess
An Uncommon Duke An Unexpected Countess
Visit the Author Profile page
at www.millsandboon.co.uk for more titles.
For Lori, who crossed an ocean with me and let me drag her around London in search of hiding places. And for Mia, who has been on Team Hart from the beginning. This one is for the two of you.
A big thank-you to my editor, Kathryn Cheshire, for helping me bring Hart and Sarah to life. Youâre a gem! And thanks to the rest of the team at Harlequin, especially Krista Oliver, Linda Fildew, Tilda McDonald, Miranda Indrigo and Lucy Gough for all youâve done for me.
Iâm very thankful to my agent, Courtney Miller-Callihan with Handspun Literary Agency, for helping me fulfil my dream of publishing all three books in this trilogy.
To my familyâthanks for your support and encouragement while I worked on this book. Iâm sorry about the dust bunnies and the empty refrigerator. At least we know a good pizza place that delivers. I love you guys!
And, last but far from least, thank you to my readers. Your enthusiasm and kind words about my books have truly touched my heart.
Chapter One
Londonâ1819
This wasnât the first time Phineas Attwood, the Earl of Hartwick, had stepped onto a London rooftop at night in the rainâhowever, it was the first time he discovered he wasnât alone.
Hart had to drag himself from Theodosiaâs resplendent tester bed on such a dreary night. He wished he could have taken her once more, but there wasnât time. Her husband would arrive home soon and Hart had no interest in running into the man. He could have been brazen and left by the front door, but there was nothing like the thrill of finding alternative ways to escape the town houses of his female companionsâeven if one was forced to do so during a downpour.