Allâs fair in love and meddling among the members of New York Times bestselling author Victoria Alexanderâs Lady Travelers Society!
Unmarried and dedicated to illustrating the Explorers Clubâs artifacts, Dulcie Middleworth is running out of prospects. Spinsterhoodâs a tragedy for the daughter of a viscount, but Londonâs most eligible maiden has a secret: sheâs already in love. But to confess an attraction to charming explorer Michael Shepard? Not when the man has no wish to marry and his heartâs desire lies in adventure abroad.
Surely such a predicament calls for a matchmaker of Poppy Fitzhew-Wellmoreâs caliber! And calls as well for a romantic rivalâthe legendary figment of Poppyâs imagination Reginald Everheartâto nudge Michaelâs affections in Dulcieâs direction. But what to do when everyone demands to meet the famously infamous suitor who doesnât really exist?
#1 New York Times bestselling author of the Lady Travelers Society series, VICTORIA ALEXANDER was an award-winning television reporter until she discovered fiction was much more fun than real life. Since the publication of her first book in 1995, sheâs written more than forty full-length novels that have been translated around the world. Victoria lives in Omaha, Nebraska, with a long-suffering husband she kills off in every book and two bearded collies in a house under constant renovation and never-ending chaos. She laughs a great dealâshe has to. Check out her books at www.victoriaalexander.com, and chat with her on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/victoriaalexandersplace.
CHAPTER ONE
London, 1868
AT THE TENDER AGE of twenty-three, Miss Dulcie Middleworth, the youngest daughter of Viscount Middleworth, had just been declared a social failure.
Dulcie stared at the nearly blank sheet of laid paper affixed to the board in front of her and tried to concentrate on her preliminary pencil drawing of a fragment of ancient pottery. The barely started work was part of her continuing commission to document in pen and paint the endless collection of the Explorers Club. Her efforts at the moment were pointless really. She simply couldnât focus on her work. As much as she didnât care for the most part about her standing in society, it was rather bothersome to be considered a failure. Mother was certainly upset.
Oh, there hadnât been a notice in the Times or any sort of official announcement in Notes for Ladies, the London ladiesâ magazine her mother and sisters devoured for the latest news on societyâs approved activities as well as scandalous escapades. The latter were discreetly detailed and rarely mentioned anyone by name, although determining who was the subject of the latest bit of gossip usually took no more effort than an afternoon of calls and a few cups of tea. No, in the world of London society, there were no official announcements as to who had done what, but the end result was the same.
For the first time since Dulcie had come out in society, she had not been invited to Lady Scarsdaleâs grand ball, the acknowledged start of the social season ever since Lady Scarsdaleâs daughter had been a debutante some twenty or so years ago. Mother had long said the ball was intended to ensure Lady Scarsdaleâs daughter a position of some power in society as well as guaranteeing she would not be overlooked. According to Mother the girl was not one of that seasonâs great beauties but she did have a certain wit and cleverness about her that was not apparent simply by looking at her. By the time the Scarsdale offspring had indeed married wellâher fourth season, Mother saidâLady Scarsdaleâs ball had become the place to be and be seen for any young woman looking for entry to society and to make a good match. While the new seasonâs crop of debutantes in its entirety was routinely invited to the ball, those who were in their subsequent seasons were given the prized invitation based on any number of mysterious factors known only to Lady Scarsdale and her cohorts.
This yearâDulcieâs fifth in societyâthe invitation to Lady Scarsdaleâs ball had not been forthcoming. Mother was livid and blamed Father. Her three older sisters were nearly as distraught over the slight and vowed to redouble their efforts to find Dulcie an appropriate match.
It wasnât as if Dulcie didnât wish to be married. She did but she wanted to marry for reasons of affection. Dulcie Middleworth wanted love and rather feared she had found it. Pity it appeared to be one-sided.
She casually glanced across the large library in the impressive Bloomsbury mansion that housed the Explorers Club to the only other person currently in the room and tried not to sigh. Not that he would have noticed.