My original plan was to let Stephen Bachman suffer forever, but during the course of the story, I saw some redeeming qualities in him. Granted, those qualities were subtle. I didn’t see them right away, but they were there. With Lady Eloise, there were no redeeming qualities. So I can’t give these two a happy ending.
I’ve decided that Lady Eloise is going to die about three or four years after she and Stephen marry. That being the case, I’m going to make Stephen’s book the first one in a brand new Regency series, which will be the Marriage by Fairytale Series.
I’ve always wanted to do a series of Regencies that were based off of familiar fairytales. I’ll put my own spin on them, of course, and that spin will fit the time period and the stories I typically write. Stephen’s book will be loosely based off of the beauty and the beast fairytale.
Stephen’s book will be called The Marriage Contract, and here’s the description:
On her wedding day, Patricia Cotter, the widowed Lady of Pruett, signed a contract agreeing to the following:
1. She would never look at her husband’s face.
2. She would never remove the sheets covering the mirrors.
3. She would never ask her husband about his past.
In return for doing these things, she will have a secure place for her unborn child and her worries will be over. She has nothing to lose by agreeing to her husband’s terms.
Yes, she’s heard the rumors about Mr. Stephen Bachman. He was said to have killed his first wife, though there is no proof condemning him of the crime. He is aloof and never leaves his townhouse. He is practically a prisoner in his own home.
But as she gets to know him, she begins to believe her husband isn’t the beast everyone’s made him out to be. There just might be a gentleman worth loving beneath his hard exterior. The questions is, can she get him to let go of the past so he can open himself up to the possibility of a fairytale romance?
This book will be available early 2018.
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Also, if you haven’t read Loretta and Tad’s romance but would like to, it’s available. It’s called The Rake’s Vow, and it’s Book 2 in the Marriage by Bargain Series.
Here is the description for The Rake’s Vow:
Thaddeus (Tad) Darkin, the Duke of Lambeth, used to be a rake. In fact, before Lord Edon was scandalizing the Ton, Tad was the one everyone was talking about. Many gentlemen secretly wished they had his charm with the ladies. All reputable ladies were warned to stay as far from him as possible, which only made him all the more attractive. Then, after a tragic event, he took a vow of celibacy, promising he would never be intimate with another lady again. Over the years, this caused him to be the most sought-after single gentleman in all of London. And even though he doesn't want to marry, his steward left him in financial ruin, so whether he likes it or not, he must take a wife.
After being rejected by the gentleman she was hoping to marry, Miss Loretta Bachman is on a mission to save her reputation. She needs to marry someone who will impress the prestigious ladies in her social circle. So when she catches the leader of the group talking about the very handsome and hard-to-get Duke of Lambeth, she's determined to get him to marry her. All she needs is a little bargaining power, and fortunately for her, she happens to have the money he needs to save his estate.
When she learns of his vow to remain celibate, she agrees to keep away from his bed. After all, her only reason for marrying him is to secure her social standing in London, not to have a love match. All she asks is that he pretends to be deeply in love with her when they're in public. That way she will succeed in impressing the Ton. But before long, the lines between what is pretend and what is real starts to blur, and it's hard to decide how far to push the limits of their agreement.
You can find it at these retailers.