Because history is fun and love is worth working for

Author: Elizabeth Ellen Carter

Count’s Actions Get Curiouser and Curioser

There’s been scandalous talk in some corners of the Bon Ton regarding the company kept by the eligible bachelor, Armand Danger, Comte de Ytres.

Rumour has it that he was spotted at White’s seeking out the company of Lord Kingston Prendegast. Now your correspondent has it on good authority that the only reason why one seeks out the man willingly is to seek an invitations to one of his parties.

Few details are known about what goes on inside these bacchanals, as both guests and servants are sworn to secrecy suffice to say that the finest of spirits (and the finest of the lightskirts) are to be found.

We are curious to know what the good count is up to given his predeliction for attending auction houses of late and being seen in the company of one Miss Jade Bridges, sister of the current proprietor of Bridges & Sons.

A CURIO FOR THE COUNT

To find his future, he must own his past…

An excerpt from A Curio For The Count:
Lord Prendegast was easy to spot.

His costume hinted at a Tudor style – a close-fitting doublet in red satin edged in black which featured mameluke sleeves of red satin slashed with black. His hose was the same shade of scarlet. His shoes were red leather held by gold buckles and black bows, while gold rings and a striking collar made of large square links sat around his shoulders and neck.

Armand imagined this would be how a libertine Sir Francis Drake might dress. But who was he representing?

Mephistopheles?

It seemed appropriate.

Prendegast headed his way. Armand acknowledged him with a nod, but not his name.

His host clasped him by the shoulders. “Come now, do you see nothing to your liking?”

Armand forced a laugh. “I see plenty – too much to take in all at once.”

“Then greed is not your deadly sin. Very wise of you. The virtuous say to delay gratification is to make the conquest more satisfying. Perhaps there is something to it, perhaps not. Every taste is catered for here. You must be one of my first-time guests.”

He nodded over to a clutch of colorfully dressed prostitutes.

“Nothing is off-limits to my guests. If they do not whet your appetite, you may wish to sample the serving wenches as well as the food.”

He watched as Armand took it all in – the spectacle, the displays of flesh. More welcome than any of that was the smell of freshly roasted meat on a spit.

Prendegast noticed his interest.

“Lust and gluttony can be a potent combination. Enjoy.”

Armand bowed, took another sip from his ale, and put a lightness in his step to stop himself from looking entirely sober and used the opportunity to wander around the gardens.

There were more here than just the statue of Athena. There were at least a dozen magnificent life-sized figures from the pantheon of Greek deity. Armand had no idea who the sculptor was, but he could appreciate the workmanship. It was tempting to run his hands along the shapely calf of Aphrodite, so he did and ignored any strange glances that might have been directed his way.

Why not? Nothing was off-limits.

The anonymous sculptor was a master of his craft. Armand understood how Prometheus thought, his desire to create a beautiful woman – his perfect woman captured in marble and yet brought to life.

Armand allowed himself to feel a measure of hope for his mission.

Given the sculptures in the grounds, perhaps it wasn’t outside the realm of possibility that the Thalatte clock was in this building after all.

A CURIO FOR THE COUNT (BOOK TWO, THE GEMS OF LONDON)

Raised as an Englishman, Armand Danger, Comte de Ytres, is troubled by a dream from his childhood that leaves him speculating on his French past.

He is convinced an elaborate clock belonging to his late father, executed in the French Revolution, holds the answers he seeks.

Miss Jade Bridges works as a valuer in her family’s London antiques shop and auction house. One day she receives mysterious letter from an anonymous client willing to pay any price for a very specific statue clock.

While in pursuit of the clock, Jade and Armand meet and there’s immediate attraction. But how can it amount to anything when they are rivals for the very same object?

As the couple grow closer and attraction deepens, they agree to join forces to find the timepiece together.
Then an antiques dealer is killed. It appears someone else is willing to extract a fatal price to possess the clock for themselves.

What is it about this curio for the count that someone is willing to commit murder for it?

About Elizabeth Ellen Carter

Elizabeth Ellen Carter is a USA Today best selling author who writes richly detailed historical romantic adventures that have been praised for their strong characters and ‘edge-of-seat intrigue’. Her eleventh full length title, Deceiving The Duke, will be released early in 2022 by Dragonblade Publishing.

A former newspaper journalist, Elizabeth ran an award-winning PR agency for 12 years. She lives in Queensland, Australia with her amazing husband and two adorable and mischievous cats. In addition to writing books, Elizabeth produces a online reader magazine called Love’s Great Adventure.

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All bets are off when love is on the line

Tempers Gallop; An Imprudent Wager Is Made!

From your special correspondent
York 1818

All bets are off when love is on the lineAll eyes will be on young, up-and-coming horse trainer Captain James Bentley and his cousin Captain Sir John Bentley, Viscount Tyrell, at this year’s York Races.

The pair of cavalry veterans have sunk every last penny into the Tyrell estate with ambitions to turn the dilapidated pile into Yorkshire’s finest training facility. This year they will enter a young colt, Crimson Lad, into the stakes.

It’s a risky venture made even more perilous by an imprudent contretemps witnessed by your correspondent.

The Earl of Seahaven, 0ne of this season’s regulars, was seen at the concert held at the  Merchant Adventurers Hall openly mocking the Bentley cousins’ enterprise directly in front of Sir John himself.

The handsome young Viscount– who has newly come by his title, it must be noted – did not take kindly to the insult, and wagered the Earl the princely sum of One-Hundred Pounds on the outcome of a horse race of the Earl’s choosing.

Twin sisters, two cousins... it could be love, or a four-to-one fancy.Such fits of impetuousness are not unknown in these events, dear reader, but the matter becomes all the more intriguing when one learns there is more than just gentlemanly pride involved.

Earlier that evening, Viscount Tyrell was seen sitting alongside the dowager Countess of Seahaven, Lady Patience Bigglesworth, and her step-daughter Lady Ivy Bigglesworth, who is considered to be one of this season’s diamonds. The Viscount and Lady Ivy were also seen in conversation prior to the confrontation with the Earl of Seahaven.

A good source tells me that the Earl was quite surprised to see his late cousin’s young widow and her brood of step-daughters so well turned out, as it has been long rumoured that pleas to improve the dowry of the late Earls’ six eligible daughters have fallen on deaf ears.

I don’t wager as a rule, but if the young Bigglesworth ladies have found champions in the Bentley cousins, I would put my guinea on a victory for Crimson Lad at this year’s York Races.

About The Four-to-One Fancy

Fate has given twins Ivy and Iris Bigglesworth a season in York. They vow to marry only brothers so the sisters will never be apart. But what are the odds of finding and falling in love with two eligible brothers? Hearts race when they meet two handsome cousins who are betting their future on a risky racing venture. Soon the twins learn there are more than fortunes to be lost on a four-to-one fancy.

Excerpt from The Four-to-One Fancy:

The Earl of Seahaven was about a decade-and-a-half older than himself, John estimated, which would put him in his late thirties. Already there were signs that the man was not as healthy as he ought to be.

A redness in the nose indicated a fondness of a little too much drink. A bit of softness around the middle indicated an equal love of food.

He was also introduced to the Countess who, no doubt, was a diamond of the first water in her day. At a distance, she could still claim the title of handsome, but her beauty now was brittle.

After bowing to the woman, John found himself wishing more than anything else to be back in the convivial company of Ivy and her stepmother.

“Did I hear right, Tyrell? You have an interest in the ole gee-gees?”

John gritted his teeth at the use of such a juvenile term for horses. He answered: “Indeed, we do, sir. A very promising colt we hope will do well at the York races.”

“Well, I’ve been known to back a few winners in my time,” the Earl boasted. “A bit of success with the fillies, if you know what I mean.”

John did know and his contempt for the man grew.

“Oh, there’s more to Lord Tyrell’s interest than just the horse,” said Lady Clune, cheerfully oblivious to the rising tension between the two men. “The Viscount and his cousin are looking to build a training facility for racing horses.”

The Earl burst out laughing. “I’d say you’re a damned fool. It’s one thing to have a flutter, quite another to sink your life savings into it.”

John’s jaw ached from gritting his teeth to prevent himself from setting the man on his arse—peer or not.

“Would you care to wager on it, my lord?” he found himself saying.

He watched the Earl’s changing expression closely—humor, smug satisfaction, surprise, then curiosity.

“A wager, you say?”

“A hundred pounds on a winner. You pick the race.”

John heard Lady Clune gasp.

If his rational self had been in charge of his brain, he’d have simply ignored the Earl, but the insult had been given, not just to himself, but also to the Bigglesworth girls. The idea of becoming their champion greatly appealed.

Find out the full story: The Four-to-One Fancy in Desperate Daughters.

Pre-order now.

Biography

Elizabeth Ellen Carter is a USA Today bestselling author and an award-winning historical romance writer who pens richly detailed historical romantic adventures. A former newspaper journalist, Carter ran an award-winning PR agency for 12 years. The author lives in Australia with her husband and two cats.

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