Dear Readers,
Writing for the Teatime Tattler is my bread and butter, which means I must report on the latest gossip.
Nevertheless, I am in favor of the truth, or at least a kind-hearted version of it. I loathe malicious gossip which seeks to put the worst construction on everything. I have decided henceforth to always seek the most positive interpretation of the latest on dits.
Which leads me to the thorny problem of Miss L B. I have always wondered why she was a wallflower. She’s quite pretty, and as far as I can tell, not at all shy. Perhaps she put on a discontented air and avoided dancing to discourage her many suitors—or perhaps to save both them and herself from her mother’s machinations. (If you are acquainted with Lady B, I’m sure you’ll understand.)
Why, then, has the grumpy wallflower finally decided to bloom? Not only bloom, but do so in such a way! In the space of two short days, Miss B has set her feet firmly upon the road to ruin.
First, she attended Mrs. H’s salon, a well-known gathering of bluestockings who feel free to discuss whatever they choose, no matter how unladylike the topic. I am in favor of educated women and applaud their attempts to become well informed—as long as their behavior is otherwise impeccable.
Which Miss B’s, sadly, is not. Whom should she choose to escort her but the notorious libertine, S R!
(Oh, very well, in the interest of truth, I admit that R’s aunt, Lady A, accompanied them as chaperone, but she’s so totty-headed as to be well-nigh useless.)
Then, after showing herself to be far too knowledgeable about matters of which a young lady should be ignorant, what must Miss B do but accept an invitation to one of the notorious Lady T’s card parties—and we all know what goes on there!! A single game of piquet might destroy her reputation forever.
If that wasn’t bad enough, I have been creditably informed that R will escort her there as well!
What, I ask you, can Miss B be thinking? Surely she doesn’t hope to catch R in her toils! It would serve him right if he were obliged to marry her—not that one can count on that, given his reputation. I would hate to see her 1) ruined or 2) stuck with R. Rakes are rarely as skilled in the bedchamber as they are purported to be. (Not that I know from personal experience, mind you.)
After thinking it all over, I don’t believe Miss B is pursing R. She has known him since childhood, so he is no exciting stranger to her, merely her brother’s annoying friend. She is an intelligent woman, and I think she is using him for some secret purpose. What in heaven’s name can that purpose be?
I hope and trust that one of the Tattler’s readers will find out and let us know!
The Wallflower Ruse
He suspects her of treason – and she suspects him right back.
Lord Restive wonders why Lucinda Belair grew up to be a grumpy wallflower—and now, because of a message in code, he is forced to suspect her of treason.
Lucinda wishes her childhood friend Restive hadn’t grown up to be a horrid libertine—and now, because of the coded message, she has to suspect him right back.
Soon, they are compelled to work together to save England from an unnamed disaster. But Restive is intolerably rude to Lucinda, and she longs for revenge – to show him she’s intelligent and capable and can handle whatever a patriotic Englishwoman must do. Is this the opportunity for Lucinda the wallflower to bloom at last? Will Restive’s bad reputation forever stand in his way—or might Lucinda’s desire for revenge be replaced by love?
Buy links:
Amazon buy link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DVQG5BP8/
Every vendor buy link: https://books2read.com/u/b60vRx
The Wallflower Ruse is Book #56 in the Revenge of the Wallflowers multi-author series.
About the Author:
Winner of the Holt Medallion, Maggie, Daphne du Maurier, Reviewer’s Choice and Epic awards, Barbara Monajem wrote her first story at eight years old about apple tree gnomes. She published a middle-grade fantasy when her children were young, dabbled in paranormal mysteries, then moved on to Regency romances and mysteries with intrepid heroines and long-suffering heroes (or vice versa).
Barbara loves to cook, especially soups. She used to have two items on her bucket list: to make asparagus pudding (because it was too weird to resist) and succeed at knitting socks. She managed the first (it was dreadful) and doubts she’ll ever accomplish the second. This is not a bid for immortality but merely the dismal truth. She lives near Atlanta, Georgia with an ever-shifting population of relatives, friends, and feline strays.
Find her at:
Website: http://www.BarbaraMonajem.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/barbara.monajem/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barbaramonajem/