That Tattler has learned that General Beresford is currently considering a request from Capt. Warwick Clifton (the Duke’s son) to purchase his promised commission. We hear the General is reluctant to support the advancement of such a man. Why? Dear readers, you may well ask!
Miss Louisa Beresford, traveling in Switzerland at present ‘to improve her French’ knows nothing of the matter. So say all her intimate friends and relations — in which case your author asks, how came such as the below to be written?
A Letter from Major Musgrave to his cousin, Louisa.
My dearest cousin,
Firstly, may I say that your last letter last greatly distressed both myself and the General. You need not fear the family. We would not dream of abandoning you, and will ensure the child is well-placed. Why, Evers recently spoke of a family ready and willing to assist us, for a relatively minor consideration. Rest assured you will not be inconvenienced in any way once your continental sojourn is complete.
I insist we meet Evers directly on your return to England, that we may resolve this matter entirely. The General joins with me in requesting again – most urgently – that you give up screening the man.
You report that he is ‘too mighty a gentleman’ and to expose him risks you and yours. My dear Louisa, you are a general’s daughter and your father has the ear of the Regent. There is no man in all England more favoured than my uncle at present, and there is no favour he will not request on behalf of a most beloved daughter.
Pertinent to the above, your Papa begs you will answer his letters. He asks that you not resent his temper too deeply or for too much longer, my dear. Anger is the least of the feelings he holds towards you, and his resentment is long since passed.
May your memories of his kindness and duty as a most affectionate parent outdo any final impressions. Depend on the former, gentler sensations my dear cousin, and place no faith in your last. You know his pride, Louisa, and his temper.
I ask you again to consider my request regarding the man involved. The term ‘gentleman’ is in this case mis-applied. Only speak his name, cousin, and you shall find yourself at once defended, and your honour avenged.
Your (always) affectionate cousin,
Maj. Henry Musgrave
For delivery of these words we am indebted to a source I cannot name. Rest assured, dear readers, that our authority is irreproachable. Let it serve, too, as a warning to those managing large establishments that they’d best take better care of their staff than they do of their clothing.
About the Book
Captain Warwick ‘Wil’ Clifton returns from the Peninsula Wars too world-weary for English social niceties. He wants nothing more than to return to the army but finds his father, the duke, his greatest obstacle. Frustrated and restless, Wil seeks solace in the bedchambers of Regency England, skirting such scandal with finesse. When Clifton finds himself facing an entirely different man on the duelling field to the one he expects, he starts to wonder if even he may have gone too far this time.
When Clifton offers to assist the Romany family he has injured, he’s unprepared for the warmth of Romany camaraderie. Neither is he remotely ready for the force of nature that is their princess. Keeping a lid on his desire for the Romany princess takes all Wil’s self-control. This rake is well out of practice at showing restraint but soon, the Captain has a new decision to make: What is he willing to risk for love?
As the eldest daughter of the Romany king, Syeira Brishen carries the title of Princess as proudly as she does her finely-honed distrust of Englishmen. When the Romany prince faces the surest shot in the country and loses, Syeira is determined to see to it that her brother heals fully. To do this, she reluctantly accepts Captain Clifton’s help and finds that, while the English may not conduct family matters the same way as her Romany, some at least are capable of affection, passion – even love. As a Romany, she trusts her heart – but what if her heart loves an Englishman?
Caught between family duty, and a desire to be with the man she loves, can the Romany princess choose happiness over duty, or will she need some convincing?
About the Author
Clyve Rose is an award-winning author of historical fiction both in Australia and the US. She has been writing historical romance fiction for the best part of two decades. She works in the Regency and Georgian periods, with occasional detours into Ancient Greece.
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