SPECIAL EDITION
TEATIME TATTLER
Here at the Tattler, we pride ourselves on fair and truthful reporting. Our main competition, THE MIDNIGHT CRYER, is simply vile and reprehensible in their daily scandalous, not to mention, corrupt articles featuring Lord William, the second son of the Duke of Langham (whom we affectionally call, the Rogue Most Wanted), and his beautiful bride, Lady Theodora Worth, the Countess of Eanruig, a Scottish peeress in her own right.
To find out the absolute truth, we went to the person who has the most intimate familiarity of the subject, Lady Stella Payne, Lord William’s great-aunt. She has first-hand knowledge of the trials and tribulations these two lovebirds had to scale in order to find true love.
“Those two would have never been successful in their courtship if it hadn’t been for my dearest friend in the whole world, Lady Edith Manton, and me.”
Here at the Teatime Tattler, we believe her. Her modesty is legendary and so are here baubles. The grand dame’s hands sparkled since practically every inch was covered in priceless jewels. This lady is well-familiar with wedding rituals and courtships. Being married three times certainly gives one a wealth of knowledge about the subject… along with a jewelry box filled to the brim.
We asked Lady Payne how she had advised the handsome couple how to circumvent the malicious and constant rumors that seemed to swirl around them. She offered the following with simple honesty:
“Darling, my advice is to deny everything.”
Dear readers, is it any wonder that Lady Payne is one of the most successful matrons in London society? With her card skills and social maneuverings, this elegant lady is a genius on how to sidestep and crush the plotting and scheming of THE MIDNIGHT CRYER, the worst gossip rag in all of England.
We’d be remiss if we didn’t add that it stands to reason that Lord William and Lady Eanruig couldn’t help but fall for one another. Not when the grand dame set her peacock blues on making a match between these two.
Perhaps we should offer her an executive editorial position at our humble paper?
Wanted: an engagement of convenience. Found: A noble suitor.
Raised on a remote Scottish estate by her adoring grandfather, Lady Theodora Worth has inherited an earldom as well as the land itself. But when an upstart duke challenges her claim to the title and the Ladykyrk estate, Thea is suddenly in need of a husband—in name, at least. An elderly neighbor with a thoroughly modern sensibility and a dashing great-nephew just might be the answer to Thea’s prayers. Except she has no intention of marrying the first man she meets. That would be utterly ridiculous.
It just can’t be him. . .
Lord William Cavensham is entirely too devoted to his family’s estate—ever since he was jilted as a lad–to wed, but he agrees to meet the woman his aunt has taken under her wing—and introduce her to possible suitors. But after just one meeting with beautiful, spirited Thea, Will is determined to help her reclaim her title. And even moreso, he can’t stop thinking that perhaps marriage to this bold, passionate woman may be the one thing he’s been missing all along?
Praise for the Cavensham Heiresses series
“Full-bodied romance…with intelligence and heart.”—New York Times bestselling author Cathy Maxwell
“Sparkling…MacGregor brings England’s Regency era to life.” —Publishers Weekly
Buy links for Rogue Most Wanted:
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Meet Janna MacGregor
Janna MacGregor was born and raised in the bootheel of Missouri. She credits her darling mom for introducing her to the happily-ever-after world of romance novels. Janna writes the Cavensham Heiresses series where compelling and powerful heroines meet and fall in love with their equally matched heroes. She is the mother of triplets and lives in Kansas City with her very own dashing rogue, and a smug, but not surprisingly, perfect pug. She loves to hear from readers.
Visit her at www.JannaMacGregor.com
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Excerpt from Rogue Most Wanted
“Alright, then.” Thea stood straight and stared into Will’s eyes. “Will you…be my friend?”
The songbirds’ warbles, the rustle of the breeze through the leaves, and every other sound slipped to silence, and all sights faded the moment Thea asked him to be her friend. He couldn’t move as the air grew heavy and locked him in place. All his concentration centered on her. Finally, the spell she wove around him lessoned, and Will tilted his head and stared at the folly’s ceiling.
Cupids and cherubs frolicked in glee as if laughing at him. For the life of him, as Thea hesitated in asking her question, he’d thought she would propose to him. In those mere moments, his emotions had run the gamut from trepidation, relief, happiness, and finally, to disappointment.
Why he experienced disappointment was a complete and utter conundrum that he couldn’t navigate. They’d both agreed that they didn’t want to marry the other. But something deep within him had sparked to life, like a flint against a piece of steel, igniting a hope she might want him. When Theodora had shared the tragic circumstances of her family’s demise, he’d become lost—in her and the extraordinary challenges she’d faced on her own in Northumberland. It was as if they were physically joined in some manner, and he’d never felt that tied to another woman.
The only explanation could be that he’d never met anyone like her before.
Theodora possessed a refreshing honesty and fierceness at times that belied her underlying vulnerability—much like his own. But the more time he spent with her, the more intrigued he found himself. When she’d approached Aunt Stella with her reason to marry, she’d been brutally honest, and he respected her for that.
Well, he was a Cavensham, and a Cavensham never shirked from duty or tough questions or even simple requests such as friendship. “Thea, I’d be honored to be your friend.” He slowly smiled.