Zebra
April 2009
On Sale: April 1, 2009
Featuring: Meredith Burnley; Stephen Rawlings
352 pages ISBN: 1420106546 EAN: 9781420106541 Paperback Add to Wish List
Since the loss of her parents, Meredith Burnley has contented herself with a solitary life looking after her half-sister, Annabel. But Meredithβs peace is shattered when her uncle schemes to marry her off to his son in order to gain her inheritance. Desperate, Meredith has only one choice: to flee with Annabel to their estranged grandparentsβ home. But their arrival soon reignites a family scandalβand kindles unexpected romanceβ¦
Happily reunited with the girls, Annabelβs grandmother resolves to convince her nephew, Stephen Mallory, the Marquess of Silverton, to abandon his rakish lifestyle and wed Annabel. Stephen is clearly captivatedβbut with the wrong sister! Determined to make Meredith his own, Stephen embarks on a seduction that will leave her with no choice but to surrender to his touchβ¦
I spent several years in graduate school studying the theme of women and madness in 18th and 19th century British literature. Women were sometimes committed to asylums by their male relations, for a variety of reasons. Sometimes these relatives decided the unfortunate woman was troublesome or disobedient, and the best punishment for that was confinement. In other cases, they simply wanted access to the poor womanβs money. I thought the later reason would make a great basis for a story, plus I would get to use some of the arcane bits of knowledge that had been floating around in my brain since graduate school!
So even though MASTERING THE MARQUESS is a Regency novel, I included elements of a classic gothic tale, including incarceration in a madhouse. Itβs a suspenseful storyline that places both the heroine and her sister in extreme danger.
This kind of suspenseful storyline allowed me to explore some really fascinating themes, which I wanted to develop through the actions and emotions of my heroine. Meredith is a very serious person, and sheβll do anything to protect the people she loves. Sheβll sacrifice her own needs and desires, especially to protect her little sister, Annabel. Meredithβs had a hard life, and doesnβt expect much good to come her way. Sheβs much more tortured than my hero, Silverton, who has the world pretty much at his fingertips. Putting Meredith and her sister in danger allowed me to explore the themes of self-sacrifice and heroism and, ultimately, the redemptive power of love.
And the redemptive power of love is really what romance is all about, isnβt it? Happy reading!
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