Book Title: AN ARTFUL LIE
Character Name: Aidan Nowlton
- How would you describe your family or your childhood? My father, the late Bertram Nowlton, was the Duke of Malmsby. The Nowltons are a family of multi-talented individuals. I had four older siblings. I was an after-thought, ten years younger than my sister Catherine. As a young boy I would follow them and try to do what they did. They asked me to help them sometimes and I enjoyed that. It wasn’t long until my helping the family instead of doing something unique for myself became my life.
- What was your greatest talent? You could say I am the black sheep in the family as I never had a talent. I helped my siblings with their talent endeavors, but never had a recognized talent.
- Where do you live? London, just outside of Mayfair. I have a townhouse with an Art Gallery on the ground floor.
- Do you have any enemies? No, though I don’t get along with Lord William Candelstone, my sister Catherine’s husband. He is a spymaster whose mantra is “For King and Country.”
- What do you do for a living? I own an Art Gallery.
- Greatest disappointment? Courting Bella. I loved her and she betrayed me and married my best friend, Sir Harry Blessingame.
- Greatest source of joy? Courting Bella. I know that is odd, as she is the source of my greatest disappointment; however, when we were courting, I no longer felt like the staid, talentless younger brother watching over his family. I felt alive is a way I never had felt before or since. And that was three years ago.
- What do you do to entertain yourself or have fun? I don’t have time for fun, as you might define it; however, I do enjoy discovering a new rising-talent artist and giving them the visibility and society connections they need to succeed.
- What is your greatest personal failing, in your view? Never discovering a talent within me. Not having a talent like the rest of the family.
- What keeps you awake at night? My family. They are the artistic types that need help staying grounded. I fix their problems, watch over them, and instruct them on what needs to be done. They consume my spare time.
- What is the most pressing problem you have at the moment? I have two nieces who have recently become engaged. It has fallen on me to see through my mother’s plans for her granddaughters’ weddings. My mother is the Dowager Duchess of Malmsby, and if left to her own devices, chaos would ensue.
- Is there something that you need or want that you don’t have? For yourself or for someone important to you? I’d like to go back in time to when I first met Bella. Find out where we went wrong and fix it. I fix things for everyone else, now I want to fix things for me.
- What is in the way? Turning back time is an impossible wish. But perhaps I can help Bella, give her some peace, for I have never stopped loving her. She says it is too late for us. I’d like to show her it doesn’t have to be so.
The Art of Love #3
Three years ago, Bella and Aidan were in love.
But Bella proved too valuable to the war office, her talent for cryptography unmatched, so through lies and manipulation, war office agents destroyed Bella’s and Aidan’s belief in each other. Emotionally ripped apart, love turned to hate.
After the war, Bella receives documents that reveal the truth. They were pawns, their love a casualty of war!
Now, could they start anew?
Jaded by war, Bella feels second chances are fairy tales. Besides, the spymaster is pressuring her to resume cryptography for a new secret service. She loves Aidan, but….
The more time Aidan spends around Bella, the more he knows he loves this woman far more than the young girl he courted three years ago. But with Bella denying them a second chance, the least he can do is see she doesn’t get pressured back into spy work.
Then he discovers a specter from Bella’s war past is stalking her and he'll do whatever it takes to protect her.
But will it be enough?
And will he be enough for her?
Romance Historical [Oliver-Heber Books, On Sale: March 21, 2023, e-Book, / ]
Holly Newman is the pseudonym for Holly Thompson. She lives in Bradenton, FL with her husband Ken and six cats. She became interested in the Regency period while in high school when she volunteered at her local community library to reshelve returned books. Every week there were Georgette Heyer novels to be shelved. Curious, she checked one out and became immersed in the world of the regency. Ten years later she became involved in a regency historical re-creation group complete with the mode of dress, manners, and dancing. It was no wonder that when it came to writing a novel, regencies were high on the list.
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