Description: On a visit to a print shop, Bella and Lord Brooke discover there’s a humorous caricature of Bella’s disastrous dance with Mr. Peckham posted for all of London society to see. Lord Brooke buys every copy before escorting Bella home.
After they dropped Catherine off at her home, Bella thanked him for what he had done. “It was very kind of you to try to protect my reputation in such a manner by purchasing those ridiculous prints, but I think this might be a case of shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted. Too many people have already seen it,” she told him.
“I know. But it was a very small thing to do and it relieved some of my anger at the situation. I agree with your Miss Adams, you know. It was not the act of a gentleman for Peckham to expose you to ridicule as he did. But I think that he’s been punished more than enough,” he said, glancing at the stack of papers on the seat next to him.
“I agree. And at least the artist did not draw me in an unflattering manner, as he did poor Mr. Peckham.” She reached out and took a paper from the stack, to look more closely at the depiction of her, which she had only glanced at earlier. Lord Brooke switched seats, ostensibly so they could look at the caricature together, though as soon as he sat next to her Bella could not even comprehend what she was looking at, so disturbed was she by his nearness.
His shoulder brushed hers as he leaned forward and traced her sketched image with one finger. “It’s not unflattering, but neither does it do you justice,” he murmured, and Bella, for the second time that afternoon, felt she was in danger of suffocation. She reminded herself to breathe, even though the finger that had been tracing the picture suddenly reached up and tilted her face toward his, as if to compare her actual face with the drawing, and his eyes, which glinted in the dimly lit coach, began scanning her features as gently as his finger had traced her printed image.
“No, the original is far, far superior,” he said, and she could feel a whisper of air as he finished the sentence, and her lips quivered from the faint breeze that brushed over them. Or perhaps they trembled because his lips were still removed from her own by an inch or two, and she desired him to come even nearer. However, he made no move to close the distance, and Bella finally, after what seemed like an interminable wait but was probably mere seconds, moved her own face forward. This appeared to be the permission he was waiting for, and he gently and tenderly touched her lips with his own.
Much too soon he drew away to look down into her face, smiling at her just as tenderly as he’d kissed her. “Bella,” he whispered.
She returned his smile but was surprised when he suddenly moved back to the opposite bench, causing Bella to frown in confusion and feel bereft and abandoned. But then she realized the coach had stopped without her even being aware of it and the door was beginning to open.
“I should have instructed the coachman to take a longer route after we dropped off Miss Adams,” he said softly, blinking in the sudden light from the opening of the door. And though she was still greatly disappointed at the interruption of her first kiss, she was pleased to see that Lord Brooke—who she very much doubted was as inexperienced as she was—looked as stunned and dazed as she felt.
Excerpted from The Wrong Lady Meets Lord Right by Suzanne Allain Copyright © 2024 by Suzanne Allain. Excerpted by permission of Berkley. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
When a young woman trades places with her noble cousin, their innocent ruse leads to true love in this sparkling new Regency-era romantic comedy of manners from the author of Mr. Malcolm’s List.
When Arabella Grant’s wicked aunt dies suddenly, both Arabella and her cousin Lady Isabelle cannot help but feel relieved. She’d made their lives miserable, and now Lady Issie is free to read to her heart’s content, and Bella is free from taunts about her ignoble birth.
Their newfound freedom is threatened, however, when Issie’s great-aunt commands her to travel to London for a come-out Issie has never wanted. Issie, who is in poor health, is convinced she’ll drop dead like her mother did if she drops into a curtsy before the queen. So when her great-aunt turns out to be nearsighted and can’t tell the noble Lady Isabelle from her commoner cousin Arabella, Issie convinces Bella to take her place. Bella can attend all the exclusive entertainments that her lower birth would typically exclude her from, and Issie can stay in bed, her nose in a book.
Bella agrees to the scheme for her cousin’s sake, but matters turn complicated when she meets the irresistible Lord Brooke. He begins courting her while under the impression she’s the rich and aristocratic Lady Isabelle, who, unlike Bella, is a suitable bride for an eligible young earl. And Bella, who is convinced that she has met “Lord Right,” worries what will happen when she reveals that he’s actually fallen for…the wrong lady.
Romance Historical [Berkley, On Sale: December 10, 2024, Trade Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780593549667 / eISBN: 9780593549674]
Screenwriter & Novelist
The author of three historical romantic comedy novels and one children’s book, Suzanne adapted her novel “Mr. Malcolm’s List” into a screenplay and it is currently in pre-production.
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