Stripped of all he stands to inherit from his grandfather
if marriage to Sadie O'Rourke is pursued, Jack Farrington
renounces his inheritance, choosing love. Leaving to seek
his fortune, he vows to return to Sadie a rich man. After
waiting nearly two years for his return, Sadie is forced to
move on with her life. She creates the alias Sadie Moon,
London society's favorite fortune teller, using her talent
of reading tea leaves with astounding accuracy. Upon Jack's
reappearance as the very wealthy Jack Friday, Sadie's heart
breaks knowing they cannot rekindle their relationship and
must hide their past involvement to avoid scandal. Jack is
heir apparent of the Earl of Garret and Sadie is a mere
fortune teller.
Sadie and Jack each believe the other was the deserter,
creating distrust that's further complicated by the secret
Sadie holds. Through the betrayal and secrets, their love
and desire is still as true and physically consuming as
before. They are true soul mates even though their social
standings threaten to tear them apart. Upon the death of
his grandfather and imminent acceptance of his title, Jack
must overcome the revealed heartbreaking secret Sadie has
carried for two years and find a way to allay her fears at
snubbing society to achieve the happiness they deserve.
The utterly heartwarming body and soul connection between
these two characters is truly refreshing. Sadie is a warm,
caring young woman who is willing to sacrifice everything
to protect the man she loves. Kathryn Smith creates
a very interesting and easy to read story of true love.
Once you start WHEN MARRYING A SCOUNDREL, you won't be able
to put it down.
A lady must be prepared for anything . . . when marrying a
scoundrel.
Sadie Moon once thought she was in love. Then her dashing
husband left her to seek his fortune, and she had no choice
but to transform herself from a heartbroken waif into London
Society's favorite fortune-teller. But even she could not
have foreseen Jack's return—until their paths cross in the
last place either would have expected: London's most
exclusive house of pleasure.
Now wealthy and successful, Jack Friday has everything he'd
ever dreamed of . . . except Sadie. He swears he will never
trust the woman who broke her promise to wait for him,
though his passion for her burns as hotly as ever before.
But love, like the past, comes back to haunt them—drawing
them into a web of intrigue and betrayal that could save or
destroy them both.
Excerpt
Sadie envied Vienne La Rieux. Next to the queen, Vienne was
the most powerful woman Sadie knew of, coming from humble
and rarely spoken of beginnings. She wanted to be like
Vienne, and have her own business to grow and cultivate,
form however she wanted. And she would. She was meeting with
a man who represented her new landlord tomorrow to discuss
her plans to open her own tea room. Thanks to her
benefactor, and her own success, she was finally on the
verge of seeing her dream realized.
She sipped at her wine, lost in the pleasant thought of
having to answer to no one, and stared blankly out the
window. She was so lost in her own thoughts, she didn't hear
anyone come into the room until he spoke.
"Apologies. I thought this room was empty."
Sadie sat up. "No apologies are necessary, sir. I was just
leaving." Time had gotten away from her. Surely it was time
for her to return to work. She snatched up her hat and
re-secured it to her hair.
"That's too bad," came a low purr of a voice. "I wouldn't be
adverse to such charming company."
Sadie tilted her head. She knew that voice. Stepping away
from the window, she drew closer to the gentleman, until she
could see him in the low lamp light. As he turned to watch
her approach, she could see that he was tall and broad
shouldered with glints of gold in his short, thick hair.
Other than that, he was a shadow, back-lit by the lamp. But
he could see her.
"Christ Jesus," he rasped.
She froze, heart pressed hard against her ribs. They were
both beneath the light now, but she was afraid to look.
Still, her chin lifted with a will that was not her own,
forcing her to gaze up into eyes she already knew would be
golden green and as beautiful as they had been on the day
she'd looked into them and promised to be a good wife.
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