An Honorable Wish
In this second book of my series, A Lady’s Wish, I pair a bluestocking with a handsome, popular guy, then I stick them in the backwoods small village of Beetham. A small village is a wonderful setting for a romance. You’ve got gossip, nosey neighbors, and all sorts of trouble.
Our story opens with a home coming. Tony Matthews is running away from a screw up, but Beetham might not be the best place to run. You can’t hide from the gossip. Juliet is glad to be home. She didn’t do well in London. She was overshadowed by her older sister Sophia who is gorgeous and popular.
All the things Juliet is not. She wears glasses. She reads books. She likes blending with the wallpaper. She is introverted and expects to spend her life playing with her sister’s children. She doesn’t expect to have her feelings returned by the man she has loved for two years.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Love may be their greatest gamble…
Tony Matthews spends his time in London’s most notorious gambling dens, frittering away his fortune. But when his latest victory leaves a man ruined, Tony knows he’s reached his lowest point. Determined to make amends, he returns home to his family’s country estate with plans to settle down and marry at last. And he hopes the lovely Juliet Townsend will help him—if only he can keep his disgrace a secret.
Juliet’s secret wish has always been for Tony to love her. The only bright spot in her dreadful London season was dancing with him—before he disappeared to the card rooms. Now, he’s returned, but has he truly changed? Or will gambling always be his mistress, even if she becomes his wife? And does Juliet dare risk her heart by finding out?
EXCERPT
A twig snapped behind him. Tony turned to find Juliet Townsend tiptoeing past him at the edge of the woods, carefully avoiding making any noise.
She was dressed as a boy.
“Miss Juliet, up to your hoyden ways again, I see.” Tony crossed his arms.
Juliet huffed and kicked at the weeds beneath her feet in scuffed boots that seemed to flop about on her feet. She was covered in dirt. Her dark brown hair was tucked under an old hat that had been pulled down low over her face.
Tony raised one eyebrow. “Hiding from someone?”
Juliet turned and faced him, resigned at being discovered. “You weren’t supposed to see me or recognize me.”
“Why?” Tony moved closer. She was dressed in brown breeches that were a tad too tight around her hips. She had on a rough linen shirt and waistcoat. “From whom have you stolen that outfit? One of the grooms?”
No one was as stubborn as Juliet Townsend. She pushed her spectacles back on her face. “Aren’t you supposed to be in London?”
“I asked you first.”
She flounced toward him and plopped down at the edge of the steps. “If you must know, I’m helping a friend.”
“Dressed as a boy? Have you lost your senses?”
Juliet was different from her sisters. She wasn’t afraid to take up a cause and see it through. Tony sat next to her on the stone steps. “Who is this friend?”
She glowered at him. “You must swear not to tell a soul.”
“If your sister disapproves, it must be bad.”
She grinned. “What would be the point of it if it weren’t?”
“One day, Miss Juliet, your wild ways are going to get you into trouble.”
Juliet looked out across the trees. “You are probably right. My friend, Penelope Williams, and her family are tenants of the Horneswood estate nearby. Her father was in a terrible accident that left him disfigured. Anne would not approve of the friendship.”
“She is far beneath you, Miss Juliet.”
She glared at him. “I don’t care about that. Penelope is a dear, and I have found that I enjoy the work.”
“What do you know of farming?”
“A great deal more than you, I’d wager. I’ve read at least three books on the subject.”
“You have me there. The last time I read a tome on agriculture, I was having trouble falling asleep.”
“You are too wicked, Mr. Matthews. Horneswood’s land steward is threatening to have them evicted. They have nowhere else to go. Penelope and her brother may end up working in a factory in Lancaster, or worse.”
“There’s nothing wrong with factory work, Miss Juliet. It puts a roof over one’s head. It might be a better fate than the workhouse.”
“I knew you wouldn’t understand.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Eileen Richards has been writing for most of her life. Poetry, totally inappropriate answers to essay questions in school, and interesting error codes during her 30 year IT career has prepared her for the manic world of publishing.
She writes sassy regency romps set in the small villages of England where the rulesare bent a bit and gossip rules the day. Eileen resides with her husband and their diva of a greyhound in North Carolina.
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