The confidence in his voice reminded her how far they’d come. Finding joy in their strengths and vulnerabilities, she traced a circle, her unending love, for Ewan. “Perhaps, but I’ll settle for love long-lasting. I just want us to be in love forever.”
He eased his hand behind her neck, then traced her spine down to the small of her back. “Yes, but I will never settle, and I don’t have to with you, not the way I love you.” He tugged her to him. “This shyness is endearing, my sweet, but not exactly how the Circe of my play would go about enticing me. I’ll have to give you plenty of direction, plenty of practice. Maybe a rehearsal every night.”
She wanted to complain she wasn’t anything like his Cleo character, but the playwright had abandoned words, sculpting Theodosia with his writing hands into a heroine besotted with love, one completely breathless beneath his weighty kiss.
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Acknowledgments
Dear Friend,
I enjoyed writing The Bittersweet Bride. It was a great deal of fun and a bit of a challenge to shape these meant-to-be-together characters separated by history and a lack of trust. I hope you enjoyed their journey to forgiveness and love.
My diverse stories showcase a world of intrigue and romance, and offer a setting hopefully everyone will find interesting, and a character to identify with, in the battle of love and life.
Stay in touch. Sign up at www.vanessariley.com for my newsletter. You’ll be the first to know about upcoming releases, and maybe even win a sneak peek.
Thank so much for giving this book a read.
Vanessa Riley
Author’s Note
In 1819, Burlington Arcade was built by the Earl of Burlington. It is one of Britain’s earliest shopping arcades. He designed it for “the sale of jewelry and fancy articles” and “for the gratification of the public.” It is still in existence.
By Regency times, historians Kirstin Olsen and Gretchen Holbrook Gerzina estimate that Black London (the black neighborhood of London) had more than 10,000 residents. These were free, not enslaved, residents given to industry, mercantile, or in the service of estates around London. This population became absorbed into the culture by marriage.
During the 1800s, placing an advertisement in a newspaper like the Morning Post for a marriage of convenience was an acceptable way for single men and women to find a mate. For those new to the area or if the person had particular circumstances, like widowhood, small charges, etc., which could preclude a normal courtship, they turned to advertisements.
Editorial caricatures focused on the prevalent themes or societal worries of the times. A Woodward Devlin print from 1803, called “Advertisement for a Wife,” shows a man surprised by the respondents to his marriage advertisement with one of the ladies being a Blackamoor. You can view the caricature and examples of advertisements at: http://vanessariley.com/NewspaperBride.html
About the Author
Vanessa Riley worked as an engineer before allowing her passion for historical romance to shine. A Regency era (early 1800s) and Jane Austen enthusiast, she brings the flavor of diverse peoples to her stories. Since she was seventeen, Vanessa has won awards for her writing and enjoys bringing her tales to the world. She lives in Atlanta with her military-man hubby and precocious child. You can catch her writing from the comfort of her Southern porch, with a cup of Earl Grey tea, or cooking in her spicy kitchen.
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