“Lady Azenor Dougall.” Unfazed by the excited puppies rushing at her, she crossed the threshold, leaving the umbrella dripping on the covered porch.
Azenor? Despite a tingling warning at the odd name, Theo was distracted by the petite female marching into the zoo he called home as if she owned it. Lighting the gray gloom more brightly than the foyer’s gas lamps, she glanced around at the billiard table, his precariously perched telescope, the romping spaniels, and his half-dressed and staring brothers as if she visited Bedlam on a regular basis.
An enormous hat adorned in vibrantly-hued peacock feathers concealed her hair and her expression. Theo ached to sweep the eyesore away, but he couldn’t drag his gaze from the shimmering rainbow of fabric encasing a figure so curvaceous, he forgot to breathe.
Damn Duncan for claiming all the good women.
“When can we expect Ashford home?” she demanded, tilting her head just enough for him to see beneath the hideosity that concealed her hair.
Huge, dark-lashed eyes shimmered with the beauty of midnight—he could almost see stars against a dark blue sky. Pert nose, plump rose lips, soft oval face—she was all curves everywhere he looked. He was having a hard time not looking. As were his brothers, their arms now full of wriggling puppies.
If a heavenly body like this inhabited his home, he’d come down from the roof more often.
“Lady Azenor.” He belatedly remembered to bow. “I’m Theophilus Ives, Ashford’s brother.” He jerked his head inelegantly at his gawking siblings. “Erran Ives and Jacques Ives-Bellamy, who were just about to order tea, if you would like some.”
Theo shot the dunces a telling look. Any tea in the kitchen would be stale, since they never drank it, but someone had to perform the niceties—and remove the damned yapping dogs.
Theo hoped he’d phrased the introduction appropriately. His mother had died only a few years after Erran’s birth. His father had never remarried, and the social graces hadn’t been high on Theo’s list of lessons or interests. He preferred stars to people.
A black-gowned scarecrow behind the shimmering angel grunted a warning, startling him into realizing the lady had accompaniment.
In response to the grunt, Lady Azenor sparkled, even as she frowned. Theo couldn’t stop gawking like a looby.
“Lord Theophilus,” the lady purred with satisfaction, apparently placing him on the family tree despite his incomplete introduction. “This affects you, also. I repeat, when do you expect the marquess?”
“Not at all this evening, given the weather. And if his fiancée has anything to say about it, probably not the rest of the week.”
Her plump lips pursed in what might have been displeasure on any other woman. On this one—she seemed posed for kissing. Theo couldn’t unscramble his addled brain from wanting to hustle her somewhere private, back to appropriate behavior.
If she was Dunc’s mistress, could she be persuaded to desert his brother’s riches in favor of a man without wealth or title, a gentleman who wouldn’t let her travel the roads in a storm?
“Is there a fire where my lady might warm her hands?” the black-garbed servant inquired with a hint of acidity.
So much for impressing her with his nonexistent charm and thoughtfulness.
“Of course, this way . . .” Theo finally tore his gaze from the angel to note that Jacques and Erran still stood there as frozen as he. “Tea!” he ordered, before offering his arm and wondering where in hell he might find a fire.
A woman who didn’t run screaming from her first sight of the Hall was a treasure worth pursuing, even if it was his damned titled brother she wanted.
We hope you have enjoyed this sample of
Magic in the Stars by Patricia Rice
To purchase:
Magic in the Stars
Acknowledgements
As I said earlier, these books would never be written without the generous enthusiasm of my many readers. But it takes an entire community to build a book, and I want to bow gratefully to the team who produces the finished product. In no particular order, I thank my patient husband who provides the elegant formatting and attempts to keep up with my many changes. Mindy Klasky tempers my wilder plot deviations and helps provide structure. Phyllis Radford, my wonderful editor, finds all those niggling details I tend to ignore and then has the patience to proof my typos. And the wonderful crew of Book View Café provides the logistics and promotion that I’m much too disorganized to do on my own.
I’m sure I’ve left out a few names, but they understand the limits of my off-the-wall mind. Bless all of my silent partners!
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Find more of Pat’s books on her website: http://patriciarice.com
If you enjoyed this story, try these PATRICIA RICE books!
The World of Magic:
The Unexpected Magic Series
Magic in the Stars
Whisper of Magic
Theory of Magic
Aura of Magic
Chemistry of Magic
The Magical Malcolms Series
Merely magic
Must Be Magic
The Trouble With Magic
This Magic Moment
Much Ado About Magic
Magic Man
The California Malcolms Series
The Lure of Song and Magic
Trouble with Air and Magic
The Risk of Love and Magic
Historical Romance:
The Rebellious Sons
Wicked Wyckerly
Devilish Montague
Notorious Atherton
Formidable Lord Quentin
The Regency Nobles Series
The Genuine Article
The Marquess
English Heiress
Irish Duchess
Mysteries:
Family Genius series
Evil Genius
Undercover Genius
Cyber Genius
Twin Genius
Praise for Patricia Rice’s novels
MAGIC IN THE STARS
“Rice packs her tale with whimsy humor and mayhem. . . and takes her readers on an amorous adventure in this magical tale.”—Joan Hammond, RT Book Reviews 4 1/2 top pick
* * *
FORMIDABLE LORD QUENTIN
“another gem. . .with touches of whimsy, astute dialogue, a bit of poignancy, passion and sensuality—fast-paced tale of love and laughter.”–Joan Hammond, RT Reviews
“Rice has crafted her novel with plenty of witty, engaging characters and a healthy dose of romance. Clever Bell is a splendid protagonist, and readers will cheer her efforts to get men to take her seriously and treat her as an equal.”–Publishers Weekly
* * *
MERELY MAGIC
"Like Julie Garwood, Patricia Rice employs wicked wit and sizzling sensuality to turn the battle of the sexes into a magical romp” –Mary Jo Putney, NYT Bestselling author
* * *
MUST BE MAGIC
“Rice has created a mystical masterpiece full of enchanting characters, a spellbinding plot, and the sweetest of romances.” Booklist (starred review)
* * *
THE TROUBLE WITH MAGIC
“Rice is a marvelously talented author who skillfully combines pathos with humor in a stirring, sensual romance that shows the power of love is the most wondrous gift of all. Think of this memorable story as a gift you can open
again and again.” Romantic Times
* * *
THIS MAGIC MOMENT
“This charming and immensely entertaining tale…takes a smart, determined heroine who will accept nothing less than true love and an honorable hero who eventually realizes what love is and sets them on course to solve a mystery, save an entire estate, and find the magic of love.”–Library Journal
* * *
MUCH ADO ABOUT MAGIC
“The magical Rice takes Trev and Lucinda, along with her readers, on a passionate, sensual, and romantic adventure in this fast-paced, witty, poignant, and magical tale of love.” Romantic Times (Top Pick, 4 ½ stars)
* * *
MAGIC MAN
“In this delightful conclusion to the Magic series, Rice gives readers a thoughtful giant of a man who can bring down mountains, but with gentle touches can make the earth tremble for the woman he loves. This is a sensual, poignant, humorous and magical read.” Romantic Times
About the Author
With several million books in print and New York Times and USA Today's bestseller lists under her belt, former CPA Patricia Rice is one of romance's hottest authors. Her emotionally-charged contemporary and historical romances have won numerous awards, including the RT Book Reviews Reviewers Choice and Career Achievement Awards. Her books have been honored as Romance Writers of America RITA® finalists in the historical, regency and contemporary categories.
A firm believer in happily-ever-after, Patricia Rice is married to her high school sweetheart and has two children. A native of Kentucky and New York, a past resident of North Carolina and Missouri, she currently resides in Southern California, and now does accounting only for herself. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, the Authors Guild, and Novelists, Inc.
For further information, visit Patricia’s network:
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http://wordwenches.typepad.com/word_wenches/
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About Book View Café
Book View Café Publishing Cooperative (BVC) is an author-owned cooperative of over fifty professional writers, publishing in a variety of genres including fantasy, romance, mystery, and science fiction. Since its debut in 2008, BVC has gained a reputation for producing high-quality ebooks. BVC’s ebooks are DRM-free and are distributed around the world. The cooperative is now bringing that same quality to its print editions.
BVC authors include New York Times and USA Today bestsellers as well as winners and nominees of many prestigious awards, including:
Agatha Award
Campbell Award
Hugo Award
Lambda Award
Locus Award
Nebula Award
Nicholl Fellowship
PEN/Malamud Award
Philip K. Dick Award
RITA Award
World Fantasy Award
Writers of the Future Award
No Perfect Magic Page 28