by Laurel McKee
And now this. Two dead bodies on a park bench.
It should be routine. It should be easy. But something is off—again—and I can’t figure out what that is.
I hate that I can’t work it out.
Worse: at the scene, I noticed a woman walking away. Or more correctly, I saw the gleam of her white-blond hair as she slipped into the night. The murderer? Highly likely. Which makes the feeling in my gut way more complicated.
Complicated? Right. Screwed up is more like it. Because I want to chase her down, and not to question her about the homicide. Let’s just say when I picture putting cuffs on her, it’s in less than a professional capacity.
A homicide inspector and the chief suspect in more than one murder. A match made in hell…
RR
I hope you enjoy Ramirez and TEMPTED BY FATE! Don’t forget to check out the equally engaging (and hot) heroes in the other Guardians of Destiny books. And drop by www.kateperry.com to say hi—I’d love to hear from you.
From the desk of Laurel McKee
Dear Reader,
A while back, I read a book by Paul Collins called Sixpence House: Lost in a Town of Books, that stated that a writer’s characters can no more take over a story than an eggplant can take over a kitchen. I had to laugh at the image of a bossy eggplant marching into my kitchen (and I sort of wish it could take over in there, because I’m a terrible cook), but I have to disagree about the characters.
Sometimes we’re lucky enough to meet a character who comes so vividly to life in our imagination that their story must be told—and they insist it has to be told their way! One such character for me was Lady Anna Blacknall.
Anna was the sister of Eliza Blacknall, the heroine of my first “Daughters of Erin” book, COUNTESS OF SCANDAL. When I started writing that first novel, I knew Anna would have her own story, but I wasn’t sure yet what it would be. Then I really “met” her, and she was so many things that I wish I could be: blond, tall, extroverted, a good card player. Even worse—she was really nice. She practically sat down by my desk and told me what her story would be. I just had to find the right hero for her, and he presented himself as the dark, strong, mysterious Duke of Adair. A good match for the passionate and rebellious Anna, and the two of them were more than a match for me. She told me their love story, and I just had to keep up and write it all down just as she wanted.
Writing DUCHESS OF SIN was a wild ride, and I was so sorry to say good-bye to Anna and Conlan at the end! (Luckily we’ll see them again in the third book, LADY OF SEDUCTION. You can also find excerpts and historical background on the books at my website http://laurelmckee.net.)
I never could have kept up with Anna and her Duke without lots of tea and sugary desserts to see me through. Since these books are set in Ireland, writing them and picturing that country made me crave some of my grandmother’s old recipes. This is one of my favorites: Sticky Toffee Pudding. It’s a great inspiration!
Ingredients:
• 1 cup plus 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¾ cup pitted dates
• 1 ¼ cups boiling water
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla
Toffee Sauce:
• ½ cup unsalted butter
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream, whipped
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10-inch round or square baking dish. Sift flour and baking powder onto a sheet of waxed paper. Chop the dates fine. Place in a small bowl and add boiling water and baking soda; set aside. Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat until blended. Gradually beat in the flour mixture. Add date mixture to the batter and fold until blended with a rubber spatula. Pour into the prepared baking dish. Bake until pudding is set and firm on top, about 35 minutes. Remove from oven to a wire rack.
Sauce: Combine butter, cream, and brown sugar in a small, heavy saucepan; heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil gently over medium low heat until mixture is thickened, about 8 minutes. Preheat broiler. Spoon about 1/3 cup of the sauce over the pudding. Spread evenly on top. Place pudding under the broiler until the topping is bubbly, about 1 minute. Serve immediately, spooned into dessert bowls. Drizzle with remaining toffee sauce and top with a spoonful of whipped cream.
Enjoy!
Table of Contents
Front Cover Image
Welcome
Dedication
A Preview of Lady of Seduction
Author’s Note
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-five
Chapter Twenty-six
Chapter Twenty-seven
Chapter Twenty-eight
Chapter Twenty-nine
Epilogue
The Dish
Also by Laurel McKee
Praise for Laurel McKee and Countess of Scandal
Copyright
Also by Laurel McKee
Countess of Scandal
Praise for Laurel McKee and
Countess of Scandal
“I am completely hooked on this series already—and I was from nearly the first page of this book! Ms. McKee tells a masterful story of love, rebellion, and beneath it all, devotion to a land and people… Elizabeth and Will’s emotional attachment, as well as the obvious physical chemistry they share, leaps from the page.”
—RomanceReaderatHeart.com
“Ms. Laurel McKee’s magical pen captivates you instantaneously! She has fashioned blistering sensual romantic scenes and a love story that will be forever etched in your mind.”
—TheRomanceReadersConnection.com
“Laurel McKee captures the excitement and magic of romance.”
—Cathy Maxwell, New York Times bestselling
author of The Earl Claims His Wife
“Eliza’s and Will’s happy-ever-after, once reached, is both powerfully satisfying and forever engraved on the reader’s mind and heart. Every word sings with unyielding intensity… Beautifully written, Countess of Scandal reads like a captivating love story of epic proportions. The ultimate page-turner.”
—RomanceJunkies.com
on Countess of Scandal
“A hero to steal your heart!”
—Elizabeth Boyle, New York Times
bestselling author
“An immensely satisfying and sophisticated blend of history and romance. I loved every gorgeous, breathtaking page!”
—Julianne MacLean, USA Today bestselling
author of When a Stranger Loves Me
“Countess of Scandal delivers on all fronts. The story raced along, zigging and zagging from Dublin to the countryside, from uneasy peace to all-out war. And the romance… very satisfying!”
—MyShelf.com
“A vivid historical tale with breathtaking characters.”
—Michelle Willingham, author of
Taming Her Irish Warrior
“Captivating and poignant! Laurel McKee wields her pen with grace and magic.”
—Lorraine Heath, New York Times bestselling
author of Midnight Pleasures w
ith a Scoundrel
“Rich, vivid, and passionate.”
—Nicola Cornick, author of
The Undoing of a Lady
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2010 by Laurel McKee
Excerpt from Lady of Seduction copyright © 2010 by Laurel McKee
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
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First eBook Edition: December 2010
ISBN: 978-0-446-57411-2
Duchess of Sin
LAUREL MCKEE
NEW YORK BOSTON
Begin Reading
Table of Contents
A Preview of Lady of Seduction
Copyright Page