Authors: My Reckless Heart
My Reckless Heart
The Thorne Brothers Trilogy
Book Two
by
Jo Goodman
MY RECKLESS HEART
Reviews & Accolades
"...a fabulous read. Jo Goodman writes with a unique and impressive style"
~Virginia Henley
"Jo Goodman hooks you and keeps you glued to the pages."
~Kat Martin
"...a treasure. The characters are guaranteed to steal your heart."
~Lisa Jackson
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ISBN: 978-1-61417323-6
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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Copyright © 1998 by Joanne Dobrzanski. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions.
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Thank You.
For Donna Doo-dah...
This is small thanks.
Prologue
London, October 1820
It started with a handkerchief. Edged with lace, monogrammed with the letter
R
and hinting of the scent of musk and roses, Decker would never have difficulty calling it to mind. It was the first thing he learned to steal.
"Here, boy. Keep your wits about you and take it out of my pocket." The trick, of course, was to do so without being detected. A difficult maneuver at best, what with two pairs of very interested eyes following his every move. An impossible maneuver, perhaps, given the fact Decker Thorne was only four.
"He's nervous,
cher."
This observation was offered in a lightly accented, melodious voice. The owner of the voice was a woman whose kind and concerned expression softened her sky blue eyes. "And the carriage is bouncing. How can he do it?"
The badly sprung carriage was indeed bouncing. Decker toppled forward as the driver veered around a milk wagon. He was caught between the man and woman and set back in his place only to have a collision with a rut almost unseat him again. His small, sturdy legs churned to keep him from being ejected from the padded leather seat to the floor. The movement twisted him around, and he caught a last glimpse of Cunnington's Workhouse for Foundlings and Orphans just before the carriage turned the corner.