The Scoundrel's Secret Siren (25 page)

There are a lot of people who have helped in the course of this book, and I owe immense gratitude to all of them.

Firstly, I’d like to thank my parents and grandparents for their help and support. (And again to my grandfather, who even spent many uncomplaining hours giving technical advice over a terrible Skype connection, and to mum for reading the whole thing.) I’d also like to thank Ali for proofreading, editing, writing hilarious margin notes and countless other things. Thanks to Richard for catching mistakes and talking me through those pesky bits I’m not very good at – I still think you’re ridiculously good at improvising. Thanks to Andie Blue, a fellow romance writer, for beta reading, sharing her thoughts and making friends over the Internet. Thanks to Chantelle for all the sushi suppers, listening to me rant and general squee and to Kim, Keith and Elinor for talking about books, writing and all those fandom things.

I also owe my gratitude to my dear friend Chris, for being sensible, giving great advice and making me give him his cameo – hope you like it, Goph. Thanks to Jason for hanging out, chatting about publishing, playing the bookshop game and just being wonderful.

And lastly thanks to The Derps for keeping me (relatively) sane at work and sending around all those cat videos.

Daphne has always had a passion for literature and history and one day it occurred to her: what better way to use her English Literature degree than to write about Regency romps and romance? She hasn’t looked back since. Admittedly, her addiction to all things Jane Austen from a very young age had probably somewhat informed her choice of subject matter…
Daphne has stacks of notebooks full of stories that still need to be written, which she insists on bringing with her when she moves around the world (she’s done this a lot!). She likes her books full of romance, adventure, witty repartee and a dash of silly humour. When Daphne isn’t writing, she can be found painting, picnicking, reading and listening to all sorts of exciting music.

You can email Daphne at
[email protected]
or follow her on Twitter @MsDaphneduBois

The Rogue’s Reluctant Rose

Daphne du Bois

Miss Araminta Barrington, clever, pretty and unexpectedly poor, bravely decides to sacrifice her own happiness in a marriage of convenience, in order to save her family from certain ruin. She sets out to win a proposal from the wealthy Sir Timothy Stanton while struggling with her guilt over using a good man so poorly.
Just when success is in sight, she catches the eye of Jasper Devereaux, the scandalous Marquis of Chestleton, whose own growing fascination with the enigmatic young woman compels him to pursue her at all costs. If he can only win her into his bed, his absurd fascination will surely evaporate!
Araminta knows that to be seen in Chestleton’s company could ruin her chances of securing a marriage that will save everything she holds dear. She knows that Chestleton is not the sort of man to take a wife, and with poverty looming, she knows that love is a luxury she cannot afford. When a riding accident forces her to be his unwilling guest at a secluded country house, will her undeniable attraction override her sense of duty? Will a night of passion really be enough for the dastardly lord? And does the strange bitterness she glimpses in his eyes have anything to do with the secrets he is determined to keep close?