Scandalising the Ton

Scandalising the Ton
Diane Gaston

Indulge your fantasies of delicious Regency Rakes, fierce Viking warriors and rugged Highlanders. Be swept away into a world of intense passion, lavish settings and romance that burns brightly through the centuriesWho is the father of her child? Lady Wexin, once the Ton’s foremost beauty, has been abandoned by her family and friends, and creditors hound her. Her husband’s scandalous death has left her impoverished, and the gossip-mongering press is whipped into a frenzy of speculation when it becomes clear the widow is with child.Who is the father? Only one man knows: Adrian Pomroy, Viscount Cavanley. He has cultivated the reputation of a rake, but in truth yearns for something useful to do. Delicate beauty Lydia Wexin could pose an intriguing – and stimulating – challenge…

‘Do you need money?’

His hand swept the room. ‘You light fi res only for show. You have no flowers. And there is the matter of your servants…’

Would he tell the creditors and reporters? If word of her true situation escaped, all of England would know the shocking state of her fi nances.

‘I don’t need money.’ Lydia felt her cheeks heat. ‘Would that not mean I was in your keeping? Do not mistresses accept money from their…patrons?’

‘I offer it without obligation.’

Adrian said this so sincerely she almost believed him. It made no sense that a near stranger, a known rake, would offer her money without expecting something in return.

For a moment he looked as if he would cross the room to her, but instead he turned and walked to the door. She twisted away, not wishing to watch him disappear out of her life.

His voice came from behind her. ‘I am your friend, Lydia. Remember that.’

She spun back around, but he had gone.

Praise for Diane GastonA TWELFTH NIGHT TALE

‘…pure pleasure…’

—Romantic TimesBOOKreviews

INNOCENCE AND IMPROPRIETY

‘Diane Gaston’s unconventional male and female heroes

give INNOCENCE AND IMPROPRIETY,

her latest elegantly written Regency historical,

a refreshingly different twist.’

—Chicago Tribune

‘If you are weary of aristocratic heroes and heroines

in Regency historical romances, then Diane Gaston’s

INNOCENCE AND IMPROPRIETY is just the book

for you. Well-written and entertaining…

provocative…highly recommended!’

—Romance Readers Connection

A REPUTABLE RAKE

‘…a delightful and thought-provoking look into

a side of London we don’t usually get to see.’

—Romance Junkies

THE WAGERING WIDOW

‘The protagonists are so deeply sculpted into

living-breathing individuals that the reader will immediately

be feeling their emotional turmoil…the entire tone of the

book is steeped in sensuality…reading of the highest order!’

—Historical Romance Writer

THE MYSTERIOUS MISS M

‘Wow… it’s a real emotional roller-coaster ride…

you simply cannot put [it] down—

absolutely mesmerising! …an unusual gritty

Regency packing such an emotional punch.’

—Historical Romance Writer

‘This is a Regency with the gutsiness of a Dickens novel.

It’s not always pretty, but it’s real and passionate. Gaston’s

strong, memorable debut provides new insights into the era

and characters that touch your heart and

draw you emotionally into her powerful story.’

—Romantic Times BOOKreviews

As a psychiatric social worker, Diane Gaston spent years helping others create real-life happy endings. Now Diane crafts fictional ones, writing the kind of historical romance she’s always loved to read. The youngest of three daughters of a US Army Colonel, Diane moved frequently during her childhood, even living for a year in Japan. It continues to amaze her that her own son and daughter grew up in one house in Northern Virginia. Diane still lives in that house, with her husband and three very ordinary housecats. SCANDALISING THE TON features characters you will have met in THE VANISHING VISCOUNTESS.

Visit Diane’s website at http://dianegaston.com