The Courtesan's Book of Secrets

The Courtesan's Book of Secrets
Georgie Lee

UNCOVERED: A LIST OF NOBLEMEN’S NAMES – EACH ONE GUILTY OF TREASONTo save his family legacy Rafe Densmore must seize a courtesan’s infamous register. No one can ever know how his father betrayed his country! One person stands in Rafe’s way – the beautiful Cornelia, Comtesse de Vane.In the card rooms of Paris, Rafe and Cornelia once made an unbeatable… intimate team. Until, convinced of Rafe’s desertion, desperate Cornelia married an elderly comte. Now, returning to London an impoverished widow, she’ll do anything to possess the register. Even if that means becoming Rafe’s partner once again…

‘I don't need your help.’

Her tongue slid over the fullness of her bottom lip, sweeping through him as her crisp verbena perfume swept over his senses.

‘Oh, I think you do.’ He held steady as he leaned in, matching her enticing look with one of his own, refusing to let the student best the master, no matter how tight his dark breeches grew. ‘Why else would you invent such a dramatic reason to call on me?’

‘You flatter yourself.’ Her fingers swept her chest, the little half-moons of her fingernails matching the high curve of her breasts.

‘And you can't recover the register without me.’ He shifted closer, the wood beneath him creaking and almost covering the slight hitch in her breathing. He laid one hand on top of her knee, the curve of it filling his palm. ‘You need me.’

AUTHOR NOTE (#ulink_1c761acf-133d-525e-8765-6c8250a72573)

I read a lot of historical non-fiction—for fun and for inspiration. My inspiration for THE COURTESAN'S BOOK OF SECRETS came from a biography of Nell Gwyn, mistress of King Charles II of England. In the biography, the author mentioned a book kept by a servant of Charles II that listed all the women who had slept with the King at Whitehall Palace. The book was destroyed, and with it a number of secrets.

Reading about this book, I began to wonder what might happen if a book of secrets everyone had thought was lost suddenly reappeared, and the secrets in it had the power to destroy titled families. My wondering eventually became Rafe and Cornelia's story. To craft their tale I had to dip into the darker underworld of Regency England. It was a treat to see a slightly seedier side of London, and to help my characters rise above the temptation of cards and blackmail to overcome the threat of the book and find love and success.

I hope you enjoy THE COURTESAN'S BOOK OF SECRETS. It is my fourth Regency story with Mills & Boon® including ENGAGEMENT OF CONVENIENCE, RESCUED FROM RUIN and HERO'S REDEMPTION from Carina Press.

Please check out my website www.georgie-lee.com (http://www.georgie-lee.com) for more information about me and my novels. I love to hear from readers and you can e-mail me at georgie.lee@yahoo.com (mailto:georgie.lee@yahoo.com). You can also find me on Twitter @georgieleebooks (https://twitter.com/GeorgieLeeBooks) and Facebook www.facebook.com/georgieleebooks (http://www.facebook.com/georgieleebooks)

The Courtesan’s Book of Secrets

Georgie Lee

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

Thanks to Tami and Melissa for giving the cougar

her bite and helping me get this story to the end.

A dedicated history and film buff, GEORGIE LEE loves combining her passion for Hollywood, history and storytelling through romantic fiction. She began writing professionally at a small TV station in San Diego, before moving to Hollywood to work in the interesting but strange world of the entertainment industry. During her years in La-La Land she never lost her love for romance novels and decided to try writing one herself. To her surprise, a new career was born. When not crafting tales of love and happily-ever-after, Georgie enjoys reading non-fiction history and watching any movie with a costume and an accent.

Please visit www.georgie-lee.com (http://www.georgie-lee.com) to learn more about Georgie and her books. She also loves to hear from readers, and you can e-mail her at georgie.lee@yahoo.com (mailto:georgie.lee@yahoo.com)

Contents

Cover (#u840ceece-ada5-59de-a30c-05d5b7fad4d4)

Excerpt (#u1164e031-eb2a-5590-803d-6f1aa21c1519)

Author Note (#ulink_70fee569-3d77-5d39-8d5b-a533fd1e6513)

Title Page (#ue538b28d-119f-515d-a236-24754f600532)

Dedication (#u8a011b17-770d-52b5-8848-9e45bedc7b72)

About the Author (#u5d3d5c00-b48a-5010-85ad-ab530e0cbb0b)

Chapter One (#ulink_ac7ee6be-8f11-50c9-8684-3bbed7200676)

Chapter Two (#ulink_f1bba1aa-797e-5938-8a95-22345750321f)

Chapter Three (#ulink_8d3dee72-191f-5d03-9a26-2958c8c32f72)

Chapter Four (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter One (#ulink_bb8524ec-cbad-503f-81fb-c199d37b5481)

Lord Twickenham’s address to the House of Lords on the Bill of Attainder for the Treasonous Acts of Lords Seduced by the French during the American Rebellion, July 8, 1783:

Mrs Ross convinced weak men of title and station to provide the French with secrets of his Majesty’s Government during the American Rebellion. My own brother perished because of their treachery. How many other fine men died because it?

She might be gone, along with the evidence of her conspirators’ crimes, but those deceitful men are still among us. My lords, I crave the day when proof of their villainy finally emerges and the full power of this Bill of Attainder is brought against them. If they think time can erase their guilt, then they are mistaken.

Through this Bill of Attainder, if evidence ever comes to light of their guilt, even if God has struck them from this earth, they will be convicted of High Treason as though they still walked among us. All their titles and lands will be forfeit to the Crown and their heirs will bear the burden of their fathers’ disgrace.

London, July 1803

Rafe Densmore, Fifth Baron of Densmore, marched up the stone staircase of Mrs Ross’s unimposing town house off Gracechurch Street. He rapped his knuckles against the door and the black ribbon hanging from the brass knocker fluttered in the breeze. He eyed it with a frown, wondering if the ancient courtesan’s sudden demise would be to his benefit or his detriment. She’d been perfectly alive and well when she’d penned the letter in his pocket, summoning him to her sad doorstep.

The old shrew.

He shifted back and forth on his feet. Deep in his boot, his toe caught the beginning of a hole in one stocking.