Dauntsey Park: The Last Rake In London

Dauntsey Park: The Last Rake In London
Nicola Cornick

All my winnings tonight against one night with you. Under a blaze of chandeliers, in London's most fashionable club, Jack Kestrel is waiting. He hasn't come to enjoy the rich at play, he's there to uphold his family name. But first he has to get past the ice-cool owner: the beautiful Sally Bowes. And Jack wants her to warm his bed at any price!Edwardian society flocks to Sally's club, but dangerous Jack Kestrel is the most sinfully sensual rogue she's ever met. Inexperienced with men, the wicked glint in Jack's eyes promises he'll take care of satisfying her every need. . . .

Nicola Cornick’s novels have received acclaim the world over

‘Cornick is first-class, Queen of her game.’

—Romance Junkies

‘A rising star of the Regency arena.’

—Publishers Weekly

Praise for THE SCANDALOUS WOMEN OF THE TON series

‘A riveting read.’

—New York Times bestselling author Mary Jo Putney on Whisper of Scandal

‘One of the finest voices in historical romance.’

—SingleTitles.com

‘Ethan Ryder (is) a bad boy to die for! A memorable story of intense emotions, scandals, trust, betrayal and all-encompassing love. A fresh and engrossing tale.’

—Romantic Times on One Wicked Sin

‘Historical romance at its very best is

written by Nicola Cornick.’

—Mary Gramlich, The Reading Reviewer

Acclaim for Nicola’s previous books

‘Witty banter, lively action and sizzling passion.’

—Library Journal on Undoing of a Lady

‘RITA

Award-nominated Cornick deftly steeps her latest intriguingly complex Regency historical in a beguiling blend of danger and desire.’ —Booklist on Unmasked

Dear Reader,

It has been a great pleasure for me to write a special story set in 1908. The Edwardian period has a strong nostalgia about it. It has been described as: “A leisurely time when women wore picture hats and did not vote, when the rich were not ashamed to live conspicuously and the sun never really set on the British flag.” It was an era that contrasted with the periods that preceded and succeeded it—the long reign of Victoria and the harsh and terrible reality of the First World War.

Yet the Edwardian period has also been referred to as “the birth of now,” a period that has far more in common with modern times than we might imagine. When I was writing this book I was constantly surprised at the parallels with modern life and that much of the technology in use today originated or was first developed in this period. Much of the London Underground had been built and was already referred to as “The Tube.” The first aeroplanes were taking to the skies. The rich had installed telephones in their houses and the King would ring his friends up when he had decided to drop in for a visit.

I have set Jack and Sally’s love story against the glittering backdrop of Edwardian high society and I hope that you enjoy this glimpse of that very special year, 1908.

www.nicolacornick.co.uk

Dauntsey Park

The Last Rake in London

Nicola Cornick

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

The ancestral line of the Dukes of Kestrel had bred rakes

and rogues aplenty in the eighteenth and nineteenth

centuries. The family seat, Kestrel Court, is nestled in the

Midwinter Villages and you can read about the exploits

of the Kestrel family in Nicola Cornick’s bestselling

series, the BLUESTOCKING BRIDES:

THE NOTORIOUS LORD

ONE NIGHT OF SCANDAL

THE RAKE’S MISTRESS

Available as eBooks. Visit www.mirabooks.co.uk

Other novels by Nicola Cornick

WHISPER OF SCANDAL

ONE WICKED SIN

MISTRESS BY MIDNIGHT

To my wonderful grandmother, born Doris Mary Wood

in 1908, still an inspiration to me now.

Prologue

June 1908

Jack Kestrel was looking for a woman.