A Marriage of Notoriety. Diane Gaston

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       The servant brought her cloak and Xavier took it from him.

      He stepped towards Phillipa and placed it around her shoulders, so close she felt the warmth of his body. The touch of his hands on her shoulders caused a frisson of sensation down her back.

      She disliked being so affected by Xavier Campion. It made her think of how she’d felt dancing with him. The thrill of coming close to him, of touching him.

      The servant opened the door and the cool evening air revived her.

      Phillipa crossed over the threshold with Xavier right behind her. ‘I do not need an escort.’

      He fell in step with her. ‘Nevertheless, I need to do this.’

      She scoffed. ‘Do not be absurd. You can have the company of any woman you like. One of the gentlemen told me so.’

      His step slowed for a moment. ‘Phillipa, if any danger should befall you on this walk home I would never forgive myself for not preventing it.’

      He sounded so serious.

      ‘So dramatic, Xavier. I am not your responsibility.’

      His voice turned low. ‘At this moment you are.’

      Welcome to

      Diane Gaston’s

       THE MASQUERADE CLUB

       Identities concealed, desires revealed …

      This is your invitation to Regency society’s most exclusive gaming establishment.

      Leave your inhibitions at the door, don your disguise and indulge your desires!

      Club proprietor Rhys, the most renowned gambler in London, finally meets his match in

      A REPUTATION FOR NOTORIETY

      Already available

      And now Rhys’s friend Xavier, the most devilish rogue in town, prefers to gamble with ladies’ hearts in

      A MARRIAGE OF NOTORIETY

A Marriage of Notoriety

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

       Previous novels by the same author:

      THE MYSTERIOUS MISS M

      THE WAGERING WIDOW

      A REPUTABLE RAKE

      INNOCENCE AND IMPROPRIETY

      A TWELFTH NIGHT TALE

(in A Regency Christmas anthology) THE VANISHING VISCOUNTESS SCANDALISING THE TON JUSTINE AND THE NOBLE VISCOUNT† (in Regency Summer Scandals) GALLANT OFFICER, FORBIDDEN LADY* CHIVALROUS CAPTAIN, REBEL MISTRESS* VALIANT SOLDIER, BEAUTIFUL ENEMY* A NOT SO RESPECTABLE GENTLEMAN?† BORN TO SCANDAL A REPUTATION FOR NOTORIETY**

†linked by character

*Three Soldiers mini-series

* The Masquerade Club

      and in Mills & Boon^® Historical Undone! eBooks:

      THE UNLACING OF MISS LEIGH

      THE LIBERATION OF MISS FINCH

       Did you know that some of these novels are also available as eBooks?

       Visit www.millsandboon.co.uk

       AUTHOR NOTE

      The timeless theme of the fairytale Beauty and the Beast often reappears in romance novels, as well as in Disney movies, Phantom of the Opera, King Kong and more. Do we ever tire of this story? I’ve written it before, in my Mills & Boon^® Historical Undone! eBook THE UNLACING OF MISS LEIGH (my Phantom of the Opera story), and now in A MARRIAGE OF NOTORIETY. I dare say I will write it again.

      Part of the appeal of the Beauty and the Beast theme is its message—genuine beauty is what one has on the inside, not the way one appears on the outside. How many of us look in the mirror and forget this as we examine every flaw? How often do we gaze at models in magazines or celebrities on the red carpet and feel like garden gnomes in comparison? And how much do all of us want to be loved for who we are, not the way we appear?

      I enjoyed exploring this issue once more, and giving my hero and heroine their own chance to discover that beauty isn’t just skin-deep.

       Dedication

      For my new daughter-in-law Beth, beautiful on the inside and the outside,

      and a wonderful addition to our family.

      Contents

       Prologue

       Chapter One

       Chapter Two

       Chapter Three

       Chapter Four

       Chapter Five

       Chapter Six

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