Mistress to the Marquis. Margaret McPhee

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       ‘Arrangements like ours are not meant to last, Alice.’

      ‘They’re not,’ she agreed.

      ‘I have to do my duty.’ His mouth, which had always been so warm and smiling, was unhappy and determined, the expression in his eyes unreadable.

      Her heart was beating harder than a horse at full gallop. ‘Maybe you should have thought about your duty six months ago.’ When he had wooed her and swept her off her feet and made her his mistress within weeks of their meeting.

      ‘Maybe I should have,’ he said.

      His quiet admission stripped her raw.

      ‘For what it is worth, I really am sorry, Alice.’ He took a step towards her, reached out a hand as if he meant to touch her.

      Alice recoiled. It was a hand that had caressed her lips and stroked against her naked skin, a hand that had touched her in the most intimate of places. It was all she could do to stop herself from striking it away with every ounce of strength in her body.

      ‘You should go now,’ she said with feigned calmness.

       AUTHOR NOTE

      You met Alice and Razeby in DICING WITH THE DANGEROUS LORD—the story that belongs to their best friends, and in which Alice becomes Razeby’s mistress.

      During the Regency era it was considered completely acceptable for a gentleman and nobleman such as Razeby to keep a demi-rep woman such as Alice as his mistress. Marriage between them, however, would have been viewed very differently. But there were cases in which mistresses went on to marry their noblemen protectors. Margaret Farmer, a commoner and daughter of an Irish spendthrift, married Lord Mountjoy and became the Countess of Blessington. Sophia Dubochet, courtesan and sister of the infamous Harriette Wilson, married Lord Berwick.

      So, with those exceptions in mind, here in MISTRESS TO THE MARQUIS is Alice and Razeby’s own story of a love strong enough to defy the strictest social class rules of their time. I truly hope that you enjoy reading it.

      About the Author

      MARGARET MCPHEE loves to use her imagination—an essential requirement for a trained scientist. However, when she realised that her imagination was inspired more by the historical romances she loves to read rather than by her experiments, she decided to put the ideas down on paper. She has since left her scientific life behind, retaining only the romance—her husband, whom she met in a laboratory. In summer, Margaret enjoys cycling along the coastline overlooking the Firth of Clyde in Scotland, where she lives. In winter, tea, cakes and a good book suffice.

       Previous novels by the same author:

      THE CAPTAIN’S LADY

      MISTAKEN MISTRESS

      THE WICKED EARL

      UNTOUCHED MISTRESS

      A SMUGGLER’S TALE

(part of Regency Christmas Weddings) THE CAPTAIN’S FOBIDDEN MISS UNLACING THE INNOCENT MISS (part of Regency Silk & Scandal mini-series) UNMASKING THE DUKE’S MISTRESS* A DARK AND BROODING GENTLEMAN* HIS MASK OF RETRIBUTION* DICING WITH THE DANGEROUS LORD*

      And in Mills & Boon Historical Undone!

      HOW TO TEMPT A VISCOUNT*

* Gentlemen of Disrepute

       Did you know that some of these novels are also available as eBooks? Visit www.millsandboon.co.uk

      Mistress to

      the Marquis

      Margaret McPhee