works in progress

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Tea with a knight on a quest

Lord Lancelot Versey was one of the Duchess of Winshire’s godchildren. That didn’t make him special. While the rumour she was godmother to half the ton was probably an exaggeration, she certainly had a vast army of godsons and goddaughters, each of whom she favoured with a personal note and a small gift on the anniversary of their christening.

Still, the relationship was close enough that Lance felt comfortable asking her for a favour. He would have approached her anyway, he hoped. He was on a quest to reestablish the reputation of a fair lady–not a damsel in distress, exactly, but a widow, and certainly in distress. Lance wanted the duchess’s help for his lady, and also an introduction to David Wakefield, the enquiry agent who was the duchess’s protege, and also the base-born son of her first husband, the Duke of Haverford.

He would, he decided, as he bowed over the duchess’s hand, took the seat she waved him to, and answered his comments about the weather, have to introduce the subject carefully. After all, the brother-in-law of his lady fair had spread dreadful rumours about her. If the duchess had heard them, she might dismiss him out of hand.

He would describe her situation without naming her. “Your Grace, I wondered if I might bring a lady I know to meet you. She has been woefully mistreated, and she needs your help.” That was a good start. Her Grace was known to be sympathetic to women in dreadful circumstances.

The duchess smiled and nodded. “Yes, Lancelot. You may certainly bring Lady Frogmore to me, and I will help however I can. I am very distressed that I did not seek her out when that dreadful man first started spreading his lies.”

Lance’s jaw dropped. There was only one explanation. Percy, his brother the Duke of Dellborough, had always claimed that the duchess was a witch, and he must be right. How else could she know exactly what he wanted?

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What I’ve been up to and what is coming.

I’ve just completely revised my Works in Progress page, with a list of the books I plan to publish between now and January 2024. There are fifteen. (At least. In the last six months, I’ve written 270,000 words of the 700,000 word total I’ll need to reach the target, and I have until the end of October 2023 to write the last of the remaining 430,000, so I should be able to squeeze in another book or two.)  Take a look and let me know what you think. Is there something you’re waiting for that isn’t on there? Is there anything you’re particularly anxious to see?

I’m currently writing Perchance to Dream and The Flavours of Our Deeds, revising Snowy and the Seven Blossoms and Zara’s Locket, and thinking about The Talons of the Lyon and the Bluestocking Belles ‘Box set for 2023. Perchance and Snowy belong to A Twist Upon a Regency Tale, the same series as the beautiful cover above, Lady Beast’s Bridegroom.  See the new A Twist Upon a Regency Tale page for the titles, covers, and blurbs of all four books. The Flavours of Our Deeds is the next book in The Golden Redepennings series. And Zara’s Locket will be in the Belles’ 2022 Holiday box set.

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Celebrations on WIP Wednesday

Rowlandson1809CropIn honour of the first birthday of the Bluestocking Belles, I’m looking for celebrations today. birthdays, Christmas, Harvest Festivals, weddings… anything you wish, really. As always, please post an extract in the comments, and don’t forget to share on Twitter and Facebook.

I’m stretching the envelope here. Embracing Prudence is not full of celebrations—quite the contrary. But I have a bit of a description of a rather dissolute masquerade party that might fit the bill. David wasn’t there, but many of the suspects in the murder he is investigating were.

“Ah, now that is interesting. At some point during the evening, they were all at the same masquerade as Talbot. I found a witness who was there the whole evening, and she recognised Talbot, Selby, Annesley, Barnstable, and Tiverton, and also Aldridge and Elfingham.”

“As paying customers, I take it,” Prue suggested, clearly guessing the profession of the witness.

“It was a big event, apparently, with most of the rakehells of London in attendance, and a number of its more racy ladies.”

“Not the Carrington Masquerade?” Prue asked.

“Yes. Lady Carrington was the hostess, though it was at Richport’s.”

The Duke of Richport was not yet thirty, but had acquired a reputation for debauchery well beyond his years. Given his rank, all would be forgiven him if he ever ventured into polite society. He quite openly declared that if he was going to go to hell, he expected more entertaining surroundings than the ballrooms and parlours of the Beau Monde, and warmer devils than the ladies of the ton.

 

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Revised publishing schedule

InnovationI had an idea. I’m not going to tell you what it is, but it is so-o-o good, I’m not aiming to publish Encouraging Prudence in September. Instead, I’m holding it over until October.

And you’ll be glad I did. (Or, at least, I hope you’ll be glad.)

To fill in the gap between the publication of Farewell to Kindness and the publication of Encouraging Prudence, I’m writing another novella, which I’ll publish sometime in July, maybe as a birthday present to myself. It’s tentatively entitled A Baron for Becky, and it isn’t the Marquis of Aldridge’s story. His happy ending is still several years away, but he does have a leading part in the novella, as Becky’s protector.

And that’s all I’m going to say about that.

So, by the end of next month, I plan to have finished the first draft of two novellas (Gingerbread Bride, for the Bluestocking Belles box set, to be published in November), and also of Encouraging Prudence.

And by the end of April next year, two years from the day I started writing Farewell to Kindness, I’ll have published at least three and possibly four novellas and four novels. Or, at least, that’s the plan.