Current Works
Following a devastating assault, Heiress Mabel Graham answers an advertisement to become one of America's "Dollar Princesses". She arrives in England to meet Thomas Smith, the new Marquess of Matlock, and finds him to be the opposite of what she expected.
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Thomas, a broken-hearted dock worker, finds himself the heir to an estranged cousin’s title and estate. His attorney reveals the grounds to be in disrepair with little money to fix them. When he advertises for a wealthy wife in the American papers, he gets more than he could have fathomed.
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The pair enters into a marriage of convenience, swapping her fortune for the title of Marchioness. Before the pair can truly get to know one another, however, Thomas is conscripted into service for England in the Great War.
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Will Thomas survive the battle and return home to a bride he barely knows? Will Mabel's fortune be enough to save Thomas's crumbling estate?
“Could we take a walk through the rose garden?” Mabel asked as they paused just outside of the dining room. “I’d like to talk, if that’s okay with you.”
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Thomas was surprised that Mabel would suggest a conversation without the usual chaperone. Perhaps she was learning to trust him on the eve before they were to be wed. He smiled and nodded, gesturing toward the door. Mabel picked up the train of her gown as they walked, careful not to let it become dusty on the grey gravel of the front circular drive. Once they were in the garden, she let it rest on the grass, taking a seat on a bench near the house. She patted the seat next to her on the bench with her long satin gloves. Carefully, she pulled each finger free, then removed the gloves altogether. Thomas watched her with curiosity, noting her beautiful, long, slender fingers as they were exposed to him. It was strange for him to see her without the gloves. She seemed keen on hiding herself from him in almost every way.
“You’re probably a bit confused about why we’re out here,” Mabel said with a soft smile. She carefully reached out and placed her hand over his. He felt her shake slightly and gripped her hand as tenderly as he could, trying to steady her without giving her cause for fear. Looking across the moonlit garden, he nodded.
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“I admit, I am,” he smiled back. The touch was most certainly welcome. Her hands were cold. He carefully rubbed at her soft skin with his thumb.
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“Tomorrow,” Mabel began, “we will be wed, as you know. And we will be in front of…everyone from the town, as well as everyone from that…horrible dinner.”
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Thomas laughed softly, nodding in agreement. “It was bad, wasn’t it? I don’t know half of those old stuffy folk from my side of the family. I wished they’d all just leave.”
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Mabel grinned. It was the first time he had seen such a genuine smile on her since they had met. Her features lit up beneath the moonlight. His breath caught in his chest as he admired her incredible beauty. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze, and she squeezed in return.
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“At a point in the ceremony, we’ll be asked to seal the marriage vows with a kiss,” Mabel explained, continuing her train of thought. “I’d rather like our first kiss to be ours. Not theirs.”
It took a moment for Thomas to process her words, but when he put it all together, he cocked his head to the side. “Are you asking me to kiss you, Love?”
Mabel breathed in deeply, her heart pounding in her chest. She gave a very slight nod and smiled. “If you want to, of course.”