And making contact with her father-well that's a whole nother story! There's also the problem of Beatrix's kleptomania! Whenever she's worried or anxious she takes things, something she's not consciously aware of until later. So Beatrix is a witness to what went on, something that becomes a both a blessing and a conundrum. Only this night her gaze is caught by an argument between Rockbourne and his wife that ends in tragedy. Which goes in part to explain why she was sitting in a tree in the grounds belonging to Thomas Devereaux, Lord Rockbourne, disguised as a youth.īeatrix spends her nights climbing this tree dressed in men's clothing in order to spy on her father. Beatrix yearns to be accepted and acknowledged as part of the family, albeit quietly. To make contact with her father the Duke of Ramsgate, of whom she has rosy memories. Stolen hearts, stolen moments, stolen objects!įrom being left in an upper class girls' boarding school upon the death of her mother, where she was mercilessly bullied, eventually running away preferring life on the streets, and from thence to the top echelons of society, illegitimate daughter of a Duke, Beatrix Linley has just one wish. Soon the scandal and darkness both Beatrix and Thomas fear comes to light, compelling them to finally face their demons-and potentially driving them apart forever.

She becomes the toast of the Season until her penchant for pilfering pretty things threatens to expose the illicit past she needs desperately to remain hidden. Their arrangement grows more complicated under the force of a scorching mutual attraction.Ībandoned by her father-a duke-after the death of her mother-his beloved mistress-Beatrix Linley has fought to become a daughter he could be proud of, that he would regret leaving. But when a woman sees what happened, he agrees to accept her help to disguise the facts in exchange for not divulging her suspicious behavior. Rumors abound that his wife’s death may not have been an accident and given the troubling secrets Thomas keeps buried, even he isn’t entirely sure. Tricked into marriage five years ago, Thomas Devereaux, Lord Rockbourne is suddenly a widower. Can a dauntless Bow Street Runner, a devastated viscount, and a disillusioned Society miss unravel their secrets?

From USA Today bestselling author Darcy Burke, your next Regency obsession: The Pretenders! Set in Burke’s popular world of The Untouchables, indulge in the saga of a trio of siblings who excel at being something they’re not.

A Scandalous Bargain by Darcy Burke