Part of Series
Lord Julian Caldicott is battling a severe case of winter doldrums as well as a serious bout of pre-wedding jitters. He longs to summon—invite, rather—his intended, Miss Hyperia West to Caldicott Hall, but she seems to be having a fine time shopping for her trousseau in London. Julian’s growing pile of miseries is only increased when a neighbor, Sir Clive Arbuthnot, reports that his titled cousin has gone missing. Sir Clive entreats Julian to find the errant earl before creditors, importuning relations, and disgruntled tenants descend on Sir Clive, who was merely hosting his cousin for a visit when the disappearance occurred. Julian longs to hibernate at the Hall, but the missing peer might well be the victim of foul play, and Julian's mother holds Sir Clive in particular esteem. Julian must face lies, scandals, maternal disapproval, his own worst fears, and deadly peril if he’s not to leave Hyperia waiting in vain at the altar!
Author
Grace Burrowes started writing as an antidote to empty nest and soon found it an antidote to life in general. She is the sixth out of seven children, raised in the rural surrounds of central Pennsylvania. Early in life she spent a lot of time reading romance novels and practicing the piano. Her first career was as a technical writer and editor in the Washington, DC, area, a busy job that nonetheless left enough time to read a lot of romance novels. It also left enough time to grab a law degree through an evening program, produce Beloved Offspring (only one, but she is a lion), and eventually move to the lovely Maryland countryside. While reading yet still more romance novels, Grace opened her own law practice, acquired a master's degree in Conflict Transformation (she had a teenage daughter by then) and started thinking about writing.... romance novels. This aim was realized when Beloved Offspring struck out into the Big World a few years ago. ("Mom, why doesn't anybody tell you being a grown-up is hard?") Grace eventually got up the courage to start pitching her manuscripts to agents and editors. The query letter that resulted in "the call" started out: "I am the buffoon in the bar at the RWA retreat who could not keep her heroines straight, could not look you in the eye, and could not stop blushing—and if that doesn't narrow down the possibilities, your job is even harder than I thought." (The dear lady bought the book anyway.) To contact Grace, email her at graceburrowes@yahoo.com.
