Notorious. Nicola Cornick

       Nicola Cornick’s novels have received acclaim the world over

      ‘Cornick is first-class, Queen of her game.’

       —Romance Junkies

      ‘A rising star of the Regency arena’

       —Publishers Weekly

       Praise for the SCANDALOUS WOMEN OF THE TON series

      ‘A riveting read’

      —New York Times bestselling author Mary Jo Putney on

       Whisper of Scandal

      ‘One of the finest voices in historical romance’

       —SingleTitles.com

      ‘Ethan Ryder (is) a bad boy to die for! A memorable story

       of intense emotions, scandals, trust, betrayal and all-

      encompassing love. A fresh and engrossing tale.’

      —Romantic Times on One Wicked Sin

      ‘Historical romance at its very best is

       written by Nicola Cornick.’

      —Mary Gramlich, The Reading Reviewer

       Acclaim for Nicola’s previous books

      ‘Witty banter, lively action and sizzling passion’

      —Library Journal on Undoing of a Lady

      ‘RITA^® Award-nominated Cornick deftly steeps her latest intriguingly complex Regency historical in a beguiling blend of danger and desire.’

      —Booklist on Unmasked

       Author Note

      The Scandalous Women of the Ton are back! Or in this case, perhaps it should be the scandalous Men of the Ton …

      James Devlin, cousin to Alex, the hero of Whisper of Scandal, has been one of London’s most shocking rakes. Now settled into a life of riches and respectability as the fiancé of a beautiful society heiress, Dev is terminally bored. Enter Caroline, Lady Carew, a woman with a mysterious past who knows enough about Dev to ruin his engagement and all his future prospects. But Lady Carew also has secrets to keep, for she is none other than a notorious match breaker, paid by rich parents to end unsuitable engagements …

      Reading through the letters and accounts of the Regency period, I sometimes come across cases where fathers or trustees have paid off a man or a woman they consider unsuitable. Perhaps a son has fallen in love with a courtesan and wishes to marry her, or an heiress has taken a fancy to a poverty-stricken scoundrel and threatens to elope. In many instances, the parents or guardians are absolutely ruthless in removing the threat. In my imagination it was only a small step from there to the idea that a rich and determined parent might hire a heartbreaker to seduce their son away from his unsuitable fiancée. And so the idea for Notorious was born …

      Notorious was huge fun to write and I very much hope that you enjoy it, too!

      Nicola Cornick

       Notorious

       Nicola Cornick

       www.mirabooks.co.uk

       Don’t miss the rest of the latest

      Scandalous Women of the Ton trilogy,

       available now!

      WHISPER OF SCANDAL

      ONE WICKED SIN

      MISTRESS BY MIDNIGHT

      Also available from Nicola Cornick

      DECEIVED

      LORD OF SCANDAL

      UNMASKED

      THE CONFESSIONS OF A DUCHESS

      THE SCANDALS OF AN INNOCENT

      THE UNDOING OF A LADY

      DAUNTSEY PARK: THE LAST RAKE IN LONDON

      Browse www.mirabooks.co.uk Or

      www.nicolacornick.co.uk for

       Nicola’s full backlist

       Coming soon, the next

      SCANDALOUS WOMEN OF THE TON series:

      DESIRED

      FORBIDDEN

       CHAPTER ONE

      “He who does not burn with desire grows cold.”

      —Seventeenth-century proverb

      JAMES DEVLIN WAS TWENTY-SEVEN years old and he had everything that he had ever wanted. He had a place in society, he had a beautiful, rich fiancée and he had a title of his own. Yet on the night that his former wife walked back into his life after nine years absence he was bored; as bored as it was possible for a gentleman to be at a ton ball at the height of the London season.

      It was another night of lavish excess and hollow entertainment. The Duke and Duchess of Alton threw the best parties in the ton, opulent, tasteful and frightfully exclusive. For Dev it was also another night of fetching lemonade for Emma when she became thirsty, of finding her fan when she misplaced it and of fawning on Emma’s mama, who could not stand him and probably did not even know his name although he had been betrothed to her daughter for two years. Once upon a time Dev had had to brave the elements on the rain-lashed deck of a ship of the line, scramble up rigging and fight for his life. Each day had brought new dangers, new excitement. It had only been two years but it felt like a century ago. These days he did nothing more dangerous than check the set of his coat and pass Emma her reticule.

      “Jealous, Dev?” His sister Francesca put a hand on his sleeve and Dev realized that he had been frowning at Emma across the dance floor, glaring at her as she twirled through the steps of the waltz in the arms of her cousin Frederick Walters. Chessie was not the only one who had noticed his grim stance. He saw the sideways glances and covert amusement. Everyone thought that he was possessive, resentful of the time that Emma, a consummate flirt, lavished on other men. If he had been the jealous type he would have spent his days on the dueling field but the fact was that one had to care in order to be jealous and Dev had long ago realized that he did not care a jot if Emma flirted with every man in London.

      He straightened up and smoothed the frown from his brow. “I’m not jealous in the least,” he said.

      Chessie’s blue gaze appraised his face, looking for signs that he was trying to fool her. “It is no secret that the Earl and Countess of Brooke prefer Fred as a suitor for Emma,” she said.

      Dev shrugged. “The Earl and Countess would prefer a distempered hound as a suitor for Emma but I am the one that Emma wants.”

      “And Emma always gets what she wants.” There was the very faintest edge to Chessie’s voice now.

      Dev shot his sister a look. Chessie had not yet got what she wanted and she had been waiting a long time. Fitzwilliam Alton, only son and heir to the Duke and Duchess,