Talk of the Ton. Mary Nichols

      

      “What are you going to do with me?” Beth asked.

      “Oh, do not fret. I have no designs on your person,” he said.

      “Then let me go.”

      “That, I think, would be considered unchivalrous.”

      “No more unchivalrous than holding a lady against her wishes.”

      “If the lady has no idea of the danger she is in, then a gentleman has no choice.” He laughed suddenly. “Whatever made you think you could pass yourself off as a boy? A more feminine figure I have yet to meet.” His eyes roamed appreciatively over her as he spoke.

      The only slightly masculine thing about her was her cut-down fingernails. He was intrigued by them. “It is a good thing I intervened when I did.”

      Talk of the Ton

      Harlequin^®Historical

      MILLS & BOON

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      MARY NICHOLS

      Born in Singapore, Mary Nichols came to England when she was three, and has spent most of her life in different parts of East Anglia. She has been a radiographer, a school secretary, an information officer and industrial editor, as well as a writer. She has three grown-up children and four grandchildren.

      Talk of the Ton

      MARY NICHOLS

      TORONTO • NEW YORK • LONDON

       AMSTERDAM • PARIS • SYDNEY • HAMBURG

       STOCKHOLM • ATHENS • TOKYO • MILAN • MADRID

       PRAGUE • WARSAW • BUDAPEST • AUCKLAND

      DON’T MISS THESE OTHER

       NOVELS AVAILABLE NOW:

      #895 WESTERN WEDDINGS

      Jillian Hart, Kate Bridges and Charlene Sands

      You are cordially invited to three weddings in the

       Old West this May!

      Three favorite authors, three blushing brides, three

       heartwarming stories—just perfect for spring!

      #896 NOTORIOUS RAKE, INNOCENT LADY—

      Bronwyn Scott

      Her virginity would be sold to the highest bidder! Determined not to enter into an arranged marriage, Julia could see no way out—unless she could seduce the notorious Black Rake….

      Harlequin^®Historical is loosening the laces with our newest, hottest, sexiest miniseries, Undone!

      #897 COOPER’S WOMAN—Carol Finch

      A proper lady should have no dealings with a gunfighter who has a shady past, yet Alexa is bent on becoming

       Cooper’s woman!

      Carol Finch’s thrilling Western adventure will have you on the edge of your seat.

      #898 TAKEN BY THE VIKING—Michelle Styles

      A dark, arrogant Viking swept Annis back to his homeland.

       Now she must choose between the lowly work that befits a captive and a life of sinful pleasure in the Viking’s arms!

      Viking’s slave or Viking’s mistress? Annis must choose in this powerful, sensual story!

      #235 A WEALTHY WIDOW—Anne Herries

      Elegant, beautiful and inordinately rich, Lady Arabella Marshall is used to fending off fortune-hunters’ unwanted flattery. But now such attentions have become deadly!

      A sparkling Regency romance, spiced with a dash of intrigue!

      Available from Harlequin^®Historical and MARY NICHOLS

      The Incomparable Countess #156

      Lady Lavinia’s Match #163

      A Lady of Consequence #169

      Mistress of Madderlea #177

      The Hemingford Scandal #196

      Marrying Miss Hemingford #199

      Bachelor Duke #204

      Dear Deceiver #213

      An Unusual Bequest #218

      The Reluctant Escort #226

      Talk of the Ton #236

      Contents

      Chapter One

      Chapter Two

      Chapter Three

      Chapter Four

      Chapter Five

      Chapter Six

      Chapter Seven

      Chapter Eight

      Chapter Nine

      Chapter Ten

      Chapter Eleven

      Chapter Twelve

      Chapter One

      The girl, sitting on a rickety chair in the potting shed watching the young man lovingly tend a delicate plant he had been nurturing, wore a pair of breeches tucked into riding boots, a cream-coloured shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a sackcloth apron. Her hair was tucked up beneath a scarf. The clothes were old and a little shabby, but that did not disguise the fact that they were well cut and had once, many years before, been the height of male fashion.

      ‘I wish I could go plant collecting,’ she said wistfully, watching his deft fingers. They were blunt and dirty, but she had become so used to that she didn’t even notice, any more than she was aware of her incongruous garb and the fact that her own fingernails were far from pristine.

      ‘So you can. The heath is covered in plants, if you look carefully.’

      ‘No, I meant exploring in foreign countries, climbing the Himalayas or trekking through China or riding a donkey in Mexico.’ Her interest in botany had been fired when, as a small girl, she had watched Joshua Pershore, their gardener, working in their garden. ‘Plants are like people,’ he had told her. ‘Look after them and they will reward you with years of pleasure.’

      She had asked him if she could have a patch of garden all to herself and he had shown her how to prepare the soil and sow seed and divide plants to make more. She had watched her garden grow, excitedly noting the first snowdrop, the delicate petals of roses and the way the bulbs died down each year and sprang up anew the next spring. And when she discovered that Toby also shared her passion, it forged a bond between them that sometimes carried them into the realms of fantasy.

      She dreamed of emulating the great plant hunters like Sir Joseph Banks, who had travelled with Captain Cook and transformed the Royal gardens at Kew from a pleasure ground to a great botanic garden with specimens