The Taming of the Rogue. Amanda McCabe

       Praise for

       Amanda McCabe:

       A NOTORIOUS WOMAN

      ‘Court intrigue, poison and murders fill this

      Renaissance romance. The setting is beautiful …’

      —RT Book Reviews

       A SINFUL ALLIANCE

      ‘Scandal, seduction, spies, counter-spies, murder,

      love and loyalty are skilfully woven into the tapestry

      of the Tudor court. Richly detailed and brimming

      with historical events and personages, McCabe’s tale

      weaves together history and passion perfectly.’

      —RT Book Reviews

       HIGH SEAS STOWAWAY

      ‘Smell the salt spray, feel the deck beneath your feet

      and hoist the Jolly Roger as McCabe takes you

      on an entertaining romantic ride.’

      —RT Book Reviews

       God’s wounds, but it was another fight. And Anna was sure she could guess what the cause was, too.

      As if theatre life was not already unpredictable enough, Anna thought wryly. Robert Alden could always be relied upon to liven things up.

      And that was why she was such a fool. She finally had her life orderly again, after the end of a most ill-advised marriage and a blessed widowhood. She helped her father with his many businesses, especially the White Heron, and she loved the challenge of it all. She had no more use for the perils of romance—especially with an actor.

      But when she looked at Rob Alden she felt like a silly girl again. A blushing, giggling clot-pole of a girl—just like all the legions of ladies who only came to the theatre to watch him on stage.

      He was a handsome, tempting devil indeed. One with the magical gift of poetry in addition to his azure eyes and tight backside. Anna refused to be tempted. Her task was only to lure plays from him—those wondrous tales that drew vast crowds and great profits.

      But there would be no beautiful words if he killed himself in a brawl …

      About the Author

      AMANDA MCCABE wrote her first romance at the age of sixteen—a vast epic, starring all her friends as the characters, written secretly during algebra class. She’s never since used algebra, but her books have been nominated for many awards, including the RITA^®, RT Book Reviews Reviewers’ Choice Award, the Booksellers Best, the National Readers’ Choice Award, and the Holt Medallion. She lives in Oklahoma, with a menagerie of two cats, a pug and a bossy miniature poodle, and loves dance classes, collecting cheesy travel souvenirs, and watching the Food Network—even though she doesn’t cook. Visit her at http://ammandamccabe.com and http://www.riskyregencies.blogspot.com

       Previous novels by the same author:

TO CATCH A ROGUE^*

      TO DECEIVE A DUKE^*

      TO KISS A COUNT^*

      CHARLOTTE AND THE WICKED LORD

      (in Regency Summer Scandals)

A NOTORIOUS WOMAN†

      A SINFUL ALLIANCE†

      HIGH SEAS STOWAWAY†

      THE WINTER QUEEN

      (in Christmas Betrothals)

      THE SHY DUCHESS

      SNOWBOUND AND SEDUCED

      (in Regency Christmas Proposals)

      And in Mills & Boon^® Historical Undone! eBooks:

      SHIPWRECKED AND SEDUCED†

      TO BED A LIBERTINE

      THE MAID’S LOVER

      TO COURT, CAPTURE AND CONQUER

      GIRL IN THE BEADED MASK

      UNLACING THE LADY IN WAITING

      ONE WICKED CHRISTMAS

^*The Chase Muses trilogy

†linked by character

      THE TAMING OF THE ROGUE

      features characters you will have met in

      TO COURT, CAPTURE AND CONQUER

      a Mills & Boon^® Historical Undone! eBook

       Author Note

      In so many ways, writing historical romance is the perfect job for a ‘nerd’ like me! I can bring in many of my history obsessions and apply them to my characters, spend hours reading history books, and watch Shakespeare in Love over and over and call it ‘Important Research.’ What could be better?

      Anna and Rob’s story was inspired by a wonderful evening at the new Globe Theatre in London, watching a production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I had long been obsessed with the Elizabethan theatre, and this trip was a dream come true—the closest I could come to experiencing a play the way sixteenth century audiences did. I knew I had to write a story set in the thrilling, dangerous environs of the Elizabethan underworld, and Robert, the writer/spy—inspired in part by the brilliant Christopher Marlowe, and by the famous actor Edward Alleyn, who married the daughter of theatre impresario Philip Henslowe—jumped into my mind right away. He was so dashing, and I fell a bit in love with him myself. Sadly, I had to relinquish him to Anna …

      I was able to research several aspects of Elizabethan life for Rob and Anna’s story—theatre, Sir Francis Walsingham and his espionage work, life in Southwark and other suburban—and lawless!—neighbourhoods, and the relations between the different classes of Elizabethan London. A backstage tour of the Globe and some books purchased in their shop gave me a very good start.

      I also loved looking more deeply into the life of Spymaster Walsingham—one of the many fascinating characters of the Elizabethan era. He spent his life corralling information in a time when such an endeavour seemed impossible, managing a vast network of informants and agents in an effort to keep the Queen safe. He liked to use actors—such as the ill-fated Marlowe—due to their literacy, their powers of observation, their fluid movements, both geographically and socially, and the fact they always needed money.

      Walsingham died in 1590, soon after the action of this story, but I enjoyed giving him a role in this tale, as well as his daughter Frances, Lady Essex—who, despite reputedly being rather plain, married first the famous poet Sir Philip Sidney and then the Court heartthrob the Earl of Essex.

      And I also loved seeing what happened to Edward and Elizabeth, whom I first met in my Undone short story, To Court, Capture, and Conquer! They set me on this journey in the first place, and I’m