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BOOK: Jacquie D'Alessandro - [Regency Historical 04]

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“Nathan and Victoria have already given me their blessing, and Victoria has promised to help ease your way into Society. As for my father, I’m certain he’ll come to love you, but even if he doesn’t, it makes no difference. I’ll marry you or no one. I’ve had no more nightmares, and I no longer feel the danger that drove me to seek out a wife at this time. But I want one just the same. You. Only you.”

His gaze searched hers. “Do you remember when we spoke about our ‘perfect person’?”

“Yes.”

“
You
are my perfect person. Is there any hope I could be yours?”

Her bottom lip trembled. “You always have been,” she whispered.

He eased his hands from hers and framed her face between his palms—that intriguing face that had captivated him from the first instant he saw it. “Do you love me, Alexandra?”

Huge tears pooled in her eyes. “I am insanely, ridiculously in love with you.”

He briefly squeezed his eyes shut. “Thank God.” He opened his eyes and a smile pulled up one corner of his mouth. “So you’re ‘ridiculanely’ in love with me?”

She laughed. “I am.”

“And you’ll marry me?”

“Yes,” she said in breathless voice, then laughed again. “Yes!”

Having finally heard the only word he’d wanted to hear for the past half hour, he held her tight against him and kissed her, a long, slow, deep kiss filled with all the wild love and passion careening through him. When he lifted his head, he looked down into beautiful chocolate brown eyes sparkling with love and happiness.

“Tell me,” he whispered against her lips. “What does Madame Larchmont predict for our future?”

“Love. Happiness. Children. Marzipan. And lots of frosting.”

“Fabulous. Frosting is my favorite. Anything about the billiards room?”

Her laughter warmed his lips. “As a matter of fact…yes. Actually, frosting in the billiards room.”

“That is very good news, indeed.”

“In fact, I’d call it ‘increderful’—incredible
and
wonderful.”

Laughing, he hugged her against him and twirled her off her feet. “My sweet Alexandra, I couldn’t have said it better myself.”

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank the following people for their invaluable help and support:

My editor, Erika Tsang, and all the wonderful people at Avon/HarperCollins for their kindness, cheerleading and for helping make my dreams come true.

My agent, Damaris Rowland, for her faith and wisdom.

Jenni Grizzle and Wendy Etherington for keeping me going and always being up for champagne and cheesecake.

Thanks also to Sue Grimshaw, Kathy Baker, Kay and Jim Johnson, Kathy and Dick Guse, Lea and Art D’Alessandro, and Michelle, Steve, and Lindsey Grossman.

A cyber hug to my Looney Loopies Connie Brockway, Marsha Canham, Virginia Henley, Jill Gregory, Sandy Hingston, Julia London, Kathleen Givens, Sherri Browning, and Julie Ortolon, and also to the Temptresses.

A very special thank-you to the members of Georgia Romance Writers.

And finally, thank you to all the wonderful readers who have taken the time to write or e-mail me. I love hearing from you!

About the Author

JACQUIE D’ALESSANDRO
Growing up on Long Island, New York, I fell in love with romance at an early age. I dreamed of being swept away by a dashing rogue riding a spirited stallion. When my hero finally showed up, he was dressed in jeans and drove a Volkswagen, but I recognized him anyway. We married after both graduating from Hofstra University and are now living our happily-ever-afters in Atlanta, Georgia, along with our very bright and active son, who is a dashing rogue in the making. I love to hear from readers! You can contact me through my website at
www.JacquieD.com
.

Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.

By Jacquie D’Alessandro

N
EVER
A L
ADY

N
OT
Q
UITE A
G
ENTLEMAN

L
OVE AND THE
S
INGLE
H
EIRESS

W
HO
W
ILL
T
AKE
T
HIS
M
AN
?

Copyright

This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

NEVER A LADY
. Copyright © 2006 by Jacquie D’Alessandro. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.

Adobe Digital Edition October 2009 ISBN 978-0-06-199114-1

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