To Sin With A Stranger (26 page)

“The rest of the winnings will be given to you, Sterling. What will you do with them?” In the moonlight, it was difficult for Sterling to tell whether his father was studying him, testing him. And so he replied with what his heart told him was right. “The money will be used to purchase Wenton Inn for the widows and orphans of Corunna.”

His father laughed and then clasped his arms around Sterling, pulling Isobel into the embrace as well. “You have made me very proud, Sterling. You have at last earned the right to bear the Sinclair name.”

He turned to look at his other wayward spawn. “As for the rest of you, my agent in London will be watching, and reporting the findings to me. Your time to redeem yourselves is not endless. Your money will be depleted unless you learn to live frugally, or heaven forbid, become employed. There will be no more money coming from me until each of you proves yourself worthy of the Sinclair name.”

When the last of the wedding guests had departed, Sterling and Isobel stood in each other’s arms in the middle of the garden. The moon had lost its bright luster and night had crept in among the roses.

Isobel tilted her head back, and Sterling kissed the column of her throat. She lowered her head and turned to glance at the two rows of marbles. “They are so beautiful,” she said. Then her eyes seemed to sparkle. “Pity my favorite, the reclining male, is not here.” She laughed saucily.

“Ah, Dionysus.”

“Alas, he was too large to fit through the gates. Poor chap, he had to be returned to the shed.”

Isobel feigned a pout. “Too bad, I quite like that particular marble.”

Sterling grinned then.

“What?”

“Well, if you truly wish to see it…tonight”—Sterling reached into his pocket—“I still have the key to the shed.”

Isobel laughed, but even in the moonlight he could see her face flush with color.

“Let me collect my wrap,” she said with a glint in her eye.

There are so many people to whom I owe my great thanks for helping me bring this story to fruition. (I am certain to forget someone, so I will thank that person first. Thanks. Couldn’t have done it without you.)

Dr. Peter Higgs, curator of the Elgin Marbles collection at the British Museum in London, as well as his very knowledgeable staff in the museum’s Greek and Roman Antiquities Department.

My amazing editor, Lucia Macro, who loved the idea of the series as much as I did, supported me when I needed it most, and even scored a stunning red cover for
To Sin With a Stranger
.

My agent, Jenny Bent, who believed in me and kept me writing through the hard times.

Sophia Nash, my friend and fellow Avon Books author, who called me nearly every day to cheer me on to the finish line.

My online buddies from the Avon Romance Blog and Romance Novel TV, who searched out and found the visual inspiration for all seven heroes of the Seven Deadly Sins series: Kim Castillo, Gannon Carr, P.J. Ausdenmore, Crystal Broyles, Keira Soleore, Buffie Johnson, Marisa O’Neill, Kati Dancy, and Jenny Teo. You all have the best taste!

And finally, Franzeca Drouin, my incredible research assistant, who even managed to locate a drawing and description of the coal shed where Lord Elgin stored his Greek marbles. Is there anything you can’t do?

Thank you all.

KATHRYN
CASKIE
has long been a devotee of history and things of old, so it came as no surprise to her family when she took a career detour off the online superhighway and began writing historical romances full time.

With a background in marketing, advertising, and journalism, she has written professionally for television, radio, the internet, magazines, and newspapers in and around metropolitan Washington, DC.

To Sin With a Stranger
is her eighth novel.

Kathryn lives in a 200-year-old Quaker home nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains with her greatest sources of inspiration, her two young daughters.

Readers may contact Kathryn through her website at
www.kathryncaskie.com.

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