Desire Wears Diamonds (43 page)

And yes, my husband recently “gifted” me
with a space of my own to write, so when it came to Grace, I
couldn’t think of anything she would appreciate more from the man
of her dreams.

Lots of villains, so little time! I know I
don’t always kill the bad guys, but again, I think it makes for a
more real and compelling read when things aren’t too neatly tied up
in a bow. Did you need to “see” Sterling’s end? Trust me. He’s not
coming back. Ever. And if they find pieces of him in the Thames at
some point (highly unlikely), I doubt he would be recognizable.
(Forensic sciences being what they were in 1860…) He is dead like
the monster under the mountain in your favorite childhood books and
if I edited out the scene where he bites it that was an artistic
choice. Penny Dreadfuls are lovely reading and crime books thrill,
but for this story, I didn’t think it was a good call to have a
gruesome scene where a bad man begs for his life and fails to
convince the powers-that-be that his life is worth more than a
flawed rock in a leather pouch. Not near the end of the story, and
not so close to the drama of Caroline and Ashe.

And yes, if you really were paying attention
there were ultimately six villains in that dark little club to
mirror my six lovely heroes…and no, I never named them all. A
writer has to save a little something for a rainy day.

Josiah Hastings is suffering from a
delightful version of macular degeneration of my own making with a
dash of cataracts and floaters to make it interesting. While I
appreciate the notes begging me to give him only cataracts and send
him off to France for surgery; Mr. Hastings declined to travel
abroad to submit to the procedure. (Stubborn things, men, don’t you
agree?) Eleanor remains his source of beauty in the world and he
has a few more paintings yet before the shadows win. But Josiah
isn’t afraid of the dark, and I know my readers understand that
with his prim and lovely lady at his side, his future is very
bright.

Gayle continues to study medicine and thrive
under her husband’s tutelage and while it was a work of fiction, I
will respectfully not be giving her access to a formal education or
licensing to honor the women who truly were first and fought that
fight. Rowan is a progressive thinker but still a man of his age,
so he has clearly encouraged her in the areas of midwifery and
women’s health but probably still engages in rousing arguments
about how she doesn’t need to treat the rougher elements in his
weekly clinics.

Caroline’s dreams of a university for women
is part of a future series if you ask this writer. Bellewood
College has a place in my heart and I love the idea of a series of
books based on the women who will cross through those doors and
turns of their lives and loves. (Besides a selfish wish to catch a
glimpse of Darius Thorne the professor and his wife Isabel…and
friends…and…)

How close did I come to killing Caroline?
Close. I think a previous editor had a heart attack when I
mentioned the option and I was talked out of it. It is a convention
of our genre that main characters seem immortal—but every time I
watch Downton Abbey, or any great romantic and dramatic series on
television, I’m jealous at their knack for ending a character’s
life to wring more emotion from their audience. So apparently, I’m
a wicked person. Please don’t send me hate mail. I did NOT kill
Caroline and Ashe’s happiness remains intact.

Although, somebody out there admit it! If
I’d done it and snuffed her, it would have made for an amazingly
emotional ending and potentially...a great set-up for another
story…Seriously. No hate mail, friends.

And finally, we’re down to Galen’s tale.
After all this time, I’m not sure if I have any secrets left except
to say that Herbert wasn’t really intended to have a happy ending
of his own until a reader sent me an email that was so kind and
gracious, I decided to make her an opera singer and the rest, as
they say, is history. Thank you, Betsy!

And yes, just in case no one was paying
attention…there were a couple of fun new secondary characters in
this last book and I for one would LOVE to see their stories.
Anyone? Sabrina Martin is lovely, don’t you think? I find something
about beautiful widows very appealing and I think she deserves a
fairy-tale of her own. And what about “Death”? Nothing like a tall,
dark and handsome, English-educated, foreign assassin to make a
future woman’s day…I do enjoy bad boys.

If I missed anything, send me a note and
I’ll do my best to get you an answer. I won’t promise that it will
be a good answer, but I will promise to do my utmost.

Again, thank you, Dear Readers!

The Jaded will miss you…