If Wishes Were Earls (33 page)

Authors: Elizabeth Boyle

Tags: #Romance, #Histoical Romance, #Love Story, #Regency Romance, #England

BOOK: If Wishes Were Earls

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T
he Affair of the Queen’s Necklace is an infamous chapter in French history that some claim was the beginning of the end for Marie Antoinette. The theft of the spectacular diamond necklace was conceived by Jeanne de la Motte, a con artist and court hanger-on, who convinced the Cardinal de Rohan to purchase the necklace as a way to curry the queen’s favor. When the diamond necklace was given to Jeanne to take to Her Majesty, she and her husband instead broke up the necklace and the comte headed to London, where the diamonds were sold.

When the Paris jewelers began to demand payment and the cardinal realized he’d been swindled, the entire scheme came tumbling down upon Jeanne de la Motte, who was tried, convicted and horsewhipped. She later escaped from prison and joined her husband in London. She died under mysterious circumstances after a “fall” from a window.

After researching the actual historical event, I knew I had to use it as the plot device for Roxley and Harriet’s story, adding the infamous card game in Calais. Who’s to say that the comte didn’t gamble a bit on his way to London. And who’s to say Jeanne de la Motte’s accidental fall wasn’t an encounter with Lord Mereworth?

On another matter, you may find the references to the Miss Darby novels familiar; this is because the author, Rebecca Tate, was the heroine of one of my earlier novels. I so adored creating the fictional Darby series that I hated not to use them again. As I began to write the Rhymes with Love series, I saw a chance to make them Harriet’s favorite novels and therefore have liberally quoted from them herein.

You can find Rebecca’s story, and read more excerpts from Miss Darby, in
It Takes a Hero
.

All my best to you. I hope you have enjoyed Roxley and Harriet’s story.

Best wishes,

Elizabeth

P.S. If you are wondering who is the mysterious lady Crispin, Viscount Dale married, as mentioned early in this story, please read my e-novella,
Have You Any Rogues?

For more lively romances

in Elizabeth Boyle’s delightful

Rhymes With Love
series,

don’t miss:

The Viscount Who Lived Down the Lane

The Knave of Hearts

When Louisa and Lavinia Tempest arrive in London at the home of their godmother, they find their arrival is rather unexpected. Nor is London society all that welcoming. But the Tempest twins are up to the challenge, especially when Louisa meets their mysterious next-door neighbor and Lavinia finds herself being tutored in the romantic arts by London’s most notorious rake. Matchmaking, mayhem, and true love are all in the mix in these next two fun and witty romances by
New York Times
bestseller Elizabeth Boyle.

Coming Soon

from Avon Books

About the Author

E
LIZABETH
B
OYLE
has always loved romance and now lives it each and every day by writing adventurous and passionate stories that readers from all around the world have described as “page-turners.” Since first being published in 1996, she’s seen her books become
New York Times
and
USA Today
bestsellers and won the RWA RITA® Award and
Romantic Times
Reviewer’s Choice Awards. She resides in Seattle with her husband and two sons, or “heroes in training” as she likes to call them. Readers can visit her on the web at www.elizabethboyle.com.

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www.AuthorTracker.com
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By Elizabeth Boyle

I
F
W
ISHES
W
ERE
E
ARLS

A
ND THE
M
ISS
R
AN
A
WAY
W
ITH THE
R
AKE

A
LONG
C
AME A
D
UKE

L
ORD
L
ANGLEY
I
S
B
ACK IN
T
OWN

M
AD
A
BOUT THE
D
UKE

H
OW
I
M
ET
M
Y
C
OUNTESS

M
EMOIRS OF A
S
CANDALOUS
R
ED
D
RESS

C
ONFESSIONS OF A
L
ITTLE
B
LACK
G
OWN

T
EMPTED
B
Y THE
N
IGHT

L
OVE
L
ETTERS
F
ROM A
D
UKE

H
IS
M
ISTRESS
B
Y
M
ORNING

T
HIS
R
AKE OF
M
INE

S
OMETHING
A
BOUT
E
MMALINE

I
T
T
AKES A
H
ERO

S
TEALING THE
B
RIDE

O
NE
N
IGHT OF
P
ASSION

O
NCE
T
EMPTED

N
O
M
ARRIAGE OF
C
ONVENIENCE

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

IF WISHES WERE EARLS
. Copyright © 2014 by Elizabeth Boyle. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, 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.

EPub Edition JANUARY 2014 ISBN: 9780062089106

Print Edition ISBN: 9780062089090

FIRST EDITION

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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