Her Improper Affair. Shea McMaster
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He’s about to be conquered and hasn’t a clue . . .
After college, Birdie Ferguson hits London like a ray of California sunshine. She’s fresh, cheery, and positive she’s about to be the best Executive Assistant her father has ever had. But her chipper outlook is guaranteed to clash with her stuffy coworker Oswald Attenborough, who has probably never had a belly laugh in his life . . .
Oswald knows he’s not good enough for the boss’s daughter. Although he’s born of aristocracy and is proving himself at Lynford International, he’s always had to play second or third fiddle to his Peers. But now he’s ready to take his talents elsewhere. Until he’s tasked with mentoring Birdie. Despite his own reluctance, he can’t help but notice life’s a lot less dreary with this West Coast beauty around . . .
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Books by Shea McMaster
The Robinsons series
Her Foreign Affair
Her Unexpected Affair
Her Improper Affair
Rachel Dahlrumple
Writing as Morgan Q. O’Reilly
Frozen
Chinook, Wine and Sink Her
The Open Window Series
Til Death Undo Us
Courage to Love
Weathering the Storm
Published by Kensington Publishing Corporation
Her Improper Affair
The Robinsons series
Shea McMaster
LYRICAL PRESS
Kensington Publishing Corp.
www.kensingtonbooks.com
Copyright
Lyrical Press books are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp. 119 West 40th Street New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2016 by Shea McMaster
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First Electronic Edition: November 2016
eISBN-13: 978-1-60183-821-6
eISBN-10: 1-60183-821-2
First Print Edition: November 2016
ISBN-13: 978-1-60183-823-0
ISBN-10: 1-60183-823-9
Printed in the United States of America
Dedication
To my husband, the fabulous Mr. McWonderful.
At the time I wrote this book, times were tough and not looking up. Your support has kept me writing through all our trials – a priceless gift.
Acknowledgements
Author Maya Blake answered many, many questions about London locations and British customs to help with the authenticity of this book. Any cultural mistakes are my own and not intended to cause offense.
Super sprint writing partner Carmen Bydalek helped me bust down blocks and kept me at the keyboard long after I would have given up had she not been there to egg me on.
Lizbeth Selvig also provided feedback and helped me tweak a few sentences. She’s been studying the Brits far, far longer than I have. Her more recent travel abroad eclipses my short few days spent in London more than thirty years ago.
Last, but never least, the alpha reader who has been with me from the start, Jennifer Weilbach. We knocked another one out!!
Chapter 1
The last notes of the organ music echoing in the vast reaches of Grace Cathedral held the congregation in thrall. Birdie sat in the front pew of the magnificent cathedral on San Francisco’s Nob Hill as her brother’s wedding began. Behind her, approximately four hundred thirty-five guests filled only half of the nave. If she understood correctly, the number would be a tight fit at the reception venue, a ballroom at the St. Francis Hotel on Union Square.
At the altar, Drew took Meilin’s hand from her father. The two had eyes only for each other. The loudest sound heard over small rustles was Mr. Wu’s footsteps as he found his seat in the pews.
Beside Birdie, her mother sniffled into a lacy handkerchief. On her mother’s left, sitting on the aisle, her father had three more hankies tucked in the pockets of his suit. They held hands and shared a smile very similar to that of the bride and groom. It hadn’t been so very long ago they’d said their vows.
Across the aisle, on the bride’s side, the first three rows were jam-packed with what she imagined Chinese mafia might look like. The older men were stern-faced and their ladies dressed very much like the royal court of London, complete with fascinator hats. Most of that group represented the closest of Meilin Wu’s family—parents, brother, sister-in-law, nephews, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Behind them the rows were filled with more distant relatives, many friends, and scores of business associates. Many of them the old guard of Chinatown.
On the groom’s side, not quite as many pews were filled, but they held a surprisingly large number of friends and family from England. Several of whom were scheduled to attend the smaller ceremony back in Sussex in less than a week. The larger portion was local friends and business associates of her mother and grandfather. A few friends from Stanford. Not a bad showing paired with the Wu dynasty.
At the front, the bride and groom stood facing one another, absolutely absorbed in each other and the words of the priest at the altar. Birdie had heard the words so many times in the last year she nearly had them memorized.
Still, she had to admit her brother cleaned up very well. His bride, who never needed any cleaning, looked radiant. Birdie had no doubt Drew’s tux had been custom made in China; it fit too perfectly to be rented. The embroidered red silk vest, matching tie and handkerchief were also a dead giveaway. For all their marked differences, the pair were two halves of a whole. Him tall, blond with blue eyes, her small with dark hair, pearl smooth skin, and soft green, almond-shaped eyes. The expressions on their faces were identical. The two were love-struck for sure. A small part of her melted at the observation.
As beautiful as they both were, it was easy to assume animal attraction, although anyone who knew them knew it went so much deeper.
Despite being half way around