Practical Widow to Passionate Mistress. Louise Allen
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Meet Meg, Bella and Celina—
three loving sisters, desperate to escape
the iron rule of their fanatical rector father…
One by one they flee the vicarage—
only to discover that the real world holds its
own surprises for the now-disgraced Shelley
sisters! How will they get themselves out of the
scandalous situations they find themselves in?
Can betrayed widow Meg learn to love again?
Will pregnant and abandoned Bella find the man to turn her blush of shame to the flush of pleasure?
And how will virginal courtesan-in-training Lina discover the meaning of true passion?
Find out in…
The Transformation of the Shelley Sisters
Three sisters, three escapades,three very different destinies!
Author Note
Welcome to the world of Margaret, Arabella and Celina Shelley. Brought up by a harsh and repressive father, all the sisters wanted from life was love—and by looking for it they found themselves branded as sinners and parted from each other.
Early nineteenth-century England was an unforgiving place for fallen women. Dreamy Meg, practical Bella and innocent Lina fought back against Society, and their own fears, to rebuild their lives and find their true loves, transforming themselves in the process.
This is the story of Meg, the middle sister. Dreamily romantic, she eloped with her childhood soldier sweetheart and found herself learning to be practical and realistic in the brutal world of the war-torn Iberian Peninsula. Now, alone and virtually penniless, she must find her way back to England—and her only hope is dark and brooding Ross Brandon, a man wounded in body and soul.
I hope you enjoy Meg and Ross’s journey as much as I enjoyed discovering it, and that you will rejoin the Shelley sisters to meet Bella in the next book in the trilogy.
Practical Widow to Passionate Mistress
Louise Allen
Louise Allen has been immersing herself in history, real and fictional, for as long as she can remember, and finds landscapes and places evoke powerful images of the past. Louise lives in Bedfordshire, and works as a property manager, but spends as much time as possible with her husband at the cottage they are renovating on the north Norfolk coast, or travelling abroad. Venice, Burgundy and the Greek islands are favourite atmospheric destinations. Please visit Louise’s website—www.louiseallenregency.co.uk—for the latest news!
Recent novels by the same author:
VIRGIN SLAVE, BARBARIAN KING
THE DANGEROUS MR RYDER*
THE OUTRAGEOUS LADY FELSHAM*
THE SHOCKING LORD STANDON*
THE DISGRACEFUL MR RAVENHURST*
THE NOTORIOUS MR HURST*
THE PIRATICAL MISS RAVENHURST*
* Those Scandalous Ravenhursts
Praise for Louise Allen’s
Those Scandalous Ravenhursts
THE DANGEROUS MR RYDER
‘Allen’s latest adventure romance
is a roller-coaster ride that sweeps readers
through Europe and into the relationship
between a very proper baroness and a
very improper spy. The quick pace and
hold-your-breath escape plans turn this love story
into a one-night read that will have you
cheering for the appealing characters.’
—RT Book Reviews
THE OUTRAGEOUS LADY FELSHAM
‘Allen’s daring, sexy and, yes, outrageous
spin-off of THE DANGEROUS MR RYDER
gently borders on erotic romance because of the
manner in which she plays out her characters’
fantasies (including a marvellous bear rug!) without ever losing sight of Regency mores.’
—RT Book Reviews
THE SHOCKING LORD STANDON
‘Allen continues her collection of novels
centring on the ton’s scandalous activities
with another delightful and charming
Ravenhurst story of love and mayhem.’
—RT Book Reviews
Prologue
July 1808
‘North Wales?’ Celina repeated blankly as Meg finished pouring out her news. ‘But that’s hundreds of miles away. We will never see you.’
‘That wouldn’t be so bad if we knew you were happy,’ Arabella ventured, ‘But Great-Aunt Caroline? She’s a recluse—’
‘She is mad as a hatter,’ Meg Shelley retorted, biting back the tears. ‘You only have to listen to those horrible letters she sends Papa. She is worse than he is.’ She reached out and took her sisters’ hands, wincing and letting go as the grip tightened on the livid weals across her palms. ‘I would rather be here with you both and be whipped every day, than go there.’
‘Perhaps if you promised Papa you would not read novels again?’Arabella suggested, picking up the worn shirt she was darning for the poor box and then dropping it back into the basket with a sigh. Meg felt the affection surge through her; at nineteen, her elder sister tried so hard to be dutiful, to do what was expected, despite constant carping and coldness from their father. How did she manage it? Meg wondered. Could she ever be as good, as submissive?
‘Or anything else but the Bible?’ she demanded. ‘If it is not books, it is going for walks, or trying to grow flowers, or talking to people or singing—I cannot do it. I cannot promise to stop thinking, stop doing everything that gives me any pleasure. I will go as mad as Great-Aunt Caroline. I don’t mind the housework and the laundry and the mending and the praying. I don’t mind working hard, but to be punished for wanting joy and beauty…’
‘And I don’t understand what he said about Mama,’ Celina said with a frown. ‘How can he say we all carry her bad, sinful, blood? Mama wasn’t a sinner.’
‘He has not been right since she died.’ Arabella glanced towards the door, as though expecting the Reverend Shelley, switch in hand, to stalk in at any moment. Meg shook her head impatiently. They had discussed this so many times, and still could not fathom what, beyond natural grief, had turned a naturally serious and strict father into an embittered and suspicious domestic tyrant.
‘He says Great-Aunt Caroline’s health is deteriorating and I must go and nurse her and be a companion. She could perfectly well hire a dozen nurses and companions, she is wealthy enough,’ Meg said. ‘It is just an excuse to punish me.