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PLEASURING THE PRINCE
by Patricia Grasso
Published by Kensington Publishing
ISBN: 0821777114
Copyright (c) 2006 by Patricia Grasso
FROM THE BOOK JACKET:
Fancy Flambeau is the darling of the London stage,
and captures the eye of every gentleman charmed by her beauty.
Fancy, however, refuses to be any man's mistress, though Prince
Stepan Kazanov relishes the opportunity to change her mind and show
her the delights of sensual pleasure. Tempting as his whispered
promises may be, Fancy vows to avoid the heartbreaking fate that
befell her mother when she gave her love to a selfish aristocrat.
But Stepan's games of seduction take a serious turn when terror
sweeps through London. A killer dubbed the Rose Petal Murderer is
preying upon pretty young women. Desperate to keep Fancy safe,
Stepan abducts her from the city, and soon the heat of anger and
long-denied passion melts into ecstasy. Yet the bliss they find in
each other's arms may not be enough to make Fancy forget the
past--or protect them both from the dangers that come from denying a
love that is meant to be...
*This book contains adult language.
CHAPTER ONE
London, 1821
"Loves me, loves me not..."
A tall gentleman, dressed in formal evening attire, stood on the
summit of Primrose Hill in the predawn gray of a mist-shrouded
morning. Carried on the wind, the unmistakable smell of the Thames
tainted the early spring air, and a raw clamminess permeated his
exposed skin.
The man gazed almost lovingly at the woman, beautiful in death,
giving proof to the peacefulness of her passing. He dug into his
leather pouch, clutched a handful of rose petals, and sprinkled them
one by one the length of her body from head to feet.
"A waste of true beauty," said a hoarse voice.
The gentleman looked at the short, plump woman standing beside him.
"Return to the coach." Knowing she would obey without argument, he
took another handful of rose petals from his pouch.
"Loves me, loves me not..."
* * *
Royal Opera House
"I refuse to become my mother."
Fancy Flambeau sat on a stool in a pigeonhole dressing room and
prepared for her operatic debut. Pots of theater cosmetics cluttered
the tiny table in front of her, and a minuscule mirror hung on the
wall over the table.
Noting the mirror's long diagonal crack, Fancy wondered if bad luck
would mar her talent or test her determination. If bad luck walked
through the door, she hoped it would not take the form of an
aristocrat.
"I refuse to become my mother" Fancy reminded her distorted image in
the cracked mirror.
Beyond normal nervousness, her debut did not frighten her. Fancy had
more important worries such as aristocratic males who preyed upon
singers, dancers, and actresses. Long ago, she had resolved never to
love an aristocrat or let herself become love's victim. Like her
mother.
Keeping that resolve had been easy until today. Once she stepped on
the stage, every wealthy gentleman in London would set his gaze on
her for the first time and target her for his next conquest. Men of
the aristocratic ilk considered women like her their quarry, toys to
be used and discarded as they pleased.
Fancy had dressed for the role of the adolescent Cherubino in "The
Marriage of Figaro." Her costume consisted of black breeches, a
white shirt, and a red jerkin.
After wiping her hands on a linen, Fancy peered in the mirror at her
six sisters crowding the dressing room. She turned around and gave
them her most confident smile. "By this time tomorrow, I will have
become London's most famous prima donna."
Ranging in age from nineteen to sixteen with two sets of twins, her
sisters laughed at her feigned bravado. The only missing family
members were Gabrielle Flambeau, her mother, and Nanny Smudge.
Fancy wished her mother and her nanny had lived to see this day. She
sighed, thinking she had many unattainable wishes. More wishes than
money.
"We should go to our seats." Nineteen-year-old Belle opened the door
and gasped in surprise when something small and hairy ran past her
into the room.
A monkey climbed onto Fancy's lap. With its hands the animal covered
its ears, then its eyes, and finally its mouth.
"A capuchin monkey." Eighteen-year-old Blaze crouched beside her
sister's stool. She imitated the monkey's actions and then lifted it
into her arms, cradling it against her shoulder like a baby.
"Miss Giggles, there you are." With an apologetic smile, a stocky
man stepped into the dressing room and carried the monkey away.
"Who is that?" asked Raven, the youngest.
"Sebastian Tanner is the prima donna's husband," Fancy answered,
"and Miss Giggles is her pet."
"Giggles hates the Tanners," Blaze said. "I saw it in her eyes."
"The monkey has good taste," Fancy said, making them smile.
Her sisters filed out of the dressing room to find their seats in
the audience. Only Belle and Raven lingered behind.
Fancy produced a white linen handkerchief, two of its corners
embroidered with the initials MC. She passed the handkerchief to
Raven.
"Is he in the audience?"
Raven closed her eyes. "I feel his presence nearby."
"Seeing his oldest b astard on stage should surprise him." Fancy
plucked the handkerchief out of her sister's hand. "I hope he
suffers agonizing pangs of conscience."
"Why do you nurse a grudge against the man who sired us?" Belle
asked. "Bitterness hurts you more than him."
"His neglect put Mama in an early grave."
"Mama was responsible for her own fate," Raven said.
"He never loved us," Fancy continued, as if her sister had not
spoken.
"You cannot know what dwells in another's heart," Belle said.
"His money has supported us through the years," Raven reminded her,
"and he sent Nanny Smudge to care for us."
"Do not make excuses for a father you could not recognize if you
passed him on the street" Fancy sighed, knowing but refusing to
admit the rightness of what her sister said. "Losing Mama hurt, and
now Nanny Smudge has joined her."
"Nanny Smudge has gone nowhere." Raven touched her hand. "You know
she protects us still."
Hearing the orchestra begin the opera's overture, Fancy reached for
her hairbrush. "We'll meet outside after the show." |
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