Emilia Arundel is a romance writer. She has zero romantic or sexual history, except for a few awkward semi-dates she's gone to with a man who turned out to be married, broke her heart, and solidified Emilia's negative body image and her many insecurities. When another romance writer puts Emilia in touch with a dominatrix; as apprehensive as she feels, Emilia dares to visit The Top, an elite kink and sex club, where, to her own shock, she's approached by Daniel Oates, a famous restaurateur. As 'safe, sane, and consensual' as his offer is, what can he - a proverbially rich and powerful, mind-bogglingly attractive, worldly, and sexually experienced alpha-male - possibly want from Emilia? **Disclaimer** This book is now part of The Ladies of Letters & Lust series. The first book -"Blind Carnival" - is complete and can be found below on my page. **Disclaimed #2** This book is a part of the multiverse of my stories, and can be read independently... or you can entertain yourself by finding the connections between my other stories. The protagonist of this story is the Emily R. Green, the author of the Oakerton book series, which was adopted into the telly series starring our darling Roy Amaratunga from "The On-Screen Marquess & I." And yes, an Olivia in the prologue IS the Olivia Dane, whose books many of my other protagonists read. Her books play a prominent role in the fate of Imogen Fox, the protagonist of "Official Town Business" posted here, and are enjoyed by Fiona and Dr. Viola Holyoake from the Fleckney series.

Sybil 'Billie' Harewicke's life leaves much to be desired, starting with her ridiculously old-fashioned name. She's a rational, dull person - who had the misfortune of being born into a family of local witches. Her main interest in life is the Library Science - and they had just closed the library in her home county of Fleckney. She works in the only bookshop in the county - while everyone expects her to join the family business of fortune telling and potion brewing. Even the one ability that she allegedly inherited from the generations of self-proclaimed psychics, is the least useful out of the Seven Harewicke Gifts! It's holiday time in Fleckney, which means extra work for Billie, both with her family and at the bookshop. When she's offered to escape both and to work in the Bjornsson Art Fund for two weeks before Christmas, she couldn't be happier. She's always dreamt of getting her hands on the magnificent library of the Bjornsson Hall. Except, it turns out that the job has got nothing to do with bibliothecography - and is a nightmare! And a rowdy, unsophisticated crowd of filmmakers arrive at Fleckney to scout locations and research the scene. The only consolation is that none other than Archie Billingsley is among them. He's everything a celebrity should be: handsome, eloquent, prone to spontaneously quoting Shakespeare, and calling his fans 'darling.' He's just starred in a highly successful Austen adaptation, and there are rumours of an upcoming Chekhov stage play. Among other guests of the Hall are Billingsley's agent, an eccentric director, a dozen of crew members, and Eric Dair, an actor best known for playing every thug, mafioso, and terrorist in pretty much every latest blockbuster, at home and across the pond. Billie is hardly enthused at the prospect of interacting with the motley crew - but at least it'll allow her to avoid the local obsession with holiday romance and finding their true love on Christmas! Bah, humbug!

A young lady of the peerage in Regency England has but three wishes in life: to please her aristocratic parents, to honor her aristocratic family, and to promote society's and her country's best interests by following the first two wishes in marrying well to solidify family alliances. But where do a young lady's hopes, dreams, and wishes abide? And with the expectations pressed upon her by her family and society, how might a young lady fulfill her own desires and expectations for a happy life? Lady Elizabeth Blount, Lady Gwendolyn Lindsay, and Lady Constance Knightsbridge are three ladies who desire their hearts' expectations of romance and love be fulfilled-as were Lady Madeline Sinclair Blount the Countess of Sussex's expectations fulfilled in meeting and marrying her husband Lord Christian Blount the Earl of Sussex, after a little encouragement. And it will be up to the newly married Lady Madeline and her husband Lord Christian as the Countess and Earl of Sussex to somehow help these other two ladies fulfill their expectations.

Lady Madeline Lucretia Sinclair's very proper maternal grandmother Lady Lucretia Beckham Knott advises her that all a gentleman needs from a lady to offer for her is a little encouragement from that lady. But then again, it is encouragement that a lady must refrain from lest an unsuitable or undesirable gentleman press his suit upon her. But therein lies the crux of Lady Madeline's dilemma. How does a lady become sufficiently acquainted with a gentleman in order to discern if she wants to encourage him--without first seeking him out for conversation or dancing, and without seeming to encourage him before her mind is made up? And when her heart has chosen, but his has not, how does she help him find his heart's desire? These will be the riddles that Lady Madeline must find the answers to for her happily ever after.