She laughed, her fingers threading through his hair. “In the name of science, of course.”
He shook his head. “Hang science,” he said, grey eyes flashing with passion and promise and something much much more. “This is for love.”
Author’s Note
I have done my best to ensure that the science referenced in the book is accurate to scientific knowledge of the pre-Victorians, with one notable exception—Pippa’s roses. The first hybrid rose is widely thought to be La France, a beautiful pink bloom cultivated from a red rose bush in 1867 by Frenchman Jean-Baptiste Guillot. With apologies to M. Guillot, Pippa is well ahead of her horticultural time; the Baine is strikingly similar to La France.
If the fall of Knight’s seems familiar, it’s because Pippa’s plan is inspired by a much more modern casino heist—the one in Ocean’s Thirteen. I would be remiss if I did not thank Danny Ocean, who inspired the Angel and her fallen owners, and the men who brought him (and his crew) to life in both 1960 and 2001, including Lewis Milestone, Frank Sinatra, Stephen Soderbergh, and George Clooney. I like to think that Pippa would have made a great twelfth to the original eleven.
Others I would want as cohorts in a casino heist include Carrie Feron, my brilliant editor (who could easily mastermind the whole thing), the fabulous Tessa Woodward, and the rest of the Avon Books team, including Pam Spengler-Jaffee, Meredith Burks, Jessie Edwards, Seale Ballenger, Tom Egner, Gail Dubov, Shawn Nicholls, Carla Parker, Brian Grogan, and Sara Schwager. Add to it my agent, Alyssa Eisner-Henkin, and I’ve got a Cracker Jack team who wouldn’t rest until we were safe on an island somewhere, drinking fruity drinks, safe from capture.
Thanks to Sabrina Darby, Sophie Jordan, and Carrie Ryan for early reads, hundreds of texts, hours of phone calls, excellent wine and unwavering friendship. Thanks to Scott Falagan for goose anatomy, to Dr. Dan Medel for long talks about medical history, and to Meghan Tierney for letting me borrow Beavin.
To my family—who try their very best not to get annoyed when I go underground for months at a time to write—thank you for always forgiving my absence. You’re my proof that Cross is wrong; there is such a thing as luck.
Eric, thanks for sharing me with Brad and George for all that “research.” They’ve got nothing on you.
And to you, lovely reader, thank you for loving my scoundrels as much as I do; I hope you’ll join me for Temple’s book, No Good Duke Goes Unpunished, later this year.
About the Author
SARAH MACLEAN grew up in Rhode Island, obsessed with historical romance and bemoaning the fact that she was born centuries too late for her own season. Her love of all things historical helped to earn her degrees from Smith College and Harvard University before she finally set pen to paper and wrote her first book.
Sarah now lives in New York City with her husband, their dog, and a ridiculously large collection of romance novels. She loves to hear from readers. Please visit her at www.macleanspace.com.
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