Scandalous Again

388 Pages·2003·1.27 MB·English

by  Christina Dodd

To Heather MacAllister,
a dear friend and a great help.
You worked with me hand-in-glove
to give this plot the perfect touch.
Thank you!
?@
Contents
To the Reader
Chapter One
“Now, Madeline, I realize you’ve only
just arrived home ...
Chapter Two
“It looks as if the Red Robin has disin-
tegrated ...
Chapter Three
Slowly, Eleanor rose. “Wh-what?”
Chapter Four
“Miss de Lacy!”
Chapter Five
Gabriel’s gaze skidded over Lady Tabard,
over Thomasin, over Madeline ...
Chapter Six
Madeline strode down the empty corridor
in search of something ...
Chapter Seven
Madeline jumped.
Chapter Eight
Madeline clasped her hands in pride as
she surveyed her handiwork.
Chapter Nine
Madeline’s plan had been too simple.
Chapter Ten
“My lord, you look lonely.”
Chapter Eleven
Idly, Thomasin ran sand through her fin-
gers and watched ...
Chapter Twelve
“Ye told her what?”
Chapter Thirteen
Thomasin snatched the hairbrush out of
Madeline’s hand.
Chapter Fourteen
“My dear Miss de Lacy, you were right!”
Chapter Fifteen
When Madeline’s eyes sprang open, the
night candle had burned low.
Chapter Sixteen
As Madeline caught her breath, the
thought flashed through her mind—
Chapter Seventeen
“Have you lost your mind?”
Chapter Eighteen
“I am not a dish served for your delecta-
tion.”
Chapter Nineteen
Gabriel commanded, “Then lie still and
let me do what I want.”
Chapter Twenty
Gabriel’s chest heaved as he looked at
Madeline sprawled beneath him.
Chapter Twenty-one
The next afternoon, tray in hand,
MacAllister paused and observed Madeline.
Chapter Twenty-two
Madeline clutched the wooden jewel
box.
Chapter Twenty-three
Gabriel went willingly, fascinated by the
strength of Madeline’s intention,
Chapter Twenty-four
All Madeline had to do was make her
way back to her bedchamber.
Chapter Twenty-five
As the men laughed at Bill, Madeline
and Thomasin hurried out,
Chapter Twenty-six
It was after midnight when the
Mademoiselles Vavasseur finished ...
Chapter Twenty-seven
“It is my considered opinion that Lord
Campion has overreached ...
Chapter Twenty-eight
Madeline’s knees gave way.
Chapter Twenty-nine
“I won. I won!”
Chapter Thirty
That was the question Madeline should
be asking herself.
Chapter Thirty-one
Did Gabriel love her?
Chapter Thirty-two
“Gabriel!”
About the Author
Also by Christina Dodd
Front Cover
Copyright
About the Publisher
Dear Reader,
It happens to all of us. We’re thrown into circumstances
where we have to pretend to be someone else. Like when
you graduate from high school, go to college, and pretend
you’re a college student. Or you get married and pretend
you’re a wife. Or you have a baby and pretend you’re a
mother. You ask for the instruction manual and everybody
chuckles.
You’re in dead earnest.
So you face the days,one at a time. First,you overcome
the initial incompetence, the sense that you’re the wrong
person in the wrong place and everyone’s going to know.
Slowly you realize that people take you at face value and
you learn how to do the tasks assigned to the new person
you’re pretending to be. Sure, you fall on your face a few
times, but gradually you discover your strengths. Maybe
you’re not like all the other college students or the other
wives or the other mothers,but as time goes on you fail less
and less. Finally, you discover that while in the process of
faking it, you’ve proved you’re just as smart, just as good,
just as witty,just as accomplished as anyone in the world! It’s
a great feeling,and it’s happened to me,maybe . . . twice. But
that feeling is all the more significant for being rare.
Madeline de Lacy,duchess of Magnus,faces just such a
situation when she changes places with her companion and
cousin,Miss Eleanor de Lacy. Madeline has to pretend to be
meek,humble and competent with an iron. She is,of course,
none of those things. Just when she thinks matters couldn’t
get worse, she meets her former fiancé, Gabriel Ansell, the
earl of Campion—and they do.
I hope you enjoy Scandalous Again, and may all your
dreams come true!
Warmly,

Chapter One
?@
Suffolk,1806
“Now, Madeline, I realize you’ve only just ar-
rived home from your tour abroad, and you
deserve to rest, but I’m afraid that’s not possible.”
Madeline de Lacy, the Marchioness of Sheridan,
the future duchess of Magnus, bit into the first
good English beef she’d had in almost four
years, chewed, swallowed and smiled beatifically
across the sunny breakfast table at the bluff, red-
cheeked bulldog of an Englishman. “Why is that,
Papa?”
“I wagered you in a game of piquet and I lost.”
She stared. Placing her knife and fork carefully
beside her plate, she glanced at the dumbfounded
footman, frozen in place as he bent to pour Mag-
nus his morning coffee. “That will do, Heaton.
Place the carafe on the sideboard. We’ll call you if
we need you.” When Heaton had left, she gazed
at her father and repeated—for she wanted no