He crossed his arms, staring across the room. “You’re not worthy of a man like him, Miss Andrews.”
Amelia felt her cheeks grow hot. “And why not? Is there something wrong with me? I know I talk too much, and most people believe I’m a featherbrain. But surely—”
She didn’t finish the sentence, for she suspected what he would say. You’re too young. Too innocent.
And that might be true, but why couldn’t she set her sights on the man she wanted? Why couldn’t she marry the handsomest man in London who set her pulse racing? Why should she settle for a titled gentleman with a respectable fortune, when she could have so much more?
No. She didn’t need Lord Castledon’s help. Not in this.
There were ways to capture a man’s attention, and she was certain that this was her year. To the earl, she remarked, “Thank you, my lord, but I don’t need your help after all. Especially if you believe I’m not worthy of the viscount.” She marched in the direction of her aunt Charlotte, hoping no one would see her embarrassment.
David Hartford stared at the young woman as she took long strides away from him. Amelia Andrews was impulsive, spirited, and filled with more joie de vivre than anyone he’d ever met.
“No, you’re not worthy of the viscount,” he remarked under his breath. “You’re worth far more.”
AUTHOR’S NOTE
Although doctors during the Regency era were largely unaware of how infection and diseases were spread, the Scots were a highly superstitious people. Dr. Paul Fraser would not have known that hand-washing or boiling instruments would kill germs, but he would have recognized that he lost fewer patients than his contemporaries. I took literary license in creating a Scottish character who washes his hands out of superstition, without really knowing why doing so helped his patients.
However, early physicians, such as Oliver Wendell Holmes, wrote essays that predated the germ theory later established by Joseph Lister. In 1843 Holmes believed that Puerperal fever in childbirth was spread from doctor to patient; he advocated washing hands and purifying instruments.
Could other physicians have considered this, thirty-three years sooner? It’s quite possible—and I’d like to believe that my Scottish doctor would have been an early believer.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
There are some manuscripts that are more challenging to write than others. It takes a special editor with a good eye to see the forest for the trees. With special thanks to Charlotte Herscher for helping me reshape this book and for being so supportive throughout the process.
Thanks also to my agent, Helen Breitwieser, for being a listening ear and for helping me on this journey.
Most of all, thanks to Pat Willingham for always carrying bookmarks in her purse and telling perfect strangers that I write romance.
Mom, you’re amazing.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rita® Award Finalist Michelle Willingham has published over twenty books and novellas. Currently, she lives in southeastern Virginia with her husband and children and is working on more historical romance novels. When she’s not writing, Michelle enjoys baking, playing the piano, and avoiding exercise at all costs.
Visit her website at www.michellewillingham.com or interact with her on Facebook at www.facebook.com/michellewillinghamfans.
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