Griffin released a long-suffering sigh. "I shall keep looking."
"You do that," she said, patting his arm and silently wishing him luck. The spice cakes had clearly been a waste. Poor Griffin. "In the meantime, I must speak with Alexandra."
She scanned the ballroom in search of her older sister and finally found her talking to Aunt Frances.
"Who was that you were dancing with?" Alexandra asked as she approached.
"Lord Stafford."
"He's very handsome."
"His hair is too dark." At Alexandra's blank look, Juliana shrugged. "Can you come to the Berkeley Square house this Wednesday afternoon?"
"I expect so. Why?"
"I need help making clothes for the Foundling Hospital babies."
"Your newest project, I take it?" Alexandra's brown eyes sparkled with mischief. "What have you got yourself into this time?"
If only she knew. "Corinna wanted to see the Hospital's art gallery, but oh, the poor foundlings were heartbreaking. And their mothers." Just thinking back on the balloting, Juliana wanted to cry. "I must do something to help them."
"Of course you must," Aunt Frances said. "With you, it's always something."
That much was true; Juliana couldn't deny it. "And what does that make me?" she wondered. "Impulsive? Melodramatic? Judgmental, overwrought, overemotional?" She stopped there, knowing she was all of those and more. Honestly, she could go on and on.
Which was why she wanted to hug Alexandra when she said, "No. That makes you compassionate, giving, hopeful. Kind and unselfish and vulnerable." Her perfect, responsible, married sister gifted her with a quiet smile. "It makes you lovable, Juliana. That's what it makes you the most."
She did hug her sister then, and her aunt, too, her heart not broken now but aching with warmth and affection instead. Yet all the while she was wondering: If I'm so lovable, why can't I find a husband to love?
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ABOUT LAUREN ROYAL
I decided to become a writer in the third grade (or, as my Canadian friends call it, grade three), after winning a “Why My Mother is the Greatest” essay contest and having my entry published in a major newspaper. Seeing my words in print was a thrill! But everyone told me it's too hard for novelists to get published, so after college I spent fourteen years as the CEO of my own jewelry store chain before writing my first book. A mistake? Maybe…but my first heroine, Amethyst, was a jeweler, so at least I took advantage of that wise old saying, “Write what you know.” And I learned a good lesson: Don't let other people tell you what you can or can't do!
I write humorous historical romance mostly set in England and Scotland in the 17th and 19th centuries (Restoration and Regency periods). I've been oh-so-lucky to see my books hit bestseller lists all over the world, including the New York Times and USA Today lists, making this second career a real dream come true. I live in Southern California with my husband, our three young adult children, and one constantly shedding cat, and I still think my mother is the greatest!
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
My heartfelt thanks:
To my BFF and fellow historical author Glynnis Campbell, for calling around Napa Valley to find the elusive grape-growing information I needed (thank goodness I have such a good friend, since I'm allergic to the telephone).
To Sara Rodger, librarian at Arundel Castle, for tracking down and sending me nineteenth-century floor plans (twice…thanks to a less-than-reliable postal system).
To my Chase Family Readers’ Group, for their enthusiastic support.
And to all my readers, whose wonderful letters, kind words, Facebook posts, and tweets make me want to sit down every day and write.
Thank you, one and all!
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Lost in Temptation (Regency Chase Family Series, Book 1) Page 36
