I’m so glad to be back visiting Susana and all of you!
I’m here today to tell you about When a Marquis Chooses a Bride, Book #2 in The Worthingtons.
For those of you who read Three Weeks to Wed, the first book in the series, you might recall Charlotte bemoaning that her dearest friend, Dotty Stern could not come out with her. In typical Worthington fashion they figured out a way to give Dotty her Season, and that’s when the fun begins.
Note: Ella is giving a signed copy of When a Marquis Chooses a Bride to one random commenter.
About When a Marquis Chooses a Bride
Thanks to their large extended family and unconventional courtship, The Worthingtons have seen their share of scandal and excitement. But nothing has prepared them for this…
The Dowager Lady Worthington isn’t quite sure what to make of country-girl Dorothea Stern. As the granddaughter of the Duke of Bristol, Dotty is schooled in the ways and means of the nobility. But her sharp wit and outspoken nature has everyone in a tizzy. Especially their cousin, Dominic, the Marquis of Merton.
Prematurely stuffy, Dom was raised by his cheerless uncle to be wary of a host of things, including innovation, waltzing, and most perilous of all: true love. Still, there’s something about Dotty, beyond her beauty, that Dom cannot resist. But the odds are against him if he intends to win her as his bride. Will he choose loyalty to his family—or risk everything for the one woman he believes is his perfect match…
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Excerpt
Early afternoon sun poured through the windows of the large airy schoolroom in Stern Manor. The space was filled with bookcases, four desks, two sofas, and sundry toys.
Miss Dorothea Stern sat on the larger of the much-used sofas, threading a strand of rose silk through her embroidery needle. She had one more Damask rose to complete before the slippers she was making for her mother were completed.
But no matter how hard she tried, she could not escape the fact that the neighborhood was sadly flat now that her best friend, Lady Charlotte Carpenter, was gone. For years, they had planned to come out together, just as they had done everything else since they were in leading strings.
In the meantime, there was a great deal to keep Dotty busy. Since her mother’s accident, she had taken up Mama’s duties. Dotty enjoyed visiting their tenants, talking to the children and their mothers, and finding ways to help them.
“Dotty,” her six-year-old sister, Martha, whined, “Scruffy won’t stay still.”
Scruffy, a three-legged dog Dotty had saved from a hunter’s trap, was resisting Martha’s efforts to tie a ribbon on him. “Sweetie, boys don’t like frills. Put it on your doll instead.”
Fifteen-year-old Henrietta glanced up from the book she was reading. “She took it off the doll.”
“Henny,” Dotty asked, “aren’t you supposed to be practicing your harp?”
Her sister stuck her tongue out. “No, I’m supposed to be reading Ovid in Greek.”
Their father, Sir Henry, was a classical scholar and had been a rector before his older brother’s death a few years ago. Much to Henny’s dismay, he had decided to teach all the children Latin and Greek.
Dotty took in the book her sister held. The marble cover was a trademark of the Minerva Press novels. “That is not Ovid.”
Puffing out a breath of air, Henny rolled her eyes. “Aren’t ladies supposed to be fashionably stupid?”
“No, they are supposed to appear stupid,” Dotty replied tartly. “Which is completely ridiculous. I refuse to marry a gentleman who thinks women should not have brains.”
“If that’s the case, you may become a spinster,” Henny shot back.
“Lord Worthington likes that Grace is clever.” Dotty resisted a smug smile. “I’m sure there must be other gentlemen who believe as he does.”
Charlotte’s older sister, Grace, was now the Countess of Worthington. She had taken all five of the younger children with her to London for Charlotte’s come out. Shortly after arriving in Town, Grace had met and fallen in love with Mattheus, Earl of Worthington. They had wed three weeks later.
Not long ago, Grace and her new husband had returned to Stanwood Hall for a few days so that Lord Worthington, who was now guardian to her brothers and sisters, as well as his own sisters, could inspect the property.
Before Henny could retort, the door opened. “Miss”—Dotty’s maid, Polly, glanced around the room, her gaze settling on Dotty—“Her ladyship asked me to come fetch you.”
Dotty pulled the thread through, secured the needle, and set the slipper down. “Is she all right?”
“Oh yes, miss.” Polly bounced from foot to foot. “She got a letter from London and sent for you straightaway.”
Dotty hurried to the door. “I hope everything is all right.” There was nothing wonderful in receiving a letter from London. Practically everyone they knew was in Town for the Season. Mama and Dotty should have been there as well, yet the day before their planned departure her mother slipped and broke her leg.
“No, miss,” the maid said as she hurried after her. “Her ladyship was smiling.”
“Well, I suppose the sooner I get to her, the sooner I shall find out what she wants.” A minute later, she knocked on the door to her mother’s parlor and entered. “Mama, what is it?”
Waving a sheet of paper in her hand, her mother smiled broadly. “Unexpected and wonderful news. You shall have your Season after all!”
Dotty’s jaw dropped. She snapped it shut and made her way over to a chair next to her mother. “I don’t understand. I thought Grandmamma Bristol couldn’t sponsor me because of Aunt Mary’s confinement.”
“This”—Mama waved the letter through the air again—“is from Grace.”
About the Author
Bestselling author Ella Quinn’s studies and other jobs have always been on the serious side. Reading historical romances, especially Regencies, were her escape. Eventually her love of historical novels led her to start writing them. She has just finished her first series, The Marriage Game, and her new series, The Worthingtons began in April 2016.
She is married to her wonderful husband of over thirty years. They have a son, two granddaughters, and a dog. After living in the South Pacific, Central America, North Africa, England and Europe, she and her husband decided to make their dreams come true and are now living on a sailboat cruising the Caribbean and North America.
She loves having readers connect with her.
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