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    A Lady of Many Charms and Other Stories: A Lady of Many Charms
    A Lady of Many Charms and Other Stories: A Lady of Many Charms
    A Lady of Many Charms and Other Stories: A Lady of Many Charms
    Ebook93 pages1 hour

    A Lady of Many Charms and Other Stories: A Lady of Many Charms

    By Heidi Wessman Kneale

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    About this ebook

    Three tales--one past, one present, one future--explore what it is to love and just how far someone would go for the love of another.

    The Past: Lady Daphne Collister is unimpressed with her fellow magic-wielding debutantes. She finds their methods overbearing. Surely there was a better way of finding a noble husband in Regency England?

    The Present: Ellie loves Josh. Josh barely knows Ellie exists. For her, it is not enough to sit behind him at school every day. What must Ellie do to get Josh to notice her? How about a love spell? After all, what could go wrong?

    The Future: Leo and his co-worker Katerina have fallen in love. Secretly, of course, for office romance is illegal and all marriages are strictly regulated. There's only one exception: the Valentine Raffle. But to win at love, Leo and Katerina may need to cheat the system...

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHeidi Wessman Kneale
    Release dateMar 25, 2016
    ISBN9781524264239
    A Lady of Many Charms and Other Stories: A Lady of Many Charms

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      Book preview

      A Lady of Many Charms and Other Stories - Heidi Wessman Kneale

      Three tales—one past, one present, one future—explore what it is to love and just how far someone would go for the love of another.

      The Past: Lady Daphne Collister is unimpressed with her fellow magic-wielding debutantes. She finds their methods overbearing. Surely there was a better way of finding a noble husband in Regency England?

      The Present: Ellie loves Josh. Josh barely knows Ellie exists. For her, it is not enough to sit behind him at school every day. What must Ellie do to get Josh to notice her? How about a love spell? After all, what could go wrong?

      The Future: Leo and his co-worker Katerina have fallen in love. Secretly, of course, for office romance is illegal and all marriages are strictly regulated. There’s only one exception: the Valentine Raffle. But to win at love, Leo and Katerina may need to cheat the system...

      This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales, is entirely coincidental.

      A Lady of Many Charms

      COPYRIGHT © 2016 by Heidi Wessman Kneale

      Ellie Loves Josh

      COPYRIGHT © 2003 by Heidi Wessman Kneale

      The Valentine Raffle

      COPYRIGHT © 2016 by Heidi Wessman Kneale

      All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

      Cover Art by Tara Maya

      Publishing History

      A Lady of Many Charms originally published in Heroes & Heroines, vol 1, Jan 2016

      Ellie Loves Josh originally published in Planet Relish, Mar 2003

      The Valentine Raffle originally published in Heroes & Heroines, vol 2, Feb 2016

      Draft2Digital version 1.0 - 25 March 2016

      Dedication:

      To Their Ladyships

      When I’ve had enough of reality, I open a book.

      A Lady of Many Charms

      Lady Daphne Collister is unimpressed with the other young ladies in Society. These marriage-minded misses have no qualms over using magic to trap eligible bachelors into marriage. She knows their methods are a recipe for disaster. But will her approach of honesty lead her to a successful marriage?

      When Peregrine, Marquess of Lindsey must hide from a mob of magic-wielding debutantes, he encounters guileless Daphne. When this young lady does not attempt to charm him, he realises that he may have found someone he could respect.

      But does she feel the same about him?

      This had to be the most ridiculous gown ever, thought Lady Daphne Collister. Looking at herself in full court dress in the fitting room mirror was enough to make her cringe. But one does not say such things in front of one’s modiste, especially when Madame Emilie was armed with pins. She moved around Daphne making last-minute adjustments, as if that would improve the hideousness of court dress. This gown was the illegitimate child of an overstuffed pork sausage and a self-important meringue. Whoever thought an Empire waist and hoops would suit each other was either blind, or playing a cruel joke.

      Yes, a cruel practical joke on every young lady who wished to be presented at court. She sighed. Can I take it off yet?

      Non, replied Madame Emilie through a mouthful of pins.

      Daphne’s mother, Lady Collister, sprang from her chair along the wall of the fitting room. Absolutely not. This dress must be perfect. Her hands fluttered. Oh, you must be the most splendid young lady there.

      Madame Emilie stepped back, satisfied with her pinning. Quelle charms will ze young lady be wearing?

      Ah. Magic. The one thing that might be able to overcome the terribleness of the court dress. Every young lady had charms and enchantments and the advantages of the ether to aid her in her appeal. Jewellery was the best at holding enchantments, with silver the superior vessel, as was platinum. Gold, for some odd reason, couldn’t keep an enchantment the way a child couldn’t hold a sweet in his hand for more than five minutes.

      Lady Collister returned to her chair. Her hand strayed to her throat. Beauty, of course, and Admiration. Grace and Thoughtfulness. She touched each earlobe. Anticipation.

      Madame Emilie made approving noises. Zat eez une bonne chose. She helped Daphne out of the monstrosity so she would not disturb the pins.

      For most noble families a court dress was a terrible waste of money and taste. Thank the stars she would only have to wear it once. While her heart raced at the thought of being presented to Queen Charlotte, did it have to be in such a silly dress?

      Once she was back in decent, fashionable clothing, Daphne was more than ready to quit the modiste’s.

      Alas, no sooner had they departed than Lady Collister saw Mrs. Higginsbotham, a woman who could talk until the leaves fell from the trees. Lady Collister was fond of autumn; they would be there all afternoon.

      The street was one of the nicer ones in Piccadilly, full of high-end shops and just around the corner from some good addresses. While her mother talked, Daphne watched random quality stroll by on this unusually sunny afternoon. A few dandies in their striped waistcoats passed her by, tipping their hats in greeting. She gave them a bob of a curtsey and let them pass on their way.

      A few moments later those same dandies came back, their footsteps determined and urgent as they passed her by. What could have spooked them so?

      A group of determined young ladies strode down the street, their eyes darting to and fro. No wonder the dandies ran.

      These young ladies were on the prowl. But what, or who, was their quarry? Daphne pitied the poor bachelor who stumbled into their sights.

      Mrs. Higginsbotham’s conversation could not hold Daphne’s interest. In boredom, she cast about. One door down, she spied a confectioner—Smith’s Sweet Shop, the sign pronounced. I’m stepping in to the confectioner’s, Daphne said to her mother.

      Mm, hmm, her distracted mother replied. Apparently Mrs. Higginsbotham’s latest on-dit was far more interesting than the desertion of her daughter.

      As she entered the door, a little bell tinkled. Once inside, she stopped. Her breath caught in her throat. It wasn’t a mere shop, but

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