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    Saving Grace: Fair Cyprians of London, #1
    Saving Grace: Fair Cyprians of London, #1
    Saving Grace: Fair Cyprians of London, #1
    Ebook102 pages57 minutes

    Saving Grace: Fair Cyprians of London, #1

    By Beverley Oakley

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    About this ebook

    FAIR CYPRIANS OF LONDON series (BOOK 1)

     

    London, 1878

     

    Welcome to Madame Chambon's!

     

    Within this lavish London townhouse, a host of beautiful, intelligent women cater to the desires of princes, potentates and noblemen.

    These are the stories of the ruined vicar's daughters, kidnapped baronesses, and enterprising lady's maids who seek to turn the tables on those responsible for their fall from grace…

     

    And to find a happy-ever-after on their terms.

     

    Saving Grace is Book One

     

    At seventeen, Grace thought she'd found love and a future with the sensitive son of the household in which she was employed.

    But when David went to university, a terrible thing happened...

     

    Three years later, as Grace prepares for her next job, she learns she is the special initiation 'gift' procured by a mother in fashionable Mayfair for her son's twenty-first birthday.

     

    Grace, however, plans a 'celebration' of a different kind.

     

    One that will give her satisfaction for the wrongs that plunged her into this hated life.

     

    But when Grace crosses the threshold of the address where she once served in a very different capacity, her quest for revenge takes a very different turn.

     

    A story of courage and redemption with an unexpected ending.

     

    What the Readers are Saying:

     

    "It was exciting and emotional. Sexy and romantic." ~ Goodreads

     

    "This is one of the most interesting stories on why a girl might become an escort. The twists and turns are breathtaking...I couldn't put this down." ~ Goodreads

     

    Reading Order:

     

    Book 1 - Saving Grace

    Books 2 - Forsaking Hope

    Book 3 - Keeping Faith

    Book 4 - Wedding Violet

    Book 5 - Christmas Charity

    Book 6 - Loving Lily

     

    Associated Victorian Murder Mystery with Romance Series - London Ladies in Peril

    Murder at Madame Chambon's - Book 1

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBeverley Oakley
    Release dateJul 27, 2021
    ISBN9781386169420
    Saving Grace: Fair Cyprians of London, #1
    Author

    Beverley Oakley

    Beverley Oakley was seventeen when she bundled up her first her 500+ page romance and sent it to a publisher. Unfortunately drowning her heroine on the last page was apparently not in line with the expectations of romance readers so Beverley became a journalist. Twenty-six years later Beverley was delighted to receive her first publishing contract from Robert Hale (UK) for a romance in which she ensured her heroine was saved from drowning in the icy North Sea. Since 2009 Beverley has written more than thirteen historical romances, mostly set in England during the early nineteenth century. Mystery, intrigue and adventure spill from their pages and if she can pull off a thrilling race to save someone’s honour – or a worthy damsel from the noose – it’s time to celebrate with a good single malt Scotch. Beverley lives with her husband, two daughters and a Rhodesian Ridgeback puppy the size of a pony opposite a picturesque nineteenth century lunatic asylum. She also writes Africa-set adventure-filled romances tarring handsome bush pilot heroes, and historical romances with less steam and more sexual tension, as Beverley Eikli.

    Read more from Beverley Oakley

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      Book preview

      Saving Grace - Beverley Oakley

      Saving Grace

      This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.

      SAVING GRACE

      First edition. July 27, 2021.

      Copyright © 2021 Beverley Oakley.

      ISBN: 978-1386169420

      Written by Beverley Oakley.

      Saving Grace

      A sizzling Redemptive Victorian Romance

      Beverley Oakley

      Sani Publishing

      Contents

      Note from the Author

      Saving Grace

      Chapter 1

      Chapter 2

      Chapter 3

      Chapter 4

      Chapter 5

      Chapter 6

      Chapter 7

      Forsaking Hope - extract

      Fair Cyprians series

      Fair Cyprians of London Series

      Also by Beverley Oakley

      SIGN UP TO MY NEWSLETTER!

      About the Author

      Note from the Author

      Hello Dear Reader,

      Welcome to Saving Grace, the first in my Fair Cyprians of London series!

      These passionate romances revolve around a group of young women, enticed through trickery or genuine desire, to work in Madame Chambon's high class London House of Assignation.

      Ruined vicars’ daughters, governesses betrayed by the young master of the house, and parlourmaids with explosive secrets are some of the stories in the series.

      Set in the 1870s, their stories of love, betrayal, honour and redemption are inspired by the frank and revealing interviews given by 'fallen women' to nineteenth century journalist Henry Mayhew which he documented in his book London's Underworld.

      Each story ranges in heat level from sweet to sizzling, depending on the heroine and her circumstances, and each is a standalone. 

      Please note that Saving Grace is sizzling.

      I hope you enjoy it!

      ♥ Beverley Oakley ♥

      Note: Saving Grace was originally published by Pan MacMillan Momentum.

      Saving Grace

      Chapter 1

      London, 1878

      Reclining on a red plush sofa, Grace took a sip of her sickly sweet orgeat and forced a haze over any thoughts about the night ahead. Madame Chambon only allowed her girls champagne when the gentlemen were paying for it and although Grace was not a drinker she liked the way it dulled her senses to the present.

      The others were gathered in companionable groups on the fashionable Egyptian sofas, their heavy scent perfuming the air, their soft murmurs imbuing the atmosphere with a falsely domestic air.

      She glanced at Hope, another of those who, like her, kept to themselves. Hope was favoured by the gentlemen who patronised their St James’s establishment for her milky white skin and delicate, elfin features. Grace had heard the girl had been a governess before she’d been tricked by the squire’s son who’d then abandoned her. She’d been too ashamed to return to her family. Maybe it was the truth. Each girl had a story to suit herself.

      To Grace, the only truth was that they were all on a path to hell. It didn’t take much for a girl to lose her character but once it was gone there were precious few options for her to put food in her belly and keep a roof over her head.

      An expectant hush fell as the heavy draped and tasselled curtain was drawn aside and Madame Chambon arranged herself theatrically in the opening, ready to address her petites choux.

      "Ravissement!" she complimented them in thickly accented English, clapping her hands. Grace suspected the elegantly ravaged Madame came from Lambeth rather than the Left Bank. Not that it mattered. No one in this business was who they said they were.

      Least of all, Grace.

      The girls, awed and anxious, straightened their rich, colourful gowns nervously. Despite her appearance of bonhomie Madame Chambon could turn on a coin. And it was she who ensured the girls did not return to where most of them had been plucked from—the gutter.

      A great opportunity awaits one of you tomorrow, she addressed them, for I have just been honoured by the visit of a woman of great discernment …

      A couple of the girls tittered. A woman?

      They closed their mouths at Madame Chambon’s beady stare, attending as she went on, who has requested I supply her with one of my loveliest …

      She drew out the pause as several of the brothel’s most popular young ladies preened.

      … most hard-hearted girls.

      All heads turned towards Grace. She blinked, surprised to register shock when she rarely felt anything these days. Is that how they regarded her? Hard-hearted?

      Surely she was not alone in a profession that demanded one’s soul in return for the necessities to live? She simply had nothing left to offer once she’d done what was required in order to pay Madame Chambon her keep and just survive.

      Madame Chambon levelled her expectant look upon Grace, whose mouth dropped open in protest. A woman? But—

      "The woman wants to give her son a present to remember for his twenty-first birthday. She is obviously a very fond mother— Madame Chambon allowed herself to share the girls’ amusement, adding, with very good sense in choosing our select establishment to provide him with the very best initiation— Her smile grew cloying as she continued to look at Grace—without fear of him being lured into a transfer of affections amidst all the other … ahem … transfers that take place." Though she made a gesture with her hands to indicate the transfer of money, the girls tittered at the double entendre.

      Redheaded Lottie, known for her noisy exuberance, leaned in towards the girl beside her. Grace doesn’t have a heart to lose. Her whisper resonated.

      Nor did Grace have the heart to participate in the banter that followed.

      So what if she’d been selected? It was just another job and a good thing she need not worry about eliciting the emotions of a twenty-one-year-old virgin. Pleasing, also, was the knowledge that any business with a virgin meant it would all be over in less than five minutes.

      Madame Chambon selected her dress for her, in royal blue and silver stripes to complement her

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