Pst. Hello Readers! Surprise! We have a second post for you today. The writer of this one was very insistent that we publish the scoop she got and we’re not ones to argue. It is what we do, after all. She says you’ll find more about it all in a book called Charmless by Susan Carroll.
Hello, my dears. Desiderata Fantine, here, author of that popular publication, Fantine’s Designs for Fashionable Young Ladies. For years, the ladies of Arcady have depended upon me for the latest fashion advice and gossip in our capital city of Castleton. Today I will be sharing the most astonishing news. The much-anticipated royal ball is over and the heir to the throne, Prince Florian has chosen the lucky girl destined to be his bride. Ella Upton is a lovely young woman from a respectable Midtown family, but she is hardly one of the more eligible aristocratic and wealthy beauties from the Heights. Ella is very elusive, but I finally managed to catch up with her for this interview.
Fantine: Ella, were you overwhelmed and thrilled when the prince selected you out of all the ladies in the land?
Ella: Overwhelmed, yes, thrilled no! When I went to that blasted ball, I never expected to attract the attention of the prince.
Fantine: But now that the prince has proposed to you, you must be delighted. When will the royal wedding be held?
Ella: Never! At least not with me as the bride.
Fantine: What! Are you saying that you refuse to marry the prince? Do you really expect me to believe that?
Ella: Why should you when no one else does? All of Castleton think I am merely being coy and cruel, teasing the prince with my rejection. Even my stepmother believes I will relent in time. Worst of all, the prince himself refuses to take no for an answer. Everywhere I go, he barrages me with flowers, love songs and the most dreadful poetry.
Fantine: But Prince Florian is so handsome and charming. You would become a princess with all the luxury you could desire. Forgive me, my dear, but your family is not exactly rich. Aren’t you being rash to spurn his advances?
Ella: I realize how much it would benefit my beloved stepmother and sisters if I wed the prince. That is what makes this situation so stressful and difficult. But I am one of the few people in the kingdom that knows the truth about Florian.
Fantine: Oh? Do tell!
Ella: Beneath that handsome façade, Florian is a total cad, ruthless and arrogant. I believe that he is responsible for the horrible thing that happened to his younger brother, Ryland. But I dare not speak of that. You know it is against the law to criticize royalty in our kingdom. I could end up locked away in the Dismal Dungeons. I fear I have already said too much. Even if Florian was the most charming prince in all the kingdoms, it would not matter. Because I have already given my heart to someone else.
Fantine: Who could you possibly prefer to the prince?
Ella: I cannot say, because Florian has threatened to fight any rivals for my hand.
Fantine: You can trust me, my dear. I won’t print a word about your true love in my column. Who is he?
Ella: Horatio Crushington, the Commander of the Midtown Garrison.
Fantine: Astonishing! I will admit the Commander is very handsome. And that physique! So tall and what broad, muscular shoulders. But he seems so stern and forbidding.
Ella: That is because you don’t know him. Horatio can be very tender and kind. He is compassionate, honorable, and brave. In short, everything that Prince Florian is not.
Fantine: But what about those rumors that Horatio Crushington spent his early years in the Foundling Asylum. And you know what everyone says about foundlings, that they were born of evil parents with tainted blood—
Ella: Utter nonsense! No matter who his parents were, there is nothing evil or tainted about Horatio. He is the best man I have ever known, honorable and true. And he loves me far more than I deserve. If he ever finds out the secret I am keeping from him, the crime that I committed on the night of the ball, I fear that I will lose his love forever.
Fantine: How intriguing. Miss Upton could not be persuaded to tell me anything more. Will she ever be able to live happily ever with Commander Crushington or is her story fated to end in tragedy? Gentle readers, keep watchful for further updates. Yours ever, Desiderata Fantine.
Author Susan Carroll began her career in 1986, writing historical romance and regencies, two of which were honored by Romance Writers of America with the RITA award. She has written twenty-six novels to date. Her St. Leger series received much acclaim. The Bride Finder was honored with a RITA for Best Paranormal Romance in 1999 and also received the Reviewers Choice Award from Romantic Times magazine for Historical Romance of the year.
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