In 1853, the Scottish physician Alexander Wood invented the hypodermic syringe with a hollow needle, using the sting of the bee as his model. It was a huge leap forward in pain relief and, of course, has been used in countless other applications, including vaccinations. Thank you, Dr. Wood. (And thank you, bees.)
The British Bulldog revolver, introduced by Philip Webley of Birmingham, England, in 1872, is a deceptively small handgun. It was designed to be carried in a coat pocket, with a barrel that’s only 2.5 inches long, but it has enough stopping power to knock someone off their feet. In 1881, a disgruntled lawyer assassinated President James Garfield with a Belgian-made British Bulldog revolver.
I based the MacRae distillery on Bruichladdich, a renowned distillery on Islay. After Greg and I watched a fascinating documentary titled Scotch: A Golden Dream (I think it’s still available on Amazon) I was instantly taken with the idea of creating a hero who made whisky. (Spelled “whiskey” in the US and Ireland, but “whisky” in Scotland and Canada.) There’s a romance and art to distilling whisky, and the flavor is influenced by the water that goes into making it, the kind of wood used for the cask, how long it’s been matured, and a thousand other factors.
Slàinte Mhath (slan-ge-var), my dears—that’s a toast to your health. I’ve relied on your friendship and support so much this past year, and I never take any of you for granted. Much love to all!
Lisa
Lady Merritt’s Marmalade Cake
This is a loaf of sunshine, based on Victorian era loaf cake recipes. It’s perfect for breakfast, teatime, or dessert. (Lady Merritt suggests using actual marmalade instead of “fruit spread.”)
Ingredients:
3/4 C butter, softened
3/4 C sugar
3 eggs
4 tablespoons marmalade
juice of 1 orange (about 1/2 C)
zest of 1 orange
1 1/2 C flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
Glaze:
4 tablespoons marmalade
1 tablespoon butter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan—put a little rectangle of parchment paper on the bottom if your loaf pan isn’t nonstick.
Whisk softened butter and sugar together. (If it’s your cookmaid’s day off, use an electric mixer.) Add eggs, marmalade, orange juice, and zest; mix until combined.
In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to the butter mixture and mix until just combined. Don’t overmix! Also don’t worry if it looks lumpy.
Bake for 55 minutes, or until a toothpick is inserted and comes out clean. If it starts to look too brown during the baking, lay a piece of foil over the top.
Cool for 15 minutes and ease the loaf out of the pan. Melt the other four tablespoons of marmalade with a tablespoon of butter and spread over the top of the warm cake, then let it cool completely before slicing. (If you have that much self-restraint, which, sadly, my family does not.)
A Word of Caution:
When serving this treat to a prospective suitor, remember to have a chaperone present.
We all know what scandal can lead to.
About the Author
LISA KLEYPAS graduated from Wellesley College with a political science degree. She is a RITA® Award-winning author of both historical romance and contemporary women’s fiction. Her novels are published in twenty-eight different languages and are bestsellers all over the world. She lives in Washington State with her husband, Gregory, and their two children.
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Also by Lisa Kleypas
The Ravenels series
Cold-Hearted Rake
Marrying Winterborne
Devil in Spring
Hello Stranger
Devil’s Daughter
Chasing Cassandra
The Wallflowers series
Again the Magic
Secrets of a Summer Night
It Happened One Autumn
Devil in Winter
Scandal in Spring
The Bow Street Runners series
Someone to Watch Over Me
Lady Sophia’s Lover
Worth Any Price
Capital Theatre series
Somewhere I’ll Find You
Because You’re Mine
I Will (A Christmas Novella)
Gamblers of Craven’s series
Dreaming of You
Then Came You
The Stokehursts series
Midnight Angel
Prince of Dreams
Only with Your Love
When Strangers Marry
Standalone novels
Stranger in My Arms
Where Dreams Begin
Suddenly You
Anthologies
Where’s My Hero? (with Kinley MacGregor and Julia Quinn)
Three Weddings and a Kiss (with Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, Catherine Anderson, and Loretta Chase)
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
devil in disguise. Copyright © 2021 by Lisa Kleypas. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins Publishers. For information, address HarperCollins Publishers, 195 Broadway, New York, NY 10007.
Digital Edition JULY 2021 ISBN: 978-0-06-237197-3
Print Edition ISBN: 978-0-06-237196-6
Cover design by Patricia Barrow
Cover art by Alan Ayers
Avon, Avon & logo, and Avon Books & logo are registered trademarks of HarperCollins Publishers in the United States of America and other countries.
HarperCollins is a registered trademark of HarperCollins Publishers in the United States of America and other countries.
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