The guests could wait a little bit longer.
“Well?”
Lady Barlow glanced from the carriage she was watching outside the church, to the woman who came to stand beside her. Agatha Dubarry. Maggie had insisted on inviting her friend, the brothel owner, and been terribly surprised when neither James nor Lady Barlow had argued. Vivian saw now that it was the right decision. The woman was dressed in a prim pink gown, her face free of makeup, and her brassy red hair was hidden by a wig. No one would recognize her.
“Ah,” the madam said, noting the way the carriage was rocking. “They have made up.”
“Yes. It would seem so,” Vivian agreed, turning her attention back to the moving vehicle. “At least they’re not in the library.”
Agatha chuckled softly and when Lady Barlow looked over in surprise, the woman admitted, “Maggie told me all about Lord Ramsey’s love of books.”
“Hmm. Love of books, love on books, love among books,” she counted off humorously, then glanced over her shoulder at the wedding guests. They were all peering curiously toward them. “I suppose we should tell these people that the wedding is still on. Do you think James and Maggie will be much longer?”
Agatha squinted at the carriage, pursed her lips and shook her head. “Nay. It has been two weeks since they have been together. Besides, by the way the carriage is moving, I am guessing that things are coming to a climax.”
“I hope for Maggie’s sake it is two,” Vivian murmured.
Agatha glanced in shock at her, then burst out laughing. When she had regained herself, she took Vivian’s arm, and the two started back into the church. The brothel owner said, “Why, Lady Barlow, Maggie never mentioned what a witty woman you are. I do believe we could be friends.”
“That is more than possible,” the noblewoman allowed with a smile. “And please, call me Vivian.”
About the Author
LYNSAY SANDS is the nationally bestselling author of the Argeneau/Rogue Hunter vampire series, as well as numerous historicals and anthologies. She’s been writing since grade school and considers herself incredibly lucky to be able to make a career out of it. Her hope is that readers can get away from their everyday stress through her stories, and if there are occasional uncontrollable fits of laughter, that’s just a big bonus.
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By Lynsay Sands
A Lady in Disguise
Bliss
Lady Pirate
Always
Sweet Revenge
The Switch
The Key
The Deed
The Wrong Highlander
The Highlander’s Promise
Surrender to the Highlander
Falling for the Highlander
The Highlander Takes a Bride
To Marry a Scottish Laird
An English Bride in Scotland
The Husband Hunt
The Heiress
The Countess
The Hellion and the Highlander
Taming the Highland Bride
Devil of the Highlands
The Trouble With Vampires
Vampires Like It Hot
Twice Bitten
Immortally Yours
Immortal Unchained
Immortal Nights
Runaway Vampire
About a Vampire
The Immortal Who Loved Me
Vampire Most Wanted
One Lucky Vampire
Immortal Ever After
The Lady Is a Vamp
Under a Vampire Moon
The Reluctant Vampire
Hungry For You
Born to Bite
The Renegade Hunter
The Immortal Hunter
The Rogue Hunter
Vampire, Interrupted
The Accidental Vampire
Bite Me if You Can
A Bite to Remember
Tall, Dark & Hungry
Single White Vampire
Love Bites
A Quick Bite
The Loving Daylights
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.
a lady in disguise. Copyright © 2002 by Lynsay Sands. 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.
This book was originally published as The Reluctant Reformer in 2002 by Dorchester Publishing Co., Inc.
Digital Edition JULY 2019 ISBN: 978-0-06-297180-7
Print Edition ISBN: 978-0-06-201979-0
Cover design by Patricia Barrow
Cover illustration by Victor Gadino
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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