The Lady and the Secret Lord by Kate Moore

The Lady and the Secret Lord

by Kate Moore

Buy Link

BLURB:

In 1835 London, two stubborn souls from separate worlds collide and clash in the search for a missing child. When a threatening message warns Lady Phoebe Marchmont to stop searching for her missing younger brother, the Earl of Grafton, she rebels. Donning a disguise that permits her to move freely about London despite her youth and station, she entreats one of Scotland Yard’s secret detectives to assist her. The catch is that she must share in the investigation.

Former beat cop Robin Jones jumps at the chance to work a case that could prove him worthy to join the ranks of a secret group preparing to be Scotland Yard's first detectives. But finding the missing earl threatens to expose Robin’s youth as a troubled street urchin, a lost boy. Now Robin must face his past to help the determined and witty Lady Phoebe find her brother. The case will peel away all their disguises.

EXCERPT:

“What am I to call you?” he asked. Robin's voice sounded rough in his ears. 

Her chin came up. Her defiant gaze met his. “You mean if you decided to be polite and respectful and observe the distinctions of rank?” 

He took a step toward her. “I mean,” he said, “if you decided to observe the proprieties that govern a lady’s behavior, that keep her reputation and her person safe, Lady Phoebe.” 

“I don’t like lady,” she said. “It is a title tighter than this corset.” 

He laughed. “That corset would fall off you without the padding.” He wished it would. He wanted to see her true waist, to measure it with his hands. 

“That’s easy for you to say. You have no restraints. You come and go without anyone remarking your conduct or condemning it. No one requires you to hire a lady’s companion.” 

“True,” he said. “A lady’s companion would be a most inconvenient partner for a policeman.” 

She stepped out from behind the desk, advancing a little into the room. “If your brother went missing, you would not be obliged to hire a companion merely so that you could attend a musicale while other people searched for him. Well, I’ve had enough of that. Enough of well-meaning people telling me that I should abandon the search and have him declared dead so that I can return to society and take my place as a lady. So, no, you will not call me Lady Phoebe.” 

AUTHOR BIO:

Kate taught English lit to generations of high school students, who are now her Facebook friends, while she not-so-secretly penned Romances. In Kate's books readers find characters battling undeniable mutual attraction. Through laughs and missteps, warm-hearted, practical women draw honorable, edgy loners into a circle of love in Regency England or contemporary California. A Golden Heart, Golden Crown, and Book Buyers Best award winner, three-time RITA finalist and three-time Library Journal "top pick" in Romance, Kate lives north of San Francisco with her paddle-boarding husband, stray black cat, toys for visiting grandkids, and miles of crowded bookshelves.