Lady Ann's Excellent Adventure (A Regency Short Story) by Candice Hern Read Free Book Online

He ran his nose along her neck. "Especially wearing the perfume I bought for you yesterday. It will always remind me of my Annie, my uninhibited hoyden."
    He dipped his head and kissed her.
    She fought him, but only for an instant. As annoyed as she was with him, she still wanted this. When he released her wrists in order to wrap his arms around her, she twined her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. Their kiss became deep and lush and full of promise. And seemed never-ending.
    When he finally lifted his head, he grinned down at her. "It was wrong of me, I know. But how could I pass up the opportunity to become better acquainted with the woman I am to marry without her knowing it?  I thought I might perhaps get a less formal glimpse into the character of the very formal Lady Ann. And I do not regret it. I doubt you would ever have revealed yourself so thoroughly to your stiff-necked, officious bridegroom."
    "Hmm. I might have done, if he turned out to be as charming as my Will."
    "I shall endeavor to charm you for the rest our lives. I believe we shall rub along together rather nicely, don't you, Annie?"
    "Oh, yes." And she kissed him.
     
    ###

AUTHOR'S NOTE  
    Although Lady Ann is a fictional character, her father and all the royal cousins mentioned are real historical figures. Prince William Henry, Duke of Gloucester and Edinburgh, was King George III's younger brother. His marriage to Maria Walpole, Countess of Waldegrave was kept secret from the king, who would never have approved his brother's marriage to a widow of illegitimate birth. The king did not learn of the marriage until after the passage of the Royal Marriages Act of 1772, which prohibited descendants of George II from marrying without the monarch's approval. (The Act is still in effect today.) The Act was a direct result of the unsuitable marriage of another royal brother, Prince Henry, Duke of Cumberland. The king was furious to learn that his brother Gloucester, said to be his favorite sibling, had also married unsuitably, and in secret.
    The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester had three children, two of whom survived into adulthood. None of their children was named Ann. She is entirely an invention of the author. Had she been real, she would have been known as Princess Ann of Gloucester. Her styling in this story as Lady Ann of Gloucester is simply a matter of literary license. Lady Ann's Excellent Adventure had a more interesting, and less young-adult, ring to it than Princess Ann's Excellent Adventure . But for all the royal purists out there, the author is quite aware that the title is incorrect.
     
     
     
     
     

    ABOUT THE AUTHOR  
     
    Candice Hern is the award-winning, bestselling author of historical romance novels set during the English Regency, a period she knows well through years of collecting antiques and fashion prints of the period. She travels to England regularly, always in search of more historical and local color to bring her stories and characters to life.
    Her books have won praise for the "intelligence and elegant romantic sensibility" ( Romantic Times ) as well as "delicious wit and luscious sensuality ( Booklist ).
    Candice's award-winning website ( www.candicehern.com ) is often cited for its Regency World pages, where readers interested in the era will find an illustrated glossary, a detailed timeline, illustrated digests of Regency people and places, articles on Regency fashion, research links, and much more. It is the only author website listed among the online resources for the Jane Austen Centre in England.