In an unforgettable debut, Lisa Berne introduces you to the
Penhallow Dynasty—men destined to marry, but hesitant to love.
YOU MAY KISS THE BRIDE
The Penhallow Dynasty #1
Lisa Berne
Releasing March 28, 2017
Avon Books
In an
unforgettable debut, Lisa Berne introduces you to the Penhallow Dynasty—men
destined to marry, but hesitant to love.
Wealthy and
arrogant, Gabriel Penhallow knows it’s time to fulfill his dynastic duty. All
he must do is follow “The Penhallow way”—find a biddable bride, produce an heir
and a spare, and then live separate lives. It’s worked so well for generations,
certainly one kiss with the delectable Livia Stuart isn’t going to change
things. Society dictates he marry her, and one chit is as good as another as
long as she’s from a decent family.
But Livia’s
transformation from an original to a mundane diamond of the first water makes
Gabriel realize he desperately wants the woman who somehow provoked him into
that kiss. And for all the ladies who’ve thrown themselves at him, it’s the one
who wants to flee whom he now wants. But how will he keep this independent miss
from flying away?
Not for the
first time, Livia thought how uncannily Cecily resembled the china
shepherdesses Aunt Bella had once collected—it was that shining hair of hers,
the color of new straw, those cornflowerblue eyes, that pale, creamy skin.
Today she wore an exquisite long sleeved gown of the finest, whitest cambric,
which set off her willowy figure to perfection; from underneath its lacy
appliquéd hem peeped dainty kid slippers with pretty little pink rosettes.
Livia resisted the urge to glare at her own slippers, very old, very rundown.
Instead she
looked over at Aunt Bella (her slippers weren’t much better), who kept her
sleepy gaze fixed on Lady Glanville as she droned on, occasionally murmuring
“Indeed” and “How delightful.” She lay half reclining on her sofa, draped in
innumerable shawls, some of which puddled forgotten on the floor. Aunt Bella
suffered from an extensive variety of ailments, none of which she ever openly
discussed, all of which she treated with her cordial which she described,
nebulously, as a superior medicinal. She spent a good deal of her time dozing
in this room, with only a cage of small birds to keep her company.
Livia glanced
at them now, huddling on their perches. Their cage was set near the window, but
because Aunt Bella had an aversion to sunlight at all times, the heavy
greenishblack drapes were drawn as was her custom and the drawingroom was
gloomy and dim. It felt like she was underwater, Livia thought. Drowning. At
least she would escape this room, for eventually this epically awful
morningcall would end, but those little birds were trapped.
Quietly she
stood and went to them. They looked at her without moving, their eyes dark,
soft, pitifully dull. Livia inched the drapes apart and a welcome beam of
sunlight illuminated the cage.
“—and after
kindly informing me that my color was a trifle high, Mrs. Penhallow advised a
diet of dry toast with a small quantity of pickled onions to stimulate the
juices of digestion, for which she very generously divulged the receipt.”
“How
delightful,” said Aunt Bella. “Livia, close those drapes at once.”
Sulkily Livia
obeyed and returned to her seat.
“In short, it
was a most gratifying exchange,” said Lady Glanville, “and concluded with Mrs.
Penhallow actually offering two fingers to shake. I don’t know when I’ve been
more pleased! You may therefore envision with what transports I received a
letter from Mrs. Penhallow just a few days ago.”
She withdrew
from her large beaded reticule a folded sheet. “My dear Bella, rejoice with us!
Mrs. Penhallow writes that her grandson, Gabriel Penhallow, is in London,
having returned from several years abroad. ‘He and I agree that it is high time
that he marry and ensure the succession,’” Lady Glanville read aloud. She took
a deep breath, causing her already prominent bosom to swell prodigiously.
“Only listen!
‘Your daughter, Cecily, seems to me to be a most suitable candidate. Her
demeanor is ladylike and her movements graceful. I perceived, too, that her
teeth are good. Following our propitious meeting at the Pump Room, I of course
had my man of business thoroughly examine your situation in life and your
family lines. Your fortune is sufficient and, aside from a slight taint of
trade arising from mercantile activities during the time of Queen Elizabeth, I
find your ancestry to be acceptable.’”
Lady
Glanville cleared her throat. “I need hardly say that those activities occurred
on Lord Glanville’s side of the family.”
“Indeed,”
Aunt Bella murmured.
“So they are
coming here!” burst out Cecily excitedly. “So that Mr. Penhallow can meet me!”
“It is an
honor quite overwhelming,” said her ladyship.
“We’ve entirely put off our plans
for Cecily’s Season.
Naturally Mrs. Penhallow most specifically states that no
promises have been tendered, but she makes it very clear that should Mr.
Penhallow find Cecily agreeable, we may expect to promptly receive an offer of
marriage.”
“They say
he’s one of the most eligible men on the Marriage Mart!” Cecily said happily,
her blue eyes sparkling. “He is so wealthy, too! Only think of my jewels and
carriages! I shall move in quite the highest, most fashionable circles!”
Remarkably,
Livia thought, Cecily had no objection to being inspected as if she were some
sort of prize heifer. And if the fabled Mr. Penhallow were to deem Cecily an
acceptable wife, why, what a perfect match it would be. So perfectly, terribly
romantic. She felt her lip curling in a sneer she just barely managed to
repress. Cecily now smiled at Livia with that same kindly air. “And I won’t be
too grand to forget you, Livia dear. Your future must be thought of, too. I
don’t suppose I’ll be able to arrange a match for you—that would be reaching a
little too high—but perhaps I could ask among my new acquaintance if they might
need a governess. That, I daresay, would suit you admirably. Not quite below-stairs, but elevated above
the other servants.” Then she lifted her delicate blond eyebrows. “Oh, dear,
no, it would be impossible,wouldn’t it? You’ve had no training. But perhaps I
can find something for you by and by,
once I’m Mrs. Penhallow. Perhaps even in my own household. Wouldn’t that be
jolly?”
“Well, well,”
Lady Glanville said indulgently, “let’s not get ahead of ourselves, my dear.
You are not Mrs. Penhallow yet. Although I doubt that Mr. Penhallow will meet
with a prettier girl anywhere, here or abroad.” She folded the letter and with
conspicuous care put it back into her reticule. “We must be on our way. There’s
a vast deal yet to do, for the Penhallows arrive the day after tomorrow. Our
ball will be, I may say without false modesty, exceptional. All the
neighborhood gentry are to come.”
“And you,”
Cecily said, still smiling sweetly at Livia, “are invited too. And dear Mrs.
Stuart, of course.”
“Too, too
kind.” Livia could tell her face was getting red with the effort of remaining
civil.
“I know you
do not dance, not having had the benefit of a master,” Lady Glanville told her,
“but you must come, find yourself a quiet little corner, and enjoy the decorations.
We are doing up the ballroom in the Egyptian style. Quite a hundred pounds have
been spent on potted palms alone.”
“How
delightful.” The hot flush was spreading down her neck.
“Yes, yes,
delightful,” Aunt Bella said to Lady Glanville, struggling feebly to sit a
little more upright, “but you know I don’t go out. Charles must take her.”
Her ladyship
smiled archly. “I knew such would be the case. Lord Glanville sent a message to
that effect. He is bringing up from the cellar some Spanish port and trusts
Charles will share it with him.”
“Oh, he’ll go
then,” answered Aunt Bella, visibly relieved and sinking back onto her
cushions. “How nice for you, Livia.”
“Yes, and we
brought some more of my old gowns for you,” added Cecily. “My maid has them in
the hall. Perhaps one of them might suit you for the ball. Though you are wider
than I am.”
“My Cecily is
quite the soul of benevolence, is she not, dear Bella? Well, Livia, you must be
anxious to see your new dresses. Why don’t you run along, and retrieve them
from Cecily’s maid. What fun you shall have.”
Q&A with Lisa Berne
Describe yourself in five words or less.
Curious, creative; reader, writer, dreamer.
If you had a theme song, what would it be?
“Gonna Fly Now” from Rocky. Because
perseverance is an important quality for a writer.
Name one thing you won’t leave home without.
Besides the necessary cellphone, wallet, and lip gloss? A
little notebook and pen. (I know you said one thing, but this is plainly a
writer’s indivisible unit of oneness.) Inspiration can strike at any time, and
for me paper’s better than apps for jotting down notes about my writing.
Name three things on your desk right now.
A thesaurus. A couple of houseplants, which I’m sneakily
categorizing as “greenery,” because I also want to mention my stack of Post-it
Notes, without which I am considerably less productive.
What types of scenes are your most favorite to write?
I love writing scenes in which characters are talking and
there are all kinds of things they can’t — or won’t — say embedded within their
words, whether it’s because they’re wrestling with their emotions, unaware of
their deep true feelings, constricted by the etiquette of the time, other
people are around, and so on. Which means that in what seems like a simple
conversation, the subtext can be deliciously complicated.
Do you have any advice to give to aspiring writers?
I’m not the first to suggest that reading —
widely and voraciously across multiple genres, both for pleasure and with an
analytic eye — is a necessary component for someone wanting to become a writer.
There are also a lot of great, insightful books and blogs on the subject; I
particularly like Stephen King’s On Writing, Elizabeth
Gilbert’s Big Magic, Gwen Hayes’ Romancing the Beat,
and Chuck Wendig’s bracing, blisteringly unsentimental approach to the writing
life.
Can you tell us about your upcoming
book?
With pleasure! Coming this summer is the second book in the
Penhallow Dynasty series: The Laird Takes a Bride, featuring
Scotsman Alasdair Penhallow, who’s forced by an arcane decree to marry and ends
up with spirited Fiona Douglass. They’re both very resentful of the situation,
and don’t find each other particularly attractive or appealing . . . which is,
of course, a highly inauspicious way to begin a marriage. But it’s a very fun
way to set a love story in motion.
Lisa
Berne read her first Georgette Heyer book at fourteen, and
was instantly captivated. Later, she was a graduate student, a grantwriter, and
an investment banker, but is thrilled to be returning to her roots and writing
her own historical-romance novels! She lives with her family in the Pacific
Northwest
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