Imagine Me

by Gayle Eden
Madeline Duvall and her sister Lydia were born into the Merchant Class but far from spoiled. Madeline has no awe of the ton, though her family certainly moved in high enough circles. But something Madeline overheard at 17, a fierce argument between the handsome Earl of Fairbane and his scandalous wife, forever changed that sense of being in control of her destiny and her heart- and a kiss of supposed anger, parting words of bitterness, forever placed Dorian Engstrom in her Imaginings of what passion could be.

Dorian came from scandal, and due to an impulsive marriage found himself drowning in debt. An Earl who knew the rules of his society, and one who was jaded beyond redemption. But on one night he'd finally decided to risk more scandal, and divorce his wife, a violent argument was witnessed by a young woman- who later offered him more than any woman had before.

It was not just money to save him from debt, not just the temptation- though the chit was too young to see so far into his soul. But the kiss meant to punish, soon became something unforgettable. As the years pass, scandal swarms around him, Dorian would meet her again. Each time, the overwhelming attraction would demand that he chose between resisting what he could not have, and walking away- because honor was something he couldn't afford before, and since meeting her, constantly thinking of her, he knew that he was better off in the cold blooded arrangement he'd made with the mature daughter of a Marquis, rather than trying to gain a life with Madeline that he thought impossible given his past experience.

In their minds, in their hearts, in the darkness of their chambers, each imagined that nothing stood between them and their desires. But in the day hours, they went through the motions of what was expected, until on the brink of solving all his problems with Marriage to the right woman... They meet once more.

Lydia also has a secret, a long held memory of a wild and brawny Scot who's kiss and memory refuse to fade. She has landed the attention of a wealthy Lord who doesn't need her fortune, a handsome Adonis, willing to overlook the fact she comes from (trade) to give her a life in the ton that most Merchant daughters aspire to. But like her sister, Lydia senses there should be more. There is some connection to that youthful encounter and her inability to commit herself or feel strongly for Lord Lynwood. Is she fooling herself, risking the loss of an excellent match, an enviable one, for the man who walks thorough her mind and makes her hunger for things money and wealth cannot buy.