The Duke of Derringer first makes his appearance in
Deception.* As one of a group of young men who've known each other since Eton, he is the one who is capable of almost anything. He does only that which benefits himself; rarely does he think of others. He is ruthless and dangerous, earning the moniker
Lord Heartless.
As far as physical appearance goes, he is tall and dark with overly long hair and a morbid habit of dressing all in black. This alone may not make him stand out too much, as Regency evening dress was often black. However, his cravats, gloves, linen—all of which are usually light colored—are also black. All his animals are black as are his carriages.
Heartless tells the story of this man, a man whose past is wrapped in mystery, deceit, murder, and intrigue. From an early age, he learned to listen, calculate, and use everything to his personal advantage.
The rumor mill thrives on the tales of his heartless exploits, tales of murder, duels, mistresses, and anything else anyone could possibly blame on him. But rumors are often wrong, even if based in truth. A dangerous reputation, however, comes with certain advantages, advantages that Derringer is more than willing to use.
After a brief glimpse into Derringer's unfortunate childhood, our tale opens with a meeting between the heartless duke and his solicitor.** It is there that he learns he will lose his money unless he marries within five days.***
In his determination to marry the first—maybe the second—woman he meets, Leandra Harcourt makes his acquaintance.
*Available now from TreasureLine Publishing.
**Click EXCERPT at the top of the page to read this particular scene.
***I took a couple liberties with this part of the story. OK, not exactly liberties. I misunderstood all the details of the special license. In Regency England, a special license could only be obtained from the Archbishop of Canterbury, located in Doctor's Commons, London. The waiting period was typically seven days. Even Lord Byron had to wait seven days. In reality, duke or not, Derringer would have had to wait seven days also.
