Lady of Scandal - Nicole Byrd

While doing research for another Regency set book, I came across a reference to a gentleman in the government whose mother, when widowed, had supported her children by becoming an actress. This was a surprise since the general perception is that no lady could go on stage and keep her social status. I immediately wanted to put a lady of quality onto the stage, as I saw lots of wonderful story possibilities. So Ophelia Applegate, one of the Applegate twins, suddenly had a long held ambition to tread the boards, although she knew her family would refuse to allow her to do any such thing. And since no reader imbued in Regency lore was going to believe that this was possible, despite the fact that I found a few more references to it happening, I went ahead with the idea that it would cause a scandal, (and I'm sure it would have) hence the title, and played with the whole double standard, which in the end made the plotline both suspenseful and fun. Can the twins maintain their stage aliases and come out into Society at the same time? Quite a balancing act to pull off!

I also had fun with the relationship between the twins-- Cordelia who is more responsible, Ophelia who is the dreamer, apt to leap before she looks. I have some of those in my own family. (No, it’s not Michelle!) And they tend to be charming, and–despite their lack of planning–very apt to come out all right in the end, strangely enough. Yet the twins are also close to each other, and when they fall in love with two sexy and handsome heros, it makes a difference to the twins’ bond–which I also thought should be addressed, so the relationships depicted have some extra levels. And there’s a mystery, as usual, adventure, touches of humor, and lots of passionate romance. I hope you have fun with it!

Wishing you all good reading, as always–

Nicole

http://www.nicolebyrd.com/