Cover

PRAISE FOR ELOISA JAMES’S NOVELS
Midnight Pleasures

“Fresh, rich and evocative…A gift every romance reader should give herself!”

—Connie Brockway, author of The Ravishing One

“An enthralling read from a vibrant new talent. Ms. James delivers a sensual, exciting, fresh romance that is pure reading pleasure.”

—Romantic Times

“A unique voice on the romance horizon, Eloisa James tells a tale of adventure and passion sure to please both readers devoted to historical romance and those new to the genre.”

—Katherine Kingsley, author of Lilies on the Lake

“Ms. James has given us a brilliant plot and marvelous characters.”

—Rendezvous

“Midnight Pleasures is sheer reading delight: witty, wise, and passionately romantic…. It has characters I care for, grow with, laugh and cry with—characters I am reluctant to leave at the end. As an extra treat, it is written with a wit and eloquence that are Eloisa James’s special gift to the genre.”

—Mary Balogh, author of More than a Mistress

Potent Pleasures

“Utterly frivolous.”

—USA Today

“[Keeps] the reader intrigued right up to the very last page…. James makes a fine debut with this Regency romance that brings to mind the best of Amanda Quick and Judith McNaught.”

—Booklist

“Unexpected twists…surprises all around…The depth of characterizations, the steady progression of the plot and the tongue-in-cheek title will attract readers.”

—Publishers Weekly

“An intriguing Regency romance by a vibrant new voice.”

—Romantic Times

“Sensual…humorous…Ms. James is a new author and definitely one to watch.”

—Rendezvous

Other Books By This Author

Also by Eloisa James

POTENT PLEASURES
MIDNIGHT PLEASURES

Title Page

Dedication

Most readers assume that writing is a solitary pleasure.
Whereas the greater pleasure unquestionably comes from
endless talks in which one bores one’s editor to tears
with the minutiae of love and lust….

For lovely Jackie,
who makes writing such an enchanting pleasure.

Chapter 1

St. James’s Square, London
1806

FATE HAD JUST DEALT Viscount Dewland a blow that would have felled a weaker—or more sympathetic—man. He gaped silently at his eldest son for a moment, ignoring his wife’s twittering commentary. But a happy thought revived him. That same wife had, after all, provided him with two male offspring.

Without further ado he spun on his heel and barked at his younger son, “If your brother can’t do his duty in bed, then you’ll do it. You can act like a man for once in your life.”

Peter Dewland was caught unawares by his father’s sudden attack. He had risen to adjust his neckcloth in the drawing-room mirror, thereby avoiding his brother’s eyes. Really, what does a man say to that sort of confession? But like his father, Peter recovered quickly from unpredictable assaults.

He walked around the end of the divan and sat down. “I gather you are suggesting that I marry Jerningham’s daughter?”

“Of course I am!” the viscount snapped. “Someone has to marry her, and your brother has just declared himself ineligible.”