Midnight Pleasures
PRAISE FOR
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
“An enchanting romp with delightful characters … filled with twists and emotions and so much more … Eloisa James has written a racy and charming tale of passion.”—
The Bookshelf Review
“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.”
Please turn the page for more extraordinary acclaim….
—Mary Balogh, author of More than a Mistress
PRAISE FOR ELOISA JAMES’S PREVIOUS NOVEL
Potent Pleasures
“Utterly frivolous … James weaves a web of scandals and surprises, forcing the reader into a delicious surrender … this normally down-to-earth reader found herself devouring the book like a dieter with a Hershey bar.”
—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
Also by Eloisa James
Potent Pleasures
Enchanting Pleasures
Midnight Pleasures is dedicated to the talented, generous, and supremely knowledgeable women of the Regency Loop. When I burst onto the Loop, full of nervous questions, they responded with bibliographies, facts, kindness, and support. I would like to thank particularly those authors who took time away from their own work to read through one of my manuscripts: Mary Balogh, Karen E. Harbaugh, Emily Hendrickson, Nancy Mayer, and Eliza Shallcross.
Chapter 1
London, December 1804
Brandenburg House
Mayfair, London
Lady Sophie York, the only daughter of the Marquis of Brandenburg, had refused to marry a baron who had asked on a balcony. She had refused two honorables, a handful of sirs, and a viscount, all of whom punctiliously requested that honor in her father’s study. She had refused a marquess in the midst of a hunt, and plain Mr. Kissler at Ascot. Less fortunate young women could not fathom Sophie’s motives. In two seasons, Sophie had rejected most of the ton’s eligible bachelors. But after tonight there would be no more proposals, hurried, paced, inarticulate, or otherwise. After tonight the uncharitable would unite in agreement: The girl had held out for a man of high rank. Lady Sophie was affianced to an earl, and she would be a countess by next season.