Gaelen Foley

Lady of Desire

2003. Piatkus, 2006.

At the base of the slope, he left the curricle with the groom...Together they walked up the flowery meadows to the summit. The sun was setting. Near an old, massive, whispering oak tree they sat side by side in the overgrown grasses and gazed at the prospect of London in the distance. A chubby shopkeeper's family was picnicking near the bottom of the hill. They had a blanket laid out upon the grass with countless baskets of food and a trio of children tumbling riotously down the hill. Their screeches of laughter floated to Jacinda and Rackford faintly on the evening air. Other than that, they had Primrose Hill to themselves

Rackford is Lady Jacinda's bit of rough, leader of a criminal gang now posing as a lord. Snuggling up, she confides that she's grateful to him for '"stopping me from running away from home...and doing permanent damage to my relationships with my family."' Rackford takes the cue and 'eased her back into the deep, soft grasses, laying her upon a bed of daisies, primroses and tiny buttercups', but she won't go any further: someone might see.

Together they watched the sunset's glow fading where its swirling colours reflected on the lazy river. As night fell, London disappeared amid the stars. The crickets sang around them in the field...With a most touching degree of reverent solicitude, he walked her back down the long hill