Jacquie ’Alessandro - Who Will Take This Man?

“Yes. Actually, I wished to thank you. It was your efforts to secure me a bride that set into motion the series of events that led me to this moment: anticipating taking Meredith as my bride.”

Father’s brows rose. “I see. Does that mean you forgive me for deceiving you in order to get you home?”

“I suppose it must, for if you hadn’t, I would not have returned. And if I hadn’t returned, I would not have met Meredith. So indeed, it would appear that I am grateful for your deceit.”

“About Miss Chilton-Grizedale, Philip… although she is not of the peerage, I quite like her. And Catherine assures me she will lend her support to your wife and that she has the makings of a fine viscountess.”

“She does, Father. On my word of honor, she does.”

“Well, that is good enough for me.”

Standing next to Andrew, Philip watched Meredith enter the drawing room, and his breath hitched. She wore a pale blue muslin gown, exquisite in its simplicity, the unadorned column highlighting her extraordinary eyes and vibrant coloring. Her midnight hair was gathered into a classic Greek knot, and strands of lustrous pearls, his wedding gift to her, were wound through the shiny tresses. Her gaze locked onto his, and a smile filled with pure love and happiness trembled on her lips.

She walked slowly toward him, her gloved fingers resting lightly on Albert’s sleeve. Albert, who beamed with pride at his “Miss Merrie,” and who would be marrying Charlotte Carlyle early next month.

Albert delivered Meredith to Philip’s side with a solemn nod, to which Philip responded with an equally grave bow of the head. Then he looked down at the woman who owned his heart. “You look beautiful,” he whispered.

“Thank you. So do you,” she whispered back. “Your father told me about your conversation.”

“Quite the trickster, is he not?”

The vicar cleared his throat and frowned at them.

“Yes,” Meredith whispered with a smile, blithely ignoring the vicar. “I thanked him profusely.”

He smiled in return. “As did I.”

“I think the vicar is growing impatient with you two,”

Andrew whispered into the fray. “His face resembles a thundercloud.” He nodded toward Meredith. “You look lovely, Miss Chilton-Grizedale.”

She beamed at him. “Thank you, Mr. Stanton, as do you. So lovely, in fact, I’m certain that it won’t be long before you are standing before the vicar. Indeed, I intend to see to it.”

Andrew shot Philip a pointed look, to which Philip shrugged. “She is the Matchmaker of Mayfair, you know.” He returned his attention to Meredith, whose beautiful eyes glowed up at him.

“You look happy,” he whispered.

A slow, beautiful smile lit her face. “Happy? I prefer to call it unequivocal, indubitable, flagrant, euphoric joy.”

He laughed, earning him a stern glare from the vicar. “Yes, I’m certain you do. And this time, my darling Meredith, I completely agree with you.”

Dear Reader,

I hope you enjoyed Philip and Meredith’s love story! I had a wonderful time writing about their adventures, especially as the research I conducted for this book led me to some fascinating information regarding ancient civilizations. Of special note is the story of Cleopatra’s very clever way of hosting the most expensive feast in history. This is indeed based upon writings found in Pliny the Elder’s Natural History, a comprehensive work detailing his observations of the world around him, and devoted to a variety of subjects such as agriculture, geography, astronomy, botany, zoology, and medicine, as well as history. Gaius Plinius Secundus (known as Pliny the Elder) possessed a passion for directly observing phenomena and taking notes. Unfortunately, his dedication to this method, along with his curiosity, was directly responsible for his death in 79 A. D., when he ventured too close to Mount Vesuvius during its eruption and the destruction of Pompeii.

Also of special note is the poem Philip recites to Meredith during their Mediterranean dinner, which is an actual lyric translated from an ancient Egyptian glyph.

I love to hear from readers! You can contact me through my website at www.JacquieD.com, where there’s always something fun going on.

Thank you so much for spending time with Philip and Meredith!

Best regards and happy reading,

Jacquie D’Alessandro

Growing up on Long Island, New York, I fell in love with romance at an early age. I dreamed of being swept away by a dashing rogue riding a spirited stallion. When my hero finally showed up, he was dressed in jeans and drove a Volkswagen, but I recognized him anyway. We married after both graduating from Hofstra University and are now living our happily-ever-afters in Atlanta, Georgia, along with our very bright and active son, who is a dashing rogue in the making.