Page 1 of Cocky August Rake

RETURNED FROM THE DEAD

The Rake Review

May 28th, 1822

LORD REGINALD PRESTON: RETURNED FROM THE DEAD—AND PERHAPS LONDON’S MOST INTRIGUING NEW BACHELOR

My Dear Readers,

London has lately been gifted a most astonishing resurrection.

Lord Reginald Preston—the long-absent younger brother of the Duke of Malum—has returned to society, having formerly believed to have gone down with his ship, The Phantom Gale.

The gentleman vanished into the wide and wicked world years ago, leaving behind only a grieving—if notoriously scandalous—brother and the certainty that he would never be seen again.

Yet return he has.

And… oh my!

Your devoted correspondent has it on excellent authority that Lord Reginald possesses the sort of broad shoulders, sea-darkened looks, and dangerously serious expression likely to make even the most sensible young lady forget the very good advice her mama gave her before leaving the house.

Naturally, the question occupying every drawing room is not whether Lord Reginald is handsome. That matter has been thoroughly settled.

But there is another matter.

For years, the Duke of Malum managed his discreet and famously exclusive establishment with a hand both firm and—dare one say it—surprisingly protective. But His Grace is now said to be relinquishing certain bachelorly responsibilities in favor of the comforts of matrimony.

And into his brother’s place steps Lord Reginald.

Will he continue the Duke’s rather shadowed legacy? Or will he close the club in an attempt to lead a quieter, more respectable life?

A little bird whispers that the latter may be more likely than London’s pleasure-seekers would prefer.

Particularly as Lord Reginald has reportedly been seen on more than one occasion in the company of Lady Josephine, the youngest sister of the Earl of Standish. Respectable ladies, after all, do not usually favor gentlemen who spend their evenings preserving the business interests of London’s most notorious private emporium.

Still, one must not underestimate the Preston brothers.

The Duke of Malum found himself unexpectedly caught in the parson’s mousetrap. Will his younger brother follow him into matrimony?

Or will Lord Reginald prove drawn instead toward the darker footsteps his brother once walked?

This author, for one, intends to watch very closely.

—The Brazen Belle

MASKED STRANGERS

It was ironic, really, how similar a society ball was to the average night at The Domus Emporium.

The same gilded walls. The same expensive wine. And beneath the chandeliers and jeweled masks, the purpose was much the same. Men wanted women. The only question was what they were willing to surrender for the privilege.

Rose knew exactly how that bargain worked.

At The Domus, no one pretended. Everyone understood what they were there for. The ton merely concealed their intentions beneath titles, fortunes, and polite smiles.

Was there anything honest about any of them?

Rose lifted her fingertips to the black velvet half-mask concealing the upper portion of her face. The masquerade had made her task almost laughably simple.