Rhys intensely wished for this gaming house to be a success. He would settle for nothing less than it becoming London’s most desirable place to gamble—a place both gentlemen and ladies would be eager to attend. Not for the profit it would earn, but to show he could be the best at whatever he tackled.

      The challenge exhilarated him in a way he’d not experienced since the stimulation of battle. Only this time there was no carnage in its wake.

      This time there was a beautiful woman here to enjoy herself, and it was his job to see that she did.

      ‘Good evening, madam.’ He bowed. ‘I am Mr Rhysdale, the proprietor of this establishment. It will be my pleasure to assist you. What game do you wish to play?’

      She lifted her eyes to him. Through the black mask he saw they were an intriguing green. Her hair, a walnut-brown laced with gold, was loosely piled on her head.

      Who was she?

      ‘Mr Rhysdale.’ She nodded, and her voice was surprisingly soft and reticent. ‘I would like to play whist, but I do not have a partner.’

      How he would relish partnering her himself, but he did not play in his own gaming house. He would have to find a gentleman willing to be her partner, but he’d gain no enjoyment from the task.

      Rhys wanted her for himself.

       AUTHOR NOTE

      A REPUTATION FOR NOTORIETY is the first of two books in The Masquerade Club, a series in which identities are concealed and desires revealed. The Masquerade Club is a gaming hell (a gambling establishment) in Regency London, like those where in reality many a gentleman—and lady—lost vast fortunes playing cards or rolling dice.

      My own history of card-playing is not so dramatic. As children, my sisters and I played at gambling with our own toy roulette wheel and a real set of poker chips. We learned to play five-card stud and twenty-one. Game-playing, especially if for real or imaginary stakes, could easily consume a whole day, and often took up a great part of our summers.

      My father had no interest in cards, but my mother and aunt (the Aunt Loraine in my dedication) loved to play. Whenever we got together with their sister and our cousins we could hardly wait to get out the cards.

      The card game we played was Shanghai, a complicated rummy game that we adapted to make even more challenging. We played for money. Fifteen cents was the stake, but extra nickels could also be won (or lost). These games were competitive and cut-throat and riotous fun. Even now when we see our cousins we break out the cards and play Shanghai.

      The gambling hells of the Regency were, I dare say, not anything like playing Shanghai with my cousins, but I like to think we were not too dissimilar from Jane Austen and her characters, who spent many evenings playing such card games as Loo, Commerce, and Cassino.

      I hope you enjoy The Masquerade Club, Celia—and Rhys, who has A REPUTATION FOR NOTORIETY.

      Visit my website at http://dianegaston.com or send an e-mail to [email protected]

      About the Author

      As a psychiatric social worker, DIANE GASTON spent years helping others create real-life happy endings. Now Diane crafts fictional ones, writing the kind of historical romance she’s always loved to read. The youngest of three daughters of a US Army Colonel, Diane moved frequently during her childhood, even living for a year in Japan. It continues to amaze her that her own son and daughter grew up in one house in Northern Virginia. Diane still lives in that house, with her husband and three very ordinary housecats. Visit Diane’s website at http://dianegaston.com

       Previous novels by the same author:

      (in A Regency Christmas anthology)

      (in Regency Summer Scandals)

*Three Soldiers mini-series

†linked by character

       And in Mills & Boon ^® Historical Undone! eBooks:

       Did you know that some of these novels are also available as eBooks? Visit www.millsandboon.co.uk

      A Reputation

      for Notoriety

      Diane Gaston