Pleasuring the Prince

London, 1821

' Loves me, loves me not . . . '

A tall gentleman, dressed in formal evening attire, stood on the summit of Primrose Hill in the predawn gray of a mist-shrouded morning. Carried on the wind, the unmistakable smell of the Thames tainted the early spring air, and a raw clamminess permeated his exposed skin.

The man gazed almost lovingly at the woman, beautiful in death, giving proof to the peacefulness of her passing. He dug into his leather pouch, clutched a handful of rose petals, and sprinkled them one by one the length of her body from head to feet.

' A waste of true beauty, ' said a hoarse voice.

The gentleman looked at the short, plump woman standing beside him. ' Return to the coach. ' Knowing she would obey without argument, he took another handful of rose petals from his pouch.

' Loves me, loves me not . . . '

Royal Opera House

I refuse to become my mother.

Fancy Flambeau sat on a stool in a pigeonhole dressing room and prepared for her operatic debut. Pots of theater cosmetics cluttered the tiny table in front of her, and a minuscule mirror hung on the wall over the table.

Noting the mirror ' s long diagonal crack, Fancy wondered if bad luck would mar her talent or test her determination. If bad luck walked through the door, she hoped it would not take the form of an aristocrat.

I refuse to become my mother, Fancy reminded her distorted image in the cracked mirror.

Beyond normal nervousness, her debut did not frighten her. Fancy had more important worries such as aristocratic males who preyed upon singers, dancers, and actresses. Long ago, she had resolved never to love an aristocrat or let herself become love ' s victim. Like her mother.

Keeping that resolve had been easy until today. Once she stepped on the stage, every wealthy gentleman in London would set his gaze on her for the first time and target her for his next conquest. Men of the aristocratic ilk considered women like her their quarry, toys to be used and discarded as they pleased.

Fancy had dressed for the role of the adolescent Cherubino in The Marriage of Figaro. Her costume consisted of black breeches, a white shirt, and a red jerkin.