MY DIVINELY DECADENT DUKE BY SANDRA MASTERS [INTERVIEW WITH THE GRACIOUS DUCHESS OF ALTHORN
Continuing
on with our Bonus Materials that never made it into the Novel for
various reasons, they still add dimension, and it is my romantic hope it
will keep you involved enough to read the next book. Authors, at
least this one, falls in love with all the characters, whether they’re
the hero, heroine, villain, or a great secondary addition. Then I move
on to the next book, and fickle me, I prepare for a new romantic venture
with a different personality.
Today, I’ve chosen to interview
Her Grace, Cassandra, who is married to the Duke of Althorn, whom she
prefers to address as Gordon, throughout the book.
Enjoy the read. I welcome all comments at sanrdmastersauthor@gmail.com. You may subscribe to my newsletter at: http://authorsandramasters.com.
Sandra Masters, Unapologetic Story Teller
P.S.
You might ask why I use the term Unapologetic Story Teller. In some
venues, Story Tellers are not considered, for lack of a better word,
legitimate authors. I believe in Fairy Tales and Romance, so you may
think me of a rebel author with a cause--and that is, I read and write
all genres of romance writing. ♥
MY DIVINELY DECADENT DUKE
BY SANDRA MASTERS
Orphaned
and abandoned by family, Lady Cassandra Montgomery yearns for love.
Beautiful and innocent, she attracts the attention of a renowned rake,
the Duke of Althorn. When her security is threatened, in exchange for
his protection, she offers him a proposal for an arranged marriage.
The
Duke is at first enraged by the brazen behavior, yet he sees Cassandra
as captivating
caretaker for his mother, and impossible to resist. He
agrees. The arrangement becomes inconvenient because love and sex enter
the equation. After her first taste of desire in his arms, she finds
the sensual attraction powerful. Finding herself in a family way, she
leaves his home, unsure of his love. Will he consider their child
entrapment?
Will the Duke admit his love and use his rakish skills to woo Cassandra back to his bed?
Will she believe her husband truly loves her and return to his waiting arms?
[b]INTERVIEW
Q. Your Grace, when you first met the Duke of Althorn, what did you think of him?
A.
I thought he was kind, courageous and wonderful when he came to my
rescue in a quiet drawing room of the host at the ball I attended after
my fiancé had broken our engagement, an invitation for ridicule by the
ton society. The thought of my reputation in tatters at such a
rejection, had me shed tears. It was then a handsome gentleman,
heretofore unseen, rose from a wingback chair, and offered me a glass of
port and his handkerchief. After I sipped the sweet wine in one gulp,
and dabbed at my eyes, I spoke in anger and regret. I still remember my
words exactly. “It was rude of you to have eavesdropped on an intimate
conversation. Is this my evening to meeting nothing but scoundrels?”
Q. Oh my, when did your opinion change of him?
A. Imagine a young woman, inexperienced in the ways of men, being
rescued by an acknowledged rake who felt sorry for her. I didn’t want
his pity. Nonetheless, he handled the situation with risqué banter and a
smile that could charm a nun. I do believe all his suggestions for
scandalous behavior were intended to bolster my injured ego. He escorted
me to my brothers. Quite a few tongues wagged at the sight of a
supposedly engaged woman on the arm of the Duke of Althorn, renowned
rake.
Q.
When did you meet again?
A.
Two weeks after that disastrous evening, I was on the beach looking
through my telescope and he came upon me. We recognized each other
immediately. His warm greeting pleased me. In conversation, I sensed a
thread of interest when he asked the reason for my search. I mentioned
I’d visited a gypsy fortune teller who claimed my life would take a
momentous turn. She also foretold I’d meet a handsome prince who would
come out of the ocean. Oh, I can see the duke’s salacious smile now. “I
regret I’m not the prince you seek, although a duke is next in line of
the honorific titles. Will I not suffice?” Not expecting such an offer, I
changed the subject, but he immediately brought it back again. “If this
god did decide to show himself, I would hope he’d be clothed. All the
pictures I’ve seen of Neptune have him stark naked with a rather
large…trident in his hands. He might shock you.”
He was so
naughty…and invitational. A blush colored my cheeks at my answer at the
vision he presented, “Now wouldn’t that be the talk of the ton.” I
immediately took a last look at the horizon through my telescope and
proceeded to fold it. Ever the gentleman, he assisted.
Q. How did the romance progress?
A.
And therein lays the conflict for Cassandra. The last thing Gordon
wanted was a future wife. He has a past but he is now the respectable,
if not scandalous Duke of Althorn, a dukedom he inherited when his
father and the elder brother died. As a second son he had no
responsibilities, but now he has them all.
So we have the
juxtaposition of two people with a dire need: Security and safety for
myself, the sister of an Earl, and my ward, Alicia…the duke with a need
for a compassionate, able caretaker for his mother. Desperation led me
to offer a marriage of convenience to the duke. At first he was outraged
at my arrogance and refused, but the latest caretaker had been
dismissed for her callous care of his adored mother.
Orphaned at a
young age, with two brothers in the university, I had no sense of
family. Not that I blamed my brothers, they were young men intent on
doing what such lads do. I spent five summers at finishing school as an
instructor, learning how to cook in the kitchens, and in general, I
read penny novels. I truly wanted to feel loved. I thought I could have
him love me.
After his disastrous rejection of me, he became
much too possessive when he saw me in the arms of another man as we
danced at a cotillion. And that started it—all over again.
Q. Why did the author indicate you were a unique type of duchess? Aren’t they all the same?
A.
I didn’t quite fit the mold for a duchess because I was happier in
the kitchens baking rather than ordering staff around. I confess I
didn’t cook as much as I used to, but when I needed solace or time to
think, I baked. My specialty was Humble Pie Crust. The recipe is
available on my author’s website. Ours was a marriage of convenience.
The pictures you see below are of myself, and my ward, Alicia, with
Alfie, my brother, the earl’s son.
Q. What would you like us to know about Gordon the man you did fall in love with?
A.
His Grace emanated strong feelings. You see, one could say I had
baggage—a ward who was the child of my best friend. At her deathbed, she
begged me to raise her little girl. What else could I do, but give her
my solemn promise. I would have someone all my own to love and to love
me in return. Little did I know how the gossips would twist my good
intention and slander me.
That didn’t stop Gordon. He was used to
power and having his every wish performed. We had a business
arrangement. I expected nothing in return except that he would keep my
ward, Alicia, and me safe from a malicious sister-in-law of mine. I had
my own quarters, next to his mother and my ward. He was determined to
stay as far away from me as he could.
I functioned as the
housekeeper, caretaker for his mother, but never as his wife in the
beginning. I fell in love with him almost from the start of our “living
together” under the same roof. Oh, he was so gallant and would speak of
outrageous subjects.
It was my duty to report my activities of
the household at 4 o’clock every day. On one weary such day, he offered
me a drink. I accepted. Not used to such alcohol, I passed out. And
thereby hangs a tale.
Other questions?
Where
and why did he get a tattoo, most unusual for an aristocratic second
son and most importantly, who inked him? What is the secret he harbors?
What other startling revelations will he learn?
And what does Cassandra mean to him? What else has fate planned for the two of them?.
In
a fertile mind, these are the situations which ferment and cause a
novel to be written. The cover picture of the duke, with his lion clan
tattoo, and Cassandra, his duchess, is in the background.
Happy reading.
SANDRA MASTERS
http://www.authorsandramasters.com
As writers, we’re urged to write from the heart. If we search the
innermost corners of our heart, what might we find? What might any of us
find? Writing gives us an excuse to go to the deeper, darker parts of
our heart, to dig deep and bring out parts that are buried deep. The
parts that are kept hidden from everyday life, the parts we never
reveal.
These deepest parts of our hearts are part of life for all of us. Until you experience them you haven’t truly lived.
Don’t
we all love a villain? Don’t we revel in dastardly deeds? In the
old-time melodramas the audience were encouraged to cheer the hero and
hiss the villain. And they loved it! Don’t we all love a sad story? “It
was wonderful – I cried all the way through it!” That used to be the
catch-cry for the old sob-story movies. Is today’s reader so much
different from those old-time audiences? 
