Her Ladyship's Curse

“I don’t.” He hauled me into his arms. “You’re going to change that.”

The kiss he gave me caused me to temporarily forget the various aches and pains afflicting me, and for a moment I allowed myself the luxury of imagining a life where I could have such kisses whenever I wanted them. Slipping into Dredmore’s arms every night, spending long hours rousing each other’s beasts and then falling asleep, boneless with exhaustion and saturated with contentment . . .

It would only cost me my independence, my heart, and every ounce of my self-respect.

“I did mention that I was leaving,” I said as soon as I was permitted to breathe again.

“Someday we’ll go to Paris, and I’ll introduce you to more Raphaels,” he told me. “But for now, you will remain here.” He looked past me and nodded.

I glanced back and saw Connell and another brute coming down from the pavilion, both focused on me. Which meant—“You can’t be serious. Not after what just happened between us. Lucien.”

“It’s for your own good, my sweet.” He handed me off to the men. To them, he said, “Lock her up.”

Will Deathmage Lucien Dredmore ever let Kit escape? Who sent the snuffmages after her—and whose side is Inspector Doyle on? And finally, what is the nefarious plot Lord Walsh is involved in—and how will Kit ever survive it?

To find out,

get Disenchanted & Co. Part 2: His Lordship Possessed now!

Acknowledgments

The only name on the cover of a book is the author’s, and sometimes I wish I could change that. It took nearly four years to make this novel happen, and while I’ve rarely worked as long or as hard to get something into print, with this one I never fought alone. Since I can’t give everyone who had my back a byline, I’ll offer them instead my gratitude: Tim Kim and all the wonderful folks at National Novel Writing Month and the Office of Letters and Light, who provided me with motivation for writing this story, and followed that up with unstinting support and enthusiasm. What you do for writers and kids all over the globe is nothing short of miraculous.

The readers of Paperback Writer, who cheered me on while I was working on the first draft, and all of my readers out there who have followed this journey with enthusiasm and encouragement. You are a constant joy and true blessing in my writing life.

New York Times bestselling authors Gail Carriger and Larissa Ione, whose generosity and kind words kept me going even when things fell apart completely. Ladies, I will never forget that.

New York Times bestselling author Darlene Ryan, who has been there for me in so many ways that it would take another three pages to list them all. Dust bunnies will never be safe again, and Bubba, you rock.

I wouldn’t be able to write anything without the support of my guy or our kids, but for this book they went above and beyond, and for four long years they never once complained. I love you, and you are my heart.

The art department and copyediting and production teams at Pocket Star, who have collectively done magical things for this novel. I know how lucky I am to have you, and I hope you all know how grateful I am, too.

There’s one more person whose name should be on the cover of this book, and I saved him for last because if I could I’d put it there in fifty-point font right now. For believing in me and this story, for fighting for it (twice), for restoring my faith in the creative partnership between publishers and authors, for being so damn good at what he does, and for giving me this marvelous opportunity to bring Disenchanted & Co. into our world, I’d like to thank my editor, Adam Wilson.

Torian Glossary

abstainers: religious agnostics

across the pond: When in Toriana, a reference to Great Britain or Europe; when in Great Britain or Europe, a reference to Toriana (“pond” being the Atlantic Ocean)

aid-solicitor: legal representative provided by the Crown to defendants who can’t afford to hire a barrister

ambrotype: photography that uses chemicals (silverblack) to etch images on glass plate negatives

annum: year

apothecary: pharmacy

Aramantha: the island homeland of the Aramanthan, destroyed by mysterious forces that caused it to break up and sink beneath the sea

Aramanthans: a race of superhuman magic practitioners who ruled the world before the rise of mankind

bacco: tobacco

barrister: attorney

bathboy: a male attendant/masseur who works at public baths for women

beater: a uniformed police officer who patrols the streets, usually on foot

believer: someone who believes in magic

belowground: beneath street level

binding: a stone or other object that can contain psychic energy until its release is triggered by touch or proximity

black: very strong, thrice-brewed tea

blackpot: a coal-fueled boiler

blacks: formal suit worn by high-class male servants

bloodbane: one of the highly toxic magic poisons used in snuffballs

blower: a chamber that uses air leeched from the city’s tubes to dry wet items

blue ruin: gin

blues: people of aristocratic birth

bookmaker: printer

braves: warrior class of native Torian people

BrewsMaid: an automatic tea maker

bronze, bronzen: a theatrical cosmetic that temporarily darkens the skin

brown: Talian currency

bruiser: a large or physically intimidating man; thug

bucks: clothing made of buckskin

bum: ass

calendula: an herbal tincture used as a topical disinfectant

care kit: first-aid kit

carri: steam-driven carriage

carriwright: maker of steam-driven carriages

cartlass: a girl or woman who sells food and/or beverages from a portable cart on the street

cashsafe: a hidden, locking recess in a private home where money and other valuables are kept

catchall: an extending/grasping device with a pinchers at one end