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 LADY
IN WAITINGBerkley ISBN 0-515-13292-6 A talented artist, Circe Hill has no interest in the affairs of the ton--until the man she secretly loves pretends to court her to silence his matchmaking mother. AwardsLady in Waiting won a Golden Quill Award in the historical category from the RWA Desert Rose Chapter.ReviewsFor most proper young ladies of the Regency era, a London "Season" of glittering balls, royal court presentations and flirtations with marriageable gentlemen would be a dream come true. But Circe Hill reluctantly returning to England after two years abroad following her dream of becoming an artist is not a proper young lady. She wants more out of life, and she gets it. Before even departing Calais, Circe has rescued an Italian peasant girl from the Austrian secret police. Once in England, she becomes steeped up to the neck of her painter's smock in diplomatic scandals, smuggling, international wars, forgery, kidnapping, attempted murders and the theft of one of Europe's great treasures. Meanwhile, Circe's other childhood dream to have a passionate yet equal romance with David Lydford, the earl of Westbury is proceeding much more slowly, since the once rebellious rake seems to have reformed into a colorless milksop who's set on a submissive wife. Still, things are not always what they seem, as is illustrated by some highly unseemly but enjoyable plot turns: a striptease (his); several swashbuckling street fights (hers); a swooning fit (his); and much more. A profusion of period detail somehow makes it all believable, and Byrd's unpretentious writing style and sense of humor render this a delicious read.—Publishers Weekly
Circe Hill never wanted to be a proper lady. She loves the freedom of her life as an artist traveling the Continent; but when her older sister Psyche (whose own romance was detailed in Byrd's Dear Imposter [2001]) insists that Circe pack up her paintbrushes and endure at least one proper Season, Circe reluctantly returns to London. There she unexpectedly encounters David Lyford, the Earl of Westbury, the very man whose attention Circe spent most of her teenage years trying to attract. David needs a suitable young woman to pretend to court while he searches for the perfect wife, and does a bit of discrete surveillance work for the government. David thinks Circe would be a natural, and Circe agrees, determined to prove that she is no longer the young hoyden he once ignored but instead a desirable woman. Byrd sifts a measure of intrigue and danger into her latest historical confection, which should prove to be irresistible to readers with a taste for deliciously witty, delightfully clever romances. — John Charles, Booklist
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