The story first appeared in the 2010 Anthology The Mammoth Book of Regency Romance. Lydia Bettridge is a young woman suffering the pangs of unrequited love. To capture the attention of Geoffrey Danforth, the man who has stolen her heart but barely notices her, she has resorted to desperate measures with a seemingly clever plan. By engaging the help of Phillip, a friend of her brother's, to play the love-smitten fool in public, she hopes to pique the interest of her unnamed love. But when Geoffrey himself shows up to take Phillip's place, all her careful planning is turned upside down. What's a girl to do but to make the best of it? This short story was originally published in The Mammoth Book of Regency Romance.

    . .When Aurora Hyatt loses her journal in Hyde Park, her ruin is a foregone conclusion. After all, if anyone discovers her writings, they'll find scandalous fantasies involving the newest rake in Town alongside entirely-too-candid thoughts about her typical dreary suitors. Aurora will either be forced into a loveless marriage with the first nodcock to make an offer, or she'll be assigned a permanent position on the shelf. Oh, dear good Lord. What catastrophe will God smote down upon her next?If Niles Thornton, Baron Quinton, desires to maintain any semblance of his current lifestyle, he must fulfill the requirements his grandfather has set for him. First and foremost: he must marry and begin filling his nursery within the year. When he is nearly barreled over by a racing curricle and a journal flies out to land at his feet, his troubles are over. Inside the journals pages, Quin discovers a scandal waiting to happen. Surely a young lady who would write such brazen things in a journal (and then dare to lose it) must recognize the necessity of a hasty marriage, even if the gentleman making the offer is rather less-than-honorable.In a drunken haze, Quin kisses Aurora on a crowded ballroom floor, necessitating their immediate marriage. Quin's troubles are only beginning, however, as Aurora's writings are soon the focus of both gossip rags and drawing room conversation. When word arrives of an even greater scandal following in his wife's wake, will he prove himself a drunken abuser like his father, or will he become the loving husband of Aurora's fantasies?

    It's been years since they've seen each other, but Clara's love for Brendon hasn't diminished. Will Brendon recognize Clara and admit his feelings for the woman before Lord Desmond comes calling, claiming Clara for his own?Meant For MeFor years Cynthia Shaw has replied to Gabriel Baston's letters, pretending to be his fiancé, Cynthia's wretched cousin Helen. When Gabriel appears at a masked ball and mistakes Cynthia for Helen, she can't help herself and gives her innocence to the man she has loved for years. Will Lord Kennwick realize Cynthia was meant for him before it's too late? This anthology is approximately 30,000 words and is appropriate only for adults! If you enjoy these short stories, you might also enjoy Lori's other historical romances: Wild Heart, Wild Desire and A Night of Secrets. To find out more about Lori, go to www.LoriBrighton.com

    As a child, Ginny was his best friend and comrade-in-arms. As a young lady, she became his sweetheart. But when his parents discovered their growing affection, they threatened to cut Simon off without a penny if he married her. And when Simon planned an elopement, Ginny refused: She wasn’t going to marry a poor man. Ever.Until someone loses a fortune.In the seven years since they last saw one another, Ginny has been married and then widowed. Simon has built an empire as a railway financier. When they meet again, there’s still that same delicious, playful attraction between them. But only Simon knows how tenuous his second chance really is. Everyone believes that Simon is wealthy. In truth, his company has been taken over by a hostile competitor and he is ruined. He knows from bitter experience that Ginny won’t marry a poor man. And so he has three days until the news becomes public—three days to seduce, woo, and marry the woman he cannot forget, or risk losing her…and this time, for good.

    . . a compromising positionLady Charlotte Brandon is always up to something . . . but somehow her best schemes for matchmaking often end in disaster.Scheme: A family feud, outrageously false rumors, a shattered priceless vase . . . an even more compromising positionIt's no wonder she's considered by at least one devastatingly handsome man to be devious, destructive, and dangerously appealing.Scheme: A fox, a rabbit, a childhood foe, and a dashing rogue . . . the proposal to end all proposalsIt's high time someone turned the tables on the lovely Lady Charlotte, and James Beauchamp is just the man to do it. Even if it means beating Charlotte at her devious game with a scandalous scheme of his own.

    Abigail Watson is flirty, bold, and determined David will agree to her bargain and save her brother from debtor’s prison. But is her game to prevent him from calling in the debt, or are her sweet kisses a sign she is after a much greater prize instead? A sensual regency romance novella.

    And Francesca wonders, can a woman be truly and completely happy when a little piece of her heart remains empty? But just when she makes peace with her fate, something unexpected occurs.

    Caroline Lyncott, great grandaughter of the Duke of Bucklynde, has a secret. Years ago she was attacked and still bears the terrible scars. To escape the scandal and the reminders, she left everything behind to become housekeeper to a Scottish brother and sister. Gregory Murray, the Earl Of Hartfell, has a secret as well – he harbors a deep attraction to his housekeeper, Mrs. Lyncott. He knows she has a past, but doesn’t know how to fix the pain that still haunts her. His investigation leads him to the darkest London gaming hell and a villain too powerful to destroy. Can his love overcome her desperate past? Can she risk her heart despite the evil that still haunts her nightmares?

    But she lets her sisters—along with Francis Riley, the delectable but brooding Earl of Dunhurst—convince her that a season in London will be just the thing.Now Emily has a choice: sulk in a corner while her sisters enjoy the glitter of the ton . . . or become the belle of the ball, dazzling everyone on an earl’s arm. But as Francis helps Emily get back on her feet, she quickly realizes that a childhood crush is nothing compared to the power of true love.

    But that plan falls into tatters when his mother sponsors his sister's friend and enlists him to dance with her at Almack's. The beautiful vixen he meets that night bears little resemblance to the shy, gangly girl who used to follow him around. Now, instead of avoiding Charlotte, he finds himself frustrated when she seems to notice everyone but him.

    Ella Cynders is a hired companion with a romantic bent. So when she switches places with her charge--who is determined to find true love and elope--it is Ella who falls head over heals in love with the very eligible Viscount Ashe. In one masked night, the viscount and Ella find passion and romance, and then tragically are whisked apart before the midnight unmasking. Now five years later, Ella has once again found a way to steal inside the coveted ball, but can she rekindle the magic they found together before her deception is unmasked? This short story was originally published in The Mammoth Book of Regency Romance and in print is 33 pages long.

    Her loving heart seduces him to unlock the shackles around his own. There is no warning, however, of the treacherous trap that lies ahead, or of the vicious act of murder that will put their courage--and their love--to the ultimate test.

    A most wicked plan for redemption.Venice, 1740.Desperate, starving, Kathleen Strong makes her way to a job interview that promises a chance at proper employment...and maybe a bite to eat. Accused of "gross immorality," she's adrift after being dismissed from her governess position, despite being entirely innocent.That innocence is precisely what a mysterious group of debauched aristocrats finds so alluring about Miss Strong. When they propose a scandalous offer that she can't refuse...she can't refuse. But if the darkly gallant Alistair Rohan, a gentleman involved in all manner of wicked deeds himself, has anything to say about it, Kathleen can escape her disrepute in another way.Of course, the escape route looks very similar to the group's illicit proposition itself...

    . . that doctor could sit by my bedside if I ever got sick. And Ned Blydon in Splendid by Julia Quinn . . . he makes me want to learn to waltz! I never thought living in a drafty castle would be much fun until Simon of Ravenswood in Master of Desire by Kinley MacGregor came along.Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that these are my men—when do they get their stories?Sincerely,A Romance Fan___________________________________ Against All Odds by Lisa KleypasWhen eminently sensible Lydia Craven decides to marry for security rather than love, she doesn't calculate on the determination of devil-may-care doctor Jake Linley to rewrite the romantic formula. A Tale of Two Sisters by Julia QuinnDashing Ned Blydon is in a most unenviable predicament—he's engaged to one Thornton sister, while being secretly in love with the other. Midsummer's Knight by Kinley MacGregorWhen Simon of Ravenswood secretly answered Lady Kenna's letters in the name of a powerful earl, he was only being polite. Little did he know the lady would fall in love with the author and come between him, his best friend, and a solemn vow made long ago.

    By offering him a kiss in lieu of the jewels she had to leave behind, she commits the very type of act that caused her exile. When her dour guardians extend her punishment to performing charitable work at the local orphanage, she's further tempted by the home's owner, a provincial gentleman who stirs her passion in a most wicked way.HE WAS HER DOWNFALLDesperate to save his orphanage from financial catastrophe, Montgomery "Fox" Foxcroft leads a double life as a highwayman. The arrival of wealthy, well-connected Miranda, whose kiss he can't forget, presents a lawful opportunity to increase his coffers. His problems seem solved-until she rejects his suit. Out of options and falling for the heiress, Fox must risk what principles he has left and take advantage of her wicked ways-even if it ruins them both.