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I'm so excited this
month (June) to see the launch of the last volume of "The
Muses of Mayfair" trilogy--To Kiss a Count! It's
been quite a whirlwind trip with the Chase sisters and their
gorgeous heroes, and I'm happy to see them all settled with
their HEAs--though I'll also miss them a lot. I had a lot
of fun in their Regency world, and maybe one day I'll be
able to re-visit them and see how they're faring.
To Kiss a Count
is the story of Thalia Chase, the third of the Muses, and
what happens when she's reunited with the dark, dimpled,
charming--and mysterious--Marco, Count di Fabrizzi. Thalia
is the most beautiful of the sisters (the heroine on the
cover actually looks very much as I pictured her while
writing the book! Marco--not so much. My Marco was
Rodrigo Santoro!). She's also the most musical and
artistically talented. But being the youngest, her older
sisters tended to protect and cossett her, keeping her away
from their adventures when all she wanted was to help them
and do her part as Chase Muse. Clio finally realized this
at the end of To Deceive a Duke and utilized Thalia's
talent as an actress to catch a villain (almost). When
Thalia met Marco in that story, she certainly got more
adventure than she bargained for! And she also fell in love
with him. But they had to part, and she returned to England
to try and mend her heart. But fate isn't done with Thalia
and Marco just yet.
Thalia journeys to
Bath with her eldest sister Calliope (from To Catch a
Rogue. Cal is recovering from the difficult birth of
her daughter Psyche and goes to Bath to rest and take the
waters. Thalia wants to help her with the baby, as well as
find some fun distractions from her memories of the
excitement of Sicily. Then Marco appears in the Pump
Room--with the villainess Lady Riverton on his arm! (Lady
Riverton also appeared in To Deceive a Duke...)
Thalia knows things are not what they seem--and she won't
rest until she finds out what's going on. She and Marco
have to unite to save the ancient silver hoard while they
try not to fall even more in love. But of course
that is impossible!
I loved writing this
story, especially since it's set in the gorgeous city of
Bath. By the time of this story, Bath was a bit past its
prime, but it seemed like the perfect place for these
scholars of antiquities, with its rich Roman and medieval
history. (It also has some secret spots in the hills and
caves just right for hiding contraband--and having secret
trysts!). The museum of antiquities Thalia and Marco visit
is my own invention (though the objects they look at are
based on some found in the Roman Baths museum), but I used
many real sites as well--the Pump Room, the Assembly Rooms,
the Theatre Royal, Sydney Gardens, and Mollands pastry
shop. One of the most fun research books I came across was
Walks Through Bath by Pierce Egan, published in 1819,
which gave me some fun tidbits to use in the story. For
instance:
"Upon
gala-nights (in Sydney Gardens) the music,
singing, cascades, transparencies, fire-works, and
superb illuminations, render these gardens very similar
to Vauxhall. The Orchestra is close to the back of the
Tavern, neatly arranged and elevated, with a large open
space before it well-gravelled...The walks are all well
rolled and gravelled; and seats and places for
refreshment are to be met with in various places of the
gardens. There are also several swings, adapted for the
ladies, and others for gentlemen."
There are also great
descriptions of the Labyrinth (which Thalia and Marco walk
through), which "might puzzle any cunning person if
left to himself and without a clue, for six hours."
Some Bath
sources (and one Italian!): George
Holmes, ed. The Oxford Illustrated History of Italy Joyce
Reynolds & Terence Volk, The History of Sulis Minerva
at Bath Maggie Lane,
A City of Palaces: Bath Through the Eyes of Fanny
Burney and A Charming Place: Bath in the Life and
Novels of Jane Austen Walter Ison,
The Georgian Buildings of Bath RS Neale,
Bath 1680-1850, A Social History William
Lowndes, The Theatre Royal at Bath Guidebooks
for the Museum of Costume and Assembly Rooms, Number One
Royal Crescent, and the Pump Room
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