Lord Despair by Sydney Jane Baily is available on Amazon.
From the lush English countryside to the glittering society of Victorian London, Lord Despair thought he’d left the worst behind him in the Burmese jungle. He was wrong!
How can a man embrace his birthright when he cannot leave his bedroom?
Lord Simon Devere returns from the Burmese War, haunted by vivid memories and powerless to know reality from dreams. He sits in the dark, incapable of believing he is truly home — and safe — in England.
How can a clever young lady support her family after her father dies in debt?
Jenny Blackwood is determined not to let her mother and sisters succumb to an unkind fate. Under the pretense of being a male bookkeeper, she soon acquires an unexpected client.
A damaged aristocrat and danger in disguise…
With the estate’s coffers mysteriously dwindling, Jenny goes where others fear to tread, into the darkened room of the unstable earl. Even greater peril lies ahead for them both, but the biggest threat to Jenny may be Lord Despair himself!
Lord Despair started with a song. I hope this isn’t the corniest, hokiest thing you read today, but I was driving, listening to the radio, and Imagine Dragons song “Demons” came on. First, these lines:
I want to hide the truth
I want to shelter you
But with the beast inside
There’s nowhere we can hide
And then these:
When you feel my heat
Look into my eyes
It’s where my demons hide
It’s where my demons hide
Don’t get too close
It’s dark inside
It’s where my demons hide
It’s where my demons hide
Almost instantly, I saw Simon Devere, 7th Earl of Lindsey, in 1847, trapped in his luxurious bedroom, afraid to open his eyes in case he was actually still in a cell in the Burmese jungle. Then when he opened them, he was afraid to fall asleep in case he awakened back in the jungle.
From there, the whole story of Lord Despair fell into place. And I knew he needed a level-headed, capable, caring woman to help bring him out into the light, even to get him out of his room. My intrepid, practical heroine, Jenny Blackwood, is that woman.
Engaging characters, attention to period detail, and passionate romance with a touch of intrigue — you’ll find it all in the stories by USA Today bestselling author Sydney Jane Baily.
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Note: information and photos were provided by author.
