Something Wonderful Read online

  Dear Readers,

  I hope you enjoy the book you are about to read. Something Wonderful was my third Regency historical and my first New York Times bestseller.

  I mentioned in the reader letter for Once and Always that nearly every page of every manuscript is like an experiment in ways to please my readers and improve my writing skills. I also said that these “experiments” sometimes lead me to terrific discoveries.

  In Something Wonderful, I experimented with adding an epilogue for the first time, and I was surprised and delighted by the way it carried the story to an even better, fuller ending. In the very last line of the epilogue, I experimented with the idea of reprising the title, and I loved the effect of doing that. Since then, I’ve done the same thing in all my novels, and it’s become my “signature.” At least, I think of it that way.

  Read on now, and enjoy.

  Warmly,

  Judith McNaught

  Praise for the Incomparable Bestsellers of

  JUDITH McNAUGHT,

  “One of the finest writers of popular fiction”*

  NIGHT WHISPERS

  “Never miss a McNaught! Night Whispers heads like the Titanic toward its iceberg of a climax—with shocking revelations. . . . Judith McNaught has written her most stunning work of fiction to date. Sexy, smart, and page-turning, this is a must-read.”

  —Barnesandnoble.com*

  “Fans of romantic suspense will shout that the great Judith McNaught has written something wonderful with her perfect novel, Night Whispers. . . . A tender triumph that will leave readers awed. . . . The characters are warm and charming, and will long be remembered.”

  —BookBrowser.com

  “Fiery passion, taut suspense, and unforgettable characters. . . . McNaught has truly outdone herself with Night Whispers. It is a testimony to her impressive talent. . . . Equal parts romance and suspense, this is a must-read for mystery and romance fans alike. . . . You’ll find yourself delighted with this excellent book.”

  —Rendezvous

  REMEMBER WHEN

  “[A] clever take on the ultra-affluent, ultra-cynical social scene of McNaught’s hometown of Houston. . . . McNaught has a lot of fun with a marriage of convenience that turns out to be anything but.”

  —Chicago Tribune

  “Excellent. . . . [A] charming and sparkling tale.”

  —Romantic Times

  “Romantic, witty, and entertaining. . . .”

  —San Antonio Express-News

  UNTIL YOU

  “Delicious. . . . A perfectly wonderful story, with lively, funny, well-rounded characters. Until You is a laughing, loving book, a page-turner and a delight.”

  —The Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA)

  “Brilliantly done and completely entertaining . . . a surefire hit.”

  —Ocala Star-Banner (FL)

  WHITNEY, MY LOVE

  “The ultimate love story, one you can dream about forever.”

  —Romantic Times

  “A wonderful love story . . . fast-paced and exciting . . . great dialogue!”

  —Jude Deveraux, New York Times bestselling author of Temptation

  A KINGDOM OF DREAMS

  “Wonderful! . . . Judith McNaught is truly the spellbinding storyteller of our times.”

  —Affaire de Coeur

  PERFECT

  “Judith McNaught undoubtedly knows a thing or two about love. . . . Perfect is a steamy romantic escapade.”

  —The Dallas Morning News

  “[An] action-packed romance . . . full of desire and danger.”

  —Rendezvous

  “[The] chemistry sizzles.”

  —San Francisco Chronicle

  PARADISE

  “Another incomparable love story Judith McNaught’s readers are sure to cherish.”

  —Dallas Times Herald

  “Engaging. . . . A captivating tale.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “A blockbuster. . . . an absorbing and heartwarming story.”

  —Rendezvous

  “A thoroughly enjoyable read . . . Paradise is a wonderful way to spend a day.”

  —BookPage

  Thank you for downloading this Pocket Star Books eBook.

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  To Christopher Brian Fehlig

  You were the adorable little nephew I loved. Now you’re a man who I admire and respect as my friend.

  My special thanks

  To Melinda Helfer for her support and encouragement throughout the creation of this novel

  And to Robert A. Wulff, whose competence and kindness enabled me to concentrate on my work and leave other matters to him.

  Chapter One

  THE VOLUPTUOUS BLOND WOMAN lifted up on an elbow and pulled a sheet to her breasts. Frowning slightly, she studied the darkly handsome youth of eighteen who was standing at the window of his bedchamber, his shoulder propped against the window frame, looking out across the back lawns, where a party in honor of his mother’s birthday was in progress. “What do you see that interests you more than I?” Lady Catherine Harrington asked as she wrapped the sheet around herself and walked over to the window.

  Jordan Addison Matthew Townsende, the future Duke of Hawthorne, seemed not to hear her as he looked out across the grounds of the palatial estate that would, upon his father’s death, become his. As he gazed at the hedge maze below, he saw his mother emerge from the shrubbery. Casting a brief, furtive look about her, she straightened the bodice of her dress and smoothed her heavy dark hair into some semblance of order. A moment later Lord Harrington emerged, retying his neckcloth. Their laughter drifted up through Jordan’s open window as they linked arms.

  Mild cynicism marred the youthful handsomeness of his lean features as Jordan watched his mother and her newest lover cross the lawns and saunter into the arbor. A few moments later, his father emerged from the same hedge maze, looked about him, then retrieved Lady Milbome, his current paramour, from the bushes.

  “Evidently my mother has acquired a new lover,” Jordan drawled sarcastically.

  “Really?” Lady Harrington asked, peering out the window. “Who?”

  “Your husband.” Turning fully toward her, Jordan studied her lovely face, searching for some sign of surprise. When he saw none, his own features hardened into an ironic mask. “You knew they were in the maze together, and that accounts for your sudden, unprecedented interest in my bed, is that it?”

  She nodded, uneasy under the relentless gaze of those cool grey eyes. “I thought,” she said, running her hand up his hard chest, “it would be amusing if we were also to . . . ah . . . get together. But my interest in your bed isn’t sudden, Jordan, I’ve wanted you for a long time. Now that your mother and my husband are enjoying each other, I saw no reason not to take what I wanted. Where’s the harm in that?”

  He said nothing and her eyes searched his inscrutable features, her smile coy. “Are you shocked?”

  “Hardly,” he replied. “I’ve known about my mother’s affairs since I was eight years old, and I doubt I could be shocked by what any woman does. If anything, I’m surprised you didn’t contrive for all six of us to meet in the maze for a little ‘family’ get-together,” he finished with deliberate insolence.

  She made a muffled sound, part laughter, part horror. “Now you’ve shocked me.”

  Lazily he reached out and tipped her chin up, studying her face with eyes too hard, too knowledgeable for his years. “Somehow I find that impossible to