Books
One Night with A Prince Scoop
- I had a hard time finding a heroine suitable for Byrne. She couldn't be just like every other woman he's known, or why would he find her compelling enough to spend a lifetime with? I started out conceiving her as someone he'd want to take care of, but then realized he needed someone stronger than that. And that's how my pistol-packing general's daughter was born.
- Yes, I made up Whist for the Wicked. But hey, somebody in the Regency period was surely debauched enough to try the equivalent of strip poker. Why not?
- Princess Charlotte had a few troubles concerning suitable suitors, which isn't surprising given who her father was. You can read more about that here.
- Cameron, Mrs. Fitzherbert's fictional son in the book, is based on a real guy whose family claimed that he was the son of her and Prinny: James Ord. For a list of his other rumored illegitimate children, go to my All about Prinny and His Mistresses page.
Inside Scoop from Characters
How to Play Whist for the Wicked
according to gaming club owner, Mr. Gavin Byrne
Do not blame us for unveiling the details of this shocking game, dear reader—we only report the news.
Whist for the Wicked is an entertaining variation on regular whist. The stakes are any item of clothing or adornment on one’s person—coat, gown, jewelry, watches, etc. Since the point is not financial gain, a man’s purse and a woman’s reticule are excluded, as are other non-attire items, such as weapons. For every point the opposing team gains, the members of the losing team each have to give over an article of attire.
It doesn’t matter that the stakes are uneven, that the value of a watch can’t equal the value of a stocking. The object is to strip both members of one team down to nothing. The game ends when one side is naked, although the teams can set whatever limit they want—a chemise for the ladies and drawers for the gentlemen, for example. I personally prefer the extreme form.
Incidentally,
if you prefer not to be so scandalous with friends, Whist
for the Wicked can be played with only two players as
a prelude to seductions. You simply follow the rules for
two-handed whist. This is the version I most prefer.
All about Town
by A Lady of Fashion
Have you heard the latest, my dears? Alexander Black, newly risen to the title of Earl of Iversley, has thundered into town with a mission to marry, and all the young misses are a-twitter. They say he needs a fortune, though he denies it. He’s rumored to be quite the rogue, so we were surprised to see him dancing attendance on Miss Katherine Merivale in the very presence of her almost fiancé, Sir Sydney Lovelace.
That upstanding miss will never tolerate Iversley’s antics, not after a lifetime of embarrassment at the hands of her late roguish father. Although someone claimed to see them at Astley’s, dressed in costume and performing on the stage, this correspondent does not believe it for one minute. Miss Merivale means to make a respectable match, and no one who has ever heard the earl’s outrageous wit would ever believe him respectable, no matter how lofty his title.
Rules for a Pretend Mistress
By Lady Haversham
- Don't play Whist for the Wicked with an accomplished gambler.
- Smile and nod when you meet your pretend lover's former mistresses. You can always slit their throats later.
- Don’t kiss your pretend lover if you mean to stay out of his bed.
- Remember—a
man needn’t touch a woman to tempt
her.
Protect yourself with a weapon that is not pretend. - If
you must kiss your pretend lover, remember
that chaste kisses are for misses.