A Scot in the Dark

Author’s Note

The inspiration for this and all Scandal & Scoundrel books is modern celebrity gossip, something that readers who—like me—have a secret love for US Weekly, TMZ, and Tatler will notice right away. While Scandal & Scoundrel is my creation, scandal sheets are not new. Nude paintings seem innocuous enough now, but one need only think of hacked cell phones and secret tapes from recent years to see that the more the world changes, the more it stays the same. I am indebted to the inspiring women who have stood tall in the face of reveals like Lily’s in recent years.

The Scandal & Scoundrel series could not be written without the vast, fascinating collections of the New York Public Library and the British Library—the gossip columns of newspapers long defunct remain in their archives. For this book, I am also grateful for the archives of the Royal Academy of Arts, now in its 248^th year—which continues to exhibit contemporary British art to the public at large during its annual summer exhibition. It should be said that, while Exhibition-related people and paintings in the book are historically correct, the idea of a final, touring piece to be revealed on the last day of the exhibition is all mine.

As with all my books, this one would be a pale version of itself without Carrie Feron (who is always right), Nicole Fischer, Leora Bernstein, and the outstanding team at Avon Books, including Liate Stehlik, Shawn Nicholls, Pam Jaffee, Caroline Perny, Tobly McSmith, Carla Parker, Brian Grogan, Frank Albanese, Eileen DeWald, and Eleanor Mikucki. Special shout-out to Lucia Macro for wonderful conversations about all the best bits of romance. And, of course, many thanks to the remarkable Steve Axelrod.

Thanks to Lily Everett for extensive celebrity “research,” to Carrie Ryan and Sophie Jordan for always answering the phone, to my sister Chiara for an early read, and to Ally Carter for a late one.

To Eric, thank you for being the best of men. To V, may you always face scandal with strength, and be better for it. And to my amazing readers, thank you for always taking the journey with me—nothing without you.

As A Scot in the Dark goes to the printer, I’m hard at work on book three in the Scandal & Scoundrel series—the story of Sesily’s disappeared sister, Seraphina, and the duke she did not win. Join me (and the rest of the motley Scandal & Scoundrel crew!) in 2017 for The Day of the Duchess!