New Novel by D W Wilkin
Teaching a boor a lesson is one thing.
Winning all that the man owns is more than Lord Arthur Herrington expects. Especially when he finds that his winnings include the boor’s daughter!
The Duke of Northampshire spent fortunes in his youth. The reality of which his son, Arthur the Earl of Daventry, learns all too well when sent off to school with nothing in his pocket. Learning to fill that pocket leads him on a road to frugality and his becoming a sober man of Town. A sober but very much respected member of the Ton.
Lady Louisa Booth did not have much hope for her father, known in the country for his profligate ways. Yet when the man inherited her gallant uncle’s title and wealth, she hoped he would reform. Alas, that was not to be the case.
When she learned everything was lost, including her beloved home, she made it her purpose to ensure that Lord Arthur was not indifferent to her plight. An unmarried young woman cast adrift in society without a protector. A role that Arthur never thought to be cast as. A role he had little idea if he could rise to such occasion. Yet would Louisa find Arthur to be that one true benefactor? Would Arthur make this obligation something more? Would a game of chance lead to love?
Caution’s Heir is a story set in the Regency Era of England. The Regency was from 1811 to 1820, followed by the full rule of George IV. During the Regency he was regent for his father, George III who was then mad. It is a time of well tailored clothing for the men of wealth of England, and for their ladies to be adorned in jewels and high fashion as well. It is a time when War was waging in Europe, what is considered by many a second world war, the first having been the Seven Years War.
With this background, a war having occurred on the continent within the memory of our characters, we find the story opening with our heroine partaking of the Sunday services at the parish church. Her father is a profligate and n’er-do-well. Her uncle, the title lord, is dying. She is a proper young woman and sees to the nursing of her uncle.
We then switch to meet our hero, Lord Arthur. His father, the Duke, was much like the heroes father when the Duke was young. He spent the entire family fortune early and since Arthur and his father have lived with little, though since Arthur has become an adult he has worked slowly and diligently to make a fortune for himself, and is beginning to have some success. His income exceeding his expenses and a reputation for being an upstanding and sober man slowly being known.
So we have fathers who had little regard for wealth and their children, our main characters who understand that this is important to their position in society. Our hero meets our heroine’s father and to set up the conflict and dramatic action, Louisa’s father is betting dangerously with the wealth he has inherited by becoming Marguess on his brother’s death. Our hero steps in to curb this, not knowing of Louisa, but because the man is acting incivilly. Louisa’s father is a little insulted and another card game is arranged. Here, despite many opprotunites to end the match, Louisa’s father bets all he owns, and all that is within his property, and loses. Still our hero tries to terminate the stakes of that bet. But the Marquess honors it and flees to the New World.
Louisa takes the terms of her father’s bet literally and arrives on the doorstep of Arthur pointing out that she is now his problem. For she was in the house that Arthur won, and has no one else to turn to.
That is our major conflict and theme.
Perhaps not done in the Regency. For Slavery was on the way out. But the trope of betting all your wealth at the card table occurred. As a Regency, these two are destined for each other. It is the getting to that which makes the story. If you follow the tale, we have to have hills and valleys, storms and calm. Red Herrings strewn about the path… Though Caution is not a mystery, true love can not be found smoothly…
Do we arrive at our happy ending? It is a Regency Romance, so we must get there in the end. Do I tie up loose ends, and throw in Victorian and Regency motifs of fulfillment, and advancement? Again, Caution’s Heir is the story of Regency Romance, so something along these lines must occur.
It has had close to four years of gestation and molding, with many drafts, so now, it is ready. Published 8/12/2014 at $4.99 in digital format, $15.99 in Trade Paperback, Caution’s Heir is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, the iBookstore, Kobo and Smashwords.
Caution’s Hier – Amazon Digital
Filed under: Book Release Tagged: Caution's Heir, D. W. Wilkin, Regency Era, Regency Romance
