Sydney Scrogham asked Margaret Locke:

I really wanted to try this "ask the author" thing... so here goes! Have you ever wanted to go back in time to pick up a duke like Eliza? :)

Margaret Locke On the surface, it sounds fantastic, doesn't it? To really be there, to see the men and women in their Regency finery, to experience a true Regency ball...

But in reality, I don't think I'd have the confidence or chutzpah to attempt something like that. It'd be like me approaching a billionaire in today's world and saying, "Hey baby, wanna date?" I have a feeling I'd get a roll of the eyes and a flat no, if not a call to the police for a restraining order. Or the Regency equivalent, whatever that might be - the cut direct, or escorted to the door, or slapped in chains and carted off to Bedlam, perhaps?

Were I living in Regency times, I'm quite sure that I would be the lady's maid, not the lady, anyway. Or perhaps the scullery maid. And in spite of the beloved Cinderella tropes popular in romance novels, I doubt a duke would ever look my way. Not for anything legitimate, at least. ;)

I HAVE long fantasized about being able to time travel, though I've always envisioned me watching from the side - like Scrooge in A Christmas Carol - rather than being in the thick of the action.

And my ultimate version of heaven is to be able to have all the answers to all the questions I've ever had, which would include going back to witness key moments in time, to watch key players, to see how things really went down. That, and an eternity to read all the books on my never-ending TBR list, sounds like paradise to me.

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