wicked widow
madeline deveridge is aware of the whispers behind her back, the rumors that she
dispatched her husband to the next world and concealed her crime. but she has a far more
pressing problem than her reputation as the wicked widow. it's impossible to believe that
her late husband is haunting her and her aunt, but something odd is happening and
madeline doesn't dare take chances. summoning the brilliant, reclusive artemas hunt,
secret owner of london's favorite pleasure pavilions and master of arcane talents, she
blackmails him into providing help. as soon as the bargain is struck, artemas and
madeline find their arrangement complicated by searing desire, and the frightening
recognition that the ghost poses a very real danger. now they must plunge into a world of
intrigue and ancient mysteries, where a calculating killer-and a tantalizing passion-
will not be denied.
amanda quick is
"one of the hottest and most prolific writers in romance today...her heroines are
always spunky women you'd love to know, and her heroes are dashing guys you'd
love to love."
- usa today
praise for amanda quick and wicked widow
"amanda quick seems to be writing .. . better and better." -chicago tribune
"wit is quick's middle name." -the atlanta journal-constitution
"'[wicked widow is] yet another winner from the very successful and prolific ms. quick."
-the dallas morning news
"a delicious combination of adventure and romance,
this lively tale keeps the reader enthralled from start to finish."
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bantam books by amanda quick
ask your bookseller for the books you have missed
affair
dangerous deception
desire
i thee wed
mischief
mistress
mystique
ravished
reckless
rendezvous
scandal
seduction
surrender
wicked widow
with this ring
wicked widow
amanda quick
bantam books
new york toronto london sydney auckland
isbn: 0-553-57411-6
for margaret gordon,
a librarian's librarian at the
university of california at santa cruz,
with thanks
first prologue
second prologue
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23
first prologue
nightmare. ..
the fire roared as it charged down the back stairs. the glow of the flames cast a hellish
light in the hall. there was so little time left. she picked up the key that had fallen from
her shaking fingers and tried once more to fit it into the lock of the bedchamber door.
the dead man lying in a pool of blood beside her laughed. she dropped the key again.
second prologue
vengeance . . .
artemas hunt inserted the last of the three engraved watch fob seals into the third letter
and placed it beside the other two on the desk. he studied the trio of letters in front of him
for a long time. each was addressed with a man's name.
the vengeance he had planned had been a long time in the making, but all of the elements
were now in place. posting the letters to the three men was the first step. it was designed
to give them a taste of fear; to make them start looking over their shoulders on dark,
fogbound nights. the second step involved an elaborate financial scheme that would
ultimately ruin them.
it would have been a simple matter to kill the three. it was no less than they deserved, and
with his unique skills he could have carried out the business readily enough.
there would have been no great risk of getting caught. he was a master, after all.
but he wanted the three to suffer for what they had done. he wanted them to know first
uneasiness and then outright fear. he would deprive them of their arrogance. he would rip
away the sense of certainty and security they enjoyed by virtue of their positions in
society. in the end he would deprive them of the resources that enabled them to casually
crush those who had been born into less fortunate circumstances than themselves.
before it was over, they would have ample opportunity to confront the knowledge that
they were utterly and completely destroyed in the eyes of the world. they would be forced
to flee london, not only to hide from their creditors, but to escape the unrelenting scorn of
society. they would be barred from their clubs and excluded not only from the pleasures
and privileges of their class, but from any prospect of repairing their fortunes through
advantageous marriages.
in the end, perhaps, they would come to believe in ghosts.
it had been five years since catherine's death. so much time had passed that the three
debauched rakes who had been responsible must surely believe themselves safe. they had