Mary Balogh - The Secret Pearl

SIMPLY UNFORGETTABLE

When an author has created a series as beloved to readers as Baloghs Bedwyn saga, it is hard to believe that she can surpass the delights with the first installment in a new quartet. But Balogh has done just that.

Booklist

A memorable cast refresh[es] a classic Regency plot with humor, wit, and the sizzling romantic chemistry that one expects from Balogh. Well-written and emotionally complex.

Library Journal

SLIGHTLY DANGEROUS

Slightly Dangerous is the culmination of Baloghs wonderfully entertaining Bedwyn series. Balogh, famous for her believable characters and finely crafted Regency-era settings, forges a relationship that leaps off the page and into the hearts of her readers.

Booklist

With this series, Balogh has created a wonderfully romantic world of Regency culture and society. Readers will miss the honorable Bedwyns and their mates; ending the series with Wulfrics story is icing on the cake. Highly recommended.

Library Journal

SLIGHTLY SINFUL

Smart, playful and deliciously satisfying Balogh once again delivers a clean, sprightly tale rich in both plot and character. With its irrepressible characters and deft plotting, this polished romance is an ideal summer read.

Publishers Weekly (starred review)

SLIGHTLY TEMPTED

Once again, Balogh has penned an entrancing, unconventional yarn that should expand her following.

Publishers Weekly

Balogh is a gifted writer. Slightly Tempted invites reflection, a fine quality in a romance, and Morgan and Gervase are memorable characters.

Contra Costa Times

SLIGHTLY SCANDALOUS

With its impeccable plotting and memorable characters, Baloghs book raises the bar for Regency romances.

Publishers Weekly(starred review)

The sexual tension fairly crackles between this pair of beautifully matched protagonists this delightful and exceptionally well-done title nicely demonstrates [Baloghs] matchless style.

Library Journal

SLIGHTLY WICKED

Sympathetic characters and scalding sexual tension make the second installment in [the Slightly series] a truly engrossing read. Baloghs surefooted story possesses an abundance of character and class.

Publishers Weekly

SLIGHTLY MARRIED

Intriguing [A] whimsical Regency-era romance [filled] with homespun humor.

Publishers Weekly

[A Perfect Ten] Slightly Married is a masterpiece! Mary Balogh has an unparalleled gift for creating complex, compelling characters who come alive on the pages.

Romance Reviews Today

A SUMMER TO REMEMBER

Balogh outdoes herself with this romantic romp, crafting a truly seamless plot and peopling it with well-rounded, winning characters.

Publishers Weekly

The most sensuous romance of the year.

Booklist

This one will rise to the top.

Library Journal

NO MANS MISTRESS

A pair of strong, equally determined protagonists clash exquisitely in this lively, passionate sequel to More Than a Mistress.

Library Journal

Deep emotions, strong characters and an unusual plot blend to perfection into another winner for this Jewel of the Highest Water, Mary Balogh.

Romantic Times (Top Pick, 4 stars)

MORE THAN A MISTRESS

Luscious Regency-era delight. Balogh will delight fans and new readers alike with her memorable characters and fast-paced, well-constructed plot.

Booklist

Assured hardcover debut Smart, sexy dialogue.

Publishers Weekly

Mary Balogh continues to reaffirm her place as an extraordinary star of the Regency genre.

Romantic Times (Top Pick)

Balogh has a winner here.

San Antonio Express-News

THE SECRET PEARL
A Dell Book/December 2005

Published by
Bantam Dell
A Division of Random House, Inc.
New York, New York

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved
Copyright 1991 by Mary Balogh

Excerpt from The Secret Mistress copyright 2011 by Mary Balogh.

Dell is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc., and the colophon is a trademark of Random House, Inc.

This book contains an excerpt from The Secret Mistress by Mary Balogh. This excerpt has been set for this edition only and may not reflect the final content of the current edition.

eISBN: 978-0-440-33567-2

www.bantamdell.com

v3.1_r1

For Rita Latham, Mary Balogh, and Erma Gallagher,
my sisters-in-law, with love

Dear Reader,

A large number of you, especially those who have discovered me only recently with the Bedwyn series (the Slightly books), have written to ask me when my backlist is going to be available again. I am as delighted as any of you may be that it is happening now with this republication of The Secret Pearl. The book has a gorgeous new cover but no changes to either the title or the contentsI know that is important to many of you.

The Secret Pearl is often listed by readers as one of their favorites among my books. I think they are drawn to the wounded hero, who is trapped in a world of barren honor, and to the fugitive heroine, who hides deep wounds of her own. They meet under unhappy circumstances, but despite almost overwhelming odds, passion grows between them as they discover healing in each otheruntil they find themselves confronted with a classic dilemma, the choice between honor and love. Can they have bothand happiness and each other too? Well, this is a love story, and we all know that romance writers will settle for nothing less than happy endings.

For those of you reading this earlier book of mine for the first time, I do hope you will enjoy the story and return for the republication of the Web trilogy sometime soon. And for those of you who are reading this for a second or third or twenty-third time, I hope you will like it just as well or even better in this new and lovely packaging.

Happy reading!

Mary Balogh

T HE CROWD OUTSIDE THE DRURY LANE THEATER had dispersed for the night. The last carriage, with its two occupants, was disappearing down the street. Those few theatergoers who had come on foot had long ago set out on their way.

It appeared that only one gentleman was left, a tall man in a dark cloak and hat. He had refused a ride in the last carriage to leave, preferring, he had told his friends, to walk home.

And yet he was not the sole remaining occupant of the street, either. His eyes, as he looked about him, were caught by a figure standing quietly against the building, her cloak a shade lighter than the night shadowsa street prostitute who had been left behind by her more fortunate or alluring peers and who seemed now to have lost all chance of a fashionable customer for the night.