Forbidden Music and Love in Regency England
I’m pleased to share that Prelude for a Lord, the first book in my Gentlemen Quartet series, is now available on Amazon and in Kindle Unlimited.
This novel holds a special place in my heart. It’s a Regency romance shaped by music, the shackles of society, and longing—set not in the whirl of London society, but in the quieter, more emotionally charged spaces of the English countryside, where reputations fray and hidden talents come to light.
A Regency Romance Rooted in Music
Prelude for a Lord is set in Bath, England, in December 1811, and centers on two characters bound together by music and separated by society, circumstance, and past wounds.
At twenty-eight, Alethea Sutherton is considered past her prime for courtship, but conventional expectations have never suited her. She is, first and foremost, a musician.
In Regency England, however, the violin is deemed an improper instrument for a lady. Shunned for her passion, Alethea practices in secret and dreams of escaping to the Continent, where she might play without scandal. But when a thief’s interest in her violin threatens her family’s safety, she is forced to confront the mysterious origins of the instrument—and seek help from a man she never expected to see again.
Lord Dommick, scarred by war and loss, finds solace only in his own violin. Drawn reluctantly into Alethea’s search, he discovers a new yearning stirring beneath his carefully guarded reserve.
As danger escalates and emotions deepen, Alethea and Dommick must decide whether music will unite them—or lead them both to ruin.
An Excerpt from Prelude for a Lord
A coach-and-four barreled down the street, much too fast for the narrow way. Several people leapt out of the way of the horses with cries of alarm, but the crowds forced the coachman to finally slow his headlong dash, right where Alethea stood pressed against a shop wall.
“Why are we slowing?” a deep male voice demanded from the depths of the coach.
Alethea had been breathless on account of being forced to the side, but now the air stopped in her throat.
It couldn’t be him. Not here, in Bath.
She glanced up just as a man from within the coach looked out—and met her eyes.
Dark eyes, shadowed, solitary. He had always reminded her of a hawk, its power and beauty, its lonely existence. But she now noticed that there was a dark pain, something that had aged him beyond the eleven years since she’d seen him last.
His eyes flickered, and she tensed. Surely he wouldn’t recognize her. She had been one woman in a crowd of hundreds at his concert in London, who had danced at the same balls, attended the same operas. Fallen half in love with dashing Mr. Terralton, son and heir to Baron Dommick.
No, he was Lord Dommick now—she had read that his father died last year, three months after Mr. Terralton returned to England, injured from fighting Napoleon on the continent.
But his gaze didn’t leave hers for a few heartbeats, as if trying to place her.
— Excerpt from Prelude for a Lord
About the Gentlemen Quartet
Prelude for a Lord is Book One in the Gentlemen Quartet series.
Four gentlemen—friends since their schooldays—once formed a celebrated concert group known in London society simply as the Quartet. War scattered them across Europe, but peace has brought them home again, each bearing scars both visible and unseen.
As they return to Regency England, each man must navigate intrigue, healing, and the possibility of love—often in places far quieter and yet more dangerous than the battlefield.
Although I wrote Prelude for a Lord before beginning the Lady Wynwood’s Spies series, it is set chronologically after those events, and readers familiar with that world may notice subtle connections along the way.
Where to Find the Book
Prelude for a Lord is available now on Amazon and in Kindle Unlimited.
You can also find paperback editions and more information on my website.
If you enjoy:
- clean or Christian historical romance
- Regency-era stories grounded in music and emotional restraint
- slow-burn romance shaped by trust and healing
this story may be a good fit for you.
For updates on my historical fiction, including the Lady Wynwood’s Spies series, you’re welcome to follow along on my blog or join my email list.
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