Good morning! I’m here speaking with Lily Frontiere, the very clever and spunky heroine from Lauren Linwood’s A Game of Chance. Let’s get to know a little about you, Lily. What are your hobbies?

When I was in school, I was mad about acting. I took part in every production, and many times I won the lead. I would have loved to go on the stage, but Maman was dead set against that. She believes being an actress is not a suitable occupation for her daughter.

Your mother is Lilian Frontiere, the owner and house madam of Lucky Lil’s, the most famous whorehouse in San Francisco. And yet she wouldn’t let you become an actress?

Oh, Maman is a strict parent. Although her occupation is unusual, she’s merely the owner of Lucky Lil’s. She’s very kind to the girls she hires, and she is a terrific listener. Many of San Francisco’s most influential men come to the house to speak with her and gain her advice. She hired an English governess for me, and then she sent me back east to boarding school. I really don’t know much about what goes on in the house. And I couldn’t disappoint her and go against her wishes by becoming an actress.

I am interested in politics, though. I love to attend suffragette meetings at Dashaway Hall. I may have inherited my interest in politics from my father. He was killed in a political revolution in Europe just after my birth. Maman left all that behind and came to America to start a new life.

Do you have any regrets?

I do wish I could have met Papa. I don’t know much about him. Maman tears up when she speaks of him.

What is your most closely guarded secret?

(Lily looks over her shoulder and leans in). If you must know, Maman is quite ill. I’m . . .

Go ahead, Lily. I won’t tell a soul.

Well, I resemble Maman a great deal. We’re the same height, and our shape is similar. She says I look exactly as she did at this age. So . . . please don’t breathe a word of this . . . but I have become Madam Lil. I cover my hair with a dark wig. I apply cosmetics (which Maman never allowed)—eyeliner and rouge and whatnot. And every night for the past month, I’ve transformed myself into Madam Lil. Our gestures are the same. Our voices are similar. Truly, it’s the acting job of a lifetime! No one has caught on. I’ve fooled everyone.

Do you have any regrets, becoming your mother and leading a life where no one knows who you truly are?

(Lily frowns.) Our servant Ben is the only one who knows of my deception. He has been with us for ages. It helps that he is aware of the situation. But regrets? Of course I have them. Although I have a first-class education and Maman has spoiled me with a wardrobe any woman would envy, I’ll never be accepted by San Francisco society. I long for a husband and children . . . but what man would get to know a person such as I am, much less fall in love with me and buck society by marrying me? When the time comes and Maman passes, I’ll probably have to leave this city. I’ve thought about becoming a governess.

Was there a major turning point in your life?

Yes! Last night a gambler came into Lucky Lil’s and presented me with the deed, which Maman had carelessly given to a corrupt banker for a loan. The man said he won it in a card game, and he’s wanting to take charge and make all kinds of changes to our establishment. I have a feeling there’ll be an eventual showdown between us.

What one word best describes you, Lily, especially with this potential showdown on the horizon?

Determined. Some might call me stubborn, but I am a very focused, very determined person.

Do your friends see you this way?

(Lily sighs.) I really don’t have any friends, other than Max and his butler Harold. Max is an old friend of Maman’s, and I go to have tea with him every week. Harold often joins us. He’s more than a butler. More like Max’s friend and financial adviser, in truth. As I mentioned, I really don’t have a place in polite society. I do miss having friends, as I did in school.

What, if anything, haunts you?

(Lily blushes.) Remember the gambler I mentioned? There’s something about him. He has the most electric blue eyes and a smile full of sunshine. I can’t seem to get his image out of my mind.

One last question, Lily. What would you wish for if you found a genie?

I would wish for Madan to regain her health. No one is more important to me, and I would do anything to see her well again.

Thank you for chatting today, Lily. I’ll be sure to keep your secrets.

*~*~*~*

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Blurb:

Gambler Jed Stone journeys to California to track down Simon Morgan, the man responsible for his best friend’s death. Arrested for robbery and murder upon arrival, Jed is shocked to see his face on a wanted poster. He escapes before his hanging, unaware that the man guilty of those crimes is the twin brother he never knew existed. In a case of mistaken identity, Jed acquires the most famous whorehouse in San Francisco in a rigged card game his twin is meant to win.

Lily Frontiere takes over running Lucky Lil’s from her dying mother, the house madam who shielded her by sending her away to boarding school. Lily’s intelligence and astonishing resemblance to her mother help in her charade, but she’s entered a world she knows little about. She clashes with the handsome stranger who turns up with the deed to Lucky Lil’s in hand, yet she is attracted to the charming risk taker.

Jed asks Madam Lil to stay on as he learns the business and is fooled by Lily’s performance until he stumbles upon the real Madam Lil and learns the truth behind Lily’s deception. His admiration for Lily blossoms into love.

But Simon Morgan seeks both Lily’s hand and ownership of Lucky Lil’s—and he will go to any means to possess both. Will Jed foil his nemesis while bringing his outlaw brother to justice and win Lily’s love?

*~*

Excerpt:

     Gordon took out his money clip. He placed a few bills on the bed, soaked in her sweat and water and blood.

“That’s enough to satisfy the midwife. Sorry I don’t have enough for your funeral, love.”

Cara Lee bit back the scream and held it in her throat. The contraction ended. She refused to give him another reason to belittle her.

The midwife came to the bed and lifted the covers. “The head! My God, the baby’s coming out. Push, missus, push. Push for your life!”

Cara Lee gritted her teeth and bore down hard. A great relief washed over her. She closed her eyes, unwilling to see the man who had meant everything to her and who now betrayed her in her greatest hour of need.

“There, little one, there you go.”

She heard a slap and a hearty cry. She opened her eyes and saw her baby. Love burst from her.

“It’s a boy, missus. Hale and hearty. Even got a nice head of hair on him.”

“He’s mine,” she spit out, glaring at Gordon Fisher. “You can’t take him.”

“Oh, I can and I will, dear girl. This child is the meal ticket to my trust fund.”

He took the baby, now clean and wrapped in his mother’s ivory shawl, and spoke in low tones to the midwife before turning back to her. “This child will prove I’m respectable. I thank you for all you did, my dear.”

Gordon retreated from the room. She let out an anguished cry.

“Well, I never . . .” The midwife shook her head. “Let’s make you comfortable, dearie.”

Cara Lee moaned as the woman fussed over her, having trouble breathing again. A great weight pressed upon her.

“The worst is over, missus. Let me deal with the afterbirth. Maybe I can staunch the bleeding.”

As the midwife lifted the sheet again, she gasped. “Oh, no. Oh, my lord.”

Cara Lee broke out in a cold sweat. The pain was back again, this time even worse. Her body, her spirit, her faith in her husband. All had been broken. How much more could she bear?

The woman clucked loudly. “Another one’s coming, child. You’ll have to be strong a little bit longer.”

She sat up again. The burning urge to push had returned, stronger than the first time. She bit her lip hard and willed the baby to exit the birth canal. The burden eased from her, and the midwife cut the cord as before.

“It’s another boy. Spittin’ image of the other tyke.”

The baby gurgled happily.

“You mustn’t call him back. Don’t ever let . . .” Her voice trailed off.

A wet cloth glided across her forehead. What I wouldn’t give for a sip of cool water.

A few minutes later the midwife pulled the stained bed sheet over the woman’s head. She stared blankly at the wide-eyed baby in her arms.

“Lord Almighty. I never even knew your mama’s name.”

*~*

Author bio:

Lauren Linwood became a teacher who wrote on the side to maintain her sanity in a sea of teenage hormones. Her romances use history as a backdrop to place her characters in extraordinary circumstances, where their intense desire and yearning for one another grow into the deep, tender, treasured gift of love.

Lauren, a native Texan, lives in a Dallas suburb with her family. An avid reader, moviegoer, and sports fan, she manages stress by alternating yoga with five mile walks. She is thinking about starting a support group for Pinterest and House Hunters addicts.

Keep in touch with Lauren:

Website   Facebook   Twitter   Blog   Amazon Author Page   Goodreads Author Page

 

Amazon Buy Links:

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