The Home Office has asked Sir Bertrand Thorndike to head an investigation into stolen royal jewels. It’s the perfect chance for Bertie to step out of his brother’s long shadow. His superior, The Duke of Haverly, has a plan that makes him balk: in order to sell his cover, Bertie must play the part of a man looking for love, ready to reform his rakish ways. The duke is willing to let Bertie name his own investigative team, but his recommendation that the team include Philippa Cashel has Bertie on his guard. Does the duke-known for his behind-the-scenes machinations-have an ulterior motive?

Philippa Cashel escaped her life as one of society’s best-known courtesans, devoting her life to helping other women in dire straits. So when Sir Bertrand Thorndike approaches her about joining his team as an agent of the Crown, she is skeptical. She’s focused on getting her school for underprivileged women up and running, not in cloak-and-dagger skullduggery. Her hope is that if she labors hard enough at her charity work, she might begin to feel worthy of God’s forgiveness. When one of Philippa’s rescued girls is arrested for stealing the royal jewels and another is murdered, Philippa will risk partnering with Bertie to find the loot and stop the killer. Two brilliant minds-with two wary hearts-and one cunning deceiver are on a collision course in Regency England.

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Now for our interview with Miss Philippa.

CC: I’m so excited to get to introduce you to my readers, Miss Philippa. Would you mind telling them a little bit about yourself?

PC: I find it so difficult to introduce myself, as I do not wish to hold on to the past, but my past has shaped so much of my present. Though I hope my present is what is shaping my future and I can put the early years of my life behind me. You see, I am the illegitimate child of an earl and his long-time mistress. At least she was his mistress until he decided one day that she was not. This action forced us onto the streets of London, and I supported us the only way I knew how…and consequently became one of the most sought-after courtesans in the city. But the love of my half-sister and her husband showed me that I could leave that life and forge a new one, rescuing women who used to be as I was. A Thieving at Carlton House shows me embarking on the biggest part of my new way of life…forming a charity for women in dire straits. Though I’m about to find myself in some dire straits of my own!

CC: Why, yes. Yes, you are. But some of the worst dire straits bring about some of the most amazing futures, and I’m eagerly trying to meet my word count goals so that I get to see what that is.

What or who is your biggest problem in life? 

PC: From the outside, people would say my biggest problem in life is trying to overcome my past as a ‘fallen woman’ but I know that my greatest problem is the unforgiveness I’m toting around concerning my father’s abandonment, and how that’s eating at my soul.

CC: Unforgiveness is so difficult to overcome. How often do we think that it doesn’t hurt anyone by the person you deny it to when really it is us who suffer the most? I feel for you as you walk this road.

Since you have such a difficult past, I’m sure tha thas affected your relationship with God. How would you describe your relationship with Him?

PC: When I was on the streets, my relationship with God was best described as adversarial. Now I would describe myself as a fledgling in my faith, a bit tentative, and always wondering if I’m worthy of His love. I’ve a long way to go, it seems.

CC: It is definitely a life-long journey.

How do you think others view you? Do you feel this is an accurate representation of you? Does it bother you or make you feel good about yourself?

PC: Most men tend to see me as an object, a pretty thing to parade around. Though not my brother-in-law or strangely, Sir Bertrand Thorndike, with whom I work in a secret capacity for our Majesty’s Government. My father views me as something he’d rather forget…and has done an admirable job in that endeavor. The new pupils at the Eleos School for Women in Need, hopefully see me as a friend and mentor.

CC: I know those girls would be in a completely different place without you, and I am certain they look up to you as a friend and mentor. I know I would.

Tell us a little bit of the personal journey you go on throughout this story. What areas of growth do you find yourself facing?

PC: Though I have some very real danger, it is the road to forgiveness that I find the most arduous to traverse.

CC: Amen and hugs. 

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? 

PC: I would change my circumstances more than myself. I would have been a much-cherished daughter of a happily married couple, secure in their love and never forced out onto the streets. At times, I have despised my face and form, as they are appealing to many men, but I was also grateful for it, as it allowed me to live a certain way, with beautiful things and plenty to eat at that time of my life.

CC: I think there are aspects of all of our past circumstances that we wish we could have changed, but the older I get the more I realize those difficult circumstances were needed to make me who I am today. There would be many a girl’s life who would be still on the street if you hadn’t walked through what you did, rose above it by God’s grace, and then turned it into a ministry. 

What is your greatest skill that helps you through the story or makes you appealing to a possible love interest?

PC: I’m resilient. And I can read people. I can sense when someone is lying or hiding something. And I am a very good listener.

PC: A cat. Wary, a bit aloof, and only comfortable in a situation where I feel safe.

CC: I can see that!

How would you describe the love interest of the story? 

About Erica Vetsch:

Best-selling, award-winning author Erica Vetsch loves Jesus, history, romance, and sports. When she’s not writing fiction, she’s planning her next trip to a history museum. You can connect with her at her website, www.ericavetsch.com and you can find her on Facebook at The Inspirational Regency Readers Group where she spends way too much time!

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