Unsuited
A Gilded Age Erotic Romance
1884 Newport, Rhode Island
A love not meant to be ignites a passion not easily refused...
When landscape artist, Marty Brown, travels to Rhode Island to interview for a position at the opulent mansion of nouveau riche financier, Mr. Baylen Abbott, she never dreams she'll be involved in the moneyed world of debutantes and ballrooms, subjects about which she knows absolutely nothing.
As it turns out...neither does the former cowboy who hires her to rehabilitate his estate's gardens for that season's upcoming social events, all of which will provide the backdrop for the highly competitive Newport society marriage market.
Along with the gardens, Marty finds herself dragged kicking and screaming into the nearly impossible chore of rehabilitating her gauche employer as well, with the end goal of getting him married off to a well-placed lady bride who will then provide him with entree into the unforgiving world of high society..."
First step: Convince Mr. Abbot to avoid using undoubtedly colorful cowboy expressions such as "dang" and "gol'darn it" in every other sentence, particularly in public where tony Newport society would frown on such quaint regional colloquialisms.
Second step: Getting him out on the dance floor, where he swears his two left feet will trod on every delicate slipper in sight during the waltz, which he never did learn how to do, no way, no how.
Considering his penchant for wearing Western-style boots on his size 13s and a dusty Stetson slung low over his eyes, Marty knows leaving dented debutant slippers in his wake on the ballroom dance floor is the very least of this cowpoke's marital challenges.
But Marty has never backed off from a challenge in her life and she won't back down from this one either...even as she finds herself falling hopelessly in love with a man whose marital dreams she can only crush.
Woman landscape artists were a rarity in the late 19th Century. All the more reason why I featured one in this Gilded Age erotic romance. You'll find some background information on these pioneers in the Behind the Book link to the right.
The spark that ignited this story for me was a few snippets of an overheard conversation between two strangers and the accompanying body language during a visit to a seaside garden in view of Newort, Rhode Island. An older gentleman greets a younger woman with just the slightest detected extra bit of charm. Coud I be witnessing an attempt at seduction?... interesting...
It wasn't until afer finishing this book that I discoverd a "fedge" in urban slang can be a smelly person who frequently follows a cult band - basically a homeless, penniless vagabond. I thought it was just a nerdy landscaping term. Fedges and their cousin, hedges, are much more popular in the UK but you'll fine many English garden concepts adopted in the similar climate of New England. Willows are particularly good choices for growing fedges as Marty proposed to Baylen in UNSUITED.
I wanted to give Baylen just a bit more of an edge with a background in boxing, which was a very different sport in the 19th century.
The "summer cottages" of the newly rich are what has put - and kept - Newport, Rhode Island on the map. Baylon has more obstacles than most of the typical nouveau riche gentleman to overcome if he expects acceptance in Newport. Though it's unlikely for a bare knuckle boxer to change his circumstances and money helps, Marty can provide the social skills training that makes a difference. Think 'My Fair Lady' with a significant twist.
Check out women landscape architects, fedges, bare knuckle boxing and more in the Behind the Book links.