The Virgin Courtesan

By Michelle Kelly

Penniless and homeless, beautiful Juliana Hearnshaw's virginity is her most bankable asset, and now the gently bred young woman must sell herself to a wealthy, elderly patron who will pay handsomely for her company. But on her way to her first assignation, Juliana falls into the hands of a mysterious highwayman–who makes no secret of his desire for her!

Juliana should be afraid–only somehow she finds herself trusting this dark–eyed rogue. Dare she take a chance and, for one night, experience real passion in his arms?

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers Australia
• Release date: Oct 1, 2013
• ISBN: 9781743645550

Michelle Kelly

Michelle Kelly is a former English teacher living in the beautiful Amber Valley countryside in the heart of England with her own real-life hero and two rug rats and a rodent. She is a hopeless romantic with a passionate interest in history and so writing historical romances is a dream come true! Her first historical novel was written at the age of twelve, tied together with string, and still kept in her grandmother's dresser. She is also a published author of contemporary romance, poetry and memoir.

Book preview

Chapter One

Juliana shifted uncomfortably in the rattling stagecoach, trying to calm the nerves that assailed her. She drew her pelisse around the white muslin gown that was far too revealing, with its plunging décolleté, to be any use against a chilly spring night. It wasn’t just the cold that was making her shiver; she was on her way for an intimate evening with Lord Salter, and if the night’s events went as planned she would officially be a courtesan. The new toast of Covent Garden. It wasn’t a future she had exactly planned for herself. Juliana closed her eyes and sighed as she remembered the chain of events that had brought her here.

After her father died, Juliana knew it would not go well for her with his malicious widow, but had been shocked to realise he had made no provision for her at all in his will, trusting her to the care of his wife. Publicly she was the epitome of a loving stepmother, but behind closed doors Juliana knew she was not wanted, was detested for her resemblance to her mother, in fact, but even so had never expected the recently widowed Mrs Dora Hearnshaw to go so far.

‘Scandalous! Wanton!’ she had shrieked upon finding Juliana desperately trying to free herself from the clutches of her stepbrother, Dora’s beloved son. When Juliana had defiantly protested her innocence, accusing the slyly grinning Mortimer of attempted rape, his mother had struck her with such force her ears had rung.

‘You will get out of my house!’

‘My father’s house!’ Juliana had retorted, even as she threw her gowns and her mother’s jewels into a small chest. She had very little to call her own, and nowhere to go except for an old address for a distant cousin of her mother’s. By the time her stepmother’s gossip had done its work, Juliana’s acquaintances would hardly give her the time of day. All the young women she knew were desperately looking for husbands, and it wouldn’t help their cause to be associated with a girl who had seduced her own stepbrother. Perhaps she should have tried harder to make friends before her father died, but Juliana detested the endless gossiping and socialising and pointless morning and afternoon teas that her stepmother whisked her round to, and the frivolous young ladies she was expected to attend. There was nothing in their heads but marriage and lace gloves.

Once in the city she hadn’t found the cousin, but she had found Rose. A courtesan of some standing, Rose had taken her in, initially as a maid, but with an undoubted eye on Juliana’s future.

‘You won’t get a decent husband if there’s a scandal attached to your name,’ Rose had told her as she had curled and pinned Juliana’s luxuriant dark tresses that evening, ‘but you can secure yourself a wealthy patron. And that, my dear, is the key. Keep as much by as you can for when your looks go and you’re not wanted, and you won’t end up in the gutter.’

It was wise advice, Juliana knew, but hardly cheering. She had hoped to secure a position as a governess or similar, but with no letters of reference and the whisper of scandal following her, it had proved impossible. Watching Rose and realising that her status as a courtesan, although scandalous, meant that she was able to be independent and live life mainly on her own terms, Juliana had considered that perhaps it was not such a bad way to live. Certainly, trying to conform and be the ‘good girl’ had got her nowhere in life other than destitute and shamed. And so Rose had taken her under wing, showing her how to dress, talk and otherwise play the part of a coquette able to have men leaping to her every request. There were other lessons, too, the content of which had made Juliana blush. How to touch oneself so as to enflame a man’s desire, and how to touch and tease his most intimate parts in turn. Rose had described these acts in such graphic detail, even mimicking certain gestures and having Juliana copy them until she was satisfied the younger girl had grasped the point, that Juliana had begun to feel she knew everything there was to know about the sex act, despite never having actually participated in it.

‘Of course, you could end up like Miss Fenton,’ Rose had added. Lavinia Fenton, a

Reviews for The Virgin Courtesan

[dreplogle_4 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Loved this series as a teenager, and was so glad to find she had written a fourth novel. Of course, I would be totally open to her continuing the series.

[jaddington-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A fitting end to a grand story. A story that I think could go on, and on and on. And I would read them. I love these characters. Really nothing more to say. You like the series or you don't.

[reading_fox · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Best of the series. Longer as well but definetly equal to and in some respects better than Fires of Azeroth.Having indured and survived and finally left Azeroth in peace Vayne and Morgaine arrive in their next world, finding once again that Qhal and humans can seldom live in harmony. Intriguingly and in variance to the earlier novels, Vayne is not the sole point of view for the tale. A young Man called Chei gets some time. We pick up Chei's tale as he is left staked out for the wolves by a lord man hosting a Qhal mind - such as is common here, much to Vayne and Morgaine's horror. These Qhal have gate knowledge not just the jewels that Azeroth was using, but the power of active gates twisting the lands around them. Although Morgaine has the urgency of her quest pressing upon her, She appears to almost have fallen in love with Vayne - not that her kind can, but there is deep affection there for the first time, a true companion on her journies. This has come on very stonf since it's only been a few weeks, experience time, since they met in Andor-Kursh. As such she listens to his views more than to her intstincts - causing Vayne huge doubts. Is his judgement best for them? As they are once again beset by possibly trustworthy company Morgaine again states her preference for active enemies rather than honest friends - against whom she will eventually have to turn. And then they hear of Skarrin - of a race like Morgaine's beyond the Qhal and steeped in knowledge of the Gate s. Here is the reason for the politicing, betrayals, and power of the gates. The sternest test of Morgaine and Vayne is ahead of them, they need allies, but who to trust? and how far?Great fun, gripping writing. Especially the developing closeness between Morgaine and Vayne and the doubts it puts on him. Suffers from the same problem as the earlier ones of talking about worlds but dealing with only a small fraction of a continent. You need to pay attention at the end - Morgaine and Skarrin discuss gate theory and while details are deliberately vague because Vayne didn't understand them, if you think about it it all makes sense - but a quick read is liable to leave you confused, it helps to remember this is and always was an SF / fantasy cross genre'd book. Read the others first and savour this one when you get to it. It leaves you wanting more!..........................................................................................................................

[caragen87 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This one was a let down compared to the first three. It was a longer continuation on the same theme-- and the repetition of the paranoia/loyalty by-play between Vanye & Morgaine is getting tired. Worse, we were not treated to any revelations of the Gates or the Qhal in what we thought would be the Final Gate Book.

[pandababy_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Exile's Gate is the fourth (and I think the last) in a series. I liked it that questions were answered, about the protagonists relationship, about the origins of Morgaine, about the true nature and origins of the world gates, etc.It also had a feel of 'been there, done that' which, ironically, was addressed in the plot by one of the characters near the ending. Still, although the stakes were continually raised and character and plot development occurred apace, I was disappointed in the end, and irritated by two things: the feelings of sameness, and the cliff-hangar ending, which leaves me to create my own story for 'what happens to them', since Cherryh is evidently done with this series.Those are my reasons for giving Exile's Gate three and half stars, instead of the usual four or more that Cherryh inspires. She still delivers unexpected plot twists, great world-building and interesting character development.