Spotlight: Dancing Around the Truth by Alanna Lucas
Hi, everyone! I’m spotlighting Alanna Lucas’s latest release, Dancing Around the Truth, a Regency Romance and sounds absolutely delicious! Here’s some music to enjoy while reading more about Dancing around the Truth. 
Dark secrets, lies, and a far too enticing widow threaten to destroy the orderly world Benjamin Weston, the illegitimate son of the late Baron Albryght, has made for himself…and Mrs. Philippa Keates might just also hold the key to unlocking his heart.
SECRETS & LIES
Mrs. Philippa Keates thought she’d found her happily-ever-after when she eloped, but two years and no children later she is named a widow. Then a woman claiming to be her late husband’s wife appears, and Philippa demands answers.
AND LOVE
Benjamin Weston, the illegitimate son of the late Baron Albryght, has made a name for himself conducting investigations for those willing to pay a high price for discretion. When a childhood friend shows up on his doorstep, begging for his assistance, Weston fears most of all that she will discover the truth…and thus bring further scandal to herself, the only woman he has ever loved. But as he unravels her mystery, as secrets of his own begin to come to light, soon it becomes clear that there is more at stake than just Philippa’s reputation—and nothing less than her heart.
And now an excerpt…
Weston reached for the cool handle and eased the door open. A whiff of lavender, vanilla, and wet dog invaded his senses.
Wet dog?
Before he could register what was happening, a petite figure draped in black pushed past the door and stormed into the house followed close behind by the largest dog Weston had ever set eyes on.
Without explanation as to why she was on his doorstep, Philippa began to chatter out, “I thought…you meant for us to fr-freeze out there.” She rubbed her arms with quick movements. The dog shook its body from head to tail, spraying the foyer with the none-too-pleasant smell of wet dog.
Weston stood dumbfounded. Wasn’t Philippa just here this afternoon? He was still holding the door open, trying to comprehend why she was here at this hour. Glancing outside, he noticed no horse, no carriage, and no chaperone. Damn. One day her impulsive nature would land her in irreparable trouble.
“What are you doing here?” Weston shut the door. Closing his eyes, he sucked in his breath. Give me patience. “Do you know what time it is?”
“I haven’t a clue.” She turned her crystal blue eyes on him. “It took forever to reach Knights Hall.”
“How did you get here?”
“I walked.” She said those two words like they were commonplace. Perhaps in the middle of the day with a chaperone they were, but at this time of evening, and in the rain, they were the two most inconceivable words spoken by a lady of her station.
“You walked here?”
“Yes.”
“You walked here in the dark…in the rain…unchaperoned?”
“It wasn’t dark or raining when I left. And as for unchaperoned, Silvanus was with me. He would have protected me.” She turned her attention to the large wet dog. “Isn’t that right?” she said in a jovial voice. “You’re the best dog ever.” Silvanus’s tail wagged wildly at the sound of her high-pitched praise.
Weston did not doubt the dog’s ability to scare off any would-be attacker, but he was still no substitute for a proper chaperone.
“Why didn’t you ride? Or better, why didn’t you stay home and send word?” As the words were spewing from his mouth, Weston could see Philippa’s face redden with agitation. He didn’t care. Her carefree spirit had been endearing when she was a child, but now she was headed for bedlam with this sort of activity.
Weston’s blood boiled with the thought of what trouble she could have found herself in. “I cannot believe you thought it was a good idea to venture out…”
Interrupting his tirade with a stomp of her foot, she yelled, “If you would just be quiet for all of two seconds, perhaps I might explain what I’m doing here.” Silvanus’s eyes narrowed on Weston as if he was the source of his mistress’s aggravation.
Weston opened his mouth to speak, but thought better of it after the glare Philippa—and her dog—cast his way. He knew better than to argue with her when she was in one of these moods.
“I needed to speak with you again, and sending a note would not suffice. I walked here because I do not ride anymore.” Her sentence started strong but trailed off in a whisper.
The lingering pain in her eyes struck his heart.
Philippa cleared her throat. “I didn’t want to raise suspicion, so I informed my maid that I was not to be disturbed. As for the hour, I hadn’t realized just how far it was, and besides, the walk was quite refreshing…”
Weston thought Philippa could go on all night if he did not interrupt her. “Why exactly did you come here?”
Philippa pulled a letter from her pocket. “I found this.”
Weston’s world was about to come crashing down.
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