Trafford Publishing: Chateau De Grace

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Chateau De Grace

by Helen McLean

240 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #04-1455; ISBN 1-4120-3627-5; US$23.50, C$27.00, EUR19.50, £13.50

Professor Duvier, a conniving scoundrel, rents a room at Lady Regina's school of finesse. Once eagerly courted as a suitor for daughter Elizabeth, his shocking secret scandalizes and horrifies the gentle ladies.

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About the Book About the Author Excerpt Catalogue Information

About the Book

Lady Regina, widow of a British embassy attaché, fancies herself royalty. Daughters, proper Elizabeth and free spirited Victoria, teach at Chateau De Grace, their small "school of finesse and creativity." Victoria presents boyfriend Grady Carson as a college professor, rather than a common mechanic. Thanks to Phipps, family lawyer and guardian of their finances, and to nine year old exasperating neighbor, Delcie Perkins, the truth is revealed. Lady Regina assigns Grady Carson to low grade tasks, hoping to showcase his common "grease monkey" status to Victoria. The plan backfires when Victoria joins Grady in the menial activities.
At Phipps urging, the ladies rent rooms to Professor Reynard Duvier, wealthy, Oxford educated eccentric from Vienna, assigned to work with Colonel Perkins on a highly classified American project. Lady Regina, thrilled with the Professor's elitist background, approves Elizabeth's acceptance of an expensive engagement ring. An intelligent and practical Grady finally charms Lady Regina, endearing her further by arranging outings in her prized, ancient Rolls Royce, chauffered by his employee, handsome, dimpled Gideon, who is captivated with Elizabeth. Grady and Victoria are now secretly engaged.
Grady notifies authorities of a skulking stranger and is ignored. Later, Elsa and Otis, cook and gardener, observe the stranger with binoculars surveying the Château. Grady and Gideon attempt a citizen's arrest, and are soundly trounced and incarcerated, discovering the Professor is under government surveillance as a spy. The Professor, pleading "persecution" to Elizabeth, pawns her ring to purchase two tickets to Vienna. As Elizabeth packs, he buys one ticket to Argentina, abandoning her. Devastated by the loss of the ring, a materialistic Elizabeth secretly admires handsome Gideon. Grady buys disgraced Colonel Perkins' house nearby, pleasing Lady Regina, who is now being courted by family lawyer, Phipps.

About the Author

Helen McLean was born in the Midwest. Her family moved to San Diego, California during World War II. She and her husband Bill had four sons and one daughter. They lived on three acres filled with citrus and Monterey pines overlooking a lake. Thirteen grandchildren live nearby in a small town setting. She enjoys gardening and visits from family. Painting and writing have been of paramount interest since high school, when she edited the school newspaper and wrote a column for the local paper. Her first full length novel, A Rosebud Need Not Have a Mind, was published two years before Chateau De Grace. She is currently working on a third novel.

Excerpt - from Chapter One
A young man in oil stained overalls, stood transfixed, staring intently into the open window of the dance studio, one heavy brogan resting in a bed of periwinkles, the other on the cobbled garden walk. His dark eyes were riveted on a line of fidgeting girls from seven to eleven clad in pink tutus, pirouetting daintily in response to the tinkle of music and cheery instructions of a shapely, blonde in a tight, white leotard. He seemed totally at ease, hidden by a bramble of trumpet vines wandering in a blaze of summer blossom up and over the window casing. As the music stopped, the dancers broke into giggling, chattering disarray. Turning to leave, the young man started in surprise as he faced a slender, young lady with a mass of auburn hair approaching around the garden gazebo. In her arms she carried an armful of roses, sparkling with a glimmer of dew.
"Grady Carson! What do you think you're doing? Why are you hiding out here...leering at my sister through the window?" Her smile caused him to miss the slight edge in her voice. He grinned, his dark eyes crinkling at the corner of a tanned face, as she hooked her arm through his and kissed him lightly on the cheek.
"Well, Victoria, you have to admit Elizabeth Anne has some good looking underpinnings. Actually, I was thinking the little dancers looked like pink butterfl ies fluttering around a curvaceous white fl ower."
"My aren't we poetic today. Again, my question is, why are you standing out here all grimy and covered with oil?"
"Unfortunately, two of my best employees are off today, so I'm filling in. When I caught sight of you in the garden, I couldn't resist stopping by. I parked the truck down the street, circled around and came in the back gate. I wasn't sure of the whereabouts of 'her highness'. I wanted to avoid your mother at all costs." He shrugged smiling. "Sure as hell don't look like an assistant college professor today, now do I? Why'd you make up that outrageous story anyway?" Finding humor in the situation, they quietly laughed together, while Victoria held a cautionary finger to her lips, lest they be heard outside the open window. "Gideon will be back from his vacation shortly," he said, "and I'm hoping Travis will be feeling better soon." In a low voice, he added, "I'm ready to take over my desk job again. The truth is, Victoria, I'm getting lazy. I can't stand this day labor anymore." He motioned down over his greasy clothes.
"Oh, I don't know about that," Victoria said, barely above a whisper. "I rather like this rugged look." She ran long, graceful fingers over the two-day bristle on his chin. "Somehow this little bit of hirsute anatomy projects an appealing virility, a manly strength...makes you look, well...masterful!"
"Hirsute, is it? Have to get out my Webster's on that. Somehow, the sound of it makes me eager to keep our appointment tonight. At the li-bra-ry! He dragged the syllables sarcastically. "To do more of that so called 'research on genealogy' again, is it?" He smiled shaking his head "Say about eight?" ...

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