His Darling
A Gilded Age Erotic Romance
Former Rough Rider Braxton Southbourne needs medical help. Since his return from Cuba, this Captain in the Spanish-American War suffers from recurring bouts of depraved urges. These dark periods of sexual perversity prevent him from courting the virginal socialite he thinks to wed. In an effort to treat this worrisome condition, Brax hires Anne Floss, a battlefield nurse.
Mr. Southbourne might call himself perverse and depraved, but Nurse Floss knows better. This is not to say her patient doesn't suffer - he does, mightily. Pangs of guilt over his unexpressed dominance in the bedchamber cause him untold misery. Fortunately, she can help.
In the course of treating her patient, Anne gives into own secret submissive, finding wanton satisfaction in Mr. Southbourne's cure, whilst hoping against hope he never truly gets well.
Now to convince Brax to give up trying to fix what he thinks ails him and merely give in.
To her.
I'm pulling from a number of interests for this novel but it's all set in one of my favorite periods in American history, the Gilded Age. In HIS DARLING the Spanish American War has just ended, one of many turning points in American history. The US takes ends Spain's colonial empire in the Western Hemisphere and gains Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines from Spain. Teddy Roosevelt makes a big name for himself in the process as the leader of the Rough Riders in the invasion of Cuba. So there were a lot of future shaping events taking place.
At this same time the nursing was growing into a profession that was organized, licensed and training was formalized. Nurses were finally recognized with a legal title - registered professional nurses - RN.
I brought the main characters together in the Hudson River Valley, a location like Newport, Rhode Island, the Berkshires of Massachusetts and Bar Harbor, Maine where the Gilded Age wealthy congregated.
There are a number of interesting background details from this area and this time. Check them out in the links of Behind the Book.