The Scene !!! Some of the characters from recent and upcoming ghopher books are gathered at a grand-opening celebrating for this website. A waiter -- a mysterious, nameless man unremarkable and covertly gathering information -- offers the group at the bar a glass of champagne.

Cal Walters To Love, Honor and Defend

"Thanks, but no thanks. I'm on call tonight with the volunteer fire department. Besides, the last thing I need is to blow my parole and end up back in the slammer. My daughter is counting on me not to blow it this time. Fate has also seen fit to give me a second chance with the woman I love, and Libby's a stickler for rules. So as much as I'd like to lift a beer to celebrate all the GHophers' success, guess I'll have to pass this time. This guy next to me looks like he could use a drink though. How 'bout it, dude?"

James Runyon, Duke of Alvord The Naked Duke

"That's ‘Duke,' sir, Duke of Alvord, or, more correctly, ‘your grace,' and yes, I will have a glass of champagne. I will toast these Ghophers. They sound like a worthy group, though I don't believe we have any in Regency England. Miss Sarah Hamilton over there is with me. We met in bed. You should have seen the way she swung that pillow at me. Well, no, you should not have seen her, sir--she was delightfully unclothed. The truth is, she's compromised beyond hope. I have offered to make her my duchess, but she refuses. You Americans can be an extremely stubborn lot."

Sarah Hamilton The Naked Duke

"Thank you, yes, I'll have a glass of champagne, though last time I'm afraid I imbibed too much and let his grace take shocking liberties. I do not intend to make that mistake again. He's a rake of the worst sort--do you know, the first time I met him, he was naked in my bed? Well, it was his bed, actually, but I didn't know that. If my cousin hadn't mistaken me for a whore.... Enough of my problems. Let's congratulate the GHophers on all their past and future success."

Tristan Knight, Earl of Ellington A Kiss in the Dark

"I suppose I have time to join you for one drink. But after this I should be on my way. I still have much to do. I don't suppose you have something stronger than champagne? Perhaps it will drown out the awful pain that tears at my heart. What kind of man am I, that I have managed to misplace my younger sister, Lady Emily? She must truly hate me to prefer to run away and face the dark streets of the rookeries rather than to remain in my care. I must find her! I made a promise to myself that I would not fail her, as I did my mother. And though Lady Rotherby has agreed to help me in my search, I must admit that her presence only seems to add to my troubles. Despite her rather notorious reputation, I find myself amazingly drawn to her. She is so beautiful, and the more I discover about her, the more I desire her… But it can never be between us. Or can it?"

Deirdre Wilks, Viscountess Rotherby A Kiss in the Dark

"Though I would love to toast to the GHopers success, I'm afraid I never imbibe. You see, I am not nearly as scandalous as the wags would suggest. I have perfectly sound reasons for my rather mysterious activities in Tothill Fields, as Lord Ellington is just starting to discover. And as to him…well, you can imagine my surprise when he showed up at my town house to request my help in locating his sister. I was certain that he had remembered me and had come to drag me off to Newgate after all these years. But thank goodness he has not yet recognized me as the child pickpocket who was present the day his mother was killed by the evil gang leader, Barnaby Flynt. My life has changed so much since then, thanks to the late Viscount Rotherby. I realize that agreeing to aid the earl has placed me in a rather precarious position, but I could not look into those violet eyes and tell him no. Not when I have been in love with the man since I first saw him that fateful day eight years ago. Once he discovers my perfidy…Dear Lord, I can't stand the thought of him hating me. But surely it is only a matter of time?"

Libby Hopkins To Love, Honor and Defend

"Could I have a diet cola instead, please? All the hard work and perseverance these Ghophers have shown should be toasted. They have the kind of work ethic I admire. But it just doesn't seem fair for me to drink champagne when Cal's parole restricts him from it. I'd like to stay on my toes tonight anyway. I had the creepy sensation of being watched by my stalker again earlier. Don't tell Cal though, because he'd freak out and insist we leave the party early. I'm sure it was just an over-reaction on my part. I've been edgy lately, and being around Cal when he's all dressed up and looking so hot always destroys my composure!"

Lady Victoria Wakefield The Veil of Night

Wine, brandy, I don't care...Thank you. Lady Rotherby, have you noticed how nervous Miss Hamilton is? She is giggling rather too much and can't keep her eyes off Alvord, who seems to be quite put out and is getting himself rapidly inebriated. And don't agitate yourself so about Lord Ellington. He appears to be thoroughly preoccupied with his own trouble--and your attractions. A man can forgive much given a suitable inducement, and from the way he keeps looking at you, I think you just might be able to provide it. Oh, don't looked so shocked, woman. I'm through with facades and pretences. That shouldn't be news; after all, I am attending a party with a convict and a woman who works for a living! My affair with Raeburn--yes, we are having an affair--has taught me that I can never go back to what I once was. And when I look into his shifting, hazel eyes, I don't even want to... It is a good thing that this fete is taking place after dark or else he never would have come. Why, I couldn't say. The deepest recesses of his heart and mind are closed to me, and I fear that it will always be so.

Byron Stratford, Duke of Raeburn The Veil of Night

A scotch, please.More--four fingers. Thank you. God, I should have stayed at Raeburn Court. I have no taste for society any longer, not since the day that I was betrayed and I realized what a sham I truly was. I only came because *she* is here. I could not stand letting her flit away from me on her new wings. She'll defy them all, and she will do it magnificently. If I let her go now, back to the social whirl she came from, she will slowly forget me as my memory recedes into the shadows in which I must live. She will forget what we had together, and I could not bear that, no matter what the cost. And so I am here even though I know that I cannot keep her forever, nor can I confess to her what I am.