The Demon's Bride by Jo Beverley Page A

order.”
    “Indeed it is, and as soon as possible.” Mark dared Rachel to refuse. He’d carry her off and hold her prisoner until she consented.
    But Rachel smiled. “I am to be bride to another demon, I see.”
    “For all time and beyond, without hope of escape. Yes?”
    She blushed, looking every inch a clergyman’s proper daughter.
    “Yes please, my lord.”

AUTHOR’S NOTE
    I wrote this story in 1991, and I’m pleased to see it available again. In looking it over, I was interested to see how some themes from it have appeared in other works.
    I played with the sacrificial virgin story in “The Dragon and the Virgin Princess,” in a collection called Dragon Lovers .
    The calendar change of 1752 is crucial in another fantasy story, “The Marrying Maid,” in Songs of Love and Death , which also involves a rakish aristocrat and a clergyman’s daughter--and some rapturous faerieinspired sex, now I come to think of it!
    Lastly, this story is about an unlikely countess, and I first wrote that in a Regency historical called Forbidden Magic . Yes, I played with a little fantasy that time, too. In that case the magic was a lewd statue that could grant wishes, but with a sting in the tail. It catapults impoverished Meg Gillingham into the marriage with the eccentric Earl of Saxonhurst, and she soon wonders if she’s been blessed or cursed. That novel has been reissued and is available now.
    My new book, coming in March 2011, is actually called The Unlikely Countess ! Like “The Demon’s Bride,” it is a Georgian romance about a simple woman whom fate shoots into the aristocracy. There are no dragons, faeries, or demons in this one, however--simply the craziness that overtakes humans when they fall in love, especially to an unlikely opposite.
    In The Unlikely Countess , Prudence Youlgrave is the daughter of a librarian, left in poverty by her father’s death. At the opening, the hero, Catesby Burgoyne, is also very short of money, but his brother’s death catapults him into being Earl of Malzard and back among his alienated family, none of whom have any faith in him.
    To see how these two people come together, why they marry, and how it all turns out, read The Unlikely Countess . If you want to try before you buy, there are excerpts on my Web page, www.jobev.com .
    All these books are or will be available in print and e-book format.
    As for this wild story, is any of it based on reality?
    Walpurgis Night does fall on April 30, and it is associated with witches and the raising of demons, but also with Saint Walburga, whose feast day is May 1. This odd mix was probably an attempt by the Christian church to appropriate a pagan festivity and make it harmless, as in blending Yule, the winter festival of light, with Christmas, and Samhain’s Night with All Hallows’ Eve—or Halloween.
    However, as best we know, Saint Walburga did exist. She was an English princess of the eighth century who became a powerful nun, known for her learning, purity, and piety.
    Ascension Day did fall on April 30 in 1573, 1668, and 1761. It happened again in 1818. I can’t find a date when it will next occur. If this story were true, that would be rather ominous.
    The calendar change really happened in 1752 to correct accumulated errors, and people really did feel that days had been stolen from them.
    Apart from the above facts, this story, the location, and the customs described are complete invention. I hope you’ve enjoyed it.
    There’s a complete list of my published work on my Web site at http://www.jobev.com/booklist.html . There are also some pieces of free fiction on the site, at http://www.jobev.com/miscwrit.html .
    Nearly every page of my Web site has a place to sign up for my occasional newsletter, which will mean you won’t miss news of any new or reissued books, and I have an author page on Facebook. I enjoy hearing from my readers at [email protected], though sometimes I’m too lost in a book to reply promptly.
    All best