My American Duchess

This book is dedicated to two young

English people, Joe and Leanne, who came from

York, England, to our apartment in New York for a visit.

Joe carried a diamond ring hidden in his pocket

for four days before he found

the perfect spot in Central Park.

May your lives together be as romantic as this

novel—and as Joe’s proposal, which, frankly,

was a romance novelist’s dream.

M
y books are like small children; they take a whole village to get them to a literate state. I want to offer my deep gratitude to my village: my editor, Carrie Feron; my agent, Kim Witherspoon; my partner-in-crime, Linda Francis Lee; my website designers, Wax Creative; and my personal team: Kim Castillo, Anne Connell, Franzeca Drouin, and Sharlene Martin Moore. In addition, people in many departments of HarperCollins, from Art to Marketing to PR, have done a wonderful job of getting this book into readers’ hands: my heartfelt thanks goes to each of you.