Cover Copy
This was a detour worth taking . . .
For as long as she can remember, Meilin Wu has had her life mapped out, and she’s well down her chosen path—which had no warning signs about a tall, golden Brit who would bowl her over the night before her arranged marriage . . .
Drew Robinson has nearly finished his formal education and is ready to face the world when he meets Meilin, an exquisite beauty with Chinese ancestry. He doesn’t mind she’s ten years older, and the fact she knows Mandarin only makes her that much more a perfect fit for his upcoming adventures in China. He just has to get her to dump her fiancé and convince her that a trip in China will only enhance her established design business.
Easy for a guy who’s known for seeing sunshine wherever he goes. Right?
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Books by Shea McMaster
The Robinsons series
Her Foreign Affair
Her Unexpected Affair
Rachel Dahlrumple
Published by Kensington Publishing Corporation
Her Unexpected Affair
The Robinsons series
Shea McMaster
LYRICAL PRESS
Kensington Publishing Corp.
www.kensingtonbooks.com
Copyright
Lyrical Press books are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp. 119 West 40th Street New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2016 by Shea McMaster
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First Electronic Edition: June 2016
eISBN-13: 978-1-60183-820-9
eISBN-10: 1-60183-820-4
First Print Edition: June 2016
ISBN-13: 978-1-60183-822-3
ISBN-10: 1-60183-822-0
Printed in the United States of America
Dedication
To the Mills College Women who helped shape this and many of my books, specifically:
Jennifer Weilbach, Beth Woolbright, Kerstin Mancini, Marybeth McLaughlin, Olivia Lovett, Martha McMaster Quimby, and Doris George (In Memoriam).
For you girls belong to Mills, and Mills belongs to you.
Acknowledgements
This book came together with the help of many, many people. In no particular order, I offer my gratitude to:
Martin Biro of Kensington for suggesting a trilogy when I’d considered Her Foreign Affair a stand-alone novel.
Editor Paige Christian for her humor, patience, wisdom, and encouragement.
Long time friend Jennifer Weilbach for her never-ending help with plotting and Alpha-reading – the one person who has read every single word since I started writing in 2004.
Marybeth McLaughlin for help with the few Chinese sentences I felt brave enough to use, insight into a Chinese immersion school experience, and for beta reading – it’s been fun to reconnect after so many years and hear about your adventurous life.
Kerstin Mancini for once again providing her home and hospitality, both in life and in fiction.
Beth Woolbright for helping with research and providing companionship on my trip to California in the middle of writing this book.
Sister Helena for insight into great dramatic plot twists.
Author and close friend Lizbeth Selvig for taking time out of her busy schedule to provide an in-depth critique, which, as usual, was very spot on in so many ways.
Sprint-writing partner, Carmen Bydalek, who provided the wind beneath my wings. Without your support this book would have never been finished on time. You’ll never know how many times your dedication to writing on Thursday afternoons and brainstorming pushed me forward when inspiration was low.
Most of all, to Husband Extraordinaire, ‘Mr. McMaster’ the love of my life for these thirty-some years. With this book, you bravely jumped into the role of critiquer and sounding board, providing excellent information and ideas. You also took on the role of househusband and lifted much of the burden of housekeeping, errand running, and mother herding from my shoulders. Life hasn’t always been easy, but it’s usually been interesting.
Author’s Foreword
In part, the idea for this story came from the book Fifth Chinese Daughter. It seems this book has always been part of my life, or rather, the title has. I didn’t actually read the book until starting this one.
Jade Snow Wong is a graduate of Mills College. At the time her book was first published, my mother was a student at Mills College. She has a signed copy of the first edition. I also graduated from Mills College, but more than forty years after Ms. Wong.
I was born the fifth child. My parents consulted with some Chinese-American friends who did some research and came back with the word Wu as the translation for Five or Fifth. So growing up, I was often called (Shea) Wu, fifth Chinese Daughter. A nickname that sometimes pops up today.
While it may have seemed odd to call a redheaded child Chinese Daughter, it generally brought some chuckles. However, although my roots are in no way Chinese, my family has ties to China/Asia. My mother spent six years during the 1930s living in the Philippines. Her father was an Army officer and when asked why he wanted a third tour of duty there replied, “It’s the only place in the world I can live as a gentleman on my salary.”
We also have, what I fear is badly damaged by now, film of my mother with her parents and brother in China somewhere around 1938. Those years, and later living near San Francisco, influenced my mother’s taste greatly and we grew up with furnishings and art that reflected this. My house today has several elements of Asian design. We also enjoyed a period of time when Mother developed an interest in Chinese cooking.
I’m no expert in China or her history, but I do find myself drawn to elements of her society. It is my great hope that I have done justice with my limited knowledge in the portrayal of my heroine, Meilin Wu. If