Edward, Con Extraordinaire

Edward is, oh, so very British; a dreamboat of a man, especially to the well-to-do middle-aged ladies he courts. He makes their fantasies come true. Their gifts are bestowed upon him freely as they blush from brow to breast. Unbeknownst to them, however, the dapper Edward has his own dreams full of deceit and mystery. And still, they believe this conman’s stories, and willingly support him. Take Betsy, for instance. After sipping a bit more of her heady Chardonnay, the smitten Mrs. Bunting hits upon a brilliant idea. Would he take her ill husband’s place on a prepaid Egypt tour? In a strictly platonic sense, of course. That week, the dapper Edward Esquire, reads several guide-books on Egypt (since he told Betsy that he is familiar with Cairo). Then he buys himself a pith helmet. Somehow, Edward has weaseled his way into Borg’s “Legends of the Winged Scarab” series, where he appears no longer quite as charming. He also has a cameo appearance in Shadow Love, Borg’s contemporary fiction novella. This is one bad boy.