Shari Anton - Knave Of Hearts

She craved more, far more, knowing what heights this man could take her to. Her knees went weak with the memory of a solitary moment of bliss. She wanted the pleasure again. She wanted Stephen.

He broke the kiss, cradled her head against his shoulder. Even through her hard, unsteady breathing she felt him shudder.

Nothing had changed. Not in six years.

“I have to go.” His voice was low and harsh.

It took her a moment to remember he was leaving Branwick for York. But he’d be back, wouldn’t he?

“You will come back?”

“On my honor.”

The second kiss nearly knocked her senseless. Foolishness beyond belief, but if not for the girls napping on their nearby pallets, she’d be sore tempted to pull him down in the dirt and strip him bare…!

Dear Reader,

Harlequin Historicals is putting on a fresh face! We hope you enjoyed our special inside front cover art from recent months. We plan to bring this “extra” to you every month! You may also have noticed our new look—a maroon stripe that runs along the right side of the front cover and an “HH” logo in the upper right corner. Hopefully, this will help you find our books more easily in the crowded marketplace. And thanks again to those of you who participated in our reader survey. Your feedback enables us to bring you more of the stories and authors that you like!

We have four incredible books for you this month. The talented Shari Anton returns with a new medieval novel. Knave of Hearts is a secret-child story about a knight who, in the midst of seeking the hand of a wealthy widow, is unexpectedly reunited with his first—and not forgotten—love. Cheryl St.John’s new Western, Sweet Annie, is full of her signature-style emotion and tenderness. Here, a hardworking horseman falls in love with a crippled young woman whose family refuses to see her as the capable beauty she is.

Ice Maiden, by award-winning author Debra Lee Brown, will grab you and not let go. When a Scottish clan laird washes ashore on a remote island, the price of his passage home is temporary marriage to a Viking hellion whose icy facade belies a burning passion…. And don’t miss The Ranger’s Bride, a terrific tale by Laurie Grant. Wounded on the trail of an infamous gang, a Texas Ranger with a past seeks solace in the arms of a beautiful “widow,” who has her own secrets to reveal….

Enjoy! And come back again next month for four more choices of the best in historical romance.

Sincerely,

Tracy Farrell, Senior Editor

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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Available from Harlequin Historicals and SHARI ANTON

Emily’s Captain #357

By King’s Decree #401

Lord of the Manor #434

By Queen’s Grace #493

The Conqueror #507

Knave of Hearts #547

To the Schwagers:

Lady Chris, of the flaming hair and enchanting smile,

and Sir Ron, her dark and stormy knight.

Hark, the summer cometh!

And we couldn’t ask for better playmates.

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

April, 1109

Stephen wished he could cheer his half brother out of his morose mood. He’d tried and failed, probably because by getting angry and confronting King Henry, Stephen bore some blame for getting Richard into trouble to begin with.

Within Wilmont’s richly furnished chambers in Westminster Palace, Richard slumped in a high-backed chair, a goblet of wine dangling from his fingertips, a frown on his face. No wonder. He’d been forced to accept the guardianship over the widow and orphan of Wilmont’s greatest enemy, a man who’d damn near succeeded in getting Richard killed.

Stephen still had trouble believing events had taken such a strange turn, but King Henry was adamant and they must all deal as best they could with this unpalatable situation. For his part, Stephen would leave at sunrise for Normandy, to assess the extent of young Philip’s estates and determine if the boy’s relatives posed a threat. The errand should take a month, or maybe a week or two more, to complete.

Which left Stephen this one night to secure a betrothal bargain with Carolyn de Grasse, the heiress who awaited him in a bedchamber on a lower floor of the palace.

Stephen gave Richard an affectionate shake on the shoulder. “Get some sleep. I will see you come morn.”

“Do try to stay out of trouble,” Richard said.

Stephen didn’t take offense. ’Twas the several goblets of quickly quaffed wine talking. Of his two siblings, Gerard, the eldest brother and powerful baron of Wilmont, was the more overbearing and quickest to censure. Despite his brothers’ tendency to overprotectiveness, Stephen wouldn’t trade either of them for all the riches in the kingdom.

He just wished they wouldn’t take every opportunity to remind him of his tendency to give in to his whims of fancy, which they considered his weakness. ’Struth, bound by duty, his brothers possessed neither the time nor inclination to follow the flight of an eagle simply to see where it landed. Staid fellows, both. A repugnant fate Stephen intended to forswear.

He chided Richard. “Pray tell, how can I get into trouble by spending the night with the woman I plan to wed?”

For the first time in hours, the corner of Richard’s mouth twitched in amusement. “Oh, I can think of a way or two.”

“Never fear. I have not yet failed to thoroughly pleasure a woman whose good opinion I wish to enjoy,” he boasted, and was rewarded with a wider smile and a grunt of disbelief. “Now I must go. ’Twould not do for me to be late for a tryst with my betrothed.”

“Lady Carolyn is not your betrothed, yet.”

“Give me an hour and she will be begging to marry me.”

To the heartening sound of Richard’s soft chuckle, Stephen left Wilmont’s chambers and strode down the palace passages and stairways, wishing Gerard was here to help Richard.

Unfortunately, Gerard wasn’t on good terms with King Henry at the moment, so he’d sent Stephen and Richard to court at Westminster in his stead. While keeping a careful watch for any shifts of power that always accompanied large gatherings of England’s nobility, Stephen had also taken the time to study the current crop of unwed heiresses.

A man in his position needed to marry, to continue the family line and provide heirs for his holdings. Stephen intended to do his duty, but on his own terms. That he’d finally found a woman damn near perfect for his needs, Carolyn de Grasse, he considered a heaven-sent twist of fate.

A few years older than his own two and twenty years, newly widowed for the second time, Carolyn wanted a young, virile man as her third husband. She wanted a man to pleasure her in bed and sire her children, then otherwise make himself scarce so she could oversee her lands with no husbandly interference.