Anne Herries - Courted by the Captain

For duty, for honour, for love

Bound by honour and family ties, three brave men fought for their lives in France …

Now, back in the drawing rooms of England, they face a new battle as three beautiful women lay siege to their scarred hearts!

COURTED BY THE CAPTAINDecember 2013

PROTECTED BY THE MAJORJanuary 2014

DRAWN TO LORD RAVENSCARFebruary 2014

This is the first of a new Regency trilogy: Officers and Gentlemen. The story of Jenny and Adam is charged with drama when Adam’s cousin is murdered and the cousins, who have formed a lasting friendship, set out to discover the culprit. Adam also has the added problem of trying to rescue his grandfather’s debt-laden estates without marrying an heiress. Jenny seems a brave and beautiful young woman, for whom he immediately feels a deep attraction, but if he is to rescue his grandfather it seems he needs a rich bride. Jenny is nursing a secret of her own, which she dares not reveal … though perhaps it might solve Adam’s problem.

I hope my readers will enjoy this Regency love story, which has a good sprinkling of intrigue and adventure, and will look forward to the stories of Hallam and Paul Ravenscar. I always like to hear what my readers think—you can e-mail me through my website: www.lindasole.co.uk

Courted by

the Captain

Anne Herries

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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Previous novels by the same author:

THE RAKE’S REBELLIOUS LADY

A COUNTRY MISS IN HANOVER SQUARE * * A Season in Town † The Melford Dynasty ** Secrets and Scandals And in the Regency series The Steepwood Scandal: LORD RAVENSDEN’S MARRIAGE COUNTERFEIT EARL Did you know that some of these novels are also available as eBooks? Visit www.millsandboon.co.uk

AN INNOCENT DEBUTANTE IN HANOVER SQUARE * * A Season in Town † The Melford Dynasty ** Secrets and Scandals And in the Regency series The Steepwood Scandal: LORD RAVENSDEN’S MARRIAGE COUNTERFEIT EARL Did you know that some of these novels are also available as eBooks? Visit www.millsandboon.co.uk

THE MISTRESS OF HANOVER SQUARE * * A Season in Town † The Melford Dynasty ** Secrets and Scandals And in the Regency series The Steepwood Scandal: LORD RAVENSDEN’S MARRIAGE COUNTERFEIT EARL Did you know that some of these novels are also available as eBooks? Visit www.millsandboon.co.uk

FORBIDDEN LADY † † The Melford Dynasty ** Secrets and Scandals And in the Regency series The Steepwood Scandal: LORD RAVENSDEN’S MARRIAGE COUNTERFEIT EARL Did you know that some of these novels are also available as eBooks? Visit www.millsandboon.co.uk

THE LORD’S FORCED BRIDE † † The Melford Dynasty ** Secrets and Scandals And in the Regency series The Steepwood Scandal: LORD RAVENSDEN’S MARRIAGE COUNTERFEIT EARL Did you know that some of these novels are also available as eBooks? Visit www.millsandboon.co.uk

THE PIRATE’S WILLING CAPTIVE † † The Melford Dynasty ** Secrets and Scandals And in the Regency series The Steepwood Scandal: LORD RAVENSDEN’S MARRIAGE COUNTERFEIT EARL Did you know that some of these novels are also available as eBooks? Visit www.millsandboon.co.uk

HER DARK AND DANGEROUS LORD † † The Melford Dynasty ** Secrets and Scandals And in the Regency series The Steepwood Scandal: LORD RAVENSDEN’S MARRIAGE COUNTERFEIT EARL Did you know that some of these novels are also available as eBooks? Visit www.millsandboon.co.uk

BOUGHT FOR THE HAREM

HOSTAGE BRIDE

THE DISAPPEARING DUCHESS ** ** Secrets and Scandals And in the Regency series The Steepwood Scandal: LORD RAVENSDEN’S MARRIAGE COUNTERFEIT EARL Did you know that some of these novels are also available as eBooks? Visit www.millsandboon.co.uk

THE MYSTERIOUS LORD MARLOWE ** ** Secrets and Scandals And in the Regency series The Steepwood Scandal: LORD RAVENSDEN’S MARRIAGE COUNTERFEIT EARL Did you know that some of these novels are also available as eBooks? Visit www.millsandboon.co.uk

THE SCANDALOUS LORD LANCHESTER ** ** Secrets and Scandals And in the Regency series The Steepwood Scandal: LORD RAVENSDEN’S MARRIAGE COUNTERFEIT EARL Did you know that some of these novels are also available as eBooks? Visit www.millsandboon.co.uk

CAPTAIN MOORCROFT’S CHRISTMAS BRIDE

(part of Candlelit Christmas Kisses )

A STRANGER’S TOUCH†

HIS UNUSUAL GOVERNESS

PROMISED TO THE CRUSADER

*A Season in Town

† The Melford Dynasty

**Secrets and Scandals

And in the Regency series

The Steepwood Scandal:

LORD RAVENSDEN’S MARRIAGE

COUNTERFEIT EARL

Did you know that some of these novels are also available as eBooks? Visit www.millsandboon.co.uk

ANNE HERRIESlives in Cambridgeshire, where she is fond of watching wildlife and spoils the birds and squirrels that are frequent visitors to her garden. Anne loves to write about the beauty of nature, and sometimes puts a little into her books, although they are mostly about love and romance. She writes for her own enjoyment, and to give pleasure to her readers. Anne is a winner of the Romantic Novelists’ Association Romance Prize. She invites readers to contact her on her website: www.lindasole.co.uk

Contents

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

Prologue

‘By God, we did it!’ The four cousins looked at each other in triumph. The news had just arrived that Napoleon was in retreat. After days of bitter fighting, when it had seemed that Wellington’s troops must suffer defeat, even a rout, their astute general had turned the tide. ‘We’ve suffered terrible losses, but we’ve done it.’

Each of the four men had been wounded. Mark Ravenscar, the eldest, had but a scratch on his cheek and some slight damage to his sword-hand. Since he was generally considered to be a lucky so-and-so, handsome, rich and favoured by the gods, that was, in the opinion of his friends, hardly to be wondered at. His younger brother Paul had wounds to his head, right arm and left thigh, but was still amongst the walking wounded. Hallam Ravenscar, their eldest cousin, also had a head wound and another to his left arm, and Adam Miller, their cousin through the female line, was severely wounded in his right shoulder. However, they had all been patched up by the surgeon and none of them were considered in danger of their lives. Indeed, their wounds had merely made them first in line for transport home to England.