Nicole Locke: Reclaimed By The Knight

He left to save his family...

Now he’s back!

Nicholas of Mei Solis swore to do anything to protect his home—even going away to fight for it. This meant leaving beautiful Matilda, too. Now Nicholas has returned briefly to lay to rest the ghosts of his past. But one look at Matilda, now widowed and with child, changes everything. Suddenly Nicholas is compelled to stay...and to take back the future they both thought they’d lost...

Lovers and Legends miniseries

Book 1—The Knight’s Broken Promise

Book 2—Her Enemy Highlander

Book 3—The Highland Laird’s Bride

Book 4—In Debt to the Enemy Lord

Book 5—The Knight’s Scarred Maiden

Book 6—Her Christmas Knight

Book 7—Reclaimed by the Knight

“Locke’s latest entry to her Lovers and Legends series is a beautifully written tale of loss, faith and the magic of love between a scarred maiden and the deadly mercenary she rescues.”

—RT Book Reviews on The Knight’s Scarred Maiden

“Locke doesn’t disappoint. Her Christmas Knight is empowering and romantic with a darker undercurrent... I absolutely recommend. It’s just so good!”

—Goodreads on Her Christmas Knight

NICOLE LOCKEdiscovered her first romance novels in her grandmother’s closet, where they were secretly hidden. Convinced that books that were hidden must be better than those that weren’t, Nicole greedily read them. It was only natural for her to start writing them—but now not so secretly.

Also by Nicole Locke

Lovers and Legends miniseries

The Knight’s Broken Promise

Her Enemy Highlander

The Highland Laird’s Bride

In Debt to the Enemy Lord

The Knight’s Scarred Maiden

Her Christmas Knight

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk.

Reclaimed by the Knight

Nicole Locke

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-07405-6

RECLAIMED BY THE KNIGHT

© 2018 Nicole Locke

Published in Great Britain 2018

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.

® and ™ are trademarks owned and used by the trademark owner and/or its licensee. Trademarks marked with ® are registered with the United Kingdom Patent Office and/or the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market and in other countries.

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Version: 2020-03-02

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This book is dedicated to the wonderful, brilliant,

marvellous editors who have helped me along the

journey in the Lovers and Legends series. For

Linda Fildew, who took a chance on me, for

Nicola Caws, who shared her friendship and

showed me the ropes, and for Ann-Leslie Tuttle,

who welcomed me on my transition to the US.

But especially this book is dedicated to Laurie Johnson,

who stuck by me this troublesome year. Nicholas,

Matilda and I wouldn’t have our happily-ever-after

without your unfailing encouragement. I thank you

with all my heart and with all my fingers, finally…

and happily…dancing across the keyboard once again.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

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

Extract

About the Publisher

Chapter One

September 1295

The baby kicked low in her belly and Matilda gasped.

‘What is wrong?’

She looked at Bess, who was still gleaning the fields and finding any grain that might have been missed in the late harvest. They couldn’t spare any food, but even so Matilda was always deeply satisfied when her bag was full. As if she’d been on a treasure hunt and could now feed her family and friends.

‘She’s kicking me again.’

‘It’s a girl today?’

Matilda thought about the sharp pain when she’d climbed out of bed that morning, the constant turning of the baby inside her, so that she’d barely been able to get bread down during breakfast, and now the deep thumping, like a rabbit in the woods.

‘Unquestionably, the baby is a girl.’ She pushed herself off the ground and pressed one hand to her lower back.

It wasn’t the first time she had been punched on the inside today, and she knew it wouldn’t be the last. The gleaning forced her to remain in the same position, and the baby demanded that she stretch. Her giving in to the kick was a compromise she happily made, though the reprieve wouldn’t last long.

There was more work to be done, and the fields were full of families who were stuffing their sacks. Nearby Agnes, the cordwainer’s only daughter, was crawling on the ground. Unlike the other children, however, she was taking the wheat shafts and stacking them like houses. Matilda wondered which of her brothers would ruin her creations first.

Bess stood and stamped her feet. ‘If your reasoning holds true, the baby will be a girl.’

‘You think my certainty is ridiculous?’

‘Unlike you, I listen to our healer, Rohesia, who insists you’re carrying too low in your belly for a girl. Plus, the only reason you hold this belief is because of your own mischievous past and Roger’s temperament—’ Bess clamped her mouth shut.

‘Do not worry,’ Matilda said.

There was only one reason why worry ever crossed Bess’s face, and that was if she believed she’d hurt another. Matilda did hurt, but not because her friend had remarked on her husband. She hurt because he was gone.