Stephanie Laurens: A Buccaneer At Heart

INTERIOR ARTWORK

IS LOCATED

BETWEEN CHAPTER 12 AND CHAPTER 13

and also can be accessed via the TABLE OF CONTENTS

A Buccaneer at Heart

The Adventurers Quartet: Volume 2

Stephanie Laurens

ISBN: 9781474045209

A BUCCANEER AT HEART

© 2016 Stephanie Laurens

Published in Great Britain 2016

by HQ, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF

Cover design by Savdek Management Pty. Ltd.

Cover and inside front couple photography © 2016 Period Images

Image of canopied bed: photographic credit to John Kershaw

The name Stephanie Laurens is a registered trademark of Savdek Management Proprietary Ltd.

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.

Unexpected love—plus passion, intrigue, and danger—challenge our hero to embrace his true nature.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Laurens continues THE ADVENTURERS QUARTET, a riveting blend of Regency-era high seas adventure, a mystery shrouded in the heat of tropical jungles, and the passionate romances of four couples and their unexpected journeys into love.

After a decade of captaining diplomatic voyages for Frobisher Shipping, alongside covert missions for the Crown, Captain Robert Frobisher decides that establishing a home—with hearth and wife—should be his next challenge. But an unexpected mission intervenes. Although Robert sees himself as a conservative businessman-cum-diplomat and this mission is far from his usual sphere, it nevertheless falls within the scope of his abilities. As matters are urgent, he agrees to depart for West Africa forthwith.

To Robert, his way forward is clear: Get to Freetown, determine the location of a slavers’ camp, return to London with the information, and then proceed to find himself a wife.

Already in Freetown, Miss Aileen Hopkins is set on finding her younger brother, Will, a naval lieutenant who has mysteriously disappeared. Find Will and rescue him; determined and resolute, Aileen is not about to allow anyone to turn her from her path.

But all too quickly, that path grows dark and dangerous. And then Robert Frobisher appears and attempts to divert her in more ways than one.

Accustomed to managing diplomats and bureaucrats, Robert discovers that manipulating a twenty-seven-year-old spinster lies outside his area of expertise. Prodded by an insistent need to protect Aileen, he realizes that joining forces with her is the surest path to meeting all the challenges before him—completing his mission, keeping her safe, and securing the woman he wants as his wife.

But the villains strike and disrupt their careful plans—leaving Robert and Aileen no choice but to attempt a last throw of the dice to complete his mission and further her brother’s rescue.

Compelled to protect those weaker than themselves and bring retribution to a heartless enemy, they plunge into the jungle with only their talents and inner strengths to aid them—and with the courage of their hearts as their guide.

The first voyage is one of exploration, the second one of discovery. The third journey brings maturity, while the fourth is a voyage of second chances. Continue the journey and follow the adventure, the mystery, and the romances to the riveting end.

Praise for the works of Stephanie Laurens

“Stephanie Laurens’ heroines are marvelous tributes to Georgette Heyer: feisty and strong.” Cathy Kelly

“Stephanie Laurens never fails to entertain and charm her readers with vibrant plots, snappy dialogue, and unforgettable characters.” Historical Romance Reviews

“Stephanie Laurens plays into readers’ fantasies like a master and claims their hearts time and again.” Romantic Times Magazine

A BUCCANEER

AT HEART

by Stephanie Laurens

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Principal Characters:

Frobisher, Robert – Hero

Hopkins, Aileen – Heroine

In London:

Family:

Frobisher, Declan – Robert’s younger brother

Frobisher, Lady Edwina – Robert’s sister-in-law

Staff in Declan & Edwina’s town house:

Humphrey – butler

Government:

Wolverstone, Duke of, Royce, aka Dalziel – ex-commander of British secret operatives outside England

Wolverstone, Duchess of, Minerva – Wolverstone’s wife

Melville, Viscount – First Lord of the Admiralty

Dearne, Marquess of, Christian Allardyce – ex-operative of Dalziel’s, now functioning in some unspecified capacity in government intelligence

Carstairs, Major Rafe – army liaison in matters requiring discretion

Hendon, Lord, Jack – ex-operative, now owner of Hendon Shipping

In Aberdeen:

Frobisher, Fergus – Robert’s father

Frobisher, Elaine – Robert’s mother

Frobisher, Royd (Murgatroyd) – eldest Frobisher brother

In Southampton:

Higginson – clerk, Frobisher Shipping

At sea:

Frobisher, Caleb – youngest of four Frobisher brothers

Frobisher, Catrina (Kit) – female cousin

Frobisher, Lachlan – male cousin

In Freetown:

Dixon, Captain – army engineer, missing

Hopkins, Lieutenant – navy, West Africa Squadron, missing

Fanshawe, Lieutenant – navy, West Africa Squadron, missing

Hillsythe – ex-Wolverstone agent, governor’s aide, missing

Holbrook, Governor – Governor-in-Chief of British West Africa

Holbrook, Lady, Letitia – Governor’s wife, now absent

Satterly, Mr. – Governor’s principal aide

Eldridge, Major – Commander, Fort Thornton

Decker, Vice-Admiral – Commander, West Africa Squadron, currently at sea

Richards, Captain – army, Fort Thornton

Hardwicke, Mr. – Anglican minister

Hardwicke, Mrs. Mona – Anglican minister’s wife

Sherbrook, Mrs. – local lady

Hitchcock, Mrs. – local lady