Stephanie Laurens: Lord Of The Privateers

INTERIOR ARTWORK

IS LOCATED

BETWEEN CHAPTER 3 AND CHAPTER 4

and also can be accessed via the TABLE OF CONTENTS

STEPHANIE

LAURENS

Lord of the Privateers

The Adventurers Quartet: Volume 4

ISBN-13: 9781460396339

Lord of the Privateers

Copyright © 2016 by Savdek Management Proprietary Limited

Cover design by Savdek Management Pty. Ltd.

Cover and inside front couple photography © 2016 Period Images

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

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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

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Table of Contents

Introduction

Cast of Characters

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Interior Artwork

Chapter 4

Map of Freetown & Surrounding Areas

Chapter 5

Map of Freetown & Environs

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Caleb’s Sketch of the Mining Compound

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Epilogue

Dear Reader

Other Titles from Stephanie Laurens

About the Author

Can true love die? Or, neglected, does it lie dormant until the object of true desire is again within reach? Denied, does passion smolder, like embers waiting for the right conditions to flare into an all-consuming conflagration?

#1 New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Laurens delivers the thrilling conclusion to her acclaimed series THE ADVENTURERS QUARTET, a passionate Regency-era drama played out on the high seas and in the sweltering heat of tropical jungles, ultimately reaching a scintillating climax in the glittering ballrooms of Mayfair.

The eldest of the Frobisher brothers and widely known as the lord of the privateers, Royd Frobisher expects to execute the final leg of the rescue mission his brothers have been pursuing. What he does not expect is to be pressured into taking his emotional nemesis, childhood sweetheart, ex-handfasted bride, and current business partner, Isobel Carmichael, with him. But is it Isobel doing the pressuring, or his own restless unfulfilled psyche?

Resolute, determined, and an all but unstoppable force of nature, Isobel has a mission of her own—find her cousin Katherine and bring her safely home. And if, along the way, she can rid herself of the lingering dreams of a life with Royd that still haunt her, well and good.

Neither expects the shock that awaits them as they set sail aboard Royd’s ship, much less the new horizons that open before them as they call into London, then, armed with the necessary orders and all arrangements in place, embark on a full-scale rescue-assault on the mining compound buried in the jungle.

Yet even with the support of his brothers and their ladies and, once rescued, all the ex-captives, Royd and Isobel discover that freeing the captives is only half the battle. In order to identify and convict the backers behind the illicit enterprise—and protect the government from catastrophic destabilization—they must return to the ballrooms of the haut ton and, with the help of a small army of supporters, hunt the villains on their home ground.

But having found each other again, having glimpsed the heaven that could be theirs again, how much are they willing to risk in the name of duty?

Learn the answer and revel in the action, drama, intrigue, and passion as the Frobishers—with help from Wolverstone, the Cynsters, and many familiar others—steer the adventure to a glorious 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

LORD OF THE PRIVATEERS

by Stephanie Laurens

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Principal Characters:

Frobisher, Captain Royd – Hero, oldest Frobisher brother and captain of The Corsair

Carmichael, Isobel Carmody – Heroine, only child of James Carmichael and Anne Carmody, and heiress of the Carmichael Shipyards, Aberdeen

In Aberdeen:

Frobisher, Captain Fergus – Royd’s father

Frobisher, Mrs. Elaine – Royd’s mother

Carmody, Mrs. Iona – Isobel’s maternal grandmother and matriarch of the Carmody clan

Carmichael, Mr. James – Isobel’s father and owner of Carmichael Shipyards

Carmichael, Mrs. Anne Carmody – Isobel’s mother

Carmichael, Mrs. Elise – James’s mother, Isobel’s paternal grandmother

Featherstone, Miss Gladys – Royd’s secretary at the Frobisher Shipping Company office

Jeb – head groom at Carmody Place

On board The Corsair:

Stewart, Lieutenant Liam – first mate

Kelly, Mr. William – master

Williams – quartermaster

Jolley – bosun

Bellamy, Mr. – steward

Various other sailors

In London:

Family:

Frobisher, Captain Declan – Royd’s brother and captain of The Cormorant

Frobisher, Lady Edwina – Declan’s wife, Royd’s sister-in-law

Frobisher, Captain Robert – Royd’s brother and captain of The Trident

Hopkins, Miss Aileen – Robert’s intended and sister of Lieutenant William Hopkins, West Africa Squadron

Staff in Declan & Edwina’s town house:

Humphrey – butler

Government:

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

Melville, Lord – First Lord of the Admiralty

Society:

Wolverstone, Duchess of, Minerva – Royce’s wife, society grande dame, major ton hostess

St. Ives, Duke of, Devil (Sylvester)

St. Ives, Duchess of, Honoria – Devil’s wife, society grande dame, major ton hostess

Cynster, Mr. Harry – Devil’s cousin

Cynster, Mr. Rupert (Gabriel) – Devil’s cousin

Dearne, Marquess of, Christian – ex-member of the Bastion Club, ex-operative of Dalziel’s