ANNIE BURROWS - A Mistress For Major Bartlett

BRIDES OF WATERLOO

Love forged on the battlefield

Meet Mary Endacott, a radical schoolmistress, Sarah Latymor, a darling of the ton , and Catherine ‘Rose’ Tatton, a society lady with no memories of her past.

Three very different women united in a fight for their lives, their reputations and the men they love.

With war raging around them, the biggest battle these women face is protecting their hearts from three notorious soldiers …

Will Mary be able to resist Colonel Lord Randall? Find out in

A Lady for Lord Randall by Sarah Mallory

Discover how pampered Lady Sarah handles rakish Major Bartlett in

A Mistress for Major Bartlett by Annie Burrows

What will happen when Major Flint helps Lady Catherine ‘Rose’ Tatton discover her past? Find out in

A Rose for Major Flint by Louise Allen

AUTHOR NOTE AUTHOR NOTE Title Page About the Author 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 Copyright

I was thrilled when Louise Allen and Sarah Mallory asked me if I’d be interested in working with them on a mini-series of stories to commemorate the two hundredth anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo.

I’ve mentioned this pivotal battle in a couple of my books before, but never actually taken any of my heroes or heroines to the battlefield itself.

My journey with Brides of Waterloo began in April 2012, when Louise Allen and I met up in the grounds of Ickworth House in Suffolk, where several historical re-enactment groups had set up camp. I was taught how to make cartridges, watched a cannon being loaded and fired (and learned how to protect my ears from the blast!), saw what an infantryman would have carried in his pack, and what the inside of an officer’s tent would have looked like.

Over the next few months we spent hours e-mailing each other as we created the fictional unit known as Randall’s Rogues and shared pictures of what we thought our heroes should look like (all for the purposes of continuity, of course!). We even met up to double-check all those little details which ensured that our heroes and heroines could walk in and out of each other’s stories with ease.

If you’d like to see pictures of our day at Ickworth, or find out more about the background research for this series, you can visit our Facebook page: facebook.com/WaterlooBrides

A Mistress for Major Bartlett

Annie Burrows

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ANNIE BURROWShas been writing Regency romances for Mills & Boon ®since 2007. Her books have charmed readers worldwide, having been translated into nineteen different languages, and some have gone on to win the coveted Reviewers’ Choice Award from CataRomance.

For more information, or to contact the author, please visit annie-burrows.co.ukor you can find her on Facebook at facebook.com/AnnieBurrowsUK

To Louise Allen and Sarah Mallory.

It has been a great experience working with you two on this trilogy.

Contents

Cover

Excerpt BRIDES OF WATERLOO Love forged on the battlefield Meet Mary Endacott, a radical schoolmistress, Sarah Latymor, a darling of the ton , and Catherine ‘Rose’ Tatton, a society lady with no memories of her past. Three very different women united in a fight for their lives, their reputations and the men they love. With war raging around them, the biggest battle these women face is protecting their hearts from three notorious soldiers … Will Mary be able to resist Colonel Lord Randall? Find out in A Lady for Lord Randall by Sarah Mallory Discover how pampered Lady Sarah handles rakish Major Bartlett in A Mistress for Major Bartlett by Annie Burrows What will happen when Major Flint helps Lady Catherine ‘Rose’ Tatton discover her past? Find out in A Rose for Major Flint by Louise Allen

AUTHOR NOTE AUTHOR NOTE AUTHOR NOTE Title Page About the Author 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 Copyright I was thrilled when Louise Allen and Sarah Mallory asked me if I’d be interested in working with them on a mini-series of stories to commemorate the two hundredth anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. I’ve mentioned this pivotal battle in a couple of my books before, but never actually taken any of my heroes or heroines to the battlefield itself. My journey with Brides of Waterloo began in April 2012, when Louise Allen and I met up in the grounds of Ickworth House in Suffolk, where several historical re-enactment groups had set up camp. I was taught how to make cartridges, watched a cannon being loaded and fired (and learned how to protect my ears from the blast!), saw what an infantryman would have carried in his pack, and what the inside of an officer’s tent would have looked like. Over the next few months we spent hours e-mailing each other as we created the fictional unit known as Randall’s Rogues and shared pictures of what we thought our heroes should look like (all for the purposes of continuity, of course!). We even met up to double-check all those little details which ensured that our heroes and heroines could walk in and out of each other’s stories with ease. If you’d like to see pictures of our day at Ickworth, or find out more about the background research for this series, you can visit our Facebook page: facebook.com/WaterlooBrides

Title Page A Mistress for Major Bartlett Annie Burrows www.millsandboon.co.uk

About the Author ANNIE BURROWS has been writing Regency romances for Mills & Boon ® since 2007. Her books have charmed readers worldwide, having been translated into nineteen different languages, and some have gone on to win the coveted Reviewers’ Choice Award from CataRomance. For more information, or to contact the author, please visit annie-burrows.co.uk or you can find her on Facebook at facebook.com/AnnieBurrowsUK

Dedication To Louise Allen and Sarah Mallory. It has been a great experience working with you two on this trilogy.

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

Copyright

Chapter One

Sunday, 18th June —1815

‘Limber up, fast as you can!’ Colonel Randall rode up to Major Bartlett and pointed to a spot to the rear. ‘We are heading to the ridge up yonder. You will recall we came in that way yesterday, past a place—what was it called?—Hougoumont. The French are massing their heavy cavalry between the château and the Charleroi road. Take up your position between the two infantry squares up there. And be quick about it!’

Major Bartlett kept his face impassive as he saluted. Quick? That was going to be a relative term given the sodden state of the ground.

‘Right, lads,’ he said, turning to his men. ‘You heard the Colonel. At the double!’

The speed at which they turned the gun carriages and started ploughing their way across the field had much more to do with the shells exploding all around them, spraying them with mud, than willingness to obey their commanding officer. The sooner they got to higher ground, the sooner they could start inflicting some damage on the Frenchmen currently trying to blow them to kingdom come. Not that Major Bartlett had any complaints. He had a rather elastic attitude to obeying orders himself. In any other unit his tendency to interpret orders to suit himself would have got him up on a charge—indeed, had done so on several occasions. Only Colonel Randall had appreciated that his ability to think on his feet, rather than dumbly obeying orders, could be an advantage, taking him into his unit and giving him promotion.