Denise Lynn - At The Warrior's Mercy

Married—by order of the king!

Deceived and alone, Beatrice of Warehaven is forced to flee—straight into the powerful arms of feared warrior Gregor of Roul. He escorts her home, though not before a kiss ignites true passion between them.

If Gregor is to gain his freedom, he must obey one last royal order—overthrow Warehaven and marry Beatrice. His betrayal will earn Beatrice’s hatred, but Gregor is prepared to go into battle with this stubborn beauty—and finish what he started with his innocent bride!

‘I am Beatrice of Warehaven.’

His reaction was immediate. A brief widening of his eyes followed by a frown.

Beatrice’s stomach fluttered uneasily. ‘Is something the matter?’

Gregor wasn’t at all certain how to react. He was on his way to take possession of Warehaven Keep— and its heiress. Of course fate would ensure that he should run into the heiress along the way.

To make matters worse, she didn’t appear to fear him in the least. For the first time since the disastrous event that had passed as his marriage he feared that he might eventually come to care for a woman….

Not just any woman, but this woman.

Author Note

Over twenty years ago, in ‘story’ time, Randall FitzHenry and Brigit of Warehaven began their journey in Wedding at Warehaven from the Halloween Temptations anthology. Over the years they thrived and prospered, fortifying Warehaven, building a successful shipping empire and raising a family. That family consisted of three children: Jared the eldest who, after much grief, married his childhood love Lea of Montreau—the same woman who once left him at the altar and wed another—in Pregnant by the Warrior . Then there was Isabella who, while kidnapped and carted far from her home by Richard of Dunstan, discovered the love of her heart in The Warrior’s Winter Bride .

Now it’s time for Beatrice, the youngest of the family, to find her love in the least likely of places in the last Warehaven story At the Warrior’s Mercy . I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about the Warehaven family even half as much as I’ve enjoyed creating their stories. Perhaps in this final tale we’ll discover the answer to the question that’s long bedevilled Beatrice—will her lover be strong enough to hold her should she swoon from his kisses?

Happy reading!

At the Warrior’s Mercy

Denise Lynn

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Award-winning author DENISE LYNN lives in the USA with her husband, son and numerous four-legged ‘kids’. Between the pages of romance novels she has travelled to lands and times filled with brave knights, courageous ladies and never-ending love. Now she can share with others her dream of telling tales of adventure and romance. You can write to her at PO Box 17, Monclova, OH 43542, USA, or visit her website: denise-lynn.com.

Books by Denise Lynn

Mills & Boon Historical Romance

Warehaven Warriors

‘Wedding at Warehaven’

Pregnant by the Warrior

The Warrior’s Winter Bride

At the Warrior’s Mercy

Further Novels

Falcon’s Desire

Falcon’s Honour

Falcon’s Love

Falcon’s Heart

Commanded to His Bed

Bedded by Her Lord

Bedded by the Warrior

Visit the Author Profile page

at millsandboon.co.ukfor more titles.

To my family and husband with love, always.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Author Note

Title Page

About the Author

Dedication

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

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Extract

Copyright

Prologue

Carlisle Castle—May 1145

‘It has come to our attention that Warehaven has been left too long without a lord.’

Gregor, second son of Roul Isle’s former lord, held the questions hopping around on the tip of his tongue. Instead, he focused on the sound of workers fortifying Carlisle Castle, making it bigger and stronger. Hopefully, sooner or later King David would get to the point of this discussion before the ceaseless drone of construction drove him mad with impatience—Gregor had been too long away from his own building project and the sounds of hammering and sawing made his hands itch to wield an adze or axe. Either tool would suit him fine since he’d rather be shaping or cutting lumber than standing here in the King’s court.

King David’s frowning countenance during his prolonged hesitation gave Gregor the sinking feeling that not only would it be a while before he could return to his half-built ship, but that this time he wasn’t going to like the task about to be placed on his shoulders.

Not that his liking would matter in the least. After nearly ten years he was still paying for his father’s sins in attacking the foreigner who had been given control over some mainland property just south of Roul Isle. Gregor failed to understand why his father had never been able to accept the fact that the King’s word was law, or why it mattered who held the mainland property. His father had been lucky to die an old man at home in his own bed instead of in a less pleasant manner for treason.

However, Gregor and his brothers hadn’t been quite as lucky. They’d found themselves paying the price for their father’s actions. Even now, his older brother Elrik, the current Lord of Roul, was off on some secret mission for the King. For the moment both Edan and Rory, his younger brothers, were at home. None of them had a choice in the matter. The alternative had been to hand over Roul Isle and leave Scotland for good. Since the only place they could go would be to Roul Keep, an unknown cousin’s fortress in Normandy, all four had agreed that leaving wasn’t a desirable option and had placed their lives in King David’s hands.

‘It was also brought to our attention that you’ve somehow reached your twenty-eighth year of life without a wife.’ King David paused to stare at him before adding in a less accusing tone, ‘Lad, a wedding ceremony which ends in death does not count as a marriage.’

Again Gregor held his tongue. What could he say? Everyone knew what had happened that day. A marriage arranged by the King had come to a bloody end mere moments after the new bride had discovered to whom she’d been wed.

Gregor had had so many hopes for the marriage. While he’d been warned that it wouldn’t curtail his service for King David, it would have provided him a welcome respite between the tasks. He’d been certain that, given time, he and Sarah would come to care for each other, create a home and a family together. He had envisioned cold winter nights spent in front of the fire, his wife at his side, while their children played at their feet.

He had looked forward to this marriage, never imagining how wrong he’d been. The day had started filled with hope and whispered promises of dreams soon to be fulfilled. It had ended moments after one of the guests had congratulated the Wolf for having snared a mate.

In that single heartbeat, time had slowed and he’d watched as his new bride’s eyes had widened, all colour leaving her face as if she’d been drained of blood. He’d reached for her, his fingertips barely brushing the sleeve of her gown as she’d gasped, turned and then run from the Great Hall.