Laurel Ames - Tempted

Cover Page

Praise Praise for Laurel Ames’s previous titles Besieged “A must read for anyone with an ounce of romantic blood…” — Rendezvous “A romantic tale that will capture your heart! Wonderful!” — The Literary Times Playing To Win “A truly delightful and humorous tale…” — The Paperback Forum “…a pleasure to read.” — Affaire de Coeur Homeplace “Ms. Ames has a tremendous talent…” —Affaire de Coeur “…the perfect summeread…” — The Literary Times Teller of Tales “…so hauntingly good.. it seems impossible that this is her first published work.” — Affaire de Coeur

Excerpt Evan released her and jumped back as though expecting a blow. “I suppose that was a demonstration of strength against weakness,” Judith said hotly. “No, for women are the strongest of all. Father may think he is in charge, but he must report in to Helen each night.” “She does what he says.” “She may perhaps give an inch here or there, but eventually she will win the war and he will do what she wants even if it means getting rid of me. You could be such a woman. I am yours already.” “I don’t want you.” “That’s not true,” he said, taking a step closer. “Those lips don’t lie well.” “I must not want you!” “You, perhaps, should not want me, but that doesn’t change the fact that you do…I”

Dear Reader Dear Reader, Fans of Laurel Ames and the Regency period rejoice, for this month Ms. Ames is back with her new novel, Tempted. This RITA Award finalist is known for her unique characters, and her current hero, military engineer Evan “Mad” Mountjoy, is no exception. Add a heroine with an indiscretion in her past, and a little intrigue, and you have the perfect mix for what Affaire de Coeur calls an “exciting, unusual, and delightfully quirky Regency.” Don’t miss it. Ana Seymour’s sixth book for Harlequin Historicals, Gabriel’s Lady, is a heart-warming Western set in a goldmining town in the Dakota Territory. It’s the story of an eastern do-gooder who heads west to rescue her brother, only to fall in love with his disreputable partner. For those of you whose tastes run to medieval novels, look for Knight’s Ransom, the next title in Suzanne Barclay’s dramatic ongoing series, The Sommerville Brothers. And Emily French rounds out the month with her emotional tale, The Wedding Bargain, about a Puritan woman who defies her community to marry a bondsman with a tortured past. We hope you’ll keep a lookout for all four titles wherever Harlequin Historicals are sold. Sincerely, Tracy Farrell Senior Editor Please address questions and book requests to: Harlequin Reader Service U.S.: 3010 Walden Ave., P.O. Box 1325, Buffalo, NY 14269 Canadian: P.O. Box 609, Fort Erie, Ont. L2A 5X3

Title Page Tempted Laurel Ames www.millsandboon.co.uk

About The Auther LAUREL AMES Although Laurel Ames likes to write stories set in the early nineteenth century, she writes from personal experience. She and her husband live on a farm, complete with five horses, a long spring house, carriage house and a smokehouse made of bricks kilned on the farm. Of her characters, Laurel says, “With the exception of the horses, my characters, both male and female, good and evil, all are me and no one else.”

Dedication This book is dedicated to my computer expert husband, Don, who makes all the books possible.

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

Epilogue

Copyright

Besieged

“A must read for anyone with an ounce of romantic blood…”

— Rendezvous

“A romantic tale that will capture your heart! Wonderful!”

— The Literary Times

Playing To Win

“A truly delightful and humorous tale…”

— The Paperback Forum

“…a pleasure to read.”

— Affaire de Coeur

Homeplace

“Ms. Ames has a tremendous talent…”

—Affaire de Coeur

“…the perfect summeread…”

— The Literary Times

Teller of Tales

“…so hauntingly good.. it seems impossible that this is her first published work.”

— Affaire de Coeur

“I suppose that was a demonstration of strength against weakness,” Judith said hotly.

“No, for women are the strongest of all. Father may think he is in charge, but he must report in to Helen each night.”

“She does what he says.”

“She may perhaps give an inch here or there, but eventually she will win the war and he will do what she wants even if it means getting rid of me. You could be such a woman. I am yours already.”

“I don’t want you.”

“That’s not true,” he said, taking a step closer. “Those lips don’t lie well.”

“I must not want you!”

“You, perhaps, should not want me, but that doesn’t change the fact that you do…I”

Dear Reader,

Fans of Laurel Ames and the Regency period rejoice, for this month Ms. Ames is back with her new novel, Tempted. This RITA Award finalist is known for her unique characters, and her current hero, military engineer Evan “Mad” Mountjoy, is no exception. Add a heroine with an indiscretion in her past, and a little intrigue, and you have the perfect mix for what Affaire de Coeur calls an “exciting, unusual, and delightfully quirky Regency.” Don’t miss it.

Ana Seymour’s sixth book for Harlequin Historicals, Gabriel’s Lady, is a heart-warming Western set in a goldmining town in the Dakota Territory. It’s the story of an eastern do-gooder who heads west to rescue her brother, only to fall in love with his disreputable partner.

For those of you whose tastes run to medieval novels, look for Knight’s Ransom, the next title in Suzanne Barclay’s dramatic ongoing series, The Sommerville Brothers. And Emily French rounds out the month with her emotional tale, The Wedding Bargain, about a Puritan woman who defies her community to marry a bondsman with a tortured past.

We hope you’ll keep a lookout for all four titles wherever Harlequin Historicals are sold.

Sincerely,

Tracy Farrell

Senior Editor

Please address questions and book requests to:

Harlequin Reader Service

U.S.: 3010 Walden Ave., P.O. Box 1325, Buffalo, NY 14269

Canadian: P.O. Box 609, Fort Erie, Ont. L2A 5X3

www.millsandboon.co.uk

LAUREL AMES

Although Laurel Ames likes to write stories set in the early nineteenth century, she writes from personal experience. She and her husband live on a farm, complete with five horses, a long spring house, carriage house and a smokehouse made of bricks kilned on the farm. Of her characters, Laurel says, “With the exception of the horses, my characters, both male and female, good and evil, all are me and no one else.”

This book is dedicated to my computer expert husband, Don, who makes all the books possible.

Devonshire County, England

April 1814

Two riders moved up the road through a light rain. It was not wet enough to force them to seek shelter, especially considering that the red Royal Engineers’ uniform of the slighter man had already faded much from the weather, and the worn batman’s uniform of the larger man covered a frame so substantial it would have taken much to melt him. The young captain rode stiffly, as though it hurt him to move, his servant with a relaxed slouch, partly owing to having to lead two horses loaded with baggage.