Laurel Ames - Infamous

Praise for Laurel Ames’ previous titles Praise for Laurel Ames’ previous titles Nancy Whiskey “A spellinding romance guaranteed to quicken hearts everywhere.” —Rendezvous Tempted “A rollicking romp filled with romance and mystery!” —The Literary Times Playing to Win “A truly delightful and humorous tale...” —The Paperback Forum Besieged “Witty dialogue and heartwarming characters combine for a wonderfully old-fashioned tale of true love.” —Rendezvous Homeplace “...the perfect summer read...” —the Literary Times Castaway “This special treasure is on the cutting edge of the genre...” —Affaire de Coeur Teller of tales “...so hauntingly good ..it seems impossible that this is her first published work.” —Affaire de Coeur “Would not a broken mainmast put our departure for Europe off even further?” “Would not a broken mainmast put our departure for Europe off even further?” Rose asked astutely. “Oh, what is another day or two when you are making such a hit in London?” Bennet replied. “A hit? I am no such thing. I am probably the most talked-about woman in town.” “Yes, that is what I meant,” Bennet said, staring into her eyes. They reminded him of the sea. “Do be serious, Mr. Varner,” she said sternly. “You cannot want to be in the company of an infamous woman.” “My friends call me Bennet.” He rested his elbow on the table and his chin on his hand to study her better. “What do your enemies call you?” “I see to it that I have no enemies,” he said with that determined smile of his, and Rose wondered if he did not make them or if he simply eliminated them. Letter to Reader Dear Reader, It’s June, so start thinking about your summer reading! Whether you’re going to the beach or simply going to relax on the porch, don’t forget to bring along a Harlequin Historical ® novel. Since publishing her very first book with us in 1993, Laurel Ames has gone on to write eight books, which critics have described as “hauntingly good,” “cutting edge” and “endearing.” Her latest, Infamous, is a delightful Regency about a dashing nobleman and spy whose silly and snobbish mother and sister do their best to foil a romance between him and the one woman he feels is worth pursuing—a beautiful and smart country heiress who’s hiding secrets of her own. Tori Phillips returns this month with Midsummer’s Knight, the sequel to Silent Knight. Here, a confirmed bachelor and a wary widow betrothed against their will switch identities with their friends to spy on the other, and fall m love in the process. In Runaway by Carolyn Davidson, a young woman who becomes a fugitive after an act of self-defense is discovered by a kind cowboy, who takes her back to his parents’ Missouri home as his “wife.” And don’t miss Widow Woman, the first historical title by long-time Silhouette Special Edition ® author Patricia McLinn, about a feisty female rancher who must win back the heart of her ex-foreman, the man she once refused to marry and the unknowing father of her child. Whatever your tastes in reading, you’ll be sure to find a romantic journey back to the past between the covers of a Harlequin Historical ® novel. Sincerely, Tracy Farrell Senior Editor Please address questions and book requests to: Silhouette 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 Infamous Laurel Ames www.millsandboon.co.uk About the Author 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 log 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 For Ma and Dad, whose unfailing support and enthusiasm have encouraged me to write far more than I ever thought 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 Epilogue Copyright

Praise for Laurel Ames’ previous titles

Nancy Whiskey

“A spellinding romance guaranteed to quicken hearts everywhere.”

—Rendezvous

Tempted

“A rollicking romp filled with romance and mystery!”

—The Literary Times

Playing to Win

“A truly delightful and humorous tale...”

—The Paperback Forum

Besieged

“Witty dialogue and heartwarming characters combine for a wonderfully old-fashioned tale of true love.”

—Rendezvous

Homeplace

“...the perfect summer read...”

—the Literary Times

Castaway

“This special treasure is on the cutting edge of the genre...”

—Affaire de Coeur

Teller of tales

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

—Affaire de Coeur

“Would not a broken mainmast put our departure for Europe off even further?”

Rose asked astutely.

“Oh, what is another day or two when you are making such a hit in London?” Bennet replied.

“A hit? I am no such thing. I am probably the most talked-about woman in town.”

“Yes, that is what I meant,” Bennet said, staring into her eyes. They reminded him of the sea.

“Do be serious, Mr. Varner,” she said sternly. “You cannot want to be in the company of an infamous woman.”

“My friends call me Bennet.” He rested his elbow on the table and his chin on his hand to study her better.

“What do your enemies call you?”

“I see to it that I have no enemies,” he said with that determined smile of his, and Rose wondered if he did not make them or if he simply eliminated them.

Dear Reader,

It’s June, so start thinking about your summer reading! Whether you’re going to the beach or simply going to relax on the porch, don’t forget to bring along a Harlequin Historical ®novel. Since publishing her very first book with us in 1993, Laurel Ames has gone on to write eight books, which critics have described as “hauntingly good,” “cutting edge” and “endearing.” Her latest, Infamous, is a delightful Regency about a dashing nobleman and spy whose silly and snobbish mother and sister do their best to foil a romance between him and the one woman he feels is worth pursuing—a beautiful and smart country heiress who’s hiding secrets of her own.

Tori Phillips returns this month with Midsummer’s Knight, the sequel to Silent Knight. Here, a confirmed bachelor and a wary widow betrothed against their will switch identities with their friends to spy on the other, and fall m love in the process. In Runaway by Carolyn Davidson, a young woman who becomes a fugitive after an act of self-defense is discovered by a kind cowboy, who takes her back to his parents’ Missouri home as his “wife.”

And don’t miss Widow Woman, the first historical title by long-time Silhouette Special Edition ®author Patricia McLinn, about a feisty female rancher who must win back the heart of her ex-foreman, the man she once refused to marry and the unknowing father of her child.

Whatever your tastes in reading, you’ll be sure to find a romantic journey back to the past between the covers of a Harlequin Historical ®novel.

Sincerely,

Tracy Farrell

Senior Editor

Please address questions and book requests to:

Silhouette Reader Service

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

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