Tori Phillips - Silent Knight

Dedication Critical acclaim for Tori Phillips “... historical romance reading at its absolute best.” —Affaire de Coeur “A delightful Elizabethan romp.” —Ruth Ryan Langan “A great read!” —Dixie Browning “A delight to read...charming.” —Suzanne Barclay “... packed with love, adventure, history...I enjoyed it immensely.” —Rebecca Hagan Lee “I loved this story!...Tarleton (the hero) is pure magic!” —Martha Hix “A stunning debut for Ms. Phillips...” —Rendezvous Letter to Reader Dear Reader, Tori Phillips’s first book, Fool’s Paradise, won her a prestigious Maggie Award even before she sold it to Harlequin Historicals for release during our 1996 March Madness promotion of talented new authors. This month Tori Phillips returns with another unforgettable story, Silent Knight. Despite his vow of silence and the fact that she is promised to another, a would-be monk and a French noblewoman fall in love on a delightful journey across medieval England. Don’t miss this wonderful book. The Wastrel introduces a new series of Victorian romance novels from award-winning author Margaret Moore, featuring a trio of “most unsuitable” heroes that she has aptly named MOST UNSUITABLE.... The Wastrel is the magical story of a disowned heiress and a devil-may-care bachelor who learn about love with the help of her colorful relatives. A Western by Rae Muir, another author from our 1996 March Madness promotion, The Trail to Temptation, about a star-crossed couple who fight their attraction on a trail drive from Texas to Montana, and The Devil’s Kiss, a romantic comedy from longtime Harlequin Historicals Western writer, DeLoras Scott, round out a terrific month. Whatever your taste in reading, we hope Harlequin Historicals will keep you coming back for more. Please keep a lookout for all four titles, available wherever books 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 Silent Knight Tori Phillips www.millsandboon.co.uk About the Author TORI PHILLIPS After receiving her degree in theater arts from the University of San Diego, Tori worked at MGM Studios, acted in numerous summer stock musicals and appeared in Paramount Pictures’ The Great GatsBy. Her plays, published by Dramatic Publishing Co., have been produced in the U.S. and Canada, and her poetry is included in several anthologies. She has directed over forty plays, including twenty-one Shakespeare productions. Currently she is a first-person, Living History actress at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C. She lives with her husband in Burke, VA. Acknowledgments My heartfelt thanks and bags of chocolate kisses to: my agent, Mary Sue Seymour; and my editors, Tracy Farrell and Karen Kosztolnyik, for believing in me; my guardian angels. Kathryn Falk, Lady Barrow; Carol Stacy; Kate Ryan and Karen Armstrong for pushing the “Start Now” button; my mentors, Suzanne Barclay, Linda Castle and Martha Hix for keeping me on the right track; my writer friends, Jenny Bates; Katie Beach; Margo Columbus; Margot Early; Gwynne Forster; Sharon Frye; Karen Gromada; Loree & Threasa Leatherman; Ammanda McCabe; Rita Madole, Debbie Martin; Marlene Million; Betsy Morgan; Ginger Rapsus; Kimber Rowe; Shelia Sampson; Karen Skuce; Karen Smith; Debbie Staley; Mara Segal; Audri Taylor, Cindy Walker, Karen Webb and all the ladies of the Society of the Purple Prose for your warmth, humor, encouragement and love; and to the Write Knight, Steve Sandalis, for his heroic inspiration, his great letters and his fantastic smile. 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 Chapter Twenty-One Chapter Twenty-Two Chapter Twenty-three Chapter Twenty-four Chapter Twenty-Five Chapter Twenty-Six Chapter Twenty-Seven Chapter Twenty-Eight Chapter Twenty-Nine Chapter Thirty Epilogue Copyright

Critical acclaim for Tori Phillips

“... historical romance reading at its absolute best.”

—Affaire de Coeur

“A delightful Elizabethan romp.”

—Ruth Ryan Langan

“A great read!”

—Dixie Browning

“A delight to read...charming.”

—Suzanne Barclay

“... packed with love, adventure, history...I enjoyed it immensely.”

—Rebecca Hagan Lee

“I loved this story!...Tarleton (the hero) is pure magic!”

—Martha Hix

“A stunning debut for Ms. Phillips...”

—Rendezvous

Dear Reader,

Tori Phillips’s first book, Fool’s Paradise, won her a prestigious Maggie Award even before she sold it to Harlequin Historicals for release during our 1996 March Madness promotion of talented new authors. This month Tori Phillips returns with another unforgettable story, Silent Knight. Despite his vow of silence and the fact that she is promised to another, a would-be monk and a French noblewoman fall in love on a delightful journey across medieval England. Don’t miss this wonderful book.

The Wastrel introduces a new series of Victorian romance novels from award-winning author Margaret Moore, featuring a trio of “most unsuitable” heroes that she has aptly named MOST UNSUITABLE.... The Wastrel is the magical story of a disowned heiress and a devil-may-care bachelor who learn about love with the help of her colorful relatives.

A Western by Rae Muir, another author from our 1996 March Madness promotion, The Trail to Temptation, about a star-crossed couple who fight their attraction on a trail drive from Texas to Montana, and The Devil’s Kiss, a romantic comedy from longtime Harlequin Historicals Western writer, DeLoras Scott, round out a terrific month.

Whatever your taste in reading, we hope Harlequin Historicals will keep you coming back for more. Please keep a lookout for all four titles, available wherever books 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

Silent Knight

Tori Phillips

www.millsandboon.co.uk

TORI PHILLIPS

After receiving her degree in theater arts from the University of San Diego, Tori worked at MGM Studios, acted in numerous summer stock musicals and appeared in Paramount Pictures’ The Great GatsBy. Her plays, published by Dramatic Publishing Co., have been produced in the U.S. and Canada, and her poetry is included in several anthologies. She has directed over forty plays, including twenty-one Shakespeare productions. Currently she is a first-person, Living History actress at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C. She lives with her husband in Burke, VA.

My heartfelt thanks and bags of chocolate kisses to:

my agent, Mary Sue Seymour; and my editors,

Tracy Farrell and Karen Kosztolnyik, for

believing in me;

my guardian angels. Kathryn Falk, Lady Barrow;

Carol Stacy; Kate Ryan and Karen Armstrong for

pushing the “Start Now” button;

my mentors, Suzanne Barclay, Linda Castle and

Martha Hix for keeping me on the right track;

my writer friends, Jenny Bates; Katie Beach;

Margo Columbus; Margot Early; Gwynne Forster;

Sharon Frye; Karen Gromada; Loree &