Tori Phillips - Three Dog Knight

Cover Page

Excerpt A nameless desire consumed her. Alicia’s pulse quickened in anticipation of Thomas’ next move. The very air in the chamber seemed to crackle like a fire leaping in the grate. Without uttering a word, he gathered her into his arms. He clasped her body tightly against his. She inhaled sharply at the contact, intoxicated by his warm, manly scent. She felt her blood coursing through her veins like a flooding mountain brook in springtime. His broad shoulders heaved as if he had just run a footrace. His hard-muscled thigh brushed against her hip, sending a thousand sparks dancing up her leg. The touch of his hands on her spine, firm and persuasive, invited more intimacy. Abandoning her shyness, she wound her arms around his neck, and locked herself within his embrace. “Alicia.” He murmured her name like a prayer. His warm breath fanned her face. Her thoughts spun…

Dear Reader Dear Reader, This month we’ve covered all the bases. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll find romance. To begin, Tori Phillips is back with her third Cavendish knight—the one who’s often flanked by his three canines in the aptly titled Three Dog Knight. In this charming and clever tale, a shy earl and an illegitimate noblewoman forge a marriage of convenience based on trust, and later love, despite the machinations of an evil sister-in-law. It’s no wonder critics have described her books as “superb,” “SPLENDID!” and “delightfully mischievous.” We are also delighted to feature Ruth Langan’s Blackthorne, her first medieval novel in nearly four years! Packed with intrigue and emotion, this is the story of a haunted widower, the lord of Blackthorne, whose child’s governess teaches him how to love again. And be sure to look for Apache Fire by longtime author Elizabeth Lane, about a Native American army scout on the run from vigilantes, who finds shelter in the arms of a beautiful young widow. Rounding out the month is Lost Acres Bride by rising talent Lynna Banning. Here, a rugged, by-the-book rancher must contend with the female spitfire who inherits a piece of his land—and gets a piece of his heart! Don’t miss this fun and frolicking Western! Whatever your tastes in reading, you’ll be sure to find a romantic journey back to the past between the covers of a Harlequin Historicals ® novel. 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 Three Dog 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 Shakespearean Library in Washington, D.C. She lives with her husband in Burke, VA.

Dedication To my three nieces—Anni Peduzzi, Sarah and Louise Welling who all love cats

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am deeply grateful to all my friends in the Richard III Society, especially Laura Blanchard, Carol Bessette, her husband, John (of the Loyal Opposition) and particularly to Judie Gall, who allowed me to purloin her excellent work, FERNE-AGO, a dictionary of medieval words and terms.

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

Epilogue

Author Note

Copyright

Alicia’s pulse quickened in anticipation of Thomas’ next move. The very air in the chamber seemed to crackle like a fire leaping in the grate.

Without uttering a word, he gathered her into his arms. He clasped her body tightly against his. She inhaled sharply at the contact, intoxicated by his warm, manly scent. She felt her blood coursing through her veins like a flooding mountain brook in springtime. His broad shoulders heaved as if he had just run a footrace. His hard-muscled thigh brushed against her hip, sending a thousand sparks dancing up her leg. The touch of his hands on her spine, firm and persuasive, invited more intimacy. Abandoning her shyness, she wound her arms around his neck, and locked herself within his embrace.

“Alicia.” He murmured her name like a prayer. His warm breath fanned her face.

Her thoughts spun…

Dear Reader,

This month we’ve covered all the bases. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll find romance. To begin, Tori Phillips is back with her third Cavendish knight—the one who’s often flanked by his three canines in the aptly titled Three Dog Knight. In this charming and clever tale, a shy earl and an illegitimate noblewoman forge a marriage of convenience based on trust, and later love, despite the machinations of an evil sister-in-law. It’s no wonder critics have described her books as “superb,” “SPLENDID!” and “delightfully mischievous.”

We are also delighted to feature Ruth Langan’s Blackthorne, her first medieval novel in nearly four years! Packed with intrigue and emotion, this is the story of a haunted widower, the lord of Blackthorne, whose child’s governess teaches him how to love again. And be sure to look for Apache Fire by longtime author Elizabeth Lane, about a Native American army scout on the run from vigilantes, who finds shelter in the arms of a beautiful young widow.

Rounding out the month is Lost Acres Bride by rising talent Lynna Banning. Here, a rugged, by-the-book rancher must contend with the female spitfire who inherits a piece of his land—and gets a piece of his heart! Don’t miss this fun and frolicking Western!

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

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

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 Shakespearean Library in Washington, D.C. She lives with her husband in Burke, VA.

To my three nieces—Anni Peduzzi, Sarah and Louise Welling who all love cats

I am deeply grateful to all my friends in the Richard III Society, especially Laura Blanchard, Carol Bessette, her husband, John (of the Loyal Opposition) and particularly to Judie Gall, who allowed me to purloin her excellent work, FERNE-AGO, a dictionary of medieval words and terms.