Susan Paul - The Captive Bride

Cover Page

Excerpt “Such a sharp tongue you possess, Katharine. No soft and gentle wife will you be, I vow.” “No wife will I be. I will not wed you!” “I will give you a choice. You may don the wedding gown I have brought—”Senet nodded at the heap she had thrown to the floor “—or you may be married as you are, in your chemise.” “You are deaf, dumb, blind and senseless!”she shouted furiously, her hands balling into fists at her sides. “I will not wed you!” “I give you the span of a minute to make your decision.” “You, a knight of the realm? You would not parade any woman before her own people so nearly undressed. And certainly not the woman you mean to have as a wife,”she said with disdain. “Nay, I would not subject you to such a humiliation, but you are the one who will conclude the outcome.”

Dear Reader Dear Reader, As the weather heats up this month, so do the passion and adventure in our romances! Susan Spencer Paul brings us another tale in her fabulous medieval BRIDE SERIES, all loosely related—and very hotl—stories of stolen brides. You may know Susan from her mainstream historical novels written as Mary Spencer. The Captive Bride is the story of Senet Gaillard—Isabelle’s tortured brother from The Bride Thief—who meets the one woman who can mend his broken heart, Lady Katharine Mathus. But first he must storm her castle and “force”her to marry him! Lord of Lyonsbridge marks the twelfth book for the talented Ana Seymour. In this unusual medieval novel, a sinfully handsome horse master teaches a spoiled Norman beauty important lessons in compassion and love. And don’t miss Linda Castle’s new Western, Heart of the Lawman, about the power of forgiveness. Here, a single mother, upon release from prison, is drawn to her child’s guardian—the same man who mistakenly imprisoned her… Finally, we have a wonderful marriage—of—convenience story set in Oregon, Plum Creek Bride by Lynna Banning. When a German nanny travels to the West to care for a baby girl, she arrives to find a grieving widower—the town doctor—and teaches him how to love again. 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 The Captive Bride Susan Spencer Paul www.millsandboon.co.uk

About the Author SUSAN SPENCER PAUL who also writes as Mary Spencer, lives in Monrovia, California, with her husband, Paul, an R.N., and their three daughters, Carolyn, Kelly and Katharine. She is the author of twelve historical novels set in a variety of time periods, and especially loves writing about the medieval and Regency eras.

Dedication Dedicated to my wonderful Liming sisters-in-law, Jeanie, Lori, Nancy and Barbara, with all my love

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

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Copyright

“No wife will I be. I will not wed you!”

“I will give you a choice. You may don the wedding gown I have brought—”Senet nodded at the heap she had thrown to the floor “—or you may be married as you are, in your chemise.”

“You are deaf, dumb, blind and senseless!”she shouted furiously, her hands balling into fists at her sides. “I will not wed you!”

“I give you the span of a minute to make your decision.”

“You, a knight of the realm? You would not parade any woman before her own people so nearly undressed. And certainly not the woman you mean to have as a wife,”she said with disdain.

“Nay, I would not subject you to such a humiliation, but you are the one who will conclude the outcome.”

Dear Reader,

As the weather heats up this month, so do the passion and adventure in our romances!

Susan Spencer Paul brings us another tale in her fabulous medieval BRIDE SERIES, all loosely related—and very hotl—stories of stolen brides. You may know Susan from her mainstream historical novels written as Mary Spencer. The Captive Bride is the story of Senet Gaillard—Isabelle’s tortured brother from The Bride Thief—who meets the one woman who can mend his broken heart, Lady Katharine Mathus. But first he must storm her castle and “force”her to marry him!

Lord of Lyonsbridge marks the twelfth book for the talented Ana Seymour. In this unusual medieval novel, a sinfully handsome horse master teaches a spoiled Norman beauty important lessons in compassion and love. And don’t miss Linda Castle’s new Western, Heart of the Lawman, about the power of forgiveness. Here, a single mother, upon release from prison, is drawn to her child’s guardian—the same man who mistakenly imprisoned her…

Finally, we have a wonderful marriage—of—convenience story set in Oregon, Plum Creek Bride by Lynna Banning. When a German nanny travels to the West to care for a baby girl, she arrives to find a grieving widower—the town doctor—and teaches him how to love again.

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

who also writes as Mary Spencer, lives in Monrovia, California, with her husband, Paul, an R.N., and their three daughters, Carolyn, Kelly and Katharine. She is the author of twelve historical novels set in a variety of time periods, and especially loves writing about the medieval and Regency eras.

Dedicated to my wonderful Liming sisters-in-law, Jeanie, Lori, Nancy and Barbara, with all my love

France, March 1437

Sir John Fastolf was sitting with his booted feet propped on a trunk when the flap to his tent opened. He looked up from the missive he was reading and saw the tall man standing outside in the heavy rain. “Ah, at last. Sir Senet. Come in and be welcomed. Luc—”he turned his attention briefly to his busy serving boy “—bring Sir Senet some wine.”Then he waved to his visitor. “Come in, man. No need to stand in the rain. Come in and sit down.”

Senet ducked and stepped into the tent, removing his helmet with one hand as he did so. When he lifted his head it was to meet Sir John’s greeting smile with a somber gaze.

“Have you word from London, my lord?”he asked, standing in his place and dripping water on the rug that had been laid on the ground.