Maude didn’t know where it had come from at first, but then she saw Hampton slump to the ground, while Luke stood panting over him. She grabbed Anna’s hand and rushed towards him. ‘Luke? Luke, are you all right?’
‘I’m fine,’ he panted.
‘What happened?’ Maude looked from him to Hampton and back. She was so relieved to see Luke in one piece, she wanted to throw her arms around him, but of course she could do no such thing. She had to be content with touching his arm, just to convince herself he was all right.
‘He had a pistol hidden in his boot. Tried to fire it, but I managed to turn it. Shot himself by mistake.’ He bent over, putting his hands on his knees for support. ‘I never meant for that to happen.’
‘Brought it on himself,’ Thomas said, ‘just as the Gascombe woman did.’
‘Eliza’s dead too?’ Luke straightened up and looked in the direction Thomas pointed.
‘Seems that way. The horse bolted.’
‘Dear Lord, what a mess.’
A sudden commotion nearby heralded the arrival of Stetson with Sir Henry Wallace. Sir Henry was quickly apprised of the situation and took control. ‘Nothing to worry about,’ he said firmly. ‘Plenty of witnesses here to verify these were both accidental deaths. I’d suggest you take Maude and the little one home now, Hexham, and send for the doctor. I should think they’ve both had a shock.’
Luke nodded. ‘Thank you, Sir Henry, we’ll do that. Thomas, can you round up the two extra horses please? Let’s get going.’
Safely back at Hexham Hall, they took turns to have a hot bath, since heating the water took a while. Everyone apart from Thomas, who went straight to bed, yawning hugely.
‘I don’t look like I’ve been dragged through a hedge backwards like the rest of you,’ he said, ‘but I definitely need my bed. I’m glad everyone’s safe and sound, especially you, young lady.’ Thomas smiled at Anna and Maude realised he’d become used to having a child around and no longer minded.
‘I’ll beat you at cards yet, just you wait,’ Anna replied with spirit, before being marched off to have her bath.
Once Maude had seen her daughter safely put to bed, she had a long soak herself, but afterwards she felt strangely restless. She decided that perhaps a very small measure of brandy could be justified after so many nasty shocks, and to that end she made her way to the library.
As she opened the door, however, she came face to face with Luke, who must have had the same idea. ‘Maude? I thought you were asleep.’ He was holding the brandy decanter, but put it down and came towards her. ‘Are you all right?’
‘Yes, I just ... I thought perhaps some brandy would help me sleep, but maybe it’s not such a good idea. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you.’
He stopped in front of her and put out a hand to cup her cheek. ‘You disturb me constantly,’ he said with a wry smile, ‘but not in the way you mean.’
‘I ... I do?’ Maude looked into his eyes and tried to read his expression. She saw only tenderness now, and perhaps something else, something she hadn’t dared hope for. ‘How?’ she whispered, barely able to get the word out because her heart was hammering so hard inside her chest.
‘I think you already know that,’ he replied and bent to give her a soft kiss. ‘Your very nearness drives me mad, just like it did eight years ago. It always will, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.’
‘But I thought ...’
‘We both know now why you never kept our assignation. I heard what Eliza said.’ He put his arms around her and pulled her close. ‘I was a fool, Maude, I should have realised you’d never let me down voluntarily. But when my uncle told me you’d chosen Edward and the title instead, I believed him and my pride was wounded. I had no idea he was in collusion with your father and that you had nothing to do with it.’
‘Oh, Luke, I wanted to come to you so much, but I was locked in and there was no way out. I couldn’t even knot my sheets together to climb out the window. It was too far to the ground. You have no idea ...’
He kissed her forehead, her eyelids, her nose, her cheek and she gave a little sigh of contentment.
‘There’s no point thinking about it any more,’ Luke murmured. ‘It’s in the past, but there’s still the future. Will you share that with me? Will you marry me, but in the parish church this time, not in some smithy across the Scottish border?’
She smiled up at him and twined her hands round his neck, pulling him down for a proper kiss. ‘Yes, of course, I can’t think of anything I’d rather do,’ she said. ‘It’s something I’ve dreamed of every day since you left.’
‘Me too. I love you, always have, always will and now I’ll gain a daughter as well. What could be more perfect?’
As he sealed their bargain with another passionate kiss, Maude knew that nothing could possibly be more perfect than that.
* The End *
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Find out more about the author and her novels next including a preview of Trade Winds.
About the Author
Christina Courtenay lives in Herefordshire and is married with two children. Although born in England she has a Swedish mother and was brought up in Sweden. In her teens, the family moved to Japan where she had the opportunity to travel extensively in the Far East.
Christina is chairman of the Romantic Novelists’ Association. She won the Elizabeth Goudge Trophy for a historical short story in 2001 and the Katie Fforde Bursary for a promising new writer in 2006.
In 2011, Christina’s third novel, The Scarlet Kimono, won the Big Red Reads Best Historical Fiction Award. Both Highland Storms (in 2012) and The Gilded Fan (in 2014) have won Best Historical Romance Novel awards, and The Silent Touch of Shadows won the 2012 Best Historical Read Award from the Festival of Romance. Christina’s debut novel, Trade Winds, was also shortlisted for the 2011 Pure Passion Award for Best Historical Fiction.
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More Choc Lit
From Christina Courtenay
Trade Winds
Book 1 - the Kinross Series
Short-listed for the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s Pure Passion Award for Best Historical Fiction 2011
Marriage of convenience – or a love for life?
It’s 1732 in Gothenburg, Sweden, and strong-willed Jess van Sandt knows only too well that it’s a man’s world. She believes she’s being swindled out of her inheritance by her stepfather – and she’s determined to stop it.
When help appears in the unlikely form of handsome Scotsman Killian Kinross, himself disinherited by his grandfather, Jess finds herself both intrigued and infuriated by him. In an attempt to recover her fortune, she proposes a marriage of convenience. Then Killian is offered the chance of a lifetime with the Swedish East India Company’s Expedition and he’s determined that nothing will stand in his way, not even his new bride.
He sets sail on a daring voyage to the Far East, believing he’s put his feelings and past behind him. But the journey doesn’t quite work out as he expects …
Read a preview here ...
Or find out more and purchase on your favourite eBook store. Visit www.choc-lit.com for details.
Highland Storms
Book 2 - the Kinross Series and prequel to Monsoon Mists
Winner of the 2012 Best Historical Romantic Novel of the year
Who can you trust?
Betrayed by his brother and his childhood love, Brice Kinross needs a fresh start. So he welcomes the opportunity to leave Sweden for the Scottish Highlands to take over the family estate.
But there’s trouble afoot at Rosyth in 1754 and Brice finds himself unwelcome. The estate’s in ruin and money is disappearing. He discov
ers an ally in Marsaili Buchanan, the beautiful redheaded housekeeper, but can he trust her?
Marsaili is determined to build a good life. She works hard at being a housekeeper and harder still at avoiding men who want to take advantage of her. But she’s irresistibly drawn to the new clan chief, even though he’s made it plain he doesn’t want to be shackled to anyone.
And the young laird has more than romance on his mind. His investigations are stirring up an enemy. Someone who will stop at nothing to get what he wants – including Marsaili – even if that means destroying Brice’s life forever …
Find out more and purchase on your favourite eBook store or visit www.choc-lit.com for details.
Monsoon Mists
Book 3 in the Kinross Series
Sometimes the most precious things cannot be bought …
It’s 1759 and Jamie Kinross has travelled far to escape his troubled past – from the pine forests of Sweden to the bustling streets of India.
In India he starts a new life as a gem trader, but when his mentor’s family are kidnapped as part of a criminal plot, he vows to save them and embarks on a dangerous mission to the city of Surat, carrying the stolen talisman of an Indian Rajah.
There he encounters Zarmina Miller. She is rich and beautiful, but her infamous haughtiness has earned her a nickname: The Ice Widow. Jamie is instantly tempted by the challenge she presents.
But when it becomes clear that Zarmina’s step-son is involved in the plot, he begins to see another side to her – a dark past to rival his own and a heart just waiting to be thawed. But is it too late?
Purchase from your eBook provider or visit www.choc-lit.com for more details.
The Scarlet Kimono
Book 1 - the Kumashiro Series and prequel to The Gilded Fan
Winner of the 2011 Big Red Read’s Best Historical Fiction Award
Abducted by a Samurai warlord in 17th-century Japan – what happens when fear turns to love?
England, 1611, and young Hannah Marston envies her brother’s adventurous life. But when she stows away on his merchant ship, her powers of endurance are stretched to their limit. Then they reach Japan and all her suffering seems worthwhile – until she is abducted by Taro Kumashiro’s warriors.
In the far north of the country, warlord Kumashiro is waiting to see the girl who he has been warned about by a seer. When at last they meet, it’s a clash of cultures and wills, but they’re also fighting an instant attraction to each other.
With her brother desperate to find her and the jealous Lady Reiko equally desperate to kill her, Hannah faces the greatest adventure of her life. And Kumashiro has to choose between love and honour …
Prequel to The Gilded Fan
Find out more and purchase on your favourite eBook store or visit www.choc-lit.com for details.
The Gilded Fan
Book 2 - the Kumashiro Series and sequel to The Scarlet Kimono
Winner of the 2014 Romantic Historical Novel Award
How do you start a new life, leaving behind all you love?
It’s 1641, and when Midori Kumashiro, the orphaned daughter of a warlord, is told she has to leave Japan or die, she has no choice but to flee to England. Midori is trained in the arts of war, but is that enough to help her survive a journey, with a lecherous crew and an attractive captain she doesn’t trust?
Having come to Nagasaki to trade, the last thing Captain Nico Noordholt wants is a female passenger, especially a beautiful one. How can he protect her from his crew when he can’t keep his own eyes off her?
During their journey, Nico and Midori form a tentative bond, but they both have secrets that can change everything. When they arrive in England, a civil war is brewing, and only by standing together can they hope to survive …
Find out more and purchase on your favourite eBook storeor visit www.choc-lit.com for details.
The Jade Lioness
Book 3 - the Kumashiro Series and sequel to The Gilded Fan
Nagasaki, 1648
Temperance Marston longs to escape war-torn England and explore the exotic empire of Japan. When offered the chance to accompany her cousin and Captain Noordholt on a trading expedition to Nagasaki, she jumps at the opportunity. However, she soon finds the country’s strict laws for foreigners curtail her freedom.
On a dangerous and foolhardy venture she meets Kazuo, a ronin. Kazuo is fascinated by her blonde hair and blue eyes, but he has a mission to complete and he cannot be distracted. Long ago, his father was accused of a crime he didn’t commit – stealing a valuable jade lioness ornament from the Shogun – and Kazuo must restore his family's honour. But when Temperance is kidnapped and sold as a concubine, he has to make a decision – can he save her and keep the promise he made to his father?
Find out more and purchase on your favourite eBook store or visit www.choc-lit.com for details.
The Silent Touch of Shadows
Book 1 - the Shadows from the Past Series
Winner of the 2012 Best Historical Read from the Festival of Romance
What will it take to put the past to rest?
Professional genealogist Melissa Grantham receives an invitation to visit her family’s ancestral home, Ashleigh Manor. From the moment she arrives, life-like dreams and visions haunt her. The spiritual connection to a medieval young woman and her forbidden lover have her questioning her sanity, but Melissa is determined to solve the mystery.
Jake Precy, owner of a nearby cottage, has disturbing dreams too, but it’s not until he meets Melissa that they begin to make sense. He hires her to research his family’s history, unaware their lives are already entwined. Is the mutual attraction real or the result of ghostly interference?
A haunting love story set partly in the present and partly in fifteenth century Kent.
Find out more and purchase on your favourite eBook store or visit www.choc-lit.com for details.
The Secret Kiss of Darkness
Book 2 - the Shadows from the Past Series
Must forbidden love end in heartbreak?
Kayla Sinclair knows she’s in big trouble when she almost bankrupts herself to buy a life-size portrait of a mysterious eighteenth century man at an auction.
Jago Kerswell, inn-keeper and smuggler, knows there is danger in those stolen moments with Lady Eliza Marcombe, but he’ll take any risk to be with her.
Over two centuries separate Kayla and Jago, but, when Kayla’s jealous fiancé presents her with an ultimatum, and Jago and Eliza’s affair is tragically discovered, their lives become inextricably linked thanks to a gypsy’s spell.
Kayla finds herself on a quest that could heal the past, but what she cannot foresee is the danger in her own future.
Will Kayla find heartache or happiness?
Find out more and purchase on your favourite eBook store or visit www.choc-lit.com for details.
The Soft Whisper of Dreams
Book 3 - in the Shadows from the Past Series and sequel to The Secret Kiss of Darkness.
Some dreams shouldn’t come true …
Maddie Browne thought she’d grown out of the recurring nightmare that plagued her as a child, but after a shocking family secret is revealed, it comes back to haunt her – the same swing in the same garden, the kind red-haired giant and the swarthy arms which grab her from behind and try to take her away …
In an attempt to forget her troubles, Maddie travels to Devon to spend time with her friends, Kayla and Wes. However, it becomes clear that relaxation will not be on the agenda after a disturbing encounter with a gypsy fortune teller. Not to mention the presence of Wes’s dangerously handsome brother, Alex.
And then there’s the fact that Maddie’s dream seems to be coming true …
Find out more and purchase on your favourite eBook store or visit www.choc-lit.com for details.
The Velvet Cloak of Moonlight
Book 4 - in the Shadows from the Past Series
"As the velvet cloak of moonlight settled over the ruined towers of Raglan C
astle, the shadows beneath them stirred ..."
When newly widowed Tess visits Raglan Castle, she experiences an extraordinary vision that transports her to seventeenth-century Wales and a castle on the brink of a siege.
Even when Tess leaves Raglan to return to Merrick Court, her late husband’s home, the strange dreams continue as her life becomes increasingly intertwined with the past. And when the new owner of the estate arrives - New Zealander Josh Owens - the parallels become even more obvious.
But perhaps the visions aren’t just trying to tell their own story, maybe they’re also giving a warning …
Find out more and purchase on your favourite eBook store or visit www.choc-lit.com for details.
Marry for Love
Regency Romance Collection - Book 5 (novella)
Trapped in an intolerable marriage?
Delilah cannot bear to watch as her twin sister Deborah marries Hamish Baillie, Fourth Earl of Blackwood. Not only because she knows that her conniving sister has manipulated the poor man into marriage, but also because she has been in love with the Earl since she first set eyes on him …
Delilah is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to save Hamish from a life of unhappiness – but will her plan work, or will she have to accept that she is no match for her twin’s scheming ways?
Find out more and purchase from your favourite eBook store. Visit www.choc-lit.com for details.
Regency Romance Collection:
(3 novellas)
Includes:
Once Bitten Twice Shy
‘Once was more than enough!’
Jason Warwycke, Marquess of Wyckeham, has vowed never to wed again after his disastrous first marriage, which left him with nothing but a tarnished reputation and a rather unfortunate nickname − ‘Lord Wicked’.
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