Love Conquers All: Historical Romance Boxed Set

by Laurel O'Donnell

  Evan was dead.

  Jordan almost collapsed at the realization, but Fox held her up. Evan was dead. The children were safe, and Fox was the true victor. Tears filled Jordan’s eyes. Tears of happiness, tears of joy. She threw her arms around Fox, sobbing against his shoulder.

  Fox embraced her tightly.

  Relief swept through her, and she knew the future was bright. She looked up at Fox, but there was something sad in his eyes. He took her hand and led her away from the crowd of people, off the drawbridge. The soldiers let them pass. They seemed disoriented and lost, bewildered at what to do next after the loss of their lord and leader.

  Fox stopped just at the base of the drawbridge and turned to Jordan. He looked down at his feet.

  He was leaving her. The realization hit like lightning. “No,” she whispered.

  Fox looked over her shoulder at the crowd of villagers and soldiers that were now lifting Evan’s body to carry him into the castle. “I don’t belong here,” he said.

  Jordan stared at him in disbelief. She didn’t know what to say to him.

  “I’m an outlaw,” he told her quietly, his eyes finally came to rest on her.

  Tears filled her eyes. “After all this, you’re still going?”

  “Don’t make this harder than it is,” Fox said softly. He took her face into his hands. “If there’s anything you need, anything you want, I’ll always be here.”

  Anguish ripped Jordan’s heart. He pressed his lips to hers in a tender, warm kiss. A promise. Then he turned, took the reins of his horse, and began to lead it away, walking into the grassy field.

  Jordan watched him, the proud gait of his steps, the straight back. He was a powerful, proud man. No longer the boy she had left. Now a man, a man who was leaving her, a man she loved more than anything in the world.

  He was moving away from her, moving out of her life again. “No,” she whispered and stepped forward. Not again. This can’t be happening. She was sobbing now, tears streaking her face, blurring her vision. He’s just giving up. Just walking away.

  Jordan ran after him, calling his name. “Fox!”

  He paused and turned to her.

  Jordan slowed as she approached him. “I need something.”

  “What?” he asked, confused.

  “You,” she told him. “You can’t just walk away from me. I left you ten years ago, and I won’t let you make the same mistake now.”

  “What would you have me do, Jordan?”

  “Carry through on your threat.”

  Fox lifted startled eyes to her.

  “Marry me,” she dared.

  He studied her face for a long moment. “Do you know what you ask?”

  Jordan stared at him in disbelief. “Yes!” She took a step toward him. “To be with you for the rest of my life.”

  “In a run-down castle. Titleless, denounced by your father, always searching for food.”

  Jordan moved forward, her hands reaching out to him. She clenched them in his tunic. “We can find a way to change this. We can do it together, Fox. I can talk to my father with you by my side. We can petition the king. It’s not impossible. Not if we do it together.”

  Fox gazed down at Jordan. His eyes were hard and unrelenting. But the longer he stared, the softer his gaze and his features became. “I cannot fight against you. I just don’t want to.” He clenched her hands in his, holding them against his chest. “With you, I believe anything is possible.” He brushed a strand of hair from her cheek. “My love,” he whispered and cupped her face, drawing her closer to him. “I will fight for you.”

  He kissed her, tenderly caressing her soft lips. Jordan’s body tingled with his kiss, igniting an inferno of possibilities.

  Epilogue

  “And that was how I won Jordan’s mother.”

  Fox watched Lord James of Ruvane speak to the assemblage of gathered dukes and barons and earls and their ladies. The room was silent now. Even the boisterous, blubbering soldier who’d had much too much to drink was sitting quietly listening to Lord Ruvane. The guests had come from across the lands at the bequest of Jordan’s father. They had been invited to join in the celebration and now had all gathered in the Great Hall of Castle Ruvane to listen to Lord Ruvane speak of carrying on the Ruvane tradition.

  Lord Ruvane turned his attention to Fox, who sat beside him. “I was wrong to question the outcome.”

  Fox glanced at Jordan. Her elaborate blue velvet dress was fringed with expensive gold. Her hair had been combed until it shone like polished mahogany. She had pulled her hair back behind her head and curled it into a circular braid. A crown befitting a royal lady. She was the most beautiful woman Fox had ever laid eyes on.

  She turned to him as if sensing his stare and cast him the most beguiling smile.

  Fox set his hand on top of hers as it lay on the table. An immediate jolt shot through his body to the very bottom of his toes. Did the mere touch of her hand have to send that kind of arousal through him every time? He smiled back at her, already knowing the answer to his own silent question.

  “The true winner of the tournament shall wed my daughter!” Lord Ruvane heartily proclaimed as he raised his goblet in salute. “Fox Mercer has proven himself to be a man of impeccable character. I welcome him into my family with open arms.”

  The hall erupted in wild shouts of approval and agreement. Fox thought he heard Pick’s big voice leading the group. Of course, Fox mused, his cheerful shout could have been because Lord Ruvane’s speech was over and the drinking and revelry could commence once again.

  Jordan turned to Fox as the talking resumed throughout the Great Hall, happiness shining in her eyes. “Betrothed,” she said, the word rolling sensually from her lips. “What do you think of that?”

  Fox chuckled low in his throat. “I think I can’t wait until the wedding night.”

  Jordan smiled in agreement giving Fox a half-lidded look promising pleasures beyond his imaginings.

  God help him, but Fox wanted her alone with him now, to touch her and caress her in ways only lovers understood.

  Suddenly, a loud gasp of awe filled the room. Fox glanced up to see a man lowering a sword down his throat. Another man was juggling hot pokers. A third was cuffing a large bear, mock wrestling with the animal. The room was suddenly, almost magically, full of exotic performers. Jugglers tossed bags of beans in the air and caught them with their teeth. Soft harp music filtered over the entire assembly.

  Fox’s gaze moved past the entertainment and over the crowd. Farmers and their families feasted on mutton and veal. Merchants sipped ale and gorged themselves on spiced potatoes. He spotted Beau and Pick seated in the middle of a dozen men. Pick swept his arm before him in a grand gesture and Fox knew he was retelling some tale, exaggerating his skill and prowess, no doubt. Beau shook his head, smiling slightly.

  Fox grinned warmly at the sight. He was grateful all of his friends had been unharmed in Evan’s schemes.

  “Fox.”

  Fox lifted his gaze to find Lord Ruvane standing before him. “I do hope you can forgive me for everything. I can be a pompous old goat at times.”

  Fox nodded at him. “If you are willing to entrust your most valued treasure to me, then I can do no less.” His eyes again lighted on Jordan, who gave him a vibrant, glowing smile. Fox lifted her hand to his lips and bestowed a kiss to her knuckles.

  “I would entrust her to no one else,” Lord Ruvane whispered and bent to kiss Jordan’s cheek. He looked back over at Fox. “I can see in her eyes that you are the true champion of her heart.”

  Kara suddenly emerged from beneath the wooden table, giggling. She raced past Jordan, followed by Mary Kate, who was screeching with glee. The two children raced off and little Jason poked his head out from beneath the table.

  Jordan waved him out. The boy paused before her, panting. “Did Kara and Mary Kate come this way?” he wondered.

  Jordan nodded and pointed toward the kitchens. Jason scampered away from them. Jordan looked
up at Fox.

  “Do you think our children will be as precocious?” Fox wondered.

  “Without a doubt,” Jordan said, watching the children weave through the crowded hall until they disappeared behind a group of soldiers.

  Fox seized Jordan’s hand, pulling her to her feet and led her out through the crowded kitchens and across the hall. He stopped in a secluded corridor and stepped closer to her, moving her back to the wall, then bent his head, claiming her lips.

  When they separated, Jordan whispered, “My lord, is this the appropriate place?”

  “Now that you will be my wife, there is no inappropriate place,” he responded, bending his head again to hers.

  “I told you we’d find him here!”

  Fox groaned against Jordan’s lips and slowly separated from her to turn toward Beau. Pick, Scout, and Smithy followed. Fox turned to Beau. “Just because you’re now my captain of the guard doesn’t mean you can disturb me at every opportunity.”

  Beau laughed. “Actually, Pick and I were having an argument. Pick thinks we have to call you m’lord Fox now.”

  “It is my title,” Fox replied.

  “Are you serious?” Beau gasped. “After all my years of service?”

  Fox gazed down at Jordan, a smile on his lips.

  A cacophony of giggles echoed through the hallway, announcing the children as they raced down the hall toward them. Kara grabbed Jordan’s skirt, circling her and Fox. “Jason won’t leave me alone!”

  “Is Castle Mercer going to be our home now?” John asked as he reached Jordan, looking a bit nervously at her. “Forever?”

  “Forever,” she assured him. “You can even help us rebuild it.”

  John beamed her a magnificently happy smile. “Can I be Fox’s squire?”

  Fox nodded. “I would have no one else.”

  The corridor erupted in argument.

  Beau complained, “Who will be my squire?”

  “I wanted to be your squire!” Jason groaned, pausing in his tormenting of Kara.

  “Fox promised I could be his squire,” Mary Kate called.

  Fox sighed and lifted his gaze. Through the doorway he saw his father standing proudly amidst a group of nobles, all shaking his hand and congratulating him. Fox smiled. His father would once again enjoy the company of flesh and blood friends. His dignity had been restored. He didn’t have to pretend anymore.

  Michael stood nearby, talking to another monk. A smile split his lips, and Fox thought it odd how he couldn’t remember the last time Michael had smiled.

  His brother, his father, his friends. All happy. And he, the happiest of all!

  And it was all because of Jordan.

  His arms tightened around her. She had been worth waiting for. Ten years of loneliness and a future of joy. It suddenly seemed fair. There would be no more loneliness. There would be no more ghosts.

  There would only be love.

  None of them would ever live in darkness again.

  —The End—

  Thank You from Laurel

  Thank you for reading Fox and Jordan's story. I hope you enjoyed their tale of love and adventure. One of my favorite parts was the haunted castle. I thoroughly enjoyed writing about how Fox's group used the aura and local lure to keep everyone out. Please be sure to subscribe to my website - www.laurel-odonnell.com - for news of my upcoming releases. Don't forget to pick up a free copy of my medieval novella, The Bride and The Brute! You can find links on my website. Again, thanks for reading!

  About Laurel O'Donnell

  Critically acclaimed novelist Laurel O’Donnell sold her first book, The Angel and the Prince, to Kensington after being a Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart finalist. She has gone on to win many more awards including the Holt Medallion Award for A Knight of Honor and the International Digital Award for Angel’s Assassin.

  Born in Chicago, Illinois, Laurel began writing in junior high school when she carried a pen and paper around wherever she went. In college, she took fiction writing classes to further her skill. Her love of the medieval time period led her to work at King Richard’s Faire in Wisconsin where she learned stage combat and sword fighting. The Faire fed her insatiable appetite for the medieval era.

  Laurel has many books yet to write and hopes you will join her on her journey to bring the medieval era to life!

  Please visit her at her website www.laurel-odonnell.com for the latest information about upcoming releases, contests, and to contact her.

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  Angel's Assassin

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Can hated enemies find common ground in each other's arms? The Lady and the Falconer is an exciting medieval romance filled with action, intrigue, suspense and a desire that defies every sinister obstacle put in its path.

  A Knight of Honor

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