Pretender's Game
Page 31
He groaned and buried his head in the curve of her neck. “Oh, Thea. I was so obsessed with revenge that I forgot about you.”
“I never thought you would be forced to spend more than three weeks in prison. Then, when Colonel Harris started talking about transportation, I feared that you would be exiled again, this time because of me. I could not bear that.”
He did not reply immediately. Then he tangled his fingers in her hair and said huskily, “I would have taken you with me, Thea. If you were willing to go.”
“I would follow you anywhere, James.”
“Even back to Glenmuir with all of its painful memories?”
“Glenmuir is my home, James, but only because you are there.”
“Do you mean a fine English lady like you would be willing to spend the rest of her life in a rough Highland castle?” He was joking, but there was still a question in his voice that needed an answer.
“Not an English lady, James, but the wife of a Highland chief and so a Scot by choice and proud of it.”
He gathered her close. “You are my heart, Theadora Tilton MacLonan. Without you Glenmuir is as much a place of exile as France was. Stay with me always.”
“Always, James. You have my word.”
His eyes laughed at her. “The word of an Englishwoman?”
“The word of your wife who loves you beyond reason.”
Drawing her close, he sealed her promise with a kiss that was itself a promise of a love that would grow and endure throughout their lives.
The End
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LOVER’S KNOTT
Hearts of Rebellion Series
Book Two
Excerpt from
Lover’s Knot
The Hearts of Rebellion Series
Book Two
by
Louise Clark
LOVER’S KNOT
Reviews & Accolades
“A blend of romance, conspiracy, and hidden identities… with just the right mix of action and seduction.”
~Susan Tanner, author of Winds Across Texas
Excitement shivered through Alysa. This was a proposal of marriage, no matter how obliquely Philip had couched it. “I understand, Philip, of course I do! Papa has too many immediate problems to concern himself with my future.”
Philip squeezed her hand, before gently removing his. “If he gave his permission for us to marry, Alysa, how would you feel?”
The excitement returned, stronger than before. Alysa laughed and cupped his face in her hands. “You have to ask?”
“Yes,” he said seriously, but he was smiling at her jubilation.
“I did not think I would ever find a man who could move me as you do, Philip.” Her eyes and voice had become as serious as his. Her hands remained warm on his face. “In many ways you are a mystery to me and yet I trust you implicitly. From the beginning you intrigued me, even when no one in my family was sure whether you were a Roundhead spy or a loyal RoyalistâWhat is it?”
Philip’s expression had tightened forbiddingly. He caught her wrists and pulled her hands away from his face. “You thought I was a Roundhead spy?”
Relief flooded over Alysa, drowning her momentary dismay. She told herself that it was good that they were finally having this conversation, for doubt had hovered between them for too long. “The question did come up from time to time. You must remember, Philip, that you were a stranger here. Old Sir Richard Hampton rarely spoke about his two nephews and no one had seen you in years. With the country in confusion after the death of Oliver Cromwell, those loyal to the king were hopeful that a rebellion would finally bring him home for good. We were very aware that we could not afford to have an agent of the Protectorate in our midst.”
Grimly, Philip said, “What made you decide that I was what I appeared to be?”
“Time,” Alysa said simply. “When you seemed attracted to me, I offered to encourage your advances so that I could get to know you better. Papa was reluctant at first, but eventually he agreed to my plan.” The expression on Philip’s face was still and dangerous. Alysa hurried on, determined to complete her confession and get the worst behind them. “As you courted me, I learned that you were a man of honor, as well as one I could respect. I told Papa that I did not believe that you would seek to harm our family, and I believed it, then and now.”
She gazed up into his fathomless brown eyes, pledging him her trust and promising her love. His eyes searched her face, probing the depth of her honesty, but his own expression was unreadable. After a moment he pulled away to stare unseeing across the broad green lawns. “You shouldn’t have done that, Alysa.”
She touched him tentatively on the shoulder. “Are you telling me that you are not the Royalist brother, Philip? That my family should be wary of you? That you are the spy who has been plaguing West Easton?”
He drew a deep breath and let it out again forcefully. “No. I am not the spy who almost cost your brother his freedom. You must look to your own ranks for that. But I am not what you imagine me to be, Alysa. I am a simple soldier who has retired from active duty, nothing more. Do not make me into what I am not.”
Her grip on his shoulder firmed and she turned him toward her. “What I see in you, Philip, I have not imagined. We are all more than we think we are or can be. I know that if the time came for you to make a decision, you would make the right one. I know it!”
Taking both her hands in his, Philip rubbed the soft skin with his thumb as he gazed deep into her eyes. The movement had a slow, seductive rhythm to it that hypnotized Alysa. “By whose definition of what is right?”
She smiled up at him, her eyes trusting. “By yours, dear sir. For I know that your definition and mine are the same.”
Lover’s Knot
by
Louise Clark
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Lover’s Knot
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Louise Clark is the author of both contemporary and historical romance novels. These two genres are combined in Fighting Fate, a time travel story set in contemporary Boston with an 18th century time traveler who comes forward into his future, and Ridgeway, a historical time travel that takes place in post-Civil War North America. Ridgeway is available as part of the seven book time travel boxed set, Swept Through Time. In 2014 she was a quarter finalist in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award contest.
In addition to working on new material, she is also republishing her out-of-print titlesâDangerous Desires, Lover’s Knot and Pretender’s Gamesâin e and print format. Louise holds a BA in History from Queen’s University and a Master of Publishing degree from Simon Fraser University. Her books have been published in fifteen countries worldwide. For more information please visit her at www.louiseclarkauthor.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LouiseClarkAuthor.
Table of Contents
Cover
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chap
ter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
A Note from the Publisher
Excerpt from LOVER’S KNOT (The Hearts of Rebellion, Book 2)
About the Author