When a Laird Loves a Lady (Highlander Vows: Entangled Hearts Book 1)
Page 34
She laid her ear against his heart and traced a finger over his ribs. “I can hear your heart beating.”
“I imagine it’s loud,” he said with a chuckle.
She tilted her head back and looked at him. “Why would you imagine that?”
A wistful smile pulled at the corners of his mouth. “Because ye’ve made my heart grow, Marion. I thought I could never open it up again but ye helped me to do so, and with as much as I love ye, it must be a verra big thing beating in my chest now. I am verra fortunate.”
Marion laid her palm over his heart. “I’m the fortunate one. You’ve given me what I always wanted—to be loved and to feel like I’m part of a family.”
He kissed her on the forehead. “We are both fortunate, aye?”
She pressed her lips to his. “Aye,” she replied, mimicking his burr.
“Ye’re no longer a Sassenach at all,” he said with a chuckle.
“Nay,” she replied, grinning. “I’m a MacLeod.”
Epilogue
Two months later
After supper had ended and the entertainment had begun, Marion sat beside Iain on the dais and watched Cameron, Graham, and Lachlan each dance a jig for the honor of being declared the champion, allowing them to pick the maiden he wished to dance with for the rest of the night. Cheers erupted after each man finished his jig, and when the competition came to an end, everyone in the great hall looked to Iain to announce the winner.
He held up a hand for patience and turned to Marion. “Who should I choose?” he whispered in her ear.
She cast a surreptitious glance from under her lashes at each brother and then to Bridgette, who sat at the table just below Marion. Bridgette stared at Lachlan with thinly veiled longing. When Graham turned to give Bridgette a wink, she ripped her gaze off Lachlan and blushed furiously at Graham. Marion sighed. Graham would think the blush was for him, but Marion knew Bridgette’s pink cheeks were from having been caught gaping at Lachlan, who had seemed to have done his best to avoid Bridgette altogether upon their return from England, which told Marion he felt something for Bridgette.
“Marion,” Iain urged softly.
She sighed again and pressed her mouth close to his ear. “I think Bridgette likes Lachlan but feels she owes Graham since he almost died to save her.”
“Aye, and Graham has eyes only for Bridgette. What shall we do?” he asked in a low voice.
“Pick Cameron.”
“But was it nae plain to see that he was the worst at the jig?”
Marion giggled. “Undoubtedly, but we can tell them our secret to distract anyone who may wish to object.”
Iain cocked an eyebrow at her. “We’ve a secret?”
“Aye, laird,” she purred, fairly bursting with joy. “We’ve a bairn on the way.”
Iain’s jaw dropped open, and then he grinned and gathered her into his arms to give her a passionate kiss.
Cheers erupted in the hall once again.
“Who’s the winner?” Graham demanded.
“Aye,” Lachlan added. “Which of us has triumphed?”
“I’m certain I’m the winner,” Cameron said, crowing with laughter.
“Nay, I’m the winner,” Iain announced. “I’ve a bairn on the way!”
With that, Iain leaped over the table and attempted to dance a jig, the likes of which Marion had never seen.
She laughed as she watched her husband, secretly thinking that she was the biggest winner of them all.
Also Available
Regency Romance Books:
The Dangerous Duke of Dinnisfree (A Whisper of Scandal Novel Book 5)
Justin Holleman, the Duke of Dinnisfree, is used to being wanted—in bed, for missions, and even dead. As a spy for the king, he’s protected his country more times than he can remember, gaining enemies along the way, but he failed to defend himself from the past that hardened his heart. Instead, he became an expert at shutting people out. Yet now, in order to save the king, Justin needs to let go of his old ways and let someone closer to him than ever before. He approaches the mission with his classic cold calculation, but his fiery new ally upends his ordered world and entices him at every turn. Suddenly he’s in danger of compromising his assignment and losing his heart, two things the rogue swore never to do.
Desperate to protect her parents from poverty, among other things, Miss Arabella Carthright unwittingly becomes a pawn in a dangerous political battle when she agrees to aid an enigmatic stranger. Having learned long ago to count only on herself, she’s surprised when time and again the duke actually aids her. But when his true assignment becomes clear, Arabella realizes the aristocrat she’s come to care for poses the greatest threat to those she loves.
As Justin and Arabella face their feelings and their web of deception falls away, they must decide how high a price they are willing to pay for love and loyalty.
After Forever (A Whisper of Scandal Novel Book 4)
A year after her husband’s tragic death, all Lady Julianna Barrows wants is to be left alone and forget that most of her heart went with him when he passed. Instead, she finds herself the subject of many a matchmaking scheme and lurid offer to ease her widowhood, as well as save her fading fortune. Desperate to avoid having to remarry, she takes on a position as a tutor, only to discover that the man she’s helping unexpectedly stirs her heart and passion.
Nash Wolverton boxed his way out of the London slums and into immense wealth, but he couldn’t care less about Society’s approval. Except he has his by-blow daughter’s future to consider. To ensure her acceptance into Society, he’ll endure anything—including procuring a tutor to transform him into a gentleman so he can secure a suitable, boring wife.
Yet what he wants changes the moment he hires Julianna. She may be a lady, but she’s far from tedious. Bold and compassionate, she is nothing like the women of the ton. Suddenly, she’s elicited a simmering desire in him, and even a longing to love and be loved that he always thought out of his reach. Knowing what he planned to settle for can now never be enough, he vows to win her love. But as the walls she’s built begin to crumble, Julianna’s fears threaten to tear them apart and she alone must decide if protecting her heart trumps breaking Nash’s.
Dancing with a Devil (A Whisper of Scandal Novel Book 3)
A lord chained to his past…
Lord Trent Rutherford’s past has left him guarded and jaded and perfectly content to spend the rest of his life moving from one meaningless affair to the next. Until he meets Lady Audrey Cringlewood, an innocent beauty who makes him question everything he believes. His devilish demeanor guards more than a wounded heart. Behind his swagger lie secrets he’d rather forget than face, but the price of forgetting may be his second chance at life.
A lady determined to shape her future…
Audrey Cringlewood longs to marry for love, not convenience. After several months of flirtatious banter, secret smiles and one very unforgettable kiss, Trent Rutherford, the rake known as Sin, proves himself the man of her dreams. Audrey suspects she understands the pain he hides behind his devil-may-care attitude, but when the truth comes to light, is her love enough to heal all wounds or will the secrets Trent guarded so carefully tear them apart forever?
Conspiring with a Rogue (A Whisper of Scandal Novel Book 2)
In order to save the man she loves from the enemy bent on destroying her, Lady Whitney Rutherford sheds her identity and escapes her past, making a new life for herself as Mr. Roger Wentworth, missing person locator extraordinaire. But when Whitney’s best friend from her old life comes up missing and there is every indication the girl was taken by the debauched members of a secret club, Whitney dons a new disguise and infiltrates the club, determined to unravel the mystery and save her friend. She never expects to encounter Drake Sutherland, the man who still has her heart. In the dark world of pleasure and sin, Whitney must play a dangerous game and one wrong move could mean the death of her friend or the destruction of the man she loves.
&nb
sp; Bargaining with a Rake (A Whisper of Scandal Novel Book 1)
For eleven years, Gillian Rutherford has dreamed of escaping her family’s dark secret and living a normal life. Now, faced with an unwelcome marriage that will chain her to London and the secret slowly killing her, she’s desperate to save herself and the sister she adores. Salvation comes in the form of an American shipping tycoon, and all she must do is seduce him into marrying her. But Gillian’s scheme hits a snag when she makes a bargain with a notorious rake Alexander Trevelle, Lord Lionhurst. He’ll help her win the hand of his American friend, if she’ll assist him with exacting revenge against her unwanted fiancé. But the price of the pact may just be their hearts.
My Enchanting Hoyden (A Once Upon A Rogue Novel Book 3)
A bargain born of desperation ignites into passion as one lord’s quest to save his family leads to the discovery that he can never settle for less than love.
Forsaken, abandoned, and duped, Miss Jemma Adair has no other recourse but to request her grandfather’s help to avoid living on the streets. His asking price? She must marry a neighboring lord’s odious son. Thankfully, there is a way out of her dilemma—ensuring the rake never asks for her hand. But what is Jemma to do when her ally is an all-too handsome silver-tongued lord with a penchant for poetry that makes her question giving her heart to another man?
Philip De Vere, Lord Harthorne, wishes to marry for love, but inherited debt and family obligations force him to seek a wealthy wife. Yet experience has taught him that ladies of the ton prefer rogues to gentlemen with a poet’s soul. But when an unrepentant hoyden claims to know a thing or two about how to make a man a rake, Philip finds he cannot resist Jemma’s offer or her.
My Seductive Innocent (A Once Upon A Rogue Novel Book 2)
Miss Sophia Vane, a wallflower of sorts, makes an unlikely match when she weds Nathaniel Ellison, the rich and wary Duke of Scarsdale. What starts with an unexpected friendship soon blooms into a fiery passion. But a betrayal plunges Sophia into the thorny world of London Society and entangles her in a labyrinth of manipulation and jealousy that will test the strength of her marriage. Behind her husband’s sudden icy facade, Sophia believes dwells the caring, passionate man she loves. To break through the barriers and reclaim their happiness, they must do more than simply cast away their pride. They must fight for their very lives.
My Fair Duchess (A Once Upon A Rogue Novel Book 1)
After years of playing the rogue to hide a dark family secret, the Duke of Aversley feels tainted beyond redemption and cynical beyond repair. Never does he imagine hope will come in the form of a quirky, quick-witted lady determined to win the heart of another aristocrat.
Thanks to a painfully awkward past, Lady Amelia De Vere long ago relinquished the notion she was a flower that had yet to blossom. But when her family faces financial ruin and the man she has always loved is on the verge of marrying another, she’ll try anything to transform herself to capture her childhood love and save her family—including agreeing to participate in a bet between her brother and the notorious, dangerously handsome Duke Of Aversley.
Bound by the bet, Amelia and Aversley discover unexpected understanding and passion beyond their wildest dreams, if only they can let go of their pride, put trust in each other and chance losing their hearts.
What A Rogue Wants (Lords of Deception Book 1)
Lady Madelaine Aldridge might be the worst lady-in-waiting to ever grace King George III’s court. An oddball who prefers archery to embroidery and honesty to deception, she earns the dislike of the Queen, the cruelty of the other ladies-in-waiting and the advances of a lecherous scoundrel who wants to seduce her. Her father is threatening an arranged marriage unless she finds a proper husband—a task that seems hopeless until Lord Grey Adlard rides into court.
Grey Adlard lives up to his reputation as a dangerous rake when he proposes Madelaine meet him in the stables for a tumble. Yet when she needs a protector the most, Grey offers his services and vows he wants to court her. Wary yet intrigued by the mystery he presents, Madelaine slowly allows Grey to capture her confidence and then her heart.
Things seem perfect until her father is imprisoned for plotting against the King and Madelaine learns Grey is not simply the handsome aristocrat he pretends to be but a cunning spy. As King George III sinks deeper into insanity, Madelaine must prove her father’s innocence in order to save his life. With the future of England hanging in the balance and a ruthless murderer hunting them Grey and Madelaine engage in a clash of wills and a battle fraught with suspicion, secrets, betrayal and two hearts that cannot deny the impossible, irresistible love between them.
Season For Surrender (A Regency Christmas Novella Book 2)
Lillian Lancaster would rather catch the plague than a husband. Unfortunately, her abusive, recently deceased father’s will stipulates her inheritance hinges upon her marrying a lord. With time running out, Lillian proposes to the guilt-ridden, marriage-averse Lord Edgeworth after securing his agreement to a marriage in name only.
Edgeworth feels responsible for his former betrothed’s death and believes he doesn’t deserve love, which makes Lillian’s proposal oddly perfect. Commanded by his grandfather to marry by Christmas or become penniless, the obviously perfect choice is a woman who wants nothing to do with him.
When Lillian displays a brave and true heart and Edgeworth reveals his honorable, protective side maintaining a marriage of convenience becomes harder than these two wounded souls imagined. Now, Lillian and Edgeworth must decide if they are courageous enough to risk their hearts and surrender to love.
The Redemption of a Dissolute Earl (A Regency Christmas Novella Book 1)
The day Andrew Whitton, Earl of Hardwick chooses his fortune over the woman he loves, Drew discovers that money makes for a cold bed partner. Now, no matter how far he runs, the memory of his betrayal haunts him, and there’s not enough liquor to dull the past or diminish his disgust.
Charlotte Milne trusted in happily ever after until her knight turned out to be wearing rusty armor. Drew, the scoundrel, seduced her, though she very much enjoyed the seduction by the man she’s loved since childhood. Left scandalously ruined, Char flees her home intent upon forgetting Drew and proving her worth.
Separated by disloyalty and pain, each struggle to bury the memories of the other until a mandatory summons from the Duke of Danby sets them on a path of collision to Danby Castle. With the tides of irrevocable change rising, Drew must find a way to show Char that even the most selfish of rakes can be redeemed by love before the woman of his heart becomes the wife of another.
A Regency Christmas Pact
From five USA Today bestselling authors. After attending the funeral of an old school friend, five Regency gentlemen make a pact never to marry, convinced it will save them from meeting the same fate...
A Summons from the Duke of Danby (Regency Christmas Summons Book 1)
FIVE REISSUED CLASSICS
Re-released classics originally found in: A Summons From Yorkshire (out of print), A Summons From the Castle (out of print) and A Summons From His Grace (out of print)
Ava Stone's A COUNTERFEIT CHRISTMAS SUMMONS
Julie Johnstone's GIFT OF SEDUCTION
Aileen Fish's THE VISCOUNT'S SWEET TEMPTATION
Jane Charles's COMPROMISED FOR CHRISTMAS
Suzie Grant's A CARIBBEAN JEWEL FOR CHRISTMAS
Regency Romance Box Sets:
A Whisper of Scandal Trilogy (Books 1-3)
There were proper ladies in the Regency period and then there were ladies who would do anything for love!
Bargaining With A Rake-Lady Gillian Rutherford will do anything to save her sister from the enemy threatening to destroy her, including seducing an American tycoon into marriage. To catch the American she makes a bargain with a notorious rake Lord Lionhurst—never suspecting the price of the pact may be her heart.
Conspiring With A Rogue-To protect the man she loves from her enemy, Lady Whitney Rutherford flees and
disguises herself as Mr. Roger Wentworth, missing person locator extraordinaire. When her best friend comes up missing Whitney infiltrates a secret sex club to solve the mystery and shockingly encounters her lost love—Drake Sutherland.
Dancing With A Devil-Lord Trent Rutherford’s past has left him jaded and moving from one meaningless affair to the next. Until he meets Lady Audrey Cringlewood. She makes him question everything he believes. To capture her he must face the secrets he’d rather forget. Audrey longs to marry for love, and Trent, the rake known as Sin, proves himself the man of her dreams until his past threatens to tear them apart.
Dukes, Duchesses & Dashing Noblemen (A Once Upon a Rogue Regency Novels, Books 1-3)
Be swept away by two dukes and a rake-in-training in the three complete novels of the Once Upon A Rogue series!
Included in the box set are: My Fair Duchess, My Seductive Innocent and My Enchanting Hoyden.
Paranormal Books:
Echoes in the Silence (The Siren Saga Book 1)
The saying Love Kills could be the epitaph on Alyse Estes’s tombstone if only she could die. An immortal descended from a mythical Siren race, she’s fated to find her soul mate in the race of her sworn enemy, the Cordisi. As if that’s not troublesome enough, she's also destined to bear him the daughter who will eventually kill him. Alyse knows just how inescapable the curse can be. After all, she killed her own father. But all of her attempts to make a perfectly normal, perfectly respectable, perfectly safe life for herself come tumbling down when she meets Maximillian Rheinhart.