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Desire's Prize

Page 48

by M. S. Laurens (Stephanie Laurens)


  “Indeed,” he drawled, politely noncommittal.

  Fiona flicked him a quick, suspicious glance, but said nothing.

  “If you’ll follow Sherwood,” Harriet said, gesturing towards the stairs, “he’ll show you to your rooms.”

  Smoothly, Dyan offered Fiona his arm; she shot him another suspicious glance, but consented to rest her fingers on his sleeve. In silence, they followed the stately Sherwood up the wide stairs; a footman followed with Fiona’s bag.

  Dyan held his tongue as they ascended—for the simple reason that he couldn’t formulate a single coherent thought. His predator’s senses were well-honed, acutely sensitive. They were presently screaming, far too adamantly to be ignored. Their message left him reeling.

  Fiona, strolling haughtily beside him, was, indeed, the same girl he’d known before. Unchanged. Untouched.

  Unmarried.

  He knew it—felt it—deep in his bones. One glance at the fingers of her left hand, presently resting on his sleeve, confirmed it—no band, not even a lingering trace.

  As they reached the top of the stairs, Dyan hauled in a not entirely steady breath. The foundations of his life had just shifted.

  He couldn’t interrogate Fiona in front of the servants. Forced to hold his tongue, he slanted her a glance as she glided regally on his arm. She was of above-average height—her head just topped his shoulder. Her hair, lustrously thick, was pulled back in a chignon; her face was a perfect oval rendered in ivory satin. Her glance, delivered from large hazel eyes set under finely arched brown brows, still held the same directness, the same uncompromising honesty—the same uncompromising stubbornness—that they always had. That last was echoed in the set of her full lips, in the elevation of her chin.

  He squinted slightly—and saw the band of freckles across the bridge of her nose. She was exactly as he remembered.

  So what had happened to Tony? And why was she there?

  He frowned. “How’s your brother?” In Sherwood’s wake, they turned down a long corridor.

  Fiona kept her eyes forward, her chin up. “Edmund’s in perfectly good health, thank you.”

  The urge to shake her returned; Dyan set his jaw and held it back. They’d reached the end of the wing and servants were scurrying everywhere.

  The rooms Harriet had assigned them were next to each other—Dyan suspected for a very good reason. A maid appeared and Fiona, with a haughty nod, disappeared into her room.

  “I’ve brought some fresh cravats, Your Grace.” Henry’s valet hovered at Dyan’s elbow. “If you’ll let me take your jacket, I’ll have it brushed.”

  His gaze on Fiona’s closed door, Dyan nodded. “You’ll need to be quick.”

  *

  He was waiting for her when she came out.

  Buy MELTING ICE

  And if historical romance combined with mystery intrigues you, keep your eyes peeled for:

  THE MASTERFUL MR. MONTAGUE

  #1 New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Laurens draws back the curtain on a world that has been hidden from us…until now.

  Montague has devoted his life to managing the wealth of London’s elite, but at a huge cost: a family of his own. Then the enticing Miss Violet Matcham seeks his help, and in the puzzle she presents him, he finds an intriguing new challenge professionally … and personally.

  Violet, devoted lady-companion to the aging Lady Halstead, turns to Montague to reassure her ladyship that her affairs are in order. But the famous Montague is not at all what she’d expected—this man is compelling, decisive, supportive, and strong—everything Violet needs in a champion, a position to which Montague rapidly lays claim.

  But then Lady Halstead is murdered and Violet and Montague, aided by Barnaby Adair, Inspector Stokes, Penelope, and Griselda, race to expose a cunning and cold-blooded killer…who stalks closer and closer. Will Montague and Violet learn the shocking truth too late to seize their chance at enduring love?

  A Regency-era historical romance entwined with a mystery, this work contains several explicit love scenes.

  LENGTH: Novel of 120,000 words

  COMING APRIL 29, 2014.

  Learn more about THE MASTERFUL MR. MONTAGUE

  About the Author

  #1 New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Laurens began writing romances as an escape from the dry world of professional science. Her hobby quickly became a career when her first novel was accepted for publication, and with entirely becoming alacrity, she gave up writing about facts in favor of writing fiction.

  All Laurens’s works to date are historical romances, ranging from medieval times to the early 1900s, and her settings range from Scotland to India. The majority of her works are set in the period of the British Regency. Laurens has published 52 works of historical romance, including 30 New York Times bestsellers. Laurens has sold more than 20 million print, audio, and e-books globally. All her works are continuously available in print and e-book formats in English worldwide, and have been translated into many other languages. An international bestseller, among other accolades, Laurens has received the Romance Writers of America® prestigious RITA® Award for Best Romance Novella 2008, for The Fall of Rogue Gerrard.

  Laurens’s continuing novels featuring the Cynster family are widely regarded as classics of the historical romance genre. Other series include the Bastion Club Novels, the Black Cobra Quartet, and the Casebook of Barnaby Adair Novels.

  For information on all published novels, and on upcoming releases and updates on novels yet to come, visit Stephanie’s website: www.stephanielaurens.com

  To sign up to Stephanie’s Email Newsletter (a private list) for heads-up alerts as new books are released, exclusive sneak peeks into upcoming books, and exclusive sweepstakes contests, follow the prompts at Stephanie’s Email Newsletter Sign-up Page

  Other Titles from Stephanie Laurens

  Cynster Series

  Devil’s Bride

  A Rake’s Vow

  Scandal’s Bride

  A Rogue’s Proposal

  A Secret Love

  All About Love

  All About Passion

  On A Wild Night

  On A Wicked Dawn

  The Perfect Lover

  The Ideal Bride

  The Truth About Love

  What Price Love?

  The Taste of Innocence

  Temptation and Surrender

  Cynster Sisters Trilogy

  Viscount Breckenridge to the Rescue

  In Pursuit of Eliza Cynster

  The Capture of the Earl of Glencrae

  Cynster Sisters Duo

  And Then She Fell

  The Taming of Ryder Cavanaugh

  Cynster Special

  The Promise in a Kiss

  The Casebook of Barnaby Adair Novels

  Where the Heart Leads

  The Masterful Mr. Montague

  Loving Rose: The Redemption of Malcolm Sinclair

  Bastion Club Series

  Captain Jack’s Woman (Prequel)

  The Lady Chosen

  A Gentleman’s Honor

  A Lady of His Own

  A Fine Passion

  To Distraction

  Beyond Seduction

  The Edge of Desire

  Mastered by Love

  Black Cobra Quartet Series

  The Untamed Bride

  The Elusive Bride

  The Brazen Bride

  The Reckless Bride

  Other Novels

  The Lady Risks All

  Novellas

  Melting Ice – from the anthologies Rough Around the Edges and Scandalous Brides

  Rose in Bloom – from the anthology Scottish Brides

  Scandalous Lord Dere – from the anthology Secrets of a Perfect Night

  Lost and Found – from the anthology Hero, Come Back

  The Fall of Rogue Gerrard – from the anthology It Happened One Night

  The Seduction of Sebastian Trantor – from the anthology It Happened One Seasonr />
  Short Stories

  The Wedding Planner – from the anthology Royal Weddings

  A Return Engagement – from the anthology Royal Bridesmaids

  UK-Style Regency Romances

  Tangled Reins

  Four in Hand

  Impetuous Innocent

  Fair Juno

  The Reasons for Marriage

  A Lady of Expectations

  An Unwilling Conquest

  A Comfortable Wife

  Table of Contents

  DESIRE’S PRIZE

  DEDICATION

  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

  EPILOGUE

  Author’s Note

  About the Author

  Other Titles from Stephanie Laurens

 

 

 


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