A Gentleman Of Substance
A Secret Child…When Lucy Rushton's lover was killed in battle, she was his brother, formidable viscount Drake Strickland, to protect her unborn child. The marriage tore her heart, yet after their vows were sealed, Lucy saw another side to her stern husband - a compassionate, captivating gentleman of substance who lured her in ways Jeremy never had! A Secret Love…Duty-bound to care for lovely Lucy, Drake never expected sharing his home would warm his cold, bare life. And when her eyes flashed with provocative beauty, sending an irresistible invitation, he longed to believe his wife's heart was wholly his.
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Table of Contents
“Why are you here?”
Lucy asked, her pulse speeding to double time.
“Not to claim my marital rights, if that’s what you presume.” Drake swept her a casual glance, a glint of amusement in his dark eyes. “If our marriage is to serve its purpose, everyone must believe I sired your child. En route to get here, five of the servants saw me, as well as lady Phyllipa—an unexpected bonus. With any luck, tales of my ardent regard for you will spread far and wide.”
“I see. But was it necessary to arrive in quite this state of undress?”
Drake leaned back on the chaise with an air of polite indifference that enraged her. “Merely useful costuming in our charade of a marriage. I did not want to take the chance of anyone mistaking my intentions.” One dark brow cocked expressively. “Why all this virginal prudery, my dear? Surely it’s nothing you haven’t seen before.”
Dear Reader,
‘Tis the season to be jolly, and Harlequin Historicals has four terrific books this month that will warm your heart and put a twinkle in your eye!
If you haven’t yet discovered Deborah Hale, you’re in for a treat with her second book, A Gentleman of Substance. Viscount Drake Strickland is just that—and so much more—in this juicy, three-hankie Regency-era tale. The taciturn viscount offers a marriage of convenience to the local vicar’s daughter, who is pregnant with his deceased brother’s child. Their unexpected yearning for each other eventually proves too strong to be denied!
Western lovers have two great books in store for them this month. In Jake Walker’s Wife by Loree Lough, a good-hearted, caretaking farmer’s daughter finally finds the man to cherish and take care of her—only, he’s running from the law. And in Heart and Home by Cassandra Austin, a young—and engaged—physician starts anew in a small Kansas town and finds himself falling for the beautiful owner of the boardinghouse next door.
And don’t miss our special 3-in-l medieval Christmas collection, One Christmas Night. Bestselling author Ruth Langan begins with a darling Cinderella story in “Highland Christmas,” Jacqueline Navin spins an emotional mistaken-identity tale in “A Wife for Christmas” and Lyn Stone follows with a charming story of Yuletide matchmaking in “Ian’s Gift.”
Enjoy! And come back again next month for four more choices of the best in historical romance.
Happy Holidays,
Tracy Farrell,
Senior Editor
Please address questions and book requests to:
Harlequin Reader Service
U.S.: 3010 Walden Ave., P.O. Box 1325, Buffalo, NY 14269
Canadian: P.O. Box 609, Fort Erie, Ont. L2A 5X3
DEBORAH HALE
After a decade of tracing her ancestors to their roots in Georgian-era Britain, Golden Heart winner Deborah Hale turned to historical-romance writing as a way to blend her love of the past with her desire to spin a good love story. Deborah lives in Nova Scotia, Canada, between the historic British garrison town of Halifax and the romantic Annapolis Valley of Longfellow’s Evangeline. With four children under ten (including twins), Deborah calls writing her “sanity retention mechanism.” On good days, she likes to think it’s working.
Deborah invites you to her one-of-a-kind web site to catch the flavor of eighteenth-century London, from a cup of the most decadent chocolate to scandalous tidbits of backstage gossip from the Green Room at Drury Lane. To get there, follow her author’s link on the Harlequin web site http://www.romance.net.
To Virginia Brown Taylor, romance author and midwife, who coached me through Lucy’s confinement.
Any anatomical impossibilities are my fault, not hers.
And to Dr. Michael E. Hale, my very own gentleman of substance.and style.
The Lake District, 1812
A clod of rain-soaked earth fell on the coffin, landing with a heavy, wet slap. From her place behind the lichened stone wall of Saint Mawe’s churchyard, Lucy Rushton felt that sound like a physical blow. A tiny whimper escaped her clenched lips, but the damp autumn wind snatched it up and carried it away. They were burying the earthly remains of Captain Jeremy Strickland, mortally wounded in a minor skirmish of Wellington’s peninsular campaign. That “minor skirmish,” Lucy reflected with bitter irony, had cast her into every woman’s worst nightmare.
Unwed and pregnant by a dead lover.
In vain, Lucy bit down on her lip, praying the pain would wake her from this horrible dream. She’d worshipped the handsome, dashing Jeremy Strickland from a distance for most of her twenty years. Suddenly taking notice of her, the captain had returned Lucy’s regard, wooing her with an urgency peculiar to young men off to war. Overlooking the waterfall at Amber Force, he begged the happiness of her hand in marriage. In a secluded glade on the banks of tranquil Mayeswater, he persuaded her to consummate the union of their hearts. He’d promised to return at the earliest opportunity, to wed her in a splendid ceremony.
