Silent Knight
SIR GUY HAD THE FACE OF AN ARCHANGEL~Yet his vow of silence and monkish cowl hid thoughts that would make the devil blush! For the innocent beauty of Celeste de Montcalm was a temptation that he could scarcely resist.But was his urge to protect her from the evil lord to whom she was promised an honorable one, or just an excuse to claim the lady as his own?
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DedicationLetter to ReaderTitle PageAbout the AuthorAcknowledgmentsChapter OneChapter TwoChapter ThreeChapter FourChapter FiveChapter SixChapter SevenChapter EightChapter NineChapter TenChapter ElevenChapter TwelveChapter ThirteenChapter FourteenChapter FifteenChapter SixteenChapter SeventeenChapter EighteenChapter NineteenChapter TwentyChapter Twenty-OneChapter Twenty-TwoChapter Twenty-threeChapter Twenty-fourChapter Twenty-FiveChapter Twenty-SixChapter Twenty-SevenChapter Twenty-EightChapter Twenty-NineChapter ThirtyEpilogueCopyright
Critical acclaim for Tori Phillips
“... historical romance reading at its absolute best.”
—Affaire de Coeur
“A delightful Elizabethan romp.”
—Ruth Ryan Langan
“A great read!”
—Dixie Browning
“A delight to read...charming.”
—Suzanne Barclay
“... packed with love, adventure, history...I enjoyed it immensely.”
—Rebecca Hagan Lee
“I loved this story!...Tarleton (the hero) is pure magic!”
—Martha Hix
“A stunning debut for Ms. Phillips...”
—Rendezvous
Dear Reader,
Tori Phillips’s first book, Fool’s Paradise, won her a prestigious Maggie Award even before she sold it to Harlequin Historicals for release during our 1996 March Madness promotion of talented new authors. This month Tori Phillips returns with another unforgettable story, Silent Knight. Despite his vow of silence and the fact that she is promised to another, a would-be monk and a French noblewoman fall in love on a delightful journey across medieval England. Don’t miss this wonderful book.
The Wastrel introduces a new series of Victorian romance novels from award-winning author Margaret Moore, featuring a trio of “most unsuitable” heroes that she has aptly named MOST UNSUITABLE.... The Wastrel is the magical story of a disowned heiress and a devil-may-care bachelor who learn about love with the help of her colorful relatives.
A Western by Rae Muir, another author from our 1996 March Madness promotion, The Trail to Temptation, about a star-crossed couple who fight their attraction on a trail drive from Texas to Montana, and The Devil’s Kiss, a romantic comedy from longtime Harlequin Historicals Western writer, DeLoras Scott, round out a terrific month.
Whatever your taste in reading, we hope Harlequin Historicals will keep you coming back for more. Please keep a lookout for all four titles, available wherever books are sold.
Sincerely,
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
TORI PHILLIPS
After receiving her degree in theater arts from the University of San Diego, Tori worked at MGM Studios, acted in numerous summer stock musicals and appeared in Paramount Pictures’ The Great GatsBy. Her plays, published by Dramatic Publishing Co., have been produced in the U.S. and Canada, and her poetry is included in several anthologies. She has directed over forty plays, including twenty-one Shakespeare productions. Currently she is a first-person, Living History actress at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C. She lives with her husband in Burke, VA.
My heartfelt thanks and bags of chocolate kisses to:
my agent, Mary Sue Seymour; and my editors, Tracy Farrell and Karen Kosztolnyik, for believing in me; my guardian angels. Kathryn Falk, Lady Barrow; Carol Stacy; Kate Ryan and Karen Armstrong for pushing the “Start Now” button; my mentors, Suzanne Barclay, Linda Castle and Martha Hix for keeping me on the right track; my writer friends, Jenny Bates; Katie Beach; Margo Columbus; Margot Early; Gwynne Forster; Sharon Frye; Karen Gromada; Loree & Threasa Leatherman; Ammanda McCabe; Rita Madole, Debbie Martin; Marlene Million; Betsy Morgan; Ginger Rapsus; Kimber Rowe; Shelia Sampson; Karen Skuce; Karen Smith; Debbie Staley; Mara Segal; Audri Taylor, Cindy Walker, Karen Webb and all the ladies of the Society of the Purple Prose for your warmth, humor, encouragement and love; and to the Write Knight, Steve Sandalis, for his heroic inspiration, his great letters and his fantastic smile.
Chapter One
Tie up my love’s tongue and bring him silently. A Midsummer Night’s Dream
October 1528
On the Bristol-to-Chester Post Road
“Mon Dieu! Aunt Marguerite, are you much hurt?” Heedless of the pelting rain, Lady Celeste de Montcalm knelt in the viscous black mud of the roadside ditch beside the limp form of her aunt. The brown rivulet that filled the bottom of the ditch quickly soaked the skirts of Celeste’s burgundy velvet gown. With trembling fingers, she lifted the soggy headdress and sheer veil from the older woman’s graying hair, then unfastened the heavy woolen traveling cloak that pulled against her neck. She held the wet garment over them both, in- an attempt to shield them from the downpour.
“Aunt Marguerite?” Celeste swallowed back the iron taste of apprehension that rose in her throat. Her beloved companion’s face, usually so rosy, now looked the color of yesterday’s ashes. “I pray you, sweet Aunt, speak to me!” Far from answering her niece, Marguerite barely breathed. Strong hands grasped Celeste’s shoulders. “By the sword of Saint George, my lady, come under the cover of the trees. You’ll catch your death in this damnable English weather.” Gaston, his voice grown hoarse from years of commanding green-willow youths, spoke with gruff gentleness in her ear. “I shall attend your good aunt.”
