The Knight's Return
In dire need of a protector and escort, Irish princess Sorcha has no choice but to allow mercenary Hugh de Montagne to fulfill the role. Having been duped into marriage, then exiled in disgrace, Sorcha trusts no man. Yet something about the brooding warrior makes her yearn for his touch. . . .At the king's behest, Hugh must thwart Sorcha's enemies at all costs. He has no intention of taking a wife, but every dayand every nighthe spends with the flamehaired princess leads him closer to temptation. . . .
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“Will you keep my secret?” He stood close to her in the darkness, the warmth of his body making her shiver.
“Secrets are dangerous,” she warned him, wishing she had listened to that counsel when her old nursemaid had bestowed it upon her long ago.
“Aye. All my life is a secret to me and it puts me in danger every day.” The heat behind his words presented an illusion of truth. He spoke like a man tormented by demons of his own.
“I owe you for helping me rejoin the world today, if only for a few hours.” She had enjoyed the intense interest he seemed to take in her. “I will keep your secret until we meet again.”
“When will that be?” he prodded, seeking answers she did not have.
“You may return to the cottage in daylight, but let us not meet under the cover of night anymore.”
There was an intimacy about it. A sense that they shared more than secrets in the darkness….
The Knight’s Return
Harlequin>®Historical
Praise for Joanne Rock
“Joanne Rock’s heroes capture and conquer in just one glance, one word, one touch. Irresistible!”
—USA TODAY bestselling author Julie Leto
A Knight Most Wicked
“Rock starts with an unusual setting—Bohemia—and makes it work. Her character-building skills give us a hero and heroine who are deeply emotional and engaging.”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews
The Knight’s Courtship
“Joanne Rock’s historicals will sweep you away to a world so filled with passion and pageantry that you’ll never want to leave.”
—Romance Junkies
The Laird’s Lady
“Classic battle of wills plot, fiery repartee and feisty heroine.”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews
The Knight’s Redemption
“A highly readable medieval romance with an entertaining touch of the paranormal.”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews
The Wedding Knight
“The Wedding Knight is guaranteed to please! Joanne Rock brings a fresh, vibrant voice to this charming tale.”
—New York Times bestselling author Teresa Medeiros
Joanne Rock
The KNIGHT’SReturn
TORONTO • NEW YORK • LONDON
AMSTERDAM • PARIS • SYDNEY • HAMBURG STOCKHOLM • ATHENS • TOKYO • MILAN • MADRID PRAGUE • WARSAW • BUDAPEST • AUCKLAND
For Dean, who ensures there is never a dull moment…
Available from Harlequin>®Historical and JOANNE ROCK
The Wedding Knight #694
The Knight’s Redemption #720
The Betrothal #749
“Highland Handfast”
My Lady’s Favor #758
The Laird’s Lady #769
The Knight’s Courtship #812
A Knight Most Wicked #890
The Knight’s Return #942
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Contents
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
Chapter One
North of London, 1169
Waking proved difficult when one’s eyes were stuck shut.
The dizzy-headed man stretched the muscles in his face from his position on the hard pallet. He willed his lids to open so that he might see the world about him. The scents that assailed him were at once familiar and strange. Sheep dung. Hay. The burnt remains of some poorly cooked meal. Likewise, the sounds did not provide any clues. He heard children shouting and laughing. A woman’s voice yelling. Animals braying, naying and snorting.
The effect was unpleasant and not what he was accustomed to. Or was it?
Worry crawled along his forehead as he struggled to envision a normal morning. A normal day? He was not sure of the time let alone the place.
“The border leaves this morn, Meg,” a man’s deep voice barked nearby. “His illness is a burden on this family that robs our own children of food.”
“Have you no Christian charity, husband?” The softly sweet feminine tones sounded almost musical in the cool room.
Was he the topic of discussion? It was no leap to guess his health was poor since he could not open his eyes. His body ached with weakness, his limbs too heavy to lift.
