The Phoenix Of Love
The Ice Princess And The Dashing MarquisIgnorant of her childhood marriage, Olivia Wentworth was uncertain she could ever put her troubled past behind her, though the Marquis of Traverston seemed determined to convince her otherwise.John Marston, the fourth Marquis of Traverston, was finally ready to claim his bride. Yet he too must put the past to rest if he is ever to win the trust and love of the coldly beautiful woman that Olivia has become.
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Table of Contents
The Earl of Monquefort stood
patiently and waited for an opening in the conversation.
“Miss Wentworth, I do hope you remember me,” he began.
Olivia was quick to respond. “Of course we do, Lord Monquefort”
“Please, let me introduce you to a friend of mine who is most anxious to make your acquaintance.”
Olivia’s eyes shifted away from the earl to take in the gentleman standing next to him. The sight of the darkly handsome Marquis of Traverston shocked her speechless.
The marquis took Olivia’s hand and held on to it for just a little longer than polite society would dictate as proper, before smiling into her pale blue eyes and making his own introduction.
“Your husband, I believe.”
Olivia’s famed cool gaze gave out with a vengeance. Without a word she crumpled slowly to the floor.
Dear Reader,
Every year at this time, the editors at Harlequin Historicals have the unique opportunity of introducing our readers to four brand-new authors in our annual March Madness Promotion. These titles were chosen from among hundreds of manuscripts from unpublished authors, and we would like to take this time to thank all of the talented authors who made the effort to submit their projects to Harlequin Historicals for review.
Among this year’s choices for the month is a Regency novel by Susan Schonberg, The Phoenix of Love, the story of a reformed rake and a society ice princess who must come to terms with their marriage of convenience, overcome their tortured pasts and defeat their present enemies before they are free to love. The Wicked Truth by Lyn Stone was a second-place finisher in the 1995 Maggie Awards. It’s the story of a woman with a ruined reputation and a straitlaced physician who join forces to discover a murderer in Victorian England.
The two remaining titles for the month are Heart of the Dragon by Sharon Schulze, the medieval tale of a young woman searching for her identity with the help of a fierce warrior, and Emily’s Captain by Shari Anton, a story about a heroine whose father sends a dashing Union spy to get her safely out of Georgia against her wishes.
Whatever your taste in reading, we hope you’ll find a story written just for you between the covers of a Harlequin Historical.
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
SUSAN SCHONBERG
As a ninth-grade English project, Susan Schonberg rewrote Romeo and Juliet as a spoof (for which she received an A). From that time forward, she knew she wanted to write novels—specifically romance, which has always been her favorite category. Her professional writing career begins with this book, The Phoenix of Love. When Susan is not writing, she works alongside her husband, Stan, as a financial analyst for the Clorox Company in the San Francisco Bay area.
To the Riley women—Sue, Meghan and Erin— for always knowing that this would be published.
Norwood Park, Surrey 1808
“Dammit, man!” exclaimed the marquis. “You must be mistaken!”
John Richard Markston, the fourth Marquis of Traverston, paced the worn carpet of his library floor. One hand moved distractedly through his raven black hair, standing the none-too-clean strands up and then immediately smoothing them down again. His gray eyes, colored at the moment like some dark forbidding sky before a storm, looked about him with a restlessness that betrayed his inner feelings all too well.
He felt trapped.
The marquis had once been a handsome man. There were few who could contradict that. But the dandies and bits of muslin he had once taken as companions back in his younger days would be hard-pressed to recognize him now. It wasn’t just the blue-black shadow across his jaw and neck, silent testimony to his recent self-negligence, but the rest of his appearance, as well. Proud shoulders now slightly stooped over with hunger, tattered clothing that hadn’t been patched in years and the black shadows under his eyes all spoke of years spent in self-destruction.
The solicitor, Mr. Babcock, was at first incredulous to think that the bitter man pacing in front of him was really the marquis. He had come to know the marquis’s maternal grandfather rather well over the last few years of that gentleman’s life, and it shocked the lawyer to finally make the acquaintance of the notorious grandson. Of course, he had heard stories about Traverston, but he hadn’t realized how little they were exaggerated until he saw the man for himself.
Looking around the library now, Mr. Babcock thought that the room showed about as much abuse as the nobleman himself. The solicitor guessed that it had been months since the fireplace had been used, and probably much longer since it had been swept. The furniture, what few moth-eaten remains of it there were, looked every second of its age. Indeed, Mr. Babcock would not have attempted to seat himself in this room, even if he had been asked, which he had not, for fear of inflicting undue hardship on his carefully groomed person.
