Three Dog Knight
THE WHITE ROSE OF YORK WAS NO HOTHOUSE FLOWER Nay, Mistress Alicia Broom was a long-stemmed beauty with a dangerous secret of royal proportions. But for a chance to claim her as his promised bride, Thomas Cavendish would fight the hounds of hell… !Though plots and plans and barking dogs seemed to pursue the Earl of Thornbury wherever he went, Alicia knew she'd found a champion. Mayhap Thomas Cavendish was not what people expected, but the gentle knight had become her heart's desire.
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A nameless desire consumed her.
Alicia’s pulse quickened in anticipation of Thomas’ next move. The very air in the chamber seemed to crackle like a fire leaping in the grate.
Without uttering a word, he gathered her into his arms. He clasped her body tightly against his. She inhaled sharply at the contact, intoxicated by his warm, manly scent. She felt her blood coursing through her veins like a flooding mountain brook in springtime. His broad shoulders heaved as if he had just run a footrace. His hard-muscled thigh brushed against her hip, sending a thousand sparks dancing up her leg. The touch of his hands on her spine, firm and persuasive, invited more intimacy. Abandoning her shyness, she wound her arms around his neck, and locked herself within his embrace.
“Alicia.” He murmured her name like a prayer. His warm breath fanned her face.
Her thoughts spun…
Dear Reader,
This month we’ve covered all the bases. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll find romance. To begin, Tori Phillips is back with her third Cavendish knight—the one who’s often flanked by his three canines in the aptly titled Three Dog Knight. In this charming and clever tale, a shy earl and an illegitimate noblewoman forge a marriage of convenience based on trust, and later love, despite the machinations of an evil sister-in-law. It’s no wonder critics have described her books as “superb,” “SPLENDID!” and “delightfully mischievous.”
We are also delighted to feature Ruth Langan’s Blackthorne, her first medieval novel in nearly four years! Packed with intrigue and emotion, this is the story of a haunted widower, the lord of Blackthorne, whose child’s governess teaches him how to love again. And be sure to look for Apache Fire by longtime author Elizabeth Lane, about a Native American army scout on the run from vigilantes, who finds shelter in the arms of a beautiful young widow.
Rounding out the month is Lost Acres Bride by rising talent Lynna Banning. Here, a rugged, by-the-book rancher must contend with the female spitfire who inherits a piece of his land—and gets a piece of his heart! Don’t miss this fun and frolicking Western!
Whatever your tastes in reading, you’ll be sure to find a romantic journey back to the past between the covers of a Harlequin Historicals>® novel.
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 Shakespearean Library in Washington, D.C. She lives with her husband in Burke, VA.
To my three nieces—Anni Peduzzi, Sarah and Louise Welling who all love cats
I am deeply grateful to all my friends in the Richard III Society, especially Laura Blanchard, Carol Bessette, her husband, John (of the Loyal Opposition) and particularly to Judie Gall, who allowed me to purloin her excellent work, FERNE-AGO, a dictionary of medieval words and terms.
“And dog will have his day.”
—William Shakespeare
Hamlet, V, i
Wolf Hall, Northumberland, England
October 1487
“She’s a long-limbed lass,” observed Sir Giles Cavendish, Earl of Thornbury. “Looks like a spring colt”
The girl’s guardian, Sir Edward Brampton, forced his smile, though the earl’s assessment of his darling Alicia made him fearful for her future. Aloud, he replied, “Aye, and one fine day she will grow into a beauty. You have already noticed that she has inherited her father’s height. She also possesses the family’s legendary good looks.”
Indeed, Alicia was the spitting image of her royal sire, although she did not enjoy the protection of a legitimate birth. A cold shiver raced down Sir Edward’s spine at the mere thought of what would happen to his ward if Henry Tudor’s agents learned of her existence. Her first cousin, the poor half-witted Earl of Warwick, already languished in the Tower at the new king’s pleasure.
The earl shifted his gaze away from the golden-haired child who amused herself with a game of cat’s cradle at the far end of the hall. “Does the lass know of her parents?” he queried.
