Marianne and the Marquis. Anne Herries

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      “I kissed you because I find you irresistible, but I am sorry if I have offended you, Miss Horne. It was wrong of me to take advantage of you.”

      Her eyes widened, their color the hue of a mountain pool, clear and green, touched by sunshine. And then she smiled.

      “You have robbed your action of any offense, sir. Nor can I pretend that I found it distasteful, for I did not—though I beg that you will not do it again without my permission.”

      Drew laughed, for she was a breath of fresh air. It was her frankness, her open manner that fascinated him as much as her beauty. He had met women in society who might perhaps come near to her in looks, but none had made this direct appeal to his senses. At that moment he would have liked to take her down to the soft earth and lose himself in the sweetness of her flesh. Yet if he did that she would hate him, and he would be beyond redemption.

      Marianne and the Marquis

       Harlequin^®Historical

      Author Note

      Marianne’s story is the first of a trilogy dealing with the lives and loves of three sisters. Marianne, Jo and Lucy are the Reverend Horne’s daughters, and their papa, now sadly deceased, has been a big influence on their lives. Now things must change, for their mama has very little money and is at the mercy of her sister’s charity. When Marianne is asked to stay with an ailing great-aunt, she cannot guess that she will be involved with dangerous smugglers, or that she will find love and change her life forever.

      I hope, dear reader, that you will enjoy following Marianne’s story and those of her sisters as they struggle against—and overcome—the difficulties fate throws at them.

      Look for Jo’s story in

      Married by Christmas and Lucy’s in Marrying Captain Jack Coming soon

      Marianne and the Marquis

      Anne Herries

      TORONTO • NEW YORK • LONDON

       AMSTERDAM • PARIS • SYDNEY • HAMBURG STOCKHOLM • ATHENS • TOKYO • MILAN • MADRID PRAGUE • WARSAW • BUDAPEST • AUCKLAND

      ANNE HERRIES

      Award-winning author Anne Herries lives in Cambridgeshire, England. She is fond of watching wildlife, and spoils the birds and squirrels that are frequent visitors to her garden. Anne loves to write about the beauty of nature, and sometimes puts a little into her books—although they are mostly about love and romance. She writes for her own enjoyment and to give pleasure to her readers. She invites readers to contact her on her Web site, www.lindasole.co.uk.

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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

      Afterword

      Chapter One

      London—1813

      ‘They are a particularly nasty lot,’ Captain Jack Harcourt said to his friend when they met at their sporting club that August afternoon. They had enjoyed a bout in the ring under the tuition of the master pugilist, Gentleman Jackson, and, stripped to the waist, their bodies gleamed with sweat. Jack’s opponent