A Stranger's Touch. Anne Herries

       If he was arranging for contraband to come ashore, it would be best the stranger did not see it.

      Morwenna moved towards him, pretending to trip and falling into his arms. He caught her and held her. She looked up and the heat in his eyes startled her. A fierce shaft of heat shot through her and she gasped. The next moment he had her pressed hard against his body and his arms were about her. She ought to push him away, but if she did not distract him he might notice the flashing lights.

      Now he was bending his head, and his mouth was on hers, taking possession of her lips, sending little thrills of heat racing through her body. She moaned with pleasure, unable to pull away or tell him to stop. It was as if a sudden fire had begun inside her and she was burning up with the need to allow his kisses and so much more. She wanted him to hold her for ever, to take her here on these cliffs and kiss her senseless … She wanted to love him, to stand by his side and keep the world at bay.

      No—how stupid of her. She was allowing her loneliness and her frustration to take over her mind. To lie with this stranger could lead to only one thing: her ruin. He did not feel as she did, even though his kiss had touched her soul. She must stop this now—before it was too late.

       About the Author

      ANNE HERRIES lives in Cambridgeshire, where 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 is a winner of the Romantic Novelists’ Association Romance Prize. She invites readers to contact her on her website: www.lindasole.co.uk

       Previous novels by the same author:

      THE RAKE’S REBELLIOUS LADY

A COUNTRY MISS IN HANOVER SQUARE*

      AN INNOCENT DEBUTANTE IN HANOVER SQUARE*

      THE MISTRESS OF HANOVER SQUARE*

FORBIDDEN LADY†

      THE LORD’S FORCED BRIDE†

      THE PIRATE’S WILLING CAPTIVE†

      HER DARK AND DANGEROUS LORD†

      BOUGHT FOR THE HAREM

      HOSTAGE BRIDE

THE DISAPPEARING DUCHESS**

      THE MYSTERIOUS LORD MARLOWE**

      THE SCANDALOUS LORD LANCHESTER**

* A Season in Town trilogy

† The Melford Dynasty

** Secrets and Scandals

       And in the Regency series The Steepwood Scandal:

      LORD RAVENSDEN’S MARRIAGE

      COUNTERFEIT EARL

       And in The Hellfire Mysteries :

      AN IMPROPER COMPANION

      A WEALTHY WIDOW

      A WORTHY GENTLEMAN

       Did you know that some of these novels are also available as eBooks? Visit www.millsandboon.co.uk

      A Stranger’s

      Touch

       Anne Herries

      

www.millsandboon.co.uk

      Prologue

      ‘You understand, Melford? This mission is important for there are dangerous men at work. If they discover your true identity and why you are in Cornwall, your life could be forfeit.’

      ‘Yes, I understand that, sir. I shall keep a close mouth. I know that his Majesty’s life could be at risk and I have given my promise that I will serve both him and the Government of England with a true heart.’

      Lord Rupert Melford frowned. His family had a long history of serving the crown. When Henry Tudor took the throne from the last ruling Plantagenet, Sir Robert Melford had stood with him. The family had prospered since those times and was extended over England, with branches of the family living in France and the New World. Rupert had never met his cousins from the Americas, though he’d heard they did well. However, he knew his French cousins, and had been on the verge of departing for France to visit Stefan de Montfort, the present lord, when he was summoned to Lord Henry Cecil’s house.

      ‘I knew your grandfather Anton and your father Richard,’ Lord Henry continued. ‘Losing his first wife was hard on him, but fortunately he met and married your mother. Your birth and that of your sister was a blessing to him.’

      ‘Thank you, sir. My father was a good man.’

      ‘And you are very like him. When this unfortunate business was first brought to my attention, I knew you were just the man for this work. I know you are brave and intelligent, but we also need discretion. There are rumours, but nothing definite. If these rogues had any idea that we knew of their existence, they might go into hiding and we should lose them.’

      ‘A family of two brothers and one sister,’ Rupert said. ‘All of them smugglers and ruthless, you say?’

      ‘If smuggling were all it was it would be a matter for the Revenue Officers. A few barrels of French brandy or some silk that does not pay tax is one thing, but these Morgans are at the heart of a nest of spies and vicious enemies of the Crown. They are the means by which the spies enter and leave the country in secret—and it is these ruthless men who plot to bring down the King.’

      ‘King James is not popular with everyone, particularly some Catholic families,’ Rupert said. ‘However, he was the only heir to our Gloriana and is therefore England’s rightful king. These men deserve to hang if they harbour traitors. Why do you not simply send soldiers to arrest them?’

      ‘If I ordered their arrest, they would disappear into the sea mist or one of the caves that abound on that coast. It is a wild rugged part of the country, Melford. As I said, if it were merely smuggling I’d say be damned to them and leave it at that, but the smugglers are too clever for the Revenue and too many of our men have lost their lives to this already. It will not be easy for you to discover what is going on and get away with your life.’

      ‘Is the whole family involved—even the girl?’

      ‘I believe the ringleader is the eldest brother—Michael Morgan—but do not trust any of them or anyone else in the area you meet for