Persuasion. Brenda Joyce

      Betrayal Tore Them Apart

      Amelia Greystone was deeply in love when the earl of St. Just abruptly ended his courtship and left Cornwall ten years earlier. So she is stunned when Simon returns, recently widowed. Now she must forget the past they shared and his betrayal and console him as any neighbor would. Simon has changed—he is dark and haunted now—but he can still make her reel with a single look. When he offers her the position of housekeeper, Amelia knows she must refuse. But for the sake of his children,she throws all caution to the wind....

      Passion Will Reunite Them

      A British spy, Simon Grenville is now playing both sidesin a time of war, his goal to keep his sons safe. Yet when heis brought face-to-face with the woman he once loved, he realizes nothing about his feelings for Amelia has changed—if anything, they are even stronger. Still, Simon knows he must stay away from Amelia; his life is too dangerous now. But sometimes passion is too strong to be denied....

      Praise for the novels of

      New York Times bestselling author Brenda Joyce

      “Merging depth of history with romance

       is nothing new for the multitalented author, but here she also brings in an intensity of political history that is both fascinating and detailed.” —RT Book Reviews on Seduction

      “Joyce excels at creating twists and turns

      in her characters’ personal lives.” —Publishers Weekly

      “Another first-rate Regency, featuring multidimensional protagonists and sweeping drama... Joyce’s tight plot and

      vivid cast combine for a romance that’s just about perfect.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review, on The Perfect Bride

      “Truly a stirring story with wonderfully etched characters, Joyce’s latest is Regency romance at its best.”

      —Booklist on The Perfect Bride

      “Romance veteran Joyce brings her keen sense of humor

      and storytelling prowess to bear on her witty, fully formed characters.” —Publishers Weekly on A Lady at Last

      “Joyce’s characters carry considerable emotional weight, which keeps this hefty entry absorbing,

      and her fast-paced story keeps the pages turning.” —Publishers Weekly on The Stolen Bride

      Persuasion

      Brenda Joyce

      

      Contents

       PROLOGUE

       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

      PROLOGUE

      La Prison de la Luxembourg, Paris, France

      March, 1794

      THEY WERE FINALLY COMING for him.

      His heart lurched with fear. He could not breathe. Slowly, filled with tension, he turned to stare into the dark corridor. He heard soft, steady footfalls approaching.

      He knew he needed his wits. He walked over to the front of the cell and grasped the ice-cold iron bars there. The footfalls were louder now.

      His insides shrank. The fear was cloying. Would he live to see another day?

      The cell stank. Whoever had inhabited it before him, they had urinated, defecated and vomited within its confines. There was dried blood on the floors and the pallet, upon which he refused to lie. The cell’s previous inhabitants had been beaten, tortured. Of course they had—they had been enemies of la Patrie.

      Even the air flowing into the cell from its single, barred window was fetid. La Place de la Révolution was just meters below the prison’s walls. Hundreds—no, thousands—had been sent to the guillotine there. The blood of the guilty—and the innocent—tainted the very air.

      He could hear their voices now.

      He inhaled, sick with fear.

      Ninety-six days had passed since he had been ambushed outside the offices where he clerked at the Commune. Ambushed, shackled, a hood thrown over his head. “Traitor,” a familiar voice had spat as he was heaved onto the bed of a wagon. An hour later, the hood had been ripped from his head and he had found himself standing in the midst of this cell. He was being accused, the guard said, of crimes against the Republic. And everyone knew what that meant....

      He had never seen the man who had spoken, yet he was fairly certain that he was Jean Lafleur, one of the most radical officials of the city’s government.

      Images danced in his head. His two sons were small, handsome, innocent boys. He had been very careful, but not careful enough, when he had left France in order to visit his sons. They had been in London. It had been William’s birthday. He had missed him—and John—terribly. He hadn’t stayed in London very long; he hadn’t dared linger, for fear of discovery. No one, outside of the family, had known he was in town. But with his departure hanging over him, it had been a bittersweet reunion.

      And from the moment he had returned to French shores, he had felt that he was being watched. He had never caught anyone following him, but he was certain he was being pursued. Like most Frenchmen and women, he had begun to live in constant fear. Every shadow made him jump. At night, he would awaken, thinking he had heard that dreaded knock upon his door. When they knocked at midnight, it meant they were coming for you....

      As they were coming for him now. The footsteps had become louder.

      He inhaled, fighting his panic. If they sensed his fear, it would be over. His fear would be