The Knight's Return. Joanne Rock

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      “Will you keep my secret?” He stood close to her in the darkness, the warmth of his body making her shiver.

      “Secrets are dangerous,” she warned him, wishing she had listened to that counsel when her old nursemaid had bestowed it upon her long ago.

      “Aye. All my life is a secret to me and it puts me in danger every day.” The heat behind his words presented an illusion of truth. He spoke like a man tormented by demons of his own.

      “I owe you for helping me rejoin the world today, if only for a few hours.” She had enjoyed the intense interest he seemed to take in her. “I will keep your secret until we meet again.”

      “When will that be?” he prodded, seeking answers she did not have.

      “You may return to the cottage in daylight, but let us not meet under the cover of night anymore.”

      There was an intimacy about it. A sense that they shared more than secrets in the darkness….

      The Knight’s Return

      Harlequin^®Historical

      Praise for Joanne Rock

      “Joanne Rock’s heroes capture and conquer in just one glance, one word, one touch. Irresistible!”

      —USA TODAY bestselling author Julie Leto

      A Knight Most Wicked

      “Rock starts with an unusual setting—Bohemia—and makes it work. Her character-building skills give us a hero and heroine who are deeply emotional and engaging.”

      —Romantic Times BOOKreviews

      The Knight’s Courtship

      “Joanne Rock’s historicals will sweep you away to a world so filled with passion and pageantry that you’ll never want to leave.”

      —Romance Junkies

      The Laird’s Lady

      “Classic battle of wills plot, fiery repartee and feisty heroine.”

      —Romantic Times BOOKreviews

      The Knight’s Redemption

      “A highly readable medieval romance with an entertaining touch of the paranormal.”

      —Romantic Times BOOKreviews

      The Wedding Knight

      “The Wedding Knight is guaranteed to please! Joanne Rock brings a fresh, vibrant voice to this charming tale.”

      —New York Times bestselling author Teresa Medeiros

      Joanne Rock

      The KNIGHT’SReturn

      TORONTO • NEW YORK • LONDON

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

      For Dean, who ensures there is never a dull moment…

      Available from Harlequin^®Historical and JOANNE ROCK

      The Wedding Knight #694

      The Knight’s Redemption #720

      The Betrothal #749

       “Highland Handfast”

      My Lady’s Favor #758

      The Laird’s Lady #769

      The Knight’s Courtship #812

      A Knight Most Wicked #890

      The Knight’s Return #942

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      #941 THE RAKE’S INHERITED COURTESAN—Ann Lethbridge

      Daughter of a Parisian courtesan, Sylvia Boisette thirsts for respectability. But her new guardian—wealthy, conservative Christopher Evernden—finds himself on the brink of scandal, because his body cannot ignore Sylvia’s tempting sensuality….

      Let Ann Lethbridge seduce your senses when her heroine becomes

      Unlaced, Undressed, Undone!

      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

      Chapter Thirteen

      Chapter Fourteen

      Chapter Fifteen

      Chapter Sixteen

      Chapter Seventeen

      Chapter Eighteen

      Chapter Nineteen

      Chapter Twenty

      Chapter Twenty-One

      Epilogue

      Chapter One

      North of London, 1169

      Waking proved difficult when one’s eyes were stuck shut.

      The dizzy-headed man stretched the muscles in his face from his position on the hard pallet. He willed his lids to open so that he might see the world about him. The scents that assailed him were at once familiar and strange. Sheep dung. Hay. The burnt remains of some poorly cooked meal. Likewise, the sounds did not provide any clues. He heard children shouting and laughing. A woman’s voice yelling. Animals braying, naying and snorting.

      The effect was unpleasant and not what he was accustomed to. Or was it?

      Worry crawled along his forehead as he struggled to envision a normal morning. A normal day? He was not sure of the time let alone the place.

      “The border leaves this morn, Meg,” a man’s deep voice barked nearby. “His illness is a burden on this family that robs our own children of food.”

      “Have you no Christian charity, husband?” The softly sweet feminine tones sounded almost musical in the cool room.

      Was he the topic of discussion? It was no leap to guess his health was poor since he could not open his eyes. His body ached with weakness, his limbs too heavy to lift.

      “You are not a lord’s wife, Meg. If you want this unconscious