Vixens. Bertrice Small

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      Books by Bertrice Small:

      The Kadin

      Love Wild and Fair

      Adora

      Unconquered

      Beloved

      Enchantress Mine

      Blaze Wyndham

      The Spitfire

      A Moment in Time

      To Love Again

      Love, Remember Me

      The Love Slave

      Hellion

      Betrayed

      Deceived

      The Innocent

      A Memory of Love

      The Dutchess Rosamund

      “The O’Malley Saga”

      Skye O’Malley

      All the Sweet Tomorrows

      A Love for All Time

      This Heart of Mine

      Lost Love Found

      Wild Jasmine

      “Skye’s Legacy”

      Darling Jasmine

      Bedazzled

      Beseiged

      Intrigued

      Just Beyond Tomorrow

      Vixens

      Anthologies

      Captivated

      Fascinated

      BERTRICE SMALL

      VIXENS

      KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP.

      http://www.kensingtonbooks.com

      All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.

      Table of Contents

      Books by Bertrice Small: Title Page Dedication A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR Prologue - QUEEN’S MALVERN Part One - ENGLAND , 1667-68

      Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7

       Part Two - ENGLAND , 1667–68

      Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14

       Part Three - ENGLAND, 1669–70

      Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21

      Epilogue - QUEEN’S MALVERN ABOUT THE AUTHOR Copyright Page

      For Kate Duffy,

       With love from her most faithful author,

       Bertrice Small

      A NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

      August 2002

      My dear readers,

      Twenty-four years ago I began to write a novel entitled Skye O’Malley. It was what we call a single title. But you loved Skye so much that I wrote a sequel to her story, and suddenly I found myself writing a series, “The O’Malley Saga.” This first series spawned the second, “Skye’s Legacy.” It’s been a lot of fun.

      But 130 years have passed between Skye’s birth in Ireland, and the conclusion of Vixens. When Skye was born, Henry VIII was on the throne of England; followed by his daughter, the great Elizabeth; her cousin James I; his son Charles I; the Commonwealth; and now Charles II. We’ve passed through a great deal of history, haven’t we? And Skye’s descendants number between 400 and 500. I can no longer keep up with them. So it is with regret I conclude the epic of Skye, her kith and her kin.

      Of my thirty-one titles, only twelve encompass Skye and her family. I plan on continuing my writing, and if I’m lucky, I may invent another heroine as fantastic as Skye, and when I do, I hope that you will enjoy her adventures every bit as much. God bless, and much good reading from your most faithful author,

      Prologue

      QUEEN’S MALVERN

      Autumn 1667

      “Did she, or did she not murder her husband, Mama?” Charles Stuart, the duke of Lundy, asked his mother.

      Jasmine Leslie, the dowager duchess of Glenkirk and the marchioness of Westleigh, looked directly back at her son. “If you would know the answer to that question, Charlie, then you must ask her when she arrives” came the quiet reply.

      “I must know!” the duke insisted. “You are, after all, introducing this girl into the bosom of our family, Mama.”

      “This girl, as you call her, is your niece, Charlie. She is Fortune’s youngest child. She is family!”

      “She is a stranger, Mama, for all she is Fortune’s daughter,” he said. “We know nothing about her.”

      “I know,” Jasmine responded sharply.

      “Then why will