Courted by the Captain. Anne Herries

      

       OFFICERS AND GENTLEMEN

       For duty, for honour, for love

      Bound by honour and family ties, three brave men fought for their lives in France …

      Now, back in the drawing rooms of England, they face a new battle as three beautiful women lay siege to their scarred hearts!

      COURTED BY THE CAPTAIN December 2013

      PROTECTED BY THE MAJOR January 2014

      DRAWN TO LORD RAVENSCAR February 2014

       AUTHOR NOTE

      This is the first of a new Regency trilogy: Officers and Gentlemen. The story of Jenny and Adam is charged with drama when Adam’s cousin is murdered and the cousins, who have formed a lasting friendship, set out to discover the culprit. Adam also has the added problem of trying to rescue his grandfather’s debt-laden estates without marrying an heiress. Jenny seems a brave and beautiful young woman, for whom he immediately feels a deep attraction, but if he is to rescue his grandfather it seems he needs a rich bride. Jenny is nursing a secret of her own, which she dares not reveal … though perhaps it might solve Adam’s problem.

      I hope my readers will enjoy this Regency love story, which has a good sprinkling of intrigue and adventure, and will look forward to the stories of Hallam and Paul Ravenscar. I always like to hear what my readers think—you can e-mail me through my website: www.lindasole.co.uk

      Courted by

      the Captain

      Anne Herries

       www.millsandboon.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**

      CAPTAIN MOORCROFT’S CHRISTMAS BRIDE

      (part of Candlelit Christmas Kisses)

      A STRANGER’S TOUCH†

      HIS UNUSUAL GOVERNESS

      PROMISED TO THE CRUSADER

*A Season in Town

† The Melford Dynasty

**Secrets and Scandals

       And in the Regency series

       The Steepwood Scandal:

      LORD RAVENSDEN’S MARRIAGE

      COUNTERFEIT EARL

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

      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. Anne is a winner of the Romantic Novelists’ Association Romance Prize. She invites readers to contact her on her website: www.lindasole.co.uk

      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

      Prologue

      ‘By God, we did it!’ The four cousins looked at each other in triumph. The news had just arrived that Napoleon was in retreat. After days of bitter fighting, when it had seemed that Wellington’s troops must suffer defeat, even a rout, their astute general had turned the tide. ‘We’ve suffered terrible losses, but we’ve done it.’

      Each of the four men had been wounded. Mark Ravenscar, the eldest, had but a scratch on his cheek and some slight damage to his sword-hand. Since he was generally considered to be a lucky so-and-so, handsome, rich and favoured by the gods, that was, in the opinion of his friends, hardly to be wondered at. His younger brother Paul had wounds to his head, right arm and left thigh, but was still amongst the