The Mistress And The Merchant. Juliet Landon

      

      Temptation in the Italian’s arms...

      The new mistress of her late uncle’s estate, Aphra Betterton, longs to hide away and forget the man who betrayed her. So when handsome Santo Datini arrives—to make amends for his brother’s duplicity—he’s the last person Aphra wants to host!

      Italian merchant Santo is on a secret mission that no beautiful, proud maiden will disrupt. But with their temptingly close quarters generating scandal, can Santo win Aphra’s trust—and her heart into the bargain?

      Thoughts of resistance were swept away on the tide of Santo’s kisses.

      While it lasted, Aphra was almost convinced that his hunger was genuine—that this great handsome creature had been waiting for an excuse to take her in his arms and make her forget what she had lost, what had never been hers. Santo Datini was a mature male who knew well how to make a woman like her, fighting her confused emotions, confront the desires which in these last few days had been twisting her heart into knots. After this she knew that any more talk about being broken-hearted would—to her shame—be seen as a sham.

      Santo’s kisses softened, and the pressure of his arms allowed her to move within their embrace. ‘You see?’ he whispered. ‘That broken heart of yours is bruised, that’s all. And your pride. There’s nothing here that cannot be mended.’

      Author Note

      The Mistress and the Merchant is the third in a trilogy, the first of which was Betrayed, Betrothed and Bedded, the story of Etta’s parentage and the lust of Henry VIII.

      The second, called Taming the Tempestuous Tudor, is about how Etta came to love and marry Lord Somerville—Nic—in the first year of the reign of Elizabeth I.

      Aphra appears in both these stories, first as a young child, then as a young gentlewoman who accompanies Etta to the royal court.

      The Mistress and the Merchant

      Juliet Landon

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      JULIET LANDON has a keen interest in art and history—both of which she used to teach. She particularly enjoys researching the early medieval, Tudor and Regency periods, and the problems encountered by women in a man’s world. Born in North Yorkshire, she now lives in a Hampshire village close to her family. Her first books, which were on embroidery and design, were published under her own name of Jan Messent.

      Books by Juliet Landon

      Mills & Boon Historical Romance

      Mills & Boon Historical Romance

      The Widow’s Bargain

       The Bought Bride

       His Duty, Her Destiny

       The Warlord’s Mistress

       A Scandalous Mistress

       Dishonour and Desire

       The Rake’s Unconventional Mistress

       Marrying the Mistress

       Slave Princess

       Mistress Masquerade

       Captive of the Viking

      At the Tudor Court

      Betrayed, Betrothed and Bedded

       Taming the Tempestuous Tudor

       The Mistress and the Merchant

      Collaboration with the National Trust

      Scandalous Innocent

      Visit the Author Profile page at millsandboon.co.uk.

      For my family—

       Andrew, Danny, Aoife and Maeve, with love.

      And for my friends, Bryan and Beryl,

       for loyalty and love through good times and bad.

      Contents

       Cover

       Back Cover Text

       Introduction

       Author Note

       Title Page

       About the Author

       Dedication

       Chapter One

       Chapter Two

       Chapter Three

       Chapter Four

       Chapter Five

       Chapter Six

       Chapter Seven

       Chapter Eight

       Chapter Nine

       Chapter Ten

       Epilogue

       Extract

       Copyright

       Chapter One

      Sandrock Priory, Wiltshire—1560

      Almost hidden by a creamy-white canopy of apple blossom, Aphra turned to take another look at the solid stone walls of Sandrock Priory as if to remind herself, yet again, that it belonged to her. Against a cloudless sky, she saw how the ivy clambered up towards the red roof tiles where patches of yellow lichen and pale fern fronds made a vivid palette of new spring colour after so many weeks of greyness, the same greyness that had surrounded her heart with tragedy. Now, at last, she was beginning to see ahead to a new and peaceful life at the converted priory in which, until two months ago, Dr Ben Spenney, her beloved uncle, had lived and worked as one of Europe’s leading apothecaries. That he had left the priory to her in his will was still a source of amazement and some concern, too, for the place was enormous and, had he not also left her his considerable fortune to go with