The Other Bride. Lisa Bingham

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      Heavens, what a man!

      Before she could gather her scattered wits, his gaze raked over her with insolent thoroughness.

      “You’re very lovely, but I don’t recall asking for your business.”

      Phoebe gasped at the man’s effrontery. Her hands balled into fists, but she strove to control her temper.

      So this was the great Gabriel Cutter. The same man who had decided to deny the mail-order brides their rightful passage on his train.

      Her anger seethed anew.

      “It is I who has business with you, Mr. Cutter.”

      He didn’t seem impressed by her statement. Instead, he began circling her, scrutinizing every inch of her frame in a way that reminded her of a hungry lion she’d once seen being fed at the London Zoo.

      The Other Bride

      Harlequin Historical #658

      Praise for Lisa Bingham

      “Lisa Bingham breathes life into your wildest fantasies!”

      —Romantic Times

      “Lisa Bingham captures perfectly the spirit of late nineteenth-century America.”

      —Affaire de Coeur

      “Her characters are delightful, full of dimension and individuality and make you laugh, cry and leave you sleepless while you try to read just one more page.”

      —Affaire de Coeur

      #655 BEAUTY AND THE BARON

      Deborah Hale

      #656 SCOUNDREL’S DAUGHTER

      Margo Maguire

      #657 WYOMING WIDOW

      Elizabeth Lane

      The Other Bride

      Lisa Bingham

       www.millsandboon.co.uk

      MILLS & BOON

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      Available from Harlequin Historicals and LISA BINGHAM

      The Other Bride #658

      Other works include:

      Harlequin American Romance

      Nanny Jake #602

      The Butler & the Bachelorette #635

      The Daddy Hunt #651

      Dana and the Calendar Man #662

      The Princess & the Frog #692

      And Babies Make Ten #784

      Man Behind the Voice #835

      Twins Times Two! #887

      Harlequin Intrigue

      When Night Draws Near #540

      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

       Epilogue

      Prologue

      Devon, England

      April, 1870

      “Louisa! Louisa, where are you?”

      The call was distant, urgent, riding on the back of a gusting wind that threatened to obscure the query altogether.

      From her hiding place beneath the willows at the edge of the graveyard, Louisa Haversham debated whether or not to respond. The storm would be here any moment. If she waited long enough, the rain would come and the student who had been sent to find her would balk at entering the cemetery, and return to school. Then she would be alone once again.

      “Louisa! Mr. Goodfellow and Mrs. Pritchard are looking for you!”

      Louisa grimaced. She didn’t really care if her absence angered Mr. Goodfellow, the owner of the school, or Mrs. Pritchard, the headmistress. They might scold or keep her from her meals, but they wouldn’t dare to exact a punishment harsher than that. Not when her father was their principal benefactor. In her years with the school, Louisa had been anything but a biddable student. She’d been an angry, hurt child when she’d first arrived, and her temper hadn’t improved much over the years.

      “Lou-i-sa!