Authors: Katharine Ashe

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How a Lady Weds a Rogue (31 page)

BOOK: How a Lady Weds a Rogue

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S
unshine
painted the path along the canal and the hills rising to either side in glorious
golds and greens. Sheep dappled the slopes and the breeze blew mild in the
valley. A dog galloped toward them and dropped a stick beside the water, and
Diantha slipped her hand from Wyn’s and ran over to it.

“Silly Ramses. You should bring it all the way to
me.” She bent to pick up the stick, the grace of her movements stirring Wyn as
everything about her always did. He had dreamed once of taking her down in the
grass here and making love to her, with only the cloudless sky and birdsong to
accompany their pleasure. The servants were on holiday today, and Owen off to
the village to practice his new apprenticeship at the smithy.

Wyn watched his wife and his appetite grew. The
prospect of fulfilling his dream was looking good.

One matter must be addressed first. He drew the
letter from his pocket and snapped open the seal.

Raven,

The royal battle has come
to its anticipated conclusion and I have had communication from the captain
of the Queen’s entourage that she wishes your attendance upon her
immediately. If you refuse her, His Majesty promises a baronetcy. The
director awaits a reply.

—Peregrine

P.S. Sparrow bids me
convey to you her deepest affection, but between you and me she is furious
to have been denied the planning and hosting of your wedding. Beware of a
sentimental siren with the intelligence of a man; she is never fully
honest.

Diantha snatched the letter from his grasp.

“From Lord Gray?” She read, her curling locks
twining about her wrist and across her eyes. Tenderly Wyn brushed them aside,
stealthily reaching for the paper. She whisked it away, reading as she glided
along the path ahead. She halted abruptly and turned to him again, her eyes
popping wide.

“A baronetcy! You did not tell me about that.”

“I was not certain of it until today.” He picked up
the stick and threw it, Ramses racing after.

“And the queen too. How exciting!” She looked up as
he neared. “Which do you want? The queen’s retinue and great responsibility, or
knighthood and great prestige?”

He seized her about the waist and pulled her
against him, plucking the paper from her fingers. “I have but one desire,
minx.”

Her eyes sparkled. “What is that?”

He released the letter and it floated upon a gust
of wind, rising high then dipping and falling into the canal to be carried away
by the water. He tightened his arms about her. “This one.” He took her mouth
beneath his and drank in the intoxicating beauty of her flavor, her scent, and
her passion for him. When he drew away, her cheeks were rosy, her lips
bruised.

“I have a plan,” she murmured, twining her arms
about his neck, her dimples deep.

He brushed his lips across hers, feeling her full
breasts against his chest, her hips and thighs cradling him, and swiftly
assessing the distance to the ground. “You do, hm?”

“This is it: you decline both, and we remain here
for the rest of our lives, just humble Mr. and Mrs. Yale and a dog named after a
pharaoh. And whoever else comes along, of course.”

He kissed her again; he could never kiss her
enough. “An excellent plan.”

“Really?” Her lips curved into a smile beneath
his.

“Yes.” He spread his hands on her back. “It suits
my wishes entirely. Especially at this moment.”

“Why this moment?”

“Because it takes care of that uninteresting
business so that we can advance to other matters. You see, I have a plan too.”
He cupped her behind and drew her against him.

“I
like
your plan.” She
slipped her hands beneath his waistcoat. “But I didn’t know you were in the
habit of making plans.”

“I am indeed.” He set his mouth to the curve of her
shoulder. “Many plans.” He drew her thigh around his hip, her skirts fluttering
in the breeze.

“Show me your plans, Mr. Yale.” She leaned into
him, her eyes a wonder of desire and love. “And I’ll show you mine.”

Author's
Note

M
y research for
this book took me into the minds and hearts of people dependent or once
dependent upon alcohol, and also—as is the case with all my books—into my own
life experiences and memories. Theories abound about alcohol dependency today,
and an equal abundance of treatments is available. But one fact is certain:
detoxification from an alcohol binge can be life threatening. Multiple factors
contribute to the severity of an individual’s withdrawal symptoms, and the
seriousness of these symptoms is not predictable. The laudanum (an opiate) that
Wyn used lowered his blood pressure and ultimately saved him. But compared to
many, Wyn’s detoxification symptoms are mild. Alcohol detoxification should
always be undertaken under the supervision of a physician.

For their assistance with my research into alcohol
dependency and withdrawal, I thank Marcia Abercrombie, Sarah Avery, Laurie
LaBean, Mary Brophy Marcus, and Dr. Ashwan Patkar of the Duke University Medical
Center Duke Addictions program, who gave their time and counsel so generously. I
thank also those with whom I spoke who prefer to remain anonymous.

My gratitude also goes to Mandakini Dubey for her
translation into easily readable Hindi of Wyn’s threat to Duncan (which Diantha
guessed correctly to be “I will kill you”), to Laura Florand, without whose
assistance my foray into chess would be even briefer and not nearly so accurate,
and to Gina Lamm and Catherine Gayle for their gracious (and fabulously speedy)
research help. Thanks also to wonderful Teresa Kleeman. And big hugs to my
sister authoresses of The Ballroom Blog, who make it wildly fun to invent
characters that have gardens conveniently packed full of statuary and hedges,
and who are in general a great joy to work with.

I offer fulsome thanks to my loving team of
manuscript readers, who give their time and care to make my books better (often
under outrageous pressures from yours truly); for Marcia Abercrombie, Georgann
T. Brophy, Georgie C. Brophy, Dr. Diane Liepzig, and Marquita Valentine I am
ever grateful. I also call blessings upon Cathy Maxwell for her kindness and
generosity of spirit. To Pam Jaffee, Jessie Edwards, and Meredith Burns of Avon
PR I give a grateful shout-out for the wonderfully fun book tour with which I
opened my Falcon Club series, as well as to Gail Dubov for yet another gorgeous
cover. Many thanks to Esi Sogah, Associate Editor at Avon Books, whose feedback
helped me enormously, and always fulsome thanks to my wonderful editor, Lucia
Macro.

Special thanks go to my agent, Kimberly Whalen,
without whose clear head, keen sense of character and story, and direct approach
to publishing I would be at a great loss.

To my husband, Laurent, whose support, love, and
encouragement buoy me and give me courage and inspiration, I owe the greatest
thanks. I love
all
our dates, not only the ones
during which we work out my plots.

Finally, I offer warm, heartfelt thank yous to my
readers. Your letters, messages, posts, and tweets, and your visits to me at
book events, make writing love stories that much more wonderfully fun. I am
grateful for your hearts that are so beautifully and joyfully open to love. I am
grateful for you.

For the latest news and gossip about the dashing
heroes and daring heroines of my Falcon Club series, I hope you will visit my
website at
www.KatharineAshe.com
.

One last literary note: Wyn’s feverish reference to
purgatory, paradise, and Beatrice is from the
Divine
Comedy
of Dante Alighieri. The medieval Florentine poet’s love for
the unattainable Beatrice was immortalized in his
Purgatorio,
Paradiso,
and other poems.

About
the Author

Award-winning author KATHARINE ASHE was named
among
Booklist’
s New Stars of Historical Romance, and her novella,
A Lady’s Wish
, launched HarperCollins Publishers’
romance imprint Avon Impulse. Reviewers call her novels “radiant,” “lushly
intense,” “thrilling,” and “breathtaking.”

Katharine lives in the wonderfully warm
Southeast with her husband, son, two dogs, and a garden she likes to call
romantic rather than unkempt. A professor of European history, she has made her
home in California, Italy, France, and the northern U.S. Please visit her at
www.katharineashe.com
or write her at PO Box 51702, Durham, NC 27717-1702.

Visit
www.AuthorTracker.com
for exclusive
information on your favorite HarperCollins authors.

Romances by Katharine Ashe

How a Lady Weds a Rogue

How to Be a Proper Lady

When a Scot Loves a Lady

In the Arms of a Marquess

Captured by a Rogue Lord

Swept Away by a Kiss

A Lady’s Wish

This is a work of fiction. Names,
characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or
are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance
to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is
entirely coincidental.

HOW A LADY WEDS A
ROGUE
. Copyright © 2012 by Katharine Brophy Dubois. All rights
reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment
of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable
right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text
may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or
stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in
any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or
hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins
e-books.

EPub Edition OCTOBER 2012 ISBN:
9780062030658

Print Edition ISBN: 9780062031891

FIRST
EDITION

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