The Captain's Christmas Bride

The Captain's Christmas Bride
ANNIE BURROWS

Wrong man…Lady Julia Whitney is at her wits’ end. Her perfect beau just won’t propose! But she’s struck upon a plan to ensure her marriage by Christmas. Between masquerades and mistletoe, she finds herself fully compromised…by the wrong man! …right husband?Captain Dunbar cannot believe he’s fallen for this chit’s game! Now he must marry society miss Lady Julia with nothing to connect them other than incredible passion. But he’s about to discover that the best Christmas presents come in surprising – and delightful – packages!

She slid her arms round his neck, hugging him in sheer delight.

‘Oh, David …’ She sighed. ‘We’ll have to get married now.’

He tensed.

Well, she’d been prepared for that. He must be shocked to learn that she was the woman he’d just ravished.

But before he could say anything someone flung up the sash window and stepped into the orangery.

She didn’t have time to do more than lift her head and swivel it in that direction before the light of two lanterns flooded the scene, clearly showing the unmasked faces of the three people standing there.

The Neapolitan Nightingale, her mouth agape.

Marianne, her hands clasped to her bosom.

And worst of all … David—not the man currently embracing her!

ANNIE BURROWS has been writing Regency romances for Mills & Boon since 2007. Her books have charmed readers worldwide, having been translated into nineteen different languages, and some have gone on to win the coveted Reviewers’ Choice Award from CataRomance. For more information, or to contact the author, please visit annie-burrows.co.uk (http://annie-burrows.co.uk) or you can find her on Facebook at facebook.com/AnnieBurrowsUK (http://www.facebook.com/AnnieBurrowsUK).

The Captain’s Christmas Bride

Annie Burrows

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

To my brand-new daughter-in-law Emily.

Welcome to the family.

And special thanks to Joe for the brainstorming on this one.

Contents

Cover (#u1ef48d4d-24de-5cf7-9176-82058e99fbc9)

Introduction (#u35e0468d-0a3d-5154-9963-2fcb7926690a)

About the Author (#u6bf3499a-a004-5433-81b7-fede1fe587d4)

Title Page (#uf90d6e5b-43a2-5314-ae43-9d046c7d7dff)

Dedication (#u68dd4ba6-e9b7-55b9-983f-96907e947a3c)

Chapter One (#ulink_d7c8b01e-db31-5e8c-ab10-f7fa71a07f9e)

Chapter Two (#ulink_d5b73776-e147-5da2-a17c-d78644ea0563)

Chapter Three (#ulink_0def9bfe-3794-5008-adae-1dcabf35fa89)

Chapter Four (#ulink_bcb9524a-d477-56d6-9b81-35bfa57f3cfe)

Chapter Five (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Six (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Extract (#litres_trial_promo)

Copyright (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter One (#ulink_351f3628-1573-534f-b727-79770b03d31a)

Christmas Day, 1815

‘How long do you think it will take? To make sure I am thoroughly compromised?’

Lady Julia Whitney observed Marianne’s face turn a little pink as a frown flitted across her brow. But then Marianne disapproved of the whole venture and was uncomfortable being dragged into it.

‘You only need to leave us alone long enough to be sure he is kissing me,’ Lady Julia pointed out. ‘And then you can burst into the orangery and find us.’

‘Yes, but how will I know he is kissing you?’ Marianne yanked hard at the laces in her valiant, prolonged struggle to do up Lady Julia’s masquerade gown. ‘The mistletoe didn’t work. And we hung kissing boughs everywhere.’

Lady Julia winced. Not only had they hung mistletoe everywhere, but almost everyone else was making good use of it.

‘I’m sorry,’ said Marianne. ‘Did I pinch you? This dress is rather tight, isn’t it?’

‘I shall hold my breath until you get it done up,’ said Lady Julia, unwilling to admit that it was chagrin that made her wince, at the reminder that after all the hours spent gathering mistletoe, fashioning it into dozens of kissing boughs, and getting footmen to hang them all over the house, she hadn’t managed to coax David to stand still underneath a single one of them.

‘Thank you,’ said Marianne. ‘I didn’t realise how difficult this would be. I mean, you do look about the same size as the Neapolitan Nightingale. I didn’t think we’d need to make any alterations when she agreed to lend you her gown for the evening. But actually, you are rather more...um...robust.’