The Spaniard's Innocent Maiden

The Spaniard's Innocent Maiden
Greta Gilbert

The conquistador’s true treasure…Benicio Villafuerte is sailing to the New World to seek his fortune. But his treasure map is impossible to decipher. He needs a guide, and discovering an innocent native woman in trouble is his perfect opportunity. He’ll buy her freedom if she’ll help him on his hunt…Tula never imagined the adventurer Benicio would take her on—but when their dangerous days explode into sensuous nights she is brought to life. And soon she embarks on her own quest…to capture the conquistador’s heart!

The conquistador’s true treasure...

Benicio Villafuerte sailed to the New World to seek his fortune. But his treasure map is impossible to decipher. He needs a guide, and discovering an innocent native woman in trouble is the perfect opportunity. He’ll buy her freedom if she’ll help him on his hunt...

Tula never imagined the adventure Benicio would take her on—for when their dangerous days explode into sensuous nights, she is brought to life. And soon she embarks on her own quest...to capture the conquistador’s heart!

Benicio’s heart hammered. The woman in white was so close to him, yet so completely out of his reach.

The newly elected alcalde of Vera Cruz, Alonso de Grado, stood and selected the woman in orange, bending to his knee and bowing, then escorting the young woman back to the table. Others were not so polite. Pilot Diego Cermeño took the girl in green by the elbow. Sailor Gonzalo de Umbria merely gestured to the girl in red. Then it was Benicio’s turn.

There was only one thing to be done. Benicio reached into his boot. Then he stood and walked to the head of the table. He placed the diamond and jadestone ring before Cortés.

A curious grin spread across Cortés’s face. ‘How came you by this magnificent piece?’

‘I found it in a stream near the fields of Potonchan,’ Benicio lied. ‘I have very sharp eyes.’

‘I will accept it as compensation for the woman in white,’ Cortés said.

Author Note (#ulink_cf058ace-ff26-5fc5-b389-5aa9520107e1)

This is a story of a clash of cultures and also of their fusion. It takes place during one of the cruellest, most astonishing periods in world history: Cortés’s conquest of the Aztecs, beginning in 1519.

At the time the Aztecs—or Mexica—ruled Mexico from their capital of Tenochtitlan, one of the largest and most advanced cities in the world. The Mexica were the Romans of Mesoamerica: their ever-expanding empire covered eighty thousand miles, and they exacted tribute from some six million souls—including the Totonacs.

The heroine of this story is a Totonac woman. She participates in the fateful alliance of the Totonacs and Spanish against the Mexica, but slowly realises that the Spanish are becoming her new oppressors. For her, the only hope for freedom lies in the mysterious lands of the Maya.

Often called the Greeks of Mesoamerica, the Maya lived amidst the ruins of their ancient civilisation. Culturally advanced, but geographically isolated, they were never conquered by the Mexica and evaded Spanish rule until 1697. In some respects they evade it still.

Everywhere the descendants of the Conquest live on. I have tried to present this part of their history as knowledgeably and respectfully as possible.

Thank you for reading!

The Spaniard’s Innocent Maiden

Greta Gilbert

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

GRETA GILBERT’s passion for ancient history began with a teenage crush on Indiana Jones. As an adult she landed a dream job at National Geographic Learning, where her colleagues—former archaeologists—helped her learn to keep her facts straight. Now she lives in South Baja, Mexico, where she continues to study the ancients. She is especially intrigued by ancient mysteries, and always keeps a little Indiana Jones inside her heart.

Books by Greta Gilbert

Mills & Boon Historical Romance

Enslaved by the Desert Trader

The Spaniard’s Innocent Maiden

Mills & Boon Historical Undone! eBook

Mastered by Her Slave

Visit the Author Profile page at millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

For my mom: friend, editor, counsellor, muse,

cheerleader, champion, sage, sag wagon,

overflowing fountain of love.

Contents

Cover (#ud99361df-5a80-5a3b-a7d1-1ead6650dc01)

Back Cover Text (#uc48bf52b-4027-5325-9d68-aab54a4eb837)

Introduction (#u3b59cbbc-14b0-5625-94f2-230c24b462ed)

Author Note (#ulink_4f6078cc-a7ae-5c75-811b-ed9f50a7763c)

Title Page (#u9caf7dd3-3bad-552d-81e6-69346cf475b7)

About the Author (#u26121b2f-9ff8-5bc6-9596-3f63f8c87389)

Dedication (#u4e3afb54-f8e4-5d00-8c53-0ada4213ddc0)

Prologue (#ulink_bb1d08b8-d60d-55d0-8070-c7d3e241fc02)

Chapter One (#ulink_d160a451-aece-5bb0-95e2-0f81a05312f7)

Chapter Two (#ulink_85c5c06e-c710-5d2b-935a-0a681322865a)

Chapter Three (#ulink_04ce7ca8-96cc-5354-ae2c-f62ef6987fab)

Chapter Four (#ulink_edaed7cf-28c1-513b-9e73-8742b1e4d2ed)

Chapter Five (#ulink_48482c86-2a41-59d9-b2cc-9fa103077d57)

Chapter Six (#ulink_185d129d-05c7-5697-8d04-a2ce32d58b61)

Chapter Seven (#ulink_9ebc3ce5-17ac-54c0-8265-5f3fcfdeb3f8)

Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)