Dryden's Bride

Dryden's Bride
Margo Maguire

Sir Hugh Dryden undertook his quest for a bride with a guarded heart. But two years of captivity had deadened his desire for any woman. So why, then, did the sight of a mere country girl in distress stir such tenderness in him? And why did simply carrying her from danger set his pulse pounding?Without a proper dowry, no gentleman would ask to marry Sian Tudor. Most made less respectable offers–excepting the knight who'd rescued her from certain death. The man was strong and dangerous looking–and she'd had the most unfamiliar longing to touch him. But what sense were flights of fancy when he was surely bound for battle–and Sian about to be banished to a nunnery…?

“Get out of those clothes!”

“My lord!” Siân cried, trying to pull away from Hugh’s touch—the very touch that sent strange and wild tendrils of heat through her chilled body. “This is unseemly! You cannot—”

“I most certainly can,” Hugh said. “I’ve already saved your foolish life once today. I’ll not see you take ill and die of fever and let my efforts of this morn go to waste. Now be still. These wet laces are the devil to open and I have little time.”

“I object, my lord!” she cried, his strong hands on her back making her tingle in agony. What kind of magic did the man possess to cause such feelings? Why had she never felt these sensations…this odd yearning before?

“Your objection has been duly noted, my lady,” Hugh said, as he released the final loop of the lace….

Dear Reader,

For all our Medieval readers, Dryden’s Bride by Margo Maguire features a lively noblewoman en route to a convent who defies her family and takes a detour when she falls in love with a noble knight. This stirring tale is Maguire’s second book, a follow-up story to The Bride of Windermere, which was one of our featured titles in the March Madness promotion for 1999.

If you’re a Western reader, Liz Ireland’s Trouble in Paradise, with a pregnant heroine and a bachelor hero, is a heartwarming story you won’t want to miss. In keeping with the season, look for Halloween Knight, complete with a bewitching heroine, a haunted castle and an inspired cat, by Maggie Award-winning author Tori Phillips. It’s a delightful tale of rescue that culminates with a Halloween banquet full of surprises! And USA Today bestselling author Margaret Moore returns with her new Regency, The Duke’s Desire—a story of reunited lovers who must suppress the flames of passion that threaten to destroy both their reputations.

Whatever your taste in historicals, look for all four Harlequin Historicals at your nearby book outlet.

Sincerely,

Tracy Farrell

Senior Editor

Dryden’s Bride

Margo Maguire

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

Available from Harlequin Historicals and MARGO MAGUIRE

The Bride of Windermere #453

Dryden’s Bride #529

As always, this book is for Mike and our gang.

It is also fondly dedicated to the women in my life—

for Julia, Justine and Fran; for my mother-in-law,

sisters-in-law and nieces; and for my remarkable friends,

in cyberspace and in person.

Heroines, every one!

Contents

Chapter One (#u50e963ba-957b-58ce-b3d5-3a9ec9f6db5b)

Chapter Two (#u0255d1ae-98a7-50bc-995c-629eb200ebed)

Chapter Three (#uf8e07ca8-4aeb-5d5d-b42f-869a695cb2b6)

Chapter Four (#u8675f0ac-a71c-5991-992a-ce9ad132f6d4)

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)

Chapter Fifteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Sixteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Seventeen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eighteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Nineteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter One

Northern England

Autumn 1423

Casting a grudging glance up at Castle Clairmont with his one good eye, Hugh Dryden stalked toward the huge stone fortress and again cursed the day he was born. He reviled the fates that intervened in his life, still refusing to let him be.