The Stolen Bride Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  AUTHOR’S NOTE

  Teaser chapter

  Praise for the Novels of Jo Beverley

  A Lady’s Secret

  “Extraordinary storyteller Beverley mixes witty repartee, danger, and simmering sensuality with her strong and engaging characters, including a fetching Papillon, in this delightful, delicious gem of a book.”

  —Romantic Times (top pick)

  “With wit and humor, Jo Beverley provides a wonderful eighteenth-century romance starring two amiable lead characters whose first encounter is one of the best in recent memory. The tale is filled with nonstop action.”

  —The Best Reviews

  Lady Beware

  “Jo Beverley carries off a remarkable achievement in Lady Bezuare, the latest and possibly last in her Company of Rogues novels.... It is the unusual combination of familial comfort and risque pleasure that makes this book a winner.... No doubt about it, Lady Beware is yet another jewel in Beverley’s heavily decorated crown.”

  —The Romance Reader

  “[E]nchanting ... a delightful blend of wit (with banter between Thea and Darien), intrigue (as evil lurks throughout) and emotional victories (as love prevails in the end).... Watching Thea and Darien spar is entertaining, and watching them succumb to the simmering love and passion is satisfying.”

  —The Columbia State (SC)

  To Rescue a Rogue

  “Beverley brings the Regency period to life in this highly romantic story [with] vividly portrayed characters. [Readers] will be engrossed by this emotionally packed story of great love, tremendous courage, and the return of those attractive and dangerous men known as the Rogues. Her Company of Rogues series is well crafted, delicious, and wickedly captivating.”

  —Joan Hammond

  “With her usual beautifully nuanced characters and lyrical writing, RITA Award winner Beverley brings her popular Company of Rogues Regency historical series to a triumphant conclusion ... [a] quietly powerful romance.”

  —Booklist

  “Lighthearted and serious, sexy and sweet, this exquisitely rendered story is a perfect finale to this classic series.”

  —Libraryjournal.com

  The Rogue’s Return

  “Beverley beautifully blends complex characters, an exquisitely sensual love story, and a refreshingly different Regency setting into one sublime romance.”

  —Booklist

  “Jo Beverley has written an excellent character study. One of the best books I’ve read this season.”

  —Affaire de Coeur

  A Most Unsuitable Man

  “Picking up exactly where Winter Fire leaves off, Beverley turns a rejected ‘other woman’ into a fiery, outspoken, sympathetic heroine; pairs her with a dashing but penniless, scandal-ridden hero; and lets the fun—and the danger—begin. Once again readers are treated to a delightful, intricately plotted, and sexy romp set in the slightly bawdy Georgian world of Beverley’s beloved Malloren Chronicles.”

  —Library Journal

  “Beverley brings back some of the characters from Winter Fire as she takes her readers into the dangerous, intriguing, and opulent world of Georgian England. Her strong characters and finely honed dialogue, combined with a captivating love story, are a pleasure to read.”

  —Romantic Times

  “I found myself enjoying every minute of the relationship in this story of love, hope, and increments of witty humor. As usual, a Malloren novel is a keeper.”

  —Rendezvous

  “Expertly laced with danger and skillfully sweetened with sensuality, A Most Unsuitable Man is a most captivating romance.”

  —Booklist

  More Praise for the Other Novels of

  New York Times Bestselling Author Jo Beverley

  “A delightful, intricately plotted, and sexy romp.”

  —Library Journal

  “A well-crafted story and an ultimately very satisfying romance.”

  —The Romance Reader

  “Jo [Beverley] has truly brought to life a fascinating, glittering, and sometimes dangerous world.”

  —Mary Jo Putney

  “Another triumph.”

  —Affaire de Coeur

  “Wickedly delicious. Jo Beverley weaves a spell of sensual delight with her usual grace and flair.”

  —Teresa Medeiros

  “Delightful ... thrilling ... with a generous touch of magic ... an enchanting read.”

  —Booklist

  “A stunning medieval romance of loss and redemption ... sizzling.”

  —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

  “A fast-paced adventure with strong, vividly portrayed characters ... wickedly, wonderfully sensual and gloriously romantic.”

  —Mary Balogh

  “Deliciously sinful.... Beverley evokes with devastating precision the decadent splendor of the English country estate in all its hellish debauchery ... a crafty tale of sensuality and suspense.”

  —BookPage

  Also by Jo Beverley

  Available from New American Library

  REGENCY

  THE ROGUE’S WORLD

  Lady Beware

  To Rescue a Rogue

  The Rogue’s Return

  Skylark

  St. Raven

  Hazard

  “The Demon’s Mistress” in In Praise of Younger Men

  The Devil’s Heiress

  The Dragon’s Bride

  Three Heroes (Omnibus Edition)

  OTHER

  Forbidden Magic

  Lovers and Ladies (Omnibus Edition)

  THE MALLOREN WORLD

  The Secret Duke

  The Secret Wedding

  A Lady’s Secret

  A Most Unsuitable Man

  Winter Fire

  Devilish

  Secrets of the Night

  Something Wicked

  My Lady Notorious

  MEDIEVAL ROMANCES

  Lord of Midnight

  Dark Champion

  Lord of My Heart

  ANTHOLOGIES

  “The Dragon and the Virgin Princess” in

  Dragon Lovers

  “The Trouble with Heroes” in

  Irresistible Forces

  SIGNET ECLIPSE

  Published by New American Library, a division of

  Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street,

  New York, New York 10014, USA

  Penguin Group (Canada), 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 700, Toronto,

  Ontario M4P 2Y3, Canada (a division of Pearson Penguin Canada Inc.)

  Penguin Books Ltd., 80 Strand, London WC2R ORL, England

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Africa

  Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices:

  80 Strand, London WC2R ORL, England

  Published by Signet Eclipse, an imprint of New American Library, a division of Penguin

  Group (USA) Inc. Previously published in a Walker edition. Published by arrangement

  with the author.

  First Signet Eclipse Printing, June 2010

  Copyright © Jo Beverley, 1990

  Excerpt from Emily and the Dark Angel copyright © Jo Beverley, 1991

  All rights reserved

  SIGNET ECLIPSE and logo are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  The Library of Congress has catalogued this book as follows:

  Beverley, Jo.

  The stolen bride / Jo Beverley. p. cm.

  eISBN : 978-1-101-42965-5

  I. Title.

  PR9199.3.B424S76 2010

  813’. 54—dc22

  2010006115

  Set in ITC New Baskerville Roman

  Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

  PUBLISHER’S NOTE

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.

  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  http://us.penguingroup.com

  I belong to a working group which is of great value to me and I want to thank my friends and fellow writers: Marianne Avon

  Vicki Cameron

  Debbie Dumoulin

  Linda Wiken

  I also want to acknowledge the help I received from Alice Harron Orr, my first editor at Walker, who showed me how to smooth my style and led me gently into the challenging world of the published author.

  Thank you, everyone.

  1

  BETH HAWLEY closed her book and eased her legs. Even in the luxurious Wraybourne carriage, traveling was a tedious business. At first she had found some amusement in exploring the vehicle, equipped as it was with embroidered footstools, rugs, oil lamps, and curtains. In the side walls she had found compartments, one containing wine and spirits, one a small writing desk, one games, and one a well-stocked medicine chest. It would seem the nobility liked to be prepared for all eventualities. Such explorations, however, had not even occupied the first day. At least now, in the third day on the road, the journey was nearing its end. Soon she would see her friend and former pupil, Jane, for the first time since Jane’s wedding.

  With a smile she wondered how Jane, who had been such a sober, shy girl before her betrothal, had adapted to married life as the Countess of Wraybourne. Very well, she suspected, remembering the way the girl had blossomed and matured during her season in London. And of course, it could not be hard to be married to a man like Lord Wraybourne, especially when one was in love with him.

  For a fleeting moment the pain of her widowing pulled at Beth. It was so long ago now, that brief marriage to her darling Arthur, that it was ridiculous for grief to bother her. After all, if he were to appear now in the coach, eyes bright with a new challenge, his hair as always escaping whatever style he tried to impose on it, she would surely think him a callow youth at twenty-two. And he would think her a dry old thing at thirty-three.

  She returned to the present and looked out of the window as the coach rolled into the small town of Much Wen-lock. It was market day and the High Street was full of stalls and customers.

  The groom blew a blast on the horn and the carriage turned under the stone arch into the courtyard of the posting inn. Beth tied on her bonnet, looking forward to a chance to stretch her legs. Perhaps there might also be time for a cup of tea. It had been many hours since lunch and though a hamper of food was provided each day, it could not provide a fresh-brewed pot of tea.

  The groom swung open the door and let down the steps.

  “We still be a couple of hours from Stenby, ma’am. Mr. Kinnock says you may want to take a break here.”

  “I do indeed, Grigson,” said Beth, pulling on her cotton gloves. “Would it be possible for me to stroll about here?”

  “Well, I wouldn’t, ma’am,” said the groom seriously as he handed her down. “It’s market day and busylike.”

  Beth had to admit the truth of it. Jane had urged her to hire a maid for the journey but that had seemed a great deal of nonsense to Beth. She and the two menservants had got along very well thus far, but now she could have used a companion. Of course Beth was accustomed to going about on her own, but she knew if she attempted it here one of the men would feel obliged to escort her. Doubtless they too needed liquid refreshment.

  “Well, at least I can take tea here, I hope,” she said. “I am parched to death.”

  “Aye, ma’am,” said the man with a grin. “It’s dusty weather, sure enough. Not bad for the roads, but hard on the throat. I’ll see to it.”

  At each stop Grigson had made sure the innkeeper knew the quiet little lady in the plain blue gown and bonnet was the special guest of the Earl of Wraybourne, just in case anyone took it into his head to be insolent. As a consequence, Beth soon found herself in the inn’s best parlor with a steaming pot of tea and a selection of cakes before her.

  She sat close to the open window to enjoy the refreshment and was entertained by the bustle around the market stalls offering everything from fish to lace. A woman walked along the street with a live goose in her basket, trailed by two young lads sticky from some sugared treat. The dust from the traffic was rapidly turning their hands and faces brown.

  Outside a nearby shop a maidservant on business was pretending not to be interested in the blandishments of a uniformed soldier who wanted to buy her some trinket from a stall.

  A very large gentleman came striding down the pavement. There was nothing about him of the rural-quaint—he was all Town Bronze from the curly brimmed beaver on his short dark hair to his gleaming top boots—and that was perhaps what made him stand out. That and his size. Well over six feet and built to match he seemed a giant among mortal men. Such size was off-putting to Beth, who could just reach five feet if she had a heel to her slippers, but the maidservant obviously did not think so. She called something to the colossus as he strode past which made him laugh and had the soldier scowling.

  Beth had just recognized the gentleman when Grigson came to say they were ready to be off again. Her poor stiff body protested, but she knew this was the last stage. She did, however, walk around the parlor a few times before emerging, just to remind her legs they had some purpose.

  In the busy yard she waited for a loaded stagecoach to pull in before making her way over to the crested carriage. As she approached, a booming voice was heard.

  “Kinnock, by God! You’re a sight for sore eyes.”

  Beth turned to see the colossus approach. The coachman turned from his inspection of the harness and touched his forelock.

  “Good day to you, Sir Marius. Be you on your way to Stenby, sir?”

  “I am indeed, if I can find the means. My damned rig’s split the axle and there’s no way to fix it today, they tell me.”

  Both Grigson and Kinnock looked awkwardly at Beth and she quite understood she had been overlooked. She was accustomed to it. />
  She stepped out from behind the groom. “Good afternoon, Sir Marius. I am Mrs. Hawley, Jane Wraybourne’s governess. We met at the wedding, though you may not remember it.”

  The hand she extended was engulfed in Sir Marius Fletcher’s much larger one. “Of course I remember,” he said, though she was not sure of his veracity. “You are on your way to Stenby, ma’am?”

  Beth nodded. “Do I understand you to be in need of transportation?”

  “You have it. I’d hire a horse except that only the largest beasts can take me and they have no such available. And no other carriage. You don’t need to think I’ll bother you, ma’am. I’ll happily ride on the box.”

  “Of course not,” said Beth, concealing some doubts. The conventional notion that an unmarried lady should not share a closed carriage with a gentleman did not concern her; she considered herself too old for such restrictions. She did wonder, however, whether there was room to share the carriage with this giant. It had seemed very spacious for her alone, but it was difficult to imagine how he would fold himself to fit.