Forevermore (11 page)

And it was glorious.

"I love you," she whispered. "I love you for who you are, and who you've magically made me to be."

"It isn't magic, my love. Or if it is," he mused, his words warm against her lips, making her ache anew for his kiss, "it's a magic we can only find together." Reading her mind, he fit his mouth to hers in a way that made the heat pool in her middle.

A long, melting time later, he lifted his head. "Together," he repeated.

"Together," she whispered back. Never had she imagined that word would apply to her and a man. But from this moment forward, it did.

For a year and a day and forevermore.

Author's Note
About the Author
Contest
Books by Lauren Royal
Excerpt from AMBER

Dear Reader,

Most of the homes in my books are inspired by real places you can visit. Cainewood Castle is loosely modeled on Arundel Castle in West Sussex. It has been home to the Dukes of Norfolk and their family, the Fitzalan Howards, since 1243, save for a short period during the Civil War. Although the family still resides there, portions of their magnificent home are open to visitors and more than worth a detour, should you ever find yourself in the area.

To see pictures and learn more about
Arundel Castle
, please visit my website at
www.LaurenRoyal.com
,
where you can also enter a
contest
, sign up for my
newsletter
, and find a
recipe
for the Stewed Venison that Clarice made for Cameron. If you try the recipe, I hope you'll e-mail me at
[email protected]
and tell me what you think, because I love to hear from readers!

If you missed Colin and Amy's story, you can find it in
Amethyst
. Jason and Cait's story is in
Emerald
. Kendra gets her own story in
Amber
, the conclusion of my
Jewel Trilogy
. An how about Ford, you ask? He finds his love in
Violet
, the first book in my
Flower Trilogy
, which will arrive wherever ebooks are sold in 2012.

I hope you enjoyed
Forevermore
—thank you for reading!

Till next time,

LAUREN ROYAL decided to become a writer in the third grade, after winning a "Why My Mother is the Greatest" essay contest, but she spent four years as the CEO of her own jewelry store chain before writing her first book. Since then, Lauren's books have won awards including the Golden Quill and
Booklist's
Top 10 Romance of the Year.

Lauren lives in southern California with her husband, three children, and one constantly shedding cat. She still thinks her mother is the greatest.

Lauren loves to hear from readers. You can e-mail her at
[email protected]
or via the "Keep in Touch" section on her website at
www.LaurenRoyal.com
.

the pearl necklace that Cameron gives Clarice in this book!*

To enter, visit the
contest page
on Lauren's website at http://www.LaurenRoyal.com and answer a question to be entered in the monthly drawing.

No purchase necessary. See complete rules on the site.

*Please note: Depending on when you enter, the prize may be another piece of jewelry featured in one of Lauren's books.

The Jewel Trilogy
Amethyst
Emerald
Amber
Forevermore
(a
Jewel Trilogy
novella)

The Flower Trilogy
Violet
Lily
Rose

The Sweet Temptations Trilogy
Lost in Temptation
Tempting Juliana
The Art of Temptation

Sussex, England
June 1668

Kendra Chase adored her brothers, except when she wanted to kill them.

"Jason is right," Ford told her as they rattled down the road in a shabby public coach. "You're twenty-three years old, and it's high time you take a husband."

Kendra slanted a glance at the plainly dressed stranger sharing the coach with them. "Not the Duke of Lechmere," she said with an exasperated glare at her twin. "I won't be 'your graced' for the rest of my life."

Kendra's oldest brother, Jason, tried unsuccessfully to stretch his long legs. "And what, pray tell," he drawled in an annoyed tone, "would be wrong with that?" Crammed onto the bench seat between Kendra and his wife, Caithren, he sighed. "I only wish to see you live a life of comfort. Would you prefer to travel this way all the time?"

As if to drive home her brother's point, the springless vehicle lurched in and out of a rut, rattling Kendra's teeth. She gritted them. Though Jason was careful with money, he was, after all, the Marquess of Cainwood, and they did own a rather luxurious carriage. But one of its wheels had broken on their way out of London, and they'd been forced to take public transport—or else risk missing an urgent appointment back home at Cainewood Castle.

An appointment to introduce Kendra to the latest "suitable" man her brothers planned to foist upon her.

"My comfort isn't the issue here—"

"This is your last chance to make your own choice," Jason interrupted her, gathering the cards from the hand of piquet they'd just played. "If you won't marry Lechmere, you'll have to select one of the other men who have offered for you. Or
I
will do the selecting."

"The other men." Kendra tossed her head of dark red curls, not believing her brother's ultimatum for a moment. The wretched day had put him in a bad mood, but he was generally the most reasonable man she knew. "Old but well-off, or widowed and settled with children, or young but just plain
boring
. Stable, wealthy men in the good graces of King Charles, every last one of them."

Her brother's green eyes flashed. "Yes, perfectly acceptable, every last one of them."

"As it should be," Ford put in.

Mournfully shaking her head, Kendra sent Caithren an imploring glance. "They'll never understand."

Cait's eyes filled with sympathy and a bit of shared exasperation. She laid a hand on her husband's arm. "I've told you before, Kendra wishes to marry for love, not—"

"Stand and deliver!" a deep voice interrupted from outside.

With an unnerving suddenness, the coach ground to a halt. Stopped in mid-sentence, Cait's mouth gaped, and Kendra's stomach clenched in fear.

Ford leaned forward and pushed open the door. A man on horseback—a highwayman!—poked his head inside.

The most compelling head Kendra had ever seen.

"You?"
Jason and Ford said together.

They knew this man?

Since Kendra hadn't heard that either of her brothers had been hurt—or even robbed, come to think of it—most of her fear dissipated, and her heart lifted with excitement instead.

Nothing like this had ever happened to her!

Looking slightly disconcerted, the highwayman dismounted. "Aye, it's me," he said slowly. Beneath the mask that concealed the upper half of his face, a grin emerged. An engaging slash of perfect white.

Well, not precisely perfect. One of his front teeth had a small chip, but she found that tiny imperfection endearing. And he was dashing, not to mention forbidden. If any of her hopeful suitors had been like this man, she'd have married him in a trice.

She wanted to say something to make him notice her. But for the first time in her memory, her mouth refused to work.

His gaze swept the coach's dim interior as though she weren't even there. "You," he said succinctly, motioning to the whey-faced businessman seated beside Ford. "Get out."

"There be five of us in here, three of them men, likely with pistols," the man said stiffly. From his haircut, plain clothes, and the short, boxy jacket beneath his cloak, Kendra knew he was a Puritan. "Perhaps thee had better think again."

"Oh, it's violence you threaten, aye?" The highwayman's voice was deep and a little husky, with, curiously, the barest hint of an accent. "Perhaps
you
had better think again. My friends," he drawled, gesturing toward the hill behind him, "would make certain you cease to exist within the minute. Get out. Now."

Kendra looked out the door and up. Sure enough, there were a dozen or so men at the top of the hill, their guns trained on the coach.

The Puritan must have recognized the threat, for he reluctantly climbed down. Kendra shifted within the coach, the better to see out.

The victim was a good foot shorter than the robber, who looked impossibly tall and elegant in a jet-black velvet surcoat. Close-faced and resigned, the Puritan emptied his pockets and handed over his money, then turned to reenter the coach.

The highwayman reached to grab the victim's sleeve. "Not so fast."

Visibly shaken, the smaller man stilled but said nothing.

The highwayman shook him a little. "Surely a…man of business, such as yourself, will be carrying more gold on his person than this. Where is it? Sewn into your cloak? Hidden in your luggage?"

Though Kendra could see the rise and fall of his agitated breathing, the Puritan turned back boldly. "Surely
thee
has no need of gold," he spat out, tugging his sleeve from the bigger man's grasp while eyeing his groomed appearance and expensive, tailored suit. "A…
gentleman
such as thyself."

The highwayman's eyes were amber, edged in a deeper hue—bronze, Kendra decided—that now spread in toward the center as his expression hardened. "Your luggage
and
your cloak, then—seeing as you won't cooperate."