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Authors: Bertrice Small

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Francesca

BOOK: Francesca
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Praise for Bertrice Small,

“THE REIGNING QUEEN OF THE HISTORICAL GENRE”*

and Her Novels

“Bertrice Small creates cover-to-cover passion, a keen sense of history, and suspense.”


Publishers Weekly

“Ms. Small delights and thrills.”


Rendezvous

“An insatiable delight for the senses. [Small’s] amazing historical detail . . . will captivate the reader . . . potent sensuality.”

—*Romance Junkies

“[Her novels] tell an intriguing story, they are rich in detail, and they are all so very hard to put down.”

—The Best Reviews

“Sweeps the ages with skill and finesse.”


Affaire de Coeur

“[A] captivating blend of sensuality and rich historical drama.”

—Rosemary Rogers

“Small is why I read historical romance. It doesn’t get any better than this!”


Romantic Times
(top pick)

“Small’s boldly sensual love story is certain to please her many devoted readers.”


Booklist

“[A] delight to all readers of historical fiction.”

—Fresh Fiction

“[A] style that garnered her legions of fans. . . . When she’s at the top of her form, nobody does it quite like Bertrice Small.”

—The Romance Reader

“Small never ceases to bring us an amazing story of love and happiness.”

—Night Owl Romance

BOOKS BY BERTRICE SMALL

THE SILK MERCHANT’S DAUGHTERS

Bianca

THE BORDER CHRONICLES

A Dangerous Love

The Border Lord’s Bride

The Captive Heart

The Border Lord and the Lady

The Border Vixen

Bond of Passion

THE FRIARSGATE INHERITANCE

Rosamund

Until You

Philippa

The Last Heiress

CONTEMPORARY EROTICA

Private Pleasures

Forbidden Pleasures

Sudden Pleasures

Dangerous Pleasures

Passionate Pleasures

Guilty Pleasures

THE O’MALLEY SAGA

Skye O’Malley

All the Sweet Tomorrows

A Love for All Time

This Heart of Mine

Lost Love Found

Wild Jasmine

SKYE’S LEGACY SERIES

Darling Jasmine

Bedazzled

Besieged

Intrigued

Just Beyond Tomorrow

Vixens

THE WORLD OF HETAR

Lara

A Distant Tomorrow

The Twilight Lord

Crown of Destiny

The Sorceress of Belmair

The Shadow Queen

Crown of Destiny

MORE BY BERTRICE SMALL

The Kadin

Love Wild and Fair

Adora

Unconquered

Beloved

Enchantress Mine

Blaze Wyndham

The Spitfire

A Moment in Time

To Love Again

Love, Remember Me

The Love Slave

Hellion

Betrayed

Deceived

The Innocent

A Memory of Love

The Duchess

The Silk Merchant’s Daughters

NEW AMERICAN LIBRARY

New American Library

Published by the Penguin Group

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

New York, New York 10014, USA

USA | Canada | UK | Ireland | Australia | New Zealand | India | South Africa | China

Penguin Books Ltd., Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

For more information about the Penguin Group visit penguin.com.

First published by New American Library,

a division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

First Printing, April 2013

Copyright © Bertrice Small, 2013

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

REGISTERED TRADEMARK—MARCA REGISTRADA

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA:

Small, Bertrice.

Francesca/Bertrice Small.

p. cm.—(The silk merchant’s daughters)

ISBN 978-0-451-41373-4

1. Florence (Italy)—History—1421–1737—Fiction. I. Title.

PS3569.M28F73 2013

813'.54—dc23 2012043575

Designed by Spring Hoteling

eBook ISBN: 978-1-101-61509-6

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.

Contents

Cover

Praise

Also by

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Prologue

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

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Epilogue

About the Author

To the man who first believed in me,

who always believed in me, and

who always encouraged me,

my late husband, George, my hero, my love.

March 6, 1923–July 5, 2012

Till we meet again, Toodle.

R.I.P.

BOOK: Francesca
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