Tender Rebel (39 page)
Roslynn’s eyes were moist as they found his and he drew her gently back into his arms. “How can you ever forgive me, Anthony?”
“You forgave me, didn’t you?”
“But you weren’t guilty!”
“Shh, sweetheart. It doesn’t matter now, does it? You’re still the only woman I’ve wanted since I first saw you—bent over peeking in the Crandals’ ballroom and presenting me with your sweet little derrière.”
“Anthony!”
His laugh was rich and deep as he fastened his arms tighter around her so she couldn’t hit him. “Well, it’s true, my dear. I was utterly captivated.”
“You were a rake!”
“I still am,” he assured her. “You wouldn’t want me to become morally proper, now, would you? You won’t like making love only in the dark, suitably clothed so no skin touches except what is essential—ouch!” She had pinched him. “I’m not teasing you, my dear.” He chuckled. “That’s how Warton would probably have made love to you. ’Course, he would have died for it…now, now, no more pinches.”
“Then be serious.”
“But I am, my girl, most serious.” His fingers slid into her hair, spilling pins this way and that, all the while his eyes remained locked to hers. “You became mine that first night, dashing toward me in the moonlight. You took my breath away. D’you know how much I wanted to make love to you then, right there in the Crandals’ garden? What did you feel, sweetheart?”
“I—I was sorry I couldn’t have you.”
“Were you?” he asked softly, his thumbs caressing her cheeks, his lips just barely touching hers. “Do you want me now?”
“I’ve always wanted you, Anthony,” she whispered, arms wrapping around his neck. “I didn’t want it so. I was afraid I could never trust you.”
“Do you trust me now?”
“I have to. I love you—even if you don’t—”
He put a finger to her lips. “Oh, my beautiful, silly girl. Didn’t you read all of my brother’s note? My whole family knows I love you to distraction without my telling them. Why don’t you?”
“You do?” she gasped.
“Would I have let you run rings around me if I didn’t?”
“But why didn’t you tell me?”
“You didn’t want to marry me, sweetheart,” he reminded her. “I practically had to twist your arm. And even when you agreed, you did everything possible to keep a distance between us. Would you have believed me then if I had told you I loved you? Roslynn, why else would I marry you?”
“But—” There were no but’s. She kissed him, and kissed him again, her heart nearly bursting with joy. “Oh, Anthony, I’m so glad you did. And I’ll never, ever be such a fool again, I swear—”
He told her, in between kisses, “You can be a fool…whenever you like…as long as you don’t stop loving me.”
“I couldn’t, even if I wanted to. Will you?”
“Never, sweetheart. You may depend upon it.”
“
I
understand congratulations are in order,” Nicholas remarked as he joined Anthony for a smoke in the garden. Sunday dinner at Edward’s had gathered the whole clan this time, minus James. “You don’t think you’re a bit old to be starting a family, Malory?”
“When are you going to visit Knighton’s Hall, Montieth?” Anthony countered dryly.
Nicholas chuckled, ignoring the gibe. “Regina’s been talking about nothing else since Roslynn told her. She wants another of her own now.”
“That’ll be a bit hard to do, won’t it, dear boy? According to James, you’re in the doghouse.”
“Oh, I never stay there long, old man,” Nicholas replied, his grin maddening. “Your niece might have the famous Malory temper, but she’s not heartless. Besides, she doesn’t like to sleep alone.”
Anthony glowered. He still couldn’t set it right in his mind that his little Reggie was a woman now—with a lusty rake for a husband. Seemed he ought to punch Montieth out for such a remark. ’Course, the whole family’d be down on his head if he did, Reggie in the lead.
“One of these days, Montieth, I’m going to like you. But don’t hold your breath.”
Nicholas’ laughter followed him back into the house, rubbing him raw. Regina met up with him in the hall, however, to dispel the mood.
“Have you seen Nicholas, Tony?”
“Wish I hadn’t, but he’s in the garden.”
“You didn’t have words again, did you?” she asked, frowning.
“What can I say, puss?” He shrugged, then added deliberately, “But you’ll notice I left. He goes for blood these days.”
“Famous! Oh, when will you two
ever
get along?”
“We’re too much alike, my girl, and we know it. But do me a favor and drag him back in the house, will you? I’d like to stroll with the wife, and a little privacy wouldn’t be amiss.”
Anthony was grinning when he left Regina. Hopefully Montieth would be back in the doghouse tonight, and the poor sod wouldn’t even know what he’d done wrong. That thought brought a chuckle. One of these days Reggie was going to realize that he and Nicholas delighted in their verbal sparring. There’d be hell to pay then, but for now, Anthony counted himself the winner of this round.
He found Roslynn had been cornered by Edward, and he just caught her last words as he approached. “But I don’t want to double my money. Hell’s teeth, what would I do with more of it?”
“I should have warned you, sweetheart, that Eddie boy would be after you. He can’t stand to see money just sitting around.”
Edward defended himself. “Well, it’s preposterous, Tony. No one ever has
too
much money, you know. There are the children to think of, and—”
“And I’m sure Roslynn will let you manage her estate, if she can ever get around to figuring out all it entails.”
“That’s not fair,” Roslynn protested. “I know exactly what I own—I just can’t be expected to remember it all.” Both men laughed, to her chagrin. “Very
well, I’ll have my solicitor call on you, Edward. Perhaps this is something I should become interested in.”
“Good God, now see what you’ve done, Eddie,” Anthony complained with mock horror. “I don’t want her mind filled with figures.”
“No, you just want it filled with you.” Edward snorted.
“True.” Anthony grinned unabashedly. “Now come along, my dear, and let me see if I can find something else for you to be interested in.”
Anthony walked her away from the house, until there was only moonlight to light the way. He stopped near the rose bushes, his arms wrapping around her from behind, his chin resting on her shoulder.
“Do you really want to get involved in the empire your grandfather left you?”
“No, but I’m glad you at least asked.” She smiled, her arms wrapped over his.
“Whatever makes you happy, Roslynn, since your happiness is mine.”
She turned around in his arms, putting her cheek against his chest, loving him so much she could hardly contain it. One finger drew circles on the soft blue velvet of his jacket.
“There is something,” she said in a small voice.
“Anything, sweetheart.”
There was a long, shy silence before she asked, “Do you think we could try it again in the chair?”
Anthony’s delighted laughter filled Grosvenor Square beyond the garden.
A family of dashing rogues and rakehell adventurers. Ladies of uncommon beauty and incomparable spirit
.
Their amorous exploits are spoken of in envious whispers from Regency London to America’s shores
.
#1
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Bestseller Johanna Lindsey invites you to join the family and lose yourself in the passion and excitement of a family unlike any other…
The Malorys
“If you’re looking for sensuality, you won’t be disappointed in Johanna Lindsey.”
Chicago Sun-Times
“Johanna Lindsey transports us We have no choice but to respond to the humor and the intensity.”
San Diego Union-Tribune
“First-rate romance.”
New York Daily News
Enjoy the following beautifully repackaged novels.
Love Only Once
The exquisite niece of Lord Edward and Lady Charlotte Malory, Regina Ashton is abducted by Nicholas Eden—an arrogant seducer hardened by a painful secret from his past.
Reggie has vowed to marry the golden-haired rogue who has besmirched her good name—and who arouses her womanly desires to an unendurable level. But her beauty only stirs Nicholas’s passion—giving rise to dangerous misunderstandings and a love that can live only once in a lifetime.
Tender Rebel
Scottish heiress Roslynn Chadwick needs the safety of marriage to protect her from an unscrupulous cousin—and from the army of fortune-hunting scoundrels who covet her wealth and beauty.
Anthony Malory is everything she has been warned against.
A ruthless, irresistibly handsome English rogue, Anthony’s sensual blue eyes speak of limitless pleasures. Can Roslynn dare to love such a man, whose passionate promises will only lead her into uncertain realms—and to unimagined heights of love?
Gentle Rogue
Heartsick and desperate to return home to America, Georgina Anderson boards the
Maiden Anne
disguised as a cabin boy—never dreaming she’ll be forced into intimate servitude at the whim of the ship’s irrepressible captain, James Malory.
The black sheep of a proud and tempestuous family, the handsome ex-pirate once swore no woman alive could entice him into matrimony. But on the high seas his resolve will be weakened by an unrestrained passion—and by the high-spirited beauty whose love of freedom and adventure rivals his own.
The Magic of you
As wild and reckless as the most incorrigible of her male cousins, Amy Malory has reached a marriageable age and has set her sights on a most inappropriate mate: the straight-laced American ship captain who once nearly had her Uncle James hung for piracy.
Warren Anderson is shocked by the brazen advances of his despised enemy’s beautiful niece. Though determined to resist her, he burns for the enchanting British minx. And an impassioned heart implores him to surrender to a love that could stoke the smoldering fires of a family feud into a dangerous, all-consuming blaze.
And don’t miss these classic reader favorites:
Say you Love Me
Left penniless after her parents’ death, Kelsey Langton must now take responsibility for the well-being of her younger sister, Jean. But when circumstance and human frailty conspire to leave them homeless as well, Kelsey is forced to resort to drastic measures. Only by allowing herself to be sold at auction can she rescue her sister’s future—and so Kelsey enters the infamous House of Eros, resigned to becoming the plaything of some well-heeled gentleman.
Lord Derek Malory is the highest bidder for Kelsey’s charms—a dashing rakehell from a family of charming London rogues, who draws the sensuous dark-haired maiden into a world of unparalleled pleasures and dangerous rivalries. But Kelsey must scrupulously guard the secret of her highborn past—even as her grace, wit, spirit and beauty entice her new “master” to renounce his scandalous ways and take a chance on true love, the most perilous and rewarding gamble of all.
The Present
As the entire Malory family gathers at Haverston to celebrate the holiday season, a mysterious present arrives anonymously. The gift is an old journal—a tender and tempestuous account of the love affair between the second Marquis, Christopher Malory, and a dark gypsy beauty named Anastasia, who seeks a love match with a non-gypsy in order to save herself from a prearranged marriage to a brute.
Though the dashing English lord Anastasia sets her sights upon burns for the exquisite, exotic miss, Christopher could never consent to wed such a lowborn lady. But miracles have been known to happen in this season of peace and giving and love, as two extraordinary people separated by circumstance of birth begin a passionate dance of will and wiles. And in the miraculous blossoming of a glorious romance at a long ago Christmastime, there are wise and well-learned lessons that will enrich the hearts of the Malory descendants—and, indeed, of everyone who has ever dreamed.
Johanna Lindsey
has been hailed as one of the most popular authors of romantic fiction, with more than sixty million copies of her novels sold. World renowned for her novels of “first-rate romance” (
New York Daily News
), Lindsey is the author of forty-seven previous national bestselling novels, many of which reached the #1 spot on the
New York Times
bestseller list. Lindsey lives in Maine with her family.
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#1
NEW YORK TIMES
BESTSELLING AUTHOR
“If you’re looking
for sensuality,
you won’t be disappointed in
JOHANNA LINDSEY.”
Chicago Sun-Times
“One of the most reliable authors around. Her books are well-paced and well-written, filled with strong characters, humor, interesting plots—and, of course, romance.”
Cincinnati Enquirer
“The charm and appeal of her characters are infectious.”
Publishers Weekly
“First-rate romance.”
New York Daily News
“Johanna Lindsey has a sure touch where historical romance is concerned.”
Newport News Daily Press
“Johanna Lindsey transports us. We have no choice but to respond to the humor and the intensity.”
San Diego Union-Tribune