The Captive
Author: Grace Burrowes
Release Date: July 1, 2014
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca
Genre: Historical Romance
Captured and tortured by the French, Christian
Severn, Duke of Mercia, survives by vowing to take revenge on his
tormentors. Before the duke can pursue his version of justice, Gillian,
Countess of Greendale, reminds him that his small daughter has suffered
much in his absence, and needs her papa desperately.
Gilly endured her difficult marriage by avoiding
confrontation and keeping peace at any cost. Christian's devotion to his
daughter and his kindness toward Gilly give her hope that she could
enjoy a future with him, for surely he of all men shares her loathing
for violence in any form. Little does Gilly know, the battle for
Christian's heart is only beginning.
Excerpt
The countess brought Christian’s hand up, holding the back of it
against the extraordinary softness of her cheek. Until he’d taken
liberties with her in the library, he’d forgotten how wonderfully,
startlingly soft a woman’s cheek could be. As soft as sunshine and
summer rain, as soft as the quiet of the English countryside.
“Shall we sit?” he asked, though she’d likely release
his hand if they sat. He was a widower, though, and she ought not to
begrudge him simple human contact when he’d been so recently bereaved.
She let him lead her to a shaded bench near the roses, the
morning air faintly redolent of their perfume. When Christian seated
her, the countess kept his damaged hand in hers.
“I
was not allowed to garden at Greendale,” she said, fingers drifting
over his knuckles. “The estate had gardens, because his lordship would
not be seen to neglect his acres, but I was forbidden to walk them, or
to dig about in the good English soil, or to consult with the gardeners
regarding the designs and plantings.”
Based on the studied casualness of her tone, this prohibition had been irksome.
“You are free to garden here all you like,” Christian said. “I ask only that you not disturb my mother’s roses.”
“They are lovely.”
“She was lovely.”
Another
silence, while Christian became aware of his surroundings beyond the
small hand holding his. The roses were in their early summer glory, and
why Polite Society insisted on staying in Town through most of June was
incomprehensible, when the alternative was the English countryside. The
sunshine was a perfectly weighted beneficence on his cheek, the scent of
the gardens heavenly, and the entire morning aurally gilded with the
fluting chorus of songbirds.
He wanted to kiss the lady beside him again, not in
thanks, not as a good-night benediction, but for the sheer pleasure of
the undertaking.
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About The Author
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Book Buy Links
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
ITunes
About The Author
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author
Grace Burrowes' bestsellers include The Heir, The Soldier, Lady Maggie's
Secret Scandal, Lady Sophie's Christmas Wish and Lady Eve's
Indiscretion. Her Regency romances have received extensive praise,
including starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist. Grace is
branching out into short stories and Scotland-set Victorian romance with
Sourcebooks. She is a practicing family law attorney and lives in rural
Maryland.
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