Connie Mason

“She delivers what longtime romance readers want: remarkable characters and a story that sweeps them away.”

“This is classic Mason. Her fans will put this on the top of their to-read lists.”

“Mason’s romances are always a feast for readers seeking a passionate, exciting story peopled with larger-than-life heroes who take your breath away.”

“A legend of the genre, Mason delivers a tried-and-true romance with a classic plot and highly engaging characters.”

“Ms. Mason has written another winner to delight her fans who want sexual tension that leads to hot explosion, memorable characters and a fast-paced story.”

“[Ms. Mason] crafts with excellence and creativity . . . [and] the added attraction of mystery and magic.”

“. . . Upholds the author’s reputation for creating memorable stories and remarkable characters.”

“Ms. Mason has written a rich medieval romance filled with tournaments, chivalry, lust and love.”

“Ms. Mason always provides the reader with a hot romance, filled with plot twists and wonderful characters. She’s a marvelous storyteller.”

“Ms. Mason has created memorable characters and a plot that made this reader rush to turn the pages . . .
Gunslinger
is an enduring story.”

“Connie Mason at her best! She draws readers into this fast-paced, tender and emotional historical romance that proves love really does conquer all!”

Other books by Connie Mason:

A BREATH OF SCANDAL

A LOVE TO CHERISH

A PROMISE OF THUNDER

A TASTE OF PARADISE

A TASTE OF SIN

A TOUCH SO WICKED

BEYOND THE HORIZON

BOLD LAND, BOLD LOVE

BRAVE LAND, BRAVE LOVE

CARESS AND CONQUER

FLAME

GUNSLINGER

GYPSY LOVER

HIGHLAND WARRIOR

ICE AND RAPTURE

LION’S BRIDE

LIONHEART

LORD OF DEVIL ISLE

LORD OF THE NIGHT

LOVE ME WITH FURY

MY LADY VIXEN

PIRATE

PROMISE ME FOREVER

PROMISED SPLENDOR

PURE TEMPTATION

SEDUCED BY A ROGUE

SHADOW WALKER

SHEIK

SIERRA

SURRENDER TO THE FURY

TAKEN BY YOU

TEARS LIKE RAIN

TEMPT THE DEVIL

TENDER FURY

THE BLACK KNIGHT

THE DRAGON LORD

THE LAIRD OF STONEHAVEN

THE LAST ROGUE

THE OUTLAWS: JESS

THE OUTLAWS: RAFE

THE OUTLAWS: SAM

THE PIRATE PRINCE

THE PRINCE OF PLEASURE

THE ROGUE AND THE HELLION

TO LOVE A STRANGER

TO TAME A RENEGADE

TO TEMPT A ROGUE

TREASURES OF THE HEART

VIKING WARRIOR

VIKING!

WILD LAND, WILD LOVE

WIND RIDER

C
ONNIE
M
ASON

DORCHESTER PUBLISHING

January 2011

Published by

Dorchester Publishing Co., Inc.
200 Madison Avenue
New York, NY 10016

Copyright © 2005 by Connie Mason

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, without the written permission of the publisher, except where permitted by law. 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.

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

ISBN 13: 978-1-4285-1172-9
E-ISBN: 978-1-4285-0971-9

The “DP” logo is the property of Dorchester Publishing Co., Inc.

Printed in the United States of America.

Visit us online at
www.dorchesterpub.com
.

A K
NIGHT
’
S
H
ONOR

Mildenhall Castle, Norfolk, England, 1414

Mariah of Mildenhall entered her husband’s bedchamber, pleased to find him awake. He appeared in better spirits than she had seen him in several days.

“Mariah, my dear, come sit beside me,” Edmond said, making room on the edge of the bed for her.

“You seem in good spirits today, husband. Are you feeling better?”

Edmond of Mildenhall, a gaunt, elderly man with kind eyes, sighed. “We both know I am nearing the end of my life.”

Mariah grasped his hand, her voice fraught with concern. “You cannot give up, Edmond. You must live. What will I do without you?”

“Think you I do not know what my death will do to you? I am an old man, Mariah, a very sick one. I would have died long ago if you had not come into my life. You were but a child placed under my guardianship when I was already an old man.”

A tear slipped down Mariah’s cheek. “I love you, Edmond.”

“I know you do, but as a father.” She shook her head, refusing to look at him. He held up a hand. “Nay, do not deny it. I wed you to save you from being given to the husband the king had chosen for you. I knew the man and his reputation for cruelty well, and could not bear to see you abused. You were but fourteen when we wed, still a child.”

“Now that I am one and twenty, I still love you.”

Edmond reached out a bony hand and caressed her satiny smooth cheek. “Thank you for that, little one. But we have more practical things to talk about. The last physician I consulted gave me only a year or two before my heart gives out, if I spend most of my days in bed. Edwina, the healer you put such store in, agrees with him. Lying in bed is not something I enjoy.”

“What do you wish to talk about?” Mariah asked, though she had a good idea. Her future looked bleak indeed.

“My brother Osgood has his sights set on Mildenhall. Since I have no heir, he will claim it once I have drawn my last breath. I do not want that to happen. Mildenhall is your home, the only one you have known since your parents’ death from the fever that swept through England when you were a wee lass of seven.”

Mariah stared at her hands.

“I know what you are thinking, Mariah. The times I’ve bedded you during our seven-year marriage have been few. I knew I needed an heir to keep Mildenhall out of my brother’s hands, but each time I bedded you, I felt I was committing a mortal sin. You were more daughter to me than wife.”

“Do not worry about me, Edmond. Concentrate on getting well. I will still have a widow’s portion.”

“ ’Tis not enough. You would have to leave Mildenhall, perhaps find another husband. But my worst fear is that Osgood will force you to wed his son.”

Mariah blanched. “I would never wed that despicable lecher.”

“He could petition King Henry for approval, and then you would have no choice. Our warrior king might look favorably upon Osgood’s request because of my brother’s reputation as a fierce knight.”

“You’re frightening me, Edmond. I am but a woman, who must yield to laws made by men. I am neither weak nor bird-brained, yet I am not allowed to inherit my home unless I have a male heir. ’Tis unfair.”

“Life is unfair, my dear, especially so for a woman. There is only one solution. I waited until I felt strong enough to speak to you about this. You must present me with an heir.”

Mariah looked at her frail husband, a man who rarely left his bed, a kind man who would do nothing to hurt her; a man who considered her the daughter he’d never had. She wondered how he expected to accomplish the miracle of producing a child.

“Do not look at me so, Mariah. You know I am incapable of bedding you.”

“Then how—”

“Listen to me, sweet child, listen carefully. I would find no fault with you if you found an honorable man to give you a child. There must be someone in Mildenhall you fancy.”

“Edmond! How could you suggest such a thing?”

“After I am gone, you will have no one to protect you. A son would secure Mildenhall for you. If you had one, not even Osgood or the king could force you to leave.”

She shrank away from him. “I cannot.”

He grasped her hands. “Do you love me, Mariah?”

“You know I do.”

“Then take a lover and give me a son.”

“I cannot,” she repeated.

Edmond sank into the mattress and closed his eyes, weary unto death. But he couldn’t die and leave Mariah just yet. Poor Mariah. A woman as young, as beautiful and full of life as his wife deserved better than the hand fate had dealt her.

Except for a few brief couplings he’d managed once she had reached seventeen, he hadn’t touched her despite his need for an heir. Over the years, Mariah had become his beloved daughter, one who had never known desire or experienced passion with a virile man.

“You didn’t answer my question, Mariah. Is there no man among Mildenhall’s knights you fancy?”

Mariah shook her dark head. “I took vows, Edmond. Sacred vows.”

“The sin is not yours when a husband cannot function as a man, and hasn’t for many years. Do not naysay me until you have considered my proposal. A male heir would solve both our problems.”

Mariah had watched Edmond wither before her eyes. How she loved this dear old man. She would do anything for him. Anything except betray him. Even if she did as he asked and took a lover from among the castle’s knights, her sin wouldn’t remain a secret for long. It would be impossible to hide the truth from the inhabitants
of Mildenhall, and Osgood would have reason to doubt his brother’s ability to sire an heir. Osgood was a cruel man; he wouldn’t rest until he ferreted out her lie.

“All this talk has tired you,” Mariah said, pressing a kiss on his papery cheek. “We will discuss this later.”

“Please think about what I have said,” Edmond rasped as Mariah let herself out of the chamber.

Norfolk, England, 1414

Sir Falcon of Gaveston whistled a happy tune as he traveled along a deserted roadway through a forest in a part of Norfolk he had traveled only once before. A fortnight ago he had become betrothed to a wealthy maiden whom King Henry had promised him for his bravery at the battle of Agincourt in France. Henry’s ten thousand archers had shattered the French knights, and Falcon had ridden at Henry’s side, one of the king’s own knights.