Lord Wraybourne's Betrothed

Table of Contents

 

 

“Well-matched, charming protagonists banter beautifully as they play a game of double deception. This cleverly plotted story rewards readers with a captivating blend of thrilling adventure, steamy sensuality, and gratifying emotion, as well as a surprise link to some of Beverley’s earlier titles. Another flawless Georgian gem.”—
Library Journal

“With wit and humor, Jo Beverley proves a wonderful eighteenth-century romance starring two amiable lead characters whose first encounter is one of the best in recent memory. The tale is filled with nonstop action. . . . Jo Beverley provides a tremendous historical.”

—
Midwest Book Review

“Jo Beverley’s writing is usually a cut above the crowd, and
A Lady’s Secret
is no different . . . a book to enjoy.”—Curled Up with a Good Book

“Beverley’s attention to historical detail is as good as ever . . . delightful.”

—
The Romance Reader

 

“Jo Beverley carries off a remarkable achievement in
Lady Beware,
the latest and possibly last in her Company of Rogues novels. . . . It is the unusual combination of familial comfort and risqué pleasure that makes this book a winner. . . . No doubt about it,
Lady Beware
is yet another jewel in Beverley’s heavily decorated crown.”—
The Romance Reader

“[E]nchanting . . . a delightful blend of wit (with banter between Thea and Darien), intrigue (as evil lurks throughout) and emotional victories (as love prevails in the end). . . . Watching Thea and Darien spar is entertaining, and watching them succumb to the simmering love and passion is satisfying.”—
The Columbia State
(SC)

“Beverley brings the Regency period to life in this highly romantic story [with] vividly portrayed characters. [Readers] will be engrossed by this emotionally packed story of great love, tremendous courage, and the return of those attractive and dangerous men known as the Rogues. Her Company of Rogues series is well crafted, delicious, and wickedly captivating.”—Joan Hammond

 

“With her usual beautifully nuanced characters and lyrical writing, RITA Award winner Beverley brings her popular Company of Rogues Regency historical series to a triumphant conclusion . . . [a] quietly powerful romance.”—
Booklist

 

“Lighthearted and serious, sexy and sweet, this exquisitely rendered story is a perfect finale to this classic series.”—
Library Journal

 

“Beverley beautifully blends complex characters, an exquisitely sensual love story, and a refreshingly different Regency setting into one sublime romance.”—
Booklist

 

“Jo Beverley has written an excellent character study. One of the best books I’ve read this season.”—
Affaire de Coeur

 

“Picking up exactly where
Winter Fire
leaves off, Beverley turns a rejected ‘other woman’ into a fiery, outspoken, sympathetic heroine; pairs her with a dashing but penniless, scandal-ridden hero; and lets the fun—and the danger—begin. Once again readers are treated to a delightful, intricately plotted, and sexy romp set in the slightly bawdy Georgian world of Beverley’s beloved Malloren Chronicles.”—
Library Journal

 

“Beverley brings back some of the characters from
Winter Fire
as she takes her readers into the dangerous, intriguing, and opulent world of Georgian England. Her strong characters and finely honed dialogue, combined with a captivating love story, are a pleasure to read.”

—
Romantic Times

 

“I found myself enjoying every minute of the relationship in this story of love, hope, and increments of witty humor. As usual, a Malloren novel is a keeper.”—
Rendezvous

 

“Expertly laced with danger and skillfully sweetened with sensuality,
A Most Unsuitable Man
is a most captivating romance.”—
Booklist

“A delightful, intricately plotted, and sexy romp.”—
Library Journal

 

“A well-crafted story and an ultimately very satisfying romance.”

—
The Romance Reader

 

“Jo [Beverley] has truly brought to life a fascinating, glittering, and sometimes dangerous world.”—Mary Jo Putney

 

“Another triumph.”—
Affaire de Coeur

 

“Wickedly delicious. Jo Beverley weaves a spell of sensual delight with her usual grace and flair.”—Teresa Medeiros

 

“Delightful . . . thrilling . . . with a generous touch of magic . . . an enchanting read.”—
Booklist

 

“A stunning medieval romance of loss and redemption . . . sizzling.”

—
Publishers Weekly
(starred review)

 

“A fast-paced adventure with strong, vividly portrayed characters . . . wickedly, wonderfully sensual and gloriously romantic.”—Mary Balogh

 

“Deliciously sinful . . . Beverley evokes with devastating precision the decadent splendor of the English country estate in all its hellish debauchery . . . a crafty tale of sensuality and suspense.”—
BookPage

REGENCY

 

THE ROGUES’ WORLD
Lady Beware
To Rescue a Rogue
The Rogue’s Return
Skylark
St. Raven
Hazard
“The Demon’s Mistress” in
In Praise of Younger Men
The Devil’s Heiress
The Dragon’s Bride
Three Heroes
(Omnibus Edition)

 

OTHER
Forbidden Magic
Lovers and Ladies
(Omnibus Edition)

 

THE MALLOREN WORLD
The Secret Wedding
A Lady’s Secret
A Most Unsuitable Man
Winter Fire
Devilish
Secrets of the Night
Something Wicked
My Lady Notorious

 

MEDIEVAL ROMANCES
Lord of Midnight
Dark Champion
Lord of My Heart

 

ANTHOLOGIES
“The Dragon and the Virgin Princess” in
Dragon Lovers
“The Trouble with Heroes” in
Irresistible Forces

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Published by Signet Eclipse, an imprint of New American Library, a division of Penguin Group (USA)
Inc. Previously published in a Walker edition. Published by arrangement with the author.

First Signet Eclipse Printing, October 2009

Copyright © Jo Beverley, 1988

Excerpt from
The Stanforth Secrets
copyright © Jo Beverley, 1989
All rights reserved

 

SIGNET ECLIPSE and logo are trademarks of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

eISBN : 978-1-101-13643-0

 

 

 

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I
T WAS THE most talked-about and yet the most tedious betrothal of the year.

The announcement in the
Morning Post
of April 12, 1813, of the forthcoming marriage of the Honorable Jane Sandiford of Carne Abbey, Gloucestershire, and David Kyle, Tenth Earl of Wraybourne of Stenby Castle, Shropshire, and Alton Street in London sent gossips from Edinburgh to Bath scurrying to their favorite meeting places. The ancient lineage of both families was traced. The enormous wealth of both families was assessed. Then the topic was found to have been sucked dry.

What was there to say about two such eminently correct people? Lord Wraybourne was an intelligent, well-educated man of thirty-two, admired by all levels of society. He handled his fortune responsibly, played his part in the Lords without aspiring to political leadership, was an excellent host and an amiable guest. If his manner was detached that was only to be expected from one of his lineage and betokened a proper acceptance of his place in society.