The Lady and the Laird. Nicola Cornick

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The Lady and the Laird - Nicola  Cornick


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       Nicola Cornick's novels have received acclaim the world over

      ‘Cornick is first-class, queen of her game.’

       —Romance Junkies

      ‘A rising star of the Regency arena’

       —Publishers Weekly

       Praise for the SCANDALOUS WOMEN OF THE TON series

      ‘A riveting read’

      —NewYork Times bestselling author Mary Jo Putney on Whisper of Scandal

      ‘One of the finest voices in historical romance’

      —SingleTitles.com

      ‘Ethan Ryder (is) a bad boy to die for! A memorable story of intense emotions, scandals, trust, betrayal and all-encompassing love. A fresh and engrossing tale.’

      —Romantic Times on One Wicked Sin

      ‘Historical romance at its very best is written by Nicola Cornick.’

      —Mary Gramlich, The Reading Reviewer

       Acclaim for Nicola's previous books

      ‘Witty banter, lively action and sizzling passion’

      —Library Journal on Undoing of a Lady

      ‘RITA® Award-nominated Cornick deftly steeps her latest intriguingly complex Regency historical in a beguiling blend of danger and desire.’ —Booklist on Unmasked

      The Lady and the Laird

      Nicola Cornick

      

www.mirabooks.co.uk

      Don't miss the Scandalous Women of the Ton series, available now!

      WHISPER OF SCANDAL

       ONE WICKED SIN

       MISTRESS BY MIDNIGHT

       NOTORIOUS

       DESIRED

       FORBIDDEN

      Also available from Nicola Cornick

      DECEIVED

       LORD OF SCANDAL

       UNMASKED

       THE CONFESSIONS OF A DUCHESS

       THE SCANDALS OF AN INNOCENT

       THE UNDOING OF A LADY

       DAUNTSEY PARK: THE LAST RAKE IN LONDON

      Browse www.mirabooks.co.uk or www.nicolacornick.co.uk for Nicola's full backlist

      To Margaret McPhee, who writes delicious

       books and shares delicious cakes

      Contents

       PROLOGUE

       CHAPTER ONE

       CHAPTER TWO

       CHAPTER THREE

       CHAPTER FOUR

       CHAPTER FIVE

       CHAPTER SIX

       CHAPTER SEVEN

       CHAPTER EIGHT

       CHAPTER NINE

       CHAPTER TEN

       CHAPTER ELEVEN

       CHAPTER TWELVE

       CHAPTER THIRTEEN

       CHAPTER FOURTEEN

       CHAPTER FIFTEEN

       CHAPTER SIXTEEN

       CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

       CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

       CHAPTER NINETEEN

       CHAPTER TWENTY

       CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

       EPILOGUE

       Endpages

      PROLOGUE

      Forres Castle, Scotland, June 1803

      IT WAS A NIGHT made for magic.

      The moon was new that night and the sea was a thread of shining silver. The wind sighed through the pine trees and there was the scent of salt on its edge.

      “Lucy! Come and watch!”

      Lady Lucy MacMorlan turned over in bed and drew the covers up more closely about her ears. She was warm and cozy and she had no urge to leave the cocoon of the blankets in order to shiver in the draught by the window. Besides, she did not want to join in with her sister Alice in casting a spell. They were foolish and dangerous and would only get the two of them into trouble.

      “I’m not getting up,” she said, wriggling her toes in the warmth. “I don’t want a husband.”

      “Of course you do.” Alice sounded impatient. At sixteen, Lucy’s twin was fascinated by balls and gowns and men. Earlier that evening, Alice had run three times around the ancient sundial in the castle grounds, reciting the words of the equally ancient love spell that on the new moon would give her a glimpse of the man she would wed. Lucy had stayed in the library, reading a copy of Hume’s Essays Moral and Political. Now, after sunset, Alice was awaiting the outcome of her enchantment.

      “Of course you will marry,” Alice said again. “What else would you do?”

      Read, Lucy thought. Read and write and study. It was more fun.

      “Everyone marries.” Alice sounded grown-up, knowledgeable. “We are to make alliances and have children. It’s what the daughters of a duke do. Everyone says so.”

      Marry. Have children.

      Lucy thought about it, considering the idea rationally as she did all ideas. It was true that it was expected of them, and no doubt it was what their mother would have wanted. She had died when Lucy and Alice were no more than a few years old, but everyone said she had been the diamond of her generation, the elegant daughter of the Earl of Stratharnon


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