Kurzbeschreibung
Mariona thinks her life will be perfect. Lord Alan Ranwyck, the husband King Richard has chosen for her, seems wonderful…until his brother Lord Roger turns her world upside down. Roger tries to convince Mariona that she is in danger if she stays with Alan, but Alan has already warned Mariona that Roger is not to be trusted.
One of the brothers awakens the heat of passion in her body, but scares her. The other makes her feel safe, but bored.
One of them would be her killer, the other her savior. Should Mariona trust her body or her mind? And which brother truly is the master of her heart?
About 11,000 words.
All Bartholin Books are DRM-free.
Excerpt:
York, England
September 1194
"You cannot marry him."
The words, spoken in a deep growl, made Mariona jump and drop the bunch of flowers she'd just gathered. They were the last blooms of the summer, and she planned to carry them on the morrow when she wed Lord Alan Ranwyck.
Lord Alan's brother Roger stood before her, his handsome face cold and angry.
"My lord," she said carefully, stooping to pick the flowers from the dying grass. "You startled me." He'd done more than that. Seeing him, being alone with him, sent a very inappropriate thrill down her spine. In the few months she'd known the two brothers Mariona had decided she was glad Alan was her betrothed instead…but Alan did not make her feel warm and soft all over. Nor did he look at her the way Roger looked at her, the way he was looking at her now.
Alan was always kind to her, where Roger argued and sneered when he felt she wasn't being honest about something. She was never sure how he would behave, and Alan's recent warnings about Roger and his hard ways had frightened her. At first she had not wanted to believe them, but as Roger's behavior became more and more erratic she found herself trusting Alan's words. Roger seemed angry these days, as if at any moment the last thin veneer of civilization would break down and he would turn feral.
She tried to peek around his forbidding bulk. Perhaps Alan would appear, and save her from the discussion Roger obviously wanted to have.
"Good," Roger replied. "I believe you need to be startled, my lady. Startled enough to listen to me, and come with me now."
"What…I am sorry." Mariona finished picking up the blossoms and stood. "I fear I do not grasp your meaning. Why do we not go back to the keep, and you can explain."
"I cannot make it clearer." One long stride brought him directly in front of her, his strong hands grasping her upper arms. The shiver that ran through Mariona was not entirely fear. Too many nights in the last month she'd awakened in the middle of the night, her body trembling and Roger's strong features in her mind. Too many meals had been taken feeling his gaze following her movements, the knowledge he was watching making her limbs warm and fluid.
"We must go, now," he said. "Ere he sees us. I am sorry there is no time for your goodbyes. After you are safe you can write—"
"Unhand me." She tried to pull away. He was too strong for her. "My lord, methinks you are in need of some rest. Your brother has told me—"
"Damn my brother!" he snapped. "Come."
One of the brothers awakens the heat of passion in her body, but scares her. The other makes her feel safe, but bored.
One of them would be her killer, the other her savior. Should Mariona trust her body or her mind? And which brother truly is the master of her heart?
About 11,000 words.
All Bartholin Books are DRM-free.
Excerpt:
York, England
September 1194
"You cannot marry him."
The words, spoken in a deep growl, made Mariona jump and drop the bunch of flowers she'd just gathered. They were the last blooms of the summer, and she planned to carry them on the morrow when she wed Lord Alan Ranwyck.
Lord Alan's brother Roger stood before her, his handsome face cold and angry.
"My lord," she said carefully, stooping to pick the flowers from the dying grass. "You startled me." He'd done more than that. Seeing him, being alone with him, sent a very inappropriate thrill down her spine. In the few months she'd known the two brothers Mariona had decided she was glad Alan was her betrothed instead…but Alan did not make her feel warm and soft all over. Nor did he look at her the way Roger looked at her, the way he was looking at her now.
Alan was always kind to her, where Roger argued and sneered when he felt she wasn't being honest about something. She was never sure how he would behave, and Alan's recent warnings about Roger and his hard ways had frightened her. At first she had not wanted to believe them, but as Roger's behavior became more and more erratic she found herself trusting Alan's words. Roger seemed angry these days, as if at any moment the last thin veneer of civilization would break down and he would turn feral.
She tried to peek around his forbidding bulk. Perhaps Alan would appear, and save her from the discussion Roger obviously wanted to have.
"Good," Roger replied. "I believe you need to be startled, my lady. Startled enough to listen to me, and come with me now."
"What…I am sorry." Mariona finished picking up the blossoms and stood. "I fear I do not grasp your meaning. Why do we not go back to the keep, and you can explain."
"I cannot make it clearer." One long stride brought him directly in front of her, his strong hands grasping her upper arms. The shiver that ran through Mariona was not entirely fear. Too many nights in the last month she'd awakened in the middle of the night, her body trembling and Roger's strong features in her mind. Too many meals had been taken feeling his gaze following her movements, the knowledge he was watching making her limbs warm and fluid.
"We must go, now," he said. "Ere he sees us. I am sorry there is no time for your goodbyes. After you are safe you can write—"
"Unhand me." She tried to pull away. He was too strong for her. "My lord, methinks you are in need of some rest. Your brother has told me—"
"Damn my brother!" he snapped. "Come."
