The Secrets of Lord Grayson Child by Stephanie Laurens
Epilogue
Tickencote Grange, Rutlandshire. August 27, 1853
Izzy knelt on a cushion on the gravel path in her knot garden and busily weeded and clipped. The herbs were a riot of scent and color; everything she’d sown had taken and grown.
A gurgle of laughter had her looking up in time to catch her daughter, Sylvia, almost one year old and just starting to toddle everywhere, leaving her nursemaid running in her wake.
Said nursemaid, Ginny, came puffing up. “I’m sorry, m’lady—she got away from me again.”
“No harm done.” Izzy hoisted Sylvia and settled her on her hip, from where the little girl could more easily see into the garden bed. “Mama is cutting mint to make a sauce for tonight’s roast lamb.” She plucked two leaves, crushed them lightly in her fingers, and held them to her nose, then to Sylvia’s. “Smell—mint.”
Sylvia dutifully sniffed in lungfuls, and her button nose wrinkled, then her features lit, and she squirmed to get down.
Having also heard the approaching footsteps, Izzy grinned and obliged, warning Ginny, “Stand back. His lordship is coming.”
Released, as fast as her chubby legs would carry her, Sylvia rocketed toward the green archway giving access to the front lawn, simultaneously shrieking and waving her arms in the air.
Forewarned, Gray walked into the garden and smoothly stooped and hoisted the little girl in his arms.
“Dadda! Dadda!”
He kissed Sylvia on the forehead. “Yes, my darling daughter, I am, indeed, here.”
Smiling, Izzy pushed to her feet. She was pregnant again, but was thankfully having a much easier time with it than when she’d carried Sylvia. “Are you coming to help weed?”
Gray glanced around. “Ah, no.” He waved the papers he was carrying. “I’ve come to ask your opinion on this bill I’m supposed to be drafting. Lord knows, you’re better with words than I am.”
“Hmm.” Dusting her fingers, Izzy walked to him and took the pages. She started to read, then waved to the stone bench, set in one corner to allow her to sit and appreciate her efforts. They retreated to the spot, and she sat and read while Gray played peekaboo with Sylvia.
On reaching the end of the closely written pages, Izzy glanced at Ginny, who promptly came forward to take Sylvia from Gray.
Wisely, Ginny mentioned the possibility of getting some bread from Cook to feed the ducks on the river, and Sylvia went peaceably; feeding the ducks was her favorite pastime.
Relieved of their distracting daughter, Izzy pointed to one of the clauses in the bill. “Is this really what you want to say?”
Gray took the page, read, and frowned. “You’re right—it’s convoluted to the point of being indecipherable.”
He fished a pencil from his pocket, and with their heads together, they worked through the bill, correcting, amending, and clarifying.
They’d just reached the end and relaxed and shared a satisfied smile when the sound of carriage wheels on the gravel had them glancing through the archway.
A familiar coach rumbled along the drive.
Izzy rose with a smile, as did Gray.
“They’re here already. Come on.” She swiped up her basket of herbs, and Gray took her hand, and together, they walked through the archway and onto the lawn.
Seeing a young gardener trimming the hedges, Izzy paused to hand him her basket. “Can you run this to Chef? He needs it for tonight.”
The lad grinned and bobbed. “Yes, m’lady.”
He took the basket and trotted off, bearing Izzy’s harvest, while she and Gray angled toward the forecourt where Julius’s coach horses were being drawn to a halt.
Julius, Dorothy, their children, and Silas were there to dine, along with Sybil, Marietta, and Swan, who were currently staying at the Grange.
Aside from the usual catching up, the family planned to discuss the details of Marietta and Swan’s wedding, slated to take place before the end of the year.
Gray and Izzy reached the graveled forecourt as Julius and Dorothy’s children spilled from the coach. Two boys and a girl, all three looked around, saw Gray and Izzy and, beaming, pelted their way.
The hellos and hugs and kisses were barely exchanged before the elder boy asked, “Can we go down to the river and see the ducks?”
Izzy laughed. “Your father was always down there. I believe you might find Sylvia there, and her nursemaid might even have bread!”
“Good-oh!” the boys exclaimed.
“So can we go?” Emmy, the girl, asked.
Gray and Izzy nodded, and the trio streaked off.
Izzy called after them, “But no getting too close and falling in!”
“Well,” Julius said, strolling up with Dorothy on his arm with Silas beside her, “they haven’t fallen in yet, but thankfully, all three can swim.”
Smiling, Izzy angled her cheek for Julius to kiss, then embraced Dorothy and Silas, while Gray and Julius shook hands, then Gray kissed Dorothy’s cheek and clapped Silas on the back.
Sybil hurried out of the house, closely followed by Marietta and Swan. “You’re here!” Sybil came down the steps, with Marietta and Swan close behind.
Standing beside Gray, Izzy watched as, with laughter and teasing and relaxed and happy smiles, her family embraced, kissed, and exclaimed.
The westering sun bathed the company in golden light. For years, she’d believed she would never see this again—her family, the descendants of those who built the house, congregating there on a late summer afternoon. The squeals of the family’s children drifted up from the riverbank while carefree chatter enveloped the adults.
She’d never expected to reclaim this—this anchored, solidly rooted family joy.
As the company turned toward the house, she glanced at Gray. They fell in behind their guests, and she found his hand and squeezed. “Thank you for making my most precious, impossible dream come true.”
He met her eyes, his own glowing with a love she would never—could never—doubt, then he raised her hand, pressed a kiss to her fingers, and softly said, “You don’t have to do anything except be you, because you are my dream come true.”
Dear Reader,
From the moment he walked onto the page in the previous novel, The Games Lovers Play, Grayson Child was plainly destined to feature in his own story. And even as I penned that teaser for the upcoming exposé in The London Crier that appeared at the end of the previous novel, I knew who the mysterious I. Molyneaux, editor, would prove to be.
I had fabulous fun learning about newspapers, printing presses, the first telegraph stations and Continental connections, about Dover and the railways to north and south of London. Much of what is included here is accurate, barring the actual location of the private abode that was the initial Dover telegraph station—try as I might, I could not find the location of that house, other than that it was somewhere in the Dover of that time.
For those who might wonder, in describing my characters moving about towns, for instance Dover, wherever possible I work from maps of towns from the correct period, so in many instances, especially when speaking of the center of towns and cities, the names of streets and even the actual position of roads may now be very different.
I hope you enjoyed reading of Gray and Izzy’s renewed journey into love. Should you feel inclined to leave a review here, I would greatly appreciate it.
As usual, the last pages in this novel flag the character who will feature in the next book in the series—in this case, Gregory Cynster, who, as Therese informs Martin, has gone to claim his inheritance, namely Bellamy Hall. That book, as yet untitled, will be with you in March 2022.
But before that, by popular demand, The Meaning of Love, the long-awaited romance between Miss Melissa North, one of Lady Osbaldestone’s granddaughters, and Julian, Earl of Carsely, previously Viscount Dagenham, will be released on October 14, 2021—yes, later this year! Although it’s not a Christmas-set work, there are, of course, echoes of their past appearances in the various volumes of Lady Osbaldestone’s Christmas Chronicles, and I hope it will prove a treat for you to enjoy in the lead up to the festive season.
With my best wishes for continued happy reading!
Stephanie.
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COMING NEXT:
Connected to Lady Osbaldestone’s Christmas Chronicles
THE MEANING OF LOVE
To be released on October 14, 2021.
Julian, Earl of Carsely, decides he’d best be proactive in finding himself a wife before the grandes dames do that for him. So after an absence of eight years, he returns unheralded to the ton’s ballrooms, only to find himself compelled to rescue the one young lady he’s never forgotten from the clutches of his ne’er-do-well, predatory cousin. In the past, Melissa North and he had both been too young to envision forming a lasting connection, but now… Neither he nor she are the youthful souls they’d been. Now, they are so much more.
Available for e-book pre-order from August, 2021.
RECENTLY RELEASED:
THE GAMES LOVERS PLAY
Cynster Next Generation Novel #9
#1 New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Laurens returns to the Cynsters’ next generation with an evocative tale of two people striving to overcome unusual hurdles in order to claim true love.
A nobleman wedded to the lady he loves strives to overwrite five years of masterful pretence and open his wife’s eyes to the fact that he loves her as much as she loves him.
Lord Devlin Cader, Earl of Alverton, married Therese Cynster five years ago. What he didn’t tell her then and has assiduously hidden ever since—for what seemed excellent reasons at the time—is that he loves her every bit as much as she loves him.
For her own misguided reasons, Therese had decided that the adage that Cynsters always marry for love did not necessarily mean said Cynsters were loved in return. She accepted that was usually so, but being universally viewed by gentlemen as too managing, bossy, and opinionated, she believed she would never be loved for herself. Consequently, after falling irrevocably in love with Devlin, when he made it plain he didn’t love her yet wanted her to wife, she accepted the half love-match he offered, and once they were wed, set about organizing to make their marriage the very best it could be.
Now, five years later, they are an established couple within the haut ton, have three young children, and Devlin is making a name for himself in business and political circles. There’s only one problem. Having attended numerous Cynster weddings and family gatherings and spent time with Therese’s increasingly married cousins, who with their spouses all embrace the Cynster ideal of marriage based on mutually acknowledged love, Devlin is no longer content with the half love-match he himself engineered. No fool, he sees and comprehends what the craven act of denying his love is costing both him and Therese and feels compelled to rectify his fault. He wants for them what all Therese’s married cousins enjoy—the rich and myriad benefits of marriages based on acknowledged mutual love.
Love, he’s discovered, is too powerful a force to deny, leaving him wrestling with the conundrum of finding a way to convincingly reveal to Therese that he loves her without wrecking everything—especially the mutual trust—they’ve built over the past five years.
A classic historical romance set amid the glittering world of the London haut ton. A Cynster Next Generation novel—a full-length historical romance of 110,000 words.
Click here to read an excerpt
Buy and Read THE GAMES LOVERS PLAY
The fourth instalment in Lady Osbaldestone’s Christmas Chronicles
LADY OSBALDESTONE’S CHRISTMAS INTRIGUE
#1 New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Laurens immerses you in the simple joys of a long-ago country-village Christmas, featuring a grandmother, her grandchildren, her unwed son, a determined not-so-young lady, foreign diplomats, undercover guards, and agents of Napoleon!
At Hartington Manor in the village of Little Moseley, Therese, Lady Osbaldestone, and her household are once again enjoying the company of her intrepid grandchildren, Jamie, George, and Lottie, when they are unexpectedly joined by her ladyship’s youngest and still-unwed son, also the children’s favorite uncle, Christopher.
As the Foreign Office’s master intelligencer, Christopher has been ordered into hiding until the department can appropriately deal with the French agent spotted following him in London. Christopher chose to seek refuge in Little Moseley because it’s such a tiny village that anyone without a reason to be there stands out. Neither he nor his office-appointed bodyguard expect to encounter any dramas.
Then Christopher spots a lady from London he believes has been hunting him with matrimonial intent. He can’t understand how she tracked him to the village, but determined to avoid her, he enlists the children’s help. The children discover their information-gathering skills are in high demand, and while engaging with the villagers as they usually do and taking part in the village’s traditional events, they do their best to learn what Miss Marion Sewell is up to.
But upon reflection, Christopher realizes it’s unlikely the Marion he was so attracted to years before has changed all that much, and he starts to wonder if what she wants to tell him is actually something he might want to hear. Unfortunately, he has set wheels in motion that are not easy to redirect. Although Marion tries to approach him several times, he and she fail to make contact.
Then just when it seems they will finally connect, a dangerous stranger lures Marion away. Fearing the worst, Christopher gives chase—trailed by his bodyguard, the children, and a small troop of helpful younger gentlemen.
What they discover at nearby Parteger Hall is not at all what anyone expected, and as the action unfolds, the assembled company band together to protect a secret vital to the resolution of the war against Napoleon.
Fourth in series. A novel of 81,000 words. A Christmas tale of intrigue, personal evolution, and love.
Click here to read an excerpt.
Buy and Read LADY OSBALDESTONE’S CHRISTMAS INTRIGUE
PREVIOUS CYNSTER NEXT GENERATION RELEASES:
THE INEVITABLE FALL OF CHRISTOPHER CYNSTER
Cynster Next Generation Novel #8
#1 New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Laurens returns to the Cynsters’ next generation with a rollicking tale of smugglers, counterfeit banknotes, and two people falling in love.
A gentleman hoping to avoid falling in love and a lady who believes love has passed her by are flung together in a race to unravel a plot that threatens to undermine the realm.
Christopher Cynster has finally accepted that to have the life he wants, he needs a wife, but before he can even think of searching for the right lady, he’s drawn into an investigation into the distribution of counterfeit banknotes.
London born and bred, Ellen Martingale is battling to preserve the fiction that her much-loved uncle, Christopher’s neighbor, still has his wits about him, but Christopher’s questions regarding nearby Goffard Hall trigger her suspicions. As her younger brother attends card parties at the Hall, she feels compelled to investigate.
While Ellen appears to be the sort of frippery female Christopher abhors, he quickly learns that, in her case, appearances are deceiving. And through the twists and turns in an investigation that grows ever more serious and urgent, he discovers how easy it is to fall in love, while Ellen learns that love hasn’t, after all, passed her by.
But then the villain steps from the shadows, and love’s strengths and vulnerabilities are put to the test—just as Christopher has always feared. Will he pass muster? Can they triumph? Or will they lose all they’ve so recently found?
A historical romance with a dash of intrigue, set in rural Kent. A Cynster Next Generation novel—a full-length historical romance of 124,000 words.
Click here to read an excerpt.
Buy and Read THE INEVITABLE FALL OF CHRISTOPHER CYNSTER
A CONQUEST IMPOSSIBLE TO RESIST
Cynster Next Generation Novel #7
#1 New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Laurens returns to the Cynsters’ next generation to bring you a thrilling tale of love, intrigue, and fabulous horses.
A notorious rakehell with a stable of rare Thoroughbreds and a lady on a quest to locate such horses must negotiate personal minefields to forge a greatly desired alliance—one someone is prepared to murder to prevent.
Prudence Cynster has turned her back on husband hunting in favor of horse hunting. As the head of the breeding program underpinning the success of the Cynster racing stables, she’s on a quest to acquire the necessary horses to refresh the stable’s breeding stock.
On his estranged father’s death, Deaglan Fitzgerald, now Earl of Glengarah, left London and the hedonistic life of a wealthy, wellborn rake and returned to Glengarah Castle determined to rectify the harm caused by his father’s neglect. Driven by guilt that he hadn’t been there to protect his people during the Great Famine, Deaglan holds firm against the lure of his father’s extensive collection of horses and, leaving the stable to the care of his brother, Felix, devotes himself to returning the estate to prosperity.
Deaglan had fallen out with his father and been exiled from Glengarah over his drive to have the horses pay their way. Knowing Deaglan’s wishes and that restoration of the estate is almost complete, Felix writes to the premier Thoroughbred breeding program in the British Isles to test their interest in the Glengarah horses.
On receiving a letter describing exactly the type of horses she’s seeking, Pru overrides her family’s reluctance and sets out for Ireland’s west coast to visit the now-reclusive wicked Earl of Glengarah. Yet her only interest is in his horses, which she cannot wait to see.
When Felix tells Deaglan that a P. H. Cynster is about to arrive to assess the horses with a view to a breeding arrangement, Deaglan can only be grateful. But then P. H. Cynster turns out to be a lady, one utterly unlike any other he’s ever met.
Yet they are who they are, and both understand their world. They battle their instincts and attempt to keep their interactions businesslike, but the sparks are incandescent and inevitably ignite a sexual blaze that consumes them both—and opens their eyes.
But before they can find their way to their now-desired goal, first one accident, then another distracts them. Someone, it seems, doesn’t want them to strike a deal. Who? Why?
They need to find out before whoever it is resorts to the ultimate sanction.
A historical romance with neo-Gothic overtones, set in the west of Ireland. A Cynster Next Generation novel—a full-length historical romance of 125,000 words.
Click here to read an excerpt
Buy and Read A CONQUEST IMPOSSIBLE TO RESIST
The first volume of the Devil’s Brood Trilogy
THE LADY BY HIS SIDE
Cynster Next Generation Novel #4
A marquess in need of the right bride. An earl’s daughter in search of a purpose. A betrayal that ends in murder and balloons into a threat to the realm.
Sebastian Cynster knows time is running out. If he doesn’t choose a wife soon, his female relatives will line up to assist him. Yet the current debutantes do not appeal. Where is he to find the right lady to be his marchioness? Then Drake Varisey, eldest son of the Duke of Wolverstone, asks for Sebastian’s aid.
Having assumed his father’s mantle in protecting queen and country, Drake must go to Ireland in pursuit of a dangerous plot. But he’s received an urgent missive from Lord Ennis, an Irish peer—Ennis has heard something Drake needs to know. Ennis insists Drake attends an upcoming house party at Ennis’s Kent estate so Ennis can reveal his information face-to-face.
Sebastian has assisted Drake before and, long ago, had a liaison with Lady Ennis. Drake insists Sebastian is just the man to be Drake’s surrogate at the house party—the guests will imagine all manner of possibilities and be blind to Sebastian’s true purpose.
Unsurprisingly, Sebastian is reluctant, but Drake’s need is real. With only more debutantes on his horizon, Sebastian allows himself to be persuaded.
His first task is to inveigle Antonia Rawlings, a lady he has known all her life, to include him as her escort to the house party. Although he’s seen little of Antonia in recent years, Sebastian is confident of gaining her support.
Eldest daughter of the Earl of Chillingworth, Antonia has abandoned the search for a husband and plans to use the week of the house party to decide what to do with her life. There has to be some purpose, some role, she can claim for her own.
Consequently, on hearing Sebastian’s request and an explanation of what lies behind it, she seizes on the call to action. Suppressing her senses’ idiotic reaction to Sebastian’s nearness, she agrees to be his partner-in-intrigue.
But while joining the house party proves easy, the gathering is thrown into chaos when Lord Ennis is murdered—just before he was to speak with Sebastian. Worse, Ennis’s last words, gasped to Sebastian, are: Gunpowder. Here.
Gunpowder? And here, where?
With a killer continuing to stalk the halls, side by side, Sebastian and Antonia search for answers and, all the while, the childhood connection that had always existed between them strengthens and blooms…into something so much more.
First volume in a trilogy. A Cynster Next Generation Novel – a classic historical romance with gothic overtones layered over a continuing intrigue. A full-length novel of 99,000 words.
Click here to read an excerpt.
Buy & Read THE LADY BY HIS SIDE
The second volume of the Devil’s Brood Trilogy
AN IRRESISTIBLE ALLIANCE
Cynster Next Generation Novel #5
A duke’s second son with no responsibilities and a lady starved of the excitement her soul craves join forces to unravel a deadly, potentially catastrophic threat to the realm - that only continues to grow.
With his older brother’s betrothal announced, Lord Michael Cynster is freed from the pressure of familial expectations. However, the allure of his previous hedonistic pursuits has paled. Then he learns of the mission his brother, Sebastian, and Lady Antonia Rawlings have been assisting with and volunteers to assist by hunting down the hoard of gunpowder now secreted somewhere in London.
Michael sets out to trace the carters who transported the gunpowder from Kent to London. His quest leads him to the Hendon Shipping Company, where he discovers his sole source of information is the only daughter of Jack and Kit Hendon, Miss Cleome Hendon, who although a fetchingly attractive lady, firmly holds the reins of the office in her small hands.
Cleo has fought to achieve her position in the company. Initially, managing the office was a challenge, but she now conquers all in just a few hours a week. With her three brothers all adventuring in America, she’s been driven to the realization that she craves adventure, too.
When Michael Cynster walks in and asks about carters, Cleo’s instincts leap. She wrings from him the full tale of his mission—and offers him a bargain. She will lead him to the carters he seeks if he agrees to include her as an equal partner in the mission.
Horrified, Michael attempts to resist, but ultimately finds himself agreeing—a sequence of events he quickly learns is common around Cleo. Then she delivers on her part of the bargain, and he finds there are benefits to allowing her to continue to investigate beside him—not least being that if she’s there, then he knows she’s safe.
But the further they go in tracing the gunpowder, the more deaths they uncover. And when they finally locate the barrels, they find themselves tangled in a fight to the death—one that forces them to face what has grown between them, to seize and defend what they both see as their path to the greatest adventure of all. A shared life. A shared future. A shared love.
Second volume in a trilogy. A Cynster Next Generation Novel – a classic historical romance with gothic overtones layered over a continuing intrigue. A full-length novel of 101,000 words.
Click here to read an excerpt.
Buy & Read AN IRRESISTIBLE ALLIANCE
The third and final volume in the Devil’s Brood Trilogy
THE GREATEST CHALLENGE OF THEM ALL
Cynster Next Generation Novel #6
A nobleman devoted to defending queen and country and a noblewoman wild enough to match his every step race to disrupt the plans of a malignant intelligence intent on shaking England to its very foundations.
Lord Drake Varisey, Marquess of Winchelsea, eldest son and heir of the Duke of Wolverstone, must foil a plot that threatens to shake the foundations of the realm, but the very last lady—nay, noblewoman—he needs assisting him is Lady Louisa Cynster, known throughout the ton as Lady Wild.
For the past nine years, Louisa has suspected that Drake might well be the ideal husband for her, even though he’s assiduous in avoiding her. But she’s now twenty-seven and enough is enough. She believes propinquity will elucidate exactly what it is that lies between them, and what better opportunity to work closely with Drake than his latest mission, with which he patently needs her help?
Unable to deny Louisa’s abilities or the value of her assistance and powerless to curb her willfulness, Drake is forced to grit his teeth and acquiesce to her sticking by his side, if only to ensure her safety. But all too soon, his true feelings for her show enough for her, perspicacious as she is, to see through his denials, which she then interprets as a challenge.
Even while they gather information, tease out clues, increasingly desperately search for the missing gunpowder, and doggedly pursue the killer responsible for an ever-escalating tally of dead men, thrown together through the hours, he and she learn to trust and appreciate each other. And fed by constant exposure—and blatantly encouraged by her—their desires and hungers swell and grow…
As the barriers between them crumble, the attraction he has for so long restrained burgeons and balloons, until goaded by her near-death, it erupts, and he seizes her—only to be seized in return.
Linked irrevocably and with their wills melded and merged by passion’s fire, with time running out and the evil mastermind’s deadline looming, together, they focus their considerable talents and make one last push to learn the critical truths—to find the gunpowder and unmask the villain behind this far-reaching plot.
Only to discover that they have significantly less time than they’d thought, that the villain’s target is even more crucially fundamental to the realm than they’d imagined, and it’s going to take all that Drake is—as well as all that Louisa as Lady Wild can bring to bear—to defuse the threat, capture the villain, and make all safe and right again.
As they race to the ultimate confrontation, the future of all England rests on their shoulders.
Third volume in a trilogy. A Cynster Next Generation Novel – a classic historical romance with gothic overtones layered over an intrigue. A full-length novel of 129,000 words.
Click here to read an excerpt
Buy and Read THE GREATEST CHALLENGE OF THEM ALL
If you haven’t yet caught up with the first books in the Cynster Next Generation Novels, then BY WINTER’S LIGHT is a Christmas story that highlights the Cynster children as they stand poised on the cusp of adulthood – essentially an introductory novel to the upcoming generation. That novel is followed by the first pair of Cynster Next Generation romances, those of Lucilla and Marcus Cynster, twins and the eldest children of Lord Richard aka Scandal Cynster and Catriona, Lady of the Vale. Both the twins’ stories are set in Scotland. See below for further details.
BY WINTER’S LIGHT
Cynster Next Generation Novel #1
#1 New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Laurens returns to romantic Scotland to usher in a new generation of Cynsters in an enchanting tale of mistletoe, magic, and love.
It’s December 1837 and the young adults of the Cynster clan have succeeded in having the family Christmas celebration held at snow-bound Casphairn Manor, Richard and Catriona Cynster’s home. Led by Sebastian, Marquess of Earith, and by Lucilla, future Lady of the Vale, and her twin brother, Marcus, the upcoming generation has their own plans for the holiday season.
Yet where Cynsters gather, love is never far behind—the festive occasion brings together Daniel Crosbie, tutor to Lucifer Cynster’s sons, and Claire Meadows, widow and governess to Gabriel Cynster’s daughter. Daniel and Claire have met before and the embers of an unexpected passion smolder between them, but once bitten, twice shy, Claire believes a second marriage is not in her stars. Daniel, however, is determined to press his suit. He’s seen the love the Cynsters share, and Claire is the lady with whom he dreams of sharing his life. Assisted by a bevy of Cynsters—innate matchmakers every one—Daniel strives to persuade Claire that trusting him with her hand and her heart is her right path to happiness.
Meanwhile, out riding on Christmas Eve, the young adults of the Cynster clan respond to a plea for help. Summoned to a humble dwelling in ruggedly forested mountains, Lucilla is called on to help with the difficult birth of a child, while the others rise to the challenge of helping her. With a violent storm closing in and severely limited options, the next generation of Cynsters face their first collective test—can they save this mother and child? And themselves, too?
Back at the manor, Claire is increasingly drawn to Daniel and despite her misgivings, against the backdrop of the ongoing festivities their relationship deepens. Yet she remains torn—until catastrophe strikes, and by winter’s light, she learns that love—true love—is worth any risk, any price.
A tale brimming with all the magical delights of a Scottish festive season. A Cynster Next Generation novel – a classic historical romance of 71,000 words.
Click here to read an excerpt.
Buy & Read BY WINTER’S LIGHT
THE TEMPTING OF THOMAS CARRICK
Cynster Next Generation Novel #2
Do you believe in fate? Do you believe in passion? What happens when fate and passion collide?
Do you believe in love? What happens when fate, passion, and love combine?
This. This…
#1New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Laurens returns to Scotland with a tale of two lovers irrevocably linked by destiny and passion.
Thomas Carrick is a gentleman driven to control all aspects of his life. As the wealthy owner of Carrick Enterprises, located in bustling Glasgow, he is one of that city’s most eligible bachelors and fully intends to select an appropriate wife from the many young ladies paraded before him. He wants to take that necessary next step along his self-determined path, yet no young lady captures his eye, much less his attention...not in the way Lucilla Cynster had, and still did, even though she lives miles away.
For over two years, Thomas has avoided his clan’s estate because it borders Lucilla’s home, but disturbing reports from his clansmen force him to return to the countryside—only to discover that his uncle, the laird, is ailing, a clan family is desperately ill, and the clan-healer is unconscious and dying. Duty to the clan leaves Thomas no choice but to seek help from the last woman he wants to face.
Strong-willed and passionate, Lucilla has been waiting—increasingly impatiently—for Thomas to return and claim his rightful place by her side. She knows he is hers—her fated lover, husband, protector, and mate. He is the only man for her, just as she is his one true love. And, at last, he’s back. Even though his returning wasn’t on her account, Lucilla is willing to seize whatever chance Fate hands her.
Thomas can never forget Lucilla, much less the connection that seethes between them, but to marry her would mean embracing a life he's adamant he does not want.
Lucilla sees that Thomas has yet to accept the inevitability of their union and, despite all, he can refuse her and walk away. But how can he ignore a bond such as theirs—one so much stronger than reason? Despite several unnerving attacks mounted against them, despite the uncertainty racking his clan, Lucilla remains as determined as only a Cynster can be to fight for the future she knows can be theirs—and while she cannot command him, she has powerful enticements she’s willing to wield in the cause of tempting Thomas Carrick.
A neo-Gothic tale of passionate romance laced with mystery, set in the uplands of southwestern Scotland. A Cynster Next Generation Novel – a classic historical romance of 122,000 words.
Click here to read an excerpt.
Buy & Read THE TEMPTING OF THOMAS CARRICK
A MATCH FOR MARCUS CYNSTER
Cynster Next Generation Novel #3
Duty compels her to turn her back on marriage. Fate drives him to protect her come what may. Then love takes a hand in this battle of yearning hearts, stubborn wills, and a match too powerful to deny.
#1 New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Laurens returns to rugged Scotland with a dramatic tale of passionate desire and unwavering devotion.
Restless and impatient, Marcus Cynster waits for Fate to come calling. He knows his destiny lies in the lands surrounding his family home, but what will his future be? Equally importantly, with whom will he share it?
Of one fact he feels certain: his fated bride will not be Niniver Carrick. His elusive neighbor attracts him mightily, yet he feels compelled to protect her—even from himself. Fickle Fate, he’s sure, would never be so kind as to decree that Niniver should be his. The best he can do for them both is to avoid her.
Niniver has vowed to return her clan to prosperity. The epitome of fragile femininity, her delicate and ethereal exterior cloaks a stubborn will and an unflinching devotion to the people in her care. She accepts that in order to achieve her goal, she cannot risk marrying and losing her grip on the clan’s reins to an inevitably controlling husband. Unfortunately, many local men see her as their opportunity.
Soon, she’s forced to seek help to get rid of her unwelcome suitors. Powerful and dangerous, Marcus Cynster is perfect for the task. Suppressing her wariness over tangling with a gentleman who so excites her passions, she appeals to him for assistance with her peculiar problem.
Although at first he resists, Marcus discovers that, contrary to his expectations, his fated role is to stand by Niniver’s side and, ultimately, to claim her hand. Yet in order to convince her to be his bride, they must plunge headlong into a journey full of challenges, unforeseen dangers, passion, and yearning, until Niniver grasps the essential truth—that she is indeed a match for Marcus Cynster.
A neo-Gothic tale of passionate romance set in the uplands of southwestern Scotland. A Cynster Next Generation Novel – a classic historical romance of 114,000 words.
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Buy & Read A MATCH FOR MARCUS CYNSTER
And if you want to discover where the Cynsters began, return to the iconic
DEVIL’S BRIDE
the book that introduced millions of historical romance readers around the globe to the powerful men of the unforgettable Cynster family – aristocrats to the bone, conquerors at heart – and the willful feisty ladies strong enough to be their brides.
Click here to read an excerpt.
Buy & Read DEVIL’S BRIDE