The Kidnapped Bride
by Heather Hiestand
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Pursuing this elusive heiress will be the ultimate temptation…
Lady Elizabeth Shield is used to saving herself from trouble. And even if dashing private inquiry agent Dougal Alexander just rescued her from white slavers, she’s definitely not returning to her stifling aristocratic life and unsuitable suitors. Not when there are other women in danger—and a secret promise to keep in Edinburgh. But outwitting Dougal’s tactics to return her to London and her family will be easier than staying away from his intoxicating kisses…
He’s a baron’s second son accustomed to making his own way and uncovering the truth. Now Dougal must keep Lady Elizabeth close for her own protection, but her spirited wiles are proving scandalously irresistible. His most difficult case yet will be showing her that he’s everything she truly desires—and that love is the greatest of adventures…
“Before I realized it, the unusually strong and well-developed characters of The Kidnapped Bride had sneaked up on me and captured my full attention. This is one of the best shorter books I have ever read.” --Delle Jacobs, author of Lady Wicked
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“Look here, eh?” Dougal said. “Enough about your damned family. Our concern here is Lady Elizabeth. Ye turned her into your maid-of-all-work, right? Payback for whatever you think Lord Judah here did tae your sister? That was Lady Elizabeth answering the door at your flat last month, right?”
Manfred pressed his lips together and looked surly. Lord Judah’s expression was a mixture of horror and bewilderment.
“How could you do that to a gently bred girl?” Hatbrook demanded. “She must have loved you, to follow you like that. What did you do to make her run away from us?”
Manfred shrugged. “Beth’s headstrong, you know that. No one was more surprised than I to find Beth sneaking into my room in the border inn where I staying.”
“Why didn’t you bring Beth back, as a gentleman would?” Hatbrook shouted.
“I wasn’t about to marry her,” Manfred snarled. “She ain’t my sort.”
Hatbrook slapped the boy openhanded across the cheek. “That’s my sister! You’ve ruined her life! Whatever you want to say about your sister, my brother has given her an honorable marriage and an excellent home.”
“Beth bloody ruined it herself,” Manfred said, standing as his cheek bloomed red. “She followed me. I made her no promises. She refused to go home. So I set up house in Edinburgh, found a way to make money. But I didn’t marry her.”
“No, you just made her your whore,” Hatbrook said.
“I never touched her,” Manfred said, more quietly.
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Heather Hiestand was born in Illinois, but her family migrated west before she started school. Since then she has claimed Washington State as home, except for a few years in California. She wrote her first story at age seven and went on to major in creative writing at the University of Washington. Her first published fiction was a mystery short story, but since then it has been all about the many flavors of romance. Heather’s first published romance short story was set in the Victorian period, and she continues to return, fascinated by the rapid changes of the nineteenth century. The author of many novels, novellas, and short stories, she has achieved best-seller status at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. With her husband and son, she makes her home in a small town and supposedly works out of her tiny office, though she mostly writes in her easy chair in the living room.
For more information, visit Heather’s website at www.heatherhiestand.com. Heather loves to hear from readers! Her email is heather@heatherhiestand.com.
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ReplyDeleteSounds like a exciting book with interesting characters.
ReplyDeleteI like the excerpt.
ReplyDeleteGood excerpt!
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