Mary and the Marquis

Janice Preston

Cured with a kiss…When destitute widow Mary Vale aids an injured man on the road, she is shocked to discover that he is the reclusive Lucas Alastair, Marquis of Rothley! She’s intrigued by the dark Marquis, but when she offers to nurse him back to health in return for shelter he proves a difficult patient!Lucas hides some deep emotion beneath his brusque manner, and a stolen kiss leaves Mary longing for more… She’s able to help mend his physical injuries, but can Mary heal the wounds of his painful past?

Her lips—soft pink, full and tempting—were parted, and, as rotten as he felt, still his loins stirred at the thought of tasting them.

He frowned, a memory floating a fraction beyond his reach.

Her lips. He could feel them, he knew their taste—silky as rose petals, sweet as honey. But how? He licked his own lips, paper-dry and sour. The answer eluded him as he continued his perusal of the woman by his bed.

Her hair. He paused, feeling his forehead pucker. Why had he thought her hair to be guinea-gold? It was not. It was more beautiful by far—the soft golden colour of corn ripening in the August sunshine. Not brassy, not a mass of curls, but soft waves where it escaped from its pins. He wanted to see it loose, flowing down her back.

He frowned again as he watched her sleep, striving to remember, fragments of memories teasing at his mind …

JANICE PRESTON grew up in Wembley with a love of reading, writing stories and animals. After leaving school at eighteen she moved to Devon, and any thoughts of writing became lost in the hectic rush of life as a farmer’s wife, with two children and many animals to care for. When her children left home for university she discovered a love of history, and of the Regency period in particular, and began to write seriously for the first time since her teens.

Janice now lives in the West Midlands with her husband and two cats. Over the years, apart from farming, she has worked as a conveyancer, a call handler for the police and an administrator for a teacher training programme at a local university. She currently works as an exam invigilator and has a part-time job with a weight management counsellor (vainly trying to control her own weight, despite her love of chocolate!).

This is Janice Preston’s fantastic debut novel for Mills & Boon® Historical Romance!

Mary and the Marquis

Janice Preston

www.millsandboon.co.uk (http://www.millsandboon.co.uk)

Dedication (#ud60ec5fe-808e-5568-bf1c-d3274598b580)

To Ian, for your unwavering support and encouragement.

And with grateful thanks to the Romantic Novelists’ Association, and in particular the organisers and readers of the wonderful New Writers’ Scheme.

Contents

Cover (#uecd260d1-2d40-5f15-83be-0494f064683d)

Back Cover Text (#u0f9bcbb2-2269-50cc-8321-50f9f2bee9aa)

About the Author (#u0409d22d-7333-5280-85a2-40452fc37303)

Title Page (#u2495cc02-03a9-5a39-bf37-1fe07859fc1a)

Dedication

Chapter One (#ub4348cbe-cc21-5932-a9b6-a7aabbc1d124)

Chapter Two (#u9d787dd2-a529-5646-89a1-1d4d623dc6be)

Chapter Three (#ubc020932-2af2-5708-8faa-8ef227f56396)

Chapter Four (#ud7091170-51f6-5222-88fc-1f6d774a4614)

Chapter Five (#u365acd44-31b6-5c19-b881-2d932a274b07)

Chapter Six (#u38a73896-12f0-5c34-89c3-c464fca1b64b)

Chapter Seven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eight (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Nine (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Ten (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eleven (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twelve (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Thirteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Fourteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Fifteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Sixteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Seventeen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Eighteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Nineteen (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twenty (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twenty-One (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twenty-Two (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twenty-Three (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twenty-Four (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twenty-Five (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter Twenty-Six (#litres_trial_promo)

Chapter T