“And there’s already plans afoot for a huge celebration sometime this summer—Richard and Catriona have committed to coming down, and, of course, all the aunts and connections will want to see them, and the new arrivals.
Demon frowned. He’d missed something. “Arrivals?”
Vane’s grin surfaced. “Devil, again—what else? Honoria’s due about the same time as Patience, so it’ll be quite a summer celebration.”
Babies and wives all over. Demon could just imagine.
Having brought him up to date, Vane heard creaks upstairs and, with a raised brow and an understanding smile, made his excuses and left. But instead of repairing upstairs, to further indulge himself with the feminine charms of the luscious body he’d left sprawled in his bed, Demon remained at the table, considering all Vane had told him—chilled, more and more, by the shadow of impending fate.
Which just went to show.
Demon drummed well-manicured fingernails on the table; he was going to have to do something about his situation. The situation he now found himself in.
First Devil, then Vane, now Richard. Who would be next?
There were only three of them left—him, Gabriel and Lucifer—and he was the eldest. There was no doubt in his mind who the aunts and connections would next expect to front the altar.
The odds were narrowing—to a degree he didn’t like.
But he’d already made his vows—to himself. He’d vowed he’d never marry—never put his trust, his faith, his heart in any woman’s hands. And the notion of limiting himself to one woman sexually was beyond his ability to comprehend. How the others managed to do so—Devil, Vane and now Richard—he couldn’t imagine. They certainly hadn’t before.
It was one of life’s mysteries he had long ago decided he didn’t need to unravel.
The question now before him, on this brisk sunny morning, was how to avoid fate—a fate that was steadily closing in on him.
His position wasn’t good. Here he was, in London, with the Season about to start, with his mother and all his aunts in residence, with the scent of blood firing them . . .
Drastic action was called for.
Strategic retreat to safer surrounds.
Abruptly ceasing his tattoo on the table, Demon raised his head. “Gillies?”
A moment later, an unprepossessing face popped around the door. “Yessir?”
“Fig out the bays. We’re going to Newmarket.” Gillies blinked. “But . . . ?” Deliberately, he raised his eyes to the ceiling. “What about the countess?”
“Hmm.” Demon looked up, then he grinned and stood, cinching his robe tight. “Give me an hour to satisfy the countess—then be ready to roll.”
Newmarket, and assured safety, were only a few hours away, but once there, he’d be starved for the usual rake’s fare—he may as well indulge his appetite before leaving.
As he climbed the stairs two at a time, Demon grinned. The countess was no threat—and Newmarket was safe.
He was well on the road to being the one Cynster in all the generations to finally escape fate—and the trap she laid for all Cynsters.
And don’t miss Book 4 in the Bar Cynster series—Demon’s story
On learning from Vane of Richard’s downfall—his unexpected marriage to Catriona Hennessy—Demon Harry decides staying in London with the Season about to start is too dangerous. First Devil, then Vane, now Richard—fate clearly has the Cynsters dead in her matrimonial sights. And he’s the next in line. It’s time to take evasive action. So he eschews the dangers of London’s drawing rooms and, determined to be the first Cynster to sucessfully evade fate’s trap, he heads for the assured safety of his stables at New-market.
Fate doesn’t dally—she pounces the instant he walks in.
About the Author
New York Times bestselling author STEPHANIE LAURENS began writing as an escape from the dry world of professional science, a hobby that quickly became a career. Her novels set in Regency England have captivated readers around the globe, making her one of the romance world’s most beloved and popular authors.
Readers can contact Stephanie via e-mail at
[email protected]
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For information on all of Stephanie’s books, including updates on novels yet to come, visit Stephanie’s website at www.stephanielaurens.com.
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Enter the World of Stephanie Laurens
Secrets of a Perfect Night: with Victoria Alexander and Rachel Gibson
The Fall of Rogue Gerrard
It Happened One Night: with Mary Balogh, Jacquie D'Alessandro, and Candice Hern
It Happened One Season: with Mary Balogh, Jacquie D'Alessandro, and Candice Hern
The Lady Risks All
Lost and Found
A Return Engagement
Rose in Bloom
Scandalous Lord Dere
The Seduction of Sebastian Trantor
Royal Bridesmaids: with Gaelen Foley and Loretta Chase
Royal Weddings: with Gaelen Foley and Loretta Chase
The Cynster Novels
Devil's Bride
A Rake's Vow
Scandal's Bride
A Rogue's Proposal
A Secret Love
The Taste of Innocence
All About Love
All About Passion
The Promise in a Kiss
On a Wild Night
On a Wicked Dawn
Hero, Come Back: with Christina Dodd and Elizabeth Boyle
The Perfect Lover
The Ideal Bride
Temptation and Surrender
The Truth About Love
What Price Love?
In Pursuit of Eliza Cynster
Capture of the Earl of Glencrae
The Wedding Planner
The Taming of Ryder Cavanaugh
Viscount Breckenridge to the Rescue
And Then She Fell
The Bastion Novels
Captain Jack's Woman (prequel)
The Lady Chosen
A Gentleman's Honor
A Lady of His Own
A Fine Passion
The Edge of Desire
Beyond Seduction
Mastered By Love
To Distraction
The Black Cobra Novels
The Untamed Bride
The Elusive Bride
The Brazen Bride
The Reckless Bride
The Case Book of Barnaby Adair
Where the Heart Leads
The Masterful Mr. Montague
Loving Rose
Other Titles in
The Bar Cynster Series by
Stephanie Laurens
DEVIL’S BRIDE
A RAKE’S VOW
If You’ve Enjoyed This Book,
Be Sure to Read These Other
AVON ROMANTIC TREASURES
BECAUSE OF YOU by Cathy Maxwell
ON BENDED KNEE by Tanya Anne Crosby
A RAKE’S VOW by Stephanie Laurens
SO WILD A KISS by Nancy Richards-Akers
UPON A WICKED TIME by Karen Ranney
Coming Soon
HOW TO MARRY A MARQUIS by Julia Quinn
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of either the author or the publisher.
SCANDAL’S BRIDE. Copyright © 1999 by Savdek Management Proprietory Ltd. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into
any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
EPub Edition © MAY 2013 ISBN: 9780061753596
Version 10092013
First Avon Books Printing: March 1999
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