Christine Merrill - Taken by the Wicked Rake

TAKEN BY

THE WICKED RAKE

by

Christine Merrill

I hate you, Stephano Beshaley. As much as you hate my family.

Lady Verity Carlow is poised, charming, virginal. Her family's precious jewel. She will marry whatever titled bore is chosen for her. Yet sometimes, in the dark of the night, she wishes she weren't always so well behavedThen she is kidnapped by her family's enemy, Gypsy lord Stephano Beshaley. In this dangerously unsuitable man's arms, Verity is tempted to do wicked, wicked things. And, shockingly, she does not want to be rescued not one little bit!

As the secrets of the past are dramatically revealed, join in the

final breathtaking installment of

Silk & Scandal .

London, 1814

A season of secrets, scandal

and seduction!

A darkly dangerous stranger is

out for revenge, delivering a silken rope as his calling card. Through him, a long-forgotten scandal is reawakened. The notorious events of 1794, which saw one man murdered and another hanged for the crime, are ripe

gossip in the ton. Was the right culprit brought to justice or is there a treacherous murderer still at large?

As the murky waters of the past are disturbed, so servants find love with roguish lords, and proper ladies fall for rebellious outcasts until, finally, the true murderer and spy is revealed.

Regency Silk & Scandal

From glittering ballrooms to a Cornish smugglers cove; from the wilds of Scotland to a Romany camp join the highest and lowest in society as they find love in this thrilling new eight-book miniseries!

Praise for award-winning author Christine Merrill

Paying the Virgins Price

Second in the Regency

Silk & Scandal miniseries

Merrill quickly draws readers into this dark tale of vengeance and redemption. The mystery carries the readers onward, as do the finely drawn characters.

~ RT Book Reviews

Seducing A Stranger

Lushly sensual.

~ Chicago Tribune

A Wicked Liaison

Humor, suspense and a hot romance.

~ RT Book Reviews

The Mistletoe Wager

The perfect book to pick up at the beginning of the holiday season for a strong dose of Christmas spirit.

~ RT Book Reviews

The Inconvenient Duchess

A well-crafted, potent and

passionate story.

~ RT Book Reviews

Dear Reader,What a long and amazing journey it has been to get to this, the last book of the Regency Silk & Scandal series. My fellow authors and I started out in the summer of 2008, with little more than a few suggestions from editor Jo Grant at Harlequin Mills & Boon that we create a story line and series with a varied cast of characters, and some kind of scandal.Between us, we have planned weddings, funerals and a hanging. Weve cursed, spied and refought the battle of Waterloo. After two years, the people we created have become like an extended and rather dysfunctional family to my fellow writers and me, or, as Louise Allen dubbed us, The Continuistas.Weve had some interesting discussions in the course of writing these books. Where can you go if you want to make out in Hyde Park? And what kind of trees were there in 1814? How many times has Stephano been shot, stabbed or drowned? And where are the scars?And how, exactly, do you cook a hedgehog?At the end of it, I think we all are standing back, a bit surprised at what a good time we had. I hope that it has been as much fun for you, the reader, as it was for us.Happy reading, Christine Merrill

Look for these novels in the

Regency miniseries

SILK & SCANDAL

The Lord and the Wayward Lady

by Louise Allen

Paying the Virgins Price

by Christine Merrill

The Smuggler and the Society Bride

by Julia Justiss

Claiming the Forbidden Bride

by Gayle Wilson

The Viscount and the Virgin

by Annie Burrows

Unlacing the Innocent Miss

by Margaret McPhee

The Officer and the Proper Lady

by Louise Allen

Taken by the Wicked Rake

by Christine Merrill

Did you know these novels are also available as ebooks?

Visit www.eHarlequin.com .

To Annie, Gayle, Julia, Louise and Margaret, again.

And always.

What a wild ride its been.

TAKEN

BY

THE WICKED RAKE

Chapter One

August, 1915,

Warrenford Park

Are you enjoying the party, my dear? Robert Veryan, Viscount Keddinton, rocked back on his heels, as though proud of the job he had done in entertaining his only goddaughter. His wife, Felicity, stood on her other side, equally satisfied with their efforts.

Verity Carlow looked around the ballroom at Warrenford Park. The walls were a pristine white, the accents gold, the design classic and without the fussy Rococo that she had seen in some houses. The music playing in the back ground was sedate, and as clean and expertly rendered as the white walls. The dancers on the polished marble floor moved to the tune like clockwork figures, and the observers kept their chatter to a polite and unobtrusive level.

It was well-ordered perfection.

The sight of it made her head ache. She gave her host a brave smile that did not suit her mood and said, It is a lovely evening. Thank you so much, Uncle Robert. He was no more her real uncle than this ball was a true entertainment. But if he wished to think himself so, it would be unkind to disappoint him or to complain that throwing her this party was little better than putting curtains over the bars of a cage.

She could not, for one minute, fool herself into thinking that this was a pleasant trip to the country. Her brother, Marcus, had made it clear that she was being sent to Keddintons country estate so that the family could more easily control her acquaintances and associations.

It was more than a little unfair of Marc to treat her so. In her twenty-one years, she had done nothing to give her family cause to worry. Her past was devoid of even the smallest misstep. But it did not matter to anyone what she had or had not done. When they had sent her into exile, her brothers cited unnamed predators and vague risks to the family and promised that it was done for her own safety. But when she had asked for details, they had been unwilling to clarify their statements so that she might do anything to protect herself.

How could she know what to guard against, if no one would tell her the truth? When she asked who or what she needed to avoid, the best they would manage was a rueful shake of their heads, and the answer, Everything. They had packed her off to the country, where she would be bored but safe. And there would be no getting round Keddinton on the details of the trouble, or when it might be safe for her to return to London. Uncle Robert was the biggest spymaster in England. She might as well have tried to coax secrets out of the ballroom walls.

He was smiling at her now. And though his expression seemed harmless and friendly, she was sure his sharp grey eyes were as ever-watchful as a jailers. As if to confirm the fact, he said, I promised your father that I would keep you safe. And so I shall. It is an honour and a privilege to do so. But it must have been difficult for you to leave your friends in town.

It was no hardship to come here, she lied. You know that I always enjoy our visits. Although she was not sure why he felt the need to watch over her so closely. If there were evil people who wished to harm her, did it not make more sense to find and cage them, instead of standing guard on her as though they expected her to instigate the problem through her own foolishness?

Lady Keddinton added her thoughts to her husbands. We want to make sure that you are not feeling blue. And we will give you opportunity to continue to socialize. For I know your family had hoped that, by now, you would have made a match.

Next page