Courtney Milan - Unclaimed

Praise for USA TODAY bestselling author
C OURTNEY M ILAN

An addictively readable tale of revenge and redemption,
love and family, Unveiled is brilliant.

Booklist

An exquisitely sensual and unforgettable romance by one of the genres incandescent new stars.

Booklist (starred review) on Trial by Desire

Milans strength of writing draws the reader into her deeply emotional love stories, which are romantic yet brimming over with sexual tension and marvelous charactersfilled with enough wit and wisdom to make it a keeper.

RT Book Reviews on Trial by Desire (Top Pick)

Historical romance fans will celebrate Milans powerhouse debut, which comes with a full complement of humor, characterization, plot and sheer gutsiness.

Publishers Weekly (starred review) on Proof by Seduction

A brilliant debutdeeply romantic, sexy and smart.

New York Times bestselling author Eloisa James on Proof by Seduction

One of the finest historical romances Ive read in years.

New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn on Proof by Seduction

With a tender, passionate romance, a touch of sly humor, and a gruff and incredibly sexy hero, Courtney Milans Proof by Seduction is a delicious read from the first page all the way to the very satisfying ending.

New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Hoyt

Also available from
Courtney Milan
and HQN Books

Proof by Seduction

Trial by Desire

Unveiled

COURTNEY M ILAN

Unclaimed

Dear Reader,

Ive always wanted to write a rock-star hero. Unfortunately, I write historical romances, and that means no burning guitars, no long, unkempt hair. I had pretty much chalked that one up to lost causes for good. Then I started thinking about the sorts of things that would be popular in the nineteenth century. Sure, they wouldnt go for Bon Jovi. But there were popular men back thenmen like Beau Brummel or Lord Byron. Once you venture into early Victorian times, you can imagine what would prove popular: Novelists. Prince Albert. Books on public morality.

Which is why my Victorian-era rock star is Sir Mark Turner, who wrote a book on chastity. Mark is more than a little embarrassed by his popularity. And unlike modern celebrities, he cant fall back on sex, drugs and rock n roll. He doesnt do drugs. Rock n roll hasnt been invented yet. And as for sexwell, youll have to read the book to find out.

I thought you might enjoy a membership card to his most embarrassing fan club for kicks.

Courtney

Once again, an army went into making this book as strong as it could be. Tessa, Amy and Leigh all helped with brainstorming. Kristin Nelson, my amazing agent, and the rest of the agency staff, Sara, Anita and Lindsay, smoothed the way on a thousand counts. My editor, Margo Lipschultz, tirelessly worked to make this the best book it could be, and didnt flinch too much when I said the hero was a virgin. Thanks to Libby Sternberg, for copyediting above and beyond the call of duty. The team at Harlequin produced my favorite cover yet.

The Vanettes helped with cover copy. The Pixies, Destination Debut and the Loop that Must Not Be Named helped with sanity. Franzeca Drouin, as always, saved me more times than I could count. Elyssa Papa holds a special place in my heart for catching a mistake that would have been very embarrassing, and Kim Castillo made my life easy in a thousand other ways. And my husband didnt complain (much) when I went to England without him.

Last but not least, I owe a debt of gratitude to those who helped with the research for this book. Lorraine Pratten and Sue Wilson at Shepton Mallets Tourist Information and Heritage Centre answered numerous questions. I relied extensively on Fred Davies and Alan Stoness accounts of historical Shepton Mallet, and would never have found Friars Oven without the walking guide from the Mendip Ramblers. Thanks!

Unclaimed

For Wathel. Who was always my sister,
even when she was very, very far away.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

AUTHORS NOTE

CHAPTER ONE

London
June, 1841

SIR M ARK T URNER did not look like any virgin that Jessica had ever seen before.

Perhaps, she mused, it was because he was surrounded by women.

The uneven glass of the taproom window obscured the tableau unfolding across the street. Not that she would have been able to see anything, even had she been standing in the muck of the road. After all, it had taken less than a minute for the mob to form. The instant Sir Mark had come out the door across the way, a carriage had come to an abrupt halt. A pair of young ladies had spilled out, tugged along by an eager chaperone. Two elderly matrons, strolling along the gangway, had laid eyes on him a few moments later and darted in front of a cart with surprising speed.

The oldest woman now had one clawed hand on the cuff of his greatcoat and the other on her caneand she was merely the most aggressive of his hangers-on. Sir Mark was thronged on all sides by womenand the occasional man, sporting one of those ridiculous blue rose cockades on his hat. Jessica could see nothing of him through the crowd but the gray of his coat and a glint of golden hair. Still, she could imagine him flashing that famous smile reproduced in woodcuts in all the newspapers: a confident, winning grin, as if he were aware that he was the most sought-after bachelor in London.

Jessica had no desire to join the throng around Sir Mark. She had no autograph book to wave at him, and the likes of her wouldnt have been welcomed in any event.

Sir Mark handled the crowd well. He didnt bask in the attention, as the men of Jessicas acquaintance might have done. Neither did he shrink from the pressing women. Instead, he ordered them about with an air of gentle commandsigning the little books with a pencil he produced from a pocket, shaking handsall the while making his way inexorably toward the street corner, where a carriage stood.

When Jessica thought of virgins, she imagined youths plagued by red spots or youngsters who wore thick spectacles and spoke with a stammer. She didnt think of blond men with clean-shaven, angular faces. She certainly didnt imagine tall fellows whose smiles lit up the dark, rainy street. It all went to show: Jessica knew nothing of virgins.

Hardly a surprise. Shed not spoken to a single one, not in all her years in London.

Beside her, George Weston let out a snort. Look at him, he scoffed. Hes acting like a damned jackanapesparading up and down the street as if he owned the place.

Jessica traced her finger against the window. In point of fact, Sir Marks brother, newly the Duke of Parford, did own half the buildings on the street. It would annoy Weston if she corrected him, and so for a moment, she considered doing so.

But then, Sir Marks presence was irritation enough. Some days, it seemed as if every society paper in London sent out a new issue every time he sneezed. Not much of an exaggeration. How many times had she passed post-boys waving scandal sheets, headlines a half-page high declaring: Sir Mark: Threatened by Illness?

He must think, Weston continued, that just because his brother is a duke he spat those words and the Queen has shown him a little favor, that he can caper about, displacing everyone who stands as his better. Did you know theyre considering him for Commissioner?