Since the death of her father, Lady Emma de Leon has lived
a lonely existence in the court of King Stephen of England.
Although her father traitorously supported Queen Maud in
the Anarchy, Emma is kept in court because of her royal
Welsh blood and rumors that she's a descendent of King
Arthur. Her sister Gwendolyn is married to the noble who
was awarded their family's estate, and her younger sister
Nicole has been sent to a nunnery. Emma is trying to appeal
Nicole's fate and have her removed from the nunnery when
she sees the man of her dreams -- or more precisely, the
man
she saw in a vision she had when she was twelve. Since the
man, Darien of Bruges, has just been falsely accused of
murdering a nobleman and is about to be hanged, Emma thinks
fast and provides an alibi by swearing to the king that
they were together in her bed. The king demands they marry
on the spot and sends them out of the city.
Although he is glad to be free, Darien of Bruges doesn't
want a wife. He wants to find the true murderer who stole
his dagger and framed him. As he travels with Emma, he's
acutely aware that she's a noblewoman, while he is no more
than a mercenary and assassin. Lady Emma tries to avoid her
visions and the terrible truths they bring, but she cannot
forget the erotic vision of Darien in her bed. She isn't
sure it will come true, but with each passing day, her hope
increases.
The mid-12th century English civil war between Stephen and
Maud is a popular setting in fiction, most notably Ken
Follett's classic novel THE PILLARS OF THE EARTH and
the Cadfael mystery series from Ellis Peters. In
this second book in her enchanting trilogy, Shari
Anton continues the stories of the three magical
daughters of a man who was a traitor to King Stephen. As in
the previous book, the heroine, Lady Emma, has been given
magic that she initially doesn't understand or accept. I am
eagerly anticipating the final book in this trilogy; I'm
looking forward to reading the story of the headstrong
younger sister and also discovering if she shares the
magical gifts of her older sisters.
Lady Emma de Leon has just seen the man she knows will-nay,
must-become her lover. Ambivalent as she is about her
psychic gifts, she has been unable to forget the man who
once came to her in a vision, touching her body with his
strong hands and piercing her with desire. Now here he is,
in the flesh-and Emma can't resist risking all for this
dark-eyed stranger who's accused of murder.
THE WIFE HE NEVER WANTED
A mercenary by trade, Darian of Bruges finds himself in the
center of a royal plot-and forced to marry Emma by the
king's decree. Wed only to his freedom, the last thing he
wants is a wife. But to confront his past and inherit his
future, he must do what he finds hardest of all: surrender
to a woman...
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