Free Delight and Desire by JOANNA MAITLAND

will not live to see. He spent his life pursuing that feud, and now he is equally determined to see it finished. He is not a man to cross, even now. And his mind is still sharp enough to have found a way.’
    ‘But how?’
    ‘He is making a new will. He will leave a large legacy to Archibald Ritchie, with a dying man’s wish that it be used to restore the Ritchies’ standing in the world. In return, my father asks only that yours will bless the union of our two families, and care for his grandchildren.’ He touched a finger to Isobel’s cheek and wiped away a stray tear. ‘I pray that your father will not refuse.’
    ‘He—’ She stopped and thought hard. She should know her father well enough to be sure. ‘My father is stubborn, but he is an honourable man. I hope…I think he will feel bound to accept.’ She gazed up at her beloved husband through her tears. ‘If only your poor papa did not have to die to accomplish this. It seems so very sad…’
    ‘Aye, and so it is. But he would not have you weep, my darling. He would have us celebrate life, and the love we have found together.’ He lifted her fingers and laid them on the very definite evidence of his need.
    Isobel sighed in satisfaction and curled her hand round his flesh, tightening her grasp until he groaned, deep in his chest.
    ‘You truly do know how to torment a man, Mrs Anstruther.’
    ‘Not any man, sir. Only the one man who showed me how very special love can be, when it is given and returned in equal measure.’ She slid her hand up his hard length, until he arched his neck with the exquisite agony of it. She squeezed again.
    ‘That, madam, is quite enough of that.’ His voice was little more than a gasp. With a deft flick, he rolled her on to her back and settled into the cradle of her hips. ‘What I need now is all of you.’ He slid into her body in one long, glorious stroke and then stilled. ‘I have you now, my love. And tomorrow,’ he whispered into her ear, his mouth so close that his breath made her shiver deliciously, ‘I think I shall take you back to Caerlaverock. I shall make love to you there in the twilight, under the stars. My darling nymph shall be earthbound, for ever. We were so nearly star-crossed lovers. Let us show those old stones that twilight lovers can live for each other, too.’
    And then he kissed her, and it was as if the whole canopy of stars was enfolding them, and smiling down on their union.
     
    Readers can meet the Anstruthers again in Bride of the Solway, published as a Harlequin Historical in September 2010.

 
    If you liked this story, look for more of Joanna Maitland’s historical romances always available in ebook format!
    His Cavalry Lady
    His Forbidden Liaison
    His Reluctant Mistress
    His Silken Seduction
    A Regency Invitation , “An Uncommon Abigail”
    And don’t forget The Bride of Solway , connected to Delight and Desire , on sale now!

    If Cassandra Elliott does not escape from the Laird of Galloway, she’ll be forced into marriage or confined to Bedlam! Desperate, she turns to Captain Ross Graham, and begs for help in a most unladylike manner.
    Fleeing across the Solway, Cassie and Ross cannot be distracted by a desire as wild as the Scottish hills. When Cassie is kidnapped, Ross realizes exactly what this spirited, seductive woman has come to mean to him…but will he find her in time to tell her?

 
    Enjoy more passion through the ages with the sensual Harlequin Historical UNDONE titles on sale now:
    The Taming of Mei Lin by Jeannie Lin
    A Scandalous Liaison by Elizabeth Rolls
    Pleasured by the Viking by Michelle Willingham
    Arabian Nights with a Rake by Bronwyn Scott
    Bitten by Desire by Marguerite Kaye
    The Virgin’s Pursuit by Joanne Rock
    Innocent in the Harem by Michelle Willingham
    Taming Her Gypsy Lover by Christine Merrill
    The Laird and the Wanton Widow by Ann Lethbridge
    The Highlander and the Sea Siren by Marguerite Kaye
    Convenient Wife, Pleasured Lady by Carole