The Sins of Lord Easterbrook Read online

  PRAISE FOR THE NOVELS OF MADELINE HUNTER

  SECRETS OF SURRENDER

  “With each new book, Hunter displays more of her unique ability to draw readers into a heated romance that speaks to the body, mind and heart.…. Her exceptional storytelling is mesmerizing.”

  —Romantic Times

  “Beautifully written and containing a cast of characters that provide a solid backdrop to this interesting and emotional story, Secrets of Surrender is a page-turner.”

  —Romance Reviews Today

  “[A] captivating, compelling story of two people succeeding against all odds.”

  —Booklist

  THE RULES OF SEDUCTION

  “Hunter is masterful at drawing readers in and creating realistic characters and powerful emotions so that each of her romances both satisfies readers and leaves them anxious for the next book.”

  —Booklist

  “Rich in plot and characters, rich in wit and emotion, and rich in satisfaction for any reader.”

  —Romance Reviews Today

  “A carefully crafted, riveting romance showcasing Hunter's talent for both great storytelling and unforgettable romance. Her strong hero and equally fascinating heroine make this an irresistible read.…. Hunter finds herself in the enviable position of being a writer whose novels every reader will adore.”

  —Romantic Times

  LORD OF SIN

  “Snappily paced and bone-deep satisfying, Hunter's books are so addictive they should come with a surgeon general's warning. [Hunter] doesn't neglect the absorbing historical details that set her apart from most of her counterparts, engaging the reader's mind even as she deftly captures the heart.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  THE ROMANTIC

  “Every woman dreams of being the object of some man's secret passion, and readers will be swept away by Hunter's hero and her latest captivating romance.”

  —Booklist

  THE SINNER

  “Packed with sensuality and foreboding undertones, this book boasts rich historical details and characters possessing unusual depth and vitality, traits that propel it beyond the standard historical romance fare.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “Sensual, intriguing, and absorbing, prolific Hunter scores again.”

  —Booklist

  “There are books you finish with a sigh because they are so rich, so tender, so near to the heart that they will stay with you for a long, long time. Madeline Hunter's historical romance The Sinner is such a book.”

  —Oakland Press

  THE CHARMER

  “With its rich historical texture, steamy love scenes, and indelible protagonists, this book embodies the best of the genre.”

  —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

  “In yet another excellent offering from Hunter, her intriguing characters elicit both fascination and sympathy.”

  —Booklist

  THE SAINT

  “[An] unassuming, witty, and intriguing account of how love helps, not hinders, the achievement of dreams.”

  —Booklist

  THE SEDUCER

  “Hunter.…sweeps both her readers and her characters up in the embrace of history. Lush in detail and thrumming with sensuality, this offering will thrill those looking for a tale as rich and satisfying as a multi course gourmet meal.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “The Seducer is a well-crafted novel.… characteristically intense and frankly sexual.”

  —Contra Costa Times

  “[An] intriguing and redemptive tale.”

  —Booklist

  “Angst and passion battle it out in this very sensual story.”

  —Oakland Press

  LORD OF A THOUSAND NIGHTS

  “Hunter's fresh, singular voice and firm grasp of history set this lively 14th-century romance apart. An electrifying blend of history, romance, and intrigue, this fast-paced tale is a testament to Hunter's considerable narrative prowess.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “I have enjoyed every novel Ms. Hunter has penned to date, and it's difficult to say, but each one seems better than the one before. Lord of a Thousand Nights is no exception; it's a masterpiece of storytelling, one that stands alone as a superb read, as one I very highly recommend.”

  —Romance Reviews Today

  THE PROTECTOR

  “Hunter is at home with this medieval setting, and her talent for portraying intelligent, compelling characters seems to develop with each book. This feisty tale is likely to win her the broader readership she deserves.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “Madeline Hunter has restored my faith in historicals and in the medieval romance especially. The Protector is definitely a wonderful read.”

  —All About Romance

  BY DESIGN

  “Realistic details that make the reader feel they are truly living in the 13th century enhance a story of love that knows no bounds, not social, political, or economic barriers. Ms. Hunter's knowledge of the period and her ability to create three-dimensional characters who interact with history makes her an author medievalists will adore.”

  —Romantic Times

  “I'd heard a lot about the previous two books in this trilogy, By Arrangement and By Possession, but little did that prepare me for the experience that was reading this book. Whether you've already enjoyed Ms. Hunter's books or she is a new-to-you author, this is a wonderful, sensual, masterfully written tale of love overcoming odds, and one I heartily recommend.”

  —All About Romance

  “With each of the books in this series, Ms. Hunter's skill shines like a beacon.”

  —Rendevous

  “Ms. Hunter has raised the bar, adding depth and texture to the medieval setting. With well-crafted characters and a delightful love story, By Design is well-plotted and well-timed without the contrived plot twists so often used in romances. I highly recommend By Design to not only lovers of medieval romance but to all readers.”

  —Romance Reviews Today

  BY POSSESSION

  “With the release of this new volume, [Madeline Hunter] cements her position as one of the brightest new writers in the genre. Brimming with intelligent writing, historical detail, and passionate, complex protagonists.…Hunter makes 14th-century England come alive—from the details of its sights, sounds, and smells to the political context of this rebellious and dangerous time, when alliances and treason went hand in hand. For all the historical richness of the story, the romantic aspect is never lost, and the poignancy of the characters’ seemingly untamable love is truly touching.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “Madeline Hunter's tale is a pleasant read with scenes that show the writer's brilliance. By Possession is rich in description and details that readers of romance will savor.”

  —Oakland Press

  “Ms. Hunter skillfully weaves historical details into a captivating love story that resounds with sights, sounds, and more of the Middle Ages. This is another breathtaking romance from a talented storyteller.”

  —Romantic Times

  “With elegance and intelligence, Ms. Hunter consolidates her position as one of the best new voices in romantic fiction. I'm waiting on tenterhooks to see what is in store for readers in her next book, By Design.”

  —Romance Journal

  BY ARRANGEMENT

  “Debut author Hunter begins this new series with a thoroughly satisfying launch that leaves the reader eager for the next episode in the lives of her engaging characters.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “Romance author Madeline Hunter makes a dazzling debut into the genre with her medieval By Arrangement, a rich historical with
unforgettable characters.…. Layered with intrigue, history, passion, multidimensional characters, this book has it all. Quite simply, it's one of the best books I've read this year.”

  —Oakland Press

  “The first in a marvelous trilogy by a fresh voice in the genre, By Arrangement combines historical depth and riveting romance in a manner reminiscent of Roberta Gellis. Ms. Hunter has a true gift for bringing both history and her characters to life, making readers feel a part of the danger and pageantry of the era.”

  —Romantic Times

  “By Arrangement is richly textured, historically fascinating, and filled with surprises.”

  —All About Romance

  “Splendid in every way.”

  —Rendezvous

  ALSO BY MADELINE HUNTER

  BY ARRANGEMENT

  BY POSSESSION

  BY DESIGN

  THE PROTECTOR

  LORD OF A THOUSAND NIGHTS

  STEALING HEAVEN

  THE SEDUCER

  THE SAINT

  THE CHARMER

  THE SINNER

  THE ROMANTIC

  LORD OF SIN

  LADY OF SIN

  THE RULES OF SEDUCTION

  LESSONS OF DESIRE

  SECRETS OF SURRENDER

  CHAPTER

  ONE

  Silence. A dark, calm center absorbing chaos into its kJ stillness.

  The peaceful rhythm of inhales and exhales.

  A pulse. The fundamental beat of nature extending into infinity. Awareness of everything and nothing. No thoughts. No dreams. No hungers. Pure existence. Primeval knowing.

  Floating in the center now. Finally. Singular but also transcendent. Only the pulse in the darkness. Alone, but unified with a larger rhythm, the—

  A disturbance. A small, silent shout of caution and worry intruding into the perfect void.

  “Why are you creeping around, Phippen?”

  “My apologies, my lord. I thought—you appeared to be sleeping and I just thought to come in and remove the tray—”

  A louder shout. Fear now. Always fear. The world roared with it.

  “I will go at once, sir.”

  “Take the tray, Phippen. Let us make the disturbance worthwhile, at least.”

  Chaos. Dismay. Thumps and bumps and the brittle cacophony of metal and crockery crashing.

  “My abject apologies, sir. The footstool—I will have this cleaned off the carpet in a thrice. I will be gone faster than you can say Phippen is a fool.”

  “Phippen is a fool. I'll be damned, you are still here.”

  Noise. Sounds both audible and spiritual. Desperation amid clinks and sighs. The dark center shrinking, shrinking.…

  Christian, Marquess of Easterbrook, opened his eyes to view the servant whose intrusion had destroyed his meditation. Phippen, his new valet, tried to pick up the tray's contents without making any noise. Im possible, of course. A person's mere existence made noise.

  Flushed and on his hands and knees, Phippen gingerly placed the cup on the tray, cringing at its tiny sound. He took out his handkerchief to mop up the puddle of coffee threatening to stain the carpet.

  Fear. Worry. Anger too. Pique at himself as well as the new master whose habits made his job too hard.

  Phippen would not be staying long. Valets never did.

  Christian rose from his chair and walked over to Phippen. “Give me the tray. I will hold it while you gather the pieces.”

  “Very good, sir. Thank you, sir. That is too kind of you, my lord.”

  You are an ass, sir. An eccentric, erratic, incomprehensible— Another disturbance. An odd shaking within the remnants of the fading center.

  Christian closed his eyes and focused on that tremble. Distant but distinct, it had interfered with his meditations too often of late. Today it had taken forever to overcome its effects.

  He walked to the north windows. No one was in the garden. He paced down the length of his bedchamber to look out the south windows. The kneeling Phippen waved a saucer as he neared. Christian took it, put it on the tray, shoved the tray into Phippen's empty hand, and strode on. The sound of china tumbling again reached him just as he neared the window.

  In the street below a carriage waited outside the door of his house. A figure swept toward it, dodging the drizzle that so often accompanied spring weather in London. A woman of middling height and quick step, wearing a deep green dress, hopped into the carriage's twilight.

  A delicate nose. An elegant jaw.

  A melodic sigh from the past. He was sure that he heard it despite the distance and the closed window.

  His mind shed the last mists of his meditation. His blood reacted, violently. A different pulse now. Hard. Aggressive. He peered with total focus at that carriage.

  The woman's face was hidden by the angle of his high view and by her bonnet and the dim light. Her footman closed the door and her fingers reached to pull the curtain.

  A hand. Her hand. Impossible.…

  The footman moved toward the back of the carriage, to take his position in the rain. Only then did Christian notice the man. His attention had been so intent on the woman that he had not even seen the footman's eastern garments and long queue.

  “A coat, Phippen. Boots.”

  His valet rose with painful care, balancing the pile of china on the tray. “Very good, sir. I'll just set this outside the door and—”

  Christian grabbed the tray and slammed it down on a table so hard that the cup jumped. “Boots, man. Now.”

  Even getting barely dressed took too long. Christian admitted that by the time he descended to the house's public rooms.

  Common sense caught up with him at the top of the last flight of stairs. That carriage would be long gone, even with the crush around Grosvenor Square. Whether on foot or horse, he would never be able to follow it.

  He pivoted, strode to the drawing room, and entered.

  His aunt Henrietta and his young cousin Caroline sat together on a settee near one of the tall windows. Blond head to blond head, they gossiped about something. The progress of Caroline's second season most likely. Anxiety about Caroline's social life soaked the public rooms with its unceasing rain. It pattered down on him as soon as he opened the chamber's door.

  Henrietta greeted him with glistening, vague eyes and an artificial, blank smile. She sought to hide her irritation with his intrusion, which he knew as clearly as if she spoke it. Henrietta and her daughter lived here only because he had agreed to allow it in a rare fit of generosity a year ago. Now Hen wanted everyone to accept her as the mistress of the house, not a guest. Since he accepted nothing of the kind, his company was never welcomed.

  “Easterbrook, you are up and about early today.” Henrietta's gaze noted his boots with relief, but her eyes reflected her eternal vexation at the lack of a cravat and his unruly hair.

  “Is that inconvenient for you, Aunt Hen?”

  “Far be it for me to presume inconvenience. It is your home.”

  “I thought that perhaps you were still receiving callers. I noticed a carriage from my window, and hesitated to come down until your visitor had left.”

  “You should have joined us,” Caroline said. “You might have enjoyed her company more than Mama did. Our visitor is quite an original. I am surprised Mama did not send her away.”

  “I almost did,” Hen said. “However, one can never know how it will go with such people. She has both questionable fortune and background, but there is the chance that hostesses will overlook that because she is entertaining. Then where would I be if I had cut her when she made overtures?” She shook her head with perplexed exasperation. “It is always difficult to judge the odd ones. Nor is she truly odd. Not like Phaedra. More exotic than truly odd. There is a difference, Caroline, and one must be alert and careful to—”

  “What is her name?” Christian asked.

  His aunt blinked, startled. He never cared to know anything about her callers.

  “Her name is Miss Montgomer
y,” Caroline said. “Mama and I met her at a party last week. Her father was a merchant trader in the Far East but she claims a connection to Portuguese nobility through her mother. Miss Montgomery is visiting London for the first time in her life. She journeyed all the way from Macao.”

  “What did she want?”

  His aunt peered his way curiously. “It was a social call, Easterbrook. She only hoped to form a friendship that would help her make her way in town this season.”

  “I think that she is very interesting,” Caroline added.

  “Too interesting for a young girl to befriend,” Henrietta said. “She is too worldly for your association, Caroline. I suspect that she is an adventuress. Quite likely a charlatan too, in her story about her mother's blood.”

  “I do not think so,” Caroline said. “I also found her far more stimulating than most of the people who call.”

  Christian left the drawing room while his aunt and cousin bickered about Miss Montgomery. He sent for the butler, to learn the address that the recent visitor's calling card had borne.

  Leona Montgomery stepped around Tong Wei and angled her head toward the looking glass. She gave her reflection a critical gaze while she tied on her bonnet.

  Young, but not really young. Pretty, but not really pretty. English, but not really English.

  She sensed people itemizing the qualifications of her countenance and identity when they met her here in

  London. It had been different in Macao. Everyone there was “not really” something.

  Tong Wei finally rose from his knees. Leona glanced to the statue of Buddha that had occupied his attention. She was a Christian, but she understood her guard's devotion very well. Asian religious views affected everything in China, even among the European community.