One Magic Moment
Lynn Kurland
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Chapter 1 - SEDGWICK CASTLE, ENGLAND PRESENT DAY
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Teaser chapter
Praise for the novels of New York Times bestselling author Lynn Kurland
One Enchanted Evening
“Kurland presents another triumphant romance . . . Readers unfamiliar with her works will have great joy and ease in following the story of Montgomery and Pippa, and longtime readers will exult in having more familial pieces fall into place.”
—Fresh Fiction
“A perfect blend of medieval intrigue and time-travel romance. I was totally enthralled from the beginning to the end.”
—Once Upon a Romance
“One Enchanted Evening is another of the de Piaget series woven with magic, handsome heroes, lovely heroines, oodles of fun, and plenty of romance . . . a typical Lynn Kurland book—beautifully written with an enchanting, entertaining, and just plain wonderful story line.”
—Romance Reviews Today
“Montgomery and Pippa were a delightful hero and heroine. Humorous, touching, and full of fun, this tale was really entertaining.”
—The Romance Dish
“This latest installment of the de Piaget romance series will not disappoint Ms. Kurland’s fans.”
—Smexy Books Romance Reviews
“Readers will be entranced with One Enchanted Evening as much as I was.”
—A Romance Review
“Humor is always a big factor in Kurland’s delightful tales, and that holds true for this one. Enchanting!”
—Romantic Times Book Reviews
Till There Was You
“Till There Was You proves Kurland’s mastery of time travel, and has forced this reviewer to impatiently wait and see who she will write about next.”
—Romance Novel TV
“A fantastic story that will delight both readers who are familiar with the families and those who aren’t.”
—Romance Reviews Today (Perfect 10 Award)
“This is an amusing time-travel romance starring a terrific, fully developed hero whose good intentions, present and past, are devastated by love.”
—Midwest Book Review
“One of those feel-good romances that expertly mixes past with present to prove that love endures all things and outlasts almost everything, including time itself. With an eye to detail and deliciously vivid imagery, this paranormal tale of matchmaking comes fully to life . . . Spellbinding and lovely, this is one story readers won’t want to miss.”
—Romance Reader at Heart
With Every Breath
“As always, [Kurland] delivers a delightful read!”
—Romantic Times (4 stars)
“Kurland is a skilled enchantress . . . With Every Breath is breathtaking in its magnificent scope, a true invitation to the delights of romance.”
—Night Owl Romance
When I Fall in Love
“Kurland infuses her polished writing with a deliciously dry wit, and her latest time-travel love story is sweetly romantic and thoroughly satisfying.”
—Booklist
“The continuation of a wonderful series, this story can also be read alone. It’s an extremely good book.”
—Affaire de Coeur
Much Ado in the Moonlight
“A pure delight.”
—Huntress Book Reviews
“A consummate storyteller . . . [Kurland] will keep the reader on the edge of their seat, unable to put the book down until the very last word.”
—ParaNormal Romance
“No one melds ghosts and time travel better than the awesome Kurland.”
—Romantic Times
Dreams of Stardust
“Kurland weaves another fabulous read with just the right amounts of laughter, romance, and fantasy.”
—Affaire de Coeur
“Kurland crafts some of the most ingenious time-travel romances readers can find . . . wonderfully clever and completely enchanting.”
—Romantic Times
A Garden in the Rain
“Kurland laces her exquisitely romantic, utterly bewitching blend of contemporary romance and time travel with a delectable touch of tart wit, leaving readers savoring every word of this superbly written romance.”
—Booklist
“Kurland is clearly one of romance’s finest writers—she consistently delivers the kind of stories readers dream about. Don’t miss this one.”
—The Oakland Press
From This Moment On
“A disarming blend of romance, suspense, and heartwarming humor, this book is romantic comedy at its best.”
—Publishers Weekly
“A deftly plotted delight, seasoned with a wonderfully wry sense of humor and graced with endearing, unforgettable characters.”
—Booklist
My Heart Stood Still
“Written with poetic grace and a wickedly subtle sense of humor . . . romance with characters readers will come to care about and a love story they will cherish.”
—Booklist
“A totally enchanting tale, sensual and breathtaking.”
—Rendezvous
If I Had You
“Kurland brings history to life . . . in this tender medieval romance.”
—Booklist
“A passionate story filled with danger, intrigue, and sparkling dialogue.”
—Rendezvous
The More I See You
“The superlative Ms. Kurland once again wows her readers with her formidable talent as she weaves a tale of enchantment that blends history with spellbinding passion and impressive characterization, not to mention a magnificent plot.”
—Rendezvous
Another Chance to Dream
“Kurland creates a special romance between a memorable knight and his lady.”
—Publishers Weekly
The Very Thought of You
“A masterpiece . . . this fabulous tale will enchant anyone who reads it.”
—Painted Rock Reviews
This Is All I Ask
“An exceptional read.”
—The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“Both powerful and sensitive . . . a wonderfully rich and rewarding book.”
—Susan Wiggs
Titles by Lynn Kurland
STARDUST OF YESTERDAY
A DANCE THROUGH TIME
THIS IS ALL I ASK
THE VERY THOUGHT OF YOU
ANOTHER CHANCE TO DREAM
THE MORE I SEE YOU
IF I HAD YOU
MY HEART STOOD STILL
FROM THIS MOMENT ON
A GARDEN IN THE RAIN
DREAMS OF STARDUST
MUCH ADO IN THE MOONLIGHT
WHEN I FALL IN LOVE
WITH EVERY BREATH
TILL THERE WAS YOU
ONE ENCHANTED EVENING
ONE MAGIC MO
MENT
The Novels of the Nine Kingdoms
STAR OF THE MORNING
THE MAGE’S DAUGHTER
PRINCESS OF THE SWORD
A TAPESTRY OF SPELLS
SPELLWEAVER
Anthologies
THE CHRISTMAS CAT
(with Julie Beard, Barbara Bretton, and Jo Beverley)
CHRISTMAS SPIRITS
(with Casey Claybourne, Elizabeth Bevarly, and Jenny Lykins)
VEILS OF TIME
(with Maggie Shayne, Angie Ray, and Ingrid Weaver)
OPPOSITES ATTRACT
(with Elizabeth Bevarly, Emily Carmichael, and Elda Minger)
LOVE CAME JUST IN TIME
A KNIGHT’S VOW
(with Patricia Potter, Deborah Simmons, and Glynnis Campbell)
TAPESTRY
(with Madeline Hunter, Sherrilyn Kenyon, and Karen Marie Moning)
TO WEAVE A WEB OF MAGIC
(with Patricia A. McKillip, Sharon Shinn, and Claire Delacroix)
THE QUEEN IN WINTER
(with Sharon Shinn, Claire Delacroix, and Sarah Monette)
A TIME FOR LOVE
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have control over and does not have any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
ONE MAGIC MOMENT
A Jove Book / published by arrangement with Kurland Book Productions, Inc.
PRINTING HISTORY
Jove mass-market edition / May 2011
Copyright © 2011 by Kurland Book Productions, Inc.
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eISBN : 978-1-101-51455-9
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To my cousin-in-law, H. H.-B., PhD
Prologue
CHEVINGTON CASTLE, ENGLAND PRESENT DAY
The castle was crawling with the past.
The man stood on the edge of the forest and looked at the keep in front of him, considering the spectacle that greeted his eyes. He was no ghost hunter, to be sure, but even he could bear witness to the paranormal activity going on under his nose. The air was full of the sounds of shouts of men in battle, the whinnies of horses, the ringing of swords. None of it was surprising, given the number of skirmishes the keep had seen over the years. It had sat squarely between London and the Scottish border for centuries, hosted queens and their lovers, been a refuge for noblemen and villains alike.
And the last had been just the lads in his family.
It was, or so he’d heard, a favorite destination for all manner of paranormal investigators, which he could easily understand. The bloody place gave him the willies, and he’d been born there.
Several years ago, as it happened.
He tucked his hands into the pockets of his very modern though stylishly rustic barn jacket and leaned against an acceptably sturdy tree so he could continue to watch the goings-on and rest his old bones at the same time. Along with the allure it seemed to have for ghost hunters, Chevington also seemed to draw a fair number of reenactment troupes. There was, he would freely admit, ample room on the grounds for the holding of mock tourneys and entertainments, and there were certainly enough otherworldly players milling about to lend the scene a certain air of authenticity.
The National Trust had taken over the place many years earlier and done a credible job of preserving its history and keeping it from being overrun by nutters in tights. The only slight irritation was that even though he’d trotted out his finest gentlemanly manners, he’d left the old woman manning the ticket booth unwilling to accept his most charming smile as entrance fee. Nay, twelve quid it had been to merely walk over the grounds of his own bloody home.
Not that he’d lived there in years, of course. How many years was something he’d shared with only a pair of souls, souls he had trusted implicitly. The bulk of his time had been spent on his private business: popping in here and there; dashing back out when things became tedious; living a life he never could have imagined in his youth—
He frowned as something unusual caught his eye—and considering where he was, that was saying something indeed. The living history enthusiasts were dressed in their usual garb, doing their usual things, save one lad who seemed to hold himself aloof and apart, pacing along the ridge of an earthen bulwark as if he had done the same many times before. The lad wasn’t overly tall and his hood obscured all but a flash of fair hair, but still, there was something about the way he moved that seemed familiar somehow.
The old man blinked, but the hooded figure had suddenly disappeared into the crowd and thereby become lost to his view. He frowned thoughtfully. He had returned to England because he’d felt—how to put it?—as if Fate had been tapping him on the shoulder, then pointing to where he should be looking. He scanned the group in front of him again for possible clues, then shook his head slowly. Perhaps age had rendered him foolish and imaginative. Obviously he needed a bit of a rest. Perhaps he would indulge in a restorative weekender in the south of France where he would find superior fare to ingest and beautiful women to admire. Aye, that was just the thing for him.
Besides, what was there left for him to do in damp, chilly England? He’d put into motion all the things he could and watched as a fortuitous circumstance or two had done what he could not. All that was left for him to do was wait and see how Fate carried on.
Of course, he wasn’t above sticking a pole in her spokes, as it were, to put her off her course and onto his if necessary, but he didn’t imagine there was a need for that quite yet.
He saw again that flash of blond hair, which bothered him. He almost considered marching off into the fray, as it were, but good sense prevailed. Many Englishmen had fair hair and many others a fondness for the history of their ancestors. There was nothing unusual about the sight.
Which didn’t explain why the hair on the back of his neck was standing up, but perhaps he could consider that later, when he wasn’t standing out in a light drizzle that had quite suddenly turned into a bit of sleeting rain that stung where it struck
his cheeks.
He turned his collar up against the weather. Perhaps he would follow the instinct that had brought him to England and put off his holiday in order to do a little snooping in the current environs. He ignored an intense desire for a proper afternoon’s tea and a hot fire and kept his attention on what was in front of him. He could safely say that he wasn’t orchestrating the affairs of those around him for merely altruistic reasons.
His life, as it happened, depended on it.
Chapter 1
SEDGWICK CASTLE, ENGLAND PRESENT DAY
