The Highlander's Princess Bride
Vanessa Kelly
KISSED BY A HIGHLANDER
He softly chuckled, then let go of her hand only to capture her chin between his fingers. “Miss Knight, have I told you lately how happy I am that I hired you?”
She stared at him, once more transfixed by his amazing eyes. “I think you have, from time to time, communicated your appreciation.”
When he chuckled again, she couldn’t help wincing at how starched up she sounded.
A silence fell over the room, broken only by the occasional pop of the embers and the slow, steady rhythm of his breath. And perhaps he could hear the thrumming of her heart, which was beating so hard she wanted to press a hand to her chest. It seemed impossible to move, even though she should be scrambling to put distance between them.
His gaze slid down to her mouth, and then he tilted her chin up to bring her closer as he leaned in. He was going to kiss her, and she couldn’t do a thing to stop him.
Correction. She didn’t wish to do a thing to stop him, even though stern warnings were writing themselves across her brain in big, black letters.
His warm breath whispered over her face. “Och, lassie, I don’t believe I’ve shown my appreciation quite enough.”
It was the brogue that did it, by adding a rough, husky note that seduced her as nothing else could have. Her eyelids fluttered shut, her entire being waiting for his kiss....
Books by Vanessa Kelly
MASTERING THE MARQUESS
SEX AND THE SINGLE EARL
MY FAVORITE COUNTESS
HIS MISTLETOE BRIDE
The Renegade Royals
SECRETS FOR SEDUCING A ROYAL BODYGUARD
CONFESSIONS OF A ROYAL BRIDEGROOM
HOW TO PLAN A WEDDING FOR A ROYAL SPY
HOW TO MARRY A ROYAL HIGHLANDER
The Improper Princesses
MY FAIR PRINCESS
THREE WEEKS WITH A PRINCESS
THE HIGHLANDER’S PRINCESS BRIDE
AN INVITATION TO SIN
(with Jo Beverley, Sally MacKenzie,
and Kaitlin O’Riley)
Published by Kensington Publishing Corporation
The Highlander’s
PRINCESS BRIDE
VANESSA KELLY
ZEBRA BOOKS
KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP.
http://www.kensingtonbooks.com
All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.
Table of Contents
KISSED BY A HIGHLANDER
Books by Vanessa Kelly
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
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
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Epilogue
ZEBRA BOOKS are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th Street
New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2017 by Vanessa Kelly
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
To the extent that the image or images on the cover of this book depict a person or persons, such person or persons are merely models, and are not intended to portray any character or characters featured in the book.
If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the Publisher and neither the Author nor the Publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”
Zebra and the Z logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.
ISBN: 978-1-4201-4113-9
eISBN-13: 978-1-4201-4114-6
eISBN-10: 1-4201-4114-7
To Debbie Mason and The Piano Guys—
thank you for helping me find the heart and soul of
The Highlander’s Princess Bride.
With grateful thanks to my agent, my editor, and
all the wonderful folks at Kensington
who do such a splendid job with my books.
You’re the best!
Chapter One
November 1816
London
“I never meant to kill him. Not for the most part.” Victoria Knight hesitated, because honesty compelled her to make the hideous admission. “For just a second, I probably did wish him dead,” she added.
When Sir Dominic Hunter and Aden St. George exchanged knowing glances, Victoria grimaced. “I know that makes me an awful person. I wouldn’t blame you for marching me straight to Newgate and washing your hands of my very existence.”
Chloe, Lady Hunter, patted Victoria’s hand. “Nonsense. Fletcher was obviously a villain of the first order. No sensible person could blame you for defending yourself.”
Victoria and Chloe sat on the silk chaise in the back drawing room of the Hunters’ London town house. The late afternoon sun filtered through the sash windows, casting a soft glow on the cream- and rose-colored carpet and the elegantly papered yellow walls. An elaborate silver tea service sat on the low table in front of the chaise, but the generous plates of little sandwiches and iced teacakes were mostly untouched. Apparently, Victoria wasn’t the only person in the room lacking appetite.
“I do blame myself,” she said gloomily. “If I’d thought about it, I’m sure I could have found a better way to manage the situation than pushing Mr. Fletcher down the stairs.”
“But you didn’t have time to think, that’s the point,” said Lady Vivien St. George. Perched opposite Victoria on the edge of a Sheridan chair that was as graceful and dainty as the lady herself, Vivien gazed at her with earnest concern. “Besides, Lord knows how many people Aden has killed over the years. It’s not like the tendency doesn’t run in the family.”
Victoria blinked, unsure how to respond to that startling declaration. Aden had served for several years under Wellington’s command in some vague capacity she had yet to understand. It apparently involved dispatching large numbers of people. As she eyed his tall, powerful frame and his austere, intimidating air of competence, she could well believe it.
“For God’s sake, Vivien,” Aden said from the wingback chair beside her. “That is hardly a helpful observation, nor is it germane to this particular situation.”
Vivien shrugged, unmoved by his scold. “I’m simply telling the truth, dearest. And, by the way, your cousins are just as bad when it comes to piling up dead bodies.”
“My goodness,” Victoria said. Those cousins were hers, too, and all illegitimate sons of royal dukes. She’d never met them and was beginning to think she preferred to keep it that way. They sounded much too exciting.
“The blackguards were all deserving of their fates,” Aden said, “as you well know.”
“As was the man who attacked Victoria,” his wife replied. Then she flashed an apologetic smile at Victoria. “Forgive me. I mean to say, Miss Knight.”
“There’s no need to apologize,” Victoria said, smiling a
t the charming, willowy blonde. “After all, we are . . .”
“Sisters-in-law?” Lady Vivien finished.
“Yes, I suppose we are,” Victoria said, feeling awkward. She’d been introduced to Lady Vivien only this morning.
Like Aden, Victoria was an illegitimate child of the Prince Regent. She’d met her half-brother for the first time last year, and had only seen him once since then. Aden’s mother was a wealthy dowager countess, whose husband had accepted her son as his own. Victoria’s mamma, however, had been the unmarried daughter of an innkeeper. While he was a fairly prosperous innkeeper to be sure, Grandpapa had spent his life waiting on members of the ton, not socializing with them. To the lords and gentlemen who’d passed under the lintel of the Royal Stag Inn, Rose Knight had been little better than a barmaid—good enough for a romp, but certainly not marriage.
Aden was a powerful man, with a position at court and a wife who was the daughter of an earl. Victoria was only a governess and an unemployed one at that. She would never presume on her relationship with the St. Georges, despite their kindness.
“Indeed we are in-laws,” Vivien said with a warm smile. Then she tilted her head. “Although we look enough alike to be sisters. I always wanted a sister.”
“That’s very kind, but no one could ever think so,” Victoria protested. “You’re so elegant.”
She winced as soon as the clumsy words had passed her lips. But they were true, since Vivien was a diamond of the first water. Victoria, on the other hand, was entirely ordinary—perfectly neat and pleasant to look at, but no more than that.
“You’re both delightful young women and, Victoria, you’re as much a member of this family as Vivien,” Dominic said. “As I’ve said on more than one occasion.”
“And look how I’ve repaid you,” she said with a sigh. “I’ve handed you quite an awful mess.”
“I’ve dealt with far worse, as has Aden. We’ll get you out of this, never fear.”
“Lady Welgate said she would see me hanged for murder.” Victoria pressed a hand to her chest at the memory of her former employer’s rage.
Chloe wrapped her in a comforting hug. “I’m sure that was simply her grief talking. Please remember that you were defending yourself from a monstrous attack.”
“I wish Mr. Fletcher’s family shared your view,” Victoria said.
Dominic went to a sideboard that held a number of crystal decanters and matching tumblers and wineglasses. “You may be sure I will be telling Mr. Fletcher’s family exactly how to think about this matter,” he said as he brought her back a half-filled tumbler.
Victoria hesitantly sipped the brandy. It made her throat burn, but she welcomed the warmth that soothed her shaken nerves.
“We haven’t wanted to press you, my dear,” Chloe said, “since you only arrived last night. But the more we know about the incident, the more we can be of assistance to you.”
Dominic and Chloe had insisted that she relax after her precipitous arrival in London. They’d had a quiet family supper and then spent an hour playing with Chloe and Dominic’s little boy. Victoria had been almost pathetically grateful for their sensitivity, welcoming the small break from the nightmare of the last few days.
“Aden and I can wait in my library,” Dominic said, “so you can speak freely to the ladies.”
Victoria had known Dominic since she was a little girl. He’d never been anything but kind and supportive, especially after the death of first her mother and then Grandpapa Knight a few years later.
“I have no secrets from any of you,” she said. “If my account of that horrid day can help, then I’m happy to tell you more. I promise I will not succumb to the vapors.”
“That’s the spirit,” Aden said. His easy acceptance of her was a surprise, and quite wonderful.
She returned his smile, then absently rubbed the plain twill fabric of her sleeve. “I hardly know where to start.”
“Perhaps by telling us about Mr. Fletcher,” Chloe suggested. “After all, he’s the cause of this dreary state of affairs.”
Dreary hardly began to cover it. “Very well. Thomas Fletcher was Lady Welgate’s brother. I met him shortly after I took up my duties as governess to the Welgate daughters. He often visited his sister’s household.”
“I attended school with one of Lord Welgate’s sisters,” Vivien said. “I found him to be a very kind gentleman. Lady Welgate, however, is a rude, sour-tempered woman. I was surprised when Welgate married her.”
“He didn’t have much choice,” Dominic said. “Welgate’s father was a gambler and a spendthrift who all but destroyed his legacy. Serena Fletcher’s father, however, built substantial fortunes in shipping and tobacco. Her dowry saved a distinguished family from ruin.”
“No one in this family would hold Lady Welgate’s background against her,” Chloe said. “Most of us have what can only be described as mixed parentage, at best.”
“True,” replied Dominic. “But Vivien is correct in her assessment. While I have a great deal of respect for her husband, Lady Welgate is another matter entirely.”
Dominic had counseled Victoria not to take the position, but the lure of working for such a well-regarded family that could give her excellent recommendations and a good salary had been too enticing. She should have listened to him.
“Her ladyship was not the easiest person to please,” she said, “but I’d been managing it without too much trouble.”
While Lady Welgate had been something of a harridan, Victoria had grown up in a houseful of brusque, sometimes-difficult women and was versed in dealing with the type. She’d made a point of performing her tasks with alacrity, and she’d never contradicted her mistress. Fortunately, her two charges, surprisingly well-mannered girls of six and eight, had taken a shine to her.
All in all, life in the sometimes-volatile household had been perfectly satisfactory until Thomas Fletcher had slinked onto the scene.
“Clearly her brother was not as easy to manage,” Aden said.
“He was not. I made a point of never being alone with him. Unfortunately, he became . . .” Victoria hesitated, groping for the right word. Even now it seemed ridiculous. She was the last sort of woman for any man to pursue with such single-minded focus, especially not a roué like Thomas Fletcher.
“Obsessed with you?” Chloe said.
Victoria winced. “I suspect he saw me as something of a challenge. The more I avoided him, the more determined he became.”
In the weeks before the incident, Fletcher had all but moved into his brother-in-law’s household. It seemed that every time she rounded the corner of a quiet hallway or went to the library to fetch a book, he would be lurking about, waiting to catch her alone.
“I’m grieved you had to endure such a dreadful situation,” Vivien said, her voice tight. “Before I married Aden, I found myself in similar circumstances. One feels enraged and helpless.”
Victoria nodded. “That’s exactly how I felt.”
“But you took action even before Fletcher attacked you,” Dominic pointed out.
“Yes. When he insisted I become his mistress, I knew I could no longer manage the situation.” Victoria shuddered, recalling the way he’d backed her against the door of her bedroom and put his hands on her. Fortunately, a maid had come along, allowing her to make her escape. “I spoke to Lord Welgate immediately, who promised to instruct Mr. Fletcher to leave me alone.”
“And yet the bounder did not obey,” Chloe said in a quietly furious tone.
“For a few days he did,” Victoria said. “In fact, he made a point of ignoring me if Lord or Lady Welgate were nearby, or if I was with the children. But it was evident he was very angry that I’d gone to his brother-in-law to complain.”
When she was out on the terrace, playing with her charges one day, she’d glanced at the library’s French doors and caught sight of Fletcher standing there. The look on his face, a horrible mix of hatred and lust, had almost stopped her heart.
And h
is hand had been on his groin as he’d watched her play with his two little nieces. She could hardly imagine how any man could be so depraved, and it had frightened and infuriated her in equal measure.
“Did he threaten you?” asked Dominic.
“No, but he made his intentions clear,” she said quietly. “There was no misunderstanding them.”
Dominic looked grim, but nodded for her to continue.
“I decided to write to you that evening of my intention to return to my family in Brighton until I could find new employment. I was going to inform Lord Welgate of my plans as soon as he returned from his short trip to London, and then leave immediately thereafter.”
Victoria would rue that delay forever. She should have packed her bags immediately and walked back to Brighton if she’d had to. But Lord Welgate had always treated her with kindness, and she’d not wished to show him even the slightest hint of disrespect. So she’d taken the risk that Fletcher would not have the nerve to attack her in his sister’s household, with two small children sleeping just down the hall. It had been a monstrous miscalculation.
“It was stupid of me to wait,” she said with a grimace.
“You did nothing wrong, Victoria,” Aden said firmly, “so, get that out of your head right this instant.”
“Your brother is right,” said Chloe. “The fact that you were not safe in your employer’s household is a reflection only on Fletcher and his sister.”
Victoria gave them a shaky smile. Most people would think her the guilty party, either for putting herself in harm’s way or for “casting out lures,” as Lady Welgate had put it. Life was often precarious for female servants, even in the best of households. She supposed she’d been lucky to reach the advanced age of twenty-five before finding out for herself just how ugly things could become.
