A Match for Marcus Cynster Read online

  "Only when they walk into my arms."

  "I requested you to put me down."

  "You ordered me to put you down—and I did. Eventually."

  "Yes. But..." Her tirade—he was sure it would have been a tirade—died on her lips. She blinked at him. "You're English!"

  An accusation rather than an observation. Richard arched a brow. "Cynsters are."

  Eyes narrowing, she studied his face. "Norman descent?"

  He smiled, proudly arrogant. "We came over with the Conqueror." Smile deepening, he let his gaze sweep her. "We still like to dabble, of course." Looking up, he trapped her gaze. "To keep our hand in with the occasional conquest."

  Even in the weak light, he saw her glare, saw the sparks that flared in her eyes.

  "I'll have you know this is all a very big mistake!"

  With that, she whirled away. Snow crunched, louder than before as, in a flurry of skirts and cloak, she stalked off. Brows rising, Richard watched her storm through the lych gate, saw the quick, frowning glance she threw him from the shadows beneath. Then, with a toss of her head, chin high, she marched up the road.

  Toward the inn.

  The ends of Richard's lips lifted. His brows rose another, more considering, notch. Mistake?

  He watched until she disappeared from sight, then stirred, straightened his shoulders, and, lips curving in a wolfish smile, strolled unhurriedly in her wake.

  BUY & READ SCANDAL’S BRIDE

  Other Titles from Stephanie Laurens

  Cynster Novels

  Devil’s Bride

  A Rake’s Vow

  Scandal’s Bride

  A Rogue’s Proposal

  A Secret Love

  All About Love

  All About Passion

  On A Wild Night

  On A Wicked Dawn

  The Perfect Lover

  The Ideal Bride

  The Truth About Love

  What Price Love?

  The Taste of Innocence

  Temptation and Surrender

  Cynster Sisters Trilogy

  Viscount Breckenridge to the Rescue

  In Pursuit of Eliza Cynster

  The Capture of the Earl of Glencrae

  Cynster Sisters Duo

  And Then She Fell

  The Taming of Ryder Cavanaugh

  Cynster Special

  The Promise in a Kiss

  By Winter’s Light

  Cynster Next Generation Novels

  The Tempting of Thomas Carrick

  A Match for Marcus Cynster

  The Casebook of Barnaby Adair Novels

  Where the Heart Leads

  The Peculiar Case of Lord Finsbury’s Diamonds

  The Masterful Mr. Montague

  The Curious Case of Lady Latimer’s Shoes

  Loving Rose: The Redemption of Malcolm Sinclair

  Bastion Club Novels

  Captain Jack’s Woman (Prequel)

  The Lady Chosen

  A Gentleman’s Honor

  A Lady of His Own

  A Fine Passion

  To Distraction

  Beyond Seduction

  The Edge of Desire

  Mastered by Love

  Black Cobra Quartet

  The Untamed Bride

  The Elusive Bride

  The Brazen Bride

  The Reckless Bride

  The Adventurers Quartet

  The Lady’s Command

  Other Novels

  The Lady Risks All

  Medieval

  Desire’s Prize

  Novellas

  Melting Ice – from the anthologies Rough Around the Edges and Scandalous Brides

  Rose in Bloom – from the anthology Scottish Brides

  Scandalous Lord Dere – from the anthology Secrets of a Perfect Night

  Lost and Found – from the anthology Hero, Come Back

  The Fall of Rogue Gerrard – from the anthology It Happened One Night

  The Seduction of Sebastian Trantor – from the anthology It Happened One Season

  Short Stories

  The Wedding Planner – from the anthology Royal Weddings

  A Return Engagement – from the anthology Royal Bridesmaids

  UK-Style Regency Romances

  Tangled Reins

  Four in Hand

  Impetuous Innocent

  Fair Juno

  The Reasons for Marriage

  A Lady of Expectations

  An Unwilling Conquest

  A Comfortable Wife

  About the Author

  #1 New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Laurens began writing romances as an escape from the dry world of professional science. Her hobby quickly became a career when her first novel was accepted for publication, and with entirely becoming alacrity, she gave up writing about facts in favor of writing fiction.

  All Laurens’s works to date are historical romances, ranging from medieval times to the early 1900s, and her settings range from Scotland to India. The majority of her works are set in the period of the British Regency. Laurens has published 60 works of historical romance, including 34 New York Times bestsellers. Laurens has sold more than 20 million print, audio, and e-books globally. All her works are continuously available in print and e-book formats in English worldwide, and have been translated into many other languages. An international bestseller, among other accolades, Laurens has received the Romance Writers of America® prestigious RITA® Award for Best Romance Novella 2008 for The Fall of Rogue Gerrard.

  Laurens’s continuing novels featuring the Cynster family are widely regarded as classics of the historical romance genre. Other series include the Bastion Club Novels, the Black Cobra Quartet, and the Casebook of Barnaby Adair Novels. All of her previous works remain available in print and all e-book formats.

  For information on all published novels, and on upcoming releases and updates on novels yet to come, visit Stephanie’s website: www.stephanielaurens.com

  To sign up for Stephanie’s Email Newsletter (a private list) for heads-up alerts as new books are released, exclusive sneak peeks into upcoming books, and exclusive sweepstakes contests, follow the prompts at Stephanie’s Email Newsletter Sign-up Page

  Stephanie lives with her husband and two cats in the hills outside Melbourne, Australia. When she isn’t writing, she’s reading, and if she isn’t reading, she’ll be tending her garden.