Stuart shook his heads, dismissing her cynicism. “I would move mountains to do speak with you, Bian. I have moved much to be here before you today.” He took a breath, clearly struggling for calm. “Please, Bian?” he added simply.
She nodded and when he indicated the door on the other side of the grand entrance to the drawing room where everyone else had gathered, she walked over and opened the door to the library and stepped through, not waiting for his assistance.
He followed her in and shut the door behind him.
She did not sit but stood in the middle of the library and waited.
He took another breath but did not seem to know how to begin.
“I was sorry to hear about your father,” Bian said instead. “Was it connected with…”
“With Aiden? Yes. His heart was never very strong. The news… It was too much of a shock.”
“At least he did not live to suffer through the trial and the…the…”
“Execution,” Stuart finished flatly. “You do not have to fear speaking the words to me, Bian. Aiden was a traitor and faced the consequences of betraying his country. I miss the brother I had once thought a good companion but I won’t flinch from acknowledging what he did.”
“I’m sorry, Stuart. Sorry that I was the one who brought this upon you.”
“You did not do it, Bian. Aiden did. I will never know for sure why he was so convinced that he was the elder, but he maintained it was so, right up until his last day.” He shook his head, sorrow creasing his brow. “Aiden always wanted power, and looked for the shortest path to reach it. This was just one of his many grievances against a world that would not give him what he wanted.” He took a deep breath, and straightened his shoulders. He look directly at her. “I have been a fool, Bian. A blind, stupid fool.”
Her heart skipped a beat. “You have?”
“For a while, yes I was. But I have been thinking rather hard, lately. It was more than overdue, I admit.” He spread his hands a little, as if he was speaking the obvious. “You are the Royal Talisman, not your father. It was you all along.”
She took a slow breath, controlling her surprise. “What makes you say that? Is that what you have been telling people? Is that the reason for my sudden acceptance and popularity?”
“You’re a princess, a royal.”
“For a court and a people who no longer exist,” she amended.
“But a princess, nevertheless. You were the one that gathered the intelligence that kept Britain out of the war with France and China. That is why you are welcome at Victoria’s court, why you mingled with the lords of the land so easily. It wasn’t simply your father’s rank that opened the doors for you.”
“I would sooner not be the Royal Talisman,” she admitted. “It was because of me that the Chinese could find reason enough to execute Richard…my father.”
“Richard?” he said sharply. Then he closed his eyes and said in growing wonder, “Nathanial Richard Kirkham.” Then he opened them. “You came to England to find proof that I had been giving English secrets to the Chinese, didn’t you?”
“You already know that. I didn’t lie to you that night.” She dropped her chin. “I couldn’t.”
“Your father—Richard—sent you here to root out a traitor. But you fell in love, instead.”
She looked up at him, startled. His blue eyes were locked on her face again, just like the last time she had seen him. They gave her no quarter to lie or avoid the question. “I never told you that,” she said carefully.
“Bian, did you think I had not recognized it, anyway? That I did not know? I love—loved—you as much as you loved me. That’s what blinded me. I could feel nothing but betrayal, when I realized why you had come into my life. But that night when you confronted us both, you still did not know which of us was the traitor and you were testing us both. I know it, Bian. I have finally put it all together, so don’t bother trying to hide it.”
“Then yes, I did not know which of you was the traitor,” she admitted.
“You loved me, yet you were prepared to send me to that same noose my brother met,” he added softly.
Tears pricked her eyes. “Yes.”
“Because it was your duty,” he added, moving closer.
“Yes.” She could barely force the word past the constriction in her throat. It was a hard mass of horror and hope, tangled together. “You do not know how I have suffered because of it,” she added.
“Why?”
“Why?” She stared at him. “I was not truthful with you. I lied about who I was, what I wanted.”
“You insisted on fulfilling your duty despite loving me, despite knowing it might end in my execution. Do you not know how much I admire you for that, Bian? How much my love has grown because of it?”
Her breath, her heart, her mind, seemed to seize. She could only stare at him, unable to speak.
He smiled and took another step. Now he was close enough, he slid his hand around her waist. “Would you…do you think you might be able to love me again, Bian? Because I have never stopped loving you. Even if you send me away, I will never stop loving you. You are everything that is great and admirable in this country, everything that will save Britain from crumbling into ruin and I have made sure that every peer, every noble, every Englishman with a speck of influence has been informed of that.”
“You did tell them who I was!” she gasped.
“It may have slipped from me from time to time, when speaking with men I knew were discrete. And they have discrete friends of their own…” He shrugged. “No-one will ever openly acknowledge what you have done, Bian, or your true heritage but they will all know of it.”
She had no adequate response.
“Do you remember the question I promised I would continue to ask?”
She nodded.
“I must ask again, Bian. Will you marry me?”
“You leave me with little choice,” she sighed. “Thanks to your whispers, I have no chance of returning to my old life.” She wrapped her arms about his neck. “Yes, Stuart. I will marry you.”
His lips were firm and warm on hers. It was as if he had only kissed her yesterday but she had missed his kisses, nevertheless. Her body responded with a fervour that she could give free reign and she pulled herself against him, as happiness bubbled through her veins.
He held her a little away from him. “There is one tiny part of your old life I would prefer you maintain,” he said.
“The men’s clothing you wore that night. I have not been able to forget how you looked in trousers.” He smiled. “And a shirt with buttons that can be undone, one button at a time…”
Tingling in the tips of her breasts and between her legs made her breath grow faster. She glanced behind her, confirming what she had noticed when she first entered the library. “There’s a high-backed sofa there,” she whispered.
“And…?”
“I never did get a chance to fully appreciate yours. Let’s use this one. Now.”
“At once, my princess.”
More in the
Go Get ‘em Women Collection
.
Ningaloo Nights
To find out what happened to her sister, Sherry just has to go with Mason Hayward to the ends of the earth…oh, and give him utter control over her mind, body and soul.
New York cop Sherry Abandonato cashes in her savings and dashes to Ningaloo in remote northwest Western Australia to find her sister, who disappeared ten days ago.
The only one with the skill to guide her to Derremawan is Mason Hayward, once an official guide with a reputation for getting people out of trouble, but now the town’s bad man.
In a searing afternoon of unexpected passion, Mason strikes a bargain. He’ll get her to Derremawan, if she agrees to go there with him unconditionally—on his terms and his conditions.
Sherry is astonished to find herself agreeing to the insane bargain, and worse, responding eagerly to the idea of three d
ays of Mason Hayward taking charge under the hot Australian sun.
Warning: This story features multiple sex scenes, including anal sex, the use of sex toys and MF sexual play. Do not read this book if frank sexual language and sex scenes offend you.
No panties were seriously harmed during the production of this book.
__
Ningaloo Nights contains loads of sex, some heartbreak, and a beautifully written happily ever after. A hot read, indeed!” Love Romance Passion
This book is hot, hot, hot! The chemistry between Sherry and Mason sizzles…It’ll have you checking out the cost of flights to Australia!”.. Two Lips Reviews
A quick, smoking hot ride through the Australian outback. I have a new appreciation for blindfolds, chocolate and sex under the stars. … another wonderfully written tale that I can recommend to anyone. Just Erotic Romantic Reviews
Steamy heat rises from the pages of Ningaloo Nights. Looking for a book guaranteed to heat up your own night? Ningaloo Nights, is perfect. Sensual Reviews
I could even hear his Aussie accent in my head. Ningaloo Nights is well worth reading. It has kinky sex scenes from the very beginning, with an interesting story unfolding all the way through. The Romance Studio
Click here to buy Ningaloo Nights now: http://bit.ly/13sgr6v
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About the Author
Tracy Cooper-Posey is a #1 Best Selling Author. She writes erotic vampire romances, hot romantic suspense, paranormal and urban fantasy romances. She has published over 70 novels since 1999, been nominated for five CAPAs including Favourite Author, and won the Emma Darcy Award.
She turned to indie publishing in 2011. Her indie titles have been nominated four times for Book Of The Year and Byzantine Heartbreak was a 2012 winner. She has been a national magazine editor and for a decade she taught romance writing at MacEwan University.
She is addicted to Irish Breakfast tea and chocolate, sometimes taken together. In her spare time she enjoys history, Sherlock Holmes, science fiction and ignoring her treadmill. An Australian, she lives in Edmonton, Canada with her husband, a former professional wrestler, where she moved in 1996 after meeting him on-line.
Her website can be found at http://TracyCooperPosey.com. Tracy appreciates hearing from readers and can be reached at Tracy@TracyCooperPosey.com.
Other books by Tracy Cooper-Posey
.
Blood Knot Series (Urban Fantasy Paranormal Series)
Blood Knot
Southampton Swindle
Broken Promise
Blood Stone
Blood Unleashed
Blood Drive
Blood Revealed (Upcoming)
Beloved Bloody Time Series (Paranormal Futuristic Time Travel)
Bannockburn Binding
Byzantine Heartbreak
Romani Armada
Kiss Across Time Series (Paranormal Time Travel)
Kiss Across Time
Kiss Across Swords
Missing
Kiss Across Chains
Guardian Bonds (Gargoyle Paranormal Series)
Carson’s Night
Beauty’s Beasts
Sabrina’s Clan (Upcoming)
Destiny’s Trinities (Urban Fantasy Romance Series)
Beth’s Acceptance
Mia’s Return
Sera’s Gift
Short Paranormals
Solstice Surrender
Eva’s Last Dance
Guns ‘n’ Lovers Series (Romantic Suspense)
Red Leopard
Black Heart
Blue Knight
White Dawn (Upcoming)
Silver Noon (Upcoming)
Golden Day (Upcoming)
Go-get-‘em Women (Short Romantic Suspense Series)
The Royal Talisman
Delly’s Last Night
Vivian’s Return
Ningaloo Nights
Sian’s Run (Upcoming)
Jewells of the Morrow series (Historical Romantic Suspense)
Diana By The Moon
Heart of Vengeance
The Perilous Maiden (Upcoming)
To Soothe a Savage Heart (Upcoming)
The Heart of the Enemy (Upcoming)
The Cherlebury Rose (Upcoming)
The Duchess of Winter (Upcoming)
Despite The Sands Of Time (Upcoming)
Scandalous Sirens (Historical Romance Series)
Forbidden
Dangerous Beauty
Rhys Davies’ untitled story (Upcoming)
Romantic Thrillers Series
Fatal Wild Child
Dead Again
Dead Double
Terror Stash
Thrilling Affair
Contemporary Romances
Lucifer’s Lover
An Inconvenient Lover
The Sherlock Holmes Series
Chronicles of the Lost Years
The Case of the Reluctant Agent
For reviews, excerpts, and more about each title, visit Tracy’s site and click on each title in turn: http://tracycooperposey.com/books/tracys-trilogies-series/
Copyright Information
This is an original publication of Tracy Cooper-Posey
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 any control over and does not assume any responsibility for third-party websites or their content.
Copyright © 2012 by Tracy Cooper-Posey
Text design by Tracy Cooper-Posey
Cover design by Dar Albert
Wicked Smart Designs
http://wickedsmartdesigns.com
All rights reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.
FIRST EDITION: January 2012
Cooper-Posey, Tracy
The Royal Talisman/Tracy Cooper-Posey—1st Ed.
Romance—Fiction
Paranormal – Fiction