Amber

329 Pages·2012·1.52 MB·English

by  Royal Lauren

AMBER
Lauren Royal
Author's Cut Edition

Novelty Press
AMBER by Lauren Royal - Author's Cut Edition
Published by Novelty Books, a division of Novelty Publishers, LLC, 848 N. Rainbow Blvd, Suite 4390, Las
Vegas NV 89107
Originally published in paperback by Penguin Putnam Inc.
COPYRIGHT © Lauren Royal 2001, 2012
ISBN 978-1-93890703-6
5th Edition, July 2013
Cover by Kimberly Killion
Book Design by Typesetter For Mac
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be used or reproduced or transmitted in any manner
whatsoever, electronically, in print, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of both Lauren Royal
and Novelty Books, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the
product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or
dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Authors work months or years on their books and need to feed their families, just like you do.
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be re-sold or given away
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Learn more about the author and her books at LaurenRoyal.com.
BOOKS BY LAUREN ROYAL
The Jewel Trilogy
Amethyst
Emerald
Amber
Forevermore (a Jewel Trilogy novella)
The Flower Trilogy
Violet
Lily
Rose
The Temptations Trilogy
Lost in Temptation
Tempting Juliana
The Art of Temptation
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title Page
Books by Lauren Royal
Inside Flap
Dedication
Chapter 1
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
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Epilogue
Thank You
Bonus Material
INSIDE FLAP
England & Scotland, 1668
Kendra Chase's brothers are telling her it's high time she get married. But
although they've presented her with many wealthy, titled suitors, no man has
caught her fancy—until her coach is held up by a dashing, mysterious
highwayman. When she and the dangerous man are caught in a compromising
embrace and her overprotective brothers insist they wed, Kendra cannot believe
it. Are they really desperate enough to match her with an outlaw?
Patrick "Trick" Caldwell is the Duke of Amberley—and also the notorious Black
Highwayman, an identity he has assumed in order to right past wrongs and serve
his king. But his already complicated life becomes positively convoluted when
he finds himself compelled to marry a red-headed temptress he's only just met.
Caught in a web of half-truths and forced into a perilous mission, can Trick
extricate himself and find love with the woman destined to steal his heart?
For my children
Brent, Blake, and Devonie,
who have eaten too many frozen pizzas
so that Mom could write
With love and thanks
for enabling me to see the world
again through a child's eyes,
and for always being there
to remind me what's really important
CHAPTER ONE
Sussex, England
June 1668
Kendra Chase adored her brothers, except when she wanted to kill them.
"Jason is right," Ford told her as they rattled down the road in a shabby public
coach. "You're twenty-three years old, and it's high time you take a husband."
Kendra slanted a glance at the plainly dressed stranger sharing the coach with
them. "Not the Duke of Lechmere," she said with an exasperated glare at her
twin. "I won't be 'your graced' for the rest of my life."
Kendra's oldest brother, Jason, tried unsuccessfully to stretch his long legs.
"And what, pray tell," he drawled in an annoyed tone, "would be wrong with
that? I've never understood what you have against dukes." Crammed onto the
bench seat between Kendra and his wife, Caithren, he sighed. "I only wish to see
you live a life of comfort. Would you prefer to travel this way all the time?"
As if to drive home her brother's point, the springless vehicle lurched in and
out of a rut, rattling Kendra's teeth. She gritted them. Though Jason was careful
with money, he was, after all, the Marquess of Cainewood, and they did own a
rather luxurious carriage. But one of its wheels had broken on their way out of
London, and they'd been forced to take public transport—or else risk missing an
urgent appointment back home at Cainewood Castle.
An appointment to introduce Kendra to the latest "suitable" man her brothers
planned to foist upon her.
"My comfort isn't the issue here—"
"This is your last chance to make your own choice," Jason interrupted her,
gathering the cards from the hand of piquet they'd just played. "If you won't
marry Lechmere, you'll have to select one of the other men who have offered for
you. Or I will do the selecting."
"The other men." Kendra tossed her head of dark red curls, not believing her
brother's ultimatum for a moment. The wretched day had put him in a bad mood,
but he was generally the most reasonable man she knew. "Old but well-off, or
widowed and settled with children, or young but just plain boring. Stable,