Her sobs dying an abrupt death, she straightened and turned, her eyes growing wide as she peered at him. Then she scrambled to her feet, turning away to face the wall as she wiped the tears from her face. "Is there something you wished, my lord? A pot you need scrubbed or a--" Her voice died in her throat as he turned her to face him.
"I need you," he told her gently. "If you will have me."
Her face crumpled like an empty gown, and she shook her head miserably as tears welled in her eyes. " 'Tis cruel of you to jest so, my lord."
"I am not jesting."
"Aye, you are. You must marry someone with a dower. Your people need that to survive the winter and I--" Pausing suddenly, she bent to dig under her skirt until she found the small sack she had fastened at her waist. The sack jingled with the coins Joan had given her as she held them out to him. "I have this. It is not much, and I know it won't make up for what you lost with Joan, but mayhap it will help until you find a bride with a dower large enough--"
"I have the dower." He pushed the hand holding the sack away and drew her closer. "Now I need the bride."
"I-I don't understand," Brinna stuttered as his arms closed around her.
"Joan broke the contract. The dower is mine even though we won't marry. My responsibility to my people is fulfilled. Now I can marry whom I wish," he whispered into her ear before dropping a kiss on the lobe of that shell-like appendage.
"You can?" she asked huskily.
"Aye, and I wish to marry you."
"Oh, Royce," she half-sobbed, pressing her face into his neck. "You don't know.... I hoped, I dreamed, I prayed that if God would just let me have this one gift, I would never ask for anything ever again."
"This gift?" Royce asked uncertainly, leaning back to peer down at her.
"You," Brinna explained. "You came to me on Christmas Day, my lord. And you were the most wonderful Christmas gift I could ever have hoped for." She laughed suddenly, happiness glowing in her face. "And I even get to keep you."
"That you do, my love. That you do."
About the Author
LYNSAY SANDS is the nationally bestselling author of the Argeneau/Rogue Hunter vampire series, as well as numerous historical romances and anthologies. She's been writing stories since grade school and considers herself incredibly lucky to be able to make a career out of it. Her hope is that readers can get away from their everyday stress through her stories, and if there's occasional uncontrollable fits of laughter, that's just a big bonus.
www.lynsaysands.net
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Also by Lynsay Sands
Under a Vampire Moon The Reluctant Vampire Hungry For You
Born to Bite
The Renegade Hunter The Immortal Hunter The Rogue Hunter Vampire, Interrupted Vampires Are Forever The Accidental Vampire Bite Me If You Can A Bite to Remember A Quick Bite
Tall, Dark & Hungry Single White Vampire Love Bites
The Husband Hunt
The Heiress
The Countess
The Hellion and the Highlander Taming the Highland Bride Devil of the Highlands
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Three French Hens originally appeared in the print anthologies Five Gold Rings, published in 1999 by Leisure Books, an imprint of Dorchester Publishing Co.; and A Historical Christmas Present, published in 2008 by Love Spell, an imprint of Dorchester Publishing Co.
THREE FRENCH HENS. Copyright (c) 1999 by Lynsay Sands. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
EPub Edition APRIL 2012 ISBN: 9780062106780
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Lynsay Sands, Three French Hens
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