Brighter Than the Sun

Julia Quinn

BRIGHTER THAN THE SUN

For Auntie Susan—

Thank you.

—Miss Julie

And for Paul, even though he just doesn't understand why I can't end all of my titles with exclamation points.

Dear Reader,

I don�t know about you, but I�m a sucker for marriage of convenience stories. Don�t get me wrong, I can�t imagine getting married for any reason other than deep and abiding love, but when it comes to fairy tales and romance novels . . . well, I just can�t resist it when a hero and heroine find that their marriage isn�t so convenient after all.

So it came as no surprise when I sat down to write Brighter Than the Sun and thought to myself, “Hmmm, I haven�t written a marriage of convenience story yet.” But I knew that I had to be careful to put my own stamp on the story. They say that there are no truly original plots, after all, and that all a writer can do is tell a timeworn tale in her own style and voice. So I created Charles Wycombe, Earl of Billington, a hero I could fall in love with; Miss Eleanor Lyndon, a heroine who could be my best friend; and added a healthy dash of fun and laughter.

So without further ado, welcome to Marriage of Convenience, Julia Quinn-style. I hope you enjoy it.

With my best wishes,

Contents

DEAR READER

CHAPTER ONE
Eleanor Lyndon was minding her own business…

CHAPTER TWO
Ellie dropped him.

CHAPTER THREE
Ellie had never had much of a…

CHAPTER FOUR
By the time Ellie arrived home that…

CHAPTER FIVE
Charles grunted as he hit the ground,…

CHAPTER SIX
The next day, a package addressed to…

CHAPTER SEVEN
Ellie looked around her new bedchamber,…

CHAPTER EIGHT
Much to Ellie's surprise, the room Charles eventually…

CHAPTER NINE
Ellie nursed her wounds for the rest of the…

CHAPTER TEN
Charles awoke the next morning with a…

CHAPTER ELEVEN
She smacked his chest with the heels of…

CHAPTER TWELVE
Ellie woke up the following morning feeling…

CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Two days later she thought she might…

CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Ellie thought Charles was taking this setback…

CHAPTER FIFTEEN
As was her habit, Ellie awakened bright…

CHAPTER SIXTEEN
When Charles awoke several hours later,…

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Ellie spent the next morning recuperating in…

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Ellie awoke the next morning feeling remarkably…

CHAPTER NINETEEN
The next week was pure bliss.

CHAPTER TWENTY
By noon the next day, Ellie’s color was…

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Charles's temporary vow of abstinence was…

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Ellie wasn't sure just what made her start…

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Ellie hadn't counted on getting smacked over…

EPILOGUE
Nine months and one day later, Ellie…

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

AVON BOOKS BY JULIA QUINN

COPYRIGHT

ABOUT THE PUBLISHER

Chapter 1

Kent, England

October 1817

Eleanor Lyndon was minding her own business when Charles Wycombe, Earl of Billington, fell—quite literally—into her life.