He stopped at the portal. Taking her face in his hands, he looked down at her. “I am not good with pretty words, Nesta. Telling you that I love you is easy, but it will never express what is in my heart. I am grateful that you came to this garden that night. I am honored that you gave all of yourself to me, after what transpired. Loving you is the best part of my life. Holding on to you became the most important thing to me after that night here.”

For a man who was not good with pretty words, he could move her to tears with his simple honesty. Pressing his palm to her face, she turned her head to kiss it.

“We will hold each other forever, Marcus. There will be only one song about Marcus of Anglesmore and Nesta verch Llygad, and it will be a magnificent, long love song.”

AUTHOR’S NOTE

England conquered Wales during the Middle Ages. The Normans, under William the Conqueror, took the eastern and southern regions in the twelfth century. William set up barons in these border areas, or “marches”, and gave them power that exceeded that of most other barons. This bred ambitions and a sense of autonomy among the Lords Marchers that would haunt the English crown for centuries. For good or ill, these barons played pivotal roles in the rebellions and politics of the medieval period.

In the late thirteenth century, Edward I completed the conquest of Wales. For the next century there were no large-scale rebellions, although minor insurrections periodically occurred. That the Welsh were hardly pacified was proven in 1400. That year marked the beginning of the great rebellion of Owain Glyn Dwr, which would be the final revolt of the Welsh against English rule.

As Rhys predicts in this novel, Welsh streamed across England to join Owain’s revolt, abandoning their positions in English manors, courts and universities to do so.

For simplicity, I have used the English terms Wales and the Welsh throughout the novel. Nesta would not have referred to her land or her people that way, however. She would have called her homeland Cymru.

Sneak Peek of The Seducer

Lose yourself in tales of charm and passion with Madeline Hunter’s quartet of historical romances set during the Regency era.

THE SEDUCER

THE SAINT

THE CHARMER

and

THE SINNER

Four brilliant new romances in four consecutive months from an author who is celebrated as “one of the brightest new writers in the genre.” (Publishers Weekly)

Read on for a sneak peek of
THE SEDUCER …

Dedication

THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED
TO THE MEMORY OF MY FATHER,
JOSEPH CIRILLO,
WHO SHOWED ME THE MAGIC
OF WORDS WHEN HE READ TO ME
WHEN I WAS A CHILD.

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ALSO BY MADELINE HUNTER

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By Possession

By Design

The Protector

Lord of a Thousand Nights

The Seducer

The Saint

The Charmer

The Sinner

The Romantic

ABOUT THE AUTHOR