The Guardian Read online

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  —SingleTitles.com

  “Lovely… your own heart weeps with all the issues that are keeping [Isobel and Stephen] apart.”

  —HistoricalRomanceSociety.com

  KNIGHT OF DESIRE

  “Margaret Mallory bring[s] history to vivid, pulsing life.”

  —VIRGINIA HENLEY, New York Times bestselling author

  “Spellbinding! Few writers share Margaret Mallory’s talent for bringing history to vivid, pulsing life.”

  —VIRGINIA HENLEY, New York Times bestselling author of The Decadent Duke

  “An impressive debut… Margaret Mallory is a star in the making.”

  —MARY BALOGH, New York Times bestselling author of At Last Comes Love

  “5 Stars! Amazing… The fifteenth century came alive… I swear the turning pages crackled with the friction both characters put out… Knight of Desire is the first in the All the King’s Men series and what a way to start it off.”

  —CoffeeTimeRomance.com

  “A fast-paced tale of romance and intrigue that will sweep you along and have you rooting for William and his fair Catherine to fight their way to love at last.”

  —CANDACE CAMP, New York Times bestselling author of The Courtship Dance

  “4 Stars! Mallory’s debut is impressive. She breathes life into major historical characters… in a dramatic romance.”

  —RT Book Reviews

  “A lavish historical romance, evocative and emotionally rich. Knight of Desire will transport you.”

  —SOPHIE JORDAN, USA Today bestselling author of Sins of a Wicked Duke

  “Knight of Desire is akin to stepping into another century; Mallory has a grasp of history reminiscent of reading the great Roberta Gellis.”

  —JACKIE IVIE, author of A Knight Well Spent

  “An amazing debut… I’m looking forward to the next installment of this series.”

  —TheRomanceReadersConnection.com

  “The story sizzles with romance and adventure.”

  —RomRevToday.com

  Copyright

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Copyright © 2011 by Peggy L. Brown

  All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  Forever

  Hachette Book Group

  237 Park Avenue

  New York, NY 10017

  Visit our website at www.HachetteBookGroup.com

  www.twitter.com/foreverromance

  Forever is an imprint of Grand Central Publishing. The Forever name and logo is a trademark of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

  The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.

  First eBook Edition: May 2011

  ISBN: 978-1-609-41859-5

  Table of Contents

  FRONT COVER IMAGE

  WELCOME

  DEDICATION

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  EPIGRAPH

  A PREVIEW OF THE SINNER

  PROLOGUE

  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

  EPILOGUE

  HISTORICAL NOTE

  THE DISH

  ALSO BY MARGARET MALLORY

  PRAISE FOR THE NOVELS OF MARGARET MALLORY

  COPYRIGHT