“There was once a little girl who was searching for her angel.”
She joined in his merriment with a smile of her own. “And she found him.”
Gabe nodded, lowering his head to kiss her lips. “Aye. She did.”
Note from Laurel O'Donnell
My Dear Reader –
Thank you for reading The Knight Before Christmas. It was a lovely, fun tale to write. Christmas has always been a special, magical time for me filled with love and beauty. I hope that I relayed some of the magic to you.
If you feel so inclined, I would appreciate if you left a review to help other readers decide if they should read Eve and Gabriel’s tale.
Don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter for updates on my newest novels, fun contests and so much more! https://www.laurel-odonnell.com
Welcome to my world!
More Books by Laurel O'Donnell
Medieval Romance Boxed Sets!
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Heroic Tales of Medieval Romance on Amazon
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Legends of Medieval Romance - The Complete Angel Assassin's Trilogy
Legends of Medieval Romance contains the complete Angel's Assassin collection, including Angel's Assassin, Cherished Protector of Her Heart, and Beloved in His Eyes.
Legends of Medieval Romance on Amazon
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A Knight With Mercy on Amazon
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Mercy Brooker will do anything to save her young son from being taken away to work for the church, never to be seen again. During a brutal attack, Sir Richard le Breton has lost his memory. When the lovely woman caring for him asks for one favor, how can he resist? Will the dark deeds of Richard's past doom their growing love? Can they work together and save the innocent boy?
A Knight With Grace
A Knight With Grace on Amazon
Book 1 in the Assassin Knights series!
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My Noble Knight
My Noble Knight on Amazon
A #1 Best-Seller in Medieval Romance!
Layne Fletcher desires to joust in a real tournament, using the skills she has been taught by her brothers. Griffin Wolfe, an honorable knight discovers her facade and demands restitution. Will he be able to teach her how to behave like a lady and hide his attraction to her while keeping his focus on the jousting tournament?
The Angel and the Prince
The Angel and the Prince on Amazon
A #1 Best-Seller in Medieval Romance!
In this exciting medieval romance, the French lady knight known as the Angel of Death wages a battle of wills and desires against her dreaded enemy -- the English warrior known as the Prince of Darkness
Angel's Assassin
Angel's Assassin on Amazon
Winner of the International Digital Award!
Damien is an assassin, a man with no home and a tortured past. Sold into slavery as a young boy, he is trained to kill with cold calculation, without remorse. Lady Aurora of Acquitaine is the epitome of purity and goodness, beloved by all her people. When Damien enters Aurora’s life, tempting her with promises of dark passion and forbidden lust, he threatens to tear her peaceful world apart.
The Lady and the Falconer
The Lady and the Falconer on Amazon
“Medieval readers will find The Lady and the Falconer a highly satisfying, well crafted story that fills their craving for a tale of medieval intrigue and passion.” - Romantic Times Magazine
A mysterious Falconer. A ravishing green-eyed Lady. A castle under siege. A killer hiding among them. Traitors are revealed. Family loyalties are betrayed. Can hated enemies find common ground in each other's arms? The Lady and the Falconer is an exciting medieval romance filled with action, intrigue, suspense and a desire that defies every sinister obstacle put in its path.
A Knight of Honor
A Knight of Honor on Amazon
Winner of the Holt Medallion Award for Best Medieval Novel!
Taylor Sullivan is a raven-haired hellion fleeing the flames that destroyed her family. She arms herself with a quick sword and a sharp tongue, hiring herself out as a mercenary, willing to do whatever it takes to survive. Slane Donovan is a knight of honor, sworn to uphold his oath and his word. He seeks the woman who wears the Sullivan ring, determined to bring her back to Castle Donovan.
Midnight Shadow
Midnight Shadow on Amazon
When the unjust rules of a neighboring lord terrorize her friends, a Lady dons the mask and cloak of her childhood hero to right the wrongs and save them from oppression. Torn between the woman he longs to trust and the outlaw he has vowed to hang, a Lord vows to find the truth. Will a legendary hero find love in the arms of her enemy?
Beloved in His Eyes
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A Knight's Protection on Amazon
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Cherished Protector of Her Heart
Cherished Protector of Her Heart on Amazon
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Get Lost Souls Episodes 1-4 in a convenient boxed set on Amazon!
Lost Souls Boxed Set on Amazon
For more information on any of these books or other novels by Laurel O'Donnell, please visit her website at www.laurel-odonnell.com, or follow her Amazon author page.
Upon a Midnight Clear
Amanda McCabe
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Chapter One
December 21, 1816
“Oh, Aunt Antoinette, please won’t you come to Bath with us? Christmas won’t be Christmas without you!”
Lady Penelope Leighton’s childish voice piped into the fire-warmed air of the sitting room. Her large, green eyes were wide and beseeching as she leaned against Antoinette’s knees.
“Grandmama’s house in Bath is always jolly, but it won’t be if you’re not there,” added Penelope’s brother, Edward, hanging off the back of Antoinette’s chair with his sturdy, chubby little hands. “We’re going to see a pantomime.”
“And a lecture on Greek theater,” said Penelope, her eyes growing even larger, if that was at all possible. She reached out to clasp a handful of Antoinette’s red silk robe. “Or, if you don’t care for Greek theater, there is sure to be something on philosophy or theology at Aunt Chat’s Philosophical Society.”
“Or herbs!” cried Edward. “You always like to hear about herbs.”
Baby Louisa, still scarcely able to toddle, glanced up from her building blocks and gurgled an agreement. “Oh, mes petites,” Antoinette said softly, putting an arm about Penelope and Edward and drawing them close to her. “You know I would love nothing better than to spend Christmas with my favorite children in all the world. But, as I have said, I must finish this new book on winter herbs very soon, or my publisher will be most unhappy with me. And in Bath there would be far too many ‘jolly’ things to distract me.”
“We would not distract you, Aunt Antoinette!” Penelope declared, going up on tiptoe to loop her small, slender arms about Antoinette’s neck. “We would be so good and so quiet when you were working.”
Antoinette laughed, for she knew all too well that the Leighton children’s idea of “quiet” consisted of tiptoeing while they shouted out about their newest discovery in Greek history (Penelope), horses (Edward), and solid food (Louisa). She pressed a quick kiss to Penelope’s tousled dark curls. “I know you would, dearest, but the lectures and dances would not be resisted. We will have a grand party when you return home next month.”
As Antoinette hugged them close, she caught a g
limpse of their little group reflected in the gilt-framed mirror hung above the fireplace. Anyone looking at them would realize immediately that she was not the children’s true aunt. Not their blood aunt. Their milky-white complexions, Edward’s silvery blond cap of hair, were in sharp contrast to Antoinette’s own coffee-colored duskiness, her midnight eyes, and the thick, wavy fall of her matte-black hair. They were as far opposite as people could possibly be.
Except in their hearts. In Antoinette’s deepest soul, they were her nieces and nephew, and she loved them beyond all else. They never watched her with doubt or curiosity or hostility, as so many others did. In their clear eyes there was only love and respect.
Or beggary, as there was now. It hurt her heart to see them, to know that they would go away in only a very few moments and leave her alone at the one time of year when all families should be together. She almost jumped up, grabbed a valise, and shouted, “Of course I will go to Bath with you!”
But she could not. Some urges were too strong, some hurts too deep for even Christmas to heal.
“We will find you the most wondrous Christmas present, Aunt Antoinette” Penelope said. “I promise. And I will write you every day.”
“So will I!” Edward said, stoutly.
“You do not know your letters yet,” Penelope said, disdain heavy in her young voice. “And that is because you don’t apply yourself to your lessons. You only think about horses.”
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