All’s Fair in Love and War
Four Enemies-To-Lovers Medieval Romances
Claire Delacroix
Deborah A. Cooke
All’s Fair in Love and War
Claire Delacroix
One Knight’s Return Copyright © 1996, 2019 Deborah A. Cooke
The Rose Red Bride Copyright © 2005, 2011 Claire Delacroix, Inc.
Excerpt from The Snow White Bride Copyright © 2005, 2011 Claire Delacroix, Inc.
The Scoundrel Copyright © 2003, 2011 Claire Delacroix, Inc.
Excerpt from The Warrior Copyright © 2004, 2011 Claire Delacroix, Inc.
The Warrior’s Prize Copyright © 2014 Deborah A. Cooke.
Excerpt from The Mercenary’s Bride Copyright 2017 Deborah A. Cooke
All Rights Reserved.
Cover by Dar Albert.
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
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Contents
All’s Fair in Love and War
One Knight’s Return
Rogues & Angels
Dear Reader
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
Epilogue
Author’s Note
The Scoundrel
The Rogues of Ravensmuir
Dear Reader
Prologue
An Unwitting Pawn
I
II
III
IV
V
VI
A Cornered Queen
VII
VIII
IX
X
XI
XII
XIII
An Unlikely Knight
XIV
XV
XVI
XVII
Endgame
XVIII
XIX
XX
XXI
XXII
An Excerpt from The Warrior
The Rose Red Bride
The Jewels of Kinfairlie
Dear Reader
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
An Excerpt from The Snow White Bride
The Warrior’s Prize
The True Love Brides
Dear Reader
Monday, June 21, 1428
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Tuesday, June 22, 1428
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Wednesday, June 23, 1428
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Thursday, June 24, 1428
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Saturday, June 26, 1428
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Sunday, June 27, 1428
Chapter 15
Sunday, October 31, 1428
Chapter 16
Monday, November 1, 1428
Chapter 17
Friday, December 24, 1428
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Saturday, December 25, 1428
Chapter 21
An Excerpt from The Mercenary’s Bride
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About the Author
More Books by Claire Delacroix
All’s Fair in Love and War
Four Enemies-to-Lovers Medieval Romances
Be swept away by four thrilling medieval romances by the “Queen of Medieval Romance”, each featuring a defiant lady at odds with a persistent and powerful knight. Sparks fly in these battles of wills, but passion will win the day.
In One Knight’s Return, Melissande is compelled by her overlord to marry a rough knight just home from crusade – the alternative is to surrender her family holding completely. She knows the kind of knight who will hold her heart, and Quinn de Sayerne isn’t it. Quinn, on the other hand, knows what it’s like to risk everything and is determined to make their arranged marriage into a real one—no matter what the cost to his beautiful wife’s pride.
In The Scoundrel, Evangeline will do anything to retrieve the relic stolen from the chapel in her family holding, even seduce the thief himself to capture the prize. Gawain has always lived outside the law, a charming rebel protecting his own advantage, but Evangeline’s devotion to Inverfyre makes him question is choices. If he changed his ways, could this beguiling, brilliant, maddening woman come to love him?
In The Rose Red Bride, Erik abducts Vivienne to avenge himself against his wicked brother. Fueled by anger, he expects little of his captive except a son—but Vivienne is precisely the woman to take Erik’s cause once she learns his story. If Vivienne can ensure that Erik’s stolen legacy is regained, will her embittered but honorable husband find room in his heart for her?
In The Warrior’s Prize, Elizabeth challenges Rafael to change his ways, skeptical that the mercenary who nearly cost her brother his life is capable of redemption. But Rafael sees his comrade’s sister as an angel sent to save him, and when he realizes that she’s in peril of being claimed by the Fae king himself, Rafael will pay any price to save the only maiden bold enough to challenge him. But will his all be enough for Elizabeth?
Indulge in four sweeping medieval romances to warm a winter’s night!
One Knight’s Return
Rogues & Angels #2
Quinn de Sayerne vowed never to return home while his villainous father drew breath. Twenty years after his departure, a knight and crusader, Quinn is summoned to claim his family holding after his father’s death. But his overlord has a stipulation: he must wed Melissande, the beautiful but frosty heiress of neighboring Annossy. Quinn resolves to win the heart of his lady wife, no matter what the cost.
Melissande cannot believe that her liege lord has ignored her betrothal and wed her to a ruffian
. Worse, he has granted the seal of Annossy to her new husband, despite her expertise. It is the dream of Quinn’s father brought to fruition, for the holdings will be merged just as he long schemed. Though her overlord cannot be defied and Melissande finds herself the chattel of this rough knight, she is determined to fight him on every front—for the sake of her betrothal, Annossy and herself
But Annossy itself is in danger, with brigands raiding its borders. Quinn is charged to oust the villains or capture them, but soon learns their scheme is for more than the holding’s wealth. His lady wife is in peril, but will she trust Quinn in time for him to protect her? Or will he defeat the foes at the price of losing his wife forever?
An earlier version of this story was published under the title My Lady’s Champion.
Rogues & Angels
Medieval Romance Series
1. One Knight Enchanted
2. One Knight’s Return
Dear Reader
One Knight’s Return is a medieval romance about the arranged marriage of Quinn de Sayerne and Melissande d’Annossy. This is an enemies-to-lovers story that is set in my fictional realm of Tulley. Quinn has been summoned home from crusade by the Lord de Tulley, who is the overlord of his father who saw to Quinn’s training as a knight. Quinn’s wicked father, Jerome, has died, and Tulley wishes Quinn to take over the holding. Quinn is thrilled by this opportunity especially since he left Sayerne as a boy. Much to his surprise, Tulley has conditions upon the granting of the lordship—he insists that Quinn marry the daughter of a neighboring estate, Melissane d’Annossy. Melissande is even less enamored of this idea than Quinn, but they have little choice if they want to retain their respective holdings. Sparks fly between the pair from the beginning, for Melissande is outspoken about her disapproval of Tulley’s plan. Quinn resolves to win his lady’s loyalty and her heart, though he knows it won’t be an easy task. I love this pair and the energy between them, as well as how complementary their skills prove to be. Once they begin to work together, they are a formidable team!
A version of this story was originally published under the title My Lady’s Champion. When I began to update the file for republication, I realized that I wanted to make some major changes to the story. I’ve done that—the second half of the book is almost entirely new—so have published this new version with a different title to distinguish it from the older version.
One Knight’s Return is the second book in a series of medieval romances featuring a company of knights who fought together in the First Crusade and who call themselves Rogues & Angels. All eight of these knights will have their stories told and find their HEAs back in Europe. Each knight has received a gift which will feature in his story. The gifts are a bit enigmatic and challenge the knights’ various expectations. In addition to the changes made in the evolution of the romance, I also included new scenes with the company of knights who served with Quinn in Palestine.
There are also connections between the knights of this company and my other medieval romance series: many of them are the forebears of later protagonists, and I’ll tell you more about those links as they unfold. On my website, these stories are all under the Sayerne tab, because that’s the world they share. There is also a Pinterest board for this series showing my inspiration and you can find that on the Sayerne tab as well.
The next story in the series will be One Knight’s Desire, which is Niall and Heloise’s story and an entirely new work. Heloise is Tulley’s niece and likely his heir, while Niall is a charming rogue who never intends to be bound to a single woman. When he loses his heart to Heloise, things become interesting. Can he convince Heloise of his merit as a suitor? What about Lord de Tulley?
I hope you enjoy this new version of Quinn and Melissande’s story, and also the companion knights of the Rogues & Angels series.
All my best–
Claire
http://delacroix.net
Prologue
February 1102
Quinn de Sayerne was home.
He sighed with satisfaction as he surveyed the mountains that rose on either side of the familiar valley. Their silhouette was etched in his memory, yet to see them again was a gift.
His party had ridden past the keep of the Lord de Tulley earlier in the day and he had noticed his companions stare in wonder at that fortification. Tulley’s keep perched on the top of the steep hill, commanding the valley in each direction. Quinn had found it impressive as a boy, but now, he saw its strategic advantage and appreciated the expense of its construction. A high and broad wall encircled the base of the hill, with the keep at its summit. The road wound upward from gates to keep, the village perched on the hillsides. Tulley was a marvel, but Quinn yearned for Sayerne’s simpler structure. They continued past his overlord’s holding in Quinn’s haste, though he knew he would shortly return to pay his respects.
The party rode hard to the east until they reached the bridge that he knew as well as the lines on his own hand. He turned left once across the river, leading his fellows onward to the keep of Sayerne.
In the twenty years since Quinn’s departure, there had been moments when he wondered if he would ever return to the holding where he had been born and raised. His heart pounded in anticipation of a dream achieved as his destrier, Fortitude, raced through the deep snow.
When he crested the last rise and the Sayerne’s fortress came into sight, his heart leaped. No column of smoke rose from the château, and indeed, the keep looked to be abandoned. Another man might have been daunted by the changes, but Quinn saw only home.
“Here it is!” he exclaimed to his companions, then looked again upon his legacy.
The keep itself was built of stone, a single low tower surrounded by a curtain wall and moat. The village clustered on either side of the road, outside the gates but near the moat. Quinn could see the lines of the furrows in the fields surrounding the village, their dimensions evident even when buried in snow. The sky was a fierce clear blue overhead and the wind was crisp; the mountains looked down on Sayerne as always they had and he could not believe his good fortune.
He would be Lord de Sayerne.
When no one spoke, Quinn glanced back. Bayard appeared to be skeptical, but even his companion knight’s expression could not diminish Quinn’s pleasure.
He had always feared that somehow his father would contrive to deny him his legacy. It would have suited the old man well, but Dame Fortune had smiled upon Quinn. After all these years, beloved Sayerne would be his. The Lord de Tulley had written to tell him so, thus it was true.
Quinn spurred his destrier forward, refusing to note that the river had frozen over. The mill was outside the keep’s walls, the race fed by the same stream that was diverted to fill the moat. The mill wheel was lodged in heavy ice and Quinn could not remember it ever being so, even in winter. He told himself that the property must be well managed for all the wheat to be made to flour already. For so long, Sayerne had been a dream that buoyed his spirits, a touchstone that gave him hope for the future. He had come too far on that dream to readily surrender it.
Still, he wondered as he rode closer to the village. There was no sound of children playing, or any voices at all. The wind whistled through the village, which appeared to be empty. Not a single face peeked out from the darkened doorways. Quinn’s dismay grew as a straw roof tumbled to the ground, even as he passed.
Undoubtedly, it was too cold to stir, even for a neighbor.
Some disrepair was to be expected in a land without an active lord.
Perhaps the villagers had moved within the walls for the winter.
Quinn was determined to maintain the euphoria of homecoming until he stood within the keep itself. Then and only then would he assess the damage done to the estate. They made their way through the silent village to the gates in those great walls. Quinn reined in his steed and stared, hearing Bayard and the four squires do the same behind him.
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