Candace Camp - His Wicked Charm

CANDACE CAMPis a New York Times bestselling author of over sixty novels of contemporary and historical romance. She grew up in Texas in a newspaper family, which explains her love of writing, but she earned a law degree and practiced law before making the decision to write full-time. She has received several writing awards, including the RT Book Reviews Lifetime Achievement Award for Western Romances. Visit her at www.candace-camp.com.

Also available from Candace Camp

The Mad Morelands

MesmerisedBeyond CompareWintersetAn Unexpected Pleasure

The Aincourts

So Wild a HeartThe Hidden HeartSecrets of the Heart

The Matchmaker Series

The Marriage WagerThe Bridal QuestThe Wedding ChallengeThe Courtship DanceAn Independent WomanA Dangerous Man

The Lost Heirs

A Stolen HeartPromise Me TomorrowNo Other LoveSuddenlyScandalousImpulseIndiscreetImpetuousSwept Away

His Wicked Charm

Candace Camp

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-08076-7

HIS WICKED CHARM

© 2018 Candace Camp

Published in Great Britain 2018

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.

® and ™ are trademarks owned and used by the trademark owner and/or its licensee. Trademarks marked with ® are registered with the United Kingdom Patent Office and/or the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market and in other countries.

www.millsandboon.co.uk

Praise for New York Times bestselling authorCandace Camp

‘An exemplary read.’

Publishers Weekly on So Wild a Heart

‘From its delicious beginning to its satisfying ending, Camp’s delectable story offers a double helping of romance.’

Booklist on Mesmerised

‘[Camp] is renowned as a storyteller who touches the hearts of her readers time and time again.’

RT Book Reviews

‘A smart, fun-filled romp.’

Publishers Weekly on Impetuous

‘A clever mystery adds intrigue to this lively and gently humorous tale, which simmers with well-handled sexual tension.’

Library Journal on A Dangerous Man

‘Delightful.’

Publishers Weekly on The Wedding Challenge

‘A beautifully crafted, poignant love story.’

RT Book Reviews on The Wedding Challenge

‘[A] beautifully written charmer.’

Publishers Weekly on The Marriage Wager

‘The talented Camp has deftly mixed romance and intrigue to create another highly enjoyable Regency romance.’

Booklist on An Independent Woman

Contents

Cover

About the Author CANDACE CAMP is a New York Times bestselling author of over sixty novels of contemporary and historical romance. She grew up in Texas in a newspaper family, which explains her love of writing, but she earned a law degree and practiced law before making the decision to write full-time. She has received several writing awards, including the RT Book Reviews Lifetime Achievement Award for Western Romances. Visit her at www.candace-camp.com .

Booklist Also available from Candace Camp The Mad Morelands MesmerisedBeyond CompareWintersetAn Unexpected Pleasure The Aincourts So Wild a HeartThe Hidden HeartSecrets of the Heart The Matchmaker Series The Marriage WagerThe Bridal QuestThe Wedding ChallengeThe Courtship DanceAn Independent WomanA Dangerous Man The Lost Heirs A Stolen HeartPromise Me TomorrowNo Other LoveSuddenlyScandalousImpulseIndiscreetImpetuousSwept Away

Title Page His Wicked Charm Candace Camp www.millsandboon.co.uk

Copyright ISBN: 978-1-474-08076-7 HIS WICKED CHARM © 2018 Candace Camp Published in Great Britain 2018 by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental. By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher. ® and ™ are trademarks owned and used by the trademark owner and/or its licensee. Trademarks marked with ® are registered with the United Kingdom Patent Office and/or the Office for Harmonisation in the Internal Market and in other countries. www.millsandboon.co.uk

Praise Praise for New York Times bestselling authorCandace Camp ‘An exemplary read.’ Publishers Weekly on So Wild a Heart ‘From its delicious beginning to its satisfying ending, Camp’s delectable story offers a double helping of romance.’ Booklist on Mesmerised ‘[Camp] is renowned as a storyteller who touches the hearts of her readers time and time again.’ RT Book Reviews ‘A smart, fun-filled romp.’ Publishers Weekly on Impetuous ‘A clever mystery adds intrigue to this lively and gently humorous tale, which simmers with well-handled sexual tension.’ Library Journal on A Dangerous Man ‘Delightful.’ Publishers Weekly on The Wedding Challenge ‘A beautifully crafted, poignant love story.’ RT Book Reviews on The Wedding Challenge ‘[A] beautifully written charmer.’ Publishers Weekly on The Marriage Wager ‘The talented Camp has deftly mixed romance and intrigue to create another highly enjoyable Regency romance.’ Booklist on An Independent Woman

PROLOGUE PROLOGUE 1892 THE DOOR OPENED. The room beyond lay in darkness, broken only by a swath of moonlight. There was no reason to be frightened, yet some nameless, faceless terror iced Con’s veins. Still, he stepped inside. The fear in him was worse. The walls of the room were curved, disorienting, and everywhere he looked were clocks—standing, hanging, scattered over tables and stands, lined up in cabinets. Brass hands winked, catching the dim light. Con moved farther in, his heart pounding, and stopped at a narrow table. The tiered rows were padded with dark velvet, and they were lined with not clocks, but compasses, their needles pointing in unison toward the windows. Turning now, he saw that compasses stood in the cabinets and hung on the walls amid the clocks. He was too late. He knew it with a certainty that closed his throat: he would fail. Con ran toward the window, but he didn’t move. The needles on the compasses began to whirl. Running, gasping, he reached out, knowing he’d never reach it in time. Someone screamed. Con’s eyes flew open, and he jerked upright in the bed. His lungs labored in his chest, his heart thundering, and he clenched his muscles, fists curled so tightly his fingernails bit into his palms. Sweat dried cold on his skin. It was a dream. He glanced around him. He was in his own bed, in his own room. It was only a dream. Through the open doorway to the adjoining sitting room, he could see Wellie perched in his cage, regarding Con with bright black eyes. That scream must have been the parrot’s screech. The bird moved from foot to foot and rasped out, “Wellie. Good bird.” “Yes. Good bird.” Con’s voice came out almost as hoarse as Wellington’s. He sank back onto his pillow, closing his eyes. It had been nothing but a bad dream and easily explained—today was Alex’s wedding day. He was worried about oversleeping and failing in his duties. The problem was he’d been having the exact same nightmare for weeks.

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

CHAPTER THIRTY

CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

CHAPTER FORTY

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

EPILOGUE

PROLOGUE

1892

THE DOOR OPENED. The room beyond lay in darkness, broken only by a swath of moonlight. There was no reason to be frightened, yet some nameless, faceless terror iced Con’s veins. Still, he stepped inside. The fear in him was worse.