The Promise in a Kiss (Cynster Series)

by Stephanie Laurens

Overview

What would you do if you were kissed by the most handsome stranger you'd ever seen? And what if that man was a Cynster?

Every girl—even convent-educated ones—dreams of forbidden kisses. So when a man literally falls at Helena's feet as she's walking through the courtyard one moonlit Christmas Eve, the pretty, young comtesse d'Lisle knows he's up to no good. He's clearly a bit dangerous... and obviously caught in the middle of a clandestine rendezvous. Why else would he have risked his neck and jumped out of a window into the snow?

It's wrong, it's outlandish . . . and it's the most utterly romantic gesture she's ever seen. So when the good sisters rush up, demanding to know ifshe has seen a man on the grounds, Helena ignores the years of strict upbringing that insist she reveal his presence.

To lie would be a sin, but 'no one can be good all the time.

As a reward for her silence, the stranger takes her in his arms and enticingly, unforgettably kisses her—and then departs, leaving a lingering if unspoken promise of all that might be, should fate decree that they meet again. Although Helena doesn't know it, her wild Englishman is Sebastian Cynster, Duke of St. Ives, a nobleman who will prove to be her destiny.

Seven years later, Helena has been transformed from a pretty schoolgirl to an aristocratic beauty. Her sparkling wit has made her sought after by London's hostesses; her considerable dowry has made winning her hand the aim of many a gentleman . . . but she is deadeningly aware of how boring so many ofthese gentlemen are.

Her manipulative guardian has unexpectedly allowed her to find a husband of her own choosing, and she has no intention of marrying any man who tries to tame her. There must be someone perfect for her . . . someone who can live up to the promise ofthat long-ago kiss.

Then, at a ball, fate strikes. Once again, it is the Christmas season, and across the crowded room Helena stands transfixed . . . for there is the man whose kiss she has never forgotten, the man of her memory whom no other has ever been able to supplant. Her wild, mysterious Englishman, Sebastian Cynster, Duke of St. Ives.

One look, and he's determined to reclaim her . . . .

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780061750519
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	10/13/2009
Series:	Cynster Series
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	400
Sales rank:	44,063
File size:	954 KB

About the Author

#1 New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Laurens began writing as an escape from the dry world of professional science, a hobby that quickly became a career. Her novels set in Regency England have captivated readers around the globe, making her one of the romance world's most beloved and popular authors.

Read an Excerpt

Chapter One

November 1783
London

Collette had refused to divulge his name, her mad Englishman, yet there he stood, long, lean, and as handsome as ever, albeit seven years older. Surrounded by fashionable conversation, on her way from one group to the next, Helena halted, transfixed.

About her, Lady Morpleth's soirée was in full spate. It was mid-November, and the ton had turned their collective mind to the festive season. Holly abounded; the scent from evergreen boughs filled the air. In France, the approach to la nuit de Noël had long been another excuse for extravagance. Although the ties between London and Paris were slackening, in this, London still concurred; for glitter, for glamour, for richness and splendor, the ton's entertainments rivaled those of the French court. In terms of honest cheer, they excelled, for here there was no threat of social unrest, no canaille gathering in the shadows beyond the walls. Here, those wellborn and wealthy enough to belong to the elite could laugh, smile, and freely enjoy the whirl of activities filling the weeks leading to the celebration of the Nativity.

The smaller room into which Helena had ventured was crowded; as she stood staring into the main salon, the incessant chatter faded from her mind.

Framed by a connecting archway, he — the wild Englishman who had been the first ever to kiss her — paused to chat to some lady. A subtle smile curved his lips, still thin, still indolently mobile. Helena remembered how they'd felt on hers.

Seven years.

Her gaze raced over him. She hadn't seen him well enough in the gardens of the convent to catalog any changes, yet he still moved with the prowling grace she remembered, surprising in one so large. Devoid of powder and patches, the planes of his pale face seemed harder, more austere. His hair, now she could see its color, was a honey-toned brown, wavy locks drawn back in a queue secured with a black ribbon.

He was dressed with understated richness. Every garment bore the subtle stamp of a master, from the froth of expensive Mechlin lace at his throat, the abundant fall of the same lace over his long hands, to the exquisite cut of his silver-gray coat and darker gray breeches. Others would have had the coat trimmed with lace or braid. He had left it unadorned but for its big silver buttons. His waistcoat, darker gray heavily embroidered with silver, glimpsed as he moved, combined with the coat to create the impression of sleekly luxurious packaging concealing a prize even more sinfully rich.

In the salon crammed with lace, feathers, braids, and jewels, he dominated, and not just because of his height.

If the last seven years had left any mark at all, it was in his presence — that indefinable aura that clung to powerful men. He'd grown more powerful, more arrogant, more ruthless. The same seven years had made her an expert; power was, to her, as blatant as the color of skin.

Fabien de Mordaunt, comte de Vichesse, the aristocrat who'd exploited various family connections to have himself declared her guardian, exuded the same aura. The last seven years had left her both weary and wary of powerful men.

"Eh, bien. How goes it, ma cousine?"

Helena turned; she nodded coldly. "Bon soir, Louis." He wasn't her cousin, not even distantly related; she refrained from haughtily reminding him of the fact. Louis was less than nothing; he was her keeper, no more than an extension of his uncle and master, Fabien de Mordaunt.

She could ignore Louis. Fabien she'd learned never to forget.

Louis's dark eyes were roving the room. "There are some likely prospects here." He leaned his powdered head closer to murmur, "I've heard there's an English duke present. Unmarried. St. Ives. You would do well to garner an introduction."

Helena raised her brows faintly and glanced about the salon. A duke? Louis did have his uses. He was devoted to his uncle's schemes, and in this instance she and Fabien were pursuing the same agenda, albeit for different reasons.

For the past seven years — almost from the time the Englishman had kissed her — Fabien had used her as a pawn in his games. Her hand was a prize much sought after by the powerful and wealthy families of France; she'd been almost betrothed more times than she could recall. But the volatility of the French state and the vicissitudes in the fortunes of the aristocratic families, so dependent on the king's whims, had meant cementing an alliance through her marriage had never been an option sufficiently attractive to Fabien. More attractive had been the game of dangling her fortune and person as a lure to draw those with influence into his net. Once he'd gained from them all he wanted, he would cast them out and again send her into the Paris salons to catch the attention of his next conquest.

How long the game would have gone on she dreaded to think — until she was too gray to be a lure? Luckily, at least for her, the increasing disaffection in France, the groundswell of discontent, had given Fabien pause. A natural predator, his instincts were sound — he didn't like the scent on the wind. She'd been certain he was considering a shift in his tactics even before the attempt to kidnap her.

That had been frightening. Even now, standing beside Louis in the middle of a fashionable salon in a different country, she had to fight to quell a shiver. She'd been walking in the orchards of Le Roc, Fabien's fortress in the Loire, when three men had ridden up and tried to take her.

They must have been watching, biding their time. She'd fought, struggled — to no avail. They would have kidnapped her if it hadn't been for Fabien. He'd been riding past, had heard her screams, and came galloping to her aid.

She might rail against Fabien's hold over her, but he protected what he regarded as his.  At thirty-nine, he was still in his prime. One man had died; the other two had feld. Fabien had chased them, but they'd escaped. 

That evening she hand Fabien had discused her future.  Every minute of that private interview was engraved in her memory. Fabien had informed her the men had been hirelings of the Rouchefoulds.  Like Fabien, the most powerful intrigants knew that a storm was coming; each family, each powerful man, was intent on seizing all estates, titles, and alliances they could. The more they built their power, the more likely they would be to weather the storm.

She'd become a target.  Not just for the Rouchefoulds.

"I have received strongly worded requests for your hand from all four of the major families. All four." Fabien had fixed his dark eyes on her. "As you perceive, I am not aux anges.  All four constitutes an unwelcome problem".

A problem indeed, one fraught with risk. Fabien did not want to choose, to commit her fortune and by inference his support to any of the four. Favor one and the other three would slit his throat at the first opportunity. Metaphorically, definitely; possibly literally. All that, she'd understood; the observations that Fabien's manipulative schemes had come home to roost with a vengenance she had kept to herself.

"It is no longer an option to approve an alliance for you inside France, yet the pressure to bestow your hand will only increase."  Fabien had eyed her thoughtfully, then continued in his silken purr, "I am therefore of a mind to leave this now-unsatisfactory arena and move to potentially more productive fields."

She'd blinked at him. He'd smiled, more to himself than her.

"In these troubling times it would, I feel, be in the best interests of the family to develop stronger connections with our distant relatives across the Channel."

"You wish me to marry an emigre?" She'd been shocked. Emigres were generally of low social standing. those with no estates. 

The Promise in a Kiss. Copyright © by Stephanie Laurens. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold.

Editorial Reviews

Continuing the story of the Cynsters, begun in several paperback best sellers. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

A young comtesse finds true love with a sensual duke: a prequel to (and first hardcover in) the popular Cynster series. Lovely, virginal Helena, the future comtesse d'Lisle, is startled by an intruder in the walled garden of her convent school. The devastatingly handsome fellow bestows a kiss (her first) and decamps before he's discovered. It's an unforgettable moment, and upon making her debut in English society seven years later she is equally startled to meet the man again. Sebastian, Duke of St. Ives, the embodiment of arrogant masculinity, has a well-deserved reputation as dangereux. Helena is warned to keep away from him, but she is shockingly independent for a young woman of her class and pays little heed. Anyway, her guardian, Fabien de Mordaunt, packed her off to London with a document freeing her to marry any English nobleman with an estate greater than her own. He's sure that can't happen, since Helena will inherit vast landholdings in the Camargue, a cool château in the Loire, and other goodies. Fabien would just as soon keep his charge's fabulous fortune in the family and is secretly scheming to marry Helena off to her cousin Louis. Sebastian, however, must and will have her, and so begins a series of increasingly lubricious encounters. She can't resist the dashing duke, who's effortlessly elegant and moves with powerful grace, and he in turn is obsessed by her flawless beauty and snowy bosoms, not to mention her crystalline peridot eyes. Helena's guardian is blissfully unaware of all this, although he and Sebastian have met before; the English lord has stolen an Arabian dagger, a family heirloom that Fabien wants back. Further schemes are set in motion, swordsare crossed, the impending French Revolution proves complication-but by the close, true love (surprise) prevails. Entertaining in its way, if a trifle overripe. Lots and lots of tastefully erotic sex for those who like their Regencies a little less ladylike.

Kirkus Reviews

Audio heartthrob Simon Prebble returns to melt listeners with another Regency-era romantic mystery. When a teenaged girl living in a convent receives a kiss from a strange man in the dark, she never dreams she'll encounter him later in life. Prebble softens his voice to convey the heroine and the other female characters and invests the men with an infinite variety of vocal quirks and accents. Hero Sebastian, of course, comes across as a tender brute full of testosterone. Prebble has mastered the art of performing graphic scenes in a way that leaves the listener limp with sensation. Who knew one kiss could be so erotic? R.L.L. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine

FEB/MAR 06 - AudioFile