He vowed he'd never marry. To Vane Cynster, Bellamy Hall seems like the perfect place to temporarily hide from London's husband hunters. But when he encounters irresistible Patience Debbington, Vane realises he's met his match ... She vowed no man would catch her. Patience isn't about to succumb to Vane's sensuous propositions. Yes, his kisses leave her dizzy and his caresses made her melt; but Patience has promised herself she'll never become vulnerable to a broken heart. Is this one vow that was meant to be broken? To this second book of her Bar Cynster series, Stephanie Laurens brings a thorough command of Regency style, as well as graphic, uninhibited love scenes. Elegant, commanding Vane Cynster graciously bows to fate when he seeks shelter from a storm and meets the woman he realizes he's destined to marry--Patience Debbington, the spinster niece of Vane's kindhearted godmother. Although her attraction to Vane is immediate and electrifying, Patience distrusts "elegant gentlemen" like her father, who broke her mother's heart by failing to return her love. To pursue Patience, Vane settles into his godmother's household, which consists of various poor relatives and assorted hangers-on, and is caught up in the search for a petty thief and occasional "Spectre" who is harassing them. It requires all of Vane's investigative abilities to catch the criminal, and all of his considerable powers of persuasion--as well as many ardent couplings with Patience--to convince her that family, loyalty, and love come first for him. Laurens is especially skillful at capturing Regency males, aristocrats whose refined restraint barely masks their powerful underlying urges. Appearances by others of the extended, devoted Cynster family ensures that readers will become increasing attached to this ongoing series. --Ellen Edwards He vowed he′d never marry. To Vane Cynster, Bellamy Hall seems like the perfect place to temporarily hide from London′s husband hunters. But when he encounters irresistible Patience Debbington, Vane realises he′s met his match ... She vowed no man would catch her. Patience isn′t about to succumb to Vane′s sensuous propositions. Yes, his kisses leave her dizzy and his caresses made her melt; but Patience has promised herself she′ll never become vulnerable to a broken heart. Is this one vow that was meant to be broken? #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. October 1819 Northamptonshire "You want to get a move on. Looks like the Hounds of Hell are on our heels." "What?" Jerked from uneasy contemplation, Vane Cynster lifted his gaze from his leader's ears and glanced around, bringing Duggan, his groom, into view-along with the bank of lowering thunderheads sweeping down on them from behind. "Blast!" Vane looked forward and flicked the reins. The pair of matched greys harnessed to his curricle stepped out powerfully. He glanced over his shoulder. "Think we can outrun it?" Considering the storm clouds, Duggan shook his head. "We got three miles on it, maybe five. Not enough to turn back to Kettering, nor yet to make Northampton." Vane swore. It wasn't the thought of a drenching that exercised his mind. Desperation dug in its spurs; his eyes on the road as the greys swept on, he searched for some option, some route of escape. Only minutes before, he'd been thinking of Devil, Duke of St. Ives, his cousin, boyhood companion, and closest friend--and of the wife fate had handed him. Honoria, now Duchess of St. Ives. She who had ordered Vane and the other four as-yet-unmarried members of the Bar Cynster not only to pay for but attend the dedication service for the roof of the church in Somersham. village, close by the ducal seat. Admittedly, the money she'd decreed they surrender had been ill-gotten gains, their winnings from a wager of which neither she nor their mothers had approved. The ageold adage that the only women Cynster males need be wary of were Cynster wives still held true for this generation as it had for those past. The reason why was not something any male Cynster liked to dwell on. Which was why he felt such a driving need to get out of the path of the storm. Fate, in the guise of a storm, had arranged for Honoria and Devil to meet, in circumstances that had all but ensured their subsequent marriage. Vane wasn't about to take unnecessary chances. "Bellamy Hall." He clung to the idea like a drowning man. "Minnie will give us shelter." "That's a thought." Duggan sounded more hopeful. "The turnoff should be close." It was around the next bend; Vane took the turn at speed, then cursed and slowed his cattle. The narrow lane was not as well surfaced as the road they'd left. Too fond of his high-stepping horses to risk injuring the