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With grim determination, Major Garrett Fairchild spurred his lathered horse down the Lisbon road. Lieutenant Lord Anthony Nelthorpe had taken Jenna Montague to the abandoned monastery, Sancha said. To his frenzied “why,” the maid merely wailed that she should never have let her mistress leave with that evil one, who had watched Jenna’s every move since the fat colonel’s wife told them her father’s death left Jenna a rich woman.

Though he still couldn’t believe his subordinate would harm the daughter of his former commander, Nelthorpe had impressed Garrett from the beginning as an individual concerned solely with his own well-being. If he needed money, Garrett could easily see him deciding to “persuade” Jenna to marry him - by whatever means necessary.

Rage, fanned by fear, boiled in his heart, flowed like lava through his veins. Then as he rounded the last bend, he spied a slender figure stumbling out the front door of the monastery.

In an instant, he pulled up his horse, leaped from the saddle, and raced to meet her.

“Jenna, thank God! Are you all right?”

“Garrett!” she exclaimed, and ran into his arms.

For a moment Jenna allowed herself to enjoy the blessed safety of being wrapped in Garrett’s embrace. Then, still a bit shaky, she pulled away. “H-Has order been restored in Badajoz?”

Garrett gripped her arms so hard they hurt. “I don’t give a damn about Badajoz! Where is Nelthorpe? If he hurt, or even frightened you, by God I swear I’ll gut him!”

He looked alarmingly ferocious - out of concern for her. Jenna swallowed hard to keep the tears at bay.

“I’m fine, as you can see. And Lord Anthony has…returned to the city. I’m surprised you did not pass him on your way.”

“He did bring you here, then? What did he do to you, Jenna? The truth, now!”

“Nothing, really. He…merely wanted some privacy in which to persuade me to accept his offer of marriage.”

“Persuade - or coerce?”

“Well, he did seem a bit surprised that I should not leap at the opportunity to share his kisses and my fortune. But after a bit of…maneuvering, I managed to convince him there was no possibility of my accepting his flattering offer, and he…left.”

“I’ll kill the bastard,” Garrett growled. “That is just what you must not do! General Wellington would be most displeased, and besides, there is no need. Only you, he, and Sancha know we came here.”

“You are sure he didn’t harm you?” Garrett persisted. “If all he wished was to beg you to consider his suit, he could have done that back at your billet.”

Garrett stared at her so intently Jenna felt her cheeks heat. “He may have had…other intentions, but I assure you, they came to naught. You must remember I was raised in the midst of an army, Garrett. Father knew that not every soldier was a gentleman, and trained me to handle myself accordingly.”

Garrett studied her face. “Are you inferring that I spare some concern for Lord Nelthorpe’s condition?”

“Let’s just say he will be returning with a wound not received in battle. And narrowly missed returning minus that part of his anatomy a gentleman is said to cherish most highly.”

Laughing, Garrett seized her in another bone-crushing hug. “Then you are more merciful than I would have been. Ah, what a woman you are, Jenna! No wonder I love you so much!”

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