WHAT WOULD YOU WAGER FOR LOVE?
In the high stakes gentleman's world of 18th century horseracing, when the blood of the "desert kings" ruled the English turf, a hero returns from war to claim the girl he has loved since he first spied her riding hell-for-leather over the Doncaster heath. Determined to have her at any cost, he will risk everything.
A story of star-crossed lovers and horseracing, THE HIGHEST STAKES transports the reader to 18th century England, an era infamous for corruption, arranged marriages, and high stakes gambling; when racing and breeding became the obsession of the uppermost elite, and a match race might replace a duel in settling a point of honor.
Through the fictional love story of Robert Devington and Charlottte Wallace, a tale of drama, danger, thwarted love, and retribution unfurls...
Autorentext
Emery Lee is a life-long equestrienne, a history buff, and a born romantic. Combine the three and you have the essence of her debut novel: a tale of love, war, politics, and horseracing. A member of Romance Writers of America, she lives with her husband, sons, and two horses in central Texas.
Inhalt
Prologue vii
Part I 1
1 Of Victory and Defeat 3
2 Of Sedition and Horseracing 17
3 An Orphan's Tale 33
4 Trial by Fire 57
5 Corporal of the Horse 69
6 A Bitter Rivalry 83
7 Letters from War 93
8 The Challenge 97
9 Report from the Field 107
10 Brothers-in-Arms 117
11 A Hero's Welcome 133
12 A Rogue's Heart 149
13 A Wager for Love 161
14 An Officer and a Gentleman 175
15 The Rematch 197
16 Broken Promises 213
Part II 223
17 A Tale of Two Secrets 225
18 The Business of Marriage 233
19 Of Treachery and Extortion 239
20 Return of the Prodigal 245
21 The Devil Meets His Match 263
22 Race to Gretna Green 275
23 The Betrayal 287
24 The Price of Integrity 309
25 King of the Turf 323
26 Salt in the Wound 339
27 The Reluctant Bride 351
28 An Unlikely Confidante 367
29 Love's Sacrifice 381
30 Military Justice 387
31 A Serendipitous Meeting 393
Part III 405
32 A Woman of Independence 407
33 The Turning Point 419
34 Heir to an Earldom 427
35 An Act of Vengeance 433
36 A Matter of Honor 441
37 An Old Flame Rekindled 453
38 Countess of the Turf 469
39 A Colonial Crown 473
40 A Revelation 489
41 An Irresistible Challenge 503
42 Retribution 511
43 Resurrection 521
44 Redemption 531
Epilogue 537
Bibliography 539
Acknowledgments 543
About the Author 545