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Taken in revenge!
Aric the Ruthless is consumed by his need for vengeance. And so he takes his enemy’s widowed daughter, Lady Fearn, as his slave... His fiery captive may fight him at first, but he knows he will soon tempt her into his bed!
Fearn’s marriage brought her only fear and pain, but powerful Viking Aric is nothing like her cruel husband. And as her captor’s seduction awakens her to new sensations, dare she hope this ferocious warrior could become the husband she deserves?
‘This,’ he said softly, ‘will be good. Here we have peace and privacy, and time for you to discover things you could not have imagined.’
‘You are arrogant!’ she whispered.
‘Sure of myself, yes, and sure of you too. I doubt you’ve ever been told that you’re the loveliest woman in all England. But I’ve seen how men’s eyes follow you.’
‘Lust. That’s all.’
‘Let go of your anger. This is more than simple lust. I want you because you’re a match for me. Courageous, fierce, passionate, impetuous. You have the body of a goddess, made for loving, and I can give you pleasure if only you’ll allow it. Let me show you.’
Whilst I am interested in most periods of British history, I find the overlapping of the early Celtic, Viking and Anglo-Saxon eras particularly fascinating. It is not the violence, battles and bloodshed that intrigue me most, but the position of women in those societies. They were obliged to balance their own desires and needs against those of husbands, fathers, the decrees of society, the King and religion. The constraints must have been enormous and yet we know there were women who managed to make things work in their favour.
This is why I like to make my heroines women who rise above the difficulties in which they find themselves, become stronger as a result, and find love in the most unlikely circumstances. After all, to most British women there can be few more unlikely circumstances than being caught up in a series of conflicts as world-changing as those between the tenth-century Anglo-Saxons and the Vikings of Denmark.
My story may be a work of fiction, but I believe there must have been situations not unlike this one which did not claim the attention of the chroniclers. I like to think that in this small way I am redressing the balance.
Captive of the Viking
Juliet Landon
JULIET LANDON has a keen interest in art and history—both of which she used to teach. She particularly enjoys researching the early medieval, Tudor and Regency periods, and the problems encountered by women in a man’s world. Born in North Yorkshire, she now lives in a Hampshire village close to her family. Her first books, which were on embroidery and design, were published under her own name of Jan Messent.
Books by Juliet Landon
Mills & Boon Historical Romance
At the Tudor Court
Betrayed, Betrothed and Bedded
Taming the Tempestuous Tudor
Stand-Alone Novels
The Widow’s Bargain
The Bought Bride
His Duty, Her Destiny
The Warlord’s Mistress
A Scandalous Mistress
Dishonour and Desire
The Rake’s Unconventional Mistress
Marrying the Mistress
Slave Princess
Mistress Masquerade
Captive of the Viking
Collaboration with the National Trust
Scandalous Innocent
Visit the Author Profile page
at millsandboon.co.uk for more titles.
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Contents
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Epilogue
Author Afterword
Extract
The year 993—Jorvik, now known as York
Even at that early hour of the day, a dense pall of smoke lay over the thatched rooftops of Jorvik like a grey blanket filtering upwards into the haze of dawn. The furnace was already roaring from the blacksmith’s