Till Dawn Tames the Night
Read Till Dawn Tames the Night Online
Authors: Meagan McKinney
McKINNEY
"Phenomenal and talented . . . Meagan McKinney firmly establishes herself as an exceptional storyteller,
holding
the
reader
enthralled
to
the
very
end."
—Romantic Times
"Like all good writers, she has a story to tell and tells it
well."
—
The Times-Picayune
(New Orleans)
"Exceptional writing in the romantic genre."
—The Potomac Almanac
WHEN ANGELS FALL
"This is the kind of story that makes you cry with
happi
-
ness. ...
A TRIUMPH!"
—
Romantic Times
"It's a sign of good writing that the author can make readers cry . . . one of those rare romances that has readers shamelessly shedding tears . . . satisfying in its complexity and the skill with which it reaches the conclusion. You won't want to put down this book until the last page is turned."
—
Gannett News Service
"Her best yet.
Her exuberant sense of wit and style make [this] the perfect valentine."
—The Times-Picayune
(New Orleans)
"A Victorian valentine."
—
The Litchfield County Times
"A real page-turner. . . . Strong secondary
characters,
smooth writing style, and rampaging sexual tension."
—Rendezvous
"WHEN ANGELS FALL will bring [McKinney] to the attention of the most discriminating romance readers . . . the quintessential English romance."
—
Lovenotes
"5 STARS . . . Fairy tales can come true!"
—Heartland Critiques
MY WICKED ENCHANTRESS
"Impossible to put down ... a real page-turner.
Ms. McKinney engages your emotions and draws you into a lush, passionate tale.
POWERFUL, POIGNANT AND BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN."
—Romantic Times
"Motivating!
. . . Readers of historical romance
,
enjoy!"
—
Publishers Weekly
NO CHOICE BUT SURRENDER
"Captures your heart with
a poignancy
reminiscent of Judith
McNaught
.
The perfect book for anyone who adores tender, compassionate love stories ... to be kept and reread time and again."
—
Romantic Times
"A fine tale of love and revenge."
—
Affaire de Coeur
"The best of historical romance."
—
Lovenotes
My Wicked Enchantress
No
Choice but Surrender
When Angels Fall
Published by
Dell Publishing
a
division of
Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc.
666 Fifth Avenue
New York, New York 10103
Copyright © 1991 by Ruth Goodman
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photo-copying, recording,
or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the Publisher, except where permitted by law.
The trademark Dell" is registered in the U.S. Patent and
Trademark Office.
ISBN: 0-440-20870-X Printed in the
United States of America
Published simultaneously in
Canada May 1991
CLS 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
For Tommy
January 1, 1990
O, hush thee, my
babie
,
the time will soon come,
When thy sleep shall be broken by trumpet and drum;
Then hush thee, my darling, take rest while you may,
For strife comes with manhood, and waking with day.
—Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832)
PIRATE
He thinks too much. Such men are dangerous.
—Shakespeare:
Julius Caesar
1818
London Docks
There was no revelry at the Green Serpent Yard tonight. Though the rotting tavern was notorious for its bad gin—and even worse company—it was almost always crowded after dark. Its customers were the kind of vermin rarely seen outside of
Newgate
, and they cared not a whit about the quality of their spirits. But this night, oddly enough, the crowd was sparse.
Only a subdued little gathering of five men drank in the corner, and they sat hunched together, speaking in whispers. Every now and then one deep in his cups would burst out with a chuckle, but he was soon sobered by his companions' faces. It was clear by their expressions that tonight those who laughed
laughed
alone.
As the minutes ticked by, they nervously watched the door as if they were waiting for the Devil himself to appear. When still no one came, they seemed to lose another bit of their nerve, but as if to silence their dread, they downed their gin in huge burning gulps, then wiped their mouths on their shirtsleeves and ordered more.
Fear was everywhere in the Yard tonight. Not only was it seen in the faces of the men and heard in the chilling clink of pewter mugs, it was as overwhelming a stench as the unwashed bodies that filled the tavern or the soiled straw that covered the floor. Even the rats seemed to sense what was in the air. At regular intervals they appeared from their dingy nooks to see what the silence was about. Rising to their hind feet, they sniffed,
then
prudently disappeared back into their holes.
"
Wha
' if he don't believe us, Murdoch?
Wha
' if he kills us all?
I know we're in this fer the gold, but they say
Vashon'd
just as soon kill a bloke as ta look at him." An aged man in the group spoke up. "Though I've lived a good long time, I just don't know
if'n
I'm ready ta
go
tonight. . . ."
"And what about that dragon?" another man whined to their leader. "I've heard it gives him mystical powers! I've heard stories about that pirate that'd scare the virginity out of a nun!"
"We're fools to be here! He'll not want our information! He's slit more throats than I can count!" Made brave by gin, this man slammed his fist on the board.
"Than ye can count?
Than ye can count?"
Their leader, Murdoch, a scurrilous-looking man of fifty, finally stood up.
"Ye stupid yellow dogs!
Ye canna count ta three!"
In disgust he glanced over his lackeys and angrily announced, "I need no cowards this night! Whoever canna find the courage ta stay, then take yer leave and be gone! But dinna be thinkin'
ye're
due any gold fer yer troubles!" With that he lifted the plank table and shoved it to the floor. Glass shattered and the board split.
After that violent outburst, the minions abruptly ceased their complaints. Outraged, the barkeep started from his corner, but when Murdoch turned his gaze to him, the man stopped dead in his tracks.
"If ye want ta see the morrow, jack,
ye'd
best stay out o' this." Murdoch opened his coat and the dull glint of a pistol showed at the waist of his breeches.