Slightly Wicked

Mary Balogh Slightly Wicked

A Dell Book/May 2003

Published by Bantam Dell

A Division of Random House, Inc. New York, New York

All rights reserved Copyright © 2003 by Mary Balogh

Cover hand lettering by Ron Zinn

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For information address: Dell Books, New York, New York.

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Dell is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc., and the colophon is a trademark of Random House, Inc.

ISBN 0-440-24105-7

Manufactured in the United States of America Published simultaneously in Canada OPM 10 9876543

With his laughing eyes and wild, rakish good looks, Lord Rannulf Bedwyn is a hard man to resist. To Judith Law, a woman in need of rescue when her stagecoach overturns, Rannulf is simply her savior, a heroic stranger she will reward with one night of reckless passion before she must become a companion to her wealthy aunt. Imagine Judith’s shock when the same stranger turns out to be among England’s most eligible bachelors.. .and when he arrives at Harewood Grange to woo her cousin. Certainly, they had made no vows, no promises, but Rannulf never did forget his uninhibited lover...nor did she forget that one delicious night. And as scandal sets the household abuzz, Rannulf proposes a solution...but when Judith refuses to have him—in love or wedlock—Rannulf has only one choice: to wage a campaign of pure pleasure to capture the heart of the woman who has already won his....

Step into a world of scandal and surprise, of stately homes and breathtaking seduction. . . . Step into the world of master storyteller Mary Balogh. In novels of wit and intrigue, the bestselling, award-winning author draws you into a vibrant, sensual new world ... and into the lives of one extraordinary family: the Bedwyns—six brothers and sisters—heirs to a legacy of power, passion, and seduction.

Their adventures will dazzle and delight you. Their stories will leave you breathless....

Aidan—the brooding man of honor Freyja—the fiery beauty Rannulf—the irresistible rebel.

This is his story. . . .