Heartless

Dear Reader,

I am very delighted that
Heartless
(with its companion piece,
Silent Melody
, to follow next month) is being republished in this lovely edition. It has one of my all-time favorite heroes. The story is set in eighteenth-century England, an earlier era than my usual Regency setting. I made the change deliberately so that I could dress up my characters in all the splendid plumage of the time. Lucas Kendrick, Duke of Harndon, has just returned from Paris, undisputed center of the fashionable world, having unexpectedly inherited his title and position as head of the family that had spurned and exiled him many years before. Now he has power to wield and old scores to settle, and he looks upon his world with a cold and dangerous cynicism.

I enjoyed creating that very masculine aspect of his character, but I positively reveled in clothing him in all his Parisian splendor. He attends a ball early in the book in a wide-skirted scarlet coat and a gold waistcoat, both sparkling with gold embroidery, while white lace froths at his neck and wrists. He wears satin knee breeches with white stockings and jeweled shoes with high red heels. His long hair is powdered and crisply curled at the sides and bagged at the back, and he wears cosmetics and carries a fan. But he also carries at his side a jewel-hilted sword with which he is said to be more than ordinarily adept, and for all the languid grace of his manner, there is that look in his eyes—a look he soon directs across the ballroom at Lady Anna Marlowe.

And so begins a passion-fraught love story that kept me pounding the keyboard until they had found their happily-ever-after. I hope you enjoy seeing the two sides of Luke as much as I did creating them. And I hope you consider Anna a worthy heroine for him.

Mary Balogh

PRAISE FOR THE NOVELS OF MARY BALOGH

Longing

“Balogh capture[s] the allure of the land and the culture of the proud people of Wales . . . a very different sort of historical romance. Ms. Balogh's writing has a very lyrical quality to it which draws out the feelings of yearning so that the reader can palpably sense them . . . pretty powerful.”

—The Hope Chest Reviews

“A particular favorite of mine.”

—The Romance Reader

Beyond the Sunrise

“Thoroughly enjoyable.”

—
New York Times
bestselling author Janelle Taylor

“Balogh's . . . epic love story is a winner . . . absorbing reading right up until the end.”

—
Publishers Weekly

“High intrigue, daring exploits, a passionate love affair, what more could you want in a romance? Balogh gives us a humdinger of a tale set during the Napoleonic Wars. Great fun. Highly recommended.”

—Manderley Magazine

“
Beyond the Sunrise
is an utterly absorbing, powerful tale of a love that was once doomed and yet blooms again amidst the intrigue and ordeal of war. With infinite care and deft plotting, Ms. Balogh spins an intricate tale with the skill of a master weaver. She draws you into the era by evoking the aura of the war and the passionate emotions of her characters. If you have never read another book by Mary Balogh, then
Beyond the Sunrise
will be your introduction to a writer of remarkable talents.”

—
RT Book Reviews

FURTHER PRAISE FOR AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR MARY BALOGH

“One of the best!”

—
New York Times
bestselling author Julia Quinn

“Balogh is today's superstar heir to the marvelous legacy of Georgette Heyer (except a lot steamier)!”

—
New York Times
bestselling author Susan Elizabeth Phillips

“With her brilliant, beautiful, and emotionally intense writing, Mary Balogh sets the gold standard in historical romance.”

—
New York Times
bestselling author Jayne Ann Krentz

“When it comes to historical romance, Mary Balogh is one of my favorites!”

—
New York Times
bestselling author Eloisa James

“Mary Balogh has the gift of making a relationship seem utterly real and utterly compelling.”

—Mary Jo Putney

“Winning, witty, and engaging . . . fulfilled all of my romantic fantasies.”

—
New York Times
bestselling author Teresa Medeiros

“Mary Balogh just keeps getting better and better . . . interesting characters and great stories to tell . . . well worth your time.”

—The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“Mary Balogh is a superb author whose narrative voice comments on the characters and events of her novel in an ironic tone reminiscent of Jane Austen.”

—Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

“Mary Balogh reaches deep and touches the heart.”

—
New York Times
bestselling author Joan Johnston

“A writer whose books belong on every romance shelf.”

—RT Book Reviews

ALSO BY MARY BALOGH

THE SURVIVORS' CLUB SERIES

The Proposal

The Arrangement

The Escape

Only Enchanting

Only a Promise

THE HUXTABLE SERIES

First Comes Marriage

Then Comes Seduction

At Last Comes Love

Seducing an Angel

A Secret Affair

THE SIMPLY SERIES

Simply Unforgettable

Simply Love

Simply Magic

Simply Perfect

THE BEDWYN SAGA

Slightly Married

Slightly Wicked

Slightly Scandalous

Slightly Tempted

Slightly Sinful

Slightly Dangerous

THE BEDWYN PREQUELS

One Night for Love

A Summer to Remember

THE MISTRESS TRILOGY

More Than a Mistress

No Man's Mistress

The Secret Mistress

THE WEB SERIES

The Gilded Web

Web of Love

The Devil's Web

CLASSICS

The Ideal Wife

The Secret Pearl

A Precious Jewel

A Christmas Promise

Dark Angel/Lord Carew's Bride

The Famous Heroine/The Plumed Bonnet

A Christmas Bride/Christmas Beau

The Temporary Wife/A Promise of Spring

A Counterfeit Betrothal/The Notorious Rake

Irresistible

A Matter of Class

Under the Mistletoe

Longing

Beyond the Sunrise

Silent Melody

SIGNET ECLIPSE

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Published by Signet Eclipse, an imprint of New American Library, a division of Penguin Group (USA) LLC. Previously published in a Berkley edition.

Copyright © Mary Balogh, 1995

Excerpt from
Silent Melody
copyright © Mary Balogh, 1997

Excerpt from
Only a Kiss
copyright © Mary Balogh, 2015

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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA:

Balogh, Mary

Heartless/Mary Balogh.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-0-698-15630-2

I. Title.

PR6052.A465H43 2015

823'.914—dc13 2015004808

PUBLISHER'S NOTE

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.