The Promise
Chapter One
1515, in the village of Aranjuez, near Toledo, Spain
Alonsa García de Aranjuez jolted awake in her bed, heart pounding in the dark. She
heard the sound that had awakened her once more: gravel pelting against the closed shutters of
her bedchamber window.
"Alonsa!"
The deep male voice called softly to her from the inner courtyard below.
A thrilling bolt of fear mixed with anticipation shot through her. How had Miguel
managed to find his way inside the grounds? It would mean death for him if her father
discovered him.
Alonsa leapt from the bed, threw a shawl over her shoulders, and leaned out of the
shutters. At first, she saw nothing; then the shadows moved, divided-and he appeared. Even
surrounded by the glow of moonlight pouring in from the high arches of the courtyard, his
smooth, swarthy skin gave him an advantage in the shadowed night. He had dressed from head
to toe in black, and with the blackness of his hair and eyes, he was a dangerous, seductive sight
to behold.
He stared up at her, and she could feel the heat of his longing rising up like the sc ... read full excerpt from The Promise ebook
