The Gift

Book excerpt: An engrossing tale of love on the high seas from #1 New York Times bestselling author Julie Garwood. Sara Winchester has joyfully anticipated the day when her husband Nathan, Marquess of St. James, will return to claim her heart at last. Charmingly innocent, she dismisses the ancient feud that divides Nathan's family from her own, the feud that their marriage was supposed to settle. But when he finally returns, Nathan is not the prince charming Sara had imagined. The man before her now is perplexing, arrogant and powerfully handsome—a notorious pirate whose touch arouses her to the wildest, deepest pleasures of love. Nathan has never bared his soul to any woman, but he's soon utterly beguiled and exasperated by Sara's sweet, defiant ways. Aboard his ship, The Seahawk, she is brave, imperious and determined to win his heart completely. But upon their return to England, Sara's love will be sorely tested as a vile conspiracy threatens to tear them apart...