The Enemy's Daughter

by Anne Marie Winston

Overview

Dynasties: The Danforths. A family of prominence...tested by scandal, sustained by passion!

THEIR AFFAIR WAS FORBIDDEN

Adam Danforth could have had his pick of Savannah beauties, but the only woman who tempted him was Selene Van Gelder--the daughter of his father's most venomous rival.

THEIR PASSION UNQUENCHABLE

Adam should have been suspicious of Selene's interest. He should have questioned her motives. But his desire for her was wild and uncaged. He wanted to go public with their relationship, but she begged him to wait. Their secret trysts and stolen pleasure had to be enough--until the media unexpectedly exposed their affair. Now Adam was faced with a harsh reality: had Selene leaked their secret to sabotage his father's campaign--and could he ever trust his heart again?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781426857430
Publisher:	Silhouette
Publication date:	03/01/2010
Series:	Dynasties: The Danforths , #12
Sold by:	HARLEQUIN
Format:	eBook
Pages:	192
File size:	554 KB

About the Author

Anne Marie Winston is a Pennsylvania native and former educator. She sold her first book, Best Kept Secrets, to Silhouette Desire in 1991. She has received various awards from the romance writing industry, and several of her books have made USA TODAY’s bestseller list. Learn more on her web site at: www.annemariewinston.com or write to her at P.O. Box 302, Zullinger, PA 17272.

Read an Excerpt

The Enemy's Daughter

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By Anne Winston

Harlequin Enterprises, Ltd.

Copyright © 2004 Harlequin Enterprises, Ltd.
All right reserved.
ISBN: 0-373-76603-3

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Chapter One

The coffee shop was surprisingly busy for the middle of a Wednesday afternoon.

Selene Van Gelder paused just inside the door of D&D's, an upscale coffeehouse located on a bluff above the river's edge in the historic district of Savannah, Georgia. The air conditioning felt wonderful, since the heat was still oppressive in early September. She took several deep breaths, feeling the jittery unease in her stomach increase. This was foolhardy. She shouldn't be here.

She had told herself she needed to go shopping today, but when she'd found herself standing outside the wood-and-brass doors of D&D's with their frosted window panes, it was time to admit to herself that after two months she finally couldn't resist the urge to find out more about Adam Danforth.

So this was his business. At least, partly his, she thought, recalling that he'd said his cousin and his oldest brother were his partners. Breathing deeply of the rich blend of coffee aromas, she looked curiously around the interior.

It was as elegant as she'd expected, but the atmosphere was one of warmth and invitation. Rich dark-paneled wood set off gleaming brass, and cafe curtains spanned the wide windows on which the Danforth & Co.'s stylized logo, intertwined D's with a lavish ampersand, appeared in gilt letters. Along one wall was an enormous fireplace, though she wondered how often they actually got to use the thing, with a climate as mild as Savannah's.

Strangely, the sight of the fireplace calmed her nerves. It reminded her of her youth growing up in European boarding schools. Roaring fires were more a necessity than a luxury during the chilly northern winters on the Continent. And though one didn't normally think of boarding school as a great place to be, for Selene school had meant comfort and security.

But you're not in Europe anymore, Selene, she reminded herself. No, she was home - if she could really call Savannah home. She supposed it was as familiar as any other place stateside, and at least she had some connection to Savannah, however tenuous it felt. She'd been born here in the heat of a summer evening. And her mother's grave was here, beneath the live oaks in one of the stately old cemeteries where the city's first families routinely were interred.

Her mother. She sighed, wishing she'd known the woman who had given her life. But Elisabetta Horne Van Gelder had died mere hours after the birth of her only child, breathing just long enough to give Selene her name and bid farewell to the husband who had loved her so dearly. How different, she wondered, might her life be today had her mother lived?

Pulling herself from introspection that she knew from experience would prove painful, she crossed to the counter and ordered a tall cup of D&D's special Brazilian mocha blend to go. She looked around the room at the waiters and the staff working the sophisticated machinery, but she didn't see Adam.

A wave of disappointment swept through her, and she told herself not to be ridiculous. The co-owner of the business, particularly an entrepreneur as wealthy and successful as Adam Danforth was reported to be, would hardly be working behind the counter.

Besides, the last thing either of them needed was a public meeting that could be witnessed by someone who might identify them. Wouldn't that make a nice tidbit for the gossip columns?

It was time to go. She was half regretting the impulse that had brought her here. Hadn't she been telling herself since July that she couldn't get involved with Adam?

Not to mention that it was terribly arrogant of her to assume he would still be interested if she did look him up. After all, she hadn't heard a word from him since she'd received a lovely bouquet of roses and lilies the morning after the dinner-dance where they'd met.

As she turned with her drink in hand, she nearly bumped into a blonde in a trim navy suit behind her. With a quick sidestep, she murmured, "Sorry."

The other woman barely acknowledged her. "Honey," she was saying to her companion, a brunette who looked to be a member of the downtown business community as well, "he is the most gorgeous hunk of man I've seen in ages. Think Josh Hartnett mixed with a healthy dose of a young Tom Cruise. Except Adam's six feet tall." She sighed. "I'd like a piece of that action."

Adam? Selene's attention sharpened, even though she felt as if every person in the place suddenly knew she was eavesdropping.

"Maybe - until he opens his mouth," her friend said.

"I won't argue with the hunk definition, but the man is a dead bore. I went out with him once, years ago, and I am tellin' you, my eyes positively glazed over after the first twenty minutes."

The first woman shrugged. "I don't need them to be real bright," she said with a sly laugh.

"That might be the problem." The brunette who'd gone out with the man in question dug her wallet out of her purse. "He's too smart. Once he gets rollin' on the ghosts and legends stuff, you might as well order another drink and get out your earplugs. Every time you think he's windin' down he heads off in a new direction."

Selene could barely contain her amusement. The pair had to be talking about her Adam.

No! Not your Adam!

Adam Danforth. She supposed that to many women, his fascination with history and local legends might be a trifle boring, but to someone who'd actually enjoyed her university years studying dead languages and ancient literature, he couldn't have been more interesting.

She threaded her way past the other waiting customers toward the door. It was a good thing she hadn't seen him. This had been a stupid move and she would have regretted it had they met again.

Of course she would have.

She had to wait for a large party to enter just as she reached the door, and while she did so, her attention was caught by the spacious bulletin board on the nearest wall. One message read: "SWF seeks SWM to share frangelica cappuccino and opera. Must love small, yappy dogs." There was a phone number beneath. Another was a boldly drawn heart: "Elena, will you marry me?" She smiled and kept reading, even though the entryway had cleared. Apparently this message board had become something of a dating service!

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from The Enemy's Daughter by Anne Winston Copyright © 2004 by Harlequin Enterprises, Ltd.. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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