Miss Flibbertigibbet and The Barbarian (Cynsters Next Generation Series Book 12)

MISS FLIBBERTIGIBBET AND THE BARBARIAN A CYNSTER NEXT GENERATION NOVEL BOOK TWELVE STEPHANIE LAURENS CONTENTS About Miss Flibbertigibbet and The Barbarian Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Epilogue Also by Stephanie Laurens About the Author This e-book is licensed to you for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be sold, shared, or given away. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the writer’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. MISS FLIBBERTIGIBBET AND THE BARBARIAN Copyright © 2023 by Savdek Management Proprietary Limited ISBN: 978-1-925559-55-2 Cover design by Savdek Management Pty. Ltd. Cover couple photography by Period Images © 2023 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this work may be used, reproduced, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without prior permission in writing from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. First electronic publication: March, 2023 Savdek Management Proprietary Limited, Melbourne, Australia. www.stephanielaurens.com Email: [email protected] The names Stephanie Laurens and the Cynsters, and the SL Logo, are registered trademarks of Savdek Management Proprietary Ltd. Created with Vellum ABOUT MISS FLIBBERTIGIBBET AND THE BARBARIAN #1 New York Times bestselling author Stephanie Laurens returns with a story of two people thrown together on a journey of discovery that defines what each most want of life, love, and family. A gentleman wishing to buy a fabulous horse and a lady set on protecting her family find common ground while pursuing a thief who upends both of their plans. Nicholas Cynster rides up to Aisby Grange determined to secure the stallion known as The Barbarian for his family’s Thoroughbred breeding stable, only to be turned away by the owner’s daughter. Nicholas retreats, but is not about to be denied by any lady, no matter how startlingly beautiful and distracting. Lady Adriana Sommerville knows Nicholas will be back and resigns herself to having to manage his interaction with her aging father. She successfully negotiates that potential quagmire only, at the very last moment, to discover the horse is missing. Stunned, Addie insists on setting out in pursuit and is not so silly as to refuse Nicholas’s support. But as they follow on the heels of The Barbarian, their adventures and encounters open both their eyes to the prospect of a more enduring partnership. Yet before they can follow that trail farther and before they can lay hands on the horse, through shock after shock, their pursuit uncovers a complicated plot that strips away masks and rescripts everything Addie and her siblings thought they knew about the Sommerville family. A classic historical romance of adventure, discovery, and reconciliation set in the English countryside. A Cynster Next Generation novel. A full-length historical romance of 103,000 words. Praise for the works of Stephanie Laurens “Stephanie Laurens’ heroines are marvelous tributes to Georgette Heyer: feisty and strong.” Cathy Kelly “Stephanie Laurens never fails to entertain and charm her readers with vibrant plots, snappy dialogue, and unforgettable characters.” Historical Romance Reviews “Stephanie Laurens plays into readers’ fantasies like a master and claims their hearts time and again.” Romantic Times Magazine Praise for Miss Flibbertigibbet and the Barbarian “The Cynster saga continues in this tale of romance and horse thievery. Mystery and passion intermingle in the love story of Nicholas Cynster and Adriana Sommerville. Fans of historical romance won't be able to get enough of the engaging characters and steamy love scenes.” Brittany M., Proofreader, Red Adept Editing “Lady Adriana Sommerville would much prefer to become a spinster than settle for one of the insipid London gents she's met during Seasons past. When handsome Nicholas Cynster visits her home to buy a valuable horse from her father, however, she finds herself re-examining her thoughts on men and marriage in the latest Cynster saga, one sure to please fans of this sweeping series.” Angela M., Copy Editor, Red Adept Editing “Nicholas Cynster and Adriana Sommerville both share a love of horses, and a romance begins to bloom between them. With a backdrop of adventure and great main characters, this book is a wonderful read!” Kristina B., Proofreader, Red Adept Editing CHAPTER 1 JULY 8, 1854. NEWMARKET, CAMBRIDGESHIRE. Whatever you have to do, get that horse! Nicholas Cynster reread the words with which his sister Prudence had concluded her reply to his urgent inquiry. His lips twisted wryly. Pru had underlined the last three words several times. In his imagination, he could hear her voice forcefully and determinedly uttering the injunction. He was seated in solitary splendor at the breakfast table in the early-morning quiet of the Cynster farmhouse. Currently, he was the only member of the family in residence. Indeed, if Pru had been in England, sitting at the table opposite him as she had for so many years, he had no doubt she would be preparing to leave in pursuit of said horse herself. But luckily or unluckily—at times like this, he wasn’t sure which—Pru was now married and living in Ireland with her husband, Deaglan Fitzgerald, the Earl of Glengarah. More, at present, she was heavily pregnant with their second child. Consequently, Nicholas and Pru’s parents had traveled to Ireland to assist in keeping Pru and Deaglan’s firstborn, Dougal, a rambunctious toddler, entertained. Nicholas slumped back in his chair, tossed the letter onto the table beside his emptied plate, and with reluctant but growing resignation, contemplated the missive that had been delivered by courier mere minutes before. Given that his father, legendary Thoroughbred racehorse owner and trainer Demon Cynster, would have been privy to Pru’s assessment—Nicholas’s inquiry had been addressed to them both—he had to accept that Pru’s directive carried his father’s imprimatur. Although Nicholas now ran