title: The Gallant Guardian (Signet Regency Romance)
author:  Evelyn Richardson 
description: For Lady Charlotte Winterbourne, the death of her father changed only one thing, the identity of her guardian. Her father, the Earl of Harcourt, quit the ancestral estate soon after the birth of an heir cost the life of his wife. The torturous birth left the boy with irreparable brain damage, giving the Earl further reason to stay away. However, the Earl had not completely forgotten them, and appoints a card playing friend as guardian instead of a relative he doesn't trust. Maximilian Stanford, the Marquess of Lydon, never expected his friend to die and he finds the role of guardian distasteful at best. He discharges the whole affair to his solicitors. This is not a satisfactory arrangement to Charlotte, who is struggling to protect her brother and home from the greedy designs of her Cousin Cecil and his equally grasping wife. Charlotte takes the trip to London to make her appeal in person. Max agrees to journey to Harcourt, meet her brother William, and rout the interlopers. William proves to be a fifteen year old with the mind and temperament of a boy of eight. He has an almost magical ability with horses and worships the ground his sister walks on. Max is soon included in William's circle of friends. Not so Cousin Cecil, who ignores the boy while he attempts to have him put out of sight and away from Harcourt. Max puts an end to these schemes and soon has the couple en route to their own estates. Charlotte and Max strike an easy friendship, finding a quiet enjoyment in each other's company. Both had lonely childhoods, and it's part of the understanding they have with each other. Their dependence only on themselves proves a difficult wall to surmount as their feelings deepen. And it soon becomes apparent that someone wants William dead. The Gallant Guardian is a merry and heartwarming tale in the best Regency tradition. Charlotte's quiet independence and masterful handling of the Harcourt estate are balanced by Max's strength and intelligence. William will catch your heart and not let go! I'm looking forward to more from Evelyn Richardson! A treat to be savored! The Gallant Guardian is rich in imagery and humor! Don't miss it! Evelyn Richardson brings her characters vibrantly to life! A triumph for any season! Linda Fitzner  -- <i>Copyright  1999 Literary Times, Inc.  All rights reserved</i> -- <i>From <a href="/exec/obidos/subst/partners/marketing/literary-times.html/${0}">Literary Times</a></i>
zlib_text: > > A NOBLE PURSUIT: A REGENCY ROMANCE
  
  > > LAURA BEERS
  
  A Noble Pursuit: A Regency Romance
  
  By: Laura Beers
  
  Text copyright © 2020 by Laura Beers
  
  Cover art copyright © 2020 by Laura Beers
  
  Cover art by Blue Water Books
  
  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored,
  copied, or transmitted without the prior written permission of the copyright
  owner. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents
  either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
  Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments,
  events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
  
  ![](Images/image00144.jpeg)[ Created with
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  > CONTENTS
  
  >  _More Romance From Laura Beers_
  
  >  _Prologue_
  
  >  _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 1