Remembrance Read online

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  Critical acclaim for the marvelous

  romances of

  Jude Deveraux

  TEMPTATION

  “An exciting historical romance that centers on the early twentieth-century women’s rights movement…. Filled with excitement, action, and insight…. A nonstop thriller.”

  —Harriet Klausner, Barnesandnoble.com

  “A satisfying story.”

  —Booklist

  “Deveraux[’s] lively pace and happy endings…will keep readers turning pages.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  HIGH TIDE

  A Romantic Times Top Pick

  “High Tide is packed full of warmth, humor, sensual tension, and exciting adventure. What more could you ask of a book?”

  —Romantic Times

  “Fast-paced, suspenseful…. A sassy love story.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “Exciting…may be Jude Deveraux’s best novel in her stellar career…. Fans of romantic suspense will gain much pleasure.”

  —Midwest Book Review

  “In this fast-paced escapade, Jude Deveraux delivers adventure and romance as mysterious and sultry as the Everglades themselves.”

  —BookPage

  “Jude Deveraux not only keeps you guessing but mixes crime and human morality with humor in the most unexpected moments…. Real-life characters, tension-building suspense, intense passion, and a dynamic climax make this a fantastic read.”

  —Rendezvous

  THE BLESSING

  “Plenty of romance, fun, and adventure…fans won’t be disappointed.”

  —San Antonio Express-News

  “[A] fun and entertaining love story…a wonderful read…. A must for Deveraux fans.”

  —The Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA)

  “The Blessing is another bestseller by one of the all-time greats.”

  —Midwest Book Review

  “A heartwarming story.”

  —Kerrville Daily Times

  AN ANGEL FOR EMILY

  “All sorts of clever turns and surprises. Definitely a keeper…. Wow!”

  —The Philadelphia Inquirer

  LEGEND

  “First-rate reading…. Only Jude Deveraux could mix romance with tongue-in-cheek humor and have it all come out so perfectly right.”

  —Rendezvous

  THE HEIRESS

  “Deveraux’s novels are always eagerly awaited by her fans, and The Heiress lives up to her usual standards.”

  —The Pilot (Southern Pines, NC)

  “An enchanting, entertaining love story [from] a master storyteller.”

  —The Literary Times

  REMEMBRANCE

  “Brilliant…. Unforgettable…. As romantic as A Knight in Shining Armor…. Ms. Deveraux…is a superb craftsman and a mesmerizing storyteller.”

  —Kathe Robin, Romantic Times

  “A smart and savvy swoon of a yarn.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  A KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR

  “A glorious love story that spans centuries, worlds, and souls…. Enchanting and extraordinary.”

  —Chicago Daily Herald

  Part One

  1

  New York City

  1994

  You can’t be happy in this life because of what happened in your past lives.

  What would you think if someone said that to you? You’d think, “It’s hopeless, why bother trying.” Right? Or would you think, “The woman telling me this is crazy and I’d better get me and all my worldly goods out of here?”

  Or would you be like me and think, “A story! Everyone’s into time travel now and nobody’s doing past lives, so maybe I can ask a lot of questions and make a story from this lady’s answers.”

  This last is what I thought when I first met Nora because I am a writer inside and out. There isn’t one molecule of me that isn’t geared toward, How can I use this in a story?

  People are always asking me how I came to be a writer. I’d like to have an answer that would please them. I’d like to say that I was walking through a meadow full of tiny blue flowers when a beautiful woman in a silver dress appeared and bopped me on the head with her wand. She had a golden voice and said, “I am giving you the gift of writing. Go forth and write.”

  Sometimes I think that people want to hear that I was “chosen,” rather like a prophet. But you know, whenever you read about prophets, they always cry to God, “Oh Lord, why me?” Sometimes I think being “chosen” isn’t a gift, it’s a curse.

  At any rate, I have just told you why I became a writer. I make up stories about everything. Absolutely everything on earth. I see something, hear something, read something, and my mind starts creating a story.

  Storytelling is natural to me. When people ask me how I came to be a writer, what I want to ask in return is, What is in your head in place of stories? What do you think about while listening to a terminally boring speech? While driving a car? While putting the sixth load of wash in the machine? To me, this is the real mystery of life. I already know what’s inside my head, but what is inside other people’s heads if not stories?

  Well, anyway, now that I am a full-fledged writer (that means I need no outside job to pay the bills) I find that we writers have a little club that we’re all supposed to be loyal to. The Hippocratic oath is nothing compared to this.

  Since I don’t want to lose my writing membership, I’ll say what I’m supposed to. It’s bloody hard work writing. What is that thing someone said about opening a vein and spilling your blood onto the paper? Well, it’s true. Writing is really, really hard work. By golly, I bet I sit on my fanny six to ten hours a day. I pace the floor thinking about “what happens next.” I have a publishing house that sends me flowers and money every time I turn in a book.

  Now, really, does it sound like a writer suffers more than, say, a secretary? She has to be awakened by an alarm clock (I wake when I want to), get the kids and hubby off, work for a boss who never praises her, then do another shift of work when she gets home. And no one ever says, “Wow, you’re a secretary. How did you get to be one?”

  I guess we all do whatever we can. If you can drive a truck, you do that. If you can hassle people without conscience, you become a lawyer. If you have stories in your head you write them down. To me being a writer isn’t any different—and not nearly as important—as most other professions. But it seems that the world doesn’t agree with me. The world at large has decided that writers are smarter, more astute, more enlightened, more whatever than other people, so they treat them with awe and reverence.

  My opinion is that we should have a National Profession Lottery and every year about ten professions would be drawn from a hat, and for that year all the praise would go to the people in those professions. They should have best-seller lists, receive fan letters, have autographing parties, and have something like a publishing house to praise them and give them gifts.

  See? There I go again with a story. Give me a keyboard and I can’t stop.

  However, about these ten professions to be chosen, I want to make it clear that there is one “profession” that is too evil to be included in this lottery. Book reviewers. Specifically, romance book reviewers.

  Maybe I should tell you right now so, if you are offended, you can stop reading this book. I write romances.

  There, I’ve said it. It’s out in the open.

  For all the joy of my lif