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  “A MASTER STORYTELLER” (The Literary Times), JUDE DEVERAUX CREATES A WONDERFUL WORLD OF FAMILY TIES AND SMALL-TOWN SECRETS IN THESE UNFORGETTABLE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERS!

  SCARLET NIGHTS

  “Readers familiar with the series will delight in immersing themselves back in the comfortable world of Edilean, and new readers should enjoy exploring it. . . . Deveraux’s colorful cast and easy way with words shine.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “As Deveraux continues her series, she brings to life the sort of sweet and spunky heroines who attract the muscular men her fans expect and enjoy. . . . This is another guilty-pleasure romance of suspense that will hook readers and leave them with a smile.”

  —Booklist

  DAYS OF GOLD

  “Deveraux has a sure hand evoking plucky heroines, dastardly villains, and irresistible heroes, as well as a well-rounded supporting cast. . . . The pace moves quickly and the romance sparks with enough voltage to keep readers turning pages.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  LAVENDER MORNING

  “A fabulous family drama filled with twists.”

  —The Best Reviews

  “Sweet and salty characters . . . entertaining . . . one of her most fun and pleasing tales.”

  —Booklist

  “Deveraux once again delivers. . . . Readers will find it hard to resist the charms of Edilean, the manor house, the town, the woman of many secrets and, of course, the series to come.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “Quick dialogue, interesting settings, and plot twists.”

  —Deseret Morning News (Salt Lake City)

  “DEVERAUX’S TOUCH IS GOLD” (Publishers Weekly) IN ALL OF HER “EXQUISITE AND ENCHANTING” (BookPage) NOVELS . . . READ THEM AGAIN AND AGAIN!

  SECRETS

  “A sweet love story filled with twists and turns.”

  —Booklist

  “The deceptions will keep readers trying to guess the next plot twist.”

  —Romantic Times

  SOMEONE TO LOVE

  “Fabulous. . . . Fast-paced. . . . Delightful paranormal romantic suspense.”

  —Harriet Klausner

  JUDE DEVERAUX “INSTINCTIVELY KNOWS WHAT EVERY WOMAN IS SEARCHING FOR—HER OWN KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR” (Romantic Times) HAVE YOU EVER WANTED TO REWRITE YOUR PAST? GET SWEPT AWAY IN THE MAGIC OF

  THE SUMMERHOUSE and RETURN TO SUMMERHOUSE

  “Marvelously compelling. . . . Deeply satisfying.”

  —Houston Chronicle

  “Entertaining summer reading.”

  —The Port St. Lucie News (FL)

  SAVOR HER WONDERFUL TRILOGY

  FOREVER . . .

  FOREVER AND ALWAYS

  ALWAYS

  “Bewitching. . . . High-spirited. . . . Irresistibly eerie, yet decidedly a love story.”

  —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

  “An intriguing paranormal tale . . . a delightful otherworldly fantasy.”

  —TheBestReviews.com

  “Cannot be put down until the last word is read. . . . Truly amazing.”

  —Romance Reviews Today

  “[A] modern fairy tale. . . . This is Deveraux at her most pleasurable.”

  —Booklist

  “Any novel by Jude Deveraux is just plain fun to read, and she keeps readers on the edge of their seats.”

  —The Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA)

  BOOKS BY JUDE DEVERAUX

  The Velvet Promise

  Highland Velvet

  Velvet Song

  Velvet Angel

  Sweetbriar

  Counterfeit Lady

  Lost Lady

  River Lady

  Twin of Fire

  Twin of Ice

  The Temptress

  The Raider

  The Princess

  The Awakening

  The Maiden

  The Taming

  The Conquest

  A Knight in Shining Armor

  Wishes

  Mountain Laurel

  The Duchess

  Eternity

  Sweet Liar

  The Invitation

  Remembrance

  The Heiress

  Legend

  An Angel for Emily

  The Blessing

  High Tide

  Temptation

  The Summerhouse

  The Mulberry Tree

  Forever . . .

  Wild Orchids

  Forever and Always

  Always

  First Impressions

  Carolina Isle

  Someone to Love

  Secrets

  Return to Summerhouse

  Lavender Morning

  Days of Gold

  Scarlet Nights

  The Scent of Jasmine

  Pocket Star Books

  A Division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  1230 Avenue of the Americas

  New York, NY 10020

  www.SimonandSchuster.com

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2003 by Deveraux, Inc.

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information, address Atria Books Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.

  This Pocket Star Books paperback edition November 2010

  POCKET STAR BOOKS and colophon are registered trademarks of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

  The Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau can bring authors to your live event. For more information or to book an event, contact the Simon & Schuster Speakers Bureau at 1-866-248-3049 or visit our website at www.simonspeakers.com.

  Cover illustration and design by Lisa Litwack; cover images by Val Corbett/Getty Images and Brad Wrobieski/Masterfile

  ISBN 978-1-4516-2180-8 (print)

  ISBN 978-0-7434-9352-9 (eBook)

  Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-one

  ‘The Scent of Jasmine’ Excerpt

  Prologue

  “ARE YOU SURE YOU WANTA DO THIS, DOC?” CARL asked, looking across to the driver’s seat at Dr. Nicholas Taggert. “My brother’s cabin is a wreck and the only transportation there is his truck, and it isn’t street legal so you can’t drive it.”

  Nick looked in his left mirror, signaled, then moved Carl’s car into the fast lane. “I told you that all I need is a place to get away to for a few days, and my cousin is going to pick me up. You said there’s a grocery within walking distance so I won’t need a vehicle for the three days I’m alone there.”

  “It’s just a mom-and-pop store. No caviar or anything.” When Nick didn’t smile, Carl knew his joke had fallen flat. “Sorry about your girl,” he mumbled.

  “Over and done with,” Nick said tightly, letting it be known that Stephanie Benning was not something he was going to discuss.

  Carl looked out the window at the beautiful Smokey Mountain scenery, but he was so nervous he could hardly sit still. Wh