Contents Lisa Kleypas Against the Odds 1 Kinley MacGregor Midsummer’s Knight 97 Julia Quinn ATale of Two Sisters 229 About the Authors Lisa Kleypas Kinley MacGregor Julia Quinn Don’t Miss These Other Books Cover Copyright About the Publisher Lisa Kleypas Against the Odds Prologue I f any man knew how to hold his liquor, it was Jake Linley. God knew he’d had a lot of practice at it—and it was a good thing, too, otherwise he’d be staggering drunk at the moment. Unfor- tunately, no matter how much he drank this eve- ning, it was not going to numb the bitter awareness of what he could never have. Jake was tired, and hot, his caustic resent- ment seeming to rise with each moment he spent in the luxurious, crowded cavern of a ballroom. Separating himself from a group of friends, he wandered to a gallery that bordered the room, glancing at the sky that loomed dark and cool beyond a row of glittering windows. At the end of the gallery, Robert, Lord Wray, was surrounded by a smiling throng of friends and well-wishers, all of them congratulating 3 Lisa Kleypas him on the betrothal that had been announced an hour ago. Jake had always liked Wray, a pleasant enough fellow whose combination of intelli- gence and unoffensive wit made him welcome in any company. However, at this particular moment, a feeling of contempt coiled inside Jake’s stomach as he glanced at the man. He en- vied Wray, who didn’t begin to realize the ex- tent of his good fortune in having won the hand of Miss Lydia Craven. It was already being said that the match was more to Miss Craven’s ad- vantage than to Wray’s, that her social position would be greatly advanced when her fortune was joined to a well-respected title. Jake knew better. Lydia was the true prize, regardless of her family’s common origins. She wasn’t a conventional beauty—she had her father’s black hair and his wide mouth, and a chin that was a bit too decisive for a woman. Her figure was slim and small-breasted, falling short of the voluptuous standards that were considered so desirable. But there was some- thing irresistible about her—perhaps it was the charming absentmindedness that made a man want to take care of her, or the intriguing touch of playfulness that lurked beneath her pensive facade. And of course there were her eyes... 4