Dryden's Bride (Historical)

the long version

A Knight With A Dark Soul Sir Hugh Dryden undertook his quest for a bride with a guarded heart. But two years of captivity had deadened his desire for any woman. So why, then, did the sight of a mere country girl in distress stir such tenderness in him? And why did simply carrying her from danger set his pulse pounding? Without a proper dowry, no gentleman would ask to marry Sian Tudor. Most made less respectable offers -- excepting the knight who'd rescued her from certain death. The man was strong and dangerous looking -- and she'd had the most unfamiliar longing to touch him. But what sense were flights of fancy when he was surely bound for battle -- and Sian about to be banished to a nunnery... ?