Vespa laughed. "Nor would I blame him, poor fellow!"

He patted the mare and told her she was a very welcome enemy agent.

Then, holding his lady's hand tightly, he walked up the steps and into the great house that was his birthright, and that they would share through all the shining years to come.

ALSO BY PATRICIA VERYAN.

The Riddle of Alabaster Royal.

Lanterns.

The Mandarin of Mayfair.

Never Doubt I Love.

A Shadow's Bliss.

Ask Me No Questions Had We Never Loved Time's Fool Logic of the Heart.

The Dedicated Villain.

Cherished Enemy Love Alters Not.

Give All to Love The Tyrant Journey to Enchantment.

Practice to Deceive Sanguinet's Crown The Wagered Widow.

The Noblest Frailty Married Past Redemption.

Feather Castles.

Some Brief Folly Nanette.

Mistress of Willowvale.

Love's Duet.

The Lord and the Gypsy.

THE RIDDLE OF THE LOST LOVER. Copyright 1998 by Patricia Veryan. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any matter whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews. For information address St. Martin's Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.

end.