How to Marry a Duke Without Really Trying Page 17
Wordlessly, she offered her dearest friend her hand.
Grinning, George took it and stood. He pulled her to him. “Now, I must confess, I got one of these the morning I came over to your house and asked you to marry me. Again.”
She blushed. “What?”
He pulled a piece of paper from his coat. “How do you fancy marrying me right now?”
A shaking smile curved her lips. “Before I can change my mind?”
He laughed. “Eglantine. Now that you’ve said yes, I know you’ll never change your mind. That’s not the sort of person you are.”
“You’re right, George.” She gave herself over to him then with no reservations. There would never be reservations between them again. “I’m going to love you forever and forever.”
“And I you, Eglantine. And I you.”
“Then let’s be wed,” she replied, hardly believing that the dream she’d dared dream as a girl was coming true.
Much to her shock, he swept her up into his arms.
“Whatever are you doing?”
“I’m carrying you into the church,” he replied.
“You’re supposed to carry me over the threshold,” she pointed out.
He looked down at her, his gaze warm with love. “I’m never going to worry about supposed to again. Supposed to almost destroyed my life.”
And with that, he strode into the church carrying her as though she’d always belonged in his arms.
And as they went, she knew, she always had.
Chapter 27
George turned the last page and leaned back upon the bed. He lifted his gaze to his wife who was sitting beside him, awed.
“You are going to publish this,” he said.
“Can you use another scandal?” she teased softly, tucking her head into his shoulder. “Are you collecting them now?”
“As many as you can give me if they are like this,” he proclaimed, touching the pages reverently. “Especially if they are like today.”
She traced her hand over his arm. “This seems. . . unreal.”
They were married. It was more than unreal. It was a dream.
After the ceremony, she had one request. And that was they send for something from her house.
He’d happily agreed.
He’d never expected this. The hundreds of pages rested on his lap.
He should have known it wouldn’t be anything trivial.
She’d given him a window into her soul and, miraculously, his own. All this time, she’d seen him. She’d seen what was driving him and, for so long, she’d held hope. . .
“It’s not done yet,” she said softly. “The novel.”
“But there is an ending,” he replied, furrowing his brow. It had been a dark, tragic end which had left his heart aching for the characters.
“It’s not the ending that I wanted,” she confessed. “Now, I have it and I can write it.”
He laughed. “Not a tragedy then?”
“No, George,” she agreed. “A beginning.”
“Kiss me.”
“I’ve been waiting all day.” She shook her head, her beautiful curls falling about her face. “No. A lifetime, I think.”
He slipped the manuscript from his lap and put it on the table beside the bed.
It had been so easy, climbing onto the bed, pulling her with him.
All the barriers had crashed down between them this day. All the hurts had vanished. He knew it would still take a great deal of work for them to find a balance together. Their courtship had been wild, full of woe, full of mistakes. But now? Now, they could revel in each other without fear.
He was done with fear.
And he was certain that his father was smiling down upon him.
He could almost feel it.
He took in her beautiful face. “How could I have not known I would love you?”
“Because you are as stubborn as I,” she reminded.
He laughed again, something she easily made him do. Reminding him why he’d instinctively asked her to be his months ago.
“Do you think we will lock horns often?” he asked playfully.
She grinned up at him. “Yes. But we will always make up.”
“As we always have.”
“I never thought you’d be mine,” she whispered. “I dreamt of it. . .”
“You did?” he asked, surprised.
She nodded. “Oh, yes. What girl would not? You were always handsome and wonderful.”
He quirked a brow. “Wonderful am I?”
She punched his arm lightly. “Now, George, we’ve established that you’re very grand.”
He took her hand. “I’m happy to be less grand.”
“You always will be.” She cupped his face with her palm. “You can’t escape it.”
He savored her touch and turned his face, kissing her palm. “You know, you’ve always been grand, too.”
She started to shake her head.
“No, Eglantine,” he continued, determined to make her see what he did. “It is why I asked you to marry me months ago. You. . . you are unlike anyone I’ve ever known. You were never bothered by my status. You never treated me as others do. You were always yourself. It is the greatest gift I’ve ever received. And I wanted that. I wanted that always.”
She kissed his hand. “And you will always have it.”
He tugged her against him and slid his hand into her tousled hair. “I have wanted you for so long.”
“Then have me,” she all but whispered. “I’m yours, after all.”
“As I am yours.”
Slowly, tenderly, he kissed her. Kissed her as if he were memorizing every curve of her lip, every taste, every touch of her tongue.
Her arms wrapped about him, pulling him close.
Their bodies entwined. They had always been meant for this.
He easily slipped her gown from her shoulders and made quick work of her stays and chemise.
She bit her lip as he stared down at her in all her glory.
Reverently, he traced his fingers over her body. Her breasts rose and fell as she took quick breaths. He teased her taut nipples then bent and kissed the space between her breasts. Oh so slowly, he kissed his way down her body until he reached the apex of her thighs.
He took his time. Determined that she would love this as much as he.
Softly, he parted her legs and then he pressed his mouth to her core.
She gasped with astonishment and arched against him. “George! Whatever are you doing?”
“I’m pleasing my wife,” he rumbled.
“Oh,” she gasped before she giggled. “Do go on then.”
He laughed against her, pleased by her reaction, then did as he was bid. He savored the feel and taste of her, circling his tongue over her warm flesh.
Soon, she was gasping for breath and undulating underneath him.
He glanced up, catching sight of her rapt face.
Just as he was certain she was about to make her release, he slid a finger into her tight, wet sheath.
She called out his name as her body tightened and rippled against him. The sound of his name on her lips in that moment was the most joyous he’d ever known.
As she drifted on a sea of pleasure, he tugged his shirt and breeches off.
Gently, he parted her legs and placed his cock at her core.
Instinctively, she moved towards him.
He bent down, wrapping her in his embrace. And as he thrust deep inside her, he murmured, “I love you.”
She tensed at the intrusion and he held absolutely still. Then he knew what he must do. He looked into her eyes, and whispered, “I love you, Eglantine. Just the way you are. And I always will.”
Tears filled her eyes. She took his face in her hands and lifted her head to take his mouth in a hot kiss.
He rocked against her then, thrusting deeper and deeper inside her.
A wild need built in him then as he tossed higher and higher, further and further into bliss
and, much to his shock, she met him and the world blurred as they caught bliss together.
As soon as his body released, he tightened his hold about her, knowing that at long last, he had finally found where he was always meant to be. Right here, with Eglantine.
Epilogue
Eglantine would have been almost entirely happy to spend the rest of her life in bed. But she found that now that she’d begun to write, she was compelled to keep doing it.
Much to her good fortune, George did not mind. As a matter of fact, he’d found her a portable writing desk. Which she now toted everywhere with her.
She sat under the willow tree, scribbling away, sliding her toes under the bluebells.
Once, not so very long ago, she would have escaped here to be alone.
But now, George was lying beside her, head resting on her leg.
He was reading her latest book. Published under a pseudonym, of course. Much to their good fortune, the House of Lords was not in session.
They had vanished together into the country, hiding away from society which demanded so much from them most of the year. Married to her, a duke had made it impossible for people to condemn her. Being the Duchess of Harley protected her in a way nothing else could.
And she’d found she did quite like Whig parties and George liked having her there. She would never participate in their debaucheries but it did make very good fodder for her writing. And George shared the most scandalous information from the rooms in which a lady could not tread.
Her books had taken England by storm and there was much curiosity into who this new author Anonymous was.
She loved slipping into rooms, hearing her identity debated. She often joined, positing ideas. It was great fun.
And George could not have been more proud. It was all she could do to keep him from proclaiming it was her to all and sundry.
But she preferred it this way. After all, she’d never have been able to learn so much if everyone knew she was a novelist.
“I’m almost finished with the draft,” she said, quite pleased.
“Well done, Wife.” He lifted his head, and stroked her thigh through her gown. “Do you think this one will have a happy ending, my love?”
“Yes, George,” she replied, smiling down at the man who had given her his heart. “A very happy one indeed.”
The End
Don’t Miss the Books
in
The Dukes’ Club Series!
Available at all online retailers!
A Duke for the Road
A Duke With A Secret:
Robert Deverall, Duke of Blackstone, is cursed. Or so he thinks. Inheriting a dukedom bankrupted by his dissolute grandfather, father, and elder brother has made him determined that the male line will end with him. He refuses to allow any one else to suffer at the hands of a Deverall man. When he meets his childhood friend, Lady Harriet Cornwall, he is determined to stay away from her, despite the fact she makes his heart sing and his body ignite. When the two are caught in a compromising position, he has no choice but to marry the wild, independent Harry. But will his determination never to have children, and his fears about his famiy line, destroy their chance at love?
A Lady Determined to Unmask the Duke:
Lady Harriet Cornwall is determined to marry and quickly. After all, she loathes the uninspiring parties a proper unmarried lady can attend. No, she longs to be just like her mother, a beacon of culture, literature, and fun. And like her mother, she longs for a large family. When she meets Rob again, she can hardly believe the transformation from mischeivous boy to sardonic and mysterious man. In the breath of a single dance, her heart is lost. From their very first kiss, she knows he is the one for her. But he has a dark secret. Will he push her away as he has done to everyone else? Or will she be able to coax her dark duke back into the light to find love?
Buy now!
Don’t forget to try The Dukes’ Club Series too!
Once Upon A Duke
What a Widow Wants:
Everything is going swimmingly for Kathryn Darrell. She’s got an annuity of a hundred thousand a year, her lecherous-heart breaking husband has had the good graces to pop off, and best of all, she has her freedom—Something she has every intention of reveling in to the fullest. And who better to revel with than Ryder Blake, the infamous Duke of Darkwell?
A Duke’s Desire:
Ryder Blake, Duke of Darkwell, known as the Duke of Debauchery, is certain he will never love again. His heart lies buried with his wife and he has vowed to never give more than his body to a woman. But when Kathryn shows up on his doorstep, quite literally, demanding he show her the ways of London, he finds that his heart longs to love once again.
Buy now!
Dreaming of The Duke
A duchess who desires her freedom.
Cordelia Eversleigh, Duchess of Hunt, has spent her entire life in Egypt, sifting through the sands, cavorting with the local tribes, and uncovering the tombs of glorified ancient Egyptian accountants. Now, all she wishes is to go to Paris and study the mysteries of the hieroglyph. There’s only one problem. She needs to annul her marriage to the husband she has never met. But when she comes face to face with the infamous duke, he stirs a wicked desire in her nature that shocks her to the tips of her oh so practical toes.
A duke longing to be tamed.
Born the second son, Jack Eversleigh, now the Duke of Hunt, has accepted he is going to be a terrible duke. Loving wine, women, and song, he knows there’s only one thing to do. Live up to his debauched reputation. But when a young woman tracks him down in a London pub, prim, proper, and with a tongue that would make the devil envious, he is captivated. . . Until he discovers that she is his wife.
Can these two embrace an arranged marriage á la mode or will their stubborn minds conquer their passionate hearts?
Buy now!
Wish Upon A Duke
A Widow Who Knows What She Wants:
Lady Imogen Cavendish loves making merry. After surviving years of marriage to an old man, having seized her freedom seems the only intelligent thing to have done. Even so, years of dancing her way through parties has lost its’ luster and all she wants now is to spend most of the year on the small estate she’s purchased in Scotland. There’s just one thing. Her neighbor is an infuriating, superior, and exceptionally handsome duke!
An Arrogant Duke Who Knows It All:
Duncan Hamish Fergus, Tenth Duke of Blackburn, does everything right. Duty might as well be his middle name. After his father very nearly ruined his mother and sister’s life, Duncan is determined to never let the family name be tarnished again. Sacrificing his own pleasure seems a small price to pay until he meets the mad capped English woman, Lady Cavendish. In all his years on the path of righteous, no woman has ever tempted him to stray into sin, but no woman has ever been as mischievous or voluptuous as his saucy sassenach neighbor.
Can Imogen teach the oh so proper duke how to have a little fun or will two hearts be broken by propriety?
Buy now!
All About the Duke
A Lady Who Vows Never to Wed:
Lady Allegra Portmund knows the cost of marriage. After the death of her dearest and only sister, Allegra swears she will never suffer the same fate. She will not become a possession shaped and destroyed by a husband. So, when her parents insist she marry the man of their choosing, there is only one thing for Allegra to do. Run. But when she runs, determined to be free, she meets the Duke of Roth, a singular man who sees her unique and vital spirit. Now that her heart is awakened to the most dangerous longings for love, how will she resist the temptation to break her vow?
A Duke Ruled By Honor:
Nicholas Andrew Edward Forth, Duke of Roth, values family above everything else. Despite his wild reputation, having lost both of his parents when he was a child, his most secret wish is to have a family again. When he meets a young lady in disguise, Nicholas quickly realizes that she is unlike any woman he’s ever met and is also t
he only woman for him. But when he discovers how quickly she has abandoned her own family, he doubts whether she is the exceptional woman he believed her to be. Now, that he knows the truth about Allegra’s past, will his own sense of honor destroy his only chance at happiness?
Buy now!
Duke Ever After
A Duke With A Scandalous Secret:
The Duke of Aston has always been the talk of the ton. Wild, passionate, and eccentric, women fall at his feet and gentlemen won’t dare to meet him on the dueling ground. But the duke has a secret. A secret that could destroy his family. While the world sees him as a prince of the realm, he knows that in truth, he’s worthless. So, when Lady Rosamund enters his life demanding he teach her the artful ways of seduction, he’s happy to oblige until he realizes she is the best woman he has ever known and therefore a woman he can never have.
A Lady Who Won’t Be Intimidated:
Lady Rosamund, only sibling of the Duke of Blackburn, is lonely. Raised in the remote glens of the Western Highlands, Rosamund has lived a sheltered life where only books and long walks have relieved her isolation. When she meets the Duke of Aston near her home, a man as delicious as the heroes she’s read about, the passion that sparks between them in undeniable. Adventurous spirit that the duke is, Rosamund knows he’s the man for her. But as she grows closer to the duke, opening her heart to him, his own heart closes.
Can she teach this tortured duke that he is worthy of love or will his past drive them apart forever?
Buy now!
Not Quite A Duke
A Rake With A Broken Heart:
Deadly with a rapier and one of the most notorious rakes London has ever known, Lord Charles, twin brother of the Duke of Hunt, is hiding a dark secret. Wine, women, and song can’t drown his pain but when he wins Barrow House in a night of gambling, he finds that he’s also won an entanglement with the owner’s niece, Lady Patience. Prickly, forthright, and clad in black from head to toe, she’s the opposite of every thing he’s ever desired in a woman and yet, Lord Charles is inexplicably drawn to her. When he discovers she has a secret just as serious and scandalous as his own, he knows marriage into his powerful family is the only thing that can rescue her. But can a rake take a chance at marriage and risk losing his heart?