“Still no regrets, my love?” Darius asked as he took her hand in his, no doubt noticing the shine of unshed tears in her eyes.
“Of course not,” she said with a watery laugh. “Are you going to ask me that throughout the entire journey?”
He laughed softly as he pulled her toward him and tucked her against his side, where she was warm and safe. “Probably. I’ll likely keep asking you that even after we return and you are my countess.”
She grinned, placing a hand on his chest, right over his heart. “And the answer will always be the same. No matter what happens.” She tilted her head back so she could look into his eyes. “Has there been any news?”
She was referring to the inquisition, and he knew it. Aside from planning their elopement, the upcoming investigation into Thomas Rutland’s death had been consuming their thoughts. His smile faded and a line formed between his brows as his gaze grew thoughtful. “I spoke to the other gentlemen in that secret society I’d told you about…”
She nodded. He hadn’t told her much, but enough to know that there were powerful gentlemen in this group he’d been invited into. “And?”
“They told me not to worry about it.” He arched his brows as if still surprised himself. “They said they would handle the matter.”
“Really?” She pursed her lips and sank against him as his arm wrapped around her tighter. “Well, that is good news. These gentlemen must be quite powerful, indeed.”
He gave a little grunt of acknowledgement. “It would seem so.” With his free hand he tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and ran a finger over her cheek, making her shiver with delight. “By the time we return to London, these gentlemen should have the inquisition handled, my two remaining sisters will be here to stay with us, and all just in time for the season to get underway.”
She smiled up at them. “I cannot wait to meet your sisters. If Clarissa and Mariah are anything like Tabetha, I am certain I shall love them.”
He grinned and his expression softened. “They are nothing at all like Tabetha. Each of my sisters is utterly unique…” His laughter was rueful. “And for that we should all be thankful.”
She wrapped her arm around his middle. “Do you think they will like me?”
“Of course,” he said, so quickly it warmed her heart. “They will love you, almost as much as I do. And how could they not?” He cupped her chin and lifted her face so he could meet her gaze. “You are perfect.”
She laughed. “I assure you, I am not perfect.”
His answering smile was slow and sweet. “Let me amend that. You are perfect...for me.”
She leaned into his hand. “There I can only agree with you.”
“I love you, Evelyn,” he whispered as he leaned down toward her.
“And I love you, Darius.” She’d no more gotten the words out, when he was kissing her gently. As the carriage rocked beneath them and the sound of horse hooves on the cobblestones filled the air, she leaned into his embrace. The first kiss of many, no doubt, on the long road to their runaway wedding.
And she couldn’t imagine a better way to pass the time.
Epilogue
Darius stood on the edge of a sea of dancers, attempting not to dive behind the nearest fern. He still hated these infernal social events, marriage hadn’t changed that.
Though to be fair, they were far more tolerable these days.
First because the whispers had largely ceased. He still hadn’t a clue how the Wicked Earls’ Club had managed such a task, but his reputation had been restored and his name exonerated.
He supposed men such as those had to be skilled in scrubbing a man’s bad deeds, real or imagined, and he was grateful for their help.
And he’d learned a valuable lesson. One of the most useful tools in surviving society was...friends.
The Ainsworth family was still furious and they took every opportunity to cut him publicly, but without all the whispers, he could stand tall in the face of their ire.
Evelyn came toward him then, looking divine in a gown of pale pink, her brown hair glistening in the candlelight. She was the other reason society had become more bearable. When he saw her approaching him in her finery, he fell in love all over again.
She slipped next to him, her arm sliding into the crook of his.
“Everything all right?” she asked with an appraising tilt of her chin.
“Fine,” he answered, drawing her just a touch closer. “Now that you’re here.”
She gave him a glowing smile. “Forgive my absence. I had to do the rounds with Father so that he might receive all the glowing praise on the fantastic match he made for his daughter.” Her eyes sparkled with mischief.
But his heart throbbed in his chest. “Evelyn. You are beyond kind to allow him to take credit like that.”
Her smile softened as she pressed a bit closer. “It isn’t kindness that motivates me. I am beyond fortunate to have found you and I’ve learned so much about what truly makes a person happy.”
All thoughts of retreating behind potted plants vanished in the glow of her smile. “I understand completely,” he answered. The past month had been the most wonderful of his life. Evelyn’s presence had illuminated his world in the most wonderful way.
She pressed her cheek to his shoulder. “I actually feel sorry for my father.”
He shook his head. How could one woman be this lovely? Darius glanced over at his two younger sisters.
Clarissa stood just behind Mariah, despite being older. She had the pale blonde hair of their mother and clear blue eyes that looked like the sky on a sunny day, though she kept them firmly pointed toward the ground.
She’d never been very effusive and here, in society, she’d been vying with Darius for the spots behind the plants.
In contrast, Mariah stood just in front, her skin and hair darker than either Tabetha or Clarissa, though still blonde. Her chin held an almost defiant angle as she watched society as though daring them to find fault with her presence here.
He shook his head. Both had grown under Evelyn’s gentle tutelage. Clarissa was brave enough to attend this first ball of the season, and Mariah was learning to hold her tongue in check.
“They both look beautiful tonight,” Evelyn whispered as she looked up at him, clearly noticing where his gaze had travelled.
“I still worry about them.” He looked around the ballroom. “We weren’t raised for this.”
Her other hand pressed to his biceps. “They’ll find their way just as you did.”
“Are you certain?” he asked, his chest tightening in his worry. He was a strong man, a soldier, and society had nearly been his undoing.
As if to belabor his point, Tabetha rushed over and, if he wasn’t mistaken, tears glistened in her eyes. Was that the trick of the candles?
“Evelyn!” His wife’s name rushed from his sister’s lips. “Oh, Evelyn.” Her voice broke as she grabbed Evelyn’s arm.
“What’s wrong?” Evelyn asked, letting him go and reaching for his sister. Concern knitted his brow even as gratitude filled him. How would he do any of this with his Evelyn by his side?
“The most awful thing has just happened.” Tabetha’s voice was rising and several other attendees turned to stare.
Evelyn noticed and gently began to guide Tabetha toward a cluster of...plants. It seemed his entire family had a preference for hiding in ferns.
He followed, certain he should hear whatever had upset Tabetha so much.
Once tucked behind them, Evelyn turned to the eldest Darling sister again. “Tabetha. Take a breath and tell me what happened.”
Tears glistened on Tabetha’s cheek. “I’m not sure I can. It’s just too awful. What she said is just…”
“Who?” Evelyn asked, her brow drawing tight together.
“Lady Ainsworth,” Tabetha said in a cry of agony.
Sick dread weighted his stomach.
Apparently the Ainsworth scandal was far from over…
Want to learn
what happens to Tabetha? You can pre-order the first book in The Darling Brides series, The Duke’s Debutante Debacle, today! Plus, start Maggie Dallen’s next series, Bluestocking Battalions, for FREE with the full-length prequel novel, A Lady’s Luck.
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Be sure to check out the next Wicked Earl in the series, the Earl of Persuasion by Amanda Mariel:
Lord Brian Kennington, Fifth Earl of Connlee, is a master at persuasion. When he crosses paths with the not to proper Lady Minerva Fox, he determines that she needs a bit of excitement in her life, and he knows just how to deliver. He will live up to his moniker, the Earl of Persuasion, as he sweeps her along a path of adventure and romance.
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The only problem with his plan: Love was not a part of the equation.
Coming next for Maggie Dallen & Katherine Ann Madison, A Hero for Lady Abigail.
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No one would mistake Lady Abigail for a delicate wallflower. In fact, she's more like the gardener's shears. But she's about to discover that love can bloom in the unlikeliest places...
About the Authors
Maggie Dallen writes adult and young adult romantic comedies in a range of genres. An unapologetic addict of all things romance, she loves to connect with fellow avid readers on Facebook, Twitter or at www.maggiedallen.com. For a FREE sweet regency romance, sign up for her monthly newsletter at http://eepurl.com/bFEVsL
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Katherine Ann Madison is the sweet side of USA Today Bestselling Author, Tammy Andresen. An English major and longtime lover of romance novels, writing historical romance feels like her Cinderella fairytale come true.
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