by Ava Rose
Her eyes flew open. “A mad man?”
He grinned. “I must be mad, to want to spend the rest of my life with you. Don’t you think?”
“Oh!” She punched him on the arm and then gasped when he grunted. “Oh, my goodness. Your injury! I forgot!”
“See what I mean?” He was still grinning. “A mad man, for sure!”
This time, she tentatively returned his smile, rubbing his arm where previously she had punched it.
“I love you, Libby, with all my heart.” Henry’s voice was low and thick with emotion. “I even spoke to Pen earlier. Obtained his permission. Which, I must say, was given only on the proviso that it was what you wanted. It is what you want. Isn’t it?”
Her heart felt as if it would break, only this time, with happiness. “Oh, Henry...”
Before she could finish, he lowered himself onto one knee and reached into his jacket pocket before producing a small, green velvet box. When he flipped it open, her breath left her body. The ring sitting proudly in the box was none other than the one they had selected at Mr. Kent's jewelry store back in Roxbury.
It was more beautiful even than the image in the catalog, with the smoky topaz and emerald stones catching the light and reflecting it brilliantly. Libby was awestruck.
“Henry, how did you...”
“When we selected the ring, I truly wanted you to have it, but I had not realized how to give it to you back then. I traveled to Roxbury and retrieved it this afternoon.”
Tears filled her eyes and started to blur her vision. She closed them briefly to squeeze them out so she could see his face more clearly. He was magnificent, and she loved him.
“Will you marry me, Your Royal Highness, Princess Elizabeth Armstrong-Leeds, Baroness Esk?”
She held out her left hand. “Yes, Viscount Detective Henry DeHavillend. I believe I will.”
Slipping the ring onto her finger, he raised her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles before rising to his feet and pulling her into his arms.
“I love you,” she said and he grinned.
“Just as well,” he answered, and bent his head to hers, until a dreamy sigh interrupted them. They both turned toward the door to find three female faces spying on them. When the ladies of the house saw that they had been caught, they rushed into the room, flooding the newly engaged couple with felicitations.
***
The following day, Henry informed the police of his and Libby’s findings, and his dearly beloved fiancée’s name was cleared at last. And since news traveled faster than trains in this town, society soon learned of both her innocence and her engagement to Viscount DeHavillend. Because there was proof that Nolan Hart had been married to another woman when he kidnapped Libby, the case to annul her marriage was passed without challenge, and Henry was able to obtain a license for their nuptials.
Naturally, everyone who was anyone in Boston society coveted an invitation to their wedding. Mary now could be presented to society when the time was right. All was well in their world.
EPILOGUE
The Barbican
While the police were conducting their search for Mrs. Nolan Hart, Tamworth Arbusson—known in his own circles as the Raven—had instigated a search of his own. Even in death, a debt must be paid. Nolan Hart had owed him a tremendous amount, an amount that could not be forgiven nor forgotten.
The Raven did not want money. He did not need it. As the bastard son of a duke, Tam may not have had legitimacy, but he still had more money than he knew what to do with. His father’s guilt had been assuaged with money, and his own string of clubs was very profitable indeed. What he was after was far more precious; the ruby necklace in the murderer’s possession. He did not care what sentimental value it held for her; his claim was far greater than hers.
And he would do whatever it took to make it his.
This was not over. Not by a long shot.
The End
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Lady Sarah and the Raven’s story continues in Not Quite a Lady
The Boston Heiresses (Book 3)
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Want to go back to where it all began? Read Anna and Pen’s story in Not Quite a Duchess
The Boston Heiresses (Book 1)
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