“Here, here,” St. George said. A smattering of applause followed his words.
“To Mr. Ashton Reeves and Lady Prudence Sterling. I wish you the best that life has to offer.” Pomeroy raised his glass, as did the others and they all took a drink.
Yes, he would enjoy being a part of this large, noisy family. And perhaps even the new unknown family he’d always despised. Time would tell.
He turned to Pru and raised his glass. “Here is to new beginnings, my love.”
“New beginnings.” She smiled back at him and raised her glass, then leaned in closer. “I will be ready about an hour after everyone leaves for a race to Gretna Green.”
He burst out laughing and nodded, loving the devilish look in her eyes. Life with Pru would be quite entertaining. He couldn’t wait for it to start.
“As you wish, my love. As you wish.”
Epilogue
Nine months later
Ash paced, certain it would be necessary to replace the carpet in the library as soon as his child was born. The walls of the room moved closer and closer as time went on. Pru had been sequestered upstairs in their bedchamber for what seemed like hours, bringing their son or daughter into the world.
Numerous sisters and his mother-in-law had run up and down the stairs, each time giving him a quick glance and a fast “anytime now” until he was ready to race upstairs himself and see what the devil was going on and insist that one of these numerous women do something to make that child appear so Pru could stop hurting.
“Ash, let’s go for a walk. The fresh air will do you good.” Stanhope stood in front of him, halting Ash’s progress toward the wall where he would turn and go back again.
The man who he still could not call father, even in his head, had been with him at White’s when word had arrived that Pru was in labor. They both raced home, and they’d been cosseted in the library since then.
“No. I’d better stay here.”
“Ash, for heaven’s sake, I can’t believe Prudence decided to have the baby the one day I was away to Bath.” His mother came barreling into the library and came to a screeching halt when she saw Stanhope standing alongside him.
Even though Ash had been spending time with Stanhope, and had told his mother about their new connection, the two of them had not yet come face to face. Hopefully, with Pru screaming upstairs, any screaming down here would not be heard.
“My lord.” She offered Stanhope a curtsy.
“Veronica,” Stanhope breathed. Not quite as formal as his mother, Stanhope looked as though he’d seen a ghost.
Mother raised her chin. “My condolences on the passing of your wife, my lord.”
Lady Stanhope had taken a tumble from her horse while riding at the country estate where she resided and broken her neck. This all happened about three months after Ash and Pru had returned from Gretna Green.
Since that time, Stanhope had asked after Ash’s mother but never indicated his desire to see her again.
“Thank you.” He waved toward the sideboard. “Would you care for a drink?”
Mother pulled off her gloves. “No, thank you. I believe I will go on upstairs and see how Pru is doing.” His normally unflappable mother dithered, stuttered, and flushed before turning and hurrying from the room.
Stanhope looked as though the sun had come out for the first time in years.
Once they had arrived back in London after their hurried wedding, Pru had written to Ash’s mother, asking her to come to London for a visit. She’d arrived a month later with all of her belongings, and at Pru’s insistence, had rented a townhouse only a few doors from Ash’s home.
Family needs to be together, his wife had said.
The two women in his life had become fast and instant friends, with their art a mutual passion. Mother, along with Ash, had been immediately drawn into Pomeroy’s family and had shared noisy dinners with them. She’d become another grandmother to the numerous children.
“Your mother looks wonderful.” Stanhope continued to stare at the door that Mother had just left through.
Bloody hell.
“Shall we go for that walk?” Ash asked.
“Um, no, I think it’s best if we stay here. Pru might need you.” Stanhope looked at him like a damn besotted youth.
Bloody, bloody hell.
Four hours later, Ash descended from his bedchamber where he’d just tucked in and kissed his wife and new daughter, Miss Joy Anne Reeves, good night.
The babe had been born two hours before and it took that long to get all the women out of his house. Now that things had quieted down, he intended to have a very large brandy and then off to sleep himself.
As his foot hit the bottom stair, Stanhope’s voice reached him.
“I never stopped loving you, you know.”
“Oh, Reginald,”
Reginald?
“It’s too late. We’re old.”
“My God, Veronica, you’re only five and forty. We have many years ahead of us.”
“But it would be much too complicated.”
Silence.
More silence.
Longer more silence.
The sound of clothing rustling and low murmurs.
Ash sighed. No brandy tonight.
Instead, he turned and made his way back upstairs and crawled into bed, pulling his family into his arms.
The End
Did you like this story? Please consider leaving a review on either Goodreads or the place where you bought it. Long or short, your review will help other readers discover new authors and make purchasing decisions!
I hope you had fun reading Pru and Ash’s love story.
If you’ve read all the books in the Noble Heart Series and like reading Regency stories, you might enjoy Miss Merry’s Christmas.
England, 1817 ~ David Worthington, Duke of Penrose dislikes Miss Meredith Chambers, the governess who accompanied his new wards to his home. He might be able to overlook the fact that she is an American, but her lack of propriety is a poor influence on the two girls in his charge. He especially detests his attraction to the insufferable woman, and is anxious for her replacement to arrive.
Despondent over having to leave her charges to the mercy of the overbearing Duke of Penrose, Merry is thrilled when the Dowager Duchess hires her as a companion. Now she can stay with her beloved charges. But can she ignore how her heart thumps when the pompous duke gets close?
Two people determined to ignore each other, despite the pull between them, and the sparks that fly whenever they're together.
Now available: http://calliehutton.com/book/miss-merrys-christmas/
If you’ve already read Miss Merry’s Christmas, you can find a list of all my books here: http://calliehutton.com/
For the special treat I promised you,
click here to receive a free copy of
A Little Bit of Romance, three short stories of lovers reunited.
Enjoy!
About the Author
Callie Hutton, the USA Today bestselling author of The Elusive Wife, writes both Western Historical and Regency romance, with “historic elements and sensory details” (The Romance Reviews). She also pens an occasional contemporary or two. Callie lives in Oklahoma with several rescue dogs and her top cheerleader husband of many years. Her family also includes her daughter, son, daughter-in-law and twin grandsons affectionately known as “The Twinadoes.”
Callie loves to hear from readers. Contact her directly at [email protected] or find her online at www.calliehutton.com. Sign up for her newsletter to receive information on new releases, appearances, contests and exclusive subscriber content. Visit her on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads.
Callie Hutton has written more than thirty books. For a complete listing, go to www.calliehutton.com/books
Praise for books by Callie Hutton
A Wife by Christmas
“A Wife by Christmas is the reason why we read romance...the perfect story for any season.” --The Romanc
e Reviews Top Pick
The Elusive Wife
“I loved this book and you will too. Jason is a hottie & Oliva is the kind of woman we'd all want as a friend. Read it!” --Cocktails and Books
“In my experience I’ve had a few hits but more misses with historical romance so I was really pleasantly surprised to be hooked from the start by obviously good writing.” --Book Chick City
“The historic elements and sensory details of each scene make the story come to life, and certainly helps immerse the reader in the world that Olivia and Jason share.” --The Romance Reviews
"You will not want to miss The Elusive Wife.” --My Book Addiction
"…it was a well written plot and the characters were likeable." --Night Owl Reviews
A Run for Love
“An exciting, heart-warming Western love story!" --NY Times bestselling author Georgina Gentry
“I loved this book!!! I read the BEST historical romance last night...It's called A Run For Love.” --NY Times bestselling author Sharon Sala
“This is my first Callie Hutton story, but it certainly won't be my last.” --The Romance Reviews
A Prescription for Love
"There was love, romance, angst, some darkness, laughter, hope and despair." --RomCon
“I laughed out loud at some of the dialogue and situations. I think you will enjoy this story by Callie Hutton.” --Night Owl Reviews
An Angel in the Mail
“…a warm fuzzy sensuous read. I didn’t put it down until I was done.” --Sizzling Hot Reviews
Visit www.calliehutton.com for more information.
For the Love of the Gentleman Page 12
