“Lady Serena Vaughan,” Lina said as he came to stand beside the bed. “Julia will be happy we could use the name she picked out, though next time I’m convinced it will be a boy.”
“Next time?” he managed with a good imitation of nonchalance.
“Well, of course.” She gazed down at the sleeping baby. “You’ll need an heir, now that you’re Earl of Radbourne. I’m sure Freddie would make a fine peer, but he’s much happier looking after his birds.”
Win started to laugh. He couldn’t help it—the joy just came bubbling out of him for no good reason. Was it really possible to be so happy one couldn’t keep from laughing, or had the experience of becoming a new stepfather and a nobleman on the same day propelled him into near-hysteria? He decided it didn’t matter.
Lina gave him a doubtful look that told him she had no idea what was so funny, though she soon joined in a little, adding a giggle or two of her own. “Are you all right?”
“Yes,” he said when his hilarity subsided a bit. “Or no. I can’t help it.” He wiped at his eyes, which were actually tearing up, and broke into a fresh fit of laughter. “I was picturing Freddie taking a seat in Parliament, sponsoring bill after bill favoring pigeons.” He gulped. “I suppose we really ought to have a boy, when you’re ready to give it a try.”
She smiled up at him, looking tired but every bit as happy as he was. He sat down gently on the bed beside her and waited for the hysterical lightness to fade. When eventually it did, he leaned across the sleeping baby to kiss her. “I think I must have paced a furrow at the foot of the stairs, waiting to hear you were safely delivered.”
“Don’t tell me you waited in the hall the whole time.”
“Well, Dr. Strickland didn’t seem to need my help, and I wasn’t about to waste the time it would take to fetch me from the study or the drawing room once there was news.” Giddy joy bubbled up inside him again. He tried to hold it in, but the most sobriety he could manage was a smile that stretched from ear to ear, ending in a convulsive hiccup of laughter.
Lina looked sidelong at him. “You’re sure you’re all right?”
“Don’t worry, there’s no cause to fear for my reason. I just never expected to be this happy.”
“O ye of little faith,” she said, and slipped her hand into his. “You’d better get used to it.”
* * * * *
Craving more historical romance?
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As the voyage nears its end, Lord Deal is compelled to propose. But on their wedding night, Rosalie gets an unwelcome surprise: her handsome husband is strangely reluctant to consummate the marriage. Does she fall short of her groom’s expectations? Or is he hiding a secret past that only she can unlock?
Ruined by Rumor
After waiting five years for her fiancé to return from the war and marry her, Roxana Langley has been jilted! She may have longed for excitement, but this was not what she had in mind...
Who could possibly throw over a woman as beautiful and vivacious as Roxana? Certainly not Alex Winslow, the Earl of Ayersley, who has spent years trying in vain to forget his unrequited love. When he learns she’s been abandoned by her cad of a fiancé, he finds himself offering a shoulder for her to cry on. Comfort soon turns into a passionate kiss—and scandal when they are caught in an embrace.
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About the Author
Alyssa Everett grew up in Florida, where from an early age her favorite books typically had dukes in them. As a teen she worked in an amusement park, doing just about every kind of odd job a person can do, from collecting garbage to captaining an African boat cruise.
She met her future husband at Harvard University. They currently live with their three children and a springer spaniel in small-town Pennsylvania.
An Heir of Uncertainty is her fourth regency romance.
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ISBN-13: 9781426898068
AN HEIR OF UNCERTAINTY
Copyright © 2014 by Alyssa Everett
Edited by Deborah Nemeth
All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
All characters in this book have no existence outside the imagination of the author and have no relation whatsoever to anyone bearing the same name or names. They are not even distantly inspired by any individual known or unknown to the author, and all incidents are pure invention.
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