He opened his arms and she fell into his embrace, both of them tumbling backward on the bed.
His mouth captured hers in a searing kiss even as her legs spread, straddling his hips.
In one movement he was inside her, their bodies joined.
Abigail moaned to feel him filling her in the most satisfying way.
His hands came to her backside, holding them together in a way that made them both groan in pleasure.
“Chad,” she gasped as she slid up his staff and then took him back inside her. “I love you too, so very much. I can’t believe we found love out of an arranged—”
He kissed her long and hard. “I always thought you were the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. From the moment I saw you at your sister’s wedding, I knew I’d never forget you.”
Her fingers played out on the hard muscles of his chest. “Really?” Then she kissed him again. “I remembered you too. You made me nervous. Now I realize that I wanted to touch you.”
He rolled them, still in her and pushed inside her again. “Touch away, my princess. I’m yours to do whatever you wish with.”
She wound her hands about his neck. “Kiss me.”
He did. Again and again.
She loved this man. The one who’d made her feel worthy of love.
Epilogue
Eight months later…
Abigail sat in the drawing room of her home she shared with her husband. They’d stayed in the country, not bothering to return to London.
Well that wasn’t true. They’d returned for a few quick visits to take care of club business but had decided the country was where they’d spend most of their time. It suited them…
But she missed her family and so, they’d all come to Kent.
Her three sisters sat on a settee together, while Avery had taken the seat next to Abigail.
“Look at us. Married women.” Avery smiled, her eyes twinkling with a light that Abigail had never seen before. She reached for her cousin’s hand, giving it a squeeze. She was so happy for her.
“A few of us are even expecting…” And Eliza gave a pointed glance at Isabella’s stomach.
Isabella placed a protective hand over her belly, a blush creeping into her cheeks. “Bash is beyond thrilled. I’m excited too but also…nervous.”
Abigail gave her sister a wink. The truth was she’d also missed her monthly courses for the past two months, but it was too soon to know for certain and she didn’t wish to take away from Isabella.
A sentiment that Chad said was very admirable but unnecessary. Her sisters would want to know.
“When is the baby due?” Emily asked, giving a small clap.
“March, I think.” Isabella rubbed her growing stomach. “Just in time for spring.”
Abigail drew in a deeper breath. “Will you invite Papa to the christening?”
The room quieted.
“I’ve not decided.” Isabella confessed. “I’ve yet to meet with him at all. I love him, of course. But…” Her voice trailed off.
“He left us. Left this life…” Eliza finished.
Emily shook her head. “Brandon says he did us a great service with what he did. We’d still be in danger if he hadn’t.”
The women exchanged glances.
Abigail bit her lower lip. She had taken time to understand all that had happened and also her emotions regarding her father. She’d seen him twice, but their relationship remained distant. “I understand it, logically. I do. In his own way, he protected us but also…”
“He left us so vulnerable,” Isabella added.
“And alone.” Emily raised a finger. “And not just the past few years. Always.”
Avery cleared her throat. “If I may add to the conversation.”
“Of course,” Abigail squeezed her cousin’s hand again.
“I understand your feelings, but your father is a good man. Perhaps a bit fixated on work, but many men are. But he loved your mother and he loved you, unlike my father who treated us like pieces to be bartered for the money we could bring. He sinned, yes, but if I were you, I’d forgive those sins. There are many which are so much greater. And who among us isn’t guilty of one sin or another?”
Abigail nodded. “That is an excellent point. And though I’ll never feel the same about him, when I have children, I’d like them to have one grandparent at least. It’s not going to be Chad’s mother. I can say that. The woman is about as warm as the ocean in January.”
Eliza gave Abigail a warm smile. “You’re right, dear sister. That is excellent advice.”
Abigail blinked. Had Eliza just complimented her? “Thank you.”
“And thank you for taking on the burden of hearing him out to begin with,” Emily added. “It must have been so difficult.”
“She’s one of the tough Carringtons,” Eliza said, straightening.
Abigail cleared her throat. The compliment was what she’d always wanted. To be seen as equal among her sisters. Who knew that she’d have to give in order to receive? “I love you all, you know that, don’t you?”
“We love you too.” Isabella reached for her hand then. And one by one, they all linked their hands together. “But now, Eliza has some news she needs to share.”
Abigail held her breath, was her sister pregnant too? “What is it?”
Eliza grinned at all of them. “Malice and I are going to America.”
Abigail’s jaw dropped. “What?”
Eliza shrugged. “It’s for the business, of course. We’re trying to secure a new contract. But I’ve always wanted to go, and we’re going to take some time to see some of the East Coast, at least.”
“That’s so…exciting. When do you leave?”
“Right after the christening. I’ll miss you all terribly, but I’ll be back before you know it.”
Abigail broke the chain and jumped up to hug Eliza. “I am so happy for you.”
“I’m happy too,” Eliza whispered in her ear. “I think you’re right about Papa. As much as I’d like to throttle him, we did end up exactly where we needed to be.”
“Papa always hated that about the Carringtons.” Avery winked. “But it turns out, I’ve got a bit of that too.”
“Oh yes…you certainly do.” Abigail sat back down next to her cousin. “Now tell us your story again. I simply love it….”
Forgive me for dropping at that precise sentence. But Avery’s story is coming very soon: Earl of Infamy! And Vanity and Gabriella’s is coming as well: Viscount of Vanity! Last in the series will be Laird of Longing, and that is the girls’ cousin, Ewan, who did not make an appearance in this book. He’s a bit elusive.
Thanks so much for reading. I can’t wait to share these last few stories with you!
Viscount of Vanity
Lords of Scandal
Miss Gabriella Winston peeked through the curtain separating the chapel from the nave and surveyed the twenty or so men who sat in the pews. One of them was about to be her husband.
Over the past few days, she’d wracked her brain to see if she’d ever heard of such an event happening. She’d heard of a few husbands auctioning off their wives, but did fathers actually sell their daughters to settle their debts? Hers did.
Gabriella brushed back a lock of her near black hair and shifted on her feet, nervous butterflies flitting all about her belly.
She knew the situation was bad when debtors had come calling in the middle of the night, a month prior. It wasn’t the first time this sort of thing had happened and she’d known to hide herself away in the cupboard. But she’d heard everything. They’d beat her father terribly, an already frail man thanks to his hard living and heavy drinking.
She’d nursed him back to health, of course. She’d been taking care of him most of her life. But she’d noted a look in his eyes that was different from the past. She could only describe it as…assessing.
That had been her first inkling that her life was about to take a turn for the worse.
She twiste
d her hands.
Last week, her father had announced it was time for her to start her new life. She’d stopped scrubbing the floor and had sat up on her knees. Anything new would be good. “How so?” she’d asked.
He’d stared down at her. “You’re lucky, Gabs. You’re beautiful. Some man will surely want you.”
Her rag had dropped to the floor.
She’d stopped begging her father years ago. No amount of pleading ever got her toys or treats or even food if he’d spent all his money on some bet or whisky. In fact, she’d learned that asking for things only irritated him. But she’d pleaded then. Let her choose a man. The butcher had shown interest…
Her father had grown hard. And with a box to her ears, he’d informed her he needed far more than what a butcher could provide.
She’d known then that there was no getting out of this…
She pressed a hand to her stomach as she stared at the growing crowd.
Mr. Sharpe, the butcher, was there. She saw him in the back. Would he bid? Hope fluttered inside her stomach. While she didn’t love the man by any stretch, he was good and honest and she’d be cared for in the match. Of that she could be certain.
She scanned the rest of the crowd. Some of the men looked all right. Clean at least, not too old. But others…
Nervous fear prickled along her skin.
The priest came down the center aisle, smiling at several of the men. He was sweating a bit, despite the cool day, his face puffy and his eyes rimmed with red. Clearly, he still recovered from a night of heavy drinking. She recognized the signs. She’d grown up with them her entire life.
Her father walked just behind the other man, his eyes equally blurry. The two were great friends. She didn’t know what that said about the priest that his closest compatriot was a drunken gambler.
But she knew he’d agreed to help her father. Normally this sort of event would take place in the town square but the weather was still frigid and there was always the possibility of rain. Having the auction here insured the event happened no matter what the weather and her father got the largest bride price for his efforts.
She let the curtain fall again.
Gabriella could run… slip out the back and disappear into the English countryside. But where would she go? What would happen to her?
Still, it might be worth it. What if she ended up tied to a beastly man?
This morning she’d met a lovely woman who’d promised to help. A baroness, Gabriella’s heart raced at the idea.
The baroness had been with a man, not her husband, but her husband’s friend.
He’d been the single most handsome male Gabriella had ever seen… Tall and broad with dark hair and eyes. Of course, his full lips had been set in a frown as he’d stared at Gabriella but still, he’d promised the baroness, he’d come back for Gabriella.
Would he keep his word?
Likely not. It had been her experience that men rarely did.
And even if he did return, what could he do? It was her father’s right to sell her like cattle.
Her hands lifted to cover her face. This was it.
She had to make a decision now. She could stay or she could run.
Her muscles twitched as she shifted again. She needed to leave. Whatever fate met her, it would be of her own choosing. She’d suffer the consequences of her actions and live or die content in that knowledge.
She took a step back, sinking deeper into the shadows of the chapel. Then another, inching toward the door. Gabriella needed to be quiet as a church mouse. She’d require a head start in order to find a sufficient hiding spot. Her father and the priest had an automatic group of searchers assembled for the auction.
She’d heard him mumbling about men coming all the way from Havisham. She was apparently highly sought after. As though that was supposed to make her feel better.
Two more steps and she was close enough to reach out and touch the door. She pressed her hand to the knob as she gingerly began to turn the engraved brass. It wouldn’t do to have the metal squeak now.
But when she turned the knob clockwise, it didn’t budge. Her breath caught in her throat. Could it be stuck? Gabriella turned it the other way testing the door but it was locked tight.
Drat.
Of course, they’d thought to lock the door. She could have kicked herself for hoping and then again for not realizing they’d have foreseen her attempt to run.
What did she do now?
She massaged her temples as her chin dropped to her chest. She was trapped.
Distantly, she heard the main doors of the nave open and then close shut behind whoever had entered. Tears burned at the corners of her eyes, but she held them back. She would not cry any longer.
Now was not the time for emotion but for action.
Drawing in a deep breath, she attempted to think of another way out.
There was a second story window. Perhaps if she could climb…
The curtain parted and Father Michael stepped in, her father behind him.
“What do you think?” her father asked shuffling on unsteady feet.
“Interesting,” Father Michael replied, parting the curtain and looking out again. “He’s nicely dressed, well groomed. Looks like he’s got money.”
“What’s he doin’ here bidding then?”
Gabriella let out a huff. Clearly some man was making special overtures that her father was considering. She crossed her arms and cleared her throat. Had they forgotten she was there? And why did her father sound surprised that a good prospect had stepped forward? Did he have no expectation she’d marry well? Did he care at all?
Father Michael’s gave her a critical stare, his eyes travelling up and down her. “Perhaps he heard of her beauty?”
Her father grunted. “Perhaps.”
“Or perhaps…” The priest stopped, looking back at her father with a meaningly tilt to his head, his eyebrows rising.
Perhaps what?
Her hand came to her throat as fear slid down her spine. What weren’t they saying?
* * *
Austin Melrose, the Viscount of Easterly, stood by the pulpit, his palms sweating slightly. How in the bloody blue blazes had he gotten himself into this mess?
He grimaced, crossing his arms. His friend’s new wife had somehow convinced him that he needed to go on this rescue mission.
This was why a man shouldn’t marry.
Women had all sorts of plans and they made a man participate. Abigail wasn’t even his wife and somehow he’d been cast as hero in this ridiculous plot she’d devised.
He let out a low growl of frustration. Abigail, that was his friend’s new wife, the Baron of Blackwater, had heard Gabriella crying and had insisted they save her from a marriage auction.
Ridiculous. Who was he to tell a man what to do with his daughter? He had no authority to stop anything.
But then again, one look at Gabriella and he’d had a difficult time saying no. The very idea of some heathen pawing at her set his teeth on edge.
The problem, of course, besides the fact that he had no grounds to end this event, was what he did with her on the off chance he did successfully rescue her? He’d been wracking his brain for the past two hours but he was no closer to a solution.
Marrying her was out of the question.
He refused to take her as his mistress and steal from her the chance of a happy marriage. That was even less likely than the first option.
She was too beautiful to work as a maid. Any man with a woman like her in his house would surely take advantage of her under his protection.
And the circle began again. He didn’t wish to leave Gabriella, he couldn’t take her. He’d paced on the steps outside the church for the last quarter hour wondering if he just returned back to Blackwater’s house and told Abigail he’d been too late.
But then images of Gabriella would rise in his thoughts and his feet would still.
Dark hair and eyes that lifted in an exotic tilt, they w
ere near black in their coloring, her skin a bit more caramel than any true Englishwoman. Full sensuous lips and a figure made for sin, she was the stuff of fantasy. If he were smart, he’d stay away.
He couldn’t afford fantasies.
His gut churned.
Since he’d been a small child, he’d been affected with weak lungs. He raked a hand through his normally groomed hair. That wasn’t true. He hadn’t had an attack for some years but the fear of one seemed to persist.
As a child, he’d learned when to pull back from an activity the moment his chest tightened. Because the attacks were awful.
His breath would leave him and he could not get it back no matter how hard he tried. It was as though six men sat on his chest. He’d cough and wheeze and occasionally black out. And once he’d nearly died.
That wasn’t to say he retreated into a shell, hiding.
In fact, he’d work himself over and over just to the point of an attack and then he’d stop.
The goal was to make his lungs as strong as possible.
And it had worked. The doctors had told him he’d outgrown the malady and that he was cured. But some habits remained.
He exercised relentlessly and he maintained rigid control over his lungs and his mind to make certain he never had an attack again.
And one of those precautions was to stay away from beautiful women who might make him lose his control.
Viscount of Vanity available on all major retailers!
This is the second round of the Lords of Scandal series. Check out round 2!
Earl of Gold
Earl of Baxter
Duke of Decadence
Marquess of Menace
Duke of Dishonor
Earl of Infamy
Laird of Longing
You can also look back to round 1 beginning with the Duke of Daring.
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Baron of Blasphemy Page 11
