The children ran off excitedly and Lord Lyndhurst turned to Penelope. ‘Now aren’t you glad that I persuaded you marry me. Between us we have spawned a smuggler and a pirate.’ He grinned and reached for her. ‘You know, I have a fancy to produce a whole smuggling ring of our own.’
Penelope reached again for Rosie’s foil and held it to his chin. ‘You will have to fight me first,’ she teased him mercilessly.
Lord Lyndhurst still had the edge, but Penelope was a fine fencer and kept him on his toes. He only had to make one mistake and she followed through with a practised expertise.
Lord Lyndhurst pushed the foil away with his hand and grabbed her wrist. Pulling her to him, he laughed. ‘I do not think so Penelope. I will be exhausted before we begin. It is my own fault, I should not have taught you so well.’
He leaned his head down and trailed his lips down the soft, warm skin of her neck, and unable to resist, she leaned back to give him access.
‘Ah, Xavier,’ she whispered. ‘Of course I am glad I married you. How else could we have produced two fine budding smugglers?’
The End
Other Works from this Author
Lady Ellingham and the Theft of the Stansfield Necklace
Lady Felicity Ellingham is as impetuous as she is beautiful; a character trait that frequently leads her into trouble. One day she goes too far when she accuses the Marquis of Thorndale of stealing a valuable sapphire and diamond necklace belonging to her friend. Unaware that the necklace is a famous family heirloom belonging to The Marquis’s grandmother, the Dowager Duchess, Felicity steals it back, nearly being caught in the process. As Lord Thorndale sets out on a crusade to find his blue-eyed burglar, Felicity has the problem of returning it. Her impetuosity has serious consequences, resulting in a duel at dawn, subterfuge, kidnap and eventually the endangerment of her very life. The only man that can save her from herself is the very man she has accused.
Langthorne’s Honour
Returning from a long exile, Lord Alastair Langthorne, the somewhat arrogant Marquis of Lansbury returns to England to clear his name and find a bride. He has not been in London a week, when his eyes alight on the beautiful Lady Helene Fairchild, the daughter of the Earl of Beresford. The Earl, however, is hardly enamoured of the match and what is more, despite her obvious attraction, Lady Helene will not have him. The Marquis is prepared to wait for as long as it takes, but then fate intervenes. The Old Duke dies threatening to leave all unentailed property to his dissolute cousin, Sir Tristram Langthorne, unless the Marquis restores the family name and marries within three months.
The Marquis has to resort to desperate measures to succeed. Abducting Helene from a masquerade party, he flees to the Isle of Wight, with her father the Earl in hot pursuit. Can he win his bride over and save the unentailed estates on time? It is imperative he does so, and all in the face of the evil attempts of his malicious cousin to thwart him.
A tale of duelling, kidnap, betrayal and romance all set in the backdrop of Regency England.
The Abduction of Lady Ellerbrook A Novella
Despite her best friend’s objections at the wedding ceremony, Lady Letitia Ellerbrook is forced into a catastrophic marriage with the depraved shipping merchant and crime Lord, George Bentham. Only an annulment of the marriage can save her now, but annulments are almost impossible. Can her friend Lady Lucy Chisholm persuade her brother the Earl of Alwinton to intervene on Letitia’s behalf before it is too late? To do so The Earl will have to confront the most dangerous man in Bristol. Gareth Chisholm reluctantly agrees and sets out on a course that will lead him onto the high toby, abduction, confrontation, and revenge. The only trouble is, can he succeed without falling for the lovely Letitia himself?
Further Reading
For anyone interested in the history of smuggling, I would recommend
Smuggling in the British Isles. A History - by Richard Platt.
It is a lively and informative read about the lives of smugglers of old, and from which I learned a great deal about the structure and methods of free trade.
Lady Winterbourne's Entanglement: A Romantic Regency Adventure Page 22
