“Bite your tongue, brother. ’Twill be boys from now on.”
Penelope, the Duchess of Manchester, pushed her spectacles up on the bridge of her nose and grinned at her husband as she devoured another pastry. Mary had told him how sick the poor woman had been for the first few months of her confinement, but it appeared she was doing well now.
Redgrave looked around the table at this family he had just joined. By law, he now had five brothers and five sisters, and at last count—before the new baby—eight nieces and nephews. A far cry from his lonely life with Priscilla and his childhood as an only child. He would like having all these people in his life.
Truth be told, he’d been a bit taken aback by Liam MacBride, Lady Sybil’s husband, when he had arrived. The man was as big as the giant who’d hustled Rumbold off to the ship. But with the tender looks he cast upon his wife, and the love in his eyes when he held his twins, size was the only thing the two men held in common.
The rector, Joseph Fox, Abigail’s husband, stood and held up his glass. “I would like to wish Mary and Redgrave a lifetime of happiness.” His eyes bore into Redgrave. “And I also want to thank him immensely for my beautiful wife.”
A short uncomfortable silence followed until Professor McKinnon, Lady Sarah’s husband, shouted, “Hear, hear!”
The others joined in with well wishes, and Redgrave felt the last vestige of his guilt dissolve. He no longer had to be concerned with what he’d done to Abigail, even though he’d had no choice. She was happy, her husband was besotted, and he and Mary would have the same wonderful life all these new family members enjoyed.
He glanced at his wife and took her hand in his, intertwining their fingers. He leaned close to her ear. “Happy?”
“Yes. Very happy.” Her smile was enough for him to wish everyone gone and the two of them off to his house where they would spend their wedding night.
Wedding night.
He grew hard just at the thought of Mary spread out before him on his bed like a feast. A wedding feast. He chuckled.
“What?” She grinned.
“Not now. I will tell you later.” He leaned close to her again. “Much later.”
She turned a deep red. “Oh.”
He studied her for a minute, but then his thoughts were taken up with a bed, a warm, willing wife, and hours to do nothing but teach her all the ways they could enjoy each other.
The next moment, his warm, willing wife tapped his leg to get his attention. “I think we should leave,” she whispered.
He didn’t need a second invitation.
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Acknowledgements
As always, many thanks to my editor, Erin McCormack Molta, who understands my need to randomly switch the tenses of verbs around.
Thanks to the Unicorns. Without your support and encouragement this journey would be so much harder.
To my Wednesday morning brainstormers, Maxine Douglas and Heidi Vanlandingham. Love working out those plot issues with you.
To the fabulous team at Entangled Scandalous who do an amazing job with each and every book.
About the Author
Callie Hutton, 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, two adult children, a daughter-in-law, twin grandsons, and her top cheerleader husband of thirty-eight years (although thankfully not all in the same home!). Living in the Midwest provides plenty of opportunities for Callie to pursue her interests: researching American history, meeting readers, spending time with family, and discovering new adventures.
Callie loves to hear from readers and welcomes the opportunity to become friends, both in person or virtually. Find her online: Facebook | Twitter | Callie’s Cohorts Street Team
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The Earl's Return (Marriage Mart Mayhem) Page 21
