Channing merely grinned and opened the door. ‘You’ll see.’ Inside, a great round of applause went up. Everyone was assembled in the hall from the footmen to the escorts, Nick and Jocelyn at the head of each column. He was moved, he really was. ‘Is this your idea of a quiet drink?’ Channing joked, taking a glass of the champagne that was circulating on trays. Nick and Jocelyn had asked them to stop by, but Channing had not expected this. It was the perfect way to go out.
Channing drew Alina to him and raised his glass. ‘A toast, everyone, to new beginnings. I am the luckiest of men today to marry the woman I love. I will leave the agency a happy man. But there is still a job that needs doing and the League must go on. I leave that task to the most capable Amery DeHart. Cheers.’
Glasses clinked, men clapped Amery on the back in congratulations and good-humoured teasing. Over their heads, Channing’s eyes met Nick’s and Jocelyn’s in mutual accord and in farewell. Their journeys were complete and they were satisfied men. He bent to Alina’s ear. ‘Let’s go. The future awaits and I can hardly wait to get there.’ They slipped out to the carriage, a clean getaway just the way the League preferred.
* * *
Except for one pair of eyes. Nothing escaped Amery DeHart’s attention. He watched the carriage roll down the street. He might have imagined the carriage rocking slightly, but he didn’t imagine the laughter floating back to him. That was real enough. He raised his glass in a silent salute to his friend and his mentor. In the falling dusk of evening, Amery DeHart drank to his vow. As long as women were in need of pleasure, there would be a League of Discreet Gentlemen.
* * * * *
We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Historical.
You dream of wicked rakes, gorgeous Highlanders, muscled Viking warriors and rugged Wild West cowboys from another era. Harlequin Historical has them all! Emotionally intense stories set across many time periods.
Enjoy six new stories from Harlequin Historical every month!
Connect with us on Harlequin.com for info on our new releases, access to exclusive offers, free online reads and much more!
Other ways to keep in touch:
Harlequin.com/newsletters
Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks
Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks
HarlequinBlog.com
ISBN-13: 9781460329757
LONDON’S MOST WANTED RAKE
Copyright © 2014 by Nikki Poppen
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.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Trade Marks Office and in other countries.
www.Harlequin.com
London's Most Wanted Rake Page 23
