Emily's mother surprised James with a kiss to his cheek. "Take care of her, dear boy," she murmured. He was shocked to see her lips trembling with emotion. "That's all I've ever wanted, you know. Someone to take care of her."
Emily took James's hand in hers. "We will take care of each other, Mama," she said firmly.
Across the room, at the dining table, Jacob was banging a champagne glass with a spoon. His cheeks were red – a combination of exuberance and alcohol, no doubt – and, once he had everyone's attention, he staggered upright to stand on a chair.
"Now then," he announced, waving his glass perilously in the air. "I know it's not tradition, being only the brother of the bride, but I've taken it into my head to give a little speech on this very happy occasion."
James tensed. The adventures he and Jacob had embarked upon in his single days did not bear repeating in front of an audience which included his mother, his in-laws, and the Dowager Duchess.
The best he could hope for was that Jacob would stick to a loving commendation of his sister, wish them joy, and have done with it.
Jacob cleared his throat dramatically. "I first met James Marsden one very interesting evening at White's..." James put his head in his hands and waited for it to be over. His new bride shook with laughter beside him.
Once the wedding breakfast was concluded, the newlywed couple put on their travelling cloaks and got into the Duke of Westbourne's most comfortable carriage. They were going to spend their honeymoon in Derbyshire, exploring the hills and landscapes of Emily's childhood.
The first stop along the way was a little inn, cosy but fitted with every possible comfort, where the innkeeper's assiduous wife had laid flowers over the pristine bedspread.
"How lovely," Emily gasped, when they were finally alone in the room. James put his arms around her from behind and kissed her neck, feeling her shiver with pleasure.
"And how do you feel now, my wife? Are you happy?" He glanced towards the bed. "Are you nervous?"
She turned around and put her arms around his neck. "I intend to be extremely happy for the rest of my life, James. Excessively, deliriously, incandescently happy."
He kissed her, contentment blossoming in his heart. "I intend to join you."
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Lady Celia Hartley has a problem. She must find a husband soon or risk being ruined forever. Just as she is beginning to give up hope, William Marsden asks her to dance. Young, handsome, and kind, he seems to be the perfect answer to her prayers. But before he can claim her as his own, they must deal with the consequences when the Earl of Scarcliffe discovers the true nature of his sister's situation...
This is a short novella intended as a companion read to the Redeeming the Rakes series.
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Click here to buy Redeeming the Rakes Book 1: The Duke Suggests a Scandal
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PROLOGUE
A gentle murmur of conversation resumed behind Harry, Duke of Westbourne, as he slipped outside and left his dinner party behind. He did not go to the library, as he had told his guests, but to the garden, where he made straight for the circle of rosebushes outside the drawing room windows. Cracks of light spilled out through the closed curtains, illuminating Catherine Sharp's frightened face.
"Have you passed a pleasant evening?" asked Harry lightly. A small shiver passed over her – whether from cold or from fear he could not tell.
"Please, let's not waste time in idle conversation. I have made my choice and I am ready." She held her hands behind her back and closed her eyes. She looked as pretty as any of the roses – and just as prickly.
"Cathy, Cathy," said Harry. "Calm yourself. I am not going to force myself upon you."
She opened her eyes, perplexed. "But I am ready and willing. I have agreed to your plan."
He stroked a single curl of golden hair back from her face. Catherine almost flinched away at his touch. She was like a little deer in the wood: curious and terrified at the same time. At any moment she might startle and run away.
"A kiss is not a kiss unless it is wanted," said Harry. He had seduced women before, but never with this degree of tenderness. Truth be told he was almost as frightened as she. "You must want it, Cathy. I'll settle for nothing less."
In fact he might well have to. At the stroke of midnight, his plan would come to fruition. If her lips were not on his by then, it might all yet come to nothing…
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Table of Contents
Contents
Copyright
Prologue
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Epilogue
Also by Gemma Blackwood
Let the Lady Decide Page 18
