The Highwayman's Bride
Page 24
“You admit it?” A tiny smile curved the edges of her mouth. He wanted to kiss each sweet delectable inch of it. “I want you beside me, Tess, but I will not force you. You wanted your independence and freedom and I will not stop you if you want to leave.”
“You were the one who said I must go.”
“I did. For too many months I have searched for Nash, too many months living with a black heart as companion. It colored everything, until the light you lit opened my eyes. If you wish to go—”
“Shush, you talk too much.” She rested her finger on his lips and Aiden felt her touch sear right through to his heart.
Love? It felt exactly like love.
“I have been talking to a wise woman of late.”
“The witch?”
“Who else? You were right. I did want my independence and freedom.”
Did?
“My parents’ marriage was one of love. I want the same, for loving alone is far too lonely an occupation for a lifetime. I would go to the end of the earth for that love, but without it returned, my heart will break.”
“You have my love, Tess. Truly. Totally. Forever.
“Then,” she said, standing and holding her hand out to him, “I think my lord, it is time to go home, for I love you so very, very much.”
Epilogue
Love is in the air
A future bright with cheer
For this Lord has found love with his Lady.
Mirabelle’s Musings
March 1814
The fire in the grate crackled, hot chocolates ready to drink and with her family around her, everything was right with her world.
Tess spied her son playing with the new puppy Aiden had brought home for him and delighted in the way those two words sounded.
Her son.
Aiden sidled up beside her, wrapping an arm around her waist and drawing her to him. “I love you, sweet Tess.” He leaned in close and kissed her earlobe, nuzzling the sensitive path along her neck.
“Aiden! Someone will see.”
“So does that give us the perfect excuse, then?”
“For?”
“Escaping upstairs.”
“Shame on you, my lord,” she teased, “it is the middle of the day.”
“Perfect, I will be able to see your delicious body as I make love to you.”
“You are a rogue, sir.”
“And you love me for it,” he said, offering her a wink.
“I do.”
Mary’s laughter rang out and Tess glanced over to her sister-in-law. She sat with Alexander as he tried to teach his puppy tricks.
“It is good to see her so happy,” Aiden said. “It seems her musings have given her a new lease on life.”
“You’re not angry?”
“Why would I be? I just want her happy. That’s what it has always been about. I hear Mirabelle’s Musings are all the rage in the ton.”
“The rogue she has written about is no longer and the women of London are weeping their loss.”
“Their loss is your gain.”
“Absolutely, my lord,” she teased, kissing him on the cheek.
Behind her, Jasper leaned over maps spread across the table by the window.
“When does he leave?”
“The ship to the Americas leaves in a week.”
“And you can’t persuade him to stay?”
“I’ve tried,” Aiden’s gaze shifted toward his brother. “He is determined to go and believes this is the new path he needs. He’s full of stories of opportunity. Who am I to stop his dreams, for my own have been fulfilled?”
“Even though they took a little nudging along.”
“A little,” he grinned, “but I would have gotten there in the end.”
“I had a letter from Tulip today.”
Aiden’s mouth thinned. “I trust your aunt and uncle are settled in the depths of Cornwall.”
“Oh, I think Luther is pleased to have escaped gaol. He’ll not bother us again.” It had been Aiden who had subtly suggested her relatives move far away and had also provided them with a stipend to survive on. “You are a kind and good man, husband.”
Husband.
How she loved the sound of that word most of all. She turned and faced Aiden, taking joy in the feel of his body so close to hers. “I think you promised me something, sir, and I am an impatient woman.”
His brow creased a fraction.
“Upstairs,” she whispered in his ear. “For I love you, Aiden, and will, forever and ever.”
“I think then, sweet Tess, that we have somewhere else to go, for I too love you, and praise the day I met a rogue highwayman on the road.”
…
There will soon be a new lady about the ton
And look out for the gallant from exotic shores
A tryst perhaps for the English Rose and the Thorn.
Mirabelle’s Musings
April 1814
Acknowledgments
To my wonderful Editor, Erin Molta, for all her hard work and dedication to helping me make this book wonderful. Thank you.
About the Author
For author Jane Beckenham, there’s nothing better than people-watching. In her world, she never knows what story it may inspire her to write.
Jane’s world is one of happy-ever-afters which is just as well, since after a blind date Jane found her true love and married him eleven months later.
Life has been a series of dreams for Jane. Dreaming of walking again after multiple surgeries. Dreaming of raising a family and subsequently flying to Russia to bring home her two daughters. And dreaming of writing.
Writing has become Jane’s addiction—and it sure beats housework.
Connect with Jane:
www.janebeckenham.com
https://www.facebook.com/JaneBeckenhamAuthor
@JaneBeckenham
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