by Darcy Burke
“They’re perfect, and I know you agree.”
She was right. He did. “Fine, I’ll go find Ripley. Shall I bribe him?”
She opened her eyes wider with sharp interest. “Do you think that will help?”
His answering laugh was much louder this time. “I’m trying to show that I’m not a criminal anymore.”
“Oh, yes. That’s true.” She settled into the pillow, a thoroughly charming and rather satisfied smile curling her lips.
“You look pleased with yourself.”
“I am. I’ve snared the most handsome, the most fascinating, the most wonderful man in London. No, the world.”
It was hard not to feel flattered and…loved. Rafe swallowed past the lump in his throat. He leaned down and kissed her. “Sleep. You need it.”
“I’ll try.” She turned and snuggled into the bedclothes.
Rafe watched her for another moment before turning toward the door. He contemplated whether he should don his coat and cravat, which he’d removed hours ago, and ultimately decided not to bother.
Before he reached the door, there was a soft rap. He opened it to find Jane standing on the other side of the threshold, her expression gently creased with anxiety. “How is she?” she whispered.
“I’m fine,” Anne called from the bed.
Smirking, Rafe shook his head. “She’s fine.”
“Sounds like it,” Jane said wryly. “I bring news from Ripley. Do you want to hear it?” she asked loudly.
Rafe heard movement from the bed and turned to see Anne struggling to sit up. He rushed to her side to help. “You need to rest,” he admonished.
“I am resting. I didn’t leap out of bed and do a jig, did I?” She looked past him toward Jane, who’d come into the chamber. “What news?”
“It seems the members of the Committee for Privileges who were present tonight, and it was the majority of them, have already decided that Rafe will be the earl.”
Anne’s face brightened, and her reaction was even more thrilling than the news itself. “Truly?”
Jane nodded. “They will formalize it on Monday.” She turned to Rafe and curtsied. “My lord.”
As the reality of this change settled over him, Rafe began to understand just how much his life had altered and would continue to do so. He would bear no resemblance to the boy or young man he’d been. A part of him was sad. For all his mistakes and regrets, he couldn’t deny who he was.
“What of my past?” he asked softly. “Didn’t they care?”
“They did,” Jane said slowly. “But, they understood that you were kidnapped, that you did the best you could in the life that was thrust upon you through no fault of your own. They also know of your kindness and generosity to orphans.” She touched his shirt sleeve. “That speaks volumes about your true character, Rafe.”
“She’s right,” Anne said, still beaming. “I’m so glad the committee saw that. Oh, this is wonderful. Now you can get the special license.” Her brow furrowed. “Do you think you’ll be able to get it on Monday, or will you have to wait for Tuesday?”
“Since you need a few days to recover, let us say at least Tuesday, with a wedding no sooner than Wednesday.” She pouted slightly, and he laughed.
“Fine, Wednesday. I suppose I can wait that long.”
Rafe didn’t want to wait either, but he’d managed thirty-two years without this spectacular woman. He supposed he could manage three whole days.
She narrowed her eyes at him. “But make it early on Wednesday.”
He found no quarrel with that. “As early as possible.”
Jane grinned. “Where will you have the ceremony?”
Rafe looked to Anne in question. “It’s up to you.”
“No, I want you to choose. You are embarking on a completely new life. Let us start it wherever you would like.”
“I honestly don’t care, so long as you’re there.” He turned to Jane. “We’ll have it at my house on Upper Brook Street.”
“Excellent. Do let me know how I can help. I’m sure your sisters will also be involved.”
“Are they still here?” Rafe asked. He knew Harry had returned to London with the prisoners as well as Ludlow’s body.
“Yes. Lord Rockbourne returned home to be there for his daughter in the morning, but Beatrix and Selina wanted to stay in case you needed them.”
Rafe was overcome with the support of so many. “Thank you. All of you. Anne and I are so lucky to have family like you.”
Jane started to turn, but paused to say, “Don’t feel as if you need to come down now. Everyone is taking a rest before breakfast. You should do the same. I won’t say where you’re sleeping.” She pressed her lips together, her eyes twinkling, then turned and went to the door.
“You’re the best sister!” Anne called just before Jane closed the door behind her.
Anne scooted over in the bed and held the covers back. “You heard what she said. You need to rest.”
“That is all we are doing,” he said, removing his waistcoat, then his boots and stockings.
“You can take the rest off,” Anne said. “I promise I won’t try to seduce you. Besides, I’m still wearing my chemise.”
“First, you should know by now that the presence or absence of clothing has no bearing on whether we can shag. Second, there is no try when it comes to seduction. You either will or you won’t.”
Perhaps against his better judgment, he opted for comfort over common sense and removed the rest of his clothing before sliding into the bed beside her. He gathered her gently into his arms, pressing himself to her back.
“Are you saying if I want to seduce you, I can?” she asked breathlessly. “I don’t even have to put forth any effort?”
“Oh, I appreciate effort.” He nibbled her earlobe. “But you mustn’t exert yourself.”
She wiggled her bottom against his erection. “Like you didn’t the other night?”
He knew where she was going, just as he knew he was going to lose this battle. “You are utterly irresistible,” he whispered against her ear as he stroked his hand along her thigh.
“Good. I was counting on just that.”
Epilogue
August 1819
Stonehaven, Staffordshire
After twenty-seven years, there was no indication that there had ever been a fire. The parts of the house that burned, a full two-thirds, had been repaired to seamlessly match the part that had survived. And even though Ludlow had been in charge of the renovation, Rafe didn’t hate it. Because it was different—the décor inside—he felt no sense of familiarity, not like he did at Ivy Grove.
That was preferable, he’d decided. He wasn’t sure he could bear that sense of having lived here, not along with the sadness he already felt knowing what had happened here.
He’d arrived four days ago with Anne, while Selina and Harry had come two days later. Finally, Beatrix and Thomas, along with their daughter Regan, had arrived yesterday.
“Are you ready?” Beatrix came out onto the terrace that overlooked the back garden where Selina and Rafe were waiting.
“I don’t know,” Selina whispered, her eyes tense.
“Come. It’s time.” Rafe offered his arms to both of them, and they left the terrace.
The path to the estate’s small church with its cemetery wound up a gentle slope. It was a good half-mile distant atop a hill and obscured from the house by a copse of trees.
Rafe hesitated as they reached the gate. In the center of the cemetery sat a large tomb. The steward had said this was where their parents rested.
“You go,” Beatrix said, taking her hand from Rafe’s arm. “I’ll be here if you need me.” She gave them both an encouraging smile.
Exchanging a look with Selina, Rafe took a deep breath and opened the gate. He gestured for her to precede him.
Selina walked sedately to the tomb. Several names were carved on the outside. “How many generations is this?” She put her gloved hand over a few of the names. “Five?”
“Looks like it,” he said.
She moved her fingers to the names they wanted to see: Jerome and Alicia. Their parents.
“We’re here,” she whispered. “Do you think they can see us?”
“I don’t know.” He knew it was silly, but he hoped they could. He closed his eyes tightly and tried to see them. It was hard. He couldn’t really visualize their faces, just vague images of his mother’s blonde hair and her coral necklace and his father’s warm smile. Why did he remember that but not the color of his eyes?
He’d searched every wall in the house for a portrait of them, but there were none. And the servants, much to their dismay, weren’t aware of any. They had been, to a person, kind and wonderful to him and Selina—and to their families.
“Do you think they’d be proud of us?” Selina asked, the doubt in her voice matching the emotion within Rafe.
“I hope so.” He took her hand. “We did our best, Lina. We survived. They would be glad for that, I think.”
“Yes.” She took her hand from the stone and wiped her cheek.
Rafe didn’t want to see her tears for fear they would cause his to fall. In the end, they did so anyway, making slow, wet tracks down his face.
Selina sniffed. “I’m glad they have always been together. I would want the same with Harry.”
“And I would with Anne.” He thought briefly of Eliza, whom he would always love and miss, but whom he’d finally been able to let go.
“I always thought we were so unlucky.” Selina squeezed his hand, then pivoted to face him. “But we aren’t. We can really look forward now, can’t we?”
He turned to her. “I plan to. And I will always be here for you. I’m sorry that wasn’t always the case.”
“As you said, we survived. That’s what matters.” She put her arms around his middle and hugged him.
Rafe held her close and whispered, “I love you.”
“I love you too.”
After a few moments, they separated. Selina turned back to the crypt and pressed a kiss to her fingertips, which she then brushed over their parents’ names. “I may not have known you, but I love you too.”
Rafe wanted to repeat the sentiment, but he couldn’t. His throat was too tight, his emotions too strong.
Selina put her hand through his arm once more, and they turned back toward the gate. The three of them were quiet as they returned to the house.
Before they reached the terrace, Anne came running outside. “Rafe! Selina! They’ve found the most extraordinary thing!” Her eyes glowed with joy.
Rafe glanced toward Selina before hurrying inside to the drawing room. His breath immediately caught at the sight before him—a large portrait of a family of four leaned against a chair.
Selina brought her hand to her mouth. “Is that…?”
Harry, who was present, along with Thomas, came toward her and put his arm around her waist. “You and your parents, yes.”
A sob slipped from her mouth, and Harry held her close.
Rafe walked slowly to the painting and crouched down. Now, he saw them in his mind—his mother’s dazzling smile and his father’s bright blue eyes. She sat in a chair holding Selina on her lap while Papa stood to the right, his hand on Rafe’s shoulder. Rafe’s attention was on the pair of greyhounds at his feet, one spotted and one gray. “This is Fitz and Roy,” he said, smiling. He’d completely forgotten about them.
Selina’s hand clasped his shoulder just before she knelt down beside him, her face close to the painting. “I can’t—” She gasped, her hand going to the coral necklace at her throat. “Is that…? Is it the same?”
It was hard to tell at first glance, but Rafe studied the necklace in the portrait and then looked at the pendant around his sister’s neck. It was an exact match. “It can’t be,” he breathed. “That’s surely impossible.”
“It looks the same to me,” Beatrix said softly from next to Selina. “Even if it isn’t the same necklace, it looks as though it could be. Surely that’s some sort of sign. I know you both think Fate is silly, but—”
“I don’t. Not anymore.” Rafe stood and helped Selina to her feet. How could he think that when so many things had aligned in his favor, things he didn’t deserve or that should perhaps never have come to pass? His gaze settled on Anne, the second great love of his life. Yes, he believed in destiny.
“Where did they find this?” Selina asked, wiping new tears from her face as Harry came to her side.
“In a corner of the attic,” Anne said cheerfully. “The housekeeper took it upon herself to search every nook after we exhausted our search. She didn’t want to say anything in case she found nothing. You should have seen her exuberance.”
Rafe went and took Anne’s hand. “She should have been here. I must thank her.”
Anne grinned. “I know she’ll be delighted to see how happy you are.”
Selina exhaled as she pressed her hands to her cheeks. “Oh, what a day this is.”
“You haven’t heard everything.” Anne went to a table near the door. “The post arrived and there are letters for you and Beatrix. From Deborah.”
“What?” Beatrix and Selina asked in unison, their stares of disbelief first colliding and then moving to Anne.
“Yes,” Anne said, delivering the letters to each of them. “She also wrote to me because she thought you might burn them before you read the contents.”
Beatrix snorted. “That’s the smartest thing Deborah has ever said.”
“If you don’t want to read them, you don’t have to, but they contain apologies. At least that’s what she wrote in my letter. Along with an apology to me and to Rafe.”
Rafe whistled through his teeth. “Do you think she means them?”
Anne lifted a shoulder. “Does it matter? It’s not as if we’re going to invite her to dinner.”
There was a beat of silence before everyone laughed.
Beatrix marched to the fireplace and tossed the unopened letter onto the cold hearth. Selina joined her and followed suit.
“Aren’t you even a little bit curious what she said?” Anne asked. “She was quite obsequious in her letter to me.”
Selina and Beatrix exchanged a look, then giggled. “Well, then, perhaps we should read them,” Beatrix said. “Later.” She bent to retrieve them and set them on the mantel.
As Rafe surveyed the room, he didn’t think his heart could be any more full. This was the life he’d always wanted, the life he wasn’t sure he would ever have.
Everyone discussed the portrait, and the housekeeper came in so Rafe and Selina were able to thank her. At length, everyone but Rafe and Anne left until they planned to reconvene for dinner.
Anne moved closer to him on the settee and leaned against his chest. “I’m so glad they found the portrait. Your family is so lovely.”
“Does it make you sad?” he asked quietly, thinking of how her mother had come to London for their wedding, but not her father.
She turned her head to glance up at him. “Why? Because my family is not quite so lovely?” She settled back against him. “No, I’m not sad. My mother apologized and made up with Jane. That’s all I wanted.”
Rafe wrapped his arm around her middle. “And your father?”
“He’ll either come around or…he won’t. But that’s his concern, not mine. I am quite satisfied with my choices.” So was Jane with hers. Their mother had felt horrible about the way they’d treated Jane and about the expectations they’d thrust upon Anne. That both her daughters had ended up happily wed was a gift for which she was most grateful. Her joy—and contrition—had been clear.
After several minutes, Anne turned her body so she could look at Rafe, nestling against his side. “You’ve gone quiet.”
“I can’t stop staring at the portrait.” He and Selina had spent the better part of the last hour studying it intently, as if it could reveal the answers to all their questions. “I want it to talk to me, but I know it can’t.”
&nb
sp; “Really? I think it does.” Anne cocked her head. “It tells me your parents adored you—the way your mother is glancing toward you as she holds Selina so close. Your father’s grip on your shoulder and his loving smile. I can also hear, quite clearly, how much you loved those dogs.”
Rafe couldn’t help laughing, and it felt so good. “I’d forgotten about them. Yes, I loved them. I wanted them to sleep with me, but Mama said no. Papa let them anyway—once or twice.” He remembered their soft coats.
Anne rested her head on his shoulder. “Would you like a pair of dogs, my lord?”
“I think I would.”
“Excellent. When we have a son and daughter of our own, we’ll have a portrait painted just like this one.”
Rafe put his arm around her and kissed her head as a lock of her hair came free. He would never tire of her optimism and her fierce confidence that she would achieve all she wanted. “I suppose we should exert some effort toward having a son or daughter.”
She tipped her head back and arched a brow at him. “I think we exert plenty of effort.” Pressing her hand against his chest, she slid it up beneath his cravat. “On second thought, I think we can do better. I’m up to the challenge. Are you?”
He leapt from the settee and swept her into his arms. She let out a happy cry that was part gasp and part giggle.
“Let me show you how up I am.” He kissed her soundly as she curled her hands around his neck.
She sighed as he carried her from the room. “Do hurry.”
He doubled his pace toward the stairs. “As you command, my lady.”
Rafe feared his heart would burst with love, and he knew with sudden clarity that for the first time in twenty-seven years, he was safe.
He was home.
Ready for your next Regency passion? Welcome to the Phoenix Club, where London’s most audacious, disreputable, and intriguing ladies and gentlemen find scandal, redemption, and second chances. The Phoenix Club series starts with a prequel short story, INVITATION, coming March 2021! The first novel, IMPROPER, will be released May 25, 2021!
Thank you so much for reading A ROGUE TO RUIN! It’s the third book in The Pretenders series. I hope you enjoyed it! While there are no scheduled releases for upcoming books in The Pretenders series, there are some characters who have politely asked me if they could have stories. I probably can’t say no to them, so stay tuned!
