Forever After (The Forever Series #3)
Page 32
“Where exactly are we headed?” she asked.
“We’re eloping to Scotland so you need to pack a bag.”
“In what odd universe would you imagine I would disgrace myself in a seedy elopement?”
“Who said it will be seedy?”
“Elopements always are.”
“I suppose we can tarry here and let your sisters continue to sermonize. Or we can steal away and be twenty miles the other side of London by morning.”
“They’ll chase after us. They’ll bring me home.”
“They can try,” he huffed, “but they won’t succeed. You’ll never escape my dastardly clutches.”
“Are they dastardly?”
He grinned. “You tell me.”
He swooped in and delivered a hot, stirring kiss that had her pulse racing and her knees weak.
“You’re deranged,” she scolded as he drew away.
“Yes, yes, everyone insists I am. Now we have to hurry. The horses are harnessed, and I’d rather not dawdle.”
“Just like that? We trot off to Scotland?”
“Yes. Just like that, and when we return we’ll be husband and wife. If your sisters don’t like it, what can they do?”
“How about never speak to me again?”
“Don’t be daft. Can you really picture them severing ties with you?”
“No, but I’m not willing to risk it.”
“I am. If they want to be angry with you, fine. Let them be angry. In the interim, you and I will be giddy with delight. It’s a fair trade, and you’ll be getting me, which means you’ll wind up with the better end of the deal.”
“You would say that.”
A soft knock sounded on the door, and she braced, terrified over who it would be. If it was Catherine, she’d be apoplectic to find him in her room. But to her surprise, Mildred entered, and she was attired all in black too.
“Well?” she asked. “Are we leaving or not?”
Sarah was thunderstruck. “You’re coming with us?”
“Of course. My own elopement was foiled, and I’ve always been dying to make it all the way to Gretna Green. Also, I will not allow my son to wed without my being there. I’m sorry, but your mother-in-law will be with you in the carriage the whole trip.”
Sarah looked at Mildred, then Nicholas, and she shook her head. “You two are mad.”
“Yes, we’re just alike in that,” Mildred admitted.
“Sarah hasn’t agreed yet,” Nicholas told her. “I’ve tried to persuade her, but she’s being particularly obstinate.”
“I’m not being obstinate!” Sarah snapped. “I’m being cautious.”
“Cautious, bah!” Mildred scoffed. “Caution is for trembling ninnies and little old ladies who are afraid of their own shadows. I assumed you had some spunk, girl. Where has it disappeared to?”
“My sisters don’t feel I should wed Nicholas. I’d hate to disappoint them.”
“I realize that, but they’re being ridiculous. So are you.” Mildred peered up at Nicholas. “I’ll grab some of her things.”
She hustled off to the dressing room, and Sarah and Nicholas glared at each other. Her emotions were a confused mixture of joy, fury, trepidation, exhilaration, and dread. Could she do it? How could she not?
A myriad of visions flashed through her mind. She recalled that first shocking evening at Clayton’s birthday party when she’d spied on Nicholas at the lake. She recalled when she’d met him at the Midsummer Festival in Bath, how she’d turned around and there he was, smiling at her. She’d never been more content.
She remembered the rainy night when he’d rapped on her window. They’d snuggled under the blankets and had behaved precisely as they shouldn’t. And…it had been wonderful, like nothing she could have imagined or described.
They’d drunk Dubois’s love potion together, and with that magic at play how could she possibly expect to fight against the pull of Fate?
If she fled to Scotland with him, she could have him for her very own for the rest of her life. How could she ever yearn for more than that? And as to her sisters…?
They would have to learn to live with her choice.
“Your sisters will get over it,” he said as if reading her tormented thoughts.
“You’re right. They will.”
“I’ll prove myself to them. I’ll show them I’m worthy of you.”
“I’m certain you’ll be able to prove exactly that. I have no doubt.”
He raised a brow. “I think you just agreed to elope with me to Scotland.”
“Yes, I think I did.”
“Are you sure? With me, there’s no reneging. If you panic halfway there, I won’t bring you back.”
“I won’t panic.”
“I want this more than anything. I want you more than anything.”
“I want it too,” she said.
“We’ll be happy forever.”
“Forever after?”
“Yes, forever and after that and after that and after that.”
He dipped down and took another kiss, and as they drew apart Mildred strutted in. She was carrying a stuffed blanket, the corners tied as if it were a peddler’s sack.
“I didn’t know what she’d like to have with her,” Mildred said to Nicholas, “so I packed what was closest.”
“The items you picked will be fine,” he said.
“And we can buy what she needs on the way.”
“Yes, we can.”
“I wrote a note for her sisters”—Mildred held up a letter—“advising them she left so they don’t worry. But I didn’t tell them our destination or what we intend.”
“They’ll worry anyway,” Sarah muttered as Mildred set it on the table by the bed.
“They’ll get over it,” Mildred replied as Nicholas had, and she asked, “Are we going or what? Have you decided?”
“Yes,” Nicholas said, “we’re going.”
“Are we having a wedding when we arrive?” Mildred inquired. “If there’s no wedding at the end of the road, there’s no reason to depart.”
“We’re definitely having a wedding.”
“Perfect.” Mildred beamed with pleasure. “Nicholas, we don’t have to kidnap her after all. Cut that cord off her wrist, and let’s sneak out of here.”
He retrieved his knife, but before he could slice the rope Sarah stopped him.
“Don’t cut it,” she said.
“Why not?”
“I enjoy being shackled to you. Or rather I enjoy having you shackled to me. It’s about time a woman captured you. Your bachelor days are over, Nicholas Stone.”
“Now that you mention it, the knot seems a bit tight.”
Sarah laughed. “Get used to it, my dear husband. You’re all mine.”
“You’re mine too.”
“Aren’t I lucky?”
Mildred yanked open the door. “I suppose I’ll have to put up with this sort of romantic drivel for the entire journey.”
“We’ll try to control ourselves,” Sarah said.
“Don’t behave on my account,” Mildred responded.
“I don’t plan to ever behave,” Nicholas boasted. “Not for a single second.”
“That’s my boy,” Mildred murmured.
The three of them strolled out together, bound for Scotland and whatever lay ahead.
EPILOGUE
Two men—one older, one younger—reined in their horses and sat in the shadows along the deserted lane. Night was falling, and the sky was a relaxing lavender color that would soon fade to indigo, then to black. The late summer weather was pleasant, the country woods quiet and peaceful.
They didn’t pay much attention to their surroundings though. They were rough fellows, accustomed to hard living and difficult conditions. Heavily armed with pistols, swords, and knives, they might have been bandits or outlaws bent on felonious activity. When they passed through a village, people furtively
pointed and scurried out of the way.
They could have moderated their appearance. Being rich now, they had the funds to buy a gentleman’s clothes. Yet too often, Fate had pummeled them, and without warning events could spiral out of control. They were always prepared for any kind of peril.
Neither of them had expected to ever return to England, and while they were capable of committing mayhem they weren’t currently looking for trouble. They had bigger issues and enemies to confront.
After so many years away, it was nice to be back. They hadn’t thought it would be and had convinced themselves that—after their dire experiences in foreign lands—it would feel strange and awkward. But it was enjoyable to cross paths with those who spoke their language and exhibited familiar customs.
They’d stopped at the entrance to a grand estate, and there was a sign that announced the name of the imposing place.
The older man gestured to it. “There it is: Wallace Downs.”
The younger man snorted with disgust and jumped down from the saddle. He spat in the dirt.
“That’s what I think of Wallace Downs.”
“Do you suppose his eminent self, Alexander Wallace, is in residence?”
“From the chatter in the local tavern, he must be.”
“Are you surprised he’s still alive?”
“No. He was too smart to perish in an accident, too cunning to grow ill, and it would take a powerful foe to kill him.”
“Someone like you for instance?”
The younger man’s smile was grim. “Yes, someone exactly like me.”
“Shall we ride up and knock on his door? You could say hello.”
“I’m not in the mood. If I saw him, I’d probably murder him.”
“Even after all this time?”
“Even after.”
Sarcastically, the older man said, “And here I assumed you’d learned some Christian values like forgiveness and charity.”
“I don’t have a forgiving bone in my body. You know that.”
“No, you don’t, I’m delighted to report.”
The posts holding up the estate sign had been decorated with flowers and streamers of ribbon. The younger man went over, grabbed a handful of flowers, and yanked them away. He threw them on the ground and crushed them under the heel of his boot.
“What sort of vain idiot decorates his entrance sign?” he asked, scoffing with disgust.
“They’re planning a wedding, remember? It’s likely for the benefit of guests who will be arriving—so they can find where to turn their carriages.”
“Bugger their carriages,” the younger man muttered.
“Gossip at the tavern has it that Alex Wallace is to be the groom.”
“Who would marry him? What female would be that stupid?”
“He’s a rich asshole. Any desperate ninny would agree.”
Their disdain of the rich was legendary. They were wary of any dolt who had too much money—except for themselves. They’d witnessed too many wealthy prigs using it for nefarious purposes.
“If he’s marrying again,” the younger man said, “that tart, Eugenia, must have died.”
“Eugenia was his wife way back when?”
“Yes.”
“Before we travel on, are you positive you wouldn’t like to visit him? You’d catch him unawares, and you could shoot him right between the eyes. It would definitely ruin his wedding day.”
“I hadn’t thought of that.” The younger man chuckled. “The notion almost makes me consider it.”
But they weren’t about to engage in violence. They’d journeyed too far and had suffered through unbearable obstacles. They weren’t about to land themselves in a jam at the last minute.
His quarrel with Alex Wallace was in the past, when he’d been little more than a boy. It was time to look to the future, to settle claims and regroup so they could move to the spots where they’d always belonged.
He walked to his horse and leapt into the saddle.
“Are you certain you wouldn’t like to call on him?” the older man inquired. “He’s had it coming for a decade.”
The younger man pondered, staring down the lane to where the manor house would be situated.
Ultimately, he shook his head. “I don’t care about him.”
“I could swear he’s been haunting you forever.”
“He’s been a ghost, but he’s finally vanished in the distance.”
“Really?” The older man didn’t believe the denials for a second.
“Yes, really. I’m just anxious to be home. I want to see what’s left of the place.”
“Not much, I’m predicting.”
“You can’t be sure of that. My sisters would have watched over it for me.”
“I wouldn’t count on it.”
“You don’t know my sisters.”
“No, I don’t, but you shouldn’t get your hopes up. Women can’t be trusted to behave appropriately so it’s probably a dilapidated mess.”
“Let’s go see anyway.”
Hayden Henley tugged on the reins and turned away from Wallace Downs. His great friend, protector, and mentor, Robert Stone, turned too. Together—as they’d been for an eternity—they trotted off, eager to reach the one location Hayden yearned to be.
On to Middlebury, as fast as his horse could carry him there.
THE END
* * * *
Don’t miss the 4th and final book
in Cheryl Holt’s FOREVER series
HAYDEN HENLEY’S story
coming Autumn, 2017
* * * *
CHERYL HOLT is a New York Times, USA Today, and Amazon “Top 100” bestselling author of forty-seven novels.
She’s also a lawyer and mom, and at age forty, with two babies at home, she started a new career as a commercial fiction writer. She’d hoped to be a suspense novelist, but couldn’t sell any of her manuscripts, so she ended up taking a detour into romance where she was stunned to discover that she has a knack for writing some of the world’s greatest love stories.
Her books have been released to wide acclaim, and she has won or been nominated for many national awards. She has been hailed as “The Queen of Erotic Romance” as well as “The International Queen of Villains.” She is particularly proud to have been named “Best Storyteller of the Year” by the trade magazine Romantic Times BOOK Reviews.
She lives and writes in Hollywood, California, and she loves to hear from fans. Visit her website at www.cherylholt.com.
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BOOKS BY CHERYL HOLT
FOREVER AFTER
FOREVER MINE
FOREVER YOURS
ONLY MINE
ONLY YOU
HEART’S DEBT
SCOUNDREL
HEART’S DEMAND
HEART’S DESIRE
HEART’S DELIGHT
WONDERFUL
WANTON
WICKED
SEDUCING THE GROOM
LOVE’S PERIL
LOVE’S PRICE
LOVE’S PROMISE
SWEET SURRENDER
THE WEDDING
MUD CREEK
MARRY ME
LOVE ME
KISS ME
SEDUCE ME
KNIGHT OF SEDUCTION
NICHOLAS
DREAMS OF DESIRE
TASTE OF TEMPTATION
PROMISE OF PLEASURE
SLEEPING WITH THE DEVIL
DOUBLE FANTASY
FORBIDDEN FANTASY
SECRET FANTASY
TOO WICKED TO WED
TOO TEMPTING TO TOUCH
TOO HOT TO HANDLE
FURTHER THAN PASSION
DEEPER THAN DESIRE
MORE THAN SEDUCTION
COMPLETE ABANDON
ABSOLUTE PLEASURE
TOTAL SURRENDER
LOVE LESSONS
MOUNTAIN DREAMS
MY TRUE LOVE
MY ONLY LOVE
MEG’S SECRET ADMIRER
THE WAY OF THE HEART
ISBN: 9781543905250 (E-version)
Copyright 2017 by Cheryl Holt
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