Isabel kissed her sister’s cheek. “Goodnight, my dearest sister.”
“Goodnight.”
***
The next four weeks flew by for both Georgette and Isabel. Their dresses had been delivered in plenty of time and both young women marveled at the magnificent creations Mrs. Phillips had made.
Georgette’s dress was a beautiful cream-colored satin with lace along the sleeves and the hemline. White embroidery decorated the bottom of the dress sprinkled with splashes of blue in the design. Isabel’s gown was white and had a double row of lace at the sleeves and hem.
Isabel smoothed her dress. “Have you ever seen such beautiful dresses?”
“No, I dare say I have not,” Georgette said as she tied the ribbons on her bonnet. “Are you ready, dearest?”
“Yes, I’ve never been more ready in my life,” she said slipping on her gloves.
Iris was waiting at the bottom of the stairs and her hand flew to her mouth when she saw the girls. “Oh my, I’ve never seen such visions before. Both of you look absolutely stunning.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Quinn,” Georgette said.
***
Dearly beloved, we are gathered together here in the sight of God, and in the face of this congregation, to join together this Man and this Woman and this Man and this Woman in holy Matrimony; which is an honourable estate, instituted of God in the time of man’s innocency, signifying unto us the mystical union that is betwixt Christ and his Church.
Charlotte sat with Mary as they watched their children recite their vows. “What a special day,” she whispered.
“Indeed, it is. I’m so very happy that we have found Isabel. I cannot imagine what you must have felt all those years without her and wondering every day how she fared.”
“It was the worst moment of my life when I handed her to George. I’m so grateful that she was well taken care of.”
Mary patted her hand. “I know, but now we are all together again.” You’ll have time to get to know Isabel, and Georgette too. She seems like such a fine young woman.”
“She is indeed. I couldn’t have asked for a better match for Dalton. I’ve seen the way he looks at her and I know they’ll have a wonderful life together.
***
Isabel hugged her sister and whispered in her ear. “My dearest sister, I’m so happy for you. I promise I’ll come and see you soon, but not too soon.”
Georgette chuckled. “Thank you, dearest. No one could ask for a more loving sister. Please do come and visit soon. It will seem strange not to see you everyday.”
“I will. I promise, but right now I do believe our husbands are anxious to be away.”
Isabel went to Lady Hunt. “I will see you soon, my lady.”
Charlotte hugged her daughter and tears welled in her eyes. “Goodbye, Isabel. I’m so looking forward to knowing you better.”
“As am I,” Isabel said and kissed her cheek.
Lord and Lady Tisbury were standing by the carriage. Colby shook his father’s hand and kissed his mother’s cheek. “We’ll see you in a few weeks.”
“Of course, take good care of Isabel,” Mary said. “She’s a very special young lady.”
Colby nodded. “Indeed she is, Mother.”
Isabel came to stand next to Colby and say her goodbyes. “Thank you for such a lovely breakfast feast, Lady Tisbury. I’ve never seen anything so grand.”
“It was pleasure, dear. Now, off with the two of you.”
Isabel curtsied to Lord Hunt. “Good-bye, Lord Hunt.”
Albert nodded. “Good-bye.”
The driver offered Isabel a hand as she climbed into the carriage. She’d never been in anything so splendid before. “It’s beautiful,” she said as he snuggled next to her husband. The carriage wound its way toward the Tisbury country estate. “Husband. That has a wonderful sound, don’t you think?”
“My dearest wife, I couldn’t agree with you more.”
“Will your parents follow soon?”
“Perhaps in a few weeks. I think they’d like to give us some measure of privacy,” Colby leaned down and tilted her chin up. He brushed his lips against her and was thrilled when she moaned in delight. “I can think of many things that we will need privacy for.”
A blush spread across Isabel’s cheeks. “Mr. Tisbury, should you say such things?” she asked in a teasing tone.
“Yes, and Mrs. Tisbury, I will tell you now that I will be saying a great many more things to you as we begin our wonderful life together.”
“I can hardly wait, my darling,” she said as she leaned in to kiss Colby again. Their kiss deepened and she knew that she had finally found her home and a family.
Dear Reader, thank you for reading Love by Deception. I hope you enjoyed the story and will consider leaving a review at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Reviews are the best way for an author to know how a reader feels about the story and they are very much appreciated.
Other Titles Available by Debra Elizabeth:
Love by Secrets (Book 1, Age of Innocence)
Love on the Beach (Contemporary Romance Novella)
Love by Chance (Contemporary Romance Short Story)
If you enjoy regency romances, be sure to check out LOVE BY SECRETS, Book 1 in the Age of Innocence series.
Book blurb:
Two men - one wants to love her, the other wants to use her. Which will she choose?
Eighteen-year-old Emily Stanton is excited to attend this Season's balls and begin her search for a husband. She is thrilled when the dashing and handsome Connor Preston begins to court her. After each ball, Emily finds a love note in her drawstring reticule, and she expects a marriage proposal from Connor any day.
When her father objects and forces Emily to accept the proposal from Lady Tisbury's shy nephew, Ethan Richardson instead, her heart is broken. How can she love her new husband when her heart belongs to the man who wrote her such beautiful love letters?
For contemporary romance stories there is LOVE ON THE BEACH
Book blurb:
Caroline Fleming had a perfect life -- a loving husband, 2 great kids, a lovely home -- or so she thought. When her husband of 23 years announces he wants a divorce, Caroline's perfect world crumbles in an instant.
She retreats to the beach house to clear her head and heal her broken heart. She swears off men, that is, until she meets a sexy stranger running on the beach with his 2 dogs. Will Matt Sylvan be her second chance at love?
Love on the Beach is a novella of ~21,000 words (95 pages in print)
LOVE BY CHANCE (Contemporary Romance Short Story)
Book blurb:
When Alysa Stevens receives an invitation to attend the social event of the season, a Masquerade Ball, she thinks it's the perfect time to finally kick back and enjoy herself. After all, no one knows who she really is. The invitation came to her business persona, Mr. Al Stevens, but is that ploy about to backfire?
At the ball, she's immediately swept off her feet by a sexy stranger dressed as the Musketeer d'Artagnan. He sets her heart on fire, but he leaves abruptly without ever revealing his name. Will Alysa be able to track down the most handsome man she's ever met without a single clue to his identity?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Debra Elizabeth is the romance pen name of fantasy/science fiction writer, Debra L. Martin.
Debra starting writing with co-author David W Small in 2006. Writing with a co-author is challenging in itself, but when 1 author lives on the East Coast and 1 lives on the West Coast, the challenges are a bit more daunting, but because we live in an electronic world of email, Instant Messenger and Skype, the partnership is totally workable. What makes the partnership even better is that David is my brother. We love the same types of books and that love naturally evolved into writing our own books.
Books by Debra L Martin & David W Small
The Rule of Otharia series
Quest for Nobility
The Crystal Façade
The King’s Last W
ord (forthcoming)
The Witch Stone Prophecy series
Assassin’s Curse
Witch’s Curse (forthcoming, Winter 2013)
The Vampire Nightlife series:
The Silver Cross
The Silver Double Cross (forthcoming)
Dark Future series:
Path to Destruction
The Right Path
Zia’s Path
Table of Contents
2013 Copyright © by Debra Elizabeth
PrologueBath, England1798
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5London, England
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Dear Reader, thank you for reading
If you enjoy regency romances, be sure to check out LOVE BY SECRETS, Book 1 in the Age of Innocence s...
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Love by Deception (Age of Innocence) Page 14
