“I’ll take him to my house,” Harrison said. “Duchess, Sullivan can take you and Lavinia to Wynchester house. I’ll leave the duke to you.”
“Excellent plan,” Randolph said.
“I will send for a coroner,” Harrison clapped his hand on Randolph’s shoulder. “You, I take it, will see to Sophia?”
“Of course.” Randolph crouched beside his wife. “You cannot help her now.”
“I know,” She glanced up. “You are taking a chance on Lord Eustace.”
“We cannot keep the duke from his brother, you know that.”
She sighed.
“And,” he continued, “Lord Eustace could be telling the truth.”
“I said to Helena, ‘Lord Eustace is Kasai.’ She responded ‘Eustace will kill me’. That is proof enough for me. I am worried for Wynchester. And for Thea.”
“We will decipher Baneham’s notes and discover the significance of the sapphires. As Lavinia and Harrison said, Thea will not be alone.”
Sophia’s expression softened. “None of the Furies are alone any longer, are we?”
“No,” Randolph said.
“Helena, on the other hand, was alone.” Sophia looked down at her sister. “She will be buried in the Baneham plot.”
Randolph nodded. “Whatever you wish. I am at your service.”
“Thank you,” she said.
“Come Sophia, let us go home.”
Her brow furrowed. “Where is home?”
“Anywhere you’d like.”
She sunk against his chest. “When you pursued me, was it just because the earl intended me for you?”
He closed his arms around her and held his precious love. “It started out as a mission, but you—you stole my heart.”
“Why?” she asked in a whisper.
“Society said you were nothing more than an Earl’s daughter, capable only of cementing male alliance. You spurned that. Chance made you a widow, but you didn’t seek protection—no, you offered your protection to others in even more need. You thought your enemies would come, so you invited them into your home and put them in your debt. I respect you, Sophia. Your spirit leaves me awed.”
“Oh Hugh,” she said. “I haven’t told you, have I? Have I left it too late?”
“Left what too late?”
“Telling you I love you.”
Some punches one expected, and some punches came from beyond one’s vision. Randolph expected her confession, but he hadn’t expected the crack in his heart…nor the blinding light shining from beyond.
She loved him. Why?
She looked up, blue eyes more beautiful and more vulnerable than he had ever seen them before and he thought only a fool would question a gift freely given.
“It’s never too late,” he said.
Her lip trembled. “Well then, I love you.”
He brushed her sweet lips with his. “And I love you, now and forever.”
Epilogue
Sophia traced her finger over the lines of an arched window that would form the conservatory in the new townhome Randolph was building. They were going to build a home of light and peace together…quite literally, in fact. A place where friends would always feel welcome.
“Are you as excited as I am?” She asked him.
“Until the bills come in, of course.”
She frowned but he dropped a kiss on her forehead and said, “We can more than afford what we’ve planned. Our new house will be the talk of London.”
“Finally, I can be a topic without being a scandal.”
He laughed. “We’re a love match, Sophia. That alone is scandal enough for some.”
She rested her chin on her hand. “We’ve been very lucky haven’t we? The past is truly behind us.”
“We worked for our luck. As for the past…”
He wandered to a shelf, opened the door, and pulled out a thin book bound in dark brown leather. His expression shadowed as he thumbed through haphazardly cut pages.
“Is that what I think it is?”
“Baneham’s book of rules.” He snapped the book closed. “I was so excited when he gave me a copy I rushed to slice the pages.”
She held out her hand.
“Are you sure you want to look?” Randolph asked.
“Baneham can’t hurt me now, can he?”
Reluctantly, Randolph gave her the book.
It had been so long since she held an actual copy of the rules. She hadn’t realized any still existed.
“He believed in those rules,” she said, “He died believing the rules protected him.”
“They did, though they created most of the hardships from which he needed protection.”
“Do you still believe in those rules?”
“I believe they are a good foundation, but, like many rules—the broader concepts need to be better understood before following them blindly.”
“And the broader concept is…?”
“You always have something to fight for, but everything need not always be a fight.”
She smiled.
“Shall I dispose of this copy?” he asked.
She sighed and closed the book. “Do as you wish.”
He lifted a quill from his desk. “How about an edit, or two?”
He opened the page and then dipped the pen in ink. He scratched, blew, and then handed the book to Sophia.
“Rule One: Never underestimate your opponent.” In Randolph’s even scrawl she read “wife—for she is wise in all things.” She shook her head and laughed, closing the book. “I think I am finished with rules.”
“Including ones about studies, and daylight, and kisses?”
Her lips turned up. “Definitely including those.”
He walked to the door, turned a key, and tossed the book into the fireplace.
“Well, Lady Randolph. Let’s create a real scandal.”
And, artfully employing her fichu, he proceeded to seduce his wife—thoroughly.
Acknowledgments
Having a Historical Romance published was a life-long dream. The experience exceeded my expectations. I cannot thank the readers who took a chance on Lady Vice enough, nor can I say how much Elizabeth Essex’s amazing cover quote and Gaelen Foley’s endorsement meant to me. I’d especially like to thank bloggers Kimberly Rocha (and BOC Janet Rodman), Kim Lowe, Melanie Friedman, PJ Ausdenmore, and every blogger who kindly hosted me or reviewed Lady Vice for their enthusiasm and kindness toward a debut author. More thanks to Danielle Gorman at Author’s Pal for organizing my tour, Debbie S. at Entangled for her amazing support and every single reader who took the time to write a review on Goodreads, Amazon, B&N or elsewhere. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
I’d also like to send a special shout out to the people from my childhood and my family who went out of their way to show their support, especially Helen Wahrenburger, Johanna Schmutz, Emily Gorsuch, Jennifer Rawls, Shannon Nolley, Sheila Holliday, Buddy & Nadine Stango, Natali Wicklund, Prim LaCapra, Alice Dent, & Helen Feinstein.
And I couldn’t have gotten through this book without writer friends Katrina Snow, Stacey Agdern, Kiersten Hallie Krum, Stacey Reid, Erica Monroe (and the PastThrills.com ladies), Sue McGee, Sally Mackenzie, Talia Surova, Mary Behre & Beppie Harrison (hear, hear, Beppie!), Madeline Martin (spreadsheet genius) and my weekly check-in friend, Madeline Iva.
Firebirds and LaLas, you rock.
Richard & Debbie you are essential.
Erin Molta you are a sentence genie extraordinaire.
If I’ve missed you, let me know…Duchess Decadence is still to come!
Two final footnotes: Friend Elizabeth is my thank you to the amazing Quaker teachers who lit my way (particularly Dwight, Mrs. Smith & Margaret Barnes). Thank goodness plain speech is no longer the custom among Friends. And, on a completely different note, although Randolph and Sophia share little more than a pet name and a height difference with the daytime super couple Patch and Kayla, they are, in part, my homage to Stephen Nichols and Mary B
eth Evans and the staff writers who brought those characters to life.
Sweetness, indeed.
About the Author
Wendy LaCapra has been reading romance since she sneaked into the adult section at the library and discovered Victoria Holt & Jane Aiken Hodge. From that point on, she dreamed of creating fictional worlds with as much richness, intrigue, and passion as she found within those books. Her stories have placed in several contests, including the 2012 Golden Heart®. She lives in NYC with her husband and loves to hear from readers. You can read about her books on her website at http://www.wendylacapra.com/ or sign up for her newsletter at http://bit.ly/GetWendyNews
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