A Lady’s Christmas Rake
Page 43
Wesley chuckled. “I can attest to that. You truly are one of a kind.”
Before she slipped out the door, Christine smiled back at him. “You’re a lucky man, Wesley Everett. A truly lucky man.”
Taking a deep breath, Wesley rubbed his hands over his face. It had been a long night. More than that, it had been a few terribly long and trying couple of weeks. However, in the end, his brother had been right. When it came to love, nothing was impossible.
Epilogue
Harrington Park, March 1819
Standing in front of the large window opening her bedchamber to the gardens below, Christine gazed out at the starlit night. The moon shone in all its splendour, its reflection dancing over the silent water of the large fountain. It was a peaceful sight, and Christine willed it to calm her own rattled nerves.
Two months had passed since she had accepted Wesley’s proposal, and in another two months she would be his wife. And yet, few things had been settled with regard to her wedding as their attention had been directed elsewhere.
After their first night together, they had shared their news with their families and then immediately returned to Harrington Park. It had been a compromise. Only here were they able to spend the nights under the same roof without raising people’s suspicions and causing a scandal, for Catherine and William had generously agreed to remain at Harrington Park during the first few months of the new Season…in order to give them an alibi.
Wesley had insisted on it for he was still concerned about her reputation and could not bear the thought of his fiancée being slandered behind her back.
As though speaking…or thinking of the devil conjured him, the door to her room opened and Wesley strode in, a beaming smile on his face. “I apologise for missing supper, but I have wonderful news.” Seeing her face, he stopped. “Is something wrong?”
Christine sighed. “I thought planning a wedding would be fun, but somehow it’s not.”
“Why?” Coming toward her, he held open his arms and she stepped into his embrace, resting her head on his shoulder.
“Because although I am the bride,” she said, a tinge of anger in her voice, “apparently everyone has an opinion about…everything.” Straightening, she looked up. “Honestly, was I this bad when Catherine got married? Tell me, please.”
A smirk came to his face, and his eyes shifted from hers.
“You cannot be serious!” she snapped, stepping back and slapping him on the arm. “Why would you say such a thing?”
His eyebrows rose. “I didn’t say anything!”
“Well, you might as well have!” Hands on her hips, she strode back toward the window, drawing a deep breath into her lungs. “Maybe we should just elope.”
“That sounds tempting,” Wesley whispered in her ear as he came to stand behind her, his arms coming around her waist, pulling her close. “How soon can you be packed?”
Despite her intention of maintaining her more than justified anger about the intrusion of her female relatives with regard to her wedding plans, Christine chuckled and leaned back against him, feeling herself relax. “They would never forgive us.”
“To hell with them,” Wesley mumbled, kissing her neck.
Although his suggestion had only been in jest, Christine felt tempted to accept, and yet, she knew that she would end up regretting not sharing her wedding day with her sister and the rest of their families. “They are a part of us,” she whispered. “As exhausting as they are, I wouldn’t know what to do without them.” She took a deep breath, enjoying her fiancé's caresses, when a frown came to her face. “Didn’t you say you had good news?”
“No,” he mumbled into her hair, “I said I had wonderful news.”
Turning around, Christine looked up at him expectantly. “Do you want me to guess?”
Wesley chuckled. “I happened to meet Lord Fythe today.”
A jolt went through Christine at the mention of Marianne’s husband. With all that had been going on, they had rarely seen each other in the past few months, and although her wedding day was fast approaching, Christine was uncertain whether it would be the right place for them to renew their friendship. Especially considering that Marianne suspected her husband of infidelity. “And? Who did you see him with?”
“No one,” Wesley said, a delighted smile on his lips. “He is not having an affair.”
“What?” Frowning, Christine tried to remember her friend’s words. “But Marianne said he’d become distant and that he lied about where he’d been.”
“Well, I suppose that’s true,” Wesley said, his eyes sparkling with delight.
Christine huffed. “If you intend to draw this out any longer, Wesley Everett, I swear−”
“He’s planning a surprise,” Wesley interrupted her small outburst. “For their one-year anniversary.”
Christine’s eyes opened wide. “He is?”
Wesley nodded. “It’s a journey to the continent.”
“She’s always wanted to go,” Christine mused, surprised that Lord Fythe would be so thoughtful. He had always seemed rather indifferent.
“Do you now believe that not all husbands are evil?” Wesley mocked as his arms pulled her close once more.
“I never said that,” Christine objected, trying to step back. His arms, however, held her tightly against him. “I simply have never been very fond of husbands.”
A mischievous twinkle in his eyes, Wesley leaned closer. “Thank goodness I’m only your fiancé. Maybe we should postpone the wedding.” Capturing her lips, he kissed her deeply. “Maybe we should cancel it altogether.”
Before he could kiss her again, Christine turned her head. “Not after I fought your mother for over an hour about the flower arrangement,” she gasped as his lips trailed down her neck. “You’re mine, Wesley Everett, so you’d better make your peace with that.”
Lifting his head, he looked into her eyes, a smile on his face. “That’s the most wonderful threat I’ve ever heard. How could a man refuse?”
Returning his smile, Christine reached for him and pulled him back down to her before they stumbled backwards and fell onto the bed. “I’m demanding my pre-marital rights, Mr. Everett.”
“I’ve never heard of those.”
Grinning, she whispered in his ear. “I’ll show you.”
The End
Have you already read the other side of the story? Find out about Catherine’s and William’s love story in The Forgotten Wife (book 3).
Curious to see if Arthur and Eleanor will each get their own happily-ever-after? Then have a look at Rules to be Broken (Arthur, book 5) and Hearts to Be Mended (Eleanor, book 6).
After a minor faux-pas, DIANA LAWSON finds herself the centre of whispers and stares of society. When she finally decides to live by her own rules alone, she meets ARTHUR ABBOTT, EARL OF STANHOPE, who is a stickler for propriety. Still, in order to save the damsel in distress, Arthur agrees to a daring compromise: for Diana to uphold society’s rules, Arthur must break them. Can scandalous and virtuous ever walk hand in hand?
Don't forget to check out my other novels at
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About the Author
About Bree
USA Today bestselling and award-winning author, Bree Wolf has always been a language enthusiast (though not a grammarian!) and is rarely found without a book in her hand or her fingers glued to a keyboard. Trying to find her way, she has taught English as a second language, traveled abroad and worked at a translation agency as well as a law firm in Ireland. She also spent loooong years obtaining a BA in English and Education and an MA in Specialized Translation while wishing she could simply be a writer. Although there is nothing simple about being a writer, her dreams have finally come true.
“A big thanks to my fairy godmother!”
Currently, Bree has found her new home in the historical romance genre, writing Regency novels and novellas. Enjoying the mix of fact and fiction, she occasionally feels like a puppet master forcing her characte
rs into ever-new situations that will put their strength, their beliefs, their love to the test, hoping that in the end they will triumph and get the happily-ever-after we are all looking for.
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