Married by Midnight (Love at Pembroke Palace Book 4)
Page 16
“But poor Dr. Thomas,” Anne said.
Garrett was quiet for a moment. “There is no doubt in my mind that he still loves my mother and always will. I believe he would walk through fire for her. He is a very honorable gentleman, selfless in every way.”
Anne gazed lovingly into Garrett’s eyes. “I would walk through fire for you as well. And I will have no problem living up to your mother’s expectations of loving you selflessly, until the end of time. I will be very proud if you become a medical man. I cannot imagine a higher calling.”
“Higher callings aside,” he said with a flirtatious smile as he leaned up on an elbow, rolled Anne over onto her back, and kissed her collarbone. “We will no doubt need the money.”
A knock sounded at the door. They both lifted their heads.
“Who in the world would be interrupting us now?” Garrett asked.
“It must be important,” Anne suggested.
Garrett laid a quick kiss on her cheek. “Do not move. Do not leave this bed. I will be back in an instant.”
“I assure you,” she replied as she watched him shrug into his robe, “I have no desire to go anywhere.”
He crossed the room, opened the door a crack, and peered out. Anne heard him say, “This better be important. We’re rather busy at the moment.”
There was some whispering, and Garrett glanced over his shoulder at her.
Anne sat up in the bed.
Garrett slipped out into the corridor.
Hastily, she reached for her dressing gown and padded to the open door.
Garrett was standing in the hall with Devon and Blake. They appeared to be looking over a document.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
They all turned to look at her. No one moved. Garrett looked stricken with shock.
“This is quite unbelievable,” he said. “I am not sure what to make of it.”
Anne strode a little closer to look at the document. He held it up to the light from the window at the end of the corridor.
“Is this our wedding certificate?” she asked.
“Yes. It’s dated yesterday.”
Startled by the implications that flashed through her mind, she squinted to look at it more closely.
Devon inclined his head at her. “To be clear, we do not believe the vicar was trying to commit fraud. He must have prepared all the papers yesterday and forgot to change the dates.”
Anne laid her hand on Garrett’s shoulder. “What does this mean? Will you submit these papers to the solicitors?”
The brothers regarded each other warily.
“That would be dishonest,” Blake said.
“It would be pure madness,” Garrett added. “But no more mad than the curse that will somehow, ridiculously, hold up in court if we scratch out those dates and tell the truth.”
Anne frowned with concern. “What about the duke? He watched us get married today. What if he tells someone?”
“I don’t think he even knows what day it is,” Devon replied. “Today he was happier than I’ve ever seen him. The curse was the last thing on his mind. I’m not sure if he even remembers that he bequeathed his fortune to the Horticultural Society in the first place.”
Anne and Garrett locked gazes. “It is not my decision,” she said to him. “This is your fortune, you and your brothers.”
His shoulders rose and fell with a heavy sigh. “God knows, if I had it, I would put it to good use.” He was referring to the fund he wished to bestow upon Georgina’s parents. And his mother’s charities. And Kings College.
“I wish Vincent were here,” Devon said.
Blake looked over the marriage certificate very carefully. “He doesn’t need to be here. We all know what he would say.” He tapped a finger on the seal. “No one can deny this is a legal document. So is the license.”
“So, we should simply submit it to the solicitors, say nothing, and let them deal with it?” Garrett surmised.
They all looked to one another for clarification.
“That seems the proper thing,” Devon said.
Another moment of silence ensued.
Blake patted Garrett on the back. “Good Lord. We have disturbed your wedding celebrations. Incidentally, it is almost time to dress for dinner. Devon and I must go.”
Anne watched her brothers-in-law make haste toward the east wing. She then discreetly tiptoed back into the cozy bedchamber where the fire was blazing, and waited for Garrett to close the door behind him.
With his eyes closed, he leaned against it and tipped his head back. “Another Christmas miracle.” He lifted his head and regarded her with an intense look of lust in his eyes. “This is because of you, isn’t it? You truly are an angel sent from heaven.”
Anne’s eyebrows lifted, then she burst out laughing. Garrett ripped off his robe, ran naked toward her and scooped her into his arms. She screeched with a boisterous thrill as he carried her back to the bed for a few more enjoyable miracles before the sun went down and it was time for Christmas dinner—which promised to be a most delectable meal.
“I cannot believe how much I love you,” he said, as he smiled down at her and showered her with hot, delicious kisses.
She held him tight in her arms, thanked God for the incredible gift of this man in her life, and wondered recklessly how long they could go without eating.
Read on for an excerpt from the Pembroke Palace short story A KISS BEFORE THE WEDDING.
Excerpt from A Kiss Before the Wedding
From bestselling author Julianne MacLean comes a romantic short story set in the lavish world of Pembroke Palace, where duty and desire collide.
Lady Adelaide is engaged to a duke, but sometimes the heart creates its own destiny...
Lady Adelaide Robins, the charming and beautiful daughter of an impoverished earl, was raised on the foggy moors of Yorkshire. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine she would travel to London, capture the heart of a duke, and receive a proposal of marriage. Is she ready for a life of luxury and privilege as a duchess? Or will her heart forever belong to another?
William Thomas, the second son of a Yorkshire viscount, is about to be disowned for his unbecoming ambitions to become a medical doctor. But what does it matter if he can have the woman he loves at his side? Determined to finally claim the hand of Lady Adelaide, his lifelong beloved, William is shocked to discover that she has accepted a marriage proposal from a duke. With the wedding only days away, will he be able to win back her heart?
Note: A KISS BEFORE THE WEDDING is a romantic SHORT STORY, approximately 50 pages in length. If you are interested in reading this short story in print, it can be found as bonus content in the print edition of SEDUCED AT SUNSET, the next instalment in the Pembroke Palace series.
“Delicious historical romance that you
will not want to miss.” –Romance Junkies
Excerpt from A Kiss Before the Wedding
Copyright © Julianne MacLean Publishing Inc.
Chapter 1
June 12, 1842
Though she was young—only one month shy of her nineteenth year—Lady Adelaide Robins possessed the wisdom to understand that certain moments in one’s life were turning points that could never be undone. This, she knew, was one of those moments. Years from now, she would look back on the choice she had made that evening as she sat at her desk, quill in hand, and wonder, what if I had acted differently? What if I had never written the letter?
Lady Adelaide did not know if she was making the right decision in picking up her pen. How could she? She did not possess a crystal ball, nor the life experience to judge most men of the world.
Except, perhaps, for one man, who was very dear to her heart.
William Thomas, her friend since childhood, was the second son of a viscount, while she was the daughter of an earl, raised on a vast est
ate in Yorkshire with her two older sisters, who were now married.
Their father was thankful for the husbands her sisters had procured, for it was common knowledge that their family was impoverished, and there was no money for dowries. Not a single farthing.
Nevertheless, Mary and Margarite had married well, which was no great surprise, for they were widely regarded as incomparable beauties.
Margarite had married the handsome eldest son of a baron from the south who would inherit his father’s prosperous estate one day, while Mary had wed a less handsome but exceedingly amiable youngest son of a marquess, who was a well-loved vicar in Devonshire.
Now it was Adelaide’s turn to walk down the aisle, and her father was beside himself with joy, for she had done better than both her sisters. Somehow, against all likelihood, and without intent, she had captured the heart of a duke.
Not just any duke, mind you. Adelaide was now famously engaged to Theodore Sinclair—His Grace, the Duke of Pembroke—one of the highest ranking peers in the realm, wealthy beyond any imaginings, impossibly handsome of course, and with a palace considered to be one of England’s greatest architectural achievements. It was an extravagant baroque masterpiece with splendid Italian Gardens (recently designed by the duke himself), a complex cedar maze which provided hours of entertainment for prestigious guests, and it was allegedly built upon the ruins of an ancient monastery.
Some said the complex network of subterranean passages beneath the palace was haunted by the monks, but Adelaide did not believe in ghosts. She did believe, however, in the properly documented particulars of history, and in that regard, it was a well-known fact that the first Duke of Pembroke had been a close, intimate friend of King Henry VIII, who had awarded the dukedom in the first place.
Yes, indeed. Theodore Sinclair, the current Duke of Pembroke, was the most sought-after bachelor in England, and for some unknown reason, he had taken one look at Adelaide from across a crowded ballroom and fallen head over heels in love with her.
She wasn’t sure what she had done to arouse his passions to such a heightened degree. She had danced with him twice at the ball where they met, then accepted his invitations to go walking in the park the following three days in a row, and had sat with him in his box at the theater the following week.
She could not deny her own infatuation, for the duke was very handsome and very grand. Even now she was distracted by the image of his fine muscular form, his charming smile, and the flattery of it all.
And then…he had come to her father practically begging for her hand in marriage. Her father had agreed and was now his old self again, pleased that his family circumstances would improve, as were her sisters who would also benefit from her marriage.
Which was why this letter was probably a mistake.
Adelaide set down her quill.
No…I must not write to William. It would be the equivalent of sticking a hot poker into a hornet’s nest and stirring it around.
She was engaged to Theodore now. William had been gone from Yorkshire for more than a year, and he had left without expressing any feelings for her, other than friendship. She had shed enough tears and waited too long for letters that never came. Her good sense told her she must forget him once and for all and move on with her life. Without him.
Rising hastily from the chair, she padded across her candlelit bedchamber to the fireplace. The flames danced wildly in the grate and the charred log snapped and crackled in the silence of the room.
It was nearly midnight. She should go to sleep and forget about the past. In three weeks, she would marry one of the greatest men in England and become Duchess of Pembroke. Her family would rise in the world, and she suspected there was some promise of a generous settlement that would end her father’s financial hardships.
Knowing that she must act responsibly and dutifully, she padded back to her desk, crumpled the letter that began with ‘Dear Mr. Thomas,’ and threw it into the fire. Then she snuffed out the candle and climbed into bed.
The following day, Adelaide struggled with her decision not to write to William.
How can I marry without a word to him? Surely he deserves to know. What will happen when—if—he comes home from Italy and discovers that I am a duchess and had not told him a single thing about it? He will be shocked and very hurt.
Adelaide frowned.
Despite the fact that William had inflicted great pain and frustration upon her lately—for he had not written a word since February—she could not bear the idea of hurting him. All her life he had been her closest friend. She could not take this step without telling him. He must hear it from her, and no one else.
That was it, then.
After dinner, she sat down at her desk and brushed the feather quill across her chin. She would write this letter and send it to him in Italy. William probably wouldn’t even receive it until after the wedding—so there would be no danger of him talking her out of it—but at least he would know she had cared enough to explain herself to him personally. And though she was angry with him for leaving her behind, she did care, more than words could say. More than she should.
Carefully dipping her quill into the rich black ink, she touched it to the page and began, at last, to write.
My dear Mr. Thomas,
There is something I must tell you…
A Kiss Before the Wedding – Available Now
Author’s Note
Dear Reader,
Thank you so much for reading MARRIED BY MIDNIGHT, the fourth instalment in my Pembroke Palace series. If you are interested in reading a short story about the duchess’s early relationship with Dr. Thomas, I encourage you to download A KISS BEFORE THE WEDDING, which is available on the Kindle and is a prelude to SEDUCED AT SUNSET, Charlotte’s story, which concludes the Love at Pembroke Palace Series. If you prefer to read A KISS BEFORE THE WEDDING in print, it is available as bonus content in the print edition of SEDUCED AT SUNSET. Here are all the books in chronological order:
IN MY WILDEST FANTASIES
(Devon and Rebecca)
THE MISTRESS DIARIES
(Vincent and Cassandra)
WHEN A STRANGER LOVES ME
(Blake and Chelsea)
MARRIED BY MIDNIGHT
(Garrett and Anne)
A KISS BEFORE THE WEDDING
(a short story about Adelaide and Dr. Thomas)
SEDUCED AT SUNSET
(Charlotte and Drake)
Please visit my website at www.juliannemaclean.com for more information about all my other novels, and be sure to sign up for my mailing list to stay informed about new releases. I would love to send news to you.
Best wishes and happy reading!
–Julianne
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Books by Julianne MacLean
HISTORICAL ROMANCE
The American Heiress Trilogy
To Marry the Duke
Falling for the Marquess
In Love with the Viscount
Can This Be Love Trilogy
(American Heiress Spinoff)
Love According to Lily
To Annabelle, With Love
Where Love Begins
Love at Pembroke Palace Series
In My Wildest Fantasies
The Mistress Diaries
When a Stranger Loves Me
Married by Midnight
A Kiss Before the Wedding -
A Pembroke Palace Short Story
Seduced at Sunset
The Highlander Series
Capture
d by the Highlander
Claimed by the Highlander
Seduced by the Highlander
The Rebel – A Highland Short Story
Return of the Highlander
Taken by the Highlander
The Royal Trilogy
Be My Prince
Princess in Love
The Prince’s Bride
Dodge City Brides Trilogy
Prairie Bride
Tempting the Marshal
A Time for Love
Colonial Romance
Adam’s Promise
CONTEMPORARY FICTION
A Curve in the Road
A Fire Sparkling
The Color of Heaven Series
The Color of Heaven
The Color of Destiny
The Color of Hope
The Color of a Dream
The Color of a Memory
The Color of Love
The Color of the Season
The Color of Time
The Color of Forever
The Color of a Promise
The Color of a Christmas Miracle
The Color of a Silver Lining
About the Author
JULIANNE MACLEAN is a USA Today bestselling author of more than thirty novels, including the contemporary women’s fiction Color of Heaven Series. Readers have described her books as “breathtaking,” “soulful” and “uplifting.” MacLean is a four-time Romance Writers of America RITA® finalist and has won numerous awards, including the Booksellers’ Best Award and a Reviewers’ Choice Award from Romantic Times. Her novels have sold millions of copies worldwide and have been published in over a dozen languages.