by Robyn DeHart
Willow squeezed her tightly, then pushed back to look Camille in the face. “You’re welcome, and you send for James if you need anything at all.”
Camille nodded. “Go.” She smiled. “I know love when I see it. Don’t ever let anything stand in the way of love. I should have done that when I had the chance. Go. Get your inspector.”
Willow smiled in return, and then raced out of the room. She nearly ran straight into James as she stepped out onto the front stoop.
“You worried the hell out of me, woman,” he said, pulling her tightly to him. He held her for several long moments before loosening his hold on her. Then he frowned and cupped her face. “What is it? Willow, what’s the matter? Why are you crying?”
She swiped at her tears. Infernal things simply wouldn’t stop. “I love you,” she said, her voice sounding rather annoyed. Then she released a nervous laugh. “I know it doesn’t mean anything to you, but I just wanted to be able to tell you. I can’t believe I only just realized it today. I’m sure you’ve known for quite some time now.” Like her tears, her words came in a swift flow she couldn’t seem to control. “I can’t imagine I’ve been all that discreet. Oh, all the things I’ve said to you, I feel like such a fool. Well, aren’t you going to say anything?”
He smiled and grabbed both of her hands. “You were talking and I didn’t want to interrupt you.”
“Oh, right. Sorry.”
“So you discovered today that you love me?” He seemed amused, his lips lifted in that devastating smile of his.
“Yes. You think I’m a silly schoolgirl, don’t you?”
“Why would I think that? Willow, I love you, have loved you probably from that first night at Colin and Amelia’s house. That sharp tongue of yours entranced me from the very beginning.” He shrugged. “I was simply waiting for you to come around.”
“You knew I would fall in love with you?”
“Of course. How could you not? I am dashing and intelligent and—”
She popped him on the arm. “Of all the arrogant…”
He laughed and pulled her into his arms. “I know I’m a lowly detective, but I was hoping you had reconsidered and would agree to become my wife.”
She frowned. “My brother said I should marry you.”
“Did he, now? Smart man, your brother.”
“I was rather hoping you would ask me again, since I said no the first time.”
“Yes, you did and I must admit, my pride is still rather bruised. You might have some making up to do on that account.”
“I have not even agreed to be your wife yet.”
“Well,” he asked.
“Yes, of course I’ll marry you.” Then she smiled. “On one condition.”
“I should have known that with you, there will always be conditions.”
“Yes, you should have known that.”
“What is it?”
“Even if I am not an official employee of the Metropolitan Police, I shall assist you in all of your investigations.”
“I think that’s asking a bit much.” He kissed her on the forehead. “You are going to be the most difficult wife in London,” he said.
“I suspect I might be,” she agreed.
“I wouldn’t want it any other way.”
Epilogue
She was married.
Willow stood in a crowded parlor awaiting the grand feast in celebration of her nuptials. She and her three friends huddled together as they’d done at countless balls and soirees, but today it was different.
She was a married woman. Not only that, but she loved her husband, and he loved her. She shook her head in disbelief, it still seemed so farfetched, yet it was true nonetheless.
Willow knew she had a foolish grin on her face, but it would not seem to fade. And at the end of the day, she’d spent so much of her life not smiling that it felt amazingly good to feel giddy with love. Her friends chatted around her, but she heard none of their words.
“I feel certain that we can still catch him, uncover his identity,” Charlotte said.
The Jack of Hearts, Willow realized. So often their talk turned to him. He’d been their ongoing investigation for almost two years, and still they had been unable to uncover any decent information on him. Granted the police hadn’t fared much better.
“We might never catch him,” Meg said, rubbing her hand across her large belly.
“Perhaps it is past time we let go of this particular mystery,” Willow agreed.
Amelia cleared her throat. “We cannot relent yet, ladies. There are still clues to uncover, and I have a feeling that when it comes to this case, we will prevail.”
Charlotte sighed in relief.
James appeared behind her. “Might I borrow my wife for a moment?”
The word “wife” sent a fresh wave of shivers through her. She had spent much of her life believing that marriage was not to be for her, and for once she’d been glad to be proven wrong. Through the crowd they walked and out the parlor, into a darkened study.
Once the door was closed behind them, he pressed his body against hers. “Do you know how badly I want you right now?”
Desire poured over her limbs. “I think I might have a small inkling.”
“There is a perfectly good rug in this very room,” he said, then nibbled his way down her neck.
She enjoyed the torment for a while, before popping him on the arm. “James, honestly, we cannot do this here. Right now.”
“Why not?”
“Because everyone will know what we’re doing. Besides.” She walked her fingers down the center of his torso. “I want to take my time with you tonight.” She went up on her toes and gave him a fiery kiss.
“Saucy wench. When you put it that way, you know I cannot deny you.” He linked her arm with his as he led her out of the room. “Indeed. So what is the Ladies’ Amateur Sleuth Society scheming tonight?”
“We were discussing whether or not we should cease our chase of the Jack of Hearts,” she said.
“And what was the consensus?”
“We’ll keep hunting. We’ll find that bandit, sooner or later.”
“Of that, I have no doubt, my love. As much as I’m loathe to admit it, you are quite the detective,” he said with a smile.
“Loathe?”
He squeezed her to him. “Okay, perhaps not loathe, but I will not concede that your detecting skills rival mine. But I love you, nonetheless.”
“How positively generous of you,” she said.
“And.” He nudged her.
“And I love you.” She could not help but laugh. “Even though you are completely insufferable.”
About the Author
ROBYN DEHART always knew she wanted to be a writer, but it took a while to discover precisely what she wanted to write. Reading Kathleen Woodiwiss’s A Rose in Winter sealed the deal, and she’s been reading and writing romance ever since. She should have realized she was destined for this career when her Barbies insisted on hosting elaborate masquerade parties, complete with stolen kisses in the moonlight. Researching her novels is always exciting, but when it involves eating chocolate, it’s especially sweet. She lives in the foothills of the Smokey Mountains in Tennessee, with her incredibly supportive husband and two very spoiled cats. She loves to hear from readers. You can visit her website at www.robyndehart.com.
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Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author?s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
TEMPTED AT EVERY TURN. Copyright © 2007 by Robyn DeHart. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Microsoft Reader May 2007 ISBN 978-0-06-146594-9
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