The Price of Pleasure
Page 31
Grandmamma shook her head. “I never did trust that Frenchman. Please do not tell me the details of Duvall’s machinations, for I fear my poor heart cannot stand it.”
“Are you ready for the good news?” Reed asked, grinning. Grandmamma nodded. “Fleur and I are to be married at Hunthurst the day after tomorrow. The gathering will be small—just you, Lisette, Lord Porter and the servants. You will attend, won’t you?”
Grandmamma searched his face. “Why the hurry? I was so looking forward to planning a grand affair.”
Reed cleared his throat, hoping his grandmother would understand. “There is a need for haste, Grandmamma.”
The dowager’s eyes lit up. “Ah, now I understand. You and your bride anticipated the wedding night and are now expecting the consequences.” She batted his arm playfully. “You sly dog. And here I was concerned that your lady was barren. It turns out she simply didn’t have the right partner. Nothing short of death will keep me from your wedding, dear boy.”
Reed took his leave, eager to return to Fleur. He found her sitting in front of the fireplace in her bedchamber when he arrived. She looked rested and radiant, much to Reed’s relief.
“I asked Updike to serve our supper in your bedchamber tonight. Is that all right with you?” Reed asked.
“Perfect.” Fleur sighed. “Did you call on your grandmother?”
“I did, after I procured a special license and arranged for a clergyman to perform the ceremony. Grandmamma was a little put out that she couldn’t plan a grand affair, but she soon came around. She’s thrilled for us. I also invited Lord Porter. Is there anyone else you’d like to ask?”
A mischievous glint appeared in Fleur’s green eyes. “I’d like to invite Lady Helen and Lady Violet.”
“Why? They tried their best to destroy our relationship.”
“But they didn’t. You cannot fault me for wanting to gloat.”
“I’ll see that they receive invitations. Is there anything else I can do for you?”
“Oh, yes,” she said a little breathlessly. “Make love to me, Reed. I want that more than anything right now.”
Reed didn’t have to be asked twice. He loved her with all the passion in his body, with his whole heart and soul, with every fiber of his being.
Fleur responded in kind, her heart soaring with happiness. Her future with Reed and the children they would share stretched before her in endless harmony and timeless love.
Epilogue
Fleur’s wedding day couldn’t have been more perfect. By some miracle, she didn’t experience morning sickness and the sun shone brightly, with no sign of rain on the horizon. The ceremony was blessedly brief and the wedding breakfast following the ceremony delightful.
Grandmamma smiled ecstatically throughout the ceremony and breakfast. Before the ceremony, she had whispered to Fleur that she hoped to live long enough to see the birth of Reed’s heir. That had produced a round of tears over Jason’s death, but her happiness soon overcame her sorrow.
Reed had no intention of telling Grandmamma that Duvall had hastened Jason’s death, for he doubted the old woman could take the shock. But Porter knew, and it would be brought up at Duvall’s trial. As for Lady Helen, she gave no indication at the wedding that she and Fleur had been anything but good friends. Helen had found herself in an awkward position. Her friendship with Gallard Duvall had been duly noted and remarked upon, causing grist for the gossip mill. She needed to be on her best behavior. Lady Violet chose not to attend.
Fleur and Reed planned to leave for their country estate the following day to await the birth of their child. When they walked hand in hand to their honeymoon suite that night, Reed presented Fleur with a wedding gift. He surprised her with the jewels he was supposed to have pawned. His thoughtfulness brought tears to her eyes, which Reed promptly kissed away.
Seven months later, Reed and Fleur’s son arrived with little fanfare and a minimum of pain. The new viscount was christened Jason Edward three weeks later. A grand celebration was held at Hunthurst Park in his honor, with neighbors, friends and tenants feasting and reveling until the wee hours of the morning.
No one was more pleased than Grandmamma. She had achieved her goal. She had lived to see her great grandson and the heir to the earldom. Little did she know on that happiest of days that she would live to see two more sons born to Reed and his wife.
Hand in hand, the happy parents bid their guests goodbye and climbed the stairs to their bedchamber, where they celebrated their miracle child by making love.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Epilogue