As the ceremony ended, a light wedding breakfast was served and then the guests started down the hill toward the beach. They’d spend the night on the ship where they’d continue to celebrate the couple.
But the cottage would be for Nick and Arianna alone.
The moment everyone was out of sight, Nick swept his bride into his arms. “I’m so glad you agreed to marry me,” he whispered against her neck.
“I’m so glad you asked.” She leaned back and her gaze met his. “I’m sorry I didn’t trust you at first, that I didn’t believe in the magic.”
He chuckled. “Don’t be sorry. It’s a lot for anyone to take in. And it all worked out in the end.”
A dark shadow seemed to cast itself over her face. “I’m worried for Ewan. He’ll have to face her again.”
He kissed her lips to silence her and then lifted his head again. “He’ll be ready. He was born for it.” Kissing her one more time, he pressed his forehead to hers. “That is a problem for another day. Today is a celebration of our marriage and our future.”
One of her eyebrows quirked. “I suppose after you’ve fought a few sorceresses you get used to it. That was yesterday, today we’re on to something different.”
He gave her a little swat on her behind as he held her. Rather than punish her, it only seemed to increase the tension between them. “Think of it this way. We’ll have to make that magical child in order to help Ewan. He’s said so. The next generation of Fairfields will help him defeat The Lady of the Ise.”
Her eyes rounded. “A baby?” They stepped through the door, out of the light and into the dark cottage. Nick had spent enough time there over the last week that he could take his wife’s lips in a long lingering kiss and still find his way to the bedroom.
As he kicked the door closed, he lifted his head. A new, large bed stood in the center of the room. Its fresh linens beckoning him. He carried Arianna over and carefully lay her in the center of the mattress.
Stripping off his shirt, he bent to kiss her again until they were both breathless and panting for more. Carefully, Nick undid the buttons of her dress. Skimming down her body, he pulled at the corset string until the garment fell into the pile on the floor.
She explored his chest as their lips met again and Nick forgot about everything except for Arianna. Magic, sorceresses, his family, her village. It all faded away until it was only the two of them. As he slipped off her chemise and pantaloons, the feel of her skin made him groan in both satisfaction and need. She felt wonderful and he wanted more.
He stripped his own pantaloons even as he continued kissing her. Their bodies came together and they both moaned with need. Wanting more, he pressed his manhood inside her.
She stiffened even as her arms wrapped around his neck, holding him close.
“Are you all right, my love?” he whispered against her lips, holding himself still.
“I’m perfect,” she replied.
Slowly he began to move, his body and hers finding a rhythm until they climbed together and fell over the edge of their love.
They stayed locked in each other’s arms all the rest of the day and into the night.
Nick knew she would be there forever. Whether on land or on sea, she was his future.
EPILOGUE
FIVE YEARS LATER…
Nick stood on the bow of his ship as it cut through the choppy water.
“I think I’ve found it.” Ewan took a soft breath, closing his eyes. He raised his hands above his head. For several moments, nothing happened and then out of the water came a tiny glimmer of light. Slowly it rose until it hovered in the air before them, a tiny shard of glass.
Ewan opened the pouch at his belt and the piece settled itself inside. “Make me whole,” the glass whispered.
“Are you certain you want to do this?” Nick frowned at Ewan. Only a teen-ager, Ewan was wise beyond his years but he still questioned whether or not they should reassemble the mirror. It was a force of evil. Even now, it whispered of power and greed.
“There is no other way to defeat The Lady. I’ve felt her power and it’s too strong for me without such an object. And that is assuming that she did not successfully complete her ritual. Her power will grow exponentially when she does.”
Nick grimaced. Ewan had shared with him that he’d found evidence The Lady had actually been alive for centuries. The seven girls would never survive their wedding night. Their life force fed The Lady and kept her alive.
But she’d had lifetimes to amass power and Ewan was still a child yet. He needed help and yet the mirror frightened Nick as much as The Lady.
They had shattered it into a thousand pieces, spread it about the ocean, and still, it had kept its magic. “You had a vision about the mirror when we first acquired it. You saw terrible things.”
Ewan grimaced. “Yes, I still do.”
“So why keep it?”
“She saw it too. Even now she searches for it, I feel her sometimes. Unless we can take away its magic, I can’t leave it for her to find. Besides, it’s the only way to end this.”
“How?” Nick asked though he knew that Ewan wouldn’t answer. He never shared that part despite his visions into the future.
But Ewan turned away as all the darkness in his eyes faded, replaced with merry light. Nick looked up too to find Arianna coming toward them. She held their son in her arms as their little girl walked next to her mother.
Nick strode over and swung Emilia into his arms. Placing her on one hip, he wrapped his other arm about his wife.
“What are the two of you discussing?” Her eyes narrowed even as she pressed against his side.
Nick loved his wife more every day. He tried to shield her but he knew she worried still about the witch. “Nothing,” he gave her what he hoped was a convincing smile.
“It’s talking again,” Emilia looked at the pouch.
Fear beat in his chest and he saw the same look mirrored on Arianna’s face. They’d known that Emilia had powers but it was alarming to know such a malicious object was talking to their daughter.
“What does it say darling?” Arianna asked.
“Just that it’s a puzzle and I should solve it.” Emilia nodded. “But the gulls tell me not to listen. That the mirror is naughty.”
“That’s good, darling.” Nick stroked his daughter’s cheek.
Ewan looked back at the water. “Now that I have the pieces, I need to go away for a while. But I’ll need you all to meet me at the cottage in five years and three days from now. Assemble all of the Fairfields and Arianna’s family. We’ll need every bit of magic in our possession to win this fight.”
“That’s rather specific—” Nick couldn’t finish, Ewan disappeared.
“Goodbye,” Emilia called. “Good luck.”
“Where did he go?” Arianna asked, squeezing Nick tighter.
Emilia stared off across the water. “To learn…and to fix the glass.” Then she turned to him. “He’ll be back.”
Nick knew that he would. Of course, he loved Ewan like another brother. And he wanted Ewan with them always. But somehow he knew that the next time he saw Ewan, it would mean trouble like they’d never experienced before.
EWAN’S STORY, the final installment of Fairfield Fairy Tales will be publishing as part of the Enduring Legacy coordinated release! Capturing a Lady’s love will be releasing on November 14, 2018!!
THE VERY FIRST book in the series, Stealing a Lady’s Heart can be found on Amazon today!!
EXCERPT: STEALING A LADY’S HEART
TAMMY ANDRESEN
CHAPTER 1
THE FAIRFIELD BOYS had scattered to the four winds. More precisely, their father, Baron Fairfield, had sent each of his four sons to learn a trade. The Baron grew poorer by the day. Should his house fall to ruin, his sons would have something to fall back on, a means to support themselves and help reestablish his title.
Everyone but the Baron himself knew that it would take more than his sons learning a trade to s
ave his barony. It would take a miracle.
All was not lost for the Fairfields, however. For miracles don’t always happen suddenly. Sometimes they creep along, winding their path with the course of men. And they stay with the men who are truly worthy.
So it happened on May the 25th, the year 1812, that the four Fairfield Brothers made their way home. Each returning from a different direction. Each having traveled a different path. Each bringing a different skill from his new trade. Each reaching the final crossroad before their home in Cumbria at the exact same moment.
It was astonishing to come upon one another in such a way after four years but Graham, the third brother and the handsomest in that rugged, manly way, recovered first.
“You have all gotten fatter and uglier,” he chuckled good-naturedly as he climbed off his horse. His brothers did the same and they embraced as they laughed, hugged, and teased one another.
William, the oldest, was also tall and broad but more serious and less handsome. He was second to speak, “It is good to see all of you but we should head on to Father’s house.”
Thomas, the second brother and Nickolas, the youngest, agreed and the brothers started up the long drive to their father’s home, Harlington Manor, chattering and laughing as if they had never parted.
The men approached the large, crumbling manor. Their father appeared on the balcony. “My sons, the four winds have blown you back to me,” their father called with delight.
And indeed the winds had. And not just for a happy family, but for a purpose.
“Just in time. The Prince Regent’s beloved cousin is passing through on her trip to Scotland. We must entertain her along her journey and your presence will make this stop all the merrier,” Baron Fairfield called before disappearing from view.
The four sons waited for their father on the drive, but worry now marked each of their faces. The manor was in even more disrepair than when they had left. It was hardly fit to entertain the upper crust of society. Not to mention, the cost of such a visit, even for a few days, could be expensive if the lady was particular.
But to refuse the Prince Regent would be unheard of and so there was nothing to do but help their father prepare.
Baron Fairfield stepped out the massive front entrance as the wagons full of gifts began pulling into the circular drive. Each son would bestow items he had earned from his trade onto his father.
William had studied under a great huntsman. He had brought wagons of pelts and cured meat to feed the family. The pelts could be used or sold and would bring a nice sum to the manor.
Thomas, the second son, had studied in the art of building. He could now fashion anything out of wood or stone. Wagons of lumber began rolling up the drive and Thomas would begin the arduous process of repairing the crumbling manor.
Graham had studied under a locksmith. He could fashion a safe with the most sophisticated of locking mechanisms and he could pick the most complicated of locks. Men of his trade were sometimes associated with thieves because of their skills but Graham had studied with a man of honor. Only a single wagon rolled up for Graham to gift his father. In it was a large safe of the best quality. “It is for all the riches we will yet acquire Father,” Graham assured the patriarch of his family.
His father slapped his third son on the back. “Truly, it is a blessed day that brings you all back to me.”
His final son had studied with a merchant. Nickolas Fairfield had learned the ins and outs of negotiating for goods and spent most of his time in ships seeing to the transport of merchandise. Wagons of items from all over the world began to arrive.
Baron Fairfield laughed with delight. The few servants who remained began unloading the goods. The four sons, not afraid of hard work, began to help.
WHEN THE WORK WAS DONE, the family sat down to a meal. It had been prepared in a hurry but was filled with delights that had rarely been seen in Cumbria. As the hungry men ate their fill, they turned to conversation.
William spoke first. Never one to linger over words, he was direct and to the point. “Who comes to visit, Father, and why have they traveled so far north?”
“Lady Charlotte Beaumont, first cousin to The Prince Regent and daughter of the Duke of Norfolk. She is favored among her family both for her position and wealth and her great beauty. I am sure she is accustomed to the finest life has to offer. I hope she will not mind our humble offerings.” The Baron grimaced slightly. “Her dear friend has married a Scot, or so I have been told. Lady Beaumont travels to see her friend who is about to deliver her first child. Her stay should be brief.”
Graham cocked a jaunty grin. “A beauty, huh? This gets more interesting.” He grabbed an apple and took a large bite as he lounged in his chair.
His father gave him a stern look. Despite the absence, he knew his son well. Graham had always been handsome and very popular with the ladies. “She is a maiden, and a favorite cousin of the Prince Regent. You will mind your manners. That goes for all of you.”
Nickolas rolled his eyes, “You only need give the warning to Graham. I have heard of Lady Beaumont. The richest and most noble men press for her favor, but she refuses to choose a husband. She will not be interested in any of us.”
“You know of the lady?” Thomas turned to his youngest brother. Nick tended to be shy.
“Of course, Tom. You can’t be in London and not have heard of Lady Charlotte. Woven hair of gold and eyes blue as the sea. Rosy red lips and as sweet as the summer dawn. She is also well known for her work in orphanages and soup kitchens. She is said to be as beautiful as she is fair. I haven’t actually met her, but she is on the tongue of every man in London and beyond.”
The Baron’s grimace had turned to a full scowl. “How are we ever going to entertain such a lady?”
Will patted his father on the back and spoke quietly, “We will do the best we can. How long do we have until she arrives?”
“Less than a fortnight, depending on the weather,” the Baron sighed.
Tom stood, squaring his lean shoulders. “We will begin first thing in the morning. We should get a good’s night sleep. Tails of our adventures will have to wait for another day.”
The brothers agreed and headed to their old rooms. Tomorrow, the work would begin.
CHARLOTTE BEAUMONT SAT atop her dappled white horse. Her father would have preferred she ride in the carriage, but she couldn’t abide it. It was hot and dull. Her chaperones, because her father insisted she have two, talked incessantly. It was also, in her opinion, more dangerous. She was clueless to the world around her in that carriage. It made her feel like a pheasant waiting to be shot and roasted.
She didn’t blame her father. Most men would think a lady should ride in the carriage. Certainly Lord Bolton, the gentleman she had just visited, would think that it was necessary.
Her father had insisted that she stop and stay with aristocrats along the journey. He said it was for her protection, but she was no fool. Each of her stops had included eligible and acceptable men for marriage.
She knew this was the only reason her father had allowed her to visit Elizabeth; he was trying to marry her in the process. He reminded her constantly that she was almost twenty-one and should be married. Although he had been unusually insistent recently, almost as though he was possessed.
The visit with Lord Bolton had been particularly painful. He was full of praise, of course. “Your hair is like spun gold. Your eyes are like the sea. Such a small waist you have compared with…” He had let his words fall off but she could see the lust in his eyes. She tried not to roll her own. She had heard it so many times, it had lost meaning to her.
She knew she was beautiful. Big blue eyes that tilted up at the corners. She had a straight nose and full lips. Her jaw was a little strong for a woman but her high cheekbones mostly hid it. Her breasts that were almost overlarge for her waist and her hips flared out suggestively. Honestly, Charlotte found her looks to mostly be a curse. Between her beauty and the title her husband would inh
erit, men rarely left her alone. It was so difficult to sort out who truly cared for her and who just lusted after her or her title or both.
It wasn’t that she was opposed to marriage. Look at Elizabeth—he had fallen madly in love with a Scot, and now she was having his child. Her letters glowed with happiness. Charlotte wanted what her friend had. She wasn’t going to marry for less than love. Unlike many titles and estates, her father’s was not entailed which meant she was free to inherit it. She didn’t need a husband or a male relative.
With all that said, she had met a few men she had considered as suitors. Men she at least thought she could grow to love. But six months ago, that had all changed. She couldn’t explain it and it was particularly troubling. It almost felt as though she had been cursed. If a lady could believe in that sort of thing.
She had first met him at a dinner party held by the Earl of Winthrop. Allister Bard, the Marquess of Huntly had singled her out almost immediately. He walked straight up to her and looked her over from top to bottom. There was something sinister in the way his narrow beady eyes traveled over her. His greasy black hair was slicked back and pulled into a ponytail at the nape. He was tall and broad but the set of his shoulders was rigid and angry. His thin lips were set into a hard line. There was no softness about him.
“You are Lady Beaumont, cousin to Ewan MacPherson?” The Marquess’ eyes narrowed and his lips thinned even more. She shivered at the sound of his voice.
“Y-Yes. It is a p-p-pleasure to meet you,” she stuttered out.
He smiled slightly, twisting his face even further. Charlotte felt herself cringe. “You’ll do,” he spoke softly, almost to himself. Then he turned and walked away.
He had made her shiver in fear. She would risk being trapped by any man to avoid the Marquess of Huntly. She shivered again despite the heat. The Marquess had continued to pursue her over the last year making her increasingly uncomfortable. No wonder her father had arranged these visits.
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