Galileo gave an excited bark.
“Galileo is looking forward to going to the castle,” Rupert said.
Aria smiled. “Galileo was never carried so much before.”
Rupert gave a stern look to Galileo. “That’s unlikely to happen again.”
Galileo still barked excitedly and waved his tail.
“It might happen if someone tries to murder me again,” Aria said.
Rupert took her hands in his. “That will absolutely not happen.”
“No?”
“No.” He shook his head firmly, then his lips twitched. “Perhaps I should send a message in advance to tell the servants to start building a moat.”
“Or just a maze where potential criminals can wander endlessly?”
“That would work, too,” Rupert said.
The carriage moved slowly through London, rolling past immaculate townhouses, guarded by glossy rails and adorned with flowers, content by the city’s frequent rainfall. Soon, they would be leaving London, headed for their castle.
Aria leaned her head against Rupert’s shoulder. “You take such care of me, my dear.”
And he always would.
EPILOGUE
Three Years Later
Flowers adorned the chapel, and Aria inhaled their floral scent. Happiness surged through her. Galileo ran up and down the aisle, apparently having volunteered to smell each and every flower to make certain the guests would delight in the experience.
So far, Galileo showed no signs of complaint, and Aria sighed happily.
“It looks beautiful, my dear,” the vicar said, and his eyes crinkled in a pleasant manner.
“I’m so glad.”
The vicar was not the same man who’d married her and the wrong Duke of Framingham so long ago. That man had obviously been a paid imposter.
Women streamed into the chapel, wearing pastel-colored frocks and clutching parasols. The Duke of Hammett pushed his wife, Daisy, in her chair to the front of the church.
“Darling!” A tenor voice she recognized at once sounded, and she turned eagerly toward it.
Rupert was there. Aria’s heart warmed automatically.
Perhaps they’d been married for three years, perhaps they’d been writing for even longer than that, but she never tired of hearing his voice. He was the man that she loved, forever and always.
“Mama!” Footsteps pattered toward her, and she bent down.
“Dolly!” She exclaimed, and in the next moment, she grabbed her daughter and lifted her into the air.
Dolly giggled merrily, and her dark brown curls swung in the air.
Finally, Aria held Dolly to her hip and glanced at Rupert. His eyes shimmered, and Aria wouldn’t mind staring at him the rest of the day. Her eyes drifted down and landed on Louis, her sweet baby and the future Duke of Framingham.
“He’s being good,” she said.
Rupert shrugged. “He might be conserving his energy to scream at the vicar later on.”
“He is very loud.” Aria smoothed Louis’s hair.
“Good quality to have in a castle,” Rupert said. “If he gets lost, he won’t stay lost.”
She clutched Louis toward her. “One day, you’re going to be the Duke of Framingham. And you’ll be a good duke, just like your father.”
Louis gurgled, and Aria glanced at her husband. “Do you suppose he was agreeing?”
“Most certainly,” Rupert said, and all was well as the rest of the guests strode into the chapel to witness his christening.
THANK YOU FOR READING The Truth about Princesses and Dukes. I hope you enjoyed Aria’s and Rupert’s story. The next book in the Duke Hunters Club series is Can’t Buy Me a Duke. The first book in the series is All You Need is a Duke.
MORE BOOKS BY BIANCA BLYTHE
The Duke Hunters Club
When they were in finishing school, they vowed to marry dukes. Now, after their first season, they realize that plan might be impossible. Or is it?
All You Need is a Duke
My Favorite Duke
A Duke Never Forgets
The Duke Before Christmas
The Duke Meets His Matchmaker
The Truth About Princesses and Dukes
WEDDING TROUBLE
Shy bluestockings aren’t supposed to marry dukes. When one dashing Scottish duke is determined to defy convention, everything changes. Curl up with this entertaining and charming series!
Don’t Tie the Knot
Dukes Prefer Bluestockings
The Earl’s Christmas Consultant
How to Train a Viscount
The Bachelor Marquess
A Holiday Proposal
MATCHMAKING FOR WALLFLOWERS
Immerse yourself in these fun, light-hearted novels set in Regency England, filled with handsome rogues, feisty heroines, and adventure!
How to Capture a Duke
A Rogue to Avoid
Runaway Wallflower
Mad About the Baron
To Catch A Baroness
The Wrong Heiress for Christmas
DO YOU KNOW THAT BIANCA also writes cozy historical mysteries as Camilla Blythe? Click below to check them out.
Calamity under the Chandelier
Danger on the Downs
The Body in Bloomsbury
A Continental Murder
MEET THE AUTHOR
Born in Texas, Bianca Blythe spent four years in England. She worked in a fifteenth-century castle, though sadly that didn’t actually involve spotting dukes and earls strutting about in Hessians.
She credits British weather for forcing her into a library, where she discovered her first Julia Quinn novel. Thank goodness for blustery downpours.
Bianca now lives in California with her husband.
CONNECT WITH BIANCA
Chat with Bianca and other like-minded readers as well as learn about new books and giveaways as soon as they happen! Come join Bianca’s VIP FB reader group.
Join Bianca Blythe’s Belles
Or perhaps you’d like to sign up for Bianca’s newsletter and receive an exclusive short story, Lord Splendid, along with new release alerts, giveaways, and updates!
Join Bianca’s Newsletter
The Truth About Princesses and Dukes (The Duke Hunters Club) Page 18
