Lord Winston blinked. “I thought I just made myself perfectly clear.” He shook his head and chuckled. “I’ve never seen anything as marvelous as this, and I would love nothing better than to publish it.”
Rebecca fought for an appropriate response, but the words seemed to cram together in her throat, all eager to get out, then Daniel was hugging her and telling her how proud he was of her and asking if she now realized how skilled she truly was.
“The story is quite fun too,” Lord Winston added when Rebecca and Daniel were once again sitting still, “though I would like to have one of my editors review it.”
“Yes, of course,” Daniel said as he took Rebecca’s hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze. “The story was just something we quickly threw together so we’d have something to go with the pictures—they are the real gems, don’t you think?”
“Not only that,” Lord Winston said as he raised his cup to his lips and took a long sip, “they are quite unique.” He must have noticed the uncertainty Rebecca felt, for he quickly added, “And I mean that in the most complimentary way possible. You must not doubt yourself but be proud of your work. I’m sure your husband can assist in that regard, for he is clearly impressed with what you’ve accomplished, as am I.”
It took a second for Rebecca to recover from the flattery enough to manage a response, for she was quite overwhelmed by Lord Winston’s kind words. “Thank you,” she said, then, with a bit more strength behind the words and the beginnings of a smile, she added, “thank you very much indeed.”
Lord Winston grinned. “Well, first of all, I have with me a contract that I think you ought to take a look at before we decide to go any further.” He opened the portmanteau he’d brought along and pulled out some papers, which he placed on the table directly between Daniel and Rebecca. “In addition to the royalty payments outlined therein, I would, on the basis of what you have just now shown me, like to offer you an advance of one hundred pounds.”
Rebecca’s mouth dropped. It had all become suddenly real. Somebody actually liked her work enough to pay good money for it—very good money. “That’s a generous offer, Lord Winston. I believe that if Daniel agrees, I should like to—”
Lord Winston stopped her with a raised hand. “I understand your enthusiasm, but this offer isn’t going anywhere, and I would not feel comfortable with allowing you to sign a document you haven’t thoroughly read, even in good faith. Take your time, Lady Rebecca, and look it over with your husband. If you are willing to agree with all the terms, then you know where to find me.” He got to his feet, ready to take his leave and bowing to Rebecca as she and Daniel stood to see him out. “Once again, it was an absolute pleasure.”
The door closed behind him, and Rebecca turned to Daniel. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.”
“I would do it all again if it would make you happy and keep you safe,” he said as he kissed her temple. “When I think of what my life was like without you in it . . . so empty and meaningless . . . I thank my lucky stars I met you that night at the Kingsborough Ball.”
“Me too,” she whispered as she rose up on her toes, leaned toward him and pressed a slow, lingering kiss upon his lips, a simple caress that spoke of her love and admiration for this wonderful man who’d battled his demons and won. “And I will be thanking my lucky stars for the rest of my life that you climbed through my window—my very own hero, disguised as a rake.”
Epilogue
Nuit House, Portman Square
One year later
“The guests will be arriving soon,” Rebecca said as she stood in front of the full-length mirror and attempted to straighten her gown—a task that was proving difficult, since Daniel kept kissing the side of her neck and her shoulders.
His arms came about her waist. “Five minutes is all I need,” he whispered on an inhale of jasmine. He would never tire of her scent.
She laughed, the ring in her voice filling the room. “You are incorrigible.”
“I am a rake, if you’ll recall,” he said as he playfully ran his tongue along her warm skin, loving the way in which she sucked in her breath in response.
“A reformed rake, I believe,” she said. He could tell that she was trying to be firm with him but was failing miserably, for there was a sparkle in the eyes of her reflection.
“Mostly reformed.”
“Mostly?” Her voice sounded faint.
“There is one area in which my rakish nature will never be tamped down, and that is the area involving you.” To prove his point, he spun her around in his arms and lowered his mouth over hers, kissing her with thorough determination and with a wicked promise of what he had planned for them once the guests had once again left their home. After selling Avern House eight months earlier, they’d relocated to a new address, where Daniel wouldn’t feel haunted by the constant memory of his parents. When deciding on a name for their new home, he’d suggested Nuit House, both in honor of Rebecca and as a private tribute to the night they’d first met. Since moving in, they’d been quite busy filling the place with happy memories, so much so that it had become difficult for Daniel to enter a room without thinking of ravishing his wife. “You, on the other hand . . . you deserve more than five minutes.” He offered her his arm, accompanied by a cheeky smile. “So I will try to be patient and wait until later.”
He adored the flush that filled her cheeks at the implication and how much fuller her lips looked after their kiss. How on earth he would manage to get through the next few hours without hauling her back upstairs and showing her precisely how much he loved her was beyond him. It had been a year—one full year—and he still couldn’t keep his hands off her. More than that, he still had no desire to see other women. Rebecca was the only woman he would ever need, as a friend, wife and lover. She was perfect in every way.
“Congratulations on your latest release,” Winston said, greeting his host and hostess upon his arrival.
“Thank you, my lord,” Rebecca said. “We were both surprised by how well the first book did, so we’re eager to see if this new one will be just as popular.” She turned to the woman beside him. “I’m so happy that you were able to join us this evening, Sarah. It’s been far too long since you and I had a proper chat.”
“I actually wanted to tell you both that our boys loved your first book, though they did ask me to request that your next one be about pirates.”
Rebecca laughed. “What a brilliant idea. Perhaps we could even add a few sea monsters.”
“Creative as always, I see,” Daniel said, taking her hand in his and placing an adoring kiss upon the knuckles.
“As far as this new release goes,” Winston said, “I have no doubt that every parent will want to own a copy. In fact, my mother has already put in an order, intending to gift it to my brother and sister-in-law when their baby arrives in another month’s time.”
“May I say that I absolutely love the cover?”
Turning his head in the direction of the voice that had spoken, Daniel smiled as he spotted Landborough. He was holding one of the advance copies that Rebecca and Daniel had put on display for their guests. “Lord Winston is to thank for that,” Daniel said. “It was his idea to put one of my wife’s colorful pictures on the front.”
“Very eye-catching, I must say,” Landborough said as he greeted Winston and bowed toward Sarah. The duke and his wife had become good friends of Daniel and Rebecca’s and were often invited over for dinner, along with Daniel’s sister, Audrey, and her husband, the Earl of Chilton, who’d gifted Daniel with a beautiful notebook the day he’d made his first revenue.
“And I shall look forward to reading it to my grand-niece or -nephew in the not-so-distant future,” Lady Wolvington said, approaching the group with her husband at her side.
Daniel smiled at his aunt, who’d been doting on Rebecca since the moment her pregnancy had been announced, going so far as to have the occasional word with Madame Renarde to ensure that Rebecca was receiving the best food possible. “Our child will be lucky to have you in their life,” he said as he stepped forward and pressed a kiss against his aunt’s cheek, not caring one way or another if it was appropriate to do so. He loved his aunt and uncle, and it was about time he showed it after everything they’d done for him.
“May I say that you are looking radiant this evening,” Lord Wolvington said as he took Rebecca’s hand in his and placed a kiss upon her knuckles. The old man was just as fussy about Rebecca’s welfare as his wife was, always inquiring if she was warm enough or in need of sitting down. “Would you like something to drink? Some lemonade perhaps?”
It was damn near impossible for Daniel not to smile at the way in which his aunt and uncle had welcomed Rebecca into the family. They obviously cared for her and she for them, as was evidenced by her eagerness to join them for tea or to go for walks with them in the park.
“Thank you,” she said, “that’s most kind of you, but I just had some not so long ago.”
“Something to eat then?” Lord Wolvington pressed. “I saw a very tempting bowl of fruit on the refreshment table. I’d be happy to arrange a plate for you.”
Leaning toward Rebecca, Daniel whispered, “If you want to make him happy, then you’d better agree.”
She chuckled and nodded toward Wolvington, who returned a smile of great appreciation. “I’ll be back before you know it,” he said as he walked away from them.
“Winston mentioned that you will be removing yourself to the family estate near Winchester for your confinement,” Sarah said.
“Yes, the Wolvingtons have graciously offered me their home,” Rebecca said with a smile directed at Lady Wolvington.
“It is your home as well now, my dear,” the marchioness declared. “Besides, we can’t have you rusticating in London when you’re expecting. The fresh air will do you good, and there’s plenty of that at Pondsly.”
“Not to mention that it will be nice to get away from it all and spend some time together, just you and I, before the baby arrives,” Daniel said as he wrapped his arm around Rebecca’s waist and pulled her against him for a gentle squeeze. “I’m already looking forward to taking my aunt and uncle’s curricle out on country drives and going on picnics. There’s a lake, too, with willow trees flanking the edge of it—it’s lovely for boating.”
A memory of him doing just that with his parents flashed in his mind, but rather than feeling angered or pained by it, he felt excited at the prospect of sharing the place with Rebecca. She was right. They would make their own memories, and in time, they would outshine the old ones. Lowering his mouth to the curve of her ear, he whispered, “You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me, and I love you with every beat of my heart.”
She turned her head to gaze up at him, her eyes brimming with happiness, and then she smiled, that brilliant smile that always made him catch his breath. “As I love you, Daniel, forever and always.”