Page 107

“Well, I think you are the most wonderful man I have ever met. I think you should kiss me more, and I think I would like to remain with you forever.”

“That means you’ll be my wife, does it not?”

She bit down on her lip and grinned. “It does.”

He kissed her firmly, savoring the feel of her before drawing back. “You will be my wife,” he murmured. He laughed and lifted her up into his arms again. “She’s going to be my wife!” he declared to the hills.

“About damned time,” came a shout from the carriage.

Minerva pressed her head against his chest and giggled. “Mr. Johnson insisted on accompanying me again. Wanted to see this happen, apparently.”

“I’d better give them something to see then.” He scooped a hand under her legs and cradled her against him, kissing her until he forgot their audience, forgot anything other than the feeland taste of her, remembering only one thing—that he loved this woman and that she would always be his.

THE END

ALL’S FAIR IN LOVE AND DEBAUCHERY

Chapter One

London, 1818

Suppressing a sigh, Theo ignored his sister Angel who was making a rather indelicate attempt at sneaking into his study unnoticed. His two other siblings kept their attention fixed on Mr. Barton, the family lawyer, while Angel slumped onto a chair.

A crease appeared between the slightly sweating lawyer’s brows while he peered over the papers in front of him, apparently oblivious to their sister’s late arrival. Theo pressed his lips together. Of all days to be delayed.

“You are late,” his mother whispered to Angel while the lawyer shuffled a few papers.

“Well, you see…there was a problem with my hair. And then I saw Miss Newhurst as I was about to leave, and naturally I could not be rude.Andthere was trouble with my carriage…” The chatter ceased abruptly. With any luck, their mother had given Angel a scolding look and put a stop to it. As much as they all found Angel charming in her manners, there was a time and a place—and this was not it.

He stole the briefest of glances at his siblings Minerva and Seth—just quick enough so that neither of them noticed. He was the head of this family and needed to set an example after all. Both were fair-haired like him, and they shared similar looks but were entirely different from him. Seth was the very definition of a rake and poor Minerva…well, life had never been the same since she was kidnapped as a child.

The lawyer cleared his throat. Theo frowned. Mr. Barton’s hands shook a little as he shuffled the papers once more for no reason that Theo could see. He dealt with Mr. Barton on a regular basis, and though a will reading was no pleasant matter, there did not seem to be any need for nerves.

“Well, now that we are all here, shall we begin?” he asked, looking to Theo.

Theo gave a stiff nod. “If you please.”

The lawyer tweaked his cravat and pushed spindly glasses back up his nose. “As you are aware, your grandfather had no sons, and there are no direct male relatives to inherit.”

Theo resisted the urge to ask Mr. Barton to get to the heart of the matter. Theo had places to be and many letters to deal with today. The money would either go to Mother or himself, as the oldest male grandchild. He was not certain why this needed to be so complex.

Mr. Barton turned his attention to their mother. “My daughter will inherit a sum of one thousand a year for the rest of her natural life,” he continued, “and my beloved family home—Holbury Hall.”

Though his mother did not react visibly, it would be a relief to them all. At least Theo would not have to worry about supporting her financially any longer. With the heavy debts on the estate thanks to his late wife, it was a struggle to keep the estate and three siblings and a mother afloat.

Though, his siblings had been doing their best to keep their expenditure low, they still lived very much a life of luxury. Of course, if Theo let on quite how large the debts were, he suspected they would try harder.

But that was for him to worry about. Not them. After all, they had not been foolish enough to marry a woman who would turn out to be one of the most dishonest women he had ever met.

Mr. Barton fished a handkerchief out of his pocket to dab his forehead. Theo had to resist the urge to lean in. He did not know all the details of his grandfather’s finances, but there was a very real chance the inheritance could save every bit of the family’s estate. He held his breath.

“And finally, I, George Lockett, decree that my grandchildren, herein named, will inherit the rest of my fortune in its entirety, so long as they fulfill the following terms.”

Theo stilled. He released the breath he was holding slowly. This wasn’t expected, but he supposed it would not be terrible if the inheritance was split. Then Theo would no longer have to worry about his siblings.

Before Theo could ask for further details, Mr. Barton continued. “Each person must complete their task to my lawyer’s satisfaction or their share of the inheritance shall be forfeit.”

Theo tugged on his jacket. Forfeit? What the devil did that mean? He glanced around the room. Minerva pursed her lips and opened her mouth before shutting it again. Seth leaned in then shifted back in his chair.