Page 60 of A Lady’s Rules for Seaside Romance (The Harp & Thistle #3)

Like the elder duke, Vivian and Evelyn were surprised as well, but Victor didn’t witness their full reaction to the news, as they were with Anne and Mary most of the day, while the men reeled together in the parlor.

The hardest part to Victor was breaking the news to Freddy.

Anne had talked to him privately for a good hour and the poor lad had emerged so confused.

He’d yelled and cried but hugged them with happiness too.

He’d then gone to the stables, where Victor had followed and the two had spent a portion of the afternoon racing along the beach.

It seemed to help immensely, as the boy had finally smiled when he’d won his fourth, and the final, race.

“One day, I’ll be a duke too,” Freddy had said while walking back to the house from the stables. “Will you help me then like my grandfather is helping you?”

“Of course.” Victor tried to ignore the pride that swelled in his heart.

“What do I call you now?” Freddy stopped, forcing Victor to stop walking as well. “Who are you to me?”

Victor shoved his hands in his pockets. He recalled the heart-to-heart conversation he and Freddy had had earlier in the summer. Though they had experienced two very different childhoods, they’d both shared the loss of a parent, of a father. “What do you want me to be?”

Freddy considered this. “I don’t know. You’re not my father.”

Victor stayed quiet, letting the boy talk through it.

“But you’re not just a friend, either. You are my mother’s new husband.

But you were there a lot while I was growing up, too.

If I’d been younger, I would have called you ‘Pops,’ but I think I am too old to do that now.

I guess, I will simply call you ‘Victor’ when I don’t have to call you ‘Your Grace.’” Freddy made a face. “That sounds so odd.”

Victor chuckled. “I’m having a hard time getting used to it.”

Freddy smiled up at him, but the smile fell away and his dark-blue eyes, so much like his father’s, hardened. “I don’t ever want to see my mother cry because of you.”

“I’m sure she will get mad at me from time to time, but I will do everything I can to ensure I never make her cry.”

Freddy’s jaw was tight and he nodded once. “Good.”

And that was that.

Now, it was far into night. Victor was standing at the door separating his bedroom from Anne’s, his heart pounding hard. He opened the unlocked door, knowing the most stunning woman he had ever known was on the other side waiting for him.

Anne sat at her vanity, wearing a silk house coat, her long, blonde hair trailing down her back. And she was looking down at something.

Victor went over to her and after hesitating like he would have just days ago—this marriage business would take some getting used to—he began to rub her back. “What is that?” he asked, looking down at a list laid out on the vanity.

Anne looked up at him and smiled. “Oh, you’ll think it quite silly.” She handed the piece of paper to him.

It was a list titled A Lady’s Rules for Seaside Romance .

Victor furrowed his brow as he read through it. He then chuckled to himself as he realized it was her list of requirements in a man. They made sense, and he could see those that had been inspired by her first husband.

He reached the one about gambling and pointed to it. “For your information, I almost never lose.”

She looked up at him with one cocked eyebrow. “You almost never lose? Are you sure you don’t mean you almost never win? That’s what the odds usually are.”

“Apparently not when you’re related to a seal.”

Anne pulled back. “What?”

He chuckled, remembering his grandfather’s claim they had magical blood. “Never mind. I have the records to prove it, whenever you are inclined to see them. I win money far more often than I lose it, the opposite of Winthrop.”

“Hmm,” Anne responded, but she seemed to believe him. “Perhaps you can still reconsider it because I still don’t like gambling, even if you do win more than lose.”

He tried not to grin. “If you feel that strongly about it, then so be it, although I have a friend who might not be so pleased with that. In fact, I should introduce you. I think he would be happy to meet you finally.” Victor put his attention back on the list and got to the last rule.

Never fall in love . This rule was underlined multiple times, boxed, and circled—and there were angry, jagged arrows pointing at it. He raised his eyebrows at her.

She blushed prettily. “These are rules I made for myself to find a decent companion for the summer. As you can see, I was quite stubborn about not falling in love, not realizing I already had.”

Victor crouched by her side. He looked up to her and could see the nervousness in her pale-blue eyes.

He probably reflected a similar hesitant look himself.

There was no doubt they loved each other.

But they both had reasons to be frightened.

She only knew marriage by the way Winthrop had treated her.

And he was terrified of being responsible for another person.

And now there would be risk of pregnancies, something they both were hesitant about.

“We haven’t had much of a chance to talk, just the two of us, about what this marriage entails. ”

Anne swallowed and averted her gaze to her hands. “No, we haven’t.”

What was the best way to go about this? Victor’s eye’s landed on the paper. “Do you have a pen I could use?”

Anne gave a small nod and reached into one of drawers to reveal a fountain pen. She handed it over to him.

Victor turned over Anne’s rules to the blank back. “I have one question for you first. The subject of children.” He couldn’t look her in the eye as he said this. Fear coursed through him.

Anne cleared her throat. “There are ways to prevent it, but like you said, nothing is guaranteed. There will always be that risk.”

“Is that…something you want?” He dared a look up at her.

And her eyes became enormous. “Do I want more children? Heavens no! My God, Victor—I mean…” She hurried along. “If that’s something you want, then I suppose we could discuss it. You’ll need an heir, but—”

“No,” he whispered. “No, it is not something I want in this lifetime. Dantes, any sons he may have, Ollie and his eldest—what I mean is, there are enough males in the family that we don’t need to concern ourselves with that if we don’t wish to. And I’m perfectly happy with that, too.”

Anne’s shoulders fell. “Thank heavens. Oh, Victor, I’m not a mother who enjoyed pregnancy, and childbirth is horrific. I’m getting to be too old for it, and I don’t ever want to go through that again if I don’t have to.”

“You don’t have to.”

Anne put her hand over her heart. “Thank you. I’ve been worrying about that all day. But what if something happens?”

“Then we worry about it then.” He placed a hand over hers. “And only then. But we will face it, together. That, I can promise you.”

Anne nodded again, tears welling in her eyes.

After pressing a soft hand to his rough cheek, she leaned down and kissed him.

Oh, the way sparks exploded all over his body!

And he realized, this was the first time he and his wife had been able to kiss each other the way they wanted to.

Victor straightened himself higher on his knees and wrapped his arms around her waist. She wore nothing beneath her silk robe.

Underneath it, she was soft, supple—he had never felt need like this before in his life.

He turned his head to fit their mouths together better and swept his tongue over hers, moving it languidly, the way he imagined their bodies would move together soon. But first, he had to do something.

He pulled back and they were both panting. And after hesitating first, he ran a hand up her leg, over her hip, the dip of her waist, and the round side of her breast. The feel of her, of Anne—his wife—her body in his hand was nearly sending him over the edge.

“Were you telling me the truth that you’ve never been with a woman before?” Her voice was husky.

Victor nearly groaned with embarrassment. “Yes. Utterly humiliating.”

“Why?” she nearly shouted back. “I wouldn’t love you any less either way, but after everything Bernard put me through? I don’t know. It makes me happy in a way, I guess. Special. As if that part of you was always meant for me.”

“You are special. And I’m glad it makes you happy.

” Victor realized that, at least for the time being, Anne would secretly be comparing their marriage to her marriage with Winthrop.

There was nothing Victor would be able to do about that.

But, he did have an idea that might allay her fears at least a bit.

He put his attention back on the fountain pen and began to write on the blank side of paper.

A Gentleman’s Promises for Marriage:

Never chase other women.

Kiss you often and well.

Always be hygienic.

Politics are a lark, anyway.

Laugh more, or attempt to.

No more horse races, or any other gambling.

Never become a drunk.

Never lay an angry hand on you.

Treat Mary and Freddy as if my own.

Love you until the end of time.

Victor signed his name at the bottom. “These are my promises to you, Anne, my love. And we can always add more, if you ever feel the need to.”

*

Anne fought back the hot sting of tears in her eyes as she read the list of promises he’d given to her.

Point by point, they upheld the rules she had made.

He even added a few of his own that he knew would make her feel more confident in him.

She placed a hand over her heart. “I don’t know what to say other than thank you .

And I love you . But those words don’t do justice to how much this means to me. ”

Victor gave her a crooked smile, and, oh, how handsome he looked!

How had she ended up with such a loving, beautiful husband?

She reached out to run her fingers through his black hair, then down over the black beard.

His green eyes watched her with that intensity they always held, and it caused a fire to spark inside of her.

As she held his gaze, she touched his face, his hair.

The hardness of his shoulders, the planes and valleys of his torso.

Her fingers unbuttoned the shirt he wore and he allowed her to part it and run her fingers through the thick mass of hair upon his body.

His skin was hot, and his hard muscles flexed beneath her touch.

Victor’s eyelids became heavy. His eyes became shadowed with lust-filled darkness.

She rose to her feet and knew the way the silk of her housecoat shone and slid over her body with the movement. Victor watched it all with a clenched jaw. “Anne…” He trailed off.

“Come now, husband.” Anne took his hand in hers, causing him to stand. Slowly, she walked backward toward the bed, pulling him along with her. She smiled up at him coyly. “I have much to teach you tonight, and we shouldn’t delay any further.”

Victor’s eyes darkened into wickedness and there was a bit of wildness to them that caused her breath to catch.

“In that case…” He picked her up into his arms, causing her to giggle.

“Let’s move a bit quicker than that.” As he crossed the room with her cradled safely against him, she stared up at him, still in shock that this was now her life.

Victor was her husband, he would never leave her life, and he would love her until the end of time.

When they’d reached the bed, Victor tossed her upon it and jumped in after her, causing them both to laugh louder than they had in a very long time.