Page 8 of Kiss the Duke Goodbye (The Troublesome Trio #3)

A lthough there were occasional brotherly fisticuffs and gentlemanly brawls, the Troublesome Trio had died a contented death, with all parties involved the happier for it.

Because they were now a family of ten .

Cort and Alex had two girls, Kathleen and Caroline. Damien and Mercy had contributed to the total with the arrival of Crispin and Quincy last fall. (After all, twins ran in the family.)

In three months, he and Clari would make it a breathtaking, incredible eleven .

Knox placed his whisky on the balustrade as happiness rippled over him like a gentle breeze. As they were wont to do these days, the DeWitt clan was gathered at the family estate in Hampstead. They spent every summer here, away from the strife and smog in London. Away from the responsibilities and the demands. The Duke of Herschel dropped his mantle in the country, becoming what he’d always wanted to be, a man. Clarissa DeWitt’s befuddled but forever besotted husband. Brother. Uncle.

It was no lie to say that his entire world was out there on the lawn.

Damien’s wife, Mercy, was sitting on a woolen blanket, her pad balanced on her knees. She was sketching the scene laid out before her, an admittedly lovely one. Her husband was stretched out beside her, a book in his hand, a sleeping baby curled under his arm. Cort and his wife, Alex, were racing the children around the archery target, directing their every move, thankfully the only battlefield his brother would ever see again.

And then there was the light of his life.

As if she’d heard his thoughts, Clarissa glanced at him, her smile radiant. Her hand was curved over her rounded belly, her habit of late. She blew him a kiss, then turned, laughing, when the children sprinted toward her. Sunlight danced along the ivory strands cascading over her shoulders. Here, she let her hair down in more ways than one.

Sometimes, reminiscences of his father intruded, but they grew fainter with every wonderful memory he filled his life with. His past was disappearing into the mist of his future.

Therefore, when the children dashed over, begging a duke to join them in play, Knox jumped right in.

The End