Page 36 of Tempting a Lonely Lord (The Rakes of Mayhem #6)

A year later

Bridgewater Family Cemetery

Wiping tears from her eyes, Bella brushed off the leaves from the bed of her father’s and mother’s graves. She felt a quiet sense of peace knowing her parents were together. She took immense comfort in that—even though she felt the loss of their passing every day.

Today marked the second anniversary of her father’s death, and the questions surrounding his death had finally been put to rest. His death had been intentional, part of Baron Darkmoor’s evil plot to seize her father’s land and control her.

Thankfully, that was thwarted partly because of the protective influence of her father’s spirit.

It had been almost three years since her sweet mother had succumbed to the wasting disease.

Her father had wanted her final days spent in Dover with a peaceful and relaxing view of the sea.

Sadly, they lost her only a month after they arrived.

As much as Bella had hated leaving their country estate in Hertfordshire, where there were so many memories of Mama, she finally understood her father’s decision to make this her final resting place.

Upon standing here and looking out at the ocean, Mama declared this her favorite place on earth.

Glancing over her shoulder, she saw William, holding the leads of Winterborne and Duchess, and felt the familiar, powerful feeling she always experienced here, a feeling that he was the person her parents had always wanted for her.

She rose and went to him. “Perhaps Winterborne will find a similar sense of peacefulness near Papa,” she suggested, taking the reins of her horse.

“And how about Duchess?” he asked, smiling, his eyes crinkling with laughter.

“I think Papa would find great delight in what has unfolded with my horses,” she replied, laughing too.

When Duchess arrived at Bridgewater Manor, she developed an unmistakable fondness for William, which Bella found utterly amusing.

Particularly because Duchess made her preference known whenever Bella would try to saddle her.

She would look at William with the most soulful eyes and whinny, finally calming down when he approached.

One day, Michael had blurted over dinner, “Duchess looks at William the way you look at Bella,” in front of the grandmothers.

To which Grandmère said with a cheeky smile, “And what way is that, Michael?”

Michael fluttered his eyelashes and heaved a deep sigh. “ Ahhh … Like that,” he said, giving his best imitation of a sigh and fluttering eyelashes from Bella.

The table erupted in laughter, as they all realized that the horse had taken a fancy to William. Since William didn’t have a preferred horse, he was open to the idea of taking a favored horse. And it seemed Duchess was determined it would be her.

As they neared the gravestones now, a gentle breeze stirred the air, rustling the golden leaves of the nearby oak.

The wind lifted those that had settled atop her parents’ gravestones, sending them into a slow, swirling dance.

Around them, dandelions and the pale violet blooms of winter heliotrope swayed in quiet harmony, their soft whispers merging with the hush of the moment.

Bella and William exchanged a glance, a silent understanding passing between them, their eyes reflecting the same quiet awe.

Then, as if attuned to something beyond their senses, Winterborne stepped forward. The stallion let out a low, resonant neigh, dipping his head toward her father’s grave—as though he were listening to a voice only he could hear.

“How remarkable. It’s almost as if the leaves are whispering to him in the wind,” Bella murmured.

“Perhaps they are,” William said, pulling her close.

“If I close my eyes, I can smell my mother’s fragrance—jasmine,” she said, looking up at him and smiling.

“I smell it too, and I’ve never smelled it so strongly.

Is that why you wear the jasmine fragrance, darling?

” he asked. He leaned in slightly. “It was one of the first things I noticed about you—beyond your generous spirit, your beauty, and a few other things I fully intend to worship tonight,” he added in a low whisper, his eyes gleaming with promise.

Heat flooded her cheeks. Even after almost a year as husband and wife, William still had the power to make her blush—both with his words and the way he looked at her.

“Mother gifted me a bottle of her jasmine fragrance on my sixteenth birthday , ” she admitted softly. “I’ve loved it ever since. And now, it makes me feel closer to her.”

The clip-clop of a horse’s hooves sounded behind them, and they turned as Uncle Stephen dismounted. “I thought I’d find you here,” he said, approaching the gravesite. Looking down, he shook his head. “I feel such a wash of bitterness, anger, and guilt over Miles’s death.”

“Papa’s death was not your fault, Uncle Stephen,” Bella said, taking his hand. “The baron was determined to get his hands on the property no matter what. Besides, Papa would ask you to put those feelings behind you and live your life in happiness and peace. He always knew what was in your heart.”

“But the drinking and the debt…”

She shook her head as tears came to her eyes. “It was a sickness—as much as the illness that claimed Mama. You had nothing to do with his dying. That was the baron’s plan. He already wanted this property—and my father was in his way.”

“Bella is right,” William said. “For your peace of mind, you must put it behind you.”

Stephen gave a slow nod as he digested the words. “I would like to set my bitterness aside,” he finally admitted. “Your hearts are so generous—both of you, Bella and William…”

“Uncle Stephen, you are Papa’s heir and the rightful earl. You are the head of the Bridgewater family now. And nothing the baron attempted to do damaged or erased that.”

Stephen heaved a deep sigh. “Speaking of the baron, that’s why I came to find you both. I stopped at the house first, before I came to the graveyard. Harlow said this missive had just been delivered from the duke. I offered to bring it to you,” he said, handing the note to William.

William opened the missive and looked from his wife to his brother-in-law. “The Pied Piper was hanged yesterday for the murder of your father. As much as I hate to condone the death of any man, Baron Darkmoor was one of the most evil men I have crossed paths with. Justice has finally been served.”

Bella shivered as the wind picked up and the leaves floated once more above the gravestones. For a long moment, the three of them gazed at the sight in front of them, as Winterborne continued to neigh softly over the graves.

“He misses Papa so much,” Bella said, her voice almost a whisper. “In many ways, Winterborne was my father’s final gift to me. But there’s a gift I’d like to share while we are all here…with Papa and Mama.”

William gave her a curious look. “Is it…?”

She nodded, smiling brightly. “I am with child. I’ve kept it quiet until I knew for sure. Our child will be born in the late spring.”

William gave a cheer and, lifting her in his arms, whirled her around in a circle—then stopped himself. “I must take care. You have to be careful from here on out.” He set her down gently and, keeping his arm around her shoulders, gave her a tender kiss.

Bella giggled. “Winterborne agrees with you.” The horse looked up at them and nickered. “I think he already sensed I was with child. He was most adamant about going slowly this morning. Whenever I tried a light canter, he gave me a most frustrated look and refused to go faster.”

Both men laughed.

“Perhaps we should consult Michael on that. The boy has an uncanny ability to understand animals…and people,” Stephen said.

“What do you think about naming the child after Papa if it’s a boy or Mama if it’s a girl?” Bella asked in a hopeful voice as she gazed up at her husband with love.

“Miles would have loved that,” Stephen said.

“But he would never have expected it. All he wanted was what I want… for you to be happy. You’ve both been extremely generous to me, entrusting me with overseeing the mine and its operations and giving me a share.

I never expected that. And inviting me to live at Bridgewater Manor.

Now I spend all my time at the mine and painting. ”

“We are happy, Uncle. Now it’s time for you to follow your dreams and do what makes you happy.”

Stephen gave a sheepish smile. “I shall try.” Then, with a sudden spark of excitement, he added, “And to that end, I must be off. Lizzy is expecting me to help choose the flowers and decorations for our wedding.” He let out a small chuckle.

“To be honest, I’m enjoying every second of it—because it means I get to spend more time with her. ”

Bella couldn’t help but smile, seeing the happiness she had long hoped for finally displayed in his eyes.

After Stephen had left, William turned to her.

“I cannot tell you how happy I am about the baby,” he said, reaching out to caress the curve of her cheek.

“You are the person I never knew I needed—until you quite literally fell into my arms that day. I have loved you ever since. And now, to think we will have a child… I must confess, I’m a wee bit anxious. I pray I will be a good father.”

Bella’s heart swelled at the vulnerability in his voice. “You will be wonderful,” she assured him. “I see how you are with Michael. You are a natural.”

William exhaled, some of the tension in his shoulders easing. “I promise, I’ll do my best to make sure both you and our child are happy.”

“Speaking of Michael, Mrs. Randal tells me that he hasn’t had any more nightmares—not since we gave him one of Lacey’s puppies,” Bella said.

“Ahh! Another brilliant idea of my lovely wife,” William said, kissing her on the nose. “With a black star on her forehead, I don’t think he could have come up with a better name for his white puppy than Star.”

They both laughed.

William tucked her closer to him.

Bella tilted her head and looked up at him, her face suddenly serious. “You won’t mind if it’s a little girl? I dreamed of a little girl just last night—a golden-haired, green-eyed child laughing as she played with Lacey on the beach.”

William chuckled. “No. I’d love a green-eyed daughter who looks just like her mama, with her mother’s heart and spirit.”

Bella’s throat tightened with emotion. “And I’ve known since that very first moment we met that you were the one for me, William Dudley,” she confessed, her voice trembling. “You are my anchor, the very center of my life. I love you deeply.”

She slipped her hands up around his neck, tilting her face up to his. “But right now, all I crave is to silence the world around us and lose myself in your kiss.”

“Gladly!” William pulled her close with a sudden urgency that mirrored her own.

As William lowered his lips to hers, a rush of warmth enveloped Bella, stealing her breath.

His kiss was both familiar and electrifying, soft yet insistent, his lips moving with a gentle persistence that sent shivers down her spine.

Their tongues met in a sensual dance—exploring, tasting, and deepening the connection that had always existed between them.

Her senses were filled with the feeling evoked by the touch of his hands tracing slow, reverent paths up and down her back and the intoxicating scent of him—sandalwood and citrus, warmth, and home.

Behind them, Winterborne and Duchess neighed happily, their presence a quiet blessing in the golden afternoon. Bella pressed herself closer, reveling in the solid strength of her husband, in the love that bound them.

William groaned softly—a sound that sent a thrill through her, awakening every part of her heart and soul. As their kiss deepened, the world around them blurred into nothingness. There was no time, no space—only the heat of their love, burning bright, unshakable, endless.

~The End~

(or maybe not. )