Page 39 of The Heiress Masquerade (Dollar Princess #2)
Six months later, London, June 1891
“ The Titled American ?” Aimee wandered into the breakfast room, noting the magazine her husband had his head buried in. “That’s a bit different to your usual morning read, isn’t it?”
The London or New York Times were what normally held Harrison’s attention, not a magazine dedicated to listing the marriages between wealthy American heiresses and foreigners of rank, along with a register of the titled bachelors still left on the marriage market and advertisements from some of them basically hinting at looking for a wealthy bride.
He grinned up at her, placing the magazine on the table next to where he was sitting as he came to his feet and strode over to pull out her chair, beating the footman to the job as usual. “Good morning, my love.” He kissed her gently on the lips. “And, yes, I usually prefer reading the news rather than gossip. However, Hargrave said it was a must read.” A chuckle accompanied his pronouncement. “And it certainly is.”
“Alex reads The Titled American ?” She couldn’t imagine any man, most especially Evie’s husband, a duke, reading the magazine let alone recommending it to anyone.
“Not normally,” Harrison replied, picking up the magazine and sliding it over to Aimee. “But he did for this edition. Page thirty-five might be of interest.”
Her curiosity piqued, Aimee reached over and flipped open the magazine to the page he mentioned. “The Earl of Brexton is the eighth earl of a long and proud lineage in the Peerage of Great Britain. His entailed estates amount to fifteen thousand eight hundred acres, yielding an income of over ninety thousand pounds, and his family seat is the great estate of Tottenbury House, in Cambridge. The earl is thirty-one years of age, passable in appearance and manners, and is an excellent prospect.” Her mouth dropped open and she glanced over at Harrison. “Sam has listed himself as an available bachelor?”
Harrison laughed again but shook his head. “I don’t think Sam knows anything about the advertisement. Though he soon will.”
“But who would…” It was then the penny dropped. “Alex paid for the advertisement, didn’t he?”
The duke was one of the most scholarly, serious-minded people Aimee knew. Perfect for her cousin Evie, but not someone she ever would have suspected to play a practical joke on his cousin Sam.
“Sam’s been happily teasing the duke about being the one to play matchmaker between Alex and Evie, so I think this is Alex’s way of getting a bit of revenge and having some fun with his cousin at the same time.”
“Some fun?” Aimee exclaimed. “Every Dollar Princess and their single-minded mothers will be booking passage on the first steamer across the Atlantic to try to entrap him. Sam will be bombarded, hounded even. He’s not going to know what hit him, and for a man that doesn’t need to marry a Dollar Princess, or even want to marry just yet, he’s going to be beyond vexed.”
“A tame way to describe having to fend off a multitude of determined American women all with their eyes firmly fixated on being a countess.” Harrison laughed again. “What a way to even the score on one’s cousin, a self-confessed ladies’ man, then by sending a fleet of women after him. It’s ingenious, and I’ll have to applaud Alex on his cunning when I see him next.”
“Poor Sam,” Aimee replied, taking a sip of her coffee. “I feel sorry for him already.”
“Don’t feel sorry for him,” Harrison said, reaching over and taking Aimee’s free hand in his own, kissing her knuckles; his very touch still sent a tingle right the way down to her toes. “He might find the love of his life and marry his very own Dollar Princess. After all, it worked extremely well for me.”
“For both of us, my love,” Aimee replied, leaning over and meeting his lips halfway as he gave her a thorough kiss. She sighed in bliss before reluctantly pulling away. “I suppose we best hurry with breakfast. I have a lot to do today in preparation for our own voyage.”
“I imagine your mother will be thrilled to see you when we return to New York for our visit.”
“She will, though what she’s truly thrilled about is for us all to finally be attending Mrs. Astor’s ball next week.” Her mother had gotten the coveted invitation to the exclusive event and had been in a frenzy of organizing ballgowns since. Regular trips to Paris had ensued for both Aimee and Evie, with her mother sparing no expense to ensure the House of Worth created the most dazzling gowns for them all. “I, on the other hand, would much prefer to stay here and work.”
The Rousseau merger had been her baby from its inception and now that they’d taken over the French company, Aimee was even more determined to increase their shipping routes and global dominance.
“We could always delay our trip. Your mother would still be happy having Evie and Alex attend with her and your father.”
“Yes, but she doesn’t want to just be happy, she wants to lord it over Mrs. Astor that not only is her niece a duchess, but her daughter will be a countess, too.” It was her mother’s dream, not her own, but having experienced her own dreams coming true recently, Aimee was more than happy to see someone else’s also come to fruition. “I still wonder if she knew I’d swap places with Evie, bringing me into your vicinity.”
“You are impulsive and determined.” Harrison shrugged. “It’s not beyond the realm of possibilities she suspected you might.”
“True, though she couldn’t have predicted you might jeopardize it all by trying to rescue me that first day we met.”
“ Try to?” He raised a brow.
“You know I could have rescued myself.”
“I do. My wife is a capable and clever lady.”
The praise brought a flush to her cheeks. “Oh, Harrison, you say the most wonderful things sometimes.”
“What? You are clever.” He took a bite of his toast. “You married me, didn’t you?”
She threw a bit of her toast at him, and he dodged it with ease, then grinned.
“Yes, I did marry you, my earl-in-waiting,” she said, unabashedly teasing her husband with the moniker.
His grin turned into a grimace. “You’re always going to call me that, aren’t you?”
“Always.” She winked at him and laughed. “Do you think you can handle it for the rest of our lives together?”
“Oh, I can handle it.” Then before she knew what he was about, he stood and scooped her up from her chair into his arms. “Because you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
Aimee wound her hands around his neck and breathed in the delicious sandalwood scent of him. “I feel the same way about you.”
“Leave us,” he directed the footmen, who were both trying not to grin at the regular display of affection while they did as instructed, closing the door behind them and leaving Aimee and Harrison alone.
“I thought we agreed we’d get to the office on time today?” It was becoming a deliciously bad habit of theirs to get there a tad later than usual.
“We’re newlyweds, my darling,” Harrison’s voice rumbled softly in her ear as his mouth began to trail soft kisses down her neck and his fingers began to work on the buttons at the back of her gown. “Everyone at the office expects us to be late on occasion.”
She grinned. “On occasion? This will be the third time this week, and it’s only Wednesday.”
“Excellent, then we still have three more days we can be on time, don’t we?”
“Yes, I suppose we do,” Aimee said, needing no further convincing when his lips found hers and drew her into his exquisite touch. His touch that always bought her so much joy and contentment, and filled her with such a sense of belonging, knowing they would always be together.
He pulled away from her and stared into her eyes. “You have my heart, my beautiful wife, and I love you with every fiber of my being. And I will always love you until my very last breath. I promise you that.”
Aimee didn’t think she could love him any more than she did right now, but with every moment that passed, her love only grew. “I will always love you, too, Harrison,” she whispered. “You’ve captured my heart and it will be forever yours.”
“I will treasure it my love, just as I treasure you.”
The love doesn’t end here…