Page 37 of To Heal a Broken Earl (The Rakes of Mayhem #7)

Emma greeted her friends warmly. “I’m so glad to see you again, Lady Beadle and Lady Armstrong. Are your accommodations suitable for your needs?” She hugged them both as they entered the drawing room.

Armstrong shook hands with Michael. “It’s good to see you, my friend. Wright will be joining us soon with Aunt Chippie.”

“Did I hear right? Chippie will be here?” Lady Beadle asked, gripping her ear horn. “I haven’t seen her since last year. Don’t tell her I said this, but it will be nice to see her. I rather enjoy sparring with her.”

Emma giggled. “I know that’s true. We enjoy having both of you.”

Laughter filled the Wilton drawing room as carriages continued rolling up the drive and wheels crunched on crushed oyster shells.

Each of the guests was directed to freshen up in their room, rest, and join the others in the drawing room, where Mrs. Peppers and Mrs. Simms made sure that the food was plentiful.

“This sounds like the right place, with all that good cheer spilling out,” Baron Edward Sinclair—Sin to his friends—said.

He and Lady Lizzy Sinclair walked into the drawing room.

“I hope you don’t mind. We just arrived and were immediately assailed by the delicious scents of Mrs. Pepper’s cooking.

I recall it from the wedding and couldn’t wait to dig in. ”

“Yes, my husband enjoys a good meal, and I love Mrs. Pepper’s lemon tarts. I do hope she made them,” Lizzy said, after making the rounds and greeting everyone.

“Oh, she made them,” Emma said. “I especially requested them, because I love them too.”

“Do I get a hug, sister?” Michael asked, stepping from behind the table to hug Lizzy. “It’s been too long since I’ve seen you, dear girl. I hope you’ll consider spending a few extra days.”

“We planned to do just that, once your wife suggested it,” Sin said. “I’m hoping to have a chance to get to know my new sister-in-law. Simon, Bobby, and little Edward have already settled into the nursery with their governess.”

Lady Beadle piped up. “Emma is a real jewel. Michael is a lucky man, in my opinion.”

“You’re right there, Lady Beadle,” Michael agreed.

Once they sat down, Armstrong said, “It appears that Mr. Simms has turned out to be a good employee. I saw him outside as we pulled up.”

“Yes. I’m glad we took the time to have a long talk with him last year as he was recovering from his gunshot wound,” Michael said.

“And Mrs. Simms is a wonder. Mrs. Pepper adores her as do all the maids,” Emma said.

“Indeed!” Armstrong agreed. “Everyone deserves a second chance. Lord Morgrave blackmailed him, saying he’d hurt Simms’s family. It took guts to push back. Morgrave was twisted and, in my estimation, crazy.”

Emma heard a commotion outside the dining room. It sounded like Katie. “If you can excuse me, I think we have a couple more guests who have arrived,” she said. “I’ll return as soon as I can.”

As she stepped into the hall, she saw Aunt Chippie, Lord Wright, and Evie and her family. Thrilled, Emma practically ran toward them. They had already introduced themselves to Lord Wright and Aunt Chippie.

“I’m so glad to see you all,” she said, as she hugged them all and cooed over her infant nephew. “Thank you all for coming.”

“Auntie, can I play with Finn?” Katie asked. “I’ve missed him.”

As everyone joined the others in the dining room, they got their food from the buffet and sat down.

Michael gave Emma that crooked smile, and she smiled in return. “Everyone is here. Should we share our news?” she asked him once another round of wine was served.

“You have news? Of course, we’d love to hear it, my dears,” Lady Beadle said. “Michael, it’s not often that I get news at the same time as Lizzy. She is quite a sensation in London and hears all the juicy gossip before I do.”

Emma looked at her husband, who nodded that she should share. Smiling, she looked at the guests—her friends and family. “We are expecting. If I’ve calculated it correctly, we should be having a baby around Christmas.”

Wright stood and immediately proposed a toast, congratulating both Michael and Emma.

“Little girls like pink,

Little boys like blue.

I’ll be a great uncle,

Congratulations, you two!”

He held up his drink. “Cheers! I couldn’t think of a better pair of parents. And I’m looking forward to being a doting uncle.”

The dining room erupted in cheers, good wishes, and laughter.

~*~

As the evening wound down, Emma sought out her husband across the room.

Michael stood. “Thank you all for coming. I’m looking forward to celebrating my birthday with friends and family that I love.

My lovely wife has managed to give me the best gift this year—sharing with me that I’m going to be a father.

She looks tired, so I’m going to take her wife up to bed.

But please feel free to stay up as long as you’d like.

If you need anything, please let us know. ” They left the gathering together.

As the two of them opened the door to their room, Michael turned to Emma. “If you are willing, I’d like to flip our routine a little. Instead of you massaging my leg, I’ll massage your feet first. And from there…who knows where we will go?” He gave a suggestive wink.

Michael was the perfect husband and partner, as far as Emma was concerned.

He always made her feel special, no matter what they did together.

“I’d like that, darling. They are tired and sore.

” She put her hands around his neck, pulling him close and covering his lips with hers, their tongues dancing in a familiar, sensual dance, exploring and tasting. “I’m a lucky woman, Michael,” she said.

“And I’m lucky that I found a woman who was willing to heal a broken earl,” he said, tracing her jawline with his finger.

His lips covered hers, and the world outside their room faded away.

~*~