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Epilogue
The season was in full swing when Evie arranged her first annual Somerset ball. People vied for invitations to the notorious couple’s fete, but neither Evie nor Gabriel enjoyed dancing in stuffy ballrooms, so only three hundred people were invited.
The entire evening, Evie conversed with her guests and made certain there were enough refreshments, that the flowers didn’t wilt, and the candles didn’t burn out. When it was almost midnight, she finally had time to take a breath. She spotted her husband and walked toward him with measured steps, although she wanted to run to him and crash into his arms.
“Oh, I am a perfect authority on the chastity of ladies. As a matter of fact, I used to know every lady who had been chaste before her wedding because I was the one who—Here she is.” He abruptly finished boasting to his friend as he noticed Evie come up beside him.
“Please, continue. You were saying that you were the devil who debauched poor, young, and unsuspecting maidens?” She blinked up at him innocently.
“None of them were either poor or unsuspecting. They all sought me out. Even you, my dear wife, or should I remind you?”
“You just did, love. Lord Vane, how are you fairing this evening?” She turned toward Gabriel’s friend at last.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve last been among theton,and let me assure you, I did not miss it. However, the duty to my daughter demands to put myself forth once more in search of a wife, and so does the duty to my title.”
“Have you found any lady who caught your eye yet?”
Lord Vane’s gaze lingered on one point behind Evie’s shoulder before he shook his head. “I barely know anybody here. I thought you could help me. Your husband offered his assistance, but I am leery of his intentions.”
Evie chuckled, and Gabriel placed a possessive arm around her waist.
“How can you doubt my skills in finding the perfect wife when I found the best one for myself?”
“Didn’t you just say she was the one who sought you out?” Vane raised his brow.
Gabriel’s arm tightened around Evie. She patted his hand consolingly and addressed the marquess. “So, what are you looking for in a wife?”
He shrugged lightly. “Actually, I just want a proper, reserved, capable young lady, a perfect hostess, and a caring mother.”
“What you mean is you want an au pair and a housekeeper,” Gabriel drawled.
Vane heaved a sigh. “Yes, my daughter needs a mother, my estates need a mistress, and I need an heir. I would not mind it if she had a tendre for me, but in my experience, that rarely, if ever, happens, so I am not going to insist upon it. I have the title, capital, vast estates. This is usually enough for a lady to find me to be an attractive prospect. Or have the times changed?”
Evie pursed her lips in thought. “Never discount the power of love, my lord. But I shall be certain to find you the perfect bride.”
“I just want someone who would set the perfect example of proper behavior and bearing to my daughter.”
“Understood.”
“Excuse us, Vane. I shall… er… confer with my wife about the best prospects for you and shall start introducing them to you promptly,” Gabriel said and led Evie away.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“All that talk of children and heirs had my blood pumping. I thought we should work on our own.”
“Now? Here?”
“No place like here, no time like now.” Gabriel grinned at her as he led her through the ballroom doors.
They rushed to the library, and the moment the doors closed, Gabriel crushed his mouth over hers. Evie held his head closer, unable to get enough of him. His hands were roaming her body, his cock, hard and ready, rubbed against her stomach.
“Wait,” Evie whispered as she tore her mouth away. “I need to get back. As the hostess, I can’t just disappear; I might be needed.”
Gabriel ground his pelvis against hers. “Your husband has need of you,” he whispered against her lips and kissed her again.
He raised her skirts above her waist, and Evie wrapped her legs about his hips. Gabriel slammed her against the door, and Evie moaned. His hands traveled inside the slit of her drawers, and he smiled wolfishly as he found moisture there.
“I see my wife has need of me, too,” he growled.
