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“I’ll have to give him a warning,” James said.
“A warning? What for?” Marina spluttered, turning to face him.
“Well, if Miss Davis is anything like her friend,” James paused, his eyes landing on Marina, “he’ll find himself quite in her power within days.”
“Speaking of which, where is that new bedchamber you told me about in this building?” Marina said, pressing her body closer to his.
“Allow me to show you.”
The End?
EXTENDED EPILOGUE
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PREVIEW: THE DUKE OF VENGEANCE
CHAPTER1
“Idid not think that any of them would turn out like this,” Lydia Lambert, the eldest daughter of the Earl of Russton, heard someone say nearby. She recognized the voice. It belonged to an old friend of her late mother’s, and most certainly, the woman was talking about Lydia herself and her sisters.
“Like what?” another voice asked. Lydia wondered that herself as she eavesdropped on a conversation that was about her yet not meant for her.
“Well, so… appropriately,” the woman replied with incredulity in her voice.
Lydia looked proudly around the ballroom, congratulating herself on a job well done. Her rosy, freckled cheeks were glowing with delight as she watched her younger sister, Selina, dance with the Viscount of Lipton and their youngest sister Anna converse joyfully with the other ladies. Things were finally all in their place as they should be. There would be weddings afoot, and she was the one responsible for the joyful union.
“… late mother… absent father… older sister took good care of them…” That was all Lydia heard as she distanced herself from the ladies and this conversation. She had heard enough.
She exhaled with relief, thinking that she deserved a break. All this stress of being a constant help to her sisters had started to take a toll on her. Truth be told, it was simply how life had turned out for them. The untimely and tragic death of their mother left the Lambert family in a state of utter disarray.
The Earl, although a kind and loving man who would do anything for his daughters, was completely oblivious to the needs of three young girls. He always expected his wife to be there, to lead them onto the right path and eventually into the arms of a loving husband. Without the matronly presence, the Earl felt lost, like a ship in the open seas having entered a tempest without any sight of salvation in the form of land.
Quickly, it became obvious to Lydia that she would need to be the motherly presence in her sisters’ lives. As for her… well, her own happiness would not be a priority. First, she needed to lead her sisters onto the right path and only then, focus on herself.
Suddenly, she felt someone’s reassuring hand on her shoulder. She turned around and was met with her father’s loving gaze. She smiled back.
“Are you enjoying yourself, my dear?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said, mostly so he would not worry. She would rather have a moment of peace with her own thoughts.
“Why aren’t you with your sisters or with your friends?” he wondered. “I hate to see you all alone.”
She almost told him that she’d had so few precious moments alone lately that she relished every single one of them. But he would not understand, just like he did not understand many things that were happening lately.
“I shall join them in a moment, rest assured,” she said, propping herself up on her toes to give him a peck on the cheek. “I think I need a breath of fresh air first.”
“Would you like me to accompany you?” he suggested.
“No,” she shook her head, and at that moment, someone by her father’s side, an old friend, pulled him back into the conversation which obviously needed his presence to continue.
Throwing one last glance to assure herself that everything was truly in order with her sisters, she headed out into the garden for some fresh air. The garden was illuminated enough for her to venture a little further away from the house, seeking a moment of peace and solitude. Surrounded by tall blossoming flower beds, tall trees, and thick shrubbery, she closed her eyes, enjoying the peace and quiet.
Then, suddenly, she heard angry voices coming from the other side of the thick, bushy fence. She tried to peer through it, but the thick leaves and the darkness did not allow her to see clearly or to see at all, for that matter. If she wished to see the two men, she would need to walk around the fence towards the opening.
