by Eva Devon
“We belong to each other?” he asked, his eyes surprisingly bright.
In answer, she leaned forward and kissed him.
A round of applause thundered around them. It was as if every single person around them was full of love and joy that night and nothing could damper it.
In that moment, it couldn’t be denied. She and Nicholas were wrapped in all that was wonderful in a usually unkind world.
He cradled her face in his hands. “Are you afraid?”
“Of the future? Absolutely,” she said. “Thank God you are by side, no?”
“And you by mine, Allegra. And you by mine.”
Epilogue
5 Years Later
Allegra was always exhausted and sometimes, she was heartbroken. Fighting for her beliefs was no easy thing. In fact, sometimes she felt like lying down in the road of defeat. And then she’d lift her gaze to Nicholas and remember that when she had run out of strength, he would always have some to give her.
This morning though, she and Nicholas were triumphant. They had opened a house for outcast women and their children, too, if need be. The ton had come out in full force to lend their support and donate even more funds.
It was something. In a dark world, they’d lit a candle today and Allegra could not have been more overjoyed. . . Well, that was not entirely true.
There was one thing that gave her more joy. The greatest joy she’d ever known.
Juliana ran up and down the gallery, dragging a wooden toy puppy on wheels behind her.
The little girl’s red curls bounced boisterously as she laughed and tugged the dog along.
Allegra snuggled into Nicholas’ arm as they sat on a settee watching their child.
Unlike she and her sister, little Juliana didn’t play knights and maiden fair. Or practice at weddings. Perhaps one day, this little child would want to. But with Nicholas’ support, one thing was clear. This Juliana would never feel that marriage would determine her worth.
This Juliana would have the chances that her aunt never did.
“What are you thinking on, my love?” Nicholas asked.
“My happiness.”
“Which is?”
She laughed then tilted her head back and looked up at him. “My family, of course.”
“Family,” he echoed. A soft smile pulled at his strong mouth. “It is the greatest thing. . . When it is one like ours. Have I told you how lucky I am?”
“Not today.”
He pulled her against his chest then stroked a lock of hair back from her face. “Then I’d best do it, hadn’t I?”
“Only after I tell you how lucky I am,” she replied, loving the feel of his arms around her.
Sensing the affection between her parents, Juliana ran towards them and threw herself into their arms. Allegra held her family and closed her eyes.
Plans or no plans, rules or no rules, life had turned out far better than she ever could have dreamed.
The End
Don’t Miss the Other Books
in
The Dukes’ Club Series!
Available at all online retailers!
Once Upon A Duke
What a Widow Wants:
Everything is going swimmingly for Kathryn Darrell. She’s got an annuity of a hundred thousand a year, her lecherous-heart breaking husband has had the good graces to pop off, and best of all, she has her freedom—Something she has every intention of reveling in to the fullest. And who better to revel with than Ryder Blake, the infamous Duke of Darkwell?
A Duke’s Desire:
Ryder Blake, Duke of Darkwell, known as the Duke of Debauchery, is certain he will never love again. His heart lies buried with his wife and he has vowed to never give more than his body to a woman. But when Kathryn shows up on his doorstep, quite literally, demanding he show her the ways of London, he finds that his heart longs to love once again.
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Dreaming of The Duke
A duchess who desires her freedom.
Cordelia Eversleigh, Duchess of Hunt, has spent her entire life in Egypt, sifting through the sands, cavorting with the local tribes, and uncovering the tombs of glorified ancient Egyptian accountants. Now, all she wishes is to go to Paris and study the mysteries of the hieroglyph. There’s only one problem. She needs to annul her marriage to the husband she has never met. But when she comes face to face with the infamous duke, he stirs a wicked desire in her nature that shocks her to the tips of her oh so practical toes.
A duke longing to be tamed.
Born the second son, Jack Eversleigh, now the Duke of Hunt, has accepted he is going to be a terrible duke. Loving wine, women, and song, he knows there’s only one thing to do. Live up to his debauched reputation. But when a young woman tracks him down in a London pub, prim, proper, and with a tongue that would make the devil envious, he is captivated. . . Until he discovers that she is his wife.
Can these two embrace an arranged marriage á la mode or will their stubborn minds conquer their passionate hearts?
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Wish Upon A Duke
A Widow Who Knows What She Wants:
Lady Imogen Cavendish loves making merry. After surviving years of marriage to an old man, having seized her freedom seems the only intelligent thing to have done. Even so, years of dancing her way through parties has lost its’ luster and all she wants now is to spend most of the year on the small estate she’s purchased in Scotland. There’s just one thing. Her neighbor is an infuriating, superior, and exceptionally handsome duke!
An Arrogant Duke Who Knows It All:
Duncan Hamish Fergus, Tenth Duke of Blackburn, does everything right. Duty might as well be his middle name. After his father very nearly ruined his mother and sister’s life, Duncan is determined to never let the family name be tarnished again. Sacrificing his own pleasure seems a small price to pay until he meets the mad capped English woman, Lady Cavendish. In all his years on the path of righteous, no woman has ever tempted him to stray into sin, but no woman has ever been as mischievous or voluptuous as his saucy sassenach neighbor.
Can Imogen teach the oh so proper duke how to have a little fun or will two hearts be broken by propriety?
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Duke Ever After
A Duke With A Scandalous Secret:
The Duke of Aston has always been the talk of the ton. Wild, passionate, and eccentric, women fall at his feet and gentlemen won’t dare to meet him on the dueling ground. But the duke has a secret. A secret that could destroy his family. While the world sees him as a prince of the realm, he knows that in truth, he’s worthless. So, when Lady Rosamund enters his life demanding he teach her the artful ways of seduction, he’s happy to oblige until he realizes she is the best woman he has ever known and therefore a woman he can never have.
A Lady Who Won’t Be Intimidated:
Lady Rosamund, only sibling of the Duke of Blackburn, is lonely. Raised in the remote glens of the Western Highlands, Rosamund has lived a sheltered life where only books and long walks have relieved her isolation. When she meets the Duke of Aston near her home, a man as delicious as the heroes she’s read about, the passion that sparks between them in undeniable. Adventurous spirit that the duke is, Rosamund knows he’s the man for her. But as she grows closer to the duke, opening her heart to him, his own heart closes.
Can she teach this tortured duke that he is worthy of love or will his past drive them apart forever?
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Not Quite A Duke
A Rake With A Broken Heart:
Deadly with a rapier and one of the most notorious rakes London has ever known, Lord Charles, twin brother of the Duke of Hunt, is hiding a dark secret. Wine, women, and song can’t drown his pain but when he wins Barrow House in a night of gambling, he finds that he’s also won an entanglement with the owner’s niece, Lady Patience. Prickly, forthright, and clad in black from head to toe, she’s the opposite of every thing he’s ever desired in a woman and yet, Lord Charles is inex
plicably drawn to her. When he discovers she has a secret just as serious and scandalous as his own, he knows marriage into his powerful family is the only thing that can rescue her. But can a rake take a chance at marriage and risk losing his heart?
A Lady in Disguise:
Lady Patience has no wish to be rescued but nor is she willing to give up her double life as the extremely successful author P. Auden. When her secret identity is exposed, she has no one to turn to but the rake who won her family house in a card game. But Lord Charles is all that she dislikes in a man. A womanizer and a gambler, she should abhor him. Only Lord Charles is not as simple as he seems. With each day she discovers the hidden depths and pain under his witty and cold exterior. And as she finds that underneath he is a good man nearly destroyed by a terrible secret, she cannot help but lose her heart to the rake who has sacrificed everything for his family’s happiness. Can she save him from his past just as he has saved her? Or will the past claim them both and ruin their chance at love?
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A Duke By Any Other Name
Her dance card is nearly full.
The only sister of the Duke of Hunt, Lady Gemma, is finally ready to settle down. After all, she’s spent too many of her days frolicking all over town. As an Eversleigh, she’s ready for an excellent match. Desiring a serious, reserved, and strong husband who can handle her antics, Gemma handpicks Captain Duke. Surely, she’s selected the perfect man, but perfection may not be as it seems.
This pirate is treading on dangerous water.
Alexander Duke knows the violence of the seas, the brutality of humanity, and the dangers of fighting for a cause. He has no patience for a silly and persistent woman, who exudes more bubbles than a bottle of champagne. But when Lady Gemma turns on the charm, no man can resist her wiles, not even a rugged and courageous pirate. However, protecting his heart is Captain Duke’s number one priority. When a scandalous event shocks his hardened soul, he’s forced to take action, turning his back on his lifelong oath. Suddenly, he’s asking for her hand and putting both of their hearts on the line. Can two stubborn people relinquish control to know true love or will they rock the boat too violently to find their happy ever after?
Buy now!
Don’t forget to try The Must Love Rogues Series too!
The Rogue and I
If the Rogue Fits
Duke Goes Rogue
Live and Let Rogue