Then her mouth was once again fastened on his, undoing his resolve, begging him to stay. Harry felt himself dissolving into the heat of her kisses.
How far his little wife had come from blushing at the thought of a single kiss! Now she was as ravenous for him as he was for her.
“It is past time,” he said, pushing her away with aching regret. “What, will you have us receive Mr and Mrs Blakely in this state of undress?”
Catherine giggled wickedly at the thought. “Agnes would faint on the spot. It is rather tempting.”
“Away with you!” he laughed. “Wanton woman! What will become of me?”
“All sorts of good things,” she promised, planting one last soft kiss on his lips. “Very well. My husband commands and I obey. I will clothe myself appropriately to save my sisters’ blushes.”
He watched her saunter through the connecting door into her own chambers with a certain degree of pride. That new spring in Catherine’s step was all his doing. She was every inch the blissful newlywed.
Later, when their guests had arrived, he watched her at the opposite end of the table organising the fluid motion of the servants with self-conscious care. She really was a talented mistress. The dinner party went off without a hitch.
Of course, it would have been no matter if problems had arisen. It was an intimate family grouping: Harry’s aunt and mother, Catherine’s father and two sisters, and Agnes’s husband Mr Blakely. James and William remained in London – James to continue his carefree bachelor’s existence, and William to enjoy the fruits of his own new marriage.
“You must be very pleased, Mr Sharp, to see two of your daughters well-married,” the Dowager Duchess was saying. “What a relief to find your responsibilities as a parent so easily taken care of!”
“There has been nothing easy about it,” grumbled Mr Sharp, twinkling teasingly at his two elder daughters.
“Now there is only Alice to think of,” remarked Agnes.
“Yes, it’s your turn next,” said Catherine, winking at her younger sister. Alice shook her head vehemently.
“You’ll not marry me off quietly. I have my own ideas about my future husband…and I dread to think what you’ll make of them!”
“Heaven preserve us,” muttered Mr Sharp.
“Don’t worry, father. As long as there are no Mr Hintons found for me, I’ll be good as gold compared to my sisters.”
“Hush, Alice,” said Catherine. “Is that kind?”
“Oh, I am sure Mr Hinton would not mind it,” said the Dowager Duchess blithely. “Have you not heard the news? He has been courting young Miss Green for the past fortnight. I expect to hear their announcement any day.”
Harry could not help but laugh at his wife’s sigh of relief. “I hope you’re not regretting your decision, Cathy,” he teased her.
“Certainly not.”
“Well,” said Harry’s mother with an air of finality, “I for one could not be happier with the way everything has turned out.” She smiled across the table at Catherine. “I am so pleased to have you a part of the family!”
“And I am pleased to be a part of it.”
Harry admired his wife’s shy dimples as he poured himself another glass of wine.
“I was sorry to see that Captain Kirby was not here tonight,” remarked Alice. “Is he well?”
“Oh ho!” cawed the Dowager Duchess. “I sense you would not be averse to making him a part of our little family, Miss Sharp! Do not lie to me – I have a very fine nose for this sort of thing. I will have the truth from you!”
“Captain Kirby has been called to London on business,” said Harry, saving Alice from further interrogation. “I shall see him again next week when Cathy and I return to London for the rest of the Season.” He glanced across at Catherine, prompting her with his eyes, and was delighted to see she understood him immediately.
“On that note, Alice, we wanted to invite you to come with us next week. If you do not think it is too late for you to make your debut, that is,” she said smoothly. Alice’s eyes grew large and bright and she dropped her fork onto her plate with a clatter.
“My first Season! Do you mean it? Do you really?”
“You will be eighteen next week,” Catherine smiled. “It is time – don’t you agree, Papa?”
“Have I any choice?”
“Oh! Mr Sharp! You simply must agree,” the Dowager Duchess implored him. “Miss Sharp is such a delightful girl – I will give you such advice, my dear, that you will be the belle of every ball!”
Alice clapped her hands together as if every last one of her dreams was coming true. “Yes, Papa, you must agree! I shall die if you don’t!”
“Well, I can’t have a dead daughter on my conscience,” he said, smiling wryly. Alice shouted for joy.
“We will be delighted to have you,” said Harry. Inwardly, he made a mental note to get James firmly out of the house before Alice arrived. She was too young and pretty to be kept anywhere near his rascal of a brother.
The ladies soon departed to leave Harry, Blakely and their father-in-law to their brandy. Harry drew out a packet of his finest cigars to offer around.
Mr Sharp puffed away contemplatively before fixing Harry with a sharp glare. “I cannot say that I approve of the way you went about wooing my daughter, young man. It was far too messy, in my opinion. You would not catch anything like that sort of behaviour going on in my day.” He raised a hand to forestall Harry’s protest. “That said, I have rarely seen my Cathy as happy and radiant as she is today. It is a delight to behold.”
“Thank you, sir,” said Harry. Mr Sharp waved his gratitude off irritably.
“You will soon have your own children, god willing, and only then will you understand the misery you have put me through.” But he spoke kindly.
To have his own children – the very thought sent a wave of happiness through Harry’s heart. He pictured Catherine round and glowing as she nurtured his child inside her. Could such a joyful thing truly be his? Did any man deserve such happiness?
After they bid their guests goodbye and said goodnight to the elderly ladies of the house who made their way early to bed, Harry put an arm around his wife’s waist and drew her close.
“You were perfect tonight, my love.”
“Really?” A small frown crinkled Catherine’s forehead. “I felt so very unsure about how to arrange everything. To tell the truth, I felt like a fish flapping about on a riverbank.”
“Not at all. You arranged everything wonderfully. I could not be more impressed with you.” He bent down to leave a kiss among her soft golden curls. “I have chosen myself the most excellent of wives.”
“A very strange coincidence,” said Catherine fondly. “I have chosen myself the most excellent husband.”
Harry smiled, feeling contentment settle over him as soft and warm as his wife’s embrace. He took her hand in his and led her up the stairs to bed.
For the first time in years, despite his title and all his riches, he finally had everything he wanted.
Thank you for reading my debut Regency Romance, The Duke Suggests a Scandal!
I hope you loved reading it as much as I loved writing it.
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Gemma
Table of Contents
Contents
Copyright
Prologue
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
&nb
sp; CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Duelling for a Wife
The Duke Suggests a Scandal Page 16