Was she ready to have her brother back in her life? She wasn’t sure. But she wasn’t ready to close the door either.
“I would like that, Ben,” she said.
At her use of his familiar name, the lines eased on his weary features, making him look more like the younger brother she’d known.
“Thank you.” He gave a gruff nod. “I’ll bid my adieu. I believe your attention is wanted elsewhere.”
As her brother left, she turned to see the mudlarks had lined up behind her.
“We’ll be on our way, milady,” Long Mikey said.
“How will I ever repay you? I still don’t understand why—”
“A wrong against me you’ll regret, but a favor to me I’ll ne’er forget.”
The words stroked her memory like a match against a tinderbox, recognition flaring.
“That boy in the park with Grigg…” she said in wonder. “He said those exact words.”
“It’s the motto o’ the mudlarks. The boy you saved, ’is name is Long Joe, and e’s my brother. ’E gives his regards, by the way.”
“Long Joe is here?” she asked, surprised.
“Yes, milady. O’er there.”
She followed the direction of Mikey’s pointed finger. A strapping brown-haired lad well over six feet tall was heading toward them. When he saw her, he grinned—showing the familiar gap between his teeth.
“We larks ’ave long owed you a favor,” Mikey went on. “When we ’eard you arrived in London and were in a spot o’ trouble, we knew it was time to pay the debt. Been keeping an eye out for you for days.”
“That’s why you were following me…to protect me?”
Mikey nodded. “Now the ledger is clean.”
A whistle pierced the night. It came from the canal, where a lighter was floating by the banks. A figure stepped from the boat’s cabin; from the distance, Bea couldn’t see much of him. He whistled again, and the children filed into line, Mikey leading and Joe shepherding. They scampered to the boat and boarded, the vessel gliding off into the darkness.
Bea looked at Wick. “I can’t believe the mudlarks were looking out for me all this time.”
He brushed his knuckles against her jaw, his eyes warm. “Your good deeds did not go unnoticed.”
“But yours have.” She drew a breath. “I’ve been so selfish, Wick. So stubborn and blind.”
“That’s untrue,” he said, frowning.
“Let me finish. It was stupid of me to leave with Lisette. She forged a letter from my butler, saying that there’d been another attack at Camden Manor. I panicked and decided I needed to go back straight away.”
“That’s understandable. You’re a strong woman, love, used to looking after your estate and those who depend upon you.”
“But that wasn’t really why I fled.” She took one of his hands, so big and strong, knowing that that strength would always protect her. “I fled because I was afraid of how much I loved you.”
“Angel.” His eyes flared, his hand gripping hers.
“I should have told you earlier…but I’m so in love with you Wick, I can hardly think straight. And it terrifies me. How much I need you, how I’d do anything for you…how you are everything to me.”
“You are everything to me, Beatrice. I love you,” he said fervently.
“I know you do. That is the miracle of it.” Her breath hitched at the power of all she was feeling, but there was more she needed to say. “For so long, I believed that I would never find a man who could love me as I am, and then to find you, to find such happiness—I kept waiting for it to end. The way my former life did when I got scarred. And when things with the railway came to a head, I told myself that that was it: that was the end to our joy, which I’d always known would come.”
“Nothing is ending,” he declared. “You’re mine, and nothing can change that. The railway venture won’t go as planned, but that doesn’t make me a failure. You’ve given that to me, angel. Shown me that the redemption I sought was already mine. What I truly need is you: your love fills me with joy and purpose and makes life worth living.”
She knew that she would treasure his words forever.
“You’ll have my love for as long as I live,” she vowed. “And you’ll have my estate as well.”
He frowned. “No, Beatrice. I won’t take it.”
“You will because Camden Manor is to be my wedding gift to you. Well, not gift exactly—I’ll expect a fair price for the land, and I’ll use that money to make sure my tenants are well settled wherever they wish to go.”
He shook his head—stubborn man.
“I won’t let you make such a sacrifice. I know what your estate means to you. It’s the refuge you built for yourself and others, the one place where you feel safe, and I will never take that away from you.”
She knew he meant it, which made her choice even easier.
“Do you know what I was thinking when I was trapped in the warehouse, thinking I was going to die?”
His features hardened, his hands closing convulsively around her waist. “What, love?”
“I was thinking how foolish I was for leaving you. You make me feel safe, Wick, not some piece of land. I put up walls to protect my heart, but what I truly needed was for you to tear them down. You taught me to trust again, to see that true beauty—beauty not of the skin but of the heart and soul—does exist. Your love is the greatest security I’ll ever know, and your arms are the only haven I need.”
The love in his eyes warmed her to the depths of her being.
“In that case,” he said, “I believe a negotiation is in order.”
She gave him a quizzical smile. “What sort of negotiation?”
“If you want me to buy your land, then you’ll have to do something for me in return.”
She had to laugh. “Isn’t that rather a winning proposition for you?”
“I’m not London’s best negotiator for nothing.” He winked at her, then went down on one knee. “Lady Beatrice Wodehouse, would you do me the honor of marrying me by special license because I cannot wait another damned minute to make you my wife?”
What could she say to that, except “Yes, yes, yes!”
To the cheers of their friends, he rose, spinning her in a circle that made her dizzy with joy. Then he claimed her with a kiss that proved that, in this deal of a lifetime, there would always be two winners.
Epilogue
“Wick, we cannot abandon our own guests,” his wife said breathlessly.
He pulled her into their shared study and closed the door, muffling the sounds of the masquerade.
“The Ellerbys are showing off their reel,” he replied. “No one will notice that we’re gone.”
They were hosting the party to celebrate their new home—or rather, the renovation of Beatrice’s former manor. After she’d sold her property to GLNR, Wick had been determined to help her find the perfect new situation. As it turned out, they didn’t have to look very far.
Squire Crombie had cocked up his toes, leaving his unentailed property to a distant and indifferent heir who promptly auctioned it off. Bea snatched up the land at a bargain of a price. With the help of the surveyors, Wick was able to redraw the lines of Bea’s new estate to include her old manor house.
Thus, Wick had his railway, and she kept her home. Her tenants had been delighted at the short distance of their move. And the grass was truly greener on the other side: according to Ellerby and the other satisfied farmers, the new land was fertile pickings indeed.
“I’ll notice,” Beatrice said now. “It’s bad form, darling.”
“I’ll show you bad form.” He tossed off his domino, revealing the urgent state of matters down south. “If I get any harder, I may burst a seam and then we’ll have a true scandal on our hands.”
She gave a breathless laugh. “You haven’t been like that all evening, have you?”
“From the instant I saw you come down the stairs,” he said solemnly.
Beatrice
had kept her costume a secret from him until the last minute. Just before the arrival of their guests, she’d come down the stairs, and his breath had lodged in his throat: she’d dressed up as a Common Blue butterfly. Not that there was anything common about her. Her shot-silk gown of periwinkle blue clung to her flawless figure, filmy wings of silver-blue at her back. She wore the jewels he’d given her: the butterfly brooch glittered on her bodice and her engagement ring, a lavender sapphire surrounded by diamonds, winked on her finger.
She hadn’t bothered with a mask.
Instead, she’d applied face paint, exotic swirls of blue, purple, pink, and silver framing her luminous gaze. She’d integrated her scar into the pattern, highlighting her unique beauty. As she’d descended to him, like a goddess to a mere mortal, he’d never been prouder.
Or randier.
He pulled his lass in close. “You’re the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen, and I want to screw you senseless.”
“Likewise.” Her eyes sparkled up at him. “Your desk or mine?”
“Mine. It’s closer.”
Her laugh washed over him as he swept her off her feet and onto his desk. This wasn’t the first time they’d christened the furnishings—the benefit of sharing a study with one’s spouse. He placed her in one of his favorite positions: on her back on his blotter while he sat in his chair. Tossing up her skirts, he feasted on her pussy, loving the way her fingers clutched his hair, her slippered heels digging against his shoulders as she reached her crisis.
Rising, he flipped her onto her belly. He ran a possessive hand over the smooth hills of her bottom while he freed himself with the other. His nostrils flared as he brought the dripping tip of his rod to her pretty pink cleft. He pushed in slowly, enjoying the sight of her hole stretching to receive him, the wickedly lewd delight of sinking his shaft inside his wife.
“Don’t stop,” she moaned when he held inside her, balls-deep.
“You’re right, angel. It isn’t polite to make our guests wait, is it?”
He lunged inside her. Her tight cunny massaged his prick as he slammed his hips, his stones slapping her dewy lips. She writhed against him, leaving a wet stain on the leather blotter that he knew would make him hard every time he saw it.
Feeling the precursory sizzle at the base of his spine, he panted, “Frig yourself, love. Make yourself come and take me with you.”
With a whimper, she obeyed, sliding a hand beneath her. The sight of her slim fingers rubbing her pussy brought him to the edge. Luckily, she was already there: she soared over with a cry, her silver-blue wings fluttering, her rippling sheath drawing his fire. He bit back a shout as he found his fulfillment inside his beloved, the hot waves of bliss rocking him to the core.
When he caught his breath, he tended to her with his handkerchief and helped set her to rights. Reluctant to let her go just yet, he wrapped his arms around her waist. Enjoyed the simple, profound pleasure of holding his wife close.
“Wick?”
“Hmm?”
“There’s something I have to tell you.”
The thread of uncertainty in Beatrice’s voice was uncharacteristic. He tipped his head back to look into her face. Sure enough, a hint of anxiety shadowed her eyes. Since they talked frequently, he could take a stab at the cause of her concern.
“Are you worried about Fancy and Knighton?” he asked.
Shortly before he and Beatrice had wed by special license, Fancy and Knighton had showed up in London. Knighton had read the papers blaming Beatrice for the demise of GLNR’s plans, and Fancy had insisted on rushing to aid her friend. Luckily, all had been well by then…and that was when Fancy had shared her own shocking news.
She and Knighton had wed; the tinker’s daughter was now the Duchess of Knighton. From what Beatrice had gleaned from her friend, the marriage had been one of necessity and was off to a rocky start.
Bea chewed on her lip. “I am worried about Fancy, and I plan to corner her once she and Knighton arrive. But that’s not what I was referring to.”
“What is it, then?”
“Wick, how would you feel about expanding the manor?”
“But we just renovated…”
He trailed off, his eyes widening as her meaning struck him like a hammer to the skull. For once, he was speechless. He tried to summon words, but they got stuck somewhere between his brain and mouth.
Beatrice peered at him. “Are you quite all right?”
And he, London’s top negotiator, stammered, “Are you…are we…baby?”
“Yes.” She gave him a shy smile. “I hope you’re as pleased about it as I am.”
“Angel.” He cupped her jaw with hands that shook. “I’m more than pleased. You’ve already given me so much—and now a babe too…”
“Come to think of it,” she said, a playful curve on her lips, “I will be doing most of the work, won’t I? I should definitely be asking for some concessions in return.”
“Whatever your heart desires,” he said reverently.
“That’s not fair. You’ve already given me that.”
“Whatever else your heart desires, then.”
She mulled that over, then rose on tiptoe to whisper something in his ear. At her naughty request, he choked back a laugh. Then he kissed his wife, overflowing with the love and joy of their happily ever after.
Dear Reader,
I have always loved Beauty and the Beast, and writing my own twist on the tale was an absolute joy. For those of you who have been following my books, you know that Wick first appeared in The Viscount Always Knocks Twice as Richard Murray’s spoiled younger brother. I think he’s come a long way since then, and I hope you enjoyed his hot and heart-warming redemption with the incomparable Lady Beatrice!
When you have a moment, I would truly appreciate it if you left a review wherever you purchased this book. As an author, I value and depend upon reader word-of-mouth, so thank you for taking the time.
Up next…Fancy and Severin Knight’s story in The Return of the Duke!
She wanted a hot-blooded lover. He needed a cool-headed duchess. Their marriage of convenience will be anything but convenient…
* * *
When Fate throws tinker’s daughter Fancy Sheridan into the arms of Severin Knight, the Duke of Knighton, neither are prepared for the consequences. Fancy has always dreamed of passionate love and instead finds herself wed to a stoic nobleman whose heart belongs to another. Knighton needs a high-born lady to shepherd his unruly half-siblings through the ton and now has a wife who knows nothing of society and cares even less about its rules. As Fancy and Knighton struggle to find common ground, hot and irresistible passion flares between them. All the while, dark secrets rise to threaten their budding happiness. Will husband and wife defeat their enemies and find everlasting love?
* * *
Preorder The Return of the Duke today!
Also by Grace Callaway
GAME OF DUKES
Preorder for June 2020:
The Return of the Duke (Book 5)
She wanted a hot-blooded lover. He needed a cool-headed duchess. Their marriage of convenience will be anything but convenient…
* * *
When Fate throws tinker’s daughter Fancy Sheridan into the arms of Severin Knight, the Duke of Knighton, neither are prepared for the consequences. Fancy has always dreamed of passionate love and instead finds herself wed to a stoic nobleman whose heart belongs to another. Knighton needs a high-born lady to shepherd his unruly half-siblings through the ton and now has a wife who knows nothing of society and cares even less about its rules. As Fancy and Knighton struggle to find common ground, hot and irresistible passion flares between them. All the while, dark secrets rise to threaten their budding happiness. Will husband and wife defeat their enemies and find everlasting love?
* * *
Preorder The Return of the Duke today!
The Duke Identity (Book 1)
Shattered by betrayal, ex-scholar Harry Kent finds new p
urpose as a policeman. Sent to infiltrate a family in London's criminal underworld, he lands a job guarding the family’s clever and wicked daughter, Tessa Todd. Neither is prepared for their passionate attraction—or the rising peril that threatens their lives. Winner of the Daphne du Maurier Award and Finalist for the National Excellence in Romance Fiction Award!
Enter the Duke (Book 2)
A hunt for a legendary treasure reunites the Duke of Ranelagh and Somerville with Maggie Foley, a former barmaid and his ex-lover. Her shocking secret triggers a journey of redemption for the devil-may-care rake. Together they must fight for their future and that of their daughter…all while defending themselves against a dangerous foe. Finalist for the NECRWA Readers’ Choice Award and the Golden Quill!
Regarding the Duke (Book 3)
Shy, sweet wallflower Gabriella Garrity has everything she's ever wanted: a husband she loves, beautiful children, and a home of her own. Then she discovers the secret that shatters all her illusions. Ruthless moneylender Adam Garrity has a life-long goal: revenge on the man who nearly destroyed him. He has his enemy within his grasp...until amnesia makes him see his life—and his wife—with new eyes. A hot and heart-melting journey to happily-ever-after!
HEART OF ENQUIRY
This series features the adventures of the Kent family. Each of the unconventional siblings finds laughter, steamy passion, and true love while unraveling mysteries and secrets in late Regency England. Join them in their sizzling escapades…
The Widow Vanishes (Prequel novella)
The Duke Redemption Page 31