by Magan Vernon
Oh shit.
Was this about to get ugly?
Then it was as if the clouds had parted and the sun agreed to finally shine after years of rain.
The older Webley woman smiled for what I was pretty sure was the first time ever.
She looked up at her son, her hand still gripping my fingers. “Gavin, you told me your plan was to propose this afternoon after her mother arrived.”
I blinked hard, looking between the two of them as my body stiffened.
The hell?
She knew about this?
“Of course, Gavin would never do anything according to plan,” Cecily’s posh voice carried over us as she jumped up from the table, sauntering over as fast as her sky-high heels and flowy high-low dress would allow.
That chill that was once at the back of my neck now spread throughout my body as I looked up at Gavin, who now had the slight crook of a smile on his face.
“Your family knew you were proposing?” I asked, trying to keep the squeak out of my voice.
“Of course we did!” Lord Edwin’s booming voice broke through the barrier of women as the barrel of a man pushed off the table, approaching where we had gathered. Hugh followed behind him, smiling like the cat who ate the canary.
I blinked hard, still gazing at my future husband.
The smiled broadened across his face as he slid an arm around my shoulders, pulling me close. “I told you I had a plan, but of course you couldn’t wait.”
“When have the two of you ever gone with convention?” Lady Helena tsked.
I looked over, expecting to see her infamous scowl. But there was something else on her lips. Was it the hint of a smile?
“Well, Natalie is the Lady of Webley, so Gavin is still marrying nobility,” Cecily piped up.
Lady Helena nodded slightly. “Yes, she is, isn’t she? And she really has done a marvelous job in bringing this manor back to life, hasn’t she?”
We all looked up to the fresco ceilings and around the walls of the room that used to be piled high with Great Aunt Sarah’s treasures that were now part of the historical society.
I wanted to ask both of the Webley women when they had their change of heart about me. Or if this was all an act, and soon they’d corner me and tell me that I wasn’t right for their son and brother.
But when Gavin squeezed my hand, I looked up to see his smile. The one that told me no matter what happened from this point forward, he’d have me. Like he had since the first time we talked.
We were the Lord and Lady of Webley. For better or for worse. We’d defied convention, and soon we’d have our happily ever after.
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Acknowledgments
First, and foremost, a big thank you to my editor Candace, for saying she’d love a book that took place in England with royalty. From there it took an episode of Queer Eye where a man was living in his great aunt’s old house. I thought “Hey…what if an English Lord needed this but with a castle.” And this story was born.
To my agent, Stephanie, for always believing in me and my stories…even when she yells at me in Southern.
Dallas Street Dog Advocates, for taking me on as a foster dog mom and helping me with all things dog. Or dog distractions. Either or.
Cat, for helping me get the Britishness down in this story.
My RANT girls - Michelle and Sarah, for helping me when I needed a critique group and making this story stronger.
Elizabeth Turner Stokes, who knocked this cover out of the park and I still giggle at the tag line!
Meredith, for giggling with me at the tag line and always supporting me since the alien days.
Dani, Jessica, and Riki for pushing this story and being a great publicity team.
Pam, Kayla, Natalie, and Crista, for being my biggest cheerleaders and distractors. I obviously can’t turn down a Miami Vice or cookie dough.
Twothy and the girls, this book would have been done a lot sooner without y’all, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Finally, to the readers. My reader group, FeelTheVern, and to everyone else who has taken a chance on me and my books. I love you all more than Floofs.
About the Author
Magan Vernon has been living off of reader tears since she wrote her first short story in 2004. She now spends her time killing off fictional characters, pretending to plot while she really just watches Netflix, and she tries to do this all while her two young children run amok around her Texas ranch. Find her online at www.maganvernon.com
Also by Magan Vernon…
Straight Up Irish
Irish on the Rocks
Dirty Irish
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