Bound by a Scandalous Secret (The Scandalous Summerfields)
Page 27
‘It is not a Turner,’ Genna said, ‘but I have improved since last year.’
‘I do not know what the devil a Turner is,’ Dell said, ‘but this is quite good, I’d say.’
‘It is very good,’ Ross said. ‘I may want to borrow it and get it accepted in the Royal Academy Exhibition.’
‘I have a gift,’ Tess spoke up excitedly. ‘It is mostly a gift for Marc.’ He took her hand and her gaze swept all of them. ‘I am going to have a baby!’
‘Another baby!’ Genna cried. ‘First Edmund, now you.’
‘Lovely news,’ Lorene said, rising to give her sister a kiss on the cheek.
Ross took a small wrapped box out of his pocket. ‘I thought of giving Genna oil paints and watercolours, but those are her tools. She must always have what she needs. So I got this.’
He handed Genna the box and she opened it. It was a lovely diamond pendant. ‘Oh, it is beautiful! I must wear it. Put it on me, Ross.’
He fastened the clasp. His fingers were warm against the tender skin of her neck and, as always, they made her body come alive. But she could wait, because she wanted to spend this precious time with her sisters and these wonderful men who had been so good to them. She could also wait, because she knew Ross would be there for her every night. She’d sleep in his arms tonight in the bed she’d slept in as a young girl vowing to make her own way in the world.
She could have done it, too. She could have made a living with her painting, but she’d found something she wanted even more.
Ross.
* * *
As it got later, Tess was yawning and Marc insisted on having her retire for the night. Dell ordered his carriage for Lorene and offered to accompany her back to Tinmore Hall. Genna and Ross were left alone in the drawing room.
‘I suppose we ought to go to bed, too.’ She fingered her pendant. ‘I believe I shall sleep in my diamond. I do not wish to take it off.’
Ross put his arm around her and kissed the back of her neck. ‘I am delighted it pleases you.’
She turned around and hugged him close. ‘We should go.’
‘One moment.’ Ross stepped away and took a candle from one of the tables. He went to the hidden door and opened it. ‘Let’s take the hidden passage.’
She giggled. ‘Of course.’
By the light of his sole candle she led him expertly to the hidden stairs and up to her bedchamber.
‘The door is here.’ She extended her hand to push the door open.
He seized her hand. ‘Not so hasty.’ He blew out the candle and the only light came through slits where the doors were. ‘I want to do something I wished to do a year ago.’
‘What did you wish to do?’
‘This.’ He pulled her into an embrace and placed his lips upon hers.
She could have stayed like this with him for ever.
* * * * *
Join Harlequin My Rewards & Instantly earn a FREE ebook of your choice.
Earn points for every Harlequin print and ebook you buy, wherever & whenever you shop.
Turn your points into FREE BOOKS.
Don’t miss out. Reward the book lover in you!
Register Today & Earn a FREE BOOK*
*New members who join before Dec. 31, 2016 will receive 2000 points redeemable for eligible titles.
Click here to register
Or visit us online to register at
http://www.harlequin.com/myrewards.html?mt=loyalty&cmpid=EBOOBPBPA201602010001
We hope you enjoyed this Harlequin Historical.
You dream of wicked rakes, gorgeous Highlanders, muscled Viking warriors and rugged Wild West cowboys from another era. Harlequin Historical has them all! Emotionally intense stories set across many time periods.
Enjoy six new stories from Harlequin Historical every month!
Connect with us on Harlequin.com for info on our new releases, access to exclusive offers, free online reads and much more!
Other ways to keep in touch:
Harlequin.com/newsletters
Facebook.com/HarlequinBooks
Twitter.com/HarlequinBooks
HarlequinBlog.com
ISBN-13: 9781488004513
Bound by a Scandalous Secret
Copyright © 2016 by Diane Perkins
All rights reserved. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher, Harlequin Enterprises Limited, 225 Duncan Mill Road, Don Mills, Ontario, Canada M3B 3K9.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.
® and ™ are trademarks of the publisher. Trademarks indicated with ® are registered are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Canadian Intellectual Property Office and in other countries.
www.Harlequin.com