A Father's Insistence (Dark Sovereignty Book 3)
Page 16
I bring my lips to hers.
“Yes.”
As we all leave the room, I turn around and take a final look at the man who I worshipped for most of my life. It’ll take a long while to absorb everything that has happened over the last few weeks, but with my loving wife at my side, I know that what she said about us growing gray and old together won’t just be a dream. It’ll be a reality, and a new Oakfield will emerge with me, Joanna, Nicholas, Victoria, William, and Tamara at the helm. A place of sanctuary, not violence. The past is dead. Long live the future.
Epilogue
Rose Windsor, Duchess of Oakfield
Thirty years later
Hello and welcome to Oakfield hall. I want to thank you all for coming here today. My name is Rose Windsor and today I turned thirty years old and inherited my father’s title and became Duchess of Oakfield. Thank you, daddy.” I smile down at my father where he sits in the front row of the audience with his arm wrapped around my mother, he leans over and gives her a kiss and she kisses him back. I know that despite being sixty my father will take my mother back to their bedroom soon and I doubt they’ll surface for the rest of the evening. It’s a big embarrassment to me and my younger sister and two younger brothers how in love with each other they still are. Twins, Amelia and Jonathan, and little Reggie named after my father’s childhood butler, all sit beside my parents. Amelia is engaged to be married to a man from New York and is only here for a few days before she returns to her fashion career in the states. She was recently asked to design the wedding dress of the actress Bethany Jolie when she married my dad’s friend, Prince John. Jonathan runs the Oakfield estates for my father while Reggie is still at university studying finance and unsure what he wants to do with his future yet. Next to them sits my husband, Henry Windsor, we were married last year after being introduced at an art exhibition three years ago. I’m carrying our first child at the moment, but we’ve not told anyone yet as it’s still early days. I know mum and dad will be thrilled when they find out. I’m excited to tell them. About ten years ago, mum sat me down and told me about how she and dad met. I’ve always known she had the Oakfield crest burnt into the skin on her thigh. I’ve never asked about it before, but it just felt like it was time. She told me how her father had given her to my dad as part of an old pact within the society. She’d been subjected to terrible trials by the previous Duke but her and my father had fallen in love and eventually managed to triumph over the man who would have been my grandad. It took me a long time to come to terms with what had happened. I’d packed my bags and travelled around the world for a few months as I allowed it all to sink in. It was the best thing I’d ever done though as it helped me when I eventually took over the new version of the Oakfield Society.
That is the other reason I stand in front of an audience on my thirtieth birthday. It’s because I’m handing out grants to a new intake of candidates to our scheme to help assist those who want to succeed in the world of art, drama and music.
I finish handing out the last certificate and step down from the plate. My cousin, Daphne stands their clapping her hands. She’s the daughter of my Aunt Joanna and Uncle Theo. She’s a few years younger than me and I’ve brought her into the society as my assistant because her knowledge of marketing matters is second to none. My aunt and uncle had difficultly conceiving her, I was told his was due to scaring, it wasn’t until after my mother had told me the story of her meeting with my father that she told me how my aunt and uncle met. To have one grandfather who was a devil is unlucky but two, shameful. I can’t believe what happened to Joanna and the fact it left her unable to conceive a child without IVF. Thankfully they had Daphne and then adopted three more children, Sebastian, Chloe and Frederick. You would never know that the last three aren’t biological to them, they are loved just as much and told off when wrong in the same way. My uncle Theo can be a bit domineering and over protective especially of the girls, but my aunt Joanna seems to like it. She often calls him her savior when I’ve been around. My uncle runs his estates which have been combined with the title of Linton which Joanna inherited from her father. Joanna spends a lot of her time doing photography and even has a gallery in London where she sells them from.
“You were so good.” Daphne applauds me, “How are you feeling? Any sickness?” She hands me a flute full of water not champagne.
I roll my eyes at her. I can’t keep a secret from my cousin. It’s impossible.
“I’m good. Where are your mum and dad?” I laugh.
“Mum had a headache, they send their apologies. Dad was going to come but he said he better stay with mum in case she needed anything.” Daphne doesn’t need to say anything else, Uncle Theo and Aunt Joanna are just as amorous as my parents.
Henry comes to my side and brings me close to him kissing me passionately.
“I love it when you come over all boss lady. Maybe you could speak to me that way later.” He winks and I run my tongue over my lips. I wish I could take him to bed now, I think I’ve inherited my parents passionate streak.
“I don’t need to hear that about my niece.” My uncle William coughs from behind us.
“Sorry Uncle William.” I give him a welcoming kiss on the cheek.
“You did amazingly.” My aunt Tamara joins him and congratulates me, “Your mother was feeling a little tired. Your father has taken her for a rest. They’ll be back down to congratulate you later.”
William lets out a loud snort.
“Not if he takes one of his Viagra tablets. He’ll be fucking her all night.”
Daphne and I both screw up our noses and stick out our tongues.
“Yuck! Uncle William.”
“I know.” He grabs a flute of champagne from a passing waiter. “One of those things I’m not supposed to talk about.”
“Yes.” Tamara whacks him on the shoulder and shakes her head.
“How about I say I’m going to wash some Viagra down with this champagne, so you better get that cute backside upstairs.”
“You are just saying things to gross out the children now. Katherine and Oscar hate it when you do that.” Aunt Joanna refers to my other cousins, their children. Katherine is an actress in Hollywood while Oscar still lives at Oakfield Hall. He is on the autism spectrum like my Uncle William, but I’ve never seen two parents so devoted to giving him love and reassurance over his diagnosis.
“Is it working.” They both laugh together before disappearing and I know I won’t see them again this evening. This party is now mine. A new generation is taking over. The sins of the past are dead, our futures are bright, and we have the power to make our own decisions. Everyone is happy. Everyone is free. That is what Oakfield is now, our sovereignty complete but no longer one of darkness because it is only filled with light and sex, lots of consensual sex.
THE END
I hope you’ve enjoyed the Dark Sovereignty Series. Look out for more Dark Romance from me soon.
Acknowledgments
First and always to my great friend, Charity Hendry, for always being there for me. For entertaining my crazy ideas and helping me bring them to fruition. Love you to bits.
To my editor, Tracy Roelle, and proofreader, Sheena Taylor, you polish my books so that they shine brightly. I’m lucky to have such a good team.
To my street team, thank you so much for all that you do to get my books out in the reader world.
To Yvonne, for not only beta reading and offering me advice but for organizing so much when it comes to conventions. I’d be lost without you.
To my family, thank you for all the support that you give me.
Finally, to all the readers who have embraced me as an author. I’m so glad that you enjoy the stories my mind creates. I hope I’m able to give you many more years of pleasure.
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The Control Series
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Hidden Pain – Hunter, Lily and Kingsley’s story
Stolen Choices – Katia’s story
Power of a Myth – Molly and Hayden’s story
A Deadly Affair – Jessica’s story
Banishing Regrets – Kas’ story.
About the Author
I am a British author, from the depths of the rural countryside near London. In a previous life, I was an accountant from the age of twenty-one. I still do that on occasions, but most of my life is now spent intermingling writing while looking after my husband, two children and two cats (probably in the inverse order to the one listed!). When I have some spare time, I can also be found writing poetry, baking cakes (and eating them), or behind a camera snapping like a mad paparazzi.
I'm an avid reader who turned to writing to combat my depression and anxiety. I have a love of traveling and like to bring this to my stories to give them the air of reality.
I like my heroes hot and hunky with a dirty mouth, my heroines demure but with spunk, and my books full of dramatic suspense.
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Meet the Author
I’ll be at the following signings in 2019:
1st June – Heart of Steel, Sheffield, UK.
18-19 October – Shameless, Orlando, Florida, USA