by Eva Devon
But Cordelia was with him and the strength she gave him bolstered his heart and resolve. The crimson flowers in his hand were not the traditional white lilies of mourning. No, they were the boisterous flowers of life.
“Are you ready?” she asked.
He nodded. And he stepped up to the tall, marble memorial which encased the remains of his eldest brother and the man who had held him responsible for his great bitterness. Atop the crypt stood an avenging angel, his arms wrapped about the reproduction of his brother’s likeness, stealing him from this earth. Carefully, Jack placed the flowers at the angel’s feet. Instead of bowing his head, he stared straight on at the towering memorial. “Father, you suffered greatly in your life and I know now, that suffering had nothing to do with me. You’re with my brother now. And you’re both safe and happy together. I know you know it wasn’t my fault he died. That life happens. Now, there will be a new Eversleigh. No one can ever replace you or my eldest brother, but life goes on. And we shall be happy, remembering you, not mourning you.”
Cordelia reached out and took his hand. Her slender fingers slid around his and squeezed. It was enough. He’d passed through the bitter part of his life and emerged, stronger, more fulfilled than he ever could have imagined. He glanced down at his wife, observing the small curve to her waist and smiled. “Thank you, my love.”
She merely smiled, knowing she need say nothing in this moment.
Jack drew in a breath and took one last look at the memorial. His breath caught in his throat for the angel which had always terrified him was smiling. “Cordy—”
“Yes?”
Jack hesitated, sure it could only be a trick of light, but that furious angel, now held his brother in the gentlest, kindest of embrace, a loving expression upon his once stern face. “Nothing. Its nothing.”
“It’s not nothing,” she countered. “What is it?”
He let out an exaggerated sigh. “Stop you’re arguing woman.”
“I shan’t. Besides I know you like—”
He bent down and stopped her mouth with a kiss, their lips touching. A symbol of light in the darkness, and with the angel smiling down upon them, Jack knew that everything was going to be all right. In fact, it was going to be more than all right. It was going to be absolutely, bloody glorious.
The End
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And now a snippet from
Dukes’ Club Book 1
Once Upon a Duke
OUT NOW
Ryder Blake, the eleventh Duke of Darkwell, didn’t even blink as his next morsel walked through the door. Instead, he lifted his cigar to his lips, ignored the books and a few Grecian urns he’d flung to the floor, and took a long pull. He allowed the aromatic smoke to fill his mouth as he glanced over the latest variety in a long line of women who had come to him seeking sexual freedom.
This one was different. He didn’t even need to look at her to know that. Usually, when he gave the order to Grieves he was to remain undisturbed, the butler obeyed to the letter. Even if that meant no one was admitted to the house for days. Ryder blew out the smoke and the bad taste the thought gave him.
He had to admit there was nothing remarkable about her. Where some women were soufflés, she was a muffin. And from the firm line of her chin, perhaps a rather tart one.
Her bonnet, plain gray, perched on top of her blonde hair shadowed her pale skin and blue-gray eyes. Though she had high cheekbones, her face lacked the elegance of nobility and her lower lip was far too full. He dropped his gaze to her well-formed but average breasts and then down to her narrow waist. The curve of her hip was a mystery, hidden beneath the surprisingly small skirt given the fashion of the day.
Yes. She was average and in every way unremarkable except for the sheer determination and unmistakable intelligence glowing in her stormy eyes. A smile, a rarity for him, pulled at his lips. He had no doubt that those plain blue-gray eyes could riot into a tempest that would ignite the coldest of blood.
And she had come to him, the coldest of them all.
“So, my dear, you’ve come to the Duke of Debauchery, have you?” he drawled, giving her a mock bow, the smoke from his cigar swirling about his hand.
She frowned, a spark lighting her eyes. “When you put it like that, it certainly sounds…”
Lifting the cigar to his lips he drew in another long draw of the heady smoke, then tilted his head to the side, curious to see if she would prove to be just like the rest of the silly women who came to him. “Dramatic?” he asked, smoke whispering from his lips.
“Boring, actually.” She shifted on her slippered feet and smiled ruefully. “I must confess I expected a more enticing introduction.”
Ryder stared at her for a moment then laughed. The deep wave of sound started in his stomach and poured from his lips. “Well, good. At least you’re not a soft bit of lace.”
She smiled, even though her brows drew together in confusion. “That I am not.”
“No sherry for you then?” He crossed to the gold and black sideboard table standing near the fire.
“Brandy.”
Ryder glanced back over his shoulder. She smiled at him. He nodded. “Certainly.”
The woman was clearly unlike any of the others who had come to him. Of that, he was now most certain. She had no guile or artifice and he had the terrible feeling that if he asked her a question she would give him an honest, unguarded answer. This didn’t bode well for the evening. For the whole truth and honesty game was not for him. He much preferred the veil of lies that men and women wove to keep each other at a distance.
He grasped the cool decanter and poured the amber liquid into two crystal snifters. If she’d been one of the other wool-headed young women or bored wives, he would have sat and ordered her to come to him. She certainly didn’t meet his usual requirements, not having any of the self-obsession he usually preferred in the women he allowed into his bed. Self-obsessed women, he found, never became obsessed. Thus, he could boot them out the door with a bauble and a smile.
But there was something raw and innocent about her that had more fire than the most practiced of women. He lowered his gaze to her left hand. No ring. Nor did there appear to be a line about the finger which might indicate its temporary removal for a romp in his bed.
She was of an age to be married at least a few years over and yet, she was not. Was she a virgin? As he lifted his gaze back to her face, he realized it didn’t matter. Whatever her experiences, though few he was certain, she was unguarded and unaccustomed to the ways of an affair.
Oddly, instead of observing him observing her, she was glancing about, taking in the room, her hands clasped calmly before her as if she hadn’t stepped into one of the most notorious houses in London. As if she hadn’t heard the earlier sounds of his fury or noticed all the books and vases strewn across the floor.
Ryder ground his teeth together as he avoided looking at her simple dress and plainly styled hair. She was so unlike the powdered and belaced tarts who came for a tumble. This one, whether she knew it or not, needed more than a tumble to awaken her body. She needed the one thing he never gave—a meeting of the minds.
Slipping his cigar between his lips, Ryder looked down at the two glasses and, for a moment, considered tossing the contents and sending her off. But tonight, the darkness was pressing on him with renewed vigor and, for the first time in a long time, he actually allowed himself to consider indulging in a bit of company to ease the pain.
Ryder cradled the snifters of brandy as he slowly approached her.
The young woman’s eyes widened and her gaze traced over his face and then over his black-clad shoulders, muscled from hours of boxing drills and fencing rounds. He smiled at her blatant but genuine innocence. He couldn’t help it. His damn lips had curved of their own volition. He extended the snifter. She yanked her gaze from his chest, down to the brandy.
He waited for her fingers to stretch out.
/>
It was the softest touch. Her gloves, plain cotton, brushed his skin. He allowed the moment to linger. The roughness of his hands brushed against the delicacy of hers. Her breasts lifted in a sharp breath and that single movement sent the blood in his body shooting straight to his groin. He was used to it. Desire was part of his strange and empty existence. But when he met her eyes, his chest tightened with a sensation he hadn’t felt in far too many years.
Ryder fought the sudden urge to jerk back. Not in fear, but because her eyes were full of invitation. Invitation to know her utterly. Completely. To his shock, he heard a part of himself he’d been certain was dead and gone whisper for him to not only take it. To seize it.
Don’t Miss the Other Books
in
The Dukes’ Club Series!
Available at all online retailers!
Once Upon A Duke
What a Widow Wants:
Everything is going swimmingly for Kathryn Darrell. She’s got an annuity of a hundred thousand a year, her lecherous-heart breaking husband has had the good graces to pop off, and best of all, she has her freedom—Something she has every intention of reveling in to the fullest. And who better to revel with than Ryder Blake, the infamous Duke of Darkwell?
A Duke’s Desire:
Ryder Blake, Duke of Darkwell, known as the Duke of Debauchery, is certain he will never love again. His heart lies buried with his wife and he has vowed to never give more than his body to a woman. But when Kathryn shows up on his doorstep, quite literally, demanding he show her the ways of London, he finds that his heart longs to love once again.
Buy now!
Wish Upon A Duke
A Widow Who Knows What She Wants:
Lady Imogen Cavendish loves making merry. After surviving years of marriage to an old man, having seized her freedom seems the only intelligent thing to have done. Even so, years of dancing her way through parties has lost its’ luster and all she wants now is to spend most of the year on the small estate she’s purchased in Scotland. There’s just one thing. Her neighbor is an infuriating, superior, and exceptionally handsome duke!
An Arrogant Duke Who Knows It All:
Duncan Hamish Fergus, Tenth Duke of Blackburn, does everything right. Duty might as well be his middle name. After his father very nearly ruined his mother and sister’s life, Duncan is determined to never let the family name be tarnished again. Sacrificing his own pleasure seems a small price to pay until he meets the mad capped English woman, Lady Cavendish. In all his years on the path of righteous, no woman has ever tempted him to stray into sin, but no woman has ever been as mischievous or voluptuous as his saucy sassenach neighbor.
Can Imogen teach the oh so proper duke how to have a little fun or will two hearts be broken by propriety?
Buy now!
All About the Duke
A Lady Who Vows Never to Wed:
Lady Allegra Portmund knows the cost of marriage. After the death of her dearest and only sister, Allegra swears she will never suffer the same fate. She will not become a possession shaped and destroyed by a husband. So, when her parents insist she marry the man of their choosing, there is only one thing for Allegra to do. Run. But when she runs, determined to be free, she meets the Duke of Roth, a singular man who sees her unique and vital spirit. Now that her heart is awakened to the most dangerous longings for love, how will she resist the temptation to break her vow?
A Duke Ruled By Honor:
Nicholas Andrew Edward Forth, Duke of Roth, values family above everything else. Despite his wild reputation, having lost both of his parents when he was a child, his most secret wish is to have a family again. When he meets a young lady in disguise, Nicholas quickly realizes that she is unlike any woman he’s ever met and is also the only woman for him. But when he discovers how quickly she has abandoned her own family, he doubts whether she is the exceptional woman he believed her to be. Now, that he knows the truth about Allegra’s past, will his own sense of honor destroy his only chance at happiness?
Buy now!
Duke Ever After
A Duke With A Scandalous Secret:
The Duke of Aston has always been the talk of the ton. Wild, passionate, and eccentric, women fall at his feet and gentlemen won’t dare to meet him on the dueling ground. But the duke has a secret. A secret that could destroy his family. While the world sees him as a prince of the realm, he knows that in truth, he’s worthless. So, when Lady Rosamund enters his life demanding he teach her the artful ways of seduction, he’s happy to oblige until he realizes she is the best woman he has ever known and therefore a woman he can never have.
A Lady Who Won’t Be Intimidated:
Lady Rosamund, only sibling of the Duke of Blackburn, is lonely. Raised in the remote glens of the Western Highlands, Rosamund has lived a sheltered life where only books and long walks have relieved her isolation. When she meets the Duke of Aston near her home, a man as delicious as the heroes she’s read about, the passion that sparks between them in undeniable. Adventurous spirit that the duke is, Rosamund knows he’s the man for her. But as she grows closer to the duke, opening her heart to him, his own heart closes.
Can she teach this tortured duke that he is worthy of love or will his past drive them apart forever?
Buy now!
Not Quite A Duke
A Rake With A Broken Heart:
Deadly with a rapier and one of the most notorious rakes London has ever known, Lord Charles, twin brother of the Duke of Hunt, is hiding a dark secret. Wine, women, and song can’t drown his pain but when he wins Barrow House in a night of gambling, he finds that he’s also won an entanglement with the owner’s niece, Lady Patience. Prickly, forthright, and clad in black from head to toe, she’s the opposite of every thing he’s ever desired in a woman and yet, Lord Charles is inexplicably drawn to her. When he discovers she has a secret just as serious and scandalous as his own, he knows marriage into his powerful family is the only thing that can rescue her. But can a rake take a chance at marriage and risk losing his heart?
A Lady in Disguise:
Lady Patience has no wish to be rescued but nor is she willing to give up her double life as the extremely successful author P. Auden. When her secret identity is exposed, she has no one to turn to but the rake who won her family house in a card game. But Lord Charles is all that she dislikes in a man. A womanizer and a gambler, she should abhor him. Only Lord Charles is not as simple as he seems. With each day she discovers the hidden depths and pain under his witty and cold exterior. And as she finds that underneath he is a good man nearly destroyed by a terrible secret, she cannot help but lose her heart to the rake who has sacrificed everything for his family’s happiness. Can she save him from his past just as he has saved her? Or will the past claim them both and ruin their chance at love?
Buy now!
A Duke By Any Other Name
Her dance card is nearly full.
The only sister of the Duke of Hunt, Lady Gemma, is finally ready to settle down. After all, she’s spent too many of her days frolicking all over town. As an Eversleigh, she’s ready for an excellent match. Desiring a serious, reserved, and strong husband who can handle her antics, Gemma handpicks Captain Duke. Surely, she’s selected the perfect man, but perfection may not be as it seems.
This pirate is treading on dangerous water.
Alexander Duke knows the violence of the seas, the brutality of humanity, and the dangers of fighting for a cause. He has no patience for a silly and persistent woman, who exudes more bubbles than a bottle of champagne. But when Lady Gemma turns on the charm, no man can resist her wiles, not even a rugged and courageous pirate. However, protecting his heart is Captain Duke’s number one priority. When a scandalous event shocks his hardened soul, he’s forced to take action, turning his back on his lifelong oath. Suddenly, he’s asking for her hand and putting both of their hearts on the line. Can two stubborn people relinquish control to know true love or will they rock the boat too violently to find their happy
ever after?
Buy now!
Don’t forget to try The Must Love Rogues Series too!
The Rogue and I
If the Rogue Fits
Duke Goes Rogue
Live and Let Rogue