by Anna Macy
Teddy and Serena stood like silent works of art against the back wall. Georgiana looked briefly at Marian, but her lovely face remained impassive, almost serene as she observed the room.
Bert Conning took a deep breath in, filling his body with air as the Viscount moved forward, his hand outstretched.
“Conning,” the elder Robert said quietly, his booming tone purposefully subdued.
Georgiana willed her father to take his hand, to grip it, and return the favor.
“Wains,” Bert said coldly in response, gingerly taking the taller man's hand. The moment their palms collided, Georgiana felt faint. This union might work. She had barely dared to hope but seeing their two fathers together was heaven for her eyes.
Catherine and Marian moved forward, their eyes bold and curious as Georgiana’s mother remained a quiet shadow behind her husband. They curtseyed, both facing the lady of the house.
“Mrs. Conning,” they muttered respectively. While they outranked her in every way, Georgiana’s mother had been a daughter of the ton and demanded a certain level of respect as the head of the house. They gave her this respect casually.
Georgiana saw her mother’s eyes shine for a moment, a spark briefly renewed. She stepped out from behind her husband, facing down the ominous Catherine Wains. With only the smallest hesitation, she dipped low into a curtsy.
“Welcome to our home,” her mother spoke gruffly as if her vocal cords were rough from unuse.
Georgiana bit her lip; her heart was fit to burst out of her chest. As the ladies rose, her mother’s eyes sought her out. With the entire world shining out of them, Georgiana smiled back at her.
Georgiana looked up at Robert, eyes brimming with tears of joy to find him already watching her. It was almost more than she could bear.
“Will you look at that,” Robert murmured, for her ears only. She felt the subtle press of his hand against her side. “Georgiana, are you alright?”
Georgiana looked around the room. Her mother was shyly conversing with Catherine, Marian had dragged Edwin into a conversation where he only looked mildly terrified, and the most shocking of all, Bert and Lord Devonshire were seated across from each other, talking in muted, but friendly tones.
Perhaps Teddy was still uncomfortable, but he sat politely upon the chaise there beside his wife. Serena met her eyes boldly, a smile lighting up her face. Georgiana couldn’t help but return the smile. She wondered if perhaps she might have found a friend in Serena Conning, however unlikely it may have seemed only weeks ago.
But then again, so much had changed in such a small amount of time. With Edwin at the helm, her family now had the chance to succeed. And with Robert by her side, she had finally found the validation, the unyielding acceptance, and love that she had craved her entire life. While her father may never change his ways, she saw strength renewed in her mother and even in Serena as they stood tall and healthy today. The Conning family would endure.
“I’m better than alright,” Georgiana reached down, sliding her smaller hand into his. She was bold in her action, but she loved catching him off guard. His eyes widened for a moment before his fingers closed on hers, holding tight.
“You, Georgiana Conning, are more than I could ever have imagined,” Robert said softly.
“That’s quite amusing, you know.” Georgiana pressed herself against his side, smiling up at him. “Because you are exactly what I always dreamed of.”
EPILOGUE
“Robert, this is absurd; we must get on the road.” Georgiana batted blindly out at the direction she’d last felt Robert’s touch.
They were supposed to be on their way to honeymoon but had stopped shortly after departing. Robert had insisted they take a slight detour. He’d tied a handkerchief around her eyes to blindfolded her, guiding her out into the darkness.
As Georgiana’s feet made a familiar hollow sound against the ground, she stopped altogether. “Robert Wains, did you take me to the Port again? We can come here any time of the day; why would you-,” Georgiana’s words were cut off as a laughing Robert caught her up in his arms with one swoop.
He pressed a long, lingering kiss to her lips. One that left her limp and overheated in his arms. “Please, wife, be patient.”
Georgiana, still a bit numb from the intensity of the kiss, nodded. Locking her arms around the strong column of her husband's neck, Georgiana settled in and let him carry her onwards. The familiar tang of river water stung her nose.
Curiosity grew in her, wondering what Robert might have felt was necessary to stop here so shortly into their travels. Settling against his body, Georgiana let herself relax.
Her shoulder butted gently against a doorway, and Robert cursed. Adjusting her quickly, Robert strode forward again. They were inside somewhere; familiar smells of wood stain and sawdust filled her nose. Georgiana went to remove her blindfold.
“Wait, one more minute.” Robert placed her on the ground, and she moved her feet slightly, noticing the soft rug beneath her toes. She could hear Robert’s heavier footsteps darting about in front of her.
Moments later, his hands slipped into her hair, tilting her head up for his kiss. Blindfolded, her senses whirled at the consuming pleasure that he woke in her every time they touched. She let her hands reach out and grip his lightweight coat, pulling herself up against him.
Pulling away, Robert was breathing heavily. Georgiana chuckled, refusing to let go of his coat. “Interesting concept, this blindfold,” she said coyly.
Robert groaned, his forehead butting hers as he leaned into her. “You are testing me, dear Georgiana.”
“Did you expect anything less, husband?” Georgiana teased quietly, her fingers rising to the blindfold and tugging lightly.
Robert snorted. “Of course not.’
He stepped away, leaving Georgiana feeling a draft as she stood alone. She tilted her head this way and that, wondering what Robert was doing.
“Now, may I take this off?” Georgiana slid her fingers beneath the silken fabric across her eyes.
“You can.” Robert’s voice was further away. With a hearty pull, the handkerchief gave way, and Georgiana blinked at the soft light of the room.
At first glance, it resembled Robert’s office down by the dockside warehouse. The very one that they’d made love in for the first time. But this space was much larger, filled with fine furnishings. Thick rugs covered the floors, and the walls were clear of notes.
“Robert?” Georgiana’s brow was low, her eyes scanning the room for further clues to where he’d taken her.
Robert laughed softly. “What does it look like?”
“It looks a bit like your old office?” Georgiana chuckled softly, smoothing a hand over her hair.
He laughed again, his deep voice radiating through the room. “That’s because it is my old office.”
Georgiana’s eyes went wide as she burst in laughter. “You did it. You expanded it?”
Robert wrapped his arms around her body, pulling her tight against him. Their smiles mirrored each other’s joy. “Why would you do that?” Georgiana murmured the words against his chest.
“Two reasons, if I remember correctly. Let me remind you. The first? Now you will be comfortable any time you want to come to visit.”
Georgiana nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly. “And the second?”
Robert urged her arms around his neck and leaning down slightly to pick her up. Georgiana giggled, tightening her hold around her husband’s neck.
“The second,” he whispered, “is that now I can comfortably ravish you here any chance I get.”
Georgiana let her head fall back, her laughter filling the large office as Robert tipped them over onto the nearest chaise. Quickly he proceeded to show her exactly what he could do with his new change of scenery.
THE END
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Note: The novels in the Unexpected Love series by Anna Macy are stand-alone stories meant to be read individually. If you would like to read in chronological order, please see the list below.
Unexpected Love Series:
She Ruined the Marquess
A Lord’s Redemption
His Heart for the Holidays (Arriving November 2021)
His Heart for the Holidays
(Arriving November 2021)
She was desperate to find her own path, away from her family's influence.
He needed someone to make his house into a home, one fit for his young ward.
Marian Wains had lived her entire life in the shadow of her family's name. When the mysterious, handsome Montgomery Bohart asks her to spend the holidays with him and his niece, she jumps at the chance.
With his sister missing, Montgomery is suddenly ward of a child he barely knows. Desperate, he turns to the beautiful, elegant young woman he met only months before. Marian, to his surprise, agrees to help. As it turns out, she is everything he's ever dreamed of and the one thing he's not allowed to have.
Marian Wains thought that she had destroyed her chance at true love a long time ago, yet something about Montgomery Bohart draws her in. When he touches her, it turns her world on its end. By the time Christmas arrives, there's only one thing Marian truly wants, and it's him.
From the moment she sets foot in his home Marian uproots his life, his work, his future. But in the process, she makes room not just for his niece, but room for the both of him in his heart.
Feeling festive? Preorder now for a Nov. 1st delivery of this holiday regency delight!