Moonlight and the Duke (Cherish and the Duke #2)

Epilogue

Lynton Grange

North Devon, England

September, 1817

B arely two weeks had passed since his wedding to Eden and an aura of happiness had settled over his home, Connor thought as he and his wife entered the children’s quarters to speak to them. His boys were quietly playing marbles, trying to knock each other’s aggies and cat’s eyes across the room with gleeful ruthlessness. Priscilla was seated at a small writing table with paper and pencil, drawing birds. Well, it looked something like birds. Bless her little heart, she was never going to be an accomplished artist, he thought with some amusement.

Eden winked at him, knowing exactly what he was thinking.

Unaware of their exchange, Priscilla glanced up and cast him a beaming smile. “Look, Papa! I drew a picture of you.”

Dear heaven. That was meant to be him? The figure more resembled an ostrich.

Eden must have thought the same, for she coughed and turned away. “Oh, dear. Excuse me. Tickle in my throat.”

He chuckled. “It is beautiful, my little sweetheart. I shall treasure it always. But hold on to it for now. We’d like to speak to all of you. Boys, gather round. I have something important to discuss with you.”

“Is Eden with child?” young Connor asked, sounding remarkably grown-up and sophisticated about such matters.

“What?” Connor was aghast. His eldest was on the cusp of understanding how a man could feel about a woman, but to ask such a question? Fortunately, the lad still had a few years before raging lust took over and he turned into a complete idiot.

The boy regarded him earnestly. “Papa, did you compromise Eden and this is why you married her?”

Connor struggled to retain his composure. “Where are you hearing this nonsense?”

“No,” Eden said calmly, trying not to choke on a burst of laughter. “Your father did not compromise me. Do you actually know what that means?”

They all nodded.

Connor was even more aghast. “You all do? Even you, Priscilla?”

“Yes, Papa. It means that you took Eden to bed before you were married,” his daughter replied, shocking both of them.

“Oh, dear,” Eden whispered.

Connor was mad enough to spit fire. “Priscilla! Who taught you this?”

“We overheard Sir Nero talking to Grandmama Evelyn,” Alex replied. “You needn’t growl at us.”

“That wretched man,” Eden muttered. “And did your grandmother box his ears for his impertinence? Honestly, the gall of that man. Your father never did any such thing. He has always treated me with the utmost respect. In any event, it is too soon to tell whether I am with child or not now that we are lawfully married. But we digress. Our talk has to do with your father’s upcoming trip to London.”

Connor was hoping to broach the matter of taking Eden with him, but he had no sooner mentioned the possibility of their being without their new mother for an entire month while he took care of certain pressing Lynton estate matters in London—yes, he had not even fully gotten out the words “London” and “Eden”—when they all began to protest.

“We love Eden,” young Connor said. “Why would you take her away from us?”

“Did she accept to go?” Alex wanted to know. “Or did you browbeat her into agreeing?”

Eden laughed. “Alex, your father did not browbeat me. You have an excellent vocabulary for a ten-year-old.”

“Dear heaven,” Connor muttered. “Do the three of you think I am an ogre?”

“No, Papa,” Priscilla said, looking up from her ostrich portrait that she was trying to pass off as him. “We love you. Can you not see it in my drawing of you?”

He choked on his words, desperate to keep himself from laughing. “And I love you, my little sweetheart.” He was touched by her big eyes and adorable smile, even if she could not draw to save her life. “Eden is my wife, and I would like to have her with me in London.”

He could have told them that the matter was not up for discussion, but it very much was to be discussed, since Eden had expressed concerns about leaving the children so soon after they had wed.

“Oh, Papa!” Priscilla frowned at him. “Don’t make her go with you. We need her here.” The boys agreed.

Eden regarded him helplessly.

It made sense to leave her behind, he supposed. He would be caught up in Lynton business most days and have little time to spend with her. Also, many of the ton families would not be in London yet.

“Or we could all go,” Eden suggested. “While you are occupied with your business affairs, I could show the children around London. There are museums and gardens to see, bookshops and sweet shops to pass the day. Puppet theaters and boat rides. Perhaps your mother would join us, too.”

Alex did not think the dowager duchess would go for the idea. “Grandmama doesn’t want to go to London.”

“Why not?” Connor asked his son.

“Because Sir Nero positioned her, and she is thinking about it,” Priscilla replied.

“What in blazes does that mean? There’s no such thing as—” Connor inhaled sharply. “Did that old goat proposition my mother?”

“That’s the word, Papa!” Priscilla replied excitedly.

“Oops,” Eden said, daring not to laugh while he stood there scowling and with the proverbial smoke pouring out of his ears.

“He is a dead man,” Connor said with a growl. He started to storm out, stopped, and then turned to face them all. “We are all going to London, and that includes Grandmama Evelyn. I’ll bloody be damned if I let that bloody lecherous goat put his hands on my mother. Everyone, start packing!”

The children cheered.

Eden followed after him. “You cannot force your mother to come with us.”

“Oh, yes I can. That fiend is not going to pinch your bottom or ever touch my mother again.” He marched down the hall. “Evelyn! In my study! Now!”

His mother hurried out of her bedchamber. “Connor, what on earth? Why are you shouting loudly enough to bring the rafters tumbling down on us?”

“I forbid you to see Sir Nero. He does not set foot in this house again. Nor are you to set foot in his home that he probably runs as a house of sin.”

His mother’s eyes rounded in surprise. “Good heavens, have you gone mad?”

“The children overheard him propositioning you, Evelyn,” Eden explained in response to her look of utter confusion.

Evelyn burst out laughing. “Oh, dear. Is this why you are so enraged? Do not be absurd. I have no interest in that lecherous old toad. But it is rather fun to be chased after at my age. I would never agree, of course. I fear my wrinkles would shock him into an apoplexy. Besides, your father and I were a love match. Having known love, I cannot imagine ever giving myself away so cheaply to the likes of Sir Nero Arnulfson.”

“Oh, thank goodness,” Eden muttered.

Connor let out a breath of relief as he raked a hand through his hair. “Bloody gave me a scare.”

His mother frowned at him. “Connor, your face is purple. Your little demons ought to have listened in on the entire conversation. They would have heard me refuse his flattering proposition. But I assure you, he was most insincere about it. It is Eden he really wants, and now he cannot have her.”

“Bloody right he cannot have her,” Connor replied.

“Crisis averted,” Eden intoned, her arm resting lightly on his to calm him.

Surprisingly, it worked.

Yes, Connor thought, she certainly had the ability to soothe him. In truth, everything felt right when she was beside him. This was why he wanted her to accompany him to London. Otherwise, what was he to do? Normally, he would have spent his time with Camborne and Bromleigh. But this was out of the question now that he was married to Eden and was going to remain faithful to her. At best, he might share a drink with them at one of their clubs before returning to his townhouse while they went off carousing.

He had sent letters to his friends telling of his marriage, but he was not certain those missives had reached them yet. Certainly not Camborne’s, since he was all the way north in the Highlands. Bromleigh might have received his, for Connor had sent word to him at Lady Shoreham’s estate. However, who knew if he was still visiting his cousin or had gone back to London?

Well, if his friends had not heard yet of his marriage, then he would tell them when he saw them in London. Would it not also be sensible to introduce them to Eden at the same time?

And if his children wanted to come along, why not? These men were godfathers to his sons and ought to be better acquainted with them now that they were growing up so fast.

“Will you join us in London, Evelyn?” Eden asked her.

His mother nodded. “It will be nice to catch up with old friends I haven’t seen in a while. Also, I’ll be there to keep an eye on the children whenever you and Connor step out. I’m sure the invitations will come pouring in once the ton realizes you are in residence.”

Connor led Eden to his study so that they could discuss their trip while he wrote to the coaching inns and sent word to his London housekeeper to have the townhouse readied for his miniature army. Eden sank down on the sofa to make herself comfortable while he took a seat behind his desk and set out his writing paper, ink pot, and sand shaker.

He had yet to put quill to paper when Brewster entered. “Your Grace…”

“Yes, Brewster?”

“This letter just came for Her Grace.”

“For me?” Eden smiled up at his butler as he handed it to her. “Thank you, Brewster.”

“Who is it from, love?” he asked once Brewster had returned to his position by the front door. His curiosity was roused while he watched the changing expressions on her face as she read her missive.

“My parents.”

He arched an eyebrow. “Your parents? Why wouldn’t they just walk over to talk to you? By the way, do you think they will be all right if left unattended at Chestnut Hill while we are in London?”

“You will never believe this. Apparently, they have gone off to Italy together.”

“Italy? When? We saw them just the night before last.”

“They left this morning.” She shook her head in amazement. “Can you believe it? I fully expect to read newspaper accounts of war breaking out wherever in Italy they happen to be staying. How odd. Together? I cannot understand what suddenly brought them around after a lifetime of hating each other.”

Connor shrugged. “Perhaps our happiness has set the example for them.”

She stared at him. “Do you think so?”

“No, love. Not really. But one can always hope.”

“Perhaps almost killing my father made my mother reconsider her feelings toward him.” She rose and came to his side to sit on the arm of his chair.

He eased his chair back a little in order to take her onto his lap. “Are you worried about them?”

“No.” She hugged him. “It is time I stopped serving as their referee and let them deal with their problems on their own. What they do or do not do to each other no longer torments me. I’ve found my happiness with you and the children. Evelyn, too. We are a true family, aren’t we?”

“Yes, love. Even though my own daughter thinks I look like an ostrich.”

She emitted a merry trill of laughter. “If so, you are a very handsome ostrich. A Silver Duke ostrich.”

He smiled. “Is there such a thing?”

“I’m sure there must be.” She kissed him softly on the lips.

He deepened the kiss, took control of it and added heat to it because his feelings would never be tepid for his wife. “I love you, Eden.”

“I love you too,” she said with a breathy sigh of pleasure.

By her inviting smile, he knew she wanted him to kiss her again.

So he did, giving her a kiss filled with all the splendor of the heavens as he could muster.

Deep.

Intense.

Because he always wanted her to feel the moonlight in his every kiss.

THE END