Snowflakes and Scandals

Epilogue

Epilogue

Christmas Eve

The past three weeks leading up to their wedding day were the longest of Carlisle’s life.

With each day he grew more annoyed that he hadn’t made love to Millie that evening before taking her home.

But now, sitting next to his wife at the wedding breakfast, his patience was almost at the breaking point. There weren’t many guests—only Millie’s parents and a few other neighbors—but it seemed they would never leave.

Millie’s obvious pleasure as she chatted with their guests, the way she smiled up at him… He couldn’t find it within himself to curtail that happiness in any way.

And so he forced himself to smile and not to growl as the first hour ticked into the second.

Finally, after what was surely an eternity, the guests began to take their leave. Millie’s mother hugged her daughter while Mr. Tyndale shook his hand. If his wife’s parents suspected that Millie had spent time alone with him, neither mentioned it.

And then the butler was closing the door behind them and making a discreet exit from the front hall.

She turned to face him, her arms folded across her midsection just under her breasts.

Those same breasts had been driving him to distraction. He hadn’t explored them that day, and Millie’s mother had kept a vigilant watch over them when he made his daily calls. They were allowed to go out together for walks, but the cold weather ensured she was always bundled up. While he enjoyed kissing Millie, he wanted—nay, he needed —to do so much more with her.

Millie let out a long sigh. “I wish Sarah and Lady Carlisle had arrived in time for the wedding. I can’t imagine what is keeping them away for so long.”

Carlisle didn’t particularly care, but he was grateful for their absence. He wasn’t sure his mother would have allowed him to spirit Millie away to their bedroom until darkness fell. And his patience with further delays was at an end.

He held out his hand, and she placed hers immediately into his.

“I’m sure they’re enjoying themselves. But right now you and I have some unfinished business.”

Her cheeks turned a charming shade of pink. This time he was going to explore just how far down her body that color went.

“Mother had an alarming conversation with me this morning. Aside from never wanting to think about her knowing anything about the act of lovemaking, she led me to believe that civilized people do this at nighttime.”

He smiled. “Civilized behavior is vastly overrated.”

When he swept her into his arms she let out a small squeal of surprise. She placed a kiss on his jaw before grinning back at him. “Are you going to make it a habit of carrying me to your bedroom every day?”

He enjoyed the feel of her in his arms as he turned to carry her to his bedroom. Their bedroom if he had his way. “If I need to. I’m thinking midday, late afternoon, and of course first thing in the morning. Although you’ll already be in my bed then, so I won’t have to carry you.”

She giggled. “I would chastise you for your shocking behavior, but I’m very much looking forward to this.”

He stopped at the bottom of the stairs and kissed her. She clung to him, returning the kiss with equal fervor.

“Good heavens. Could the two of you not have waited for us to arrive?”

He stiffened. He must have done something truly heinous in another lifetime to deserve such punishment. Surely nothing he’d ever done in this one was worthy of depriving him just when he was on the point of consummating his marriage.

He had to battle the urge to ignore the interlopers and proceed upstairs with his wife. Instead, he dropped a kiss on her temple, whispering the word soon against her skin, and then set her on the floor.

Together they turned to face his mother and sister.

Millie raced toward the new arrivals and hugged his sister. Then she dipped into a low curtsy before his mother, who shrugged off the formality and drew Millie into a hug.

Mother had always liked Millie, so she must be overjoyed right now.

“I’m so glad you arrived in time,” Millie said. “You missed the wedding ceremony, but the breakfast hasn’t been cleared yet.”

He let out a sigh. The twinkle in his mother’s eyes told him that she knew exactly what was bothering him. And just as he feared, she was probably going to monopolize his wife for as long as possible.

Millie returned to his side and threaded her arm through his.

He smiled down at her, but it was a half-hearted attempt at best. It was then that he noticed the third figure standing just inside the door. The man moved to join the group, removing his hat.

“Carlisle,” he said with a curt nod. “My lady.”

“Howell. What are you doing here?”

To say he was surprised that this man had accompanied his mother and sister home was an understatement.

Sarah giggled. “Oh, Lord Howell was visiting our cousin when we arrived.”

To his shock, she moved next to the man and linked her arm through his. Sarah was always enthusiastic with her affections, but surely his mother should be discouraging such familiarity.

He opened his mouth to tell Howell to release his sister when his mother said, “Sarah and Viscount Howell are married.” Her voice lowered when she added, “By special license.”

Millie gasped next to him. His jaw tightened as he envisioned just what might have led to such a hasty turn of events. Could he call the man out even though he had done the honorable thing and married his sister?

Sarah smiled up at her husband, and Carlisle’s anger dissipated when he saw the way Howell was looking down at her. Whatever had happened between the two of them, he knew another besotted man when he saw one.

Sarah stepped away from her new husband and moved to Millie, who had also released him. To his annoyance, the two moved into the dining room together.

“I’m famished,” Sarah said. “We drove through the night hoping to arrive in time for the wedding. But I’ll forgive you for not waiting since I got married without my best friend being there.”

“You must tell me what happened. I want every detail.”

He groaned as his mother moved past him to join the two women. “We are having the best Christmas this year. So many blessings.”

Howell clapped him on the back. “I think we’re going to have to work together to tear the two of them apart so we can have some time alone with our wives.”

He resisted the urge to punch the man. “To be clear, I do not want all the details.”

Howell chuckled, and Carlisle followed him into the dining room. He would give them one hour, and then he was going to carry Millie away if he had to.